The Books!

Books read in 2010

(a running tally and comments on most of them.  Feel free to comment back, argue with me, take umbridge – I might argue back but I might agree with your points!)

The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicholl – a slow leisurely read, perfect for a summer holiday.  It is romantic – extremely romantic – lyrical and magical.  I really liked it, was a little frustrated at the over descriptive nature of it but I would really recommend it as a great example of magical realism.  I would definitely read another book by this man.  Nice cover, nice format.  A nice book actually!  I bought it for the library and was a bit worried that it might be  bit girly, but have decided that some of our more sensitive types of male staff will really like it, particularly the fan of the sad and beautiful.  I recommend it.

Nation by Terry Pratchett – Review on the main page. It is wonderful and fabulous and you should read it.

Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan – this is a great concept, the book is a tad ‘done before’ a group of children with extraordinary powers of perception and thought and genius brains in different ways are put in a group house in an effort to help them and see what they can do if they combine their powers.  Had I realised how long ago it had been written I probably wouldn’t have bothered with it but in a way it is a good easy undemanding read, but I suspect the author thought it was going to be really wonderful and amazing.  It’s okay don’t rush out and get it.

Hunting  Elephants by James Roy - a great book for boys aged about 12- 14.  There has been a tragedy in the family, Mum can’t get over the loss of her son who has died, Dad tries the relentless cheerful approach and the remaining son, Harry is holding it together with his mates.  He is told he must attend a family wedding, not something he is keen to do, it is in the back of beyond and he has to meet a bunch of people he has never met before.  Over the course of a long weekend the family mysteries are revealed, the myths busted and assumptions people have made are challenged.  A great book, written with a good ear for how teenage boys actually speak and thankfully well edited!

Blind Faith by Ben Elton

Well, what can I say about this book.  It has been ages since I read one of his novels and I had – for a minute – forgotten the style of shock jock tactics he uses. This is Ben having a go at the social connectedness of society.  He imagines a world in the future where England has flooded because of global warming and shrunk so that people are crammed in.  A new regime rules the land based on religion and worshiping ‘the love’ non-believers are not allowed and everyone is compelled to post their lives and their thoughts and their every intimate detail on blogs and media feeds.  There are no secrets allowed and there is no privacy.  Quite a lot goes on in this book and it rollicks along nicely.  I was totally shocked and horrified in the beginning and nearly didn’t continue, but became hooked and wanted to find out where it was going.  In the end I really enjoyed it.  Nice twist in the end.  Don’t expect fantastic writing but do enjoy his ideas and clever mind.  I’m guessing Ben doesn’t have either a Facebook Page or a Twitter account – he damns that kind of thing completely in this book.  Read it and grin!

The whole business with Kiffo and the Pitbull by Barry Jonesburg – Fantastic book for kids, I’d recommend it for year 9 through to year 11 I guess.  It rollicks along with a mystery, a lot of fun, plenty of suspense and a great little story.  Barry Jonesburg has done a brilliant job, and he really writes for the audience he is targeting.  I might go and get a second copy because I’m going to be recommending it all over the place at school.  Basically Calma the good studious girl with lots of character and her friend Kiffo, who is a wild boy and not considered the sharpest tool in the shed set out to find the ‘truth’ about the new teacher who has appeared at their school and who is making their lives miserable. Highly recommended for girls and boys.  Might be a nice set text for year 10.  I know this book will do brisk business in the library.

The girl who played with fire – by Stieg Larsson This is a great book.  Review on the main page.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – Gorgeous – review on the main page

Catching Fire (sequel to The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins This is a great book.  Perfect for all teenagers, the action is hard out as you would expect from Suzanne Collins and the characters from the first book are all there but become more developed in this.  I didn’t read it as quickly as the first one, it wasn’t quite so exciting cos you already suspected what might be going to happen to them, but a blimmin good book.  Bring on the third one I say.  Word is out that the new book due out later this year is to be called Mockingjay.  This is a brilliant series and not just for kids as I have leant the book to a couple of adults and they have loved it too.

