Mareli Thalk ink ......

Meet me on Friday @ Friday 56 to start the weekend with Book Beginnings . Friday 56 is hosted by  Freda's Voice . For this date, you will need the following:  Grab a book (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading) Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader Find a sentence or two (your other Friday activities might determine this) Post it! Remember to post your link on  Freda's Voice  and to visit the other guys in the linky. And don't forget to list the title of the book and the author as well. I have this terrible habit of reading more than one (or two or three)  books at the same time. I do try to stick to one per format though. For this week's Friday 56, I will choose the paperback I am currently reading - When God was a rabbit, Sarah Winman.

'Worrying is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere' I remember reading Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot  when I was in High School. How absolutely absurd the whole thing was to me. Vladimir and Estragon were just sitting there. On a bench (or was it a rock?) , under a tree. Waiting. Endlessly and in vain. They didn't do anything. They didn't go anywhere. They just waited and worried for and about this Godot person/entity/deity/pty.ltd - whatever.   "Nothing happens. Nobody comes. Nobody goes. It's awful!"

Paperback     My reading progress for the past week was a bit slow. Flue-season in SA and I got it. Thankfully I also got the most beautiful flowers from a wonderful friend.  I'm still reading Come, thou tortoise by Jessica Grant. It is a lovely read with the loveliest characters. Especially Winifred. She is a tortoise yes, but I do so love her. So why don't I just finish it??  I'm just running through books at the moment. Very similar to a hare. Quite sure that Winifred will catch up with me.  I've started When God was a rabbit by Sarah Winman on Sunday afternoon. Not exactly sure what is going on here yet, but so far it is an easy read and I'm looking forward to see what happens with Elly and Jenny Penny.  Oh.My.Word........ As I'm typing this, I suddenly realize I am reading about a Tortoise and a Hare. Will definitely keep you posted on who won the race! The funniest part of all, this was NOT intentional.  Kindle  What's the

Bout of books read-a-thon update! Saturday 14 May 2016   The Widow - 154 pages (finished) The Mystery box - 4 pages Total pages read: 156 Books finished: 1 Friday 13 May 2016   The Widow - 120 pages The Little Prince - 26 pages (Finished) Total pages read: 146 Books finished: 1 Thursday 12 May 2016 It was a hectic day - if only we can always escape into a book and books can always be the only comfort we need. The Widow - 40 pages Total pages read: 40 Wednesday 11 May 2016     Three men in a boat - listened to 5 chapters (finished) The little prince - read 19 pages 11/22/63 - read 9 pages Total pages read: 28  Books finished: 1 Tuesday 10 May 2016     Recipes for love and murder - read 166 pages (finished) Three men in a boat - listened to 3 chapters The little prince - read 2 pages 11/22/63 - read 17 pages Total pages read: 174 Books finished: 1  Monday 09 May 2016    

Today's cover characteristic - CIRCUS (oh yea!) Cover characteristics is a meme hosted by  Sugar & Snark  - each week they post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favourite covers with that characteristic.

Paperback read from 10 - 22 April 2016 As predicted, Jonas Jonasson did not disappoint with his second novel, The girl who saved the king of Sweden. Being a South African myself, there were certain aspects of this novel I've enjoyed even more than its predecessor The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared.  The story opens in 1961 with the birth of Nombeko Mayeki  in Soweto, South Africa. Although she was statistically destined for a short and hard life, it did appear as if the odds were ever in her favour. Yes, she was black and a girl. She was also ran over by a drunken engineer and forced to work for the brandy-soaked head of a top secret South African project (Pelindaba hint hint).

Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted by http://sugarandsnark.co.za/ This week's cover characteristic is:  Alcoholic beverages    Right ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. Next to wine, I can highly recommend this as an excellent remedy for a sour disposition.

Read from April 10 to 17, 2016      A five year old girl is missing. Taken in broad daylight right outside her school gate.  These things happen. Way to often in this day and age. Thanks to the media, it doesn't take too much imagination to sketch  a vivid picture in our minds of what can happen when a five year old girl disappears. You hope and pray that the child will be found alive. Maybe it's a bit much to ask that she'd be returned unharmed as well. But that is exactly what happens with little Anna. One week after her abduction, she is returned to her mother. Unharmed. To quote the book description; "This is where the nightmare starts". Talk about a twist in the tail. There are plenty of psychological thrillers these days with twists and turns that will make a circus pig jealous.                 

Paperback/hardcover The author of The-100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared , Jonas Jonasson's newest novel already promises to be as fun-filled and entertaining as its predecessor. I've actually struggled a bit with Jonasson's writing style when I first started The-100-year-old man. He's quite quirky with an atomic amount (no pun intended) of word-play. Same with The girl who saved the king of Sweden , but this time I am prepared and quickly got into it. The story opens with Nombeko Mayeki who was born in a Soweto shack in 1961. She's a rather clever girl and by the age of 14 she was already the manager of the latrine emptiers in South Africa's largest shantytown.  "They complained that their manager was talking politics. Wasn't it enough that they had to carry shit all day? Do they have to listen to it too?" I suspect this might be my #21 on  http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge/ Kin