Popular Picks 2001
Here are some librarians'picks of the year's best books, movies and television.
- Mrs Fytton's country life by Mavis Cheek
- Parlour Games by Mavis Cheek
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Both book and film. Book was better than the film, though I still enjoyed the film even though it did make a few changes to the book)
- Blackberry wine by Joanne Harris
- Five quarters of the orange by Joanne Harris
- Harry Potter books by J K Rowling
- T.V. would have to be some of the great gardening programmes - Lost gardens of Haligan springs to mind
- Red Tent by Anita Diamant - not sure how I've missed this one up to now. Fact/fiction re Book of Genesis. If you've ever wondered what happened to a few of the women in the Bible have a read of this. Fascinating stuff.
- Floating the Fish on Bamboo by Adrienne Jansen - 2nd novel from this New Zealand author. Very well written & especially appealing for those who love a somewhat dismal read. Woman's husband goes missing & she moves with her young son to a really sleazy part of N.Z. - you can hear the paint flaking off the weatherboards! - where she meets up with some very unusual characters including a three fingered ex violin player.
- Razzle by Ellen Wittlinger - this may be a Young Adult novel put plenty of adults have enjoyed it too. Great read about a really extrovert young woman who runs a recycling shop on the local dump.
- House of Sand & Fog by Andre Dubus - another one that got away with me and was on the “To Read” list. Persian family (once rich) have to flee their country & re-settle in USA with very few possessions and resources. Bizarre tale of how things can go terribly wrong when synchronicity steps in. The story takes a while to get into but well worth sticking with it.
- Movies: Shrek - because it made me laugh when I really needed to
- TV: I'm still in mourning waiting for the return of E.R.
- Hawks - Andrew Grant - For a Kiwi author this book held me enthralled. In my opinion the main character was one that you wanted to get closer to, as you never quite knew what was going on in his mind. Added to that was the place names that are familiar to me, and a storyline that, although may not appeal to many people, for those who have a past associated with the deer industry you were able to identify with. After reading this book I carried on and read the other Andrew Grant fiction (Tyler's Gold) which wasn't quite the same as Hawks, but still had the main character in a untouchable hero persona, and of course those places that are so familiar.
- Desert Royal(305.4209538 SUL)- Jean Sasson - non-fiction
I have read the first book (Princess) on a princess in Saudi Arabia which prepared me for this story which I found quite repetitive. However, the main thing that jumped out at me was the overall impact of the Koran on lives and with the current situation in Afghanistan it was interesting to read her perspective of the Taliban. - Pearl Harbour - movie - non fiction!!!!! Not
Loved the scenery - both of them! The story was very weak, with the typical American speech, but the visuals were great! But apparently planes don't do some of the things that were portrayed in the movie - Shrek - movie. Lovely! A nice love story which has a nice message, and those quick little comments that have come from other movies.
my top albums of the year are probably these ...
- the strokes - is this it
- the white stripes - white blood cell
- new order - get ready
- mercury rev - all is dream
and favourite songs
- destiny's child - bootylicious
- missy elliot - get ur freak on
- basement jaxx - where's your head at?
- groove armada - super stylin
- kylie minogue - can't get you out of my head
- andrew wk - partyhard
- gorillaz - clint eastwood
- moldy peaches - who's got the crack?
- spiritualized - stop your crying
- weezer - hashpipe
- All families are psychotic Douglas Coupland
- Back when we were grown ups Anne Tyler
- Empire Falls Richard Russo
- Extra virgin : a young woman discovers the Italian Riviera, where every month is enchanted by Annie Hawes
Expecting a temporary escape from the dreariness of London, two sisters accept a ten-week job grafting roses in an Italian village, but end up staying for life.
- Movies:
Moulin Rouge – an opulent jewel; The Others – spookily atmospheric, a real chiller that leaves you talking long after the movie had finished; Crouching tiger, hidden dragon – simply stunning; Requiem for a dream – disturbing; Shrek – not just for kids - Books:
As meat loves salt by Maria McCann – intense and dramatic historical fiction; House of leaves by Mark Danielewski – terrifying mindbender; Divinely decadent by Stephen Calloway (747 CAL) – to die for style; A circle of sisters by Judith Flanders - an absorbing biography of a famous family - Music:
Bjork – Vespertine
Basement Jaxx - Rooty
Madonna - GHV2
