Chapter One: Spring Comes This Way

The warmer weather is getting closer. You can see it in the early mornings and again later at night when the sky gets that pinkish glow. I don't mind winter but I'm ready for some sun, reading in the shade, picnics, bbqs and drinks with lots of ice. Speaking of reading, I've got a stack of books on the go. I usually try and read one at a time but the four books on my bedside table and the one in my handbag, tell a different story.



I've just started Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (if you buy it from Book Depository, it's FREE shipping around the world). The film, with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley is out soon and looks fantastic. Set in the 1990s, the book is about three children who grew up and were educated at Hailsham School, a place where children are referred to as 'donors' and have 'guardians'. I'm not too far into the story, but it's got me completely absorbed.

Racing through Jonathan Franzen's new one: Freedom. When it comes to a contemporary take on the suburbs of North America, Franzen is a wicked genius. The book charts the lives and the demise of the Berglund family. They might look like the perfect couple with two 'perfect' teenage children, but of course, they're not. More acerbic than poignant, Franzen's take on modern life can make you squirm and laugh at the same time. Can't wait to get on with this book.


Just quickly: Naming the Bones by Louise Welsh. I saw her recently at the Melbourne Writers' Festival and she was fascinating.

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein. Loving this book about an American journalist who ends up working for a big Japanese newspaper and taking on the Yukuza. He was at the MWF, too - very funny guy with so many amazing tales of his life covering the 'beat'. Made me want to jump on a plane and fly to Tokyo (again!).

Okay. That's not exactly all of the books I've got my nose in but it's a start. I'm off to get a coffee and find some sun.