Memorable books

I love to read - always have, always will. I consider myself a wannabe avid reader. However, my ever growing TBR list and the time I have available for reading simply don't relate, but I can still dream. At lunch with a friend yesterday, we got to talking about what we're both currently reading. My friend is the bookworm I long to be, with boxes of books she has read, wants to read or plans to reread. Reread? Such luxury!

She described a teen novel she is currently reading (and whose name escapes me) that she considered quite graphic - gruesomely so, to the point that she couldn't get certain images of decapitated bodies out of her head for the past week. We pondered the genre of teen fiction and wondered whether it was any different to some of classic books that are common novel studies in high school. I was thinking of Lord of the Flies by William Golding (which I absolutely hated). She said that she found A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess extremely disturbing to read; she would force herself to read a paragraph at a time. I agreed, saying that it took me a couple of months to read a page at a time and that I still find so much of the content disturbing today. Although neither of us actually liked A Clockwork Orange, we considered it to be a truly memorable book.

Last night, I got to thinking about other books I've read that have been truly memorable. They are not necessarily books I have loved but for various reasons are simply unforgettable. I made a quick list on my phone, then looked back through my blog tonight as I started writing this post. Lo and behold, I had completed the 15 books meme a couple of years ago where I had made a similar list. (Obviously the post itself was actually less than memorable for me, as I was only reminded of it when I went searching for book reviews I had written!) Interestingly enough, most of the books on last night's list were on my 15 books meme.

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Truly disturbing. I found the rape scenes described in almost unbearable detail but couldn't stop reading. The prison and rehabilitation sections were simply gruesome, as was adapting to life without being able to experience one's greatest (or only) pleasure. Psychologically tormenting.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernières
I don't think I have read any other book where I actually spontaneously laughed out loud then cried a few chapters later. Again, I found this to be a challenging read and think it took me a couple of months to finish, returning to it in between reading several other things. The empathy and humanness of the characters remains with me today. It's a shame the movie of the same name could not even come close to capturing this.

Wild Swans - Jung Chang
This is always one of my nominations for the Whitcoulls Top 100 list. I learned so much about life in communist China from reading Chang's account of her mother's and grandmother's lives. The courage and strength of the women trying to hold their families together in such trying circumstances is truly admirable.

Papillon - Henri Charrière
I found this book exhausting to read. With every thwarted attempt at escape, my hopes were raised and my spirits soared only to be dashed so cruelly as something inevitably went wrong and Papillon was back at square 1 (or worse) again. Another book that took me a long time to read as I needed to intersperse it with lighter content.

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
It's sometimes hard to remember that this book is actually a novel. The story of a poor girl training to be a geisha gave readers a rare insight into the lives of Japanese women of a particular era. The characters were truly memorable; I could feel Sayuri's loneliness, her fear of Mother and her honour-bound drive to serve the life she was bought into. Another movie that could not capture the magic of the novel.

Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin
Another autobiography set in communist China. We are introduced to a loving but poverty stricken family whose sixth son of seven is afforded a opportunity to join Madame Mao's prestigious Beijing Dance Academy. But, of course, not all that glitters is gold and with opportunity comes sacrifice. Li's first foray into the Western capitalist world is vastly different to the propaganda he and his countrymen were taught to believe.

What books would make it to your 'most memorable' list?

Cinderella

My love of dance stems from learning ballet for six years during my childhood. More recently, we enjoyed watching the first two tv series of The Secret Lives of Dancers, which followed members of the Royal New Zealand Ballet while they rehearsed to go on tour. We got to know some of the dancers, celebrated their success and felt the pain of their injuries. A highlight of the 2011 World of Wearable Art Awards was the spectacular avant garde segment featuring the Royal New Zealand Ballet and accompanied by opera singers.

The cast of Cinderella

Last night, we saw the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Cinderella at the St James Theatre in Wellington. It was a real treat to see some familiar faces on stage, including the adorable Lucy Green as Cinderella and Abigail Boyle as the fairy godmother – two of our favourites from the tv show. The two stepsisters and stepmother (who were far from ugly) provided many moments of humour. Danseurs of note included a dashing prince, an exceptional grasshopper and a rare treat in the form of an appearance by ballet great Sir Jon Trimmer.

Cinderella is a delightful performance for ballet buffs and casual fans alike. The show is on for a couple more nights in Wellington before moving on to Invercargill, so there are still some chances to catch it around the country.

Things I'm loving

Here we are at the start of the eighth month of 2012. How the year has flown! We are just one month away from my favourite season, spring, and I saw daffodils and freesias in the supermarket today as early teasers that we don't have too much longer to wait until the weather improves. Reflecting after a family bereavement this week, I can see there are lots of exciting big and little things going on at the moment for me and those around me. Life is good - remember to enjoy every moment you can, for you never know when it will be your last.