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard – what a wonderful book this is!  It is only small but it packs an enormous punch.  It is the story of Skip, a 12 year old boy, who decides to run away from his foster family one day.  Skip loves art and is fascinated by pictures and the people who create art.  He ends up in a mall, bumps into a rather grumpy old man who is a tramp called Billy.  Billy helps Skip find some food and shelter.  They end up in the State Library (I think in Sydney?) and encounter a young boy who has been left alone for a while.  Suddenly the world turns upside down and the building is bombed.  War breaks out and they are forced to stick together to survive and to look after the 6 year old who they become fond of.  The struggle for food, the long treks to safety all within the city they know well.  The breakdown of society and strangers being thrown together reminded me a little bit of The Road.  I seem to have read quite a lot of post-apocalyptic novels recently but this is a gem.  Perfect for teenagers and I think my boys at school will love it.  I’m a fan of Meg Rosoff and this has a little bit of a feel of How I Live Now about it.  Read it and enjoy.  I gave it a big picture cos it was so worth it!

The Carbon Diaries 1015 by Saci Lloyd – The main character in this very good little book is a sassy, spunky teenage girl who is gutted that England has introduced carbon monitoring as a step towards controlling the escalating problems of global warming and over consumption.  England are leading the way on this and rationing of carbon starts immediately.  Everyone has a card and their usage is monitored at all times, everything they buy, all the power they use and therefore most aspects of their lives are now controlled.  This is the story of one family their neighbours and friends and what their new lives are like.  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the sequel which is set 2 years down the track.  I think the book will make it’s YA audience think about what the implications of life with our current levels of consumerism might be like.

The Crossing by Mandy Hager – Well this wasn’t what I was expecting.  Mandy Hager’s last book, Smashed, was one of my favorite books the year it came out, and the boys at school have loved it to bits – literally!  This book is very different.  It is the story of a girl called Maryam who is one of the native tribe on an island in the Pacific.  A cataclysmic event has taken place in the past (probably nuclear war I thought) and a cruise ship has washed up on the beach, the crew and people on the boat have set themselves up as religious leaders and have the native people totally in their control. 

This is an interesting book, the crimes against the native girls are pretty horrific to read about and would make some uncomfortable but it is well written and a good contender for the NZ post awards I think.  I’m unimpressed with the nominees this year, particularly the non-fiction ones, crikey, we produced better books than some of them this year.  There are only a few of the young adult nominees I am going to read having heard really mediocre reports about some of them.  I’d like Mandy to win this year!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – I rattled this off in a couple of hours.  Megan has it now and is hooked too.  Clay discovers a parcel on his doorstep and inside are a bunch of cassette tapes with the recorded voice of a girl he knows, Hannah, who has  committed suicide a couple of weeks previously .  The tapes are passed on from person to person between those thirteen people who were somehow behind the reason she decided to end it all.  Clay listens and gradually the role of all those involved is revealed.  I thought this book was really well structured, kind of like diary form, clever and the revelations are interesting.  It doesn’t dwell on the macabre it baldly states the facts.  Good book.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson Review on the main page. It is bloody great!

Burial by Neil Cross – I picked this one up because it is written by Neil Cross, he is a writer on one of my favourite programmes – Spooks.  It was very creepy, as expected really, but it is one of those stories that seems totally innocuous, quietly tootling along and then bang all of a sudden you can’t put it down and you are feeling really creeped out by events rolling out in front of you.  I hadn’t read a crime novel in ages and this was a good one to get back into it.  The story of an ordinary guy who gets caught up in extraordinary events and finds his life unraveling.  Great writing, good book.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – review on the main page. Great book.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield – review on the main page

The People Of The Book by Geraldine Brooks – Another author I have read all except one book from.  I really like the Geraldine Brooks style.  Lots and lots of research into varied and complex issues, and a big yarn then told to the reader via a large number of characters all with their own chapter.  This novel is not perfect.  Some of the threads in it start so far from where you think the story was taking you that you are shaking your head a bit before she draws you in.  It is the story of an ancient Jewish text which it seems really does exist.  The volume is rescued from certain destruction by a Muslim librarian when Sarajevo is being bombed.  An expert is called in to repair the book and under heavy guard she starts investigating the history of the book, the incredible illuminations in it and so the story of the book is told via the people who have saved it throughout is long history.  It is an excellent story, historically amazing.

The Brides Farewell by Meg Rosoff – when I have stopped crying I will review it on the main page.  Sob sob.

