Another book by Marika Cobbold with so much heart it made my heart break in many places. The twin threads of a relationship breakdown and the deteriation of an elderly relative are painful topics, you can't read this without feeling. Saying that, there where lots of light comic touches and feel good moments throughout.
Read More......Christopher Brookmyre is a good author, incredibly clever, sickening sometimes and very funny; this one fell a little short for me though. By no means a bad book, and I'll definately keep reading him - you can't like them all!
Read More......Loved this book! The moon is knocked out of balance by an asteroid, after which the world becomes a truely frightening place. This book follows the life of one girl and her family, trying to survive in the face of what could be the end of the world. It shows real courage, strength of relationships and really gives a reminder into just how lucky we are.
Fantastically gripping read from beginning to end - can't wait to read more of Susan Beth Pfeffer
This really could be a life changing read. Mitch Albom tells the story of the period of time he spent with his old tutor, Morrie, at the end of Morrie's life. Morrie is suffering from a deginerative terminal illness, so as you can imagine, the reading is tough in places - but, it is so enriching. Morrie's outlook and perspective on the world is one that we could all learn from. I normally mark the pages of books where there are interesting quotes - this book is covered in sticky tabs! If I could recommend one book that I think that everyone in the world should read, its this one, we could all learn so much.
Read More......A nice complement to His Dark Materials, but not as rewarding to read. It gives a bit of back story of Lee Scoresby, its nice to be back in the universe again but its not really a 'must read'. - Good stocking filler though, especially as this edition is beautiful, fabric covered hardback with wonderful engravings.
Read More......Fun packed action / adventure book, when Skulduggery Pleasant, the snappy dressing skellington detective first enters into Stephanie's life, things will never be the same. Lots of one liners and sarcasm fill this book in between the fast paced action. Some of the characterisation for me was a little out, with the two main characters feeling too similar, and some of the baddies weren't as scary as they could have been - that aside though, this was a fun book to read, and for its target audience its probably near perfect!
Read More......Jonathan Cape, London; 2006
ISBN – 978-0-224-07991-4
The inside sleeve:
‘Guy Delisle’s work for a French animation studio requires him to oversee production at various Asian studios on the grim frontiers of free trade. His employer puts him up for months at a time in ‘cold and soulless’ hotel rooms where he suffers the usual deprivations of a man very far from home. After Pyongyang, his book about the strange society that is North Korea, Delisle has turned his attention to Shenzhen, the cold, urban city in Southern China that is sealed off with electric fences and armed guards from the rest of the country. The result is another brilliant graphic novel – funny, scary, utterly original and illuminating.’
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Guy Delisle finds himself in an unusual position to spend time in a relatively unknown corner of the world; Shenzhen, a city north of Hong Kong. He documents the three months he is there in striking sketches and many captivating insights held within the pages of Shenzhen, A travelogue from China. Delisle’s easy style brings you instantly into his world; in a mere six panels and three lines of text you are transported to China, experiencing the sights and the smells as though you had been there yourself.
Delisle’s time in China was not altogether happy; he went through great loneliness and times of boredom, predominately borne out of the lack of a common language with the populous. These experiences however are still interesting to read about. I found it quite intriguing how he chose to occupy his mind in the absence of companionship; from talking to himself to seeking company in language students who can barely put two English words together. Not to mention how he coped with navigating basic requirements such as what to eat, without the privilege of reading the menu or talking to the waiter. I’m not so sure how I would have survived in the same situation.
On top of his personal challenges, the book offers some wonderful insights into Chinese culture. It is the subtle differences between the people of the World that I am most interested in and he captures these beautifully. The differences in infrastructure, freedom of movement from place to place and of day to day living are also explored. Should I ever travel to China I now feel a little more prepared for the culture shock that awaits. His later novel, Pyongyang, offers more in the way of cultural and political insight, but I personally feel that this is predominately due to the unique obscurity of North Korea. Shenzhen is a lovely book to own, and I will dip into it often on my armchair travels.
Favourite Quotes:
“Dog isn’t bad. It tastes gamey, a bit like mutton.”
“There are days when I don’t say a single word.”
“Across the way, people slave through the night, squatting over washbasins. Weeks later, I realise it’s the hotel laundry service.”
Bloomsbury, London; 2008
ISBN – 978-0-7475-6901-5
The back cover:
‘It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will,’ said Silas, ‘take a graveyard.’
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The Graveyard Book is beautifully told children’s novel by Neil Gaiman. After the cold hearted murder of his family on one chilly Edinburgh night; an adventurous toddler escapes the same gruesome fate by wandering into a graveyard, the inhabitants of which reluctantly agree to protect him.
The book tells the story of this fortuitous orphan, as he grows up in his unusual new home with his ghostly adoptive parents and mysterious guardian. We follow as the boy grows up into a young man, and see key moments in his life as he struggles to understand the world around him, and discovers the truth of his bleak history.
The structure of the book is such that each chapter reads like a short story in its own right, each providing new characters or information that ultimately stitch together into a satisfying whole. This is perfect if you just have time for a chapter a day as you never feel unfulfilled at a chapter end. I don’t have children myself; however I feel that having mini-stories within a story would work really well for a younger reader.
