avatiakh (Kerry) continues her 2013 reading journal #3

Olivia, one of the 40+ six-toed (polydactyl) felines that live in Hemingway's House in Key West. All are descendants of Hemingway's original cats. This was by far the biggest cat we saw on our visit in March, she lives in the bookshop which wasn't very well stocked. I bought Ernest Hemingway on Writing and a few gimmicky souvenirs including my current mousepad.

Currently Reading:
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
A line in the sand by James Barr
A quiet life by Beryl Bainbridge - iPod audio

Stalled but will go back to:
The Battle for Spain by Anthony Beevor (iPod audio/real book)

_
Hemingway's House in Key West (but not from my camera)

Reading Globally 2nd quarter Sth East Asia Theme Read
Ru by Kim Thúy

My 2013 category challenge

1: Little Bookroom 12/13
2: Young at Heart 16/13
3: Reality Bites 10/13
4: Scifi and Fantasy 9/13
5: All things Celtic 1/13
6: Collector’s Corner 2/13
7: Down Under 12/13
8: Reading Globally 8/13
9: Israel & Diaspora 15/13
10: Literary & folktales
11: The Book Pile 13/13
12: Cult Writers 2/13
12b: The Sandman 1/10
13: Dropbox 16/13

_
more from Hemingway's house (but not from my camera)

and from my last thread my Proposed June reading:

Firstly I need to get back to the Sandman group read, I've only read one so far.

TIOLI:
Challenge #1: Read a book with a flower mentioned on page 23
*The white nights of St Petersburg (water-lilies) - Geoffrey Trease
The wood wife (violet) - Terri Windling

Challenge #2: Saving Face: Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen
Colin Fischer - Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
*Life after life - Kate Atkinson

Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U - letters with curves and lines
Again the Bugles Blow - Ron Bacon
The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness Reading
The Crow Road - Iain Banks
*Liesl & Po - Lauren Oliver
In Darkness - Nick Lake
and need to add
Time and Chance by Sharon Penman Reading

Challenge #8: In conjunction with the women in SSF challenge, read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman
Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
also want to read
Among Others by Jo Walton
The shattering or When we wake by Karen Healey
The gathering of the lost by Helen Lowe
Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox

Challenge #15: Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic
A stricken field - Martha Gelhorn

Challenge #17: Vive la difference! Read a book with "his" or "her" embedded in a title word
There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister's Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories - Lyudmila Petrushevskaya

only 16 books, I can do that!
would also like to add - The ACB of Honora Lee
Questions of travel by Michelle de Kretser
The humans by Matt Haig

Looking to July group reads:
Frans G. Bengtsson - The Long Ships
Mervyn Peake - Gormenghast Trilogy - Titus Groan

then August:
Sharon Kay Penman - Devil's Brood
Mervyn Peake - Gormenghast Trilogy - Gormenghast

New thread! Great photos, Kerry. The Hemingway house in Key West is a place I really want to visit when I get to that side of the US in about 2 months time - I just need to convince my girlfriend that she wants to make the trip down there too!

Cheers and happy threading!

Hi Kerry. How are you liking The Humans? I see we didn't get the pretty cover here in the states. Boo. I've been enjoying following Matt on FB; he's a prolific poster! Daily, sometimes a dozen daily posts. But it's fun to watch him be utterly human. ;)

Also how are you enjoying Life After Life? I didn't care for it myself but I look forward to seeing what you think.

Love the kittehs up top!

Signing in for your new thread Kerry. Your son rocks by the way.

83) A stricken field by Martha Gelhorn (1940)
fiction

Challenge #15: Read a book that has been published as a Virago Modern Classic. This was my first novel that I've read on my phone using the kindle app. I had successfully managed a novella and progressed to an actual book. I'm not finding my present read of Skagboys as easy so will be ditching it and going for another novella or some short stories instead.

Gelhorn wrote this autobiographical novel back in 1939 and says in the VMC afterward (written in 1985ish) that she was very very angry when she wrote it as she could see the English government was doing absolutely nothing to help in Spain. A week spent in Prague on the cusp of the war and viewing the already helpless plight of political refugees from Germany and the Sudentenlund gave her an outlet to vent her anger at the unwillingness of politicians to help these ordinary people caught up in harrowing events beyond their control. Her main character is an American journalist, come to Prague for a week to report on the political situation, but who gets caught up in the plight of a particular refugee, a young woman she had met before in Germany. Through this young woman she meets other refugees and also comes to realise that no one back home will believe their stories. Described as harrowing and yes it is, but strong and sad.

#4: Charles - I loved Key West, we spent only a day there but it has a totally different vibe, very Caribbean. I'll have to link a couple of my photos:
_
a real happening place!

#5: Kathy - I'm enjoying The humans but it's not my main read at present. I'm focusing on finishing Life after life which I'm quite enjoying but not enraptured with. I feel like I've already read a thousand books set around England during the war and even with the re-lifeing it's not enough to grab me totally.
My son, Yaron, was going on and on about how we hadn't seen any cats in Florida so I kept quiet and he was very impressed with our Hemingway visit.

#6: Hi Paul. Thanks, Alon has said that they've been asked to appear on a morning tv programme to promote the battle of the bands, so they are excited and nervous.

84) The Property by Rutu Modan (2013)
graphic novel

I liked this a lot. After the death of her father, a young woman accompanies her paternal grandmother on a trip back to Warsaw where their family owned property before the war. The family story is more complicated than it first appears and modern Warsaw holds a few surprises as well. The artwork is impeccable.

85) There once lived a girl who seduced her sister's husband and he hanged himself: Love stories by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (2013 Eng)
stories

A collection of quirky stories about love - well there is love of sort in them, just not what you'd expect. Petrushevskaya's work is well worth reading, I found her There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales more interesting though some of these love stories are starting to grow on me.
Added to TIOLI #17. Read a book with "his" or "her" embedded in a title word.

