Bibliodiversidade - Reading Diversely

June has been my best reading month of the year so far, not just because I was able to fit in a reasonable amount of reading time but because all the books I have read this month were very good books and I discovered a few new authors that I really liked and will be wanting to read more. So let us take a look at my June reads, one by one: The Fist of God, Frederick Forsyth : I had loved Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal, the first book I read from this author, and also the first one I read through Bookcrossing . So it is no wonder that I also really liked this one. Even though the theme is very different (The Day of the Jackal is about an attempted murder of General de Gaulle and this one is about the first Gulf War and the liberation of Kuwait), they both share an attention to detail, accuracy of information, suspense and a great ability to mix historical facts with a fiction plot, all with a ...

May was not as good a reading month as April, not because of the numbers (I read 6 books against 7 in April, which is pretty good for me) but because of the satisfaction those books gave me (something far more important than the number). So without delay, here they go: Angels & Demons | Dan Bown : This was my palate cleanser after reading Janet Murray's  remarkable Strong-minded Women (see my last monthly readings post for more details). I was really disappointed with the last fifth of the book. It started as a really well crafted thriller, with a lot of historical references to real places and facts (mixed with some made-up information, but that's OK, since this is fiction, after all) and I had a good time googling Roman architecture and art pieces as I went reading. Although "movie-script writing" is not what I usually look for in a book, I once in a while like to re...

Two women reading on a verandah at Ingham, QLD, ca. 1894-1903. I was not able to write a post about the March reads in time, so I am joining two months into one post, March and April. I read 3 books in March: The Tailor of Panama | John le Carré (UK): this was quite an enjoyable read, even though spying and international intrigue are not among my favourite genres. But I had this book lying around for too long and decided I had to read it before letting it go again through Bookcrossing , which is where it came from. One of the things I found very interesting is how the core of the story remains so up-to-date: intelligence services from developed countries looking for new purposes by messing around in the third world, a small lie becoming bigger and bigger until it is appropriated by those services/governments and the media as a means to justify a military invasion... As my reading progressed, I had the creepy notion I already knew the story, and it was not from the movi...

Just like last month, I read three books in Febr uary: TheWonderful Adventures of Nils by Swedish Selma Lagerlöf (I read the Portuguese version called A Viagem Maravilhosa de Nils Holgersson): this is a classic children's book that I've been wanting to read for a long time. It was fun to use Googlemaps to follow the wild geese and Nils travel across Sweden, as all the sites described in the book are real. In fact, Selma Lagerlöf wrote this book with an educational purpose, but instead of being tedious or preaching, it is a joy to read. And more than a trip in the literal sense, the story is also an inner journey: the growth of a spoiled and lazy boy who learn s with his wild companions the value of work and loyalty and how vital they are for the survival of the group – and his own .   Tempo de Mudança by Portuguese António Barreto (there is no translation of this book that I know of): this is a non- fiction book ...

I read three books in January, one children's book by British David Walliams (Gangsta Granny – I read the Portuguese version called Avozinha Gangster) and two literary fiction books, one by Japanese Kenzaburo Oe (An Echo of Heaven, I read the Portuguese version) and another one by North-American John Williams ( Stoner - again, I read the Portuguese version). My favourite was by far Stoner , if you want you can read my review here . Este mês de Janeiro li três livros, um infantil/juvenil do inglês David Walliams (li a tradução portuguesa, Avozinha Gangster) e dois livros de ficção, um do japonês Kenzaburo Oe (Um Eco do Céu) e outro do Norte-Americano John Williams ( Stoner - li também a versão portuguesa). Stoner foi, de longe, o meu favorito. Se quiserem ler o meu comentário, basta clicar aqui .