Ambition and Aspiration | 2015 Reading Challenge and TBR

On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin - I have a slight obsession with butterflies on book covers, and butterflies in general, at the moment.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, Justine Picault - This is an entrancing read that I found in the library. I'm nearly finished.

Shakespeare, Ivor Brown - This year I am challenging myself to do a Shakespeare course in order to fill some gaps in my literary knowledge. Back to school!

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou - A well renowned autobiography and author. I've never read anything by Angelou and so decided to start in the middle of her series of autobiographies of her life.

From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming - Since getting the entire James Bond box set a year ago I still have 12 of 14 to read. Oops!

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak - I'm bringing some much needed YA into my reading list with this one. It's a classic and widely appreciated so hopefully it won't disappoint!

A Woman in Your Own Right, Anne Dickson - Also with the aim of continual development and learning for life, this is an almost-feminist take on assertiveness training in the 21st Century.

The above represents some of what I hope to achieve in reading this year. I have dropped my reading challenge from 80 as, conversely, the more free time I have the less I seem to read. Now that that minor haul is out of the way, here are my loose reading goals for 2015:

1) At least 52 books/1 per week, to include:

2) At least one back-to-university book (feminist, anthropology, etc.)

3) At least one autobiography (e.g. Coco Chanel).

4) At least one historical non-fiction book (e.g. A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor).

5) At least one back-to-school book/play (e.g. Shakespeare's Hamlet).

6) And, finally...at least one science non-fiction book (e.g. Sherlock Holmes).

What are your reading goals for the year?

Review: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Cloud-men causing weather chaos with hailstones? A grasshopper that plays the violin? Set across the iconic metropolis backgrounds of London and New York, James and the Giant Peach tells the tale of James Henry Trotter and a ladybird, glow-worm, centipede and others, as they leave England to sail in a peach to America. 

My first exposure to this literary imaginarium was the 1996 film, which I was obsessed with and watched over and over again as a child. The book, first published in America in 1961, is justifiably more magnificent, with Quentin Blake's illustrations creating the classic we know today. 

The inclusion of several cultural landmarks, such as London Zoo, might be one of the many reasons why Dahl's treasure is included in The Telegraph's list of 15 best children's books. It would be a sin to slander this book in any way. So I won't. It's a gem.

Carpe Diem xx

Review: The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Image: http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/bk09des.htm

I've just read a book that combines adventure and a royal love story and involves the characters Tok, Cap'n Bill, Princess Gloria, Pon. a mermaid and Button-Bright. First published in 1915, it is The Scarecrow of Oz, the ninth in the 13 novel sequels to the infinitely more famous The Wizard of Oz. Involving Dorothy, witch Glinda, and posing the scarecrow as the hero, this epic ramble through Oz introduces a host of new characters and has existentialist and humanistic leanings. Who doesn't love ambling through a land where popcorn falls like snow?

The true reason I picked this one up and none of the baker's dozen of others, is that it was on the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge list, which I have just picked up again. This book takes my total to 34 (out of 339!) and is a welcome break from serious novellas. Finally, in Ozma's conclusive words "no one can go far astray in the land of Oz, and if Button-Bright isn't occasionally lost, he isn't happy".

Carpe Diem xx

The Great 2014 Reading Challenge and Updates

First of all, hello and welcome after what's been a week or so since my last post. This is related to my first update, which is that due to other commitments I will be blogging less regularly that usual. I hope to update the blog every 1-2 weeks so please bare with me! Secondly, I have recently read Life of Pi, A Christmas Carol, and the latest installment in the Bridget Jones saga, Mad About The Boy. So stay tuned for updates and reviews on all of those. Thirdly, I am here to introduce the 2014 Reading Challenge, or my own personal Year of Reading. In the past month or so I have become much more into reading, and in particular challenging myself to read modern classics that I wouldn't otherwise read. My knowledge in this area is decidedly lacking and so this is my attempt to rectify the situation. So here is my challenge. To read as many books on this list as possible, including at least 12 modern classics (that's one a month). Feel free to join me!

1) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

2) The Restaurant At The End of The Universe - Douglas Adams

3) Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

4) The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

5) The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

6) Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres

7) The Time Traveller's Wife

8) Atonement

9) 1984 - George Orwell

10) I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith

11) To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

12) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

13) Life of Pi - Yann Martel (READ)

14) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (READ)

15) Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

16) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

I have partly been inspired by the Rory Gilmore (of Gilmore Girls) Reading Challenge. If you wish to read about it here is a link to a list of books mentioned and read during the show: http://thenovelworld.com/the-rory-gilmore-book-list/

Carpe Diem xx