Cosmic by Frank Cotterell-Boyce This is a funny weird book, had a kind of feel of Roald Dahl about it with the slightly snarky humour and the very British voice.  Very tall  boy, sprouts facial hair etc early and pretends to be a grown up, ends up on a space flight. Kind of ‘close but no cigar’ for me I’m afraid.

E3 Call Home by Janet Hunt This book is a finalist for the New Zealand Post Book Awards, and I think deservedly so.  It is beautifully illustrated, it’s engaging and it is a great story with a great message about saving and looking after the needs of wildlife.  I really liked the book.  It has lots and lots of detail but you can read it with or without the footnotes at the bottom of the pages.  I have another couple of books from the awards to work through but this is a great contender for the Non-fiction prize.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin There is something wrong with me.  Everyone in the world seems to have loved this book.  Not me.  I have given up.  This is the Dunedin Superior Lesbian Bookclub book for the month, I was really pleased when it arrived, even a little excited, and I ripped into it with vim and vigour.  I got all interested in Greg’s quest, I thought to myself I’m going to meet interesting people in this book, there will be great characters in them thar hills, but mostly what we get is Greg.  I really wanted more about the people he met, yes it’s a worthy cause to provide education for children in the hills of Pakistan but having been to areas in Central Asia I think there could have been so much more in this book than just ‘all about Greg’.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens I listened to this on my ipod while I painted the hall.  It was a Librivox recording.  And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It really does take hours and hours of listening pleasure to get through a book, much longer I suspect than if you were reading it yourself, but, if you get a really good reader and an interesting story you can get very hooked.  I enjoyed Pips troubles and his expectations.

Gweilo by Martin Booth This memoir was loaned to me by the lovely Linda McCullough when I was in Hamilton in March because she thought I would enjoy it.  She was right.  This is the story of Martin Booth’s 3 years in Hong Kong from when he was 7 years old.  About 11 years ago I left Hong Kong after spending 4 years there with our family.  I have such fond memories not only of the people I met there but of the place and the feeling of the place.  I loved the sultry heat and the fact that you could visit somewhere new every day in a very tiny island, there was just such a lot to see. 

This book bought lots of memories for me and I think if my kids read it they would find lots of reminders of their time there when they were little, they still visit regularly to see their Dad but I have never been back and I have always hankered after it.  The evenings sitting on the balcony with a gin in hand in sweaty heat.  The scrabbly hills we climbed up en route to restaurants on Lamma Island and junk trips out on the harbour, lantern festivals and moon cakes, Chinese New Year and trips to Macau.  Some of these things are in the book but mostly it is the atmosphere of Hong Kong that this book captures so vividly, the feeling of the local markets and the expat lifestyle.  It is all in here, it is great.

Lottery by Patricia Woods Sometimes judging a book by it’s cover works out really well.  I chose this book for the library because it’s cover – a man standing there with money raining down upon him – was really appealing.  It is the story of a 32 year man who is as he tells you often “not retarded, just slow” he is bought up by his grandparents in a loving environment, but shortly after his Grandmother dies he wins the lottery.   Suddenly he is alone with lots of money.  Luckily he has great friends looking out for him.  This lovely story tells how his relatives who have ignored him all his life suddenly appear and are desperate to get their hands on his cash.  Great read.

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan – proper spiel coming soon.  Maybe my fave book of the year.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green – brilliance in a teenage novel!  This guy writes teen speak better than any other writer I know.  He nails it every time.  Will do this properly on the main page.  I’ve been having a bit of a John Green extravaganza.  I read em and then pass them on to the three guys at school who are champing at the bit for them and harassing me till I get them finished.

Paper Towns by John Green – this book is great.  Perfectly formed teenagers in a fantastic road trip, looking for clues and dealing with teen angst.  I love this guy’s books.  He must channel his 16 year old self when he is writing.

Keeping the Dead by Tess Gerritsen Had forgotten how fast crime is to read.  This is a great one, serial killer is delivering mummified corpses, lots of twists and turns and just when you think it is all over she creeps up on you and gives you a new twist.  Great book for the fast and dirty crime lover.

Obama’s Blackberry by Kaspar Hauser  It is just silly, and quite funny.  Good for a quick laugh.  I enjoyed it.