86) A strong and willing girl by Dorothy Edwards (1980)
children's fiction

This won The Other Award in 1981, which is an award that I've come across a few times but only recently managed to find out what it exactly was and which books have won it. I've decided to read a few of these texts though some are quite obscure now.
'The Other Awards (for 1974 to 1987 publications) "opposed existing children's literature awards which were perceived as uncritical and conservative in their selection process. The judges ... tended to select texts "which were politically correct and reflected the world as it really was, whilst maintaining a high literary standard".'

Dorothy Edwards who is best known for her My Naughty Little Sister books based this work on stories she was told in her own childhood by her aunt about her life in service in Victorian times. I enjoyed this book, the young girl isn't scared of hard work and the various people she worked for were an interesting cross section of generous through mean and miserly. The stories are a good mix though the book ends on an especially sad note.

87) The White Nights of St Petersburg by Geoffrey Trease (1967)
children's fiction

TIOLI #1: Read a book with a flower mentioned on page 23. This was a shared read with Suzanne. Historical fiction based around the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. David, a young American youth has come to spend a year in St Petersburg, to learn the language and check for any opportunities for his father's business interests. Along with other residents at his pension, he is swept into the events in the year leading up to the storming of the Winter Palace.

Hi Kerry, good to be here again - plenty of great books to be added courtesy of your good taste! Thanks for such an expansive and detailed response to my long-winded post in your previous thread... next time it will be Cafe Botz then!

Love the photos of the cats at Hemingway's place up top...

Glad you posted Rutu Modan's book up. I read Exit Wounds not long ago and really enjoyed it. I have this one on the list as well. She is a real talent.

Also pleased to see There once lived a girl who seduced her sister's husband and he hanged himself: Love stories by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya , that's another one that I thought looked interesting.

Loved the pictures of Hemingway's cats! Do they, um, practice birth control or just let them breed? I think Olivia needs a bigger chair.

Yes, with that many maybe they could neuter most to keep the population under control. There is the lical wildlife to think of. Alternatively, it could be a nice little sideline earner to sell off authentic multi-tied Hemingway kittens! A bit of a spin on the usual gift shop fare!

Roni / Charles - the docent talked about how the breeding for the cats is under control. They don't roam from the property and other cats don't come in. They get a vet in regularly to check on the health of all the cats. The cats aren't particularly friendly, they have to put up with a constant stream of visitors and you pat them at your own risk.
Olivia does need a new chair, that looks so uncomfortable.

#5: Kathy - I didn't fully answer your post. I think the US cover for The Humans is quite unappealing though Haig seems to like it well enough. I enjoy most of his FB posts too and loved reading his Booktrust blogs. Not that he has any control over it but I feel that he attracts a number of self published writers who comment as a way of publicising themselves from time to time or is that just me being a little bit cynical.

Hi Kerry! Congrats on #3! I just picked up a library copy of Among Others. It seems to be very popular with the LT crowd but I am not sure when I'll be able to slot it in.

A reading cat! obviously a lucrative career.

I really loved Key West when we went many years ago (avant les kids), and I've wanted to go again ever since. Did you drive down?

Great new thread, Kerry! I hope to do a better job of keeping up this time.

Checking out the new thread, Kerry. Looks like your reviewing up a storm. :)

Hi Mark - I'm listening to the audio of Among Others and finding it a little different. It feels more like a reading diary at times, just enough plot wrapped around it to keep me occupied. The books mentioned are mostly ones I'm interested in so that's good.

Nina - we had a rental car and stayed the night in Marathon. I did the trip years ago also.

*waves* to Darryl.

Hi Micky - my reading stats are buoyed up by the number of children's books I get through.

Yesterday I decided to have a quick visit to the local charity shop as I've been finding a few gems in there from time to time. The first thing I noticed is the pricing has changed. Before everything was $1 or $2, now most books are between $2 and $4.
I found:
My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Mauro De Vasconceles $3- this is an interesting edition, there are footnotes in Korean, looks like an edition for Koreans learning English. I got it because the author is Brasilian and I haven't got any Brasilian children's lit on my shelves.
Walking on Glass by Iain Banks $2- I've collected most of his scifi and now getting his fiction books that I don't already have.
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa $3- this looks to be a Portuguese classic. Blurb on cover says "one of the 100 greatest books of all time"
Out walked Mel by Paula Boock $2- this is a NZ classic YA, a copy for my daughter.


Taking back to the library an interesting book on books -
My ideal bookshelf which has been fun to look through but I've run out of time to read all the entries. The editor asked a crosssection of creative people - artists, chefs, designers, illustrators and mostly writers to list the books that are important to them and write a short essay. Artist Jane Mount then drew a bookshelf for each one. The result is a fascinating coffee table-book. There's an ideal bookshelf tumblr - http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20ideal%20bookshelf

Can't resist the cover art.

>23 avatiakh:: Makes me smile :0)

If you like the books in Among Others, I listed them on my thread. I'm also in the process of putting together a wiki, but that's still in the works. The links to both are in my review. Others have also made lists; you can find the links a few posts on from the list in my thread - if I remember correctly, one has been set up as an LT library.

ETA: links

the list on my thread

wiki

Oh thanks for putting those links on my thread. I've only read a few of the ones she's mentioned so far but quite a lot of the others are on my tbr lists already. I'm up to the part where she's joined the scifi book club and making friends.

Someone covering most of the bases in the launch notice of this new book - Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley is a classic kiwi comic mystery erotic horror adventure novel.

A sleepy bohemian neighbourhood.

An ancient legend from the ancient past.

