Polysyllabic Spree – August 2010

Books Purchased:

For the Love of Ireland edited by Susan Cahill
At Home by Bill Bryson
Love Letters by Katie Fforde
The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson
Dubliners by James Joyce
The Puffin Book of Magic Verse edited by Charles Causley
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Translations by Brian Friel
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel

A lot of the books I purchased this month are from Ireland, and I’m excited about the fantastic books I brought back. I picked up a copy of At Home by Bill Bryson, his latest book that is not out in the US yet. I had been meaning to get a copy of Dubliners, and where better to get it than Ireland? I decided to get Skippy Dies, a new fiction book by Irish author Paul Murray, which has received a lot of praise. I found an adorable used book called The Puffin Book of Magic Verse at a cute used bookstore in Sligo. I found an adorable book called The Wonderful Weekend Book at Charlie Byrnes bookshop in Galway (an incredible bookshop).On the trip, Emma told me about her favorite Irish playwright, Brian Friel. I picked up a copy of his play Translations in Dublin. Once I got back home I found another of his plays, Dancing at Lughnasa, at Strand.

Books Read:

Finny by Justin Kramon
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (audio book, re-read)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Notes From a Big Country by Bill Bryson (re-read)
At Home by Bill Bryson

There wasn’t much time to read during August, since most of the month was spent doing the following things:
1. Preparing to go to Ireland
2. Being in Ireland
3. Recuperating from Ireland

But I managed to read (and listen to) a few things this month. I re-read the book Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson (the US title is I’m a Stranger Here Myself). I love Bill Bryson’s observations about the quirks and differences between Americans and Britons. I first read it when I got back from Italy, so it seemed a fitting time to re-read it – five years later on my next trip to Europe. I also listened to the audio version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’m just getting back into audio books, mainly because I’m realizing how many opportunities there are to listen to one! I’ve been listening to them on my iPhone while cleaning, walking places, baking/cooking, and riding public transportation (when I’m too tired to read for myself). I’ve really been enjoying them, especially “re-reading” the Harry Potter series before the movie comes out in November. Jim Dale is an amazing performer. Next I’d like to re-read the Thursday Next series, to prepare for the 6th book coming out in March next year.

I heard about Finny from Michelle, and I decided it seemed like a perfect travel book. I took it with me to Ireland, and really enjoyed reading it during the trip. I wish I had posted a review sooner, because it’s hard to remember my thoughts on it now! I do remember loving the characters, and that it was a fun, very readable book that made a great travel companion. It’s also interesting how well a man did with writing a female coming of age story. Highly impressive!

There are a lot of reviews of Mockingjay out there, so I’ll just share a few, spoiler free, thoughts. I enjoyed the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy, but not as much as the other two. I thought that the plot felt rushed in many places, especially at the end. Before I even opened it, I figured that I’d have a strong emotional reaction at the end. But I did not, and I’m not sure why. I seemed sort of numb to it all by then, I suppose. It was a page turner though, and I’m glad to have closure to the series.

Last but not least, I adored reading At Home by Bill Bryson, and will post a separate review of it soon.