Favourite Colour of a Book- Day 15

Day 15 of the Penguin challenge asks you to think of a favourite colour for a book. I generally think of books with a particular illustration and don't always pay attention to the colour.  Though I know there are people who decorate their bookshelves by colour categories. It looks quite good I think.

The colours today I picked are red, yellow, blue, green and purple. No I did not pick Penguin orange. It slipped my mind funnily enough.  Here are some different coloured books.

The colours are basic but they do look good. At least I think they look good.

Favourite one?  I think the green.

Penguin Challenge Day 14- Read At School

Oh my goodness, can I remember back that far? What books DID I read at school.  I am only kidding.
I can certainly remember the books I read at school. Especially the ones I did not enjoy or understand for my age.

I think the one I disliked the most was Billy Budd by Herman Melville. I remember all of these references to Christ and Christ like figures and as I was not, and am still not a religious person it drove me wild.  When I look back I see the Christian religion played a great part in our reading assignments.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind one bit about people being religious in any faith but it isn't something that is important to me.  It never was. But that is how I was raised and I do feel that many of us are religious simply because of the families we grew up in and where we grew up.

But I digress. We also had to read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.  Now remember this was the 1960's in America's midwest so it is probably appropriate that we were assigned these books.  All of them had religious undertones and the teachers of the day tried hard to get that Christian influence tucked into that.

I liked the Old Man and the Sea and I would like to read it again. I thought it was an amazing book at the time and I don't know if that would have changed or not by now.

I also think I would not mind revisiting The Scarlet Letter again. I do remember a funny thing happening around that book in Grade 12.  I did not get the book finished in school by the due date. I almost did but not quite. As it happened one of the class valedictorians or someone with really great grades sat next to me. I came rushing into this first period class and asked her how the book had ended because we were going to talk about it that day.  She told me and of course feeling very smug with  myself thought I knew what was what.

Well sure enough I got called on to discuss what I thought the ending meant.  At that time I think I had more confidence than good sense and I proceeded to "crap on" (for lack of a better word) about the book and what it meant, etc.

The teacher looked at me, went quiet and then said to me, " You didn't finish this book did you?"  Of course being the supreme waffler I was at that time.  "Yes I did sir but that is my interpretation of the events that happened."  I probably didn't convince him but he did get off my back and ask others also what they thought. I really was quite off.  That was kind of how I went through high school, slid through by the seat of my pants.

I can't see myself ever reading Billy Budd again but I can see a time when I might revisit Ernest and Nathaniel.  I much preferred the short stories of O. Henry and James Thurber.

What was your experience of reading in school?

Hard Drive by Mary Todd and Chistine Villegas

This book was sent to me by the publisher for a review. The back covers advertises the book as-

"On June 24, 2012 Dr. Shane Truman Todd, a young American engineer, was found hanging in his Singapore apartment, just a week before his scheduled return to the United States.
Although Shane had repeated expressed apprehension about his work with a Chinese company and fear his life was being threatened, authorities immediately ruled his death a suicide. His family initially didn't know what to believe. However, upon arriving in Singapore, they realised the evidence suggested not suicide, but murder."

This story is an incredibly sad and interesting account of this young man's murder. The book discussed the family's mission to get the Singapore authorities to admit Shane was murdered. He was an electrical engineer working for a large company that was involved in allegedly selling work of technology to the Chinese. Shane believed the work he was doing went against USA national security and was torn against doing his job and the risk involved.

Shane died by hanging in his Singaporean apartment. From the beginning the corruption of the Singapore Police was evident. The investigation was a sham. The parents flew to Singapore meeting with the police and were given the run around and false information.  Their attempts at finding out what happened to their son were thwarted at every turn. It truly would have been an incredibly frustrating and heart breaking experience. The book documents their efforts, their negative experiences with the Singapore Police, various authorities in Singapore and to there surprise the United States State Department. Several USA politicians jumped on the band wagon only to jump off again when something better for their careers popped up.
The Todd family is a close family with four sons and the support around them was encouraging. The money and time spent was difficult to imagine in order to clear their son's name from a suicide to a murder.

This story is a very interesting one and anyone interested in this genre would find this an interesting book. My only disappointment with it was one of the author's was Shane's mother and it became a bit emotive at times. It would be difficult to write such a story about your son and remain objective.

I also found the use of many acronyms confusing and could not always remember what they stood for. This seems to be an increasing issue for a number of books especially with fictional crime and true crime. The agency's names, if spelled out, would make it easier for the reader.

I think it is a story worth writing and it goes to show one does not assume governments will do the right thing, including your own government. It was disappointing to know the USA State Department and FBI continued their involvement in this cover up. I guess it continues to confirm the belief  that when super power countries (such as China and Singapore) and money are involved one cannot expect a lot of justice for the "little man."

Hard Drive by Mary Todd & Christine Villegas
Published New York by Morgan James publishing
For 2015 - ISBN 978-1-63047-336-5 paperback
Review copy

Stocking Fillers For Day 13

Today is a fun one to think about. Stocking fillers or stocking stuffers as we call it here. How many little bookish things can one fit into a stocking?

I think outside of a bookshop my favourite shop would have to be a stationary store. I love stationary. I love the pens, the blank journals, the exercise books, the notepads, the post it notes. I don't think it matters what it is. I just love to walk around a stationary store and look at everything. 

If someone was going to fill a stocking for me I think I might put some of the following in it.

I love bookmarks. I often make my own out of various pictures from magazines and then laminate them. But if someone was filling my stocking there is a good selection in bookstores and department stores.

 Cute notepads. Not just plain old blank paper to keep those To Do lists or grocery lists. I want to write on something that is cute or clever.

 Colourful pencils, post it notes and containers to keep those things in. Stationary stores and gift shops often have beautiful or quirky things such as this.

 Fountain pens with various nibs for writing or calligraphy. Not that I do calligraphy as I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler but I love writing with a fountain pen. A crisp clean piece of white paper and watch the ink being applied to it in the form of a letter or notes from a book.

Did I mention some of us in the older population need reading glasses? Not just any reading glasses. Something with a dash of colour or an interesting design. That way when you are reading a good book and someone comes into the room to bother you, you can look up with the glasses on your nose and give them a look that means "Don't come one step closer" or "Go away, I'm reading."

You get it.  What things will go into your stocking this year?

Penguin December Meme - Day 12

Today we are on Day 12 for the Book a Day Challenge by Penguin. Today's topic is a Book of Poems.

When I was in school so many years ago I was introduced to Walt Whitman and Robert Frost. They were the poets, along with Emily Dickinson that everyone had to read. I loved Walt Whitman then and I love him probably more now.  I think he was a gorgeous looking person and I loved his words. I used to study his books and underline everything in them that seemed relevant to my life. I don't do that anymore but there is a sense of real nostalgia. When I read him I see the midwestern small town and farming communities I grew up with. I can feel the country and the farms and youth.

I would have loved to have known this man.

Robert Frost was another poet I loved as much but never quite as much as Walt Whitman. These are the two poets I think of today.

Lovely cover isn't it.

Who is your favourite poet?