A brilliant but troubled young writer.

A voluptuous healer.

A shadowy cult and its sinister leader.

A trail of riddles; a hidden artefact.

An explicit sex scene, then a struggle for ultimate power.

And a final, unspeakable secret.

Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley is a dark and hilarious odyssey through Wellington’s underbelly.

From NZ Bk Council: Dim Post blogger Danyl McLauchlan participated in our most recent True Stories Told Live storytelling cabaret here in Wellington. He told a hilarious tale about an attempted seduction involving wasabi laced sushi. If this true story is anything to go by his new novel 'Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley' is bound to be a rollicking good read.

88) Life after life by Kate Atkinson (2013)
fiction

TIOLI challenge #2: Faceless cover. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it really quickly instead of spinning it out over a couple of weeks. I wasn't so enamoured with the main character Ursula that I wanted to relive her life with her over and over. She was a bit mousy and her lives overall quite dreary, and while I liked a few of the other characters and the imaginative structure of the novel, overall it failed to engage me.

Now switching focus and I'm going to try and finish a few fantasy novels.

It sounds like you are having a lovely vacation. Safe travels to you!

Just realised I forgot to post here as I got sidetracked by your links about My ideal bookshelf.....I ended up looking all over the internet at cool book cover collections and then neglecting you!
lol
That's all for now :)

Hi Linda - no, vacation time was earlier this year and it was pretty great.


89) Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (2011)
children's fiction

TIOLI Challenge #6. Read a book where a title word or author name starts with B,D,G,J,P,R,U & shared read. A delightful magical story that begins with a visit by a ghost to a young girl who is kept locked in the attic by her nasty stepmother. And a young orphan apprenticed to the town's alchemist out running errands and about to make a big mistake. One to enjoy.

I've finished two really excellent books, one is YA Colin Fischer, and the other is a children's book, The turbulent term of Tyke Tiler, a Carnegie winner from 1977.
Almost done on my iPod audio, Among Others which I'm thoroughly enjoying in a laid back sort of way. Starting to think of what to listen to next, I might go back for another 6 chapters of The Battle for Spain.

I'm going to try to finish The Humans and Seraphina before the weekend, so I can concentrate on Questions of Travel which just won the Miles Franklin Award.

My son, Yaron, has his last exam for the semester today and we are going to a Latin American restaurant, Atico Cocina, to celebrate afterwards. His brother, Alon, has confirmed that his band will be on morning tv next week to promote the Battle of the Bands contest. I made some alfajores for him to take to band practice the other night as Ivan (bassist) and his girlfriend,Noelia (drummer), are from Argentina.


"alfajores" - mine didn't look this good, but my dulche de leche turned out really well.

#29: Hi Megan - I missed your post. There're some wonderful book themed images around.

>31 avatiakh: Hmm, those look similar to macarons... are they?

No, they're a shortbread-type biscuit/cookie joined with a 'caramel spread'. There's some brandy and lemon zest in the dough so the biscuits have a great flavour. The finished product is sometimes rolled in coconut.

Kerry, Can you tell me about the Carneige award? I've never heard of it and I'm curious.

Colin Fischer sounds like a great book. On the tbr pile it goes...yet another of your marvelous recommendations!

Linda - the Carnegie Medal is the UK equivalent to the Newbery Medal and has been around since the 1930s. One of the differences is that they publish a longlist of nominations and most of the books on the longlist are pretty great as well.
The Kate Greenaway Medal is the equiv of the Caldicott Medal.
The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards. Often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature.

I think another difference is that the book must be published in the UK, but it is open to any English language writer. I think the Newbery is only for US writers.

Thanks for taking the time to explain about the Carnegie Medal!

As always, I learn so much from you.

Anytime Linda. The only other interesting factoid is that the Carnegie includes YA.

Love the graphics of the favourite bookshelves. Seen the book in the stores over here but the price of it is a bit prohibitive.

Have a lovely weekend.

I'm stopping by once again to thank you for all these marvelous recommendations over the years.

I LOVE (and miss) alfajores (since leaving Argentina)!! The ones from Havanna are great but there are also some excellent artesenal ones around. I temporarily got my hopes up in Lima when I saw a sign fir a Havanna store till I read the small print that said "Coming Soon". But I think you have inspired me to try to make my own once I get back to Oz.

>33 MickyFine: MickyFine - the closest thing to an Alfajor you may be familiar with is a Wagon Wheel.

Kerry the alfajores look and sound delicious!

A crafty post - 'How to make steampunk goggles' by the talented and creative writer/illustrator Fifi Colston

#39: Paul - I wouldn't call the book a keeper apart from the artwork. The designers' entries are a bit boring - all design books. The chefs seem to mainly read other chefs' cookbooks as well.

#40: Linda - I'm often prompted to read a book after perusing your thread, especially the picturebooks.

#41: Charles - I must admit that it's the dulche de leche part that makes me swoon. The alfajores are a 'once a year' sort of treat. The recipes that I linked to in #31 are pretty good. Also have to mention dulche de leche cheesecake for any leftover dulche de leche.

#42: Paul - do try them

Ok, have lots of books to comment on but trying to finish Seraphina first.

Oh I am an absolute fiend for Dulce de Leche!

Aren't Wagon Wheels chocolate-covered biscuit sandwiches with marshmallow in the middle? Alfajores sound yum; obviously something I should hunt down.

And Seraphina sounds good, too, from all the noise on LT about it. Too many book bullets, not enough time ...

Nina - It's taken me about a year to get round to reading Among Others and Seraphina....so glad I did, but agree that there are just too many book bullets here on LT.

90) Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz (2012)
YA fiction

TIOLI challenge #2. Read a book where a person is featured on the cover but that person's face isn't seen. Ok, this one was interesting, I don't really go for books that are collaborations between two people, though have enjoyed a few in recent years especially the David Levithan ones with John Green and also Rachel Cohn which use the 'alternate chapter' method rather well. Anyway one of the blogs I follow, Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books, had rated this highly so I picked it up.
Colin has Asperger's Syndrome so processes things differently including an obsessive need to record everything he observes in his notebook, it also makes him a bit of a target with school bullies. Anyway one of the boys who has been picking on him from day one gets suspended from school when a gun is fired in the school cafeteria, Colin 'needs' to investigate.
What I liked about the book were the extracts from his notebook at the start of every chapter and the use of footnotes to explain some of the references throughout the book. This obsessive detail seemed to fit in with the character of Colin and I learnt a few interesting facts along the way including that Hans Apserger by arguing passionately for the social usefulness of his patients probably saved the life of the many children (including future Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek) who attended his clinic during WW2 when the Nazis were bent on removing the 'unclean' from society. Overall a good read.

Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz usually collaborate on film projects, they're the screenwriters behind X-men and Thor. Not sure what made them tackle a book together.

91) The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler by Gene Kemp (1977)
children's fiction

Added to TIOLI Challenge #12. Read a book where at least two words in the title start with the same letter. This won the Carnegie Medal and also The Other Award in 1977 and what an unexpected treat. Tyke, along with best mate Danny, is in the last year of primary school. Danny is from a troubled home and also has 'learning difficulties' but Tyke is loyal and supports Danny especially when overhearing that Danny might end up at a special school the following year. The supporting cast in this book includes one of those inspiring teachers that most of us have experienced and only hope that every child will have one at least once when it really matters. There's a great twist in this story that I didn't see coming and makes you want to start the book all over again to see how it could be. One of my favourite part was when Tyke's father is going to London and asks Tyke what present he could bring back and Tyke asks for a rope. Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy books like A Kestrel for a Knave.

92a) Hereville: how Mirka met a meteorite by Barry Deutsch (2012)
graphic novel

This is the second 'Hereville' GN about irrepressible Mirka who lives in a religious Jewish community and has unusual adventures featuring trolls, swords and witches but still manages to observe the Sabbath laws. In this one a meteorite that lands near Hereville is magicked into a doppelganger of Mirka and tries to take over. These books are fun.



92b) Alia's Mission: saving the books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamarty (2004)
graphic novel

Based on the true story of how a librarian roused her fellow citizens to save the library books in the city of Basra, I found this to be rather bland, and the b&w illustrations lacking energy and colour. The story itself is very worthy. I think this illustration style is typical of Stamarty's work and they work quite well on their own, I just think in the book there are too many of them. I especially didn't go for the talking book with face, arms and legs at the start.

from the book

92c) Maya makes a mess by Ruti Modan (2012)
junior graphic novel

Inspired by her own child's lack of manners, Modan has put together a rather fun and irreverent look at manners. Maya is a messy eater and when she is suddenly plucked from her family and taken to a Royal Dinner with the Queen and guests, she has a thing or two to teach them. Fun to read but not much more.



92d) Nasreddine by Odile Weulersse (2005) (2013 English ed)
picturebook

Beautifully illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer, we have had to wait a few years to see this in English. I think Ilana mentioned the French edition a year or two ago. This is a folktale retelling from the Middle East.

_
92e) My Henry by Judith Kerr (2011)
picturebook
Kerr uses muted pastels to celebrate a loving marriage. A widow daydreams about adventures she goes on with her late husband. I think that children would be more likely to pick up the book with the cover on the right.
Judith Kerr's Creatures: a celebration of her life and work has just been published.



92f) The girl of the wish garden by Uma Krishnaswami (2013)
picturebook

This book was published to celebrate the memory of Iranian illustrator Nasrin Khosravi who died in 2010. These illustrations were first used in a 1999 Iranian version of Thumbelina. Here the beautiful poetic prose of Indian storyteller Uma Krishnaswami is complemented by these rich, luscious illustrations to bring a tale loosely based on Thumbelina to life.
More info here at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast blog: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2517
And here is Uma Krishnaswami on her inspiration for writing the words.



“In a land of dreams, where time itself
can shift and change,
I once saw this tale unfold.

The child was named Lina.
Her mother had found her in a silken flower
in a garden of wishes, where the birds sang wild
and the winds blew free.”

93) The Humans by Matt Haig (2013)
fiction
Another book by Haig that I really enjoyed. In this one an alien arrives on Earth to take over the body of mathematician Andrew Martin who has just solved a mathematical problem that will lead to the human race becoming a dominant force in the universe. His mission is to take out all humans that know about the discovery, but along the way the new Mr Martin begins to discover what it is to be human.
The book trailer is rather fun to watch - Advice for a Human
I recommend Haig's books to anyone wanting a light quirky read. I've only got his debut The Possession of Mr Cave left to read.

Once again you are proving that kids picture books need to be showcased with images- they make or break a story.

Here are two that I've been wanting to read since last year so pleased I finally got to them thanks to the June's female sci-fi and fantasy month: The Group Read

94) Among Others by Jo Walton (2011)
fantasy/ iPod audiobook

TIOLI challenge #8. Read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman. OK, I listened to this one and I always feel that I have a different feeling for the book because of that. This is an absorbing story about a young girl who runs away from home and ends up in a boarding school. She's an outsider who finds solace in reading, scifi and fantasy are her books of choice. In some ways it is almost just a reading journal, but the story wraps itself around the books in a very satisfying way. Much loved here on LT and I'm definitely a fan and would love to try her Tooth and Claw.


95) Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (2012)
fantasy
TIOLI challenge #8. Read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman. Loved this world where the humans have made a treaty with dragons to live in peace. The dragons take human form and many live among the people as ambassadors. Engrossing story with a delightful heroine.

Hi Megan - yes, the illustrations make the book come alive.

I ran out of steam and haven't really done the last three books justice. Mea culpa.

I'm hoping to get Questions of travel by Michelle de Kretser finished this coming week, i've been dragging my heels all month, mainly because it is a chunkster. I've got Penman's Time and Chance to read too, i'm a couple of months behind on the group read.
I also want to get going on Elizabeth Knox's Mortal Fire, I've read the first chapter and know I want to be in this world she's created. I've also read a couple of chapters of Karen Healey's scifi When we wake and hope to squeeze that one in too.

Books that have surfaced on Mt Tbr include Eco's Baudalino as my son has been reading about the 4th Crusade and talking about Prester John and I noticed that this one includes both. So I'm eyeing it up, but it's another chunkster and I have a few of those lined up for group reads in the next couple of months.

My current audiobook turned out to be Alastair Reynolds' Pushing Ice, just felt like a bit of scifi to make up for the fantasy I've been reading.

I like that video - glad to see you enjoyed Among Others it was one of last year's five star reads for me. I'll see if my library has that Judith Kerr book: The Tiger Who Came to Tea is one of my favourites.

Another person who loved Among Others here. I have Seraphina wish listed and have also added The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler based in your recommendation.

Kerry, I've been eyeing Among Others a couple of times at the bookstore but the jacket didn't have a strong enough pull for me to add it to my basket, but your review may have done what the book jacket failed to do. I'm adding this to my obese wish list.

Rhian - Among Others grew on me and might be one that I consider rereading the actual book. The narrator had a lovely Welsh accent and that added to the pleasure of listening. I'm also looking forward to the Judith Kerr book, I'm fan of the Mog books and read When Hitler stole pink rabbit so long ago that I don't remember it at all.

Heather - The Tyke Tiler book seems to have remained in print since it first came out and deservedly so. I hope you get the same kick out of the twist that I did.

Caro - I love the book cover but it doesn't really give much in the way of clues as to what's inside. The book while steeped in magical elements is set in the real world for most of the time. The 'magical' part for avid readers like most of us, is seeing her enthusiasm for certain books.

So glad you enjoyed both Among Others and Seraphina, Kerry. What beautiful books you've been reading--those are gorgeous illustrations. Your Tyke Tiler book reminds me of Kathy Hoopmann's Asperger Adventures series, which are great fun. Chapter books with a boy with Asperger's as the main character, she is an Aussie.

ETA she has also produced the books All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome and All Dogs Have ADHD, both of which are a hoot!

>46 humouress: Humouress, Yes that is Wagon Wheels. In Argentina the biscuit of an alfajor is often chocolate covered and marshmallow (apart from dulce de leche) is one of the more common fillings. But if you want an approximation of what eating an alfajor is like then Wagon Wheels are pretty close.

Interesting, we just had the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards announced and the overall award, the Book of the Year went to a self published YA book. Ted Dawe has had a few others published through normal channels but must have been rebuffed with this manuscript - there aren't many manistream publishers left here in NZ anyway and they are only accepting very few manuscripts even from established writers. I love that he called his publishing company - Mangakino University Press. I've just requested his book, Into the River from the library, I really enjoyed his other two YA books.

>62 Emrayfo:: Ah; I thought dulce de leche was rather different, but maybe I'm thinking of panna cotta.

Dulce de Leche is less 'firm' than pannacotta. It's more like a milk-based caramel sauce, though usually with a thick, sticky viscosity. As you can imagine, there are as many applications as you could imagine! Dulce de Leche caramels, dulce de leche ice cream, fillings, sauces etc etc! Yummy. :)

I always loved Marias con cajeta (tea cookies with caramel), which is all I can think about now, with you guys talking cookies.



I like to see independent authors get recognition!

WOW! The illustrations for The Girl of the Wish Garden are fantastic. I've added this book to the ever expanding tbr list.

Oh my, I'm getting hungry visiting my own thread.
I'm a bit quiet at present, trying to make my way through a chunkster or two before the month ends. I've also decided to take a swag of library books back, I've started reading a few of them and been more than a little underwhelmed.

I've just finished the fascinating Questions of Travel by Michelle De Kretser and need to catch my breath. I found an extensive review at the Sydney Review of Books: http://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/tripped-up-tripped-out/

>65 Emrayfo:: Thanks for the clarification, Charles. I suppose 'leche' makes me think of milk, for some reason, and that leads me to think it should be white, not caramel.

Sorry to hijack your thread, Kerry. One benefit of tracking the 'dulce de leche' conversation was that I skimmed through all those gorgeous illustrations you've put in, up-thread.

Into the River just won the Children's Book of the Year Award here in New Zealand, the target audience for the book is older YA. I've read Dawe's other books but not this one so today's editorial in the national paper was a surprise -
Book prize lets down the young
and linked article in same paper -
Award-winning kids' book drops c-bomb
Radio interview with the author: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2560385/playing-favo...

Judges' comments: “Into the River was the book that stood out for us,” says Chief Judge and author Bernard Beckett.
“Traditionally, books aimed at the top end of the young adult market (ages 15+) have not been a strength of ours here in New Zealand, with most books aimed nearer the junior fiction boundary. We were delighted to see a book that both engaged and respected older readers, with material as subtle as it is honest and provocative."

...so I'm reading the book and putting Time and Chance on the back burner once again.

Planning my July Reading:

Once again I've ambitiously listed a heap of books on the TIOLI challenges but am really looking to have shared reads on some of them. Most of these books fit my 13in13 category challenge and I'm also doubling up on Reading Globally and the Women in Scifi/fantasy spillover into July read.

