This bookworm’s blog

This little blog started out as just a place for me to talk about books. At the time, I didn’t have many people in my life I could have literary conversations with, so blogging was an outlet for all my bookish thoughts, raves and rants.

What kept me blogging, albeit a bit sporadically at times, was the interaction with all the bookworms out there. I’ve met some wonderful people and I’ve come to think of them as friends, even though The Boy insists on making the distinction between real life friends and my “book-friends” as he calls them. I don’t share his opinion. I mean, as time went by, I got to know not only what books they like and don’t like but also about their jobs, their pets, their lives. I talk to some of them on Twitter about everything under the Sun, practically everyday, which is a lot more often than I see some of my friends.

Eventually, I stopped blogging only about books and now I just write about anything, my travels, my studies, my shoes, The Boy. And because I fancy myself a photographer, I post many, many pictures. It feels like I’m sharing my life with good friends. This is why I’ve greatly enjoyed this ArmchairBEA, it was an amazing opportunity to meet incredible people and socialize, and even attend my very first Twitter party.

Anyway, I think I’m going to wrap up this random post and go read some of the many new blogs that are threatening to make my google reader explode. What do you love most about the book blogging world?

Best of 2011… so far

So I’m supposed to pick my favourite book of the year so far and I find myself in a bit of a bind. You see, most of the books I read this year I loved. In fact I was thinking the other day that I need to post some bad reviews to have some balance. Also, it seems to me that roasts are more fun to write (insert evil laugh here).

Anyway, I managed to pick one book as my best book of 2011 so far, and that book is The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. It was the first of her books that I read and I’m still kicking myself for avoiding it for so many years.

It’s an epic family story, spawning many generations. My favourite thing about this book is how effortlessly the author manages to intertwine a few supernatural elements with the real world. The book is very much about harsh realities like war, rape, revenge, and yet there is also Rosa, the gorgeous, green-haired creature and Clara who communicates with spirits and predicts the future.

I think Allende did a brilliant job transporting the reader to a time and a place long gone and I found that the book and the characters stayed with me after I was done reading. This book is highly recommended, and I would love to hear your thoughts if you do read it. If you want to know more, here is my full review of the book.

And just because I couldn’t resist: honourable mention goes to The Help by Kathryn Stockett (read my review here) and The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (review to come).

What was your favourite book of the year so far?

This bookworm…

… owns too many books and too few bookshelves

… considers London her home town

… will read anything that strikes her fancy

… enjoys long walks in the countryside

… has “proximity to the library” on her list when looking for a flat

… loves not-so-sensible shoes, charm necklaces and MAC blush

… dreams of travelling all over the world

… adores Bertie Wooster and his words of wisdom

… thinks that pretty flowers in vases are worth the hay fever

… will be a doctor, the Ross Geller kind

… wishes she had freckles

… has read The Iliad and The Odyssey in ancient Greek

… would like to make your acquaintance, so why don’t you come and say hi? Are you excited for the Armchair BEA?

This post is the first in the week-long series for Armchair BEA.