You can email me at pageturnersbooks (at) gmail (dot) com
(I don't accept books for review)
AS A READER
Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.
~The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I am a book lover from way back. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother reading to me as a child. Either my mother or my father read to me and my younger sister every evening without fail. I remember loving The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blighton and as I got older The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I continued reading throughout my childhood, adolescence and now adulthood. Now I feel uncomfortable going anywhere without a book, which is why I love the advent of the ebook, it is great to know that you can carry a book on your pocket wherever you go.
What I love about reading is that it can transport you into your own world that seems so real. Reading for me is also a way of prioritising myself - you can shut off the 'real world' and live in your own alternate universe for a period of time. I love the power of language and what authors can do with it - I am constantly surprised at just how talented people are that can write novels and sometimes I wish that I was in their ranks.
I couldn't honestly say that my tastes are ecclectic. I find that I am drawn to contemporary and literary fiction, as well as classics. I do occasionally read some popular fiction (Dan Brown being a guilty pleasure) and some crime fiction.
I mostly only read second hand books. Largely this is related to the cost of new books in Australia, but I do think that I would read second hand books anyway. I love the thought that the book has had a life before it got to me. That not only does it contain a story, the book itself has its own story that I can only guess at.
I am always trying to read as much Australian literature as I can. For me, it's important to make a special effort to read Australian literature an effort support my own country's literary industry and heritage. I believe that I can learn a lot about Australia by reading its fiction. Since realising how little Australian literature I owned, my goal has become to increase the number of books I read by Australian authors, and then to begin to explore literature by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.
What I really like is a very descriptive style of writing and strong colourful characters. I love a story line that grabs me, draws me in and forces me to care about the outcome for the characters, even if I don't like the characters themselves. I enjoy a bold/individual style of writing, but not such that it creates a barrier between me and the story. Some authors that I find really deliver this for me are Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Flannagan and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
I mostly only have the chance to read on the train and the way to and from work, which means I don't get as much reading done as I would like, which makes it all the more important to me that I read books that I enjoy. I read ebooks as well as normal books and you can read more about my specific reading habits here.
My favourite authors:
- Jane Austen,
- Margaret Atwood,
- Isabel Allende,
- Richard Flannagan,
- Markus Zusak,
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
- Jasper Fforde,
- Charlotte Bronte,
- Louis de Bernieres,
- Roberto Bolano,
- John Wyndham
- Kerry Greenwood.
My favourite books:
- The Chrysalids by John Wyndham,
- The Book Thief by Marku Zusak,
- The Barforth Trilogy by Brenda Jagger
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell,
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte,
- The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein,
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden,
- The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall,
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier,
- The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling,
- A Tale of Tiem City by Dianna Wynne Jones,
- The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger,
- The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox,
- The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen,
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
For a more thorough indication of my reading tastes, have a look at Project Read What I Own - my attempt to read all the books that I own.
AS A BLOGGER
It was my love of reading that lead me to create Page Turners in mid 2009. I felt as though I was reading books without reflecting on what I was reading. I remembered back to school when studying a book made that book so much more enjoyable, and I wanted to try and recreate that in a different way. Page Turners became a way of doing this, it gave me a forum for analysing books and in a way reliving them after I had finished reading them.
At first it was just a home for my book reviews, but over time it became more than that. I hope to have created a space to really celebrate books and writing through reviews, discussions, challenges and fun. The great thing about the internet is that Page Turners is adaptable. I can create what I like, and what others like, and no doubt this will change over time.
I enjoy the interaction that comes from blogging. During my explorations of the book blogging world, I have discovered many books that have been recommended to me by other bloggers, and met many lovely bloggers who I can share my love of books with. I love writing book reviews and having other bookish fun. Page Turners will be around for a long time I hope.
I try to encourage literary dicussion (and blog discussion as well) at Page Turners and so I have a special section especially dedicated to collecting all the various posts that have started some interesting discussion amoungst my readers:
AS A REVIEWER
Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
~ Francis Bacon
Over time, my reviewing style has changed signficantly. Now, my reviews will always include a link to the book on Amazon using their Affiliates program, so that if you are truly inspired you can buy it straight away. I try to explain what drew me to the book, a little about the plot, and then my obersations on the writing, the characters, the setting, the themes and anything else that draws my attention.
I then give them a star rating out of 8 - my rating information is located in my sidebar. I do try to remember to include the details of the books, but I am not always successful at remembering to include this information. I find that usually with the title and author you can find out whatever information you require, but if you want further details about a particular book you are welcome to email me.
I hope that my reviews are a useful guide to all other book lovers out there looking for their next great book!
I love to hear from everyone, so feel free to email me whenever you like.