Group Reads for July:
Frans G. Bengtsson - The Long Ships
Mervyn Peake - Gormenghast Trilogy - Titus Groan
and still dragging my heels with Time and Chance which I must finish this month.

TIOLI:
1. Read a book whose cover pictures an animal also seen on the 2013 National Book Festival poster
The scapegoat (monkey) - Daniel Pennac (Benjamin Malaussène #1)

2. Read a TBR that has been on a previous TIOLI in 2012-13 and still isn't finished
Time and Chance - April #5 - Sharon Penman
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen - January #7 - Alan Garner

4. Read the last book in a series
Year of the Griffin (2/2) - Diana Wynne Jones

6. Read a book having an ARCH in title, author or cover
Alhambra - Madeleine Polland (cover)
The Liars' Gospel - Naomi Alderman (cover)
A separate peace - John Knowles (cover)

7. Read a book whose title includes the name of a bird
The crane wife - Patrick Ness
*The Gentle Falcon - Hilda Lewis
Kite - Melvin Burgess
The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater
Sarah Canary - Karen Joy Fowler
Titus Groan - Mervyn Peake

14. Read a book by an author who has passed away in 2013 in tribute to him/her
The Crow Road - Iain Banks
Father's arcane daughter - E. L. Konigsburg - read most of her books so this one is fairly obscure

16. Read a book with less than 300 pages
Into the River (279 pages) by Ted Dawe
*The Ocean at the End of the Lane (248 pages) - Neil Gaiman

19. Read a book that has been published by The New York Review of Books
*The Long Ships - Frans Gunnar Bengtsson
A traveller in time - Alison Uttley - been on Mt Tbr for a long while

20. Read a book that you acquired while traveling
The spider king's daughter - Chibundu Onuzo (from Shakespeare and Company in Paris)

21. Read a quest or adventure book
The cats of Seroster - Robert Westall
Roof toppers - Katherine Rundell

27. Personal name in first sentence
Gargling with tar (Ilya) - Jáchym Topol
The Haunting (Barney) by Margaret Mahy
Pushing Ice (Chromis Pasqueflower Bowerbird) by Alastair Reynolds
20 books

not fitting any challenges but a library book I'm keen to squeeze in somehow is Exposure by Sayed Kashua, also Agnes Cecilia by Maria Gripe is at the top of my Mt tbr so is on my radar for August. And I'm reading Into the River by Ted Dawe (see post above).

Kerry, thanks for sharing the article about Into the River. One quote stood out for me, a mother said reading the book was like reading letters from Playboy. One wonders whether she's actually read the letters from Playboy.

Hi Stephanie - yes, thought a few LTers might be interested. Can't understand the 'letters to Playboy' comment either. There's quite a bit of comment on FB and another article in this morning's paper with judge Bernard Beckett given the chance to defend the book. Most comments are that the complainers haven't put the 'shocking' in context with the story. I've read Dawe's Thunder Road and it was really good - raw and gritty.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=1089397...

96) Questions of Travel by Michelle De Kretser (2012)
fiction, australia

This book has just won the Miles Franklin Award and was on the inaugural Stella Prize shortlist. This is really ambitious in its scope and the themes it addresses. Mostly De Kretser is looking at our various experiences of travel. First there is Australian Laura who wanders the world on her OE (overseas experience) and then drifts into travel writing and publishing. Then there is Ravi, an asylum seeker from the civil unrest of Sri Lanka, he's a 'sort of' IT expert and he has to come to terms with living in Sydney far from his homeland. At every turn these two come up against others who have repatriated or are refugees.
Also important to the story is the use of the internet to experience 'home' and other cultures. By covering the daily grind of working in an office, even though for an 'exotic' travel publisher, De Kretser also looks at the industry of travel publishing, the 'seeing the sights' tourist and the marketing decisions that push current trends in travel as well as the tourist vs traveler divide. And there is so much more....
I especially enjoyed Ravi's story, the early part dealing with his life in Sri Lanka was riveting and brutal. It's worth reading the first paragraph at least on the link below just to understand the statistics involved in the civil war there.

De Kretser was born in Sri Lanka and her family moved to Australia when she was a teenager. She also worked in travel publishing, running Lonely Planet's Paris office before becoming a writer so she has all the credentials for making this sumptious novel work and it does.

There are lots of really worthy well done reviews out there on the internet that examine this book in detail - well worth looking at is this Sydney Review of Books one

Added to June TIOLI challenge #6

97) When we wake by Karen Healey (2013)
YA scifi, new zealand writer

The book begins on Tegan's last day, she's off to a protest march, there's a gunshot....and then she wakes 100 years later. She'd signed the forms to donate her body to science and this is what happened.The story is a thriller and quite an exciting read. It's set in Australia where Healey has been living these past few years. This book addresses the Australian policy on asylum seekers and boat people, extrapolating that policy into the future.
TIOLI Challenge #8: In conjunction with the women in SSF challenge, read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman.


98) Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox (2013)
YA fantasy / NZ

Last night I read an interesting blog post on Knox's website, Letting in the Ghosts: Why certain things are in Mortal Fire, it was personal and really revealing in how a book can come about.
This is set in the same world as her Dreamhunter Duet which I loved and led me to try her adult fiction. The book is set in 1959 so comes several generations after the Dreamhunter story. It revolves around a young teenage girl, Canny, who has startling mathematical ability, a mother who is a war hero and a best friend lying in an iron lung crippled by polio. There is interesting magic, the history behind a mining disaster, bees and the question of revenge.
I enjoyed this, I love the world she evokes, I loved the magic and I liked the final resolution of the story. Reading her blog post was the icing on the cake.
TIOLI Challenge #8: In conjunction with the women in SSF challenge, read a fantasy or science fiction book written by a woman.