Waltz with Bashir, A Lebanon War Story by Ari Folman It is my second go at reading this.  I got totally lost the first time and wasn’t paying it full attention.  I do find this with graphic novels, I have to really concentrate to get there, and it is usually worth the effort to do so.  This is a really gritty story, very sad and moving.  I didn’t realise until the end that it came after the movie, which I haven’t seen.  It is full of the trauma of war, the scars it leaves soldiers with and the atrocities that are committed that we may never know about.  Gripping, sad and beautifully drawn book, it will take you on a very scary journey to the dark side of war.

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd This book has a brilliant start.  Very clever premise.  A climatologist, back in England after years away has been for a job interview, after the interview he meets a doctor by accident, witnesses his death and ends up caught in a situation totally out of his control.  Suddenly he is wanted by the police, by the bad guys and goes underground.  This is a great story.  Couple of quiet places in the middle where I had to actually decide to continue – too many other books stacked up beside the bed demanding my attention – and I’m glad I did.  I raced through the second part of the novel.  Had to find out what he was going to do with these characters.  Interesting, quirky book.  Will pass on to lots of people and will hunt out other books by William Boyd.

Gold by Dan Rhodes I think Dan is my new guy.  Last year it was Christopher Brockmyre this year it is Dan.  Will put a review on the main page.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Daniel H. Pink and illustrated by Rob Ten Pas The subtitle is The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need.  Done in manga style this is a great book for people wondering where it all went wrong and why are they stuck in an unsuitable or boring job, or for young people looking at planning their career.  It is excellent.

Daniel Pink is a bit of a legend in this area and the whole premise is about 6 points.  1. there is no plan, 2. Think strengths, not weaknesses, 3. It’s not about you, 4. Persistence trumps talent, 5. Make excellent mistakes, 6. Leave an imprint.

The Monkey’s Mask by Dorothy Porter Wow, this is cool.  Poetry as a crime novel.  I was hooked immediately.  It is sultry sexy and deeply lesbian.  It tells the story of a young poet who has gone missing.  Jill a private investigator is hired by the parents to find their daughter. This is complicated by the fact that she falls madly for the English lecturer of the missing girl. Excellent read.

The Little White Car by Dan Rhodes Review on the main page.  Loved it.

The astonshing life of Octavian Nothing traitor to the Nation.  Book 1, The pox party – by M.T. Anderson I have been waiting for ages to read this book.  I bought it for the library last year, and it got ‘lost’ and so decided to re-purchase it this year.  I loved M.T. Anderson’s Feed and get lots of the guys at school to read it, so I was looking forward to Octavian.  I have to say it wasn’t until the second half of the story I got really interested in the story.  Octavian is being educated and groomed to be a gentlemen in a house with his mother and a bunch of educated eccentric scientists who study his progress and measure his bodily functions.  They conduct experiments and give him a classical education.  Octavian discovers that he is a slave and eventually runs away.  It is a complicated story, told in the second half by a mix of letters and journal entries.  This book is clever in the extreme.  It stays with you long after you have read it and even though it wasn’t a book I warmed to for ages when I started it, I am going to read the second one very soon, by the end I couldn’t put it down.

The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness – review on the main page when I get a minute.  It is totally fabulous.

Tally to the 27 June for the year so far 38!

Under the dome by Stephen King – review on the main page.  Loved it lost a week of my reading life to this book cos it was so good.

Stormy Night by Michele Lemieux -  this is a graphic novel, the story of a young girl who is having trouble getting to sleep on a dark and stormy night.  She lies in bed with her dog to keep her company and the asks questions to the night.  Questions like, What happens when we die?  If someone made a hole in the sky, would we see infinity?  She imagines:  Imagine if we grew out of the ground like vegetables … or if we were manufactured … or made from recycled parts!  It is lovely, the illustrations are gorgeous and you can easily follow the train of her thoughts.  A gorgeous book.  Lovely to read to older children or to just muse on.  Lovely for fans of Shaun Tan I think, has a similar feel to some of his books.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson – I have been wanting to read Marilynne Robinson for ages, and needed some shorter things to read after the marathon of Under the Dome so this was the perfect book.  The story of two girls, their mother abandoned them and left them and drove into a lake, the lake which defines the town they grow up in.  They are left in the care of their Grandmother a woman who is kind but distant.  When she dies they are taken care of two great Aunts who aren’t really cut out for taking care of children.  When their Aunt comes into town, a distant, eccentric woman who has lead a life of mystery and transiency the two girls are left to their own devices.  Both odd in their own ways and apart from all the other townsfolk, having no connection with them.  It is lyrical and the descriptive language is gorgeous to read.  A novel of loss, longing and imaginations of children with little connection to the society they live in.  I want more of Marilynne Robinson now.

