I liked Kira Kira- I would read her other book but I can not find it here in Oz.

What was your favourite book of the year?

Beckie- I have not heard of “The Man Drought- and other social Issues of the New Century” by Bernard Salt but I will check it out.

I enjoy Bill Bryson though but have not read that one. My favourite of his is called “The mother Tongue” and anyone interested in the English language should read that.

Thanks for the reccomendations.

Jessica in China- I will definitely check out the first book you mentioned ( I have read little earthquakes before though- I read another book by Jennifer Wiener recently also called certain girls which was good as it was written from a mother and daughter perspective) as it sounds fantastic.

Buying books are a huge vice of mine also! Luckily I found a couple of cheaper second hand place near our place in Japan- In Australia though, with all the choice, I spend WAY too much. I also love AMAZON!

Jessica from in the burrow- Will definitely check it out- Have added it to my list! I have a very long list of books I want to read! Although most of the time it is just authors to remember.

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody!

Hope you guys has a great Christmas! I just read a book called “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”
by John Boyne which is set in Germany during Hitlers time. It’s told through the eyes of a 9 year old boy. I won’t say much more except, it was a quite enjoyable and quick (i read it in 2 hours) read. You should try it if you get a chance.

It is great that you read so many books! I think books are my biggest vice, I spend way more than I should on them, but I just can’t stop! In fact, I just ordered another book online not 2 hours ago, heh. My husband at least feels like book shopping is more worthy than say, clothing shopping or baby-stuff shopping, and so he doesn’t complain toooo much about the loads and loads of English books that clutter up our house!

A couple of favorites that I read this year:

Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb. About an English woman raised in Morocco by a Sufi mystic after her parents, a couple of irresponsible hippies, are murdered. She eventually ends up in Ethiopia and makes a home there until political turmoil forces her, and loads of other Ethiopians, to flee the country for England, which brings things full circle — she’s become a refugee in her “own” country. I think that anyone like us, who have spent time straddling two cultures, will really appreciate this book. Plus it is really well written!

I’m not usually too big on chick lit, but I did read one this year that I thought was pretty great, called Little Earthquakes, by Jennifer Weiner. It is about a group of women who meet in their childbirth class, and follows them as they become mothers and shows how motherhood changes them and their relationships with their husbands. As a new mom, I could really relate, and it had some sappy parts that almost made me cry. I bet you’d like it, since you are contemplating motherhood in the not-too-distant future.

Also – Down Under by Bill Bryson, he has a really humourous writing style and you learn heaps about Australia’s history, politics etc (very handy when people in Japan start firing all these questions at you about Australia)