Things I'm loving right now:

• The paddle attachment on my Kenwood mixer. Is there anything it can't do?
• Everything Kindle - the way to read.
• Knives - sharp ones. So very practical. So very satisfying.
• The Olympic Games, where I get to be a judge awarding points and deducting penalties in sports I know nothing about, all from the comfort of my armchair.
• Baking, baking and more baking. I agree that baking is therapeutic. I'm sure those who get to sample my kitchen creations are also happy with this addiction of mine.
• Early birthday presents, especially when they come from The Chocolate Story. Nom!
• Brunch with friends. It is fast becoming my favourite meal of the day.
• Birds singing in the trees - even the one that sounds like a car alarm.

What's good for you at the moment?

Tulip Sunday - Laura Ranger

Today is National Poetry Day and a range of poetry related activities have been planned all around the country. I thought about which poem I'd like to share ... then remembered the poem that came to mind was already my pick for National Poetry Day in 2009. It's still my favourite, but got me thinking about the appeal of particular poems and led to my selection for this year.

Tulip Sunday was written by a local poet, Laura Ranger, when she was just 6 years old. Her poetry collection, Laura's Poems, was published when I first started teaching and I loved using her writing as models for teaching poetic language - beautiful examples that children could relate to, especially as they were written by another child the same age and Tulip Sunday is a local event marking the start of spring each year. The final two lines of Tulip Sunday have stayed in my mind and remain a wonderful use of child-like personification.

Tulip Sunday by Laura Ranger, age 6

In the Botanical Gardens
bright tulips
spread out
like a yellow tablecloth
on a table with thousands of legs.

Some tulips
have red lips
and dark black eyes.
They bow and curtsy
in the wind.

Wellington Regional Sugarcraft Competition

As an amateur baker and aspiring cake decorator, I have always held a fascination for edible art of the sugary kind. I've had a go myself at some small scale decorating and have built up an arsenal of barely used decorating equipment that I always intend to put into action ... some day. This weekend, the Wellington Regional Sugarcraft Competition and Exhibition is on at The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt. If ever I needed inspiration to sort out my baking boxes, this exhibition has come at the right time!

There were some truly amazing edible creations across a whole range of categories. The attention to detail, particularly in the miniature cake categories, is incredible. It would be a shame to eat objects of such great beauty ...

Here are some of my favourites from the exhibition. If you are looking for some cake decorating inspiration and are in the area tomorrow, I'd certainly recommend checking it out.

My favourite floral display

The winning floral display

A very clever 'cheese' cake

Picnic basket - my pick of the competition

Pigs' feast, created by a 9 year old

Wise owls made by a creative 8 year old

Exquisite detail on a miniature dragon and castle

A beautiful teapot

Basket of flowers

Fashionista

Sh*t My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

Quite some time ago, I began following @shitmydadsays on Twitter. The account was created by Justin Halpern who tweeted one liners his father would come out with on almost any subject in the world, whether his opinion was solicited or not. Common themes and language emerged and more than 3 million others jumped on board; clearly, Justin's dad was hilarious and quickly became a hit. Naturally, a book called Sh*t My Dad Says (2010) followed and captured some of Dad's best one liners while elaborating on others, ending up as a collection of laugh out loud stories. Some contained great advice:

"Listen, and don't ignore what you hear."

 Others were tales of warning:

"My parents had irrational fears of Mexico and assumed that once you crossed the border, drug runners made you swallow a heroin belloon and then within the hour you were in a bathtub full of ice and they were harvesting your kidneys."

All were straight-shooting:

"Hot damn! You're a smart kid - I don't care what people say about you! ... I'm kidding, nobody says you're not smart. They say other stuff, but not that."

The world laughed along with Justin and his dad and they made it to the top of the The New York Times Bestseller List. And that's where this good thing should have ended.

Following the success of the book, a tv series unfortunately followed. $#*! My Dad Says, or simply Sh!t (as we called it), was dreadful. Having not previously read the book, my interest sparked from the Twitter feed. What a disappointment. The first episode was lame, but we figured it must get better. It didn't. Plastic characters with actors who only knew one technique: shouting. The clever one (or two) liners from the book were stretched beyond recognition and consequently got lost in the muddle. Somewhere along the way, Justin's mother disappeared (along with Dad's sincerity) and he gained an annoying brother and sister-in-law in place of his two actual brothers. Artistic license is one thing but stupidity is another. Even William Shatner, the one shining light on the show, couldn't save this one. Thankfully it is no longer on our screens.

My advice is to forget the tv series ever existed (I'm sure I'm not the only one to say this) and enjoy the humour from the book. It's an entertaining read and really did make me laugh out loud.