Julian Corkle is a filthy liar by D.J. Connell In the tradition of “If you can’t say anything nice about something, don’t say anything at all”  I should not say a single thing about this book.  But I feel obliged to.  Great start.  I thought “Oh goody, something light, fluffy, funny and a perfect good time holiday read”  by page 200 I as thinking “Why did this book get so much hype?  Why do the blogs and interwebs say this is a work of staggering good reading?”  Beyond me I’m afraid.  Mildly amusing, not up to the hype and I felt it had been done before.  Sorry Julian I just honestly thought you were a pillock, and I know you were supposed to be, I really wanted to love your campy humour.  But I didn’t!

Gone by Mo Hayder – Review of this excellent crime novel coming on the main page.  I love Mo Hayder’s detective Jack Caffery.

Conspiracy 365, January by Gabrielle Lord – This is a great thriller for teenagers.  The first in a set of 12, one for each month of the year (I have bought the first three for school) this is exciting, thrilling and a real page turner.  I’m going to pitch it to my lovers of Anthony Horowitz, Andy McNabb and Charlie Higgins.  A 15 year old boy, on the hunt for the mystery his now dead Dad discovered.  The bad guys are after the secret as well and there seem to be lots of these bad guys from various factions all looking for him in the hope of discovering the secret passed to him by his father, but which he doesn’t actually know.  Mystery abounds.  He is on the run and has only one friend to help him.  Good stuff.

The Enemy by Charlie Higgins This book is tricky for me.  It took me ages to get into it and I almost gave up and I had really wanted to love it because it has been recommended all over the place. I also love the Young Bond series by the same author and the boys at school really enjoy them.  The Enemy is basically a zombie novel, everyone over the age of 14 has been affected by a virus which turns their brains to much and, well turns them into zombies.  So the younger kids have to survive and have broken into groups which have set up camp in large buildings such as supermarkets all over London.  They use their various skills to protect themselves.  The book picks up the pace in the second half and I raced to the end and was left ready for installment number two which I hear is coming out soon.  So all good really, great book for kids about 12 and up.  Quite scary in parts I thought, great tension build up.

The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale.  This is great!  I’ve reviewed it on the main page and I think you should read it.  Themes of war, loss, love,

Reading Lolita in Tehran – a memoir in books by Azar Nafisi I just couldn’t do it.  So not my style.  I tried for three days, I’m sure it is worthy, I’m sure it is deeply interesting to read about Nobokov in depth, but I just don’t want to.  Sorry if this makes me shallow, but there you go!

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness – the final in the Chaos Walking Trilogy.  Brilliant.  Review on the main page.

Skim by  Mariko and Jillian Tamaki – There is a review on the main page.  Loved this very girly, dark graphic novel.  Highly recommended.

The Sweetness at the bottom of the pie by Alan Bradley – I’ve reviewed it on the main page, so won’t say much here except that I loved the start of this book, with my penchant for the Bloomsbury Set et al this book had just the right tone of upper class British folk struggling for survival in their crumbling ruin of a house.  Nice humor at times and good exciting crime solving.  Slight lag in the middle but then I was a bit distracted with my own drama.  Great wind up at the end.  Good stuff.

In the forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan This is a very cool book! Review on main page

Friends, Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop I have put off writing this one up because it is almost unpatriotic to dislike a book by these two!  I just didn’t really connect with it.  I have loved Joy Cowley’s other books but not this little book.  It felt just a little dated and Mumsy (I’m now going to back away into a dark space and hide from the light in case anybody actually reads this and comes and hunts me down and hurts me.)

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson – Will put a review on the main page.  Excellent book as all of Kate Atkinson’s are.

