Reveiw: Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

Waterstones Children's Book Prize

When thirteen year old Isla’s father goes into hospital, she meets a boy there called Harry; the first to understands Isla and her love of the countryside. Although he is ill, they form a friendship, and together discover a swan detached from its flock. Isla is convinced that if she can help the swan, she will help Harry, and so the magic begins.

A little slow to start, but none the worse for that, with a good balance between the real and the fantasy. This lovely tale, laced with beautiful imagery, is about love and loyalty, friendship and family, and made a pleasant change from the usual fare of hormone, adrenalin charged teen stories.

Review: The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

Waterstones Children's Book Prize

When a mysterious fire leaves Will an orphan, he is taken in by the monks at the abbey, but life there is hard work, and the monks are not particularly kind to him, apart from one or two. In the harsh winter, while gathering firewood, Will finds an injured hob which he rescues. The hob reveals a secret about an angel killed and buried in the woods, with the arrival of two strangers, and overheard conversations, Will’s curiosity is awakened. This is when the book starts to really take off.

With its wonderful mix of history and fantasy, a great mystery, and characters that endear, scare, and engage the reader by turns, the reader is gripped from the first page. I loved this story filled with dark foreboding and suspense.

Review: The Great Hamster Masscare by Katie Davies

Waterstones Children's Book Prize

A most awful crime has occurred; Anna’s hamsters have been attacked, leaving them dead or injured. Along with Tom, her little brother, and Suzanne her best friend, this is a crime Anna is determined to solve. A pet-hating Dad, a suspect cat with a history of violence, are just two of the cast of fabulously funny characters, helped to life by the great illustrations that accompany the story.

This story for younger readers deals with the delicate subjects of death and loss, yet it does so in a quirky and humorous way. It certainly made me giggle, but I would bear in mind that a sensitive child might find the hamsters’ deaths upsetting.

Favourite Books 2: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

From a rural idyll to one of the new towns, Margaret Hale's life couldn't have changed more dramatically when her non-conformist minister father moves the family from a comfortable life in the south to a northern industrial town. What she finds there shocks her.

Gaskell uses her experiences of the poverty, neglect and hardship of northern industrial life to explore the differences in lives and relationships. This great Victorian novel is full of contrasts and comparisons; Margaret's view of the North and the Thornton's view of the South being the obvious example. As well as skilfully defining her characters and weaving in the small cultural differences that create misunderstandings, Gaskell gives us a gritty portrayal of life at the time. Britain was changing; people were moving from the land into the towns, mills and factories were appearing, and as always with these things, society was running to keep up.

Yet deftly laced through all the poverty and political unrest, social problems and difficulties, we have the burgeoning romance between Margaret and Mr Thornton. Complex and fascinating, Thornton is as lust-worthy and attractive as Mr Darcy!

This is book is a joy and a delight to read.

Review: E2 by Matt Beaumont

I haven’t read Matt Beaumont’s previous novel, E, so I wasn’t sure if that would make reading E2 difficult. It didn’t, so you can read this book, and enjoy it for the genius it is.

To a small dash of political spin and verbal thuggery and a sprinkle of shallow self-absorption and image obsession (think Ugly Betty and The Thick of It), add a bowlful of clever writing, razor sharp humour, and precise comic timing, and you have E2, a 21st century, electronic-age satire.

For the full review, please go to Beat online magazine.

Come along to the next Firestation Bookswap.

Review: Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star by Rick Wakeman

I was lucky enough to secure an event with Rick Wakeman before Christmas and I have to say I was somewhat over excited at the prospect of meeting him. I'm a long time fan of YES, and Rick is not only a great musician and composer in his own right, but also legendary for his 'antics'. Meeting him was going to be interesting. The event was being held in the Firestation Arts Centre, and as Rick was promoting his latest book, it was only fair that I read and review it for our local online magazine Beat.

Rick's book, Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star, is a second volume of tall tales and stories from his interesting life. Here is an extract from my review...

...If you buy this book expecting a conventional biography, then you’ll be disappointed. Rick’s autobiography Say Yes! was published back in 1985 but so far hasn’t been updated. Further Adventures takes a less conventional approach, following the same format as his previous book, Grumpy Old Rock Star, re-telling various incidents and episodes from Rick’s sixty odd years of colourful and eventful living. Originally a trained classical musician, Rick is now one of the legends of British Progressive Rock, as well as a world famous composer and solo artist. He has toured the world many times over and, as he would be the first to admit, tired to drink it dry in the process, so he has a vast catalogue of mishaps and misdemeanours to draw from...