The concepts that Neil explores within this novel, particularly of life after death are really interesting. For me, it actually made graveyards a happier place to visit after reading. Speaking of concepts, there are some adult discussions and some scary moments within the pages, so this book may not be suitable for the lower age groups or for a sensitive soul.
Overall I found this novel to be hugely enjoyable, I was entirely swept up by Neil Gaiman’s beautiful descriptions and light humour, not to mention the stunning illustrations by Chris Riddell that are sprinkled throughout. The mystery of the boy’s history and the unusualness of his upbringing maintain your interest throughout, and there is plenty of action and excitement to keep you on your toes. A truly wonderful and surprisingly touching book that will maintain a permanent place on my bookshelf – and I’ve just heard that there will be a movie! Another one to watch out for!
Favourite Quotes:
“You might not have seen a pale, plump woman, who walked the path near the front gates, and if you had seen her, with a second, more careful glance you would have realised that she was only moonlight, mist and shadow.”
“…You are not fading. You are obvious. You are difficult to miss. If you came to me in company with a purple lion, a green elephant, and a scarlet unicorn astride which was the King of England in his Royal Robes, I do believe that it is you alone that people would stare at…”
“Abanazer Bolger had thick spectacles and a permanent expression of mild distaste, as if he had just realised that the milk in his tea had been on the turn, and he could not get the sour taste of it out of his mouth.”
“There was a woman riding on the horse’s bare back, wearing a long grey dress that hung and gleamed beneath the December moon like cobwebs in the dew.”
“You’re alive… That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you’re dead, it’s gone.”
Craig's travel journel is a stunning piece of work. I was a little disappointed as really I've been yearning for the next instalment of Blankets (it feels strange to be waiting to find out what happened next in someones life!!). This book isn't a continuous story of a section of Craig life, it is as the title states, a travel journal. He draws beautiful pictures and details some of his experiences of his life on a book tour. It is still a wonderful book to have (I have one of the images framed), and as ever, Craig's beautiful soul shines through.
Read More......By Marina Lewycka
ISBN: 0141020520
A story of a family; their current life and their history, is portrayed in "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" in a unique and interesting style. I think that the easiest way to explain the main story line of this novel is by transcribing the opening paragraph of the book:
‘Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, brining to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside.'
The main narrative follows the partnership between the father (Nikolai) and the Ukrainian divorcee (Valentina) through the eyes of his daughter Nadia; however the romance is not as it seems which leads to an enticing tale of deception and mystery; and sisters united in removing this lady from their father’s life. The book is set in England, where the family moved from the Ukraine after the Second World War. Much of the comedy comes from the poor grasp of the English language; with Valentina making statements such as ' you plenty-money meanie. You want give me crap cooker.' In addition to situational comedy moments, such as the daughters anguish at hearing their fathers interest in Valentina's 'breasts like ripe peaches'. There flows enough comedy to keep you lightly tickled throughout.
I found the most compelling part of this book however to be the layers of story that had subtly been woven in. There was the present day drama of the father’s romance, which brought together his two daughters in a common cause, when they hadn't spoken for sometime previously. The development of the sisters relationship was interesting, but also allowed for a narrative on the history of the family, how they came to be in England and what happened during the War to the parents. At the same time, the father is writing his life’s work, a book by the same name of the novel (if you were wondering how that came into the story). Parts of his book on tractors are transcribed as he is reading them to anyone that will listen, and this gives another dimension to the story. The history of tractors is weaved into an overriding history of the Ukraine, technology and again, the war. All of these layers of story together, for me, made what was a book with a slow start, quite an enjoyable read once all was told.
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Favourite Quote:
Nikolai: ‘Nadia, if all women were to wear paint on their faces, just think, there could be no more natural selection. The inevitable result would be the uglification of the species. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?’
Phoenix, London; 2000
ISBN – 0 75380 951 6
Synopsis from Amazon:
This tale interweaves the lives of two unusual children: Esther, whose father walked out of her London home without a word; and Linus, bullied by his father, spoiled by his adoring but eccentric uncles and aunts, and growing up in Stockholm, longing to be an architect.
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Marika Cobbold wrote one of my favourite books, Shooting Butterflies, and since reading it, I have had it on my mind to find another of her novels. I have recently stumbled upon Frozen Music, written prior to the book above. I adored Shooting Butterflies, and Frozen Music didn’t disappoint, it was a very touching and rewarding read.
On the most part, the novel is written from the perspective of the main protagonist, Esther. Growing up in London, she had always been accused of taking life too seriously and had never understood what it is like to be in love. The novel also follows the life of Linus, a passionate architect from Sweden with a difficult history. Their lives have always touched owing to the friendship of their mothers; however their trajectory’s collide when Linus’ life’s dream comes up against Esther’s sensibilities.
Esther is not a traditional heroine, she is a complex character but one that is easy to understand and empathise with. The story is wholly engaging and pulls you through to the end, with enough drama and twists to keep you guessing right up to the last moment. I found myself reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion; however this is not an unhappy book and is in dispersed with light funny moments. It’s beautifully written, with descriptions that will stay with you long after the book is back on the shelf. I would recommend this book to anyone that’s likes a different take on a romantic story.
Favourite Quote:
Audrey: “I’m not surprised to hear you say Linus isn’t your type. You seem to have a preference for men with the kind of looks and personality that fail to engage your feelings too deeply”.