The Beginners Guide to Living by Lia Hills - I’ve just finished it and found it totally gripping, but you really don’t want your juniors reading this, lots of drug use, sex (beautifully written I thought) and disfunction of many kinds, but this is a marvellous book for older teens.  This writer does boys very well.  I’ve set it free amongst the year 12 and 13 guys and I’m getting good reports.

White Cat by Holly Black – will do a review on main page but I’m spending a little time thinking about this one.  It is being hugely hyped and considered very ‘hot right now’  so I am thinking about whether the hype is justified by the book.  More on this on the main page when I get a minute to ruminate on it.

A complicated kindness by Miriam Towes – this is just a fabulous book, so incredibly funny and then soo incredibly sad, then oh right laughing again, then crying fully.  No wonder it won the Governor Generals Prize in Canada.  Review on the main page.  Interested in reading more of this writers work.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – it pains me and I think I will be cast out of the reading and school library community, but I didn’t really like it.  Will put a review on the main page when I have woman-ed up enough!

Started early took my dog by Kate Atkinson - this is the best crime novel of the year for me, I think I’ve said that before on another book but crikey this is brilliant.  On so many levels this is a cracking read.

The summer that never was by Peter Robinson – I seem to be on a British crime jag.  Oh yay.  I love them so much and it is great to get stuck in to authors you know are reliable and where you can just settle them and let them take you on a journey.  This is an Inspector Banks book and Banks is investigating a murder, of course, of a boy he was friends when in his youth.  His bones have been unearthed and the investigation into his death begins again after years of being neglected.  Alongside this is another investigation into a missing 15 year old boy’s case.  This is excellent crime writing.  Banks is lovely.  Excellent read.

Trash by Andy Mulligan Well I was skeptical, but it won me over instantly.  I was thrilled and delighted with this book.  It is a doozy.  I’ve written a review to be published elsewhere so will leave it at that until that comes out but if you are a librarian or a school teacher go and get a copy of this great book and read it.

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro This book has a dream like quality.  Set in what feels like an older time, possibly the 60s or 70s it begins in an environment like an old fashioned English boarding school.  As you read it becomes clear that the students are cut off from society and that they are not normal children and have no access to the outside world.  The novel explores the attitude of humanity, what does it mean to be human?  What makes us human? What happens to those who have been created for a purpose but who are apparently human?  Lots of big issues, all very gently explored in a way which makes you think about these big issues. The movie is coming out soon.  Interesting book.

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett I read it in a single sitting!  This is a fabulous teenage novel , no wonder it won a Printz medal.  This starts off being narrated by Gabriel who is 20 and who is dying.  It tells the story of his childhood and of the terrific mistake he made when he was 7.  This makes for gripping reading and I’m not going to ruin the tension by telling you what he did.  It is the story of his relationship with Finnigan the wild boy who lives rough and whose company Gabriel craves.  Finnigan is his only friend and the only person he can talk to.  Their friendship is secret and tortured.  This is a book with much going on, it is dark and angry the atmosphere it creates is tense and tortured.  The writing is lyrical and particularly the way Gabriel speaks of his illness and to his illness as well.  I’ve only scratched the surface of the story, there is much much more.  Amazing book.

Keeper by Mal Peet I am not a soccer/football person but this book had such rave reviews that I just couldn’t help buying it for school and then bringing it home to read.  It is set in Brazil, in the jungle and I think I will review it on the main page.

Mr Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomon Man oh man I have struggled with this book, I have been reading it for more than two weeks now and have knocked off two other books during that time because they were just more alluring than this one.  I spent real money on it, and it gets worse, it was my money.  I loved the production, the binding, the hand cut pages, the art work on the cover and the story sounded pretty damn good too!  But for me this book totally missed the mark.  It was just not fast paced, the characters had such great potential and I really expected a whole bunch more from it given the hype, and the money that the publishers have spent on it.  Very disappointing and a bit boring.

Total to date:  64

All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses An Eye by Christopher Brockmyre It wonderful and funny and clever and humorous crime fiction and it is good.

Happy as Larry by Scot Gardner This is an interesting book.  Very different from his other books which are firmly young adult.  This feels much more mature and has a very unusual style where world events are tied to the everyday events of an ordinary family.  But what is ordinary?  We all have our challenges and issues to deal with and Larry who is an inherently happy soul is no different.  Interesting read.