...Imagine meeting up with an old friend after many years and being regaled with stories of what they’ve been up to all this time. Reading Rick’s reminiscences is like sitting in the pub with a mate who tells a great yarn exceptionally well. Written in an easy, relaxed style, these hilarious reminiscences about life on the road as a working musician, will make the grumpiest grump smile...

For the full review go to Beat.

I had a great time chatting to Rick before the event, and he entertained the audience brilliantly. Afterwards, signing his books, he had time to talk to his fans, something certain other authors would do well to note. Everyone waited patiently, knowing that when their turn came, Rick would give the same time to them, chatting, answering questions, having his photo taken. It was a fun evening in great company. I hope he'll come to WIndsor again.

Favourite Books 1 : Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

I was going to write about my favourite books of 2009, but inbetween the new books I have read recently, I have been re-reading some of my favourites. Its comfortable, like visiting old friends, and so I thought I'd share my reviews of those books before I give you my favourites of 2009. First on the list is:

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

In 1893, Vera Brittain was born into a comfortable, middle-class family, leading a privileged but restricted life. Like many women of her generation, she had to fight for some kind of independence, while it was a matter of course for Edward, her much loved younger brother, to leave ome and go to university. When war broke out in 1914, Vera was caught up in the prevailing mood and encouraged Edward to join up, but she later admitted that at the time, she felt it an interruption and an inconvenience. No-one could have predicted the devastating and long-lasting impact the war would have on their lives.

Vera’s life was one filled with struggle and loss. From her fight to gain a university education, through her training as a VAD and then nursing the wounded of both sides in a war that took her fiancé, brother and numerous friends, to the re-building of her life and her world after the war; Vera Brittain was and is an inspiration. Her harrowing experiences haunted and informed the rest of her life.

So many books are written about war from the fighting man's point of view, if nothing else this shows us war from a very different perspective; from a woman who not only lived through it, but witnessed it, experiencing both love and loss. I defy anyone to read this book and not be moved. I am not ashamed to say that even now, more than 25 years after the first time I read it, certain parts still bring tears to my eyes.

The writing style is of another time, obviously; occasionally difficult to our modern ‘ear’ but elegant and effective. The latter chapters, after the war and Vera completes her education, are less powerful but it is an intensely personal and revealing view of the lives of women at the start of the twentieth century, and of the impact of the First World War on their lives.

If 'Testament of Youth' isn't compulsory reading on the curriculum, it should be.

Cursed Second Novels

So having found the ten spectacular second novels, it was inevitable there'd be the opposite, and here it is - the ten cursed ones.

Authors include Irvine Welsh, Charlotte Bronte, Norman Mailer, and Donna Tartt.

Again some have links to reviews or extracts. There's a link to the original 1974 Times review of Joseph Heller's second novel, Something Happened.
Click HERE to read it.

Such fun. :)

Spectacular Second Books

Happily surfing and I found this. The Times Online have come up with what they think are ten spectacular second novels. It includes Charled Dickens' Oliver Twist:

Published in serial form after The Pickwick Papers but, composed simultaneously to it, and then - once Pickwick was complete - at the same time as Nicholas Nickleby

Click HERE to read an extract from The Times in January 1837.

Other authors include Doris Lessing, Tracy Chevalier, Evelyn Waugh and Yann Martel. Some of the ten have links to extracts and reviews.

Snow Glorious Snow

Just a quick point...I love the snow and I don't understand why people are surprised each year when it arrives. I've had customers whinging all day long about the weather and the kids off school, and how they can't do this or that. And none of it is important in the grand scheme of things - really it isn't.

I know it's inconvenient, causes delays, but for heavens sake let's enjoy it. Life's too short - don't be one of those people who look back at the end of their lives and wishes they'd had more fun, stressed less and spent more time at home with the family having fun, and less at work.

Go make Snow Angels!!

Build a Snowman!

STOP MOANING!

New Books

I've had several books and proofs sent to me recently so I have a wonderfully busy reading schedule ahead of me. Given the weather today (lots of lovely snow) I am looking forward to curling up on the sofa and devouring the books after work.

In the meantime, I've started reading Matt Beaumont's E2 as he is one of the author's at the next bookswap (21st Jan), and Cliff McNish's Savanna Grey, a teen novel.

The pile includes a couple of teen/children's books written by authors best known for their adult fiction - I'm keen to see how they've fared.

Reviews as soon as possible.