More fascinating books that probably I can't find here!

ETA well, yes and no. Our library has one copy of Mortal Fire at our Central Library, which is closed until September as the books are moved to the new building. But there are copies of the Dreamhunter books out there, which I have requested.

I know, Roni! I can't seem to find Into the River here. Perhaps with a more thorough search I could find a NZ bookseller who ships to the US, but... I haven't done that yet.

Still, I love growing my WL here on your thread, Kerry.

I apologise for reading hard-to-source books, I'm trying to read more from NZ and Australia as I need to keep on top of local trends and support these writers. Into the River is self published and I decided last week to purchase a copy when I heard it had won the award especially since Dawe published it under 'Mangakino University Press' which is a tiny town in the middle of the North Island where my grandmother was born in the 1890s. I've read the first two chapters which are setting up the background to the main character and finding it totally engrossing.

Just saw this jpeg when I went to retrieve a link to a third 'Into the River' article that was in yesterday's paper.

"Cat'alogue

More on the debate here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=1089397...
A FB comment from a school librarian that sums it all up nicely:
Bridget Schaumann: I well remember the thrill of reading Go Ask Alice for the first time when I was 13. It was shocking and showed me a world I had no experience of and opened my eyes to new ideas and ways of thinking. It didn't lead me into a life of drug taking but it did lead me onto Jackie Collins and whatever other book I could find that I thought was risqué, this in turn led me to read all manner of 'unsuitable' classics and other books from anywhere I could get them. We have had plenty of other winners of this category which are full of language which would turn some peoples heads and I firmly believe that quality literature and literature from our country and with our people in it has a place in every school library (secondary) and I will continue to stock books which are interesting, which have an audience and which I think our kids will love. Furthermore I am currently reading Maggot Moon which has just won the Carnegie and it also has foul language in it. The world our kids live in is not your grandparents world, we need to be current and we need to provide books for every kid, not just the ones who live in a rarified world.

also Christchurch Libraries has a great blog post about access to material and censorship:
http://cclblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/libraries-intellectual-freedom-and-acces...

Roni - I'm sure you will adore Elizabeth Knox's Dreamhunter.

When we wake was for me about a 3.5 star read. I really liked the political focus on asylum seekers and Australian xenophobia but felt at times that the story action was a bit 'been there done that'.

A trip to the library and then my local bookshop where I used a 20% discount and a $5 voucher to get:

Library:
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney - Mark rec
Ferryman by Claire McFall - just been shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Literature Awards - a YA fantasy
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell - could you resist...a baby girl is found in a shipwrecked cello case and the fairytale begins. Rundell's first book The girl savage looks good too.

Bookshop:
Death of a river guide by Richard Flanagan - set in Tasmania
the keeper of secrets by Julie Thomas - a self published Holocaust novel that sold thousands has been picked up by HarperCollins and repackaged. The writer is from New Zealand.

I'm enjoying these posts regarding Into the River.

I'll look for your thoughts after you read it. I love books with a controversy...and indication of the time at hand.

>71 avatiakh: I heard about the uproar regarding sexual content in the winner of the Childrens Book Award. But, if its aimed at 15+ years old....Id be taking it with a grain of salt. Of course Ill have to read it to find out.

>80 avatiakh: great haul!

And how is Into the River going?

Yes, can't believe the kerfuffle the book has stirred up. I keep forgetting to get the Herald and check 'letters to the editor'. Anyway I'm sure the content is no worse than other 15+ YA books such as those by Melvin Burgess. I think booksellers can continue to sell it, just need to make the buyer aware that it isn't appropriate for younger readers. I often find inappropriate YA books shelved in the 8-12 yr old section at Whitcoulls, including Melvin Burgess's Lady: my life as a bitch. One of the reasons I got hooked onto children's books was because I read them so I could talk about them with my own children.

I'm reading Into the River and have managed 2 long chapters. The first chapter was a magnificent story around two rural Maori boys going eeling, then spending the day swimming, exploring some bush and before returning home they catch a huge monster eel. There's lots of te reo, talk of taniwha, tapu and rahui. The second chapter is the grandfather telling the story of how they came to have a Spanish ancestor and why the area of river that is rahui came to earn the name 'river of blood' from tribal warfare. The third chapter starts with the boy earning a scholarship to an Auckland boarding school. So far just a great story, full of interest, historical detail with a real NZ feel to it.
I read his debut novel, Thunder Road, years ago and it was great, all about street racers and drug dealing which if you live in an urban area is definitely a current youth problem. Maybe not in the socioeconomic areas where the complaints are coming from.

#83 I think Maggot Moon winning the Carnegie Medal here seems to have caused a similar kerfuffle. Lots of the reviews on Amazon UK have given it a very low star rating on the grounds that it's too violent for children. Again, it seems to be that parents/teachers weren't aware it was intended as a book for older teenagers rather than children.

Yes, that was quite a tough read but I loved it and would definitely recommend it. We can't protect our children forever, they do need to know that the real world will be full of hard knocks, that's why fairy tales are also quite violent. Red Riding Hood anyone?

Went and saw World War Z this afternoon. Enjoyed.

Writer and editor Emma Neale who worked on early drafts of Into the River gives her thoughts on the book and the conservative reaction to it here:
http://emmaneale.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/book-banning-and-ted-dawes-into-the-ri...

Finished my audiobook Pushing Ice and started listening to The Alchemyst by Michael Scott.

Nice review of Questions of Travel, Kerry. I have it on my wish list, and I'm eager to see if it's chosen for the Booker Prize longlist this month.

