My first G4 My little Pony

They are here, the fourth generation My little Ponies have arrived in Germany and I’m so excited. More than I can even tell. We went to check out Müller’s game section (today’s the release of Patapon as PSP Essential) and finally ended up in the toys department. I did not expect to see the G4 ponies over here before summer this year…but weeeeeeeeeee. They had the two story packs – one’s Fluttershy’s Nursery Tree and the other one is Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle’s Sweets Boutique – two story feature ponies (Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash), Rarity’s Royal Gem Carriage and a Rarity Styling pony. And guess who’s got an adorable little Fluttershy O_O (and tiny she is). And I didn’t have to buy it myself :boy: :heart_pink:

My little Pony G4 Fluttershy's Nursery Tree

My little Pony G4 Fluttershy’s Nursery Tree MIB

My little Pony G4 Fluttershy's Nursery Tree

My little Pony G4 Fluttershy's Nursery Tree

My little Pony G4 Fluttershy's Nursery Tree

G3 and G4 Fluttershy(s)

Alles Liebe,



Mein ribon-Abo

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Seit mehreren Jahren schon habe ich mit kleineren oder größeren Unterbrechungen ein Abo des ribon (りぼん) Magazins. Es erscheint, wie viele andere Zeitschriften dieser Art in Japan, monatlich und enthält neue Kapitel von Mangaserien, die extra für die ribon gezeichnet werden. Manche halten sich über Jahre hinweg, andere laufen nur wenige Monate. Der Inhalt richtet sich ganz klar an Mädchen, wie das Design unschwer erkennen lässt ^^ Das Besondere (und für uns Animanga-Fans Begehrenswerte) daran sind die Extras, die jeder Ausgabe beiligen, wie zum Beispiel Kalender, Taschen, Briefpapier oder Stifte.

Früher waren meine Sprachkenntnisse noch nicht gut genug, um den Serien folgen zu können, doch schon die wunderschönen Zeichnungen und eben die Beigaben waren für mich Grund genug das Magazin regelmäßig haben zu wollen. Durch den Japanaufenthalt hatte ich mein Abo erst mal ausgesetzt, gestern aber beschlossen, dass es langsam an der Zeit wäre es wiederaufzunehmen. Vor allem da ich mittlerweile das ganze auch lesen kann :yay:

Ein Online-Abo der ribon ist ziemlich schwer zu bekommen und für gewöhnlich unerschwinglich teuer. Zum Glück bin ich täglich in München und habe mit dem neo tokyo meinen Japanhändler des Vertrauens vor Ort. Dort kann man alle japanischen Zeitschriften abbonieren und bekommt dann alle 6 bis 8 Wochen eine Email, wenn die neuen Ausgaben eingetroffen sind. Das beste daran ist, dass sie nicht so viel teurer sind als in Japan. Somit freue ich mich auf meine nächste ribon und liebäugel schon mit der nächsten Publikation meiner Begierde ;)

Alles Liebe,



Paradepower: Leseverhalten

Dieses Jahr mach ich ja bei der einen oder anderen Challange mit, und auch an Missis Paradepower nehme ich endlich einmal teil. Das Thema für Januar lautet Leseverhalten. Ein Topic, der mir einerseits sehr am Herzen liegt, da ich das Lesen liebe, und andererseits auch ein klein wenig weh tut, weil ich nie so viel Zeit dafür aufwenden kann, wie ich eigentlich gerne möchte. Hier aber die Fragen:

Wie viel lest ihr im Schnitt pro Woche?
Momentan lese ich am Tag höchstens 30 – 60 Minuten beim Zugfahren oder in der Badewanne. DIe Uni hat Priorität und somit ist im Moment nicht viel Zeit über für privates Lesevergnügen. Durch meine Arbeit im Verlag allerdings habe ich noch viel mehr als früher mit dem Thema zu tun und entdecke ständig neue Bücher, die ich gerne lesen würde (und vorsorglich gleich schon mal kaufe ><) Und abbonierte Feeds von Blogs wie Miss Bookiverse machen es auch nicht besser ;)