Fierce September by Fleur Beale As usual Fleur delivers. This is the sequel to the wonderful Juno of Taris which was one of our wonderfully popular books last year.

I really need to write the review on the main page.

Monster Republic by Ben Horton The boys will love it.  Evil mastermind is blowing things up and harvesting the victims for his evil plan to take over the world.  The fruit of his labour run away and set up camp the evil masterminds minions chase them.  Repeat until you get to page 300.  The boys will love it.

It’s a book by Lane Smith – I’m slightly in love with this book.  Just bought a copy for the library and have been reading it to the staff in the library and tonight read it at bookclub.  Clever cool and cute.

The Courage Consort by Michael Faber This book has one of the best ever opening scenes.  The  main character is standing on her fourth floor balcony looking down and wondering if four floors is high enough to kill herself while her husband cheerfully gets on with his work on his computer in the next room.  Nicely done I thought, I was immediately drawn into the story.  The Courage Consort is the 7th most famous choir ensemble in the world and they are practicing a new work which is practically unsingable in preparation to premiere it at an Arts Festival.  They are stuck there together, in the middle of nowhere with all of their personal foibles and relationship problems.  There are spooky noises in the woods at night and stories of misadventure in the forest are the local legends.  It is a great little book, I was gripped to the end.  Would love some more of this author.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi This is an excellent read.  It is fast and furious and very difficult to put down.  Great start, very claustrophobic.  The main character Nailer is crawling though the ducting on a shipwreck stripping it of it’s copper wiring which is then sold off for profit, think shady characters and dodgy deals, violence on the seedy beaches.  Set in what remains of New Orleans after it has been wrecked by storms (city killers) which have devastated the coastal cities all over the world.  This is a love story of sorts, a story of courage and commitment of the meaning of family and an environmental message all in a beautifully packaged (I bought it for the cover to be honest which is all gorgeously shiny rust coloured) parcel.  Great book.  Lots of stars.

The Project by Brian Faulkner – Good reading.  There is a review on the main page here.

Animal Farm by George Orwell – I couldn’t remember ever reading it before and I really really enjoyed it.  It is such a great book to have under your belt because so many other people have read it, you mention that you’ve just finished it and you automatically have a connection with a whole bunch of other people all talking about Napoleon and Boxer, how they fitted into the communist world and who they represented.  It is a great read and I really hope they continue teaching it at school so that lots of people have the story in their lives.  I’m sure I read it at high school myself but just cannot remember it (which kinda goes against what I said above!)

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore.  I know, I know I should have read it years ago, when it first came out, but the blasted thing was never in the library, it was always out with the boys and finally I have enough copies, and it has been around for long enough that it is easier to get hold of a copy, and also I have overcome my aversion to Mr Muchamore and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.  And, I enjoyed it quite a lot, it is a wee tad long, and I admit to skipping a bit at the end, but now I do understand why the guys like it so much and will give it a bit of a push again – given that we have so many copies!

The Holly Black Chronicles, book 1 – Equinox by Lara Morgan This is a doozy of a book and you can read my review on Bookie Monster’s blog here.

The Lorax by Dr Seuss – It seems incredible but I have never read this book until today.  I can’t believe it.  What a great story, what lovely rhymes and what a great story for our times.  Loved it.

Hers – Brilliant new fiction by lesbian writers – edited by Terry Wolverton with Robert Drake.  I found it in my local second hand book shop and though I’d give it a whirl, sometimes I enjoy these stories, they kind of give you different scenarios of the kind of things others are going through in their lesbian lives and are often a nice snapshot.  This one however was just rubbish.  I read the whole blimmin thing in the hope that there would be a decent story.  There wasn’t.  Gutted.

A tiny bit marvellous by Dawn French – review on the main page Sadly a tiny bit less than marvellous for me.

Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson – read cover to cover in preparation for our christmas feast.  I just love her.  All of her.

A Good Year by Lois Daish – I have coveted this book for ages and now it is mine.  Another recipe book read front to back (twice now) because she is so sensible and nice and all the stories that go with the recipes make you feel very connected to her.  It is a great New Zealand Cookbook.

Miss Dahl’s voluptious delights by Sophie Dahl – This is a wonderful new book to add to my collection.  Not just recipes but her life as well, I love it.