Welche Genres sind euch am Liebsten?
Früher hätte ich gesagt Fantasy, musste aber immer dazu erwähnen, dass es nicht unbedingt jene Geschichten mit Elfen in Strumpfhosen sind, die mich fesseln. Mittlerweile habe ich herausgefunden, dass es für die Art Bücher, die ich meine, auch eine Genrebezeichnung gibt: Contemporary Fantasy. (Wikipedia sagt: „Contemporary Fantasy bezeichnet Texte aus dem Bereich der Fantasyliteratur, in denen die reale Welt mit phantastischen Elementen durchbrochen wird.“) Ich stelle fest, dass dieses Genre Hand in Hand mit Young Adult-Literatur geht. Da ich seit jeher selbst davon träume Literatur für diese Altersgruppe zu schreiben, ist es vielleicht nicht verwunderlich, dass viele Bücher auf meinem to read-Stapel aus dieser Ecke kommen.

Gelegentlich lese ich zur Auflockerung einen Krimi (fast ausschließlich die Wallander-Romane) oder Thriller von Mary Higgins Clark. Die sind spannend aber auch seicht, so dass man sie danach wieder getrost vergessen kann. Durch mein Literatur-Studium entdecke ich auch immer mehr meine Liebe für Klassiker, vorwiegend aus der Viktorianischen Ära, was sich wiederum wunderbar mit Fanatsy verbinden lässt (Gemma Doyle-Trilogie, Clockwork Angel, The Luxe…).

Kauft ihr eure Bücher selbst, leiht ihr sie aus oder lasst ihr euch beschenken?
Die meisten Bücher kaufe ich selbst, allerdings meist gebraucht vom Flohmarkt, Seiten wie booklooker oder ertausche sie bei Buch-Tauschbörsen.

Was ist euer absolutes Lieblingsbuch?
wenn ich danach gehe wie viel Spaß ich beim Lesen und immer wieder lesen habe, muss ich wohl die Harry Potter-Reihe von J.K. Rowling sagen. Ich halte alle Bände für absolute Meisterwerke, die mir unglaublich viel geben und bei jedem mal lesen wieder schön sind. Ähnlich geht es mir mit Büchern von Berte Bratt und Enid Blyton. Immerwährende Seelenstreichler.
Schwer beeindruckt haben mich noch Dune – Der Wüstenplanet von Frank Herbert und selbstverständlich Der Herr der Ringe

Mit welchem Buch habt ihr lesen gelernt bzw. an welches Buch aus Eurer Kindheit könnt ihr euch am Besten erinnern?
Das erste Buch, das ich auswendig konnte, war die Geschichte von einem rosa Schweinchen, das nicht schlafen wollte. Das Buch musste mir meine Mutter immer und immer wieder vorlesen. Als es dann losging, dass wir mit der Schule regelmäßig in die Bibliothek gingen um Bücher zu leihen, habe ich mir oft die Pettersson und Findus-Bücher von Sven Nordqvist geholt. Dann kamen die ganzen Enid Blyton Reihen wie Rätsel um…, Geheimnis um…, Abenteuer…, Hanni & Nanni und Tina & Tini.

Wie? War’s das schon? Ich bin gerade so schön im erzählen :D Naja, vielleicht sollte ich mir anstatt zu bloggen lieber ein Buch schnappen und mich zum Lesen verziehen ;)

Alles Liebe,



Challenges 2011: I’m in…English- & ABC-Challenge

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There are two book challenges I’d like to take part in. One is the I’m in…English Challenge, the other one the ABC-Challenge. In both cases I have to read at least 12 books and – that’s the best ;) – I can use the same books for both challenges xD

The point of I’m in… is to read English books on a regular basis, in other words: once a month. The goal of the ABC-challenge is to read books which names start with different letters (you see, simply an excuse to read books ;)), preferably 26 but at least 12. Let’s see what’s on my TBR (to be read-pile) or in German SuB (= Stapel ungelesener Bücher):

Hm, it’s not as easy as I thought to find more books with different letters (and please do not wonder about my choice which letter ist the one, you can find the rules on the challange site) I really want to read this year.

Stats

ABC-Challenge: 14 out of 26 letters (A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z)
I’m in…English Challenge: 12 out of 12 months

Additional reads:

Not read:

Alles Liebe,



books: ordered and to-read

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Good morning, dear readers. (I suppose it’s alright to use ‚good morning‘ around noon on a Saturday) I’m sitting here with a cup of pear tea and want to give you a brief summary on what books I’ve ordered recently and those who ended up on my to-read list.

Reading is one of my most important hobbies and has accompanied me since I was little. From time to time the passion about books is even stronger, especially when I get inspiried by people like Rena or Miss Bookiverse (I only discovered via this post). So two days ago I ordered several books at once and put some more on my to-read list.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling

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:book: Goodreads link

It’s time for the next Harry Potter movie in theaters soon. I thought that’s a good opportunity to go on with my current Harry Potter re-read-round and so far I’ve only read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in German. With this my English HP-book-set is complete, though the editions differ.

I remember reading book no. 6 only days before no. 7 was published and (in combination with the Deathly Hallows) it left me breath- and speechless. The whole Harry Potter universe with it’s human and loveable characters, all the tiny bits and pieces that slowly seem to fall in place and the final twist I hadn’t expected made this book a great reading experience. I wonder how it’ll feel to read it once again, now that I already know how the story ends.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

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Goodreads summary:
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own — populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray

20100820_01 :book: Goodreads link

I had already stumbled upon this book somewhere, mabye at Hugendubel. The cover cought my eye and Miss Bookiverse featured it as one of her favourite books; that’s why it came back to my mind and should arrive with The Book of Lost Things within the next couple of days.

Goodreads summary:
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy–jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls‘ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions „for a bit of fun“ and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the „others“ and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

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A future to buy, yes, because of the cover. Covers are a very important part of my decision-making-process wether to buy a book or not. Additionally you can find a good review over here.

Goodreads summary:
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor’s daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself – and others – in order to be set free. And love may be the key…

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

:book: Goodreads link

Oh my God, oh my God, I’m so excited about Shiver / Nach dem Sommer, only that I don’t know which edition to buy. Take a look at them. Of course the English paperbacks are, well, in English xD and cheaper. But the German cover is gorgeous. Which one would you buy?

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Goodreads summary:
the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn’t know why.the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace…until now.the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it’s spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Alles Liebe,



Have you read 6 out of 100?

A looong time ago (August last year -_-) I was quite fascinated with a list in a blog post by Verena, that was about 100 books – supposedly published by the BBC. You can find that list anywhere … sombody copied it from a site, that copied the list from another site, that copied the list from another site, that copied the list from another site, that…I think you get it. And all claimed that the BBC had claimed the average adult hasn’t read more than 6 out of this 100 books.

I was taken aback by the fact, that some of the books actually consist of several books like the Harry Potter series or *holy shit, Batman* the complete works of Shakespeare. Additionally out of those series selected books were named again, e.g. Hamlet by Shakespeare or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Lewis. So I did a little bit of research and found out that this list was published by The Guardian. I wasn’t able to find proof about the „6 out of 10“ claim and wonder who made that up…and why? *lol*

In the end I really found a BBC Top 100 list back from 2003 – and as I want to be special and niggling (and there are more books on that list I’ve actually read *cough*) I’ll go with that one. As it isn’t a „books you should’ve read“- but a „what people (at least in the UK)  love to read“-list I wonder what this blog post will reveal about me…but let’s go:

bold – read and finished
italic – read but unfinished
+ – love that book/series
– – didn’t like that book/series

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien (+)
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (-)
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (+)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling (+)
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne (+)
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling (+)
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling (+)
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling (+)
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer (-)
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (+)
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy (-)
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist (+)
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel (+)
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett (+)
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie

So that makes 16 finished and 7 unfinished out of 100…not very good, I think. Maybe I shoud have stuck to that other list xD

picture: photocase.com

Alles Liebe,