Hi Darryl - I'm hoping to tackle another Australian winner later this month, Mateship with birds. QoT was a slow burner of a book but lots to think about in it. Laura does get a bit annoying but that is also her role in the book I suppose.


Time Out Bookstore is taking a stand & Award judge Bernard Beckett responds on his blog in a very thoughtful manner to the debate - http://www.librarything.com/topic/155426

I am a little frustrated that Malaysia, geographically relatively close to Australia/New Zealand in comparison with UK/US, does not stock more literature from Aus/NZ. I am on the look out for Gillian Mears, Kim Scott and a host of other writers and I am having to use Book Depo to eke out one or two at a time. Richard Flanagan is another I have heard good things of. I have a couple of his but not the one you added this week. How I wish there were libraries here I could prey upon for sales!
Enjoy your Sunday, Kerry.

Paul, you could try abe.com and search the Aust or NZ booksellers for a used reading copy at least of those you really would like to get read. This is sometimes cheaper than the full price BD prices. What bugs me is that NZ publishers bring out large expensive trade paperback editions of novels by NZ writers that cost the public up to $40 to buy - I'm rarely that keen to pay full price even though I want to support NZ writers, I'm still buying YA and children's books from time to time but those are getting a bit pricey as well.

edit to add: I find it almost as hard to locate a large selection of Australian fiction in bookshops here, really have to hunt it down, though my library stocks everything thank goodness.

And you should search for Text Classics - it's a good list of affordable Australian greats. There's also an Australian University Press republishing classics as well. i'll have to look it up.

Paul, I recommend you give www.booko.com.au a try. I know you prefer to go book shopping in real bricks and mortar stores, but Booko searches many online Australian and New Zealand bookstores as well as the usual international suspects like Bookdepository. You can search for those hard to find antipodean authors in one place!

As always, it is a sheer delight to visit here and find such incredible books to read.

Maggot Moon is now on the tbr pile.

>83 avatiakh: I love the sound of Into the River from what you have read so far, Kerry. Ill probably get it eventually, from the library if the queue isnt too long.

>90 PaulCranswick: I have heard heaps of good things about Richard Flanagan, Paul. mainly from my ex-bf who really admired him.

I have a few books to update but before I do that, my son, Alon, is seeking facebook likes for his band, Flowerfight, as they want to apply for funding from an arts fund for recording a few songs. They are more pop rock than heavy metal and were in the national finals of the Battle of the Bands.
Here's a link to their tv performance from a couple of weeks ago: http://tvnz.co.nz/good-morning/extra-battle-bands-flowerfight-video-5478427 and another song here: https://soundcloud.com/flowerfight

So if you like their song pls click on their FB page and like them as well, thanks.

#92: Thanks Charles, I need to check that site out as well

#93: Linda - that's a great read

#94: Megan - I need to get on back to Into the River, I spent the weekend finishing up other books.

99) Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds (2005)
scifi / audiobook

A standalone scifi from Reynolds that doesn't really compete with his wonderful Revelation Space series. Still good and entertaining though I couldn't completely buy into the ongoing conflict between the two main characters, both strong willed women who think they have the stranded crew's best interests at heart.
A spaceship crew that specialises in mining iced up asteroids is sent after nearby 'Janus', a moon of Saturn that turns out not to have been a moon at all. Swept up in the wake of the accelerating 'moon' they are taken far from Earth and any chance of return or rescue and still have to find out what 'Janus' actually is.
TIOLI challenge #27. Read a book that has a personal name in the first line


100) The Haunting by Margeret Mahy (1982)
children's fiction / audiobook

This was a reread, I saw the audiobook in the library catalogue and thought why not. The Haunting won the Carnegie Medal in 1982 and NZ's Esther Glen Award in 1983. Barney is troubled, he can hear a voice in his head ever since his Great Uncle Barnabus died but it isn't him, it's someone else and they keep saying that they're on their way. Highly enjoyable, about magic in the real world. Mahy is great and I'll keep revisiting her fiction once I finish with my still unread Diana Wynne Jones books, about 2 or 3 to go.
TIOLI challenge #27. Read a book that has a personal name in the first line

...and from Egypt, I don't want to make any political statements but this guy goes so 'nuts' talking about how bad Morsi is on Egyptian TV that his co-presenters fear he might have a heart attack

101) The Gentle Falcon by Hilda Lewis (1952)
children's fiction

TIOLI challenge#7. Read a book whose title includes the name of a bird. This was a shared read with Suzanne.
A lovely historical fiction about the child bride of Richard II. The story is told from the perspective of Isabella, an English girl who is brought to court to be a lady-in-waiting to the young Queen. Both girls are wonderful characters, I just wish I had come across more like this when I was young - possibly I did and I just don't remember.


102) Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones (200)
YA fantasy
TIOLI challenge #4. Read the last book in a series. Sequel to Dark Lord of Derkholm and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is a companion volume to these two.
Oooohh how I love to read Diana Wynne Jones and this was so much fun. I really loved Dark Lord of Derkholm and don't know why I took so long to read the follow-up. Now I'm really down to the last couple of her books, so will probably have to start rereading eventually.
A new year starts at the Wizards' University and Wizard Corkoran is excited at the prospect of rich new students whose parents he'll be asking for donations as the university is short of money. But when these incoming students include a griffin, a runaway dwarf, a penniless prince, a pirate's daughter etc etc there is no doubt all one can expect is trouble with a capital 'T'.

I love this series, Kerry!

Hi Roni, love reading DWJ. Looking forward to my next one, I think I have one Chrestomanci left.

Kerry- Just checking in. Hope you had a good weekend. I am starting Among Others. You were a fan, right?

#99 I haven't read any DWJ for ages for some reason - clearly I need to change that! I think her UK publishers are reissuing Year of the Griffin later this year so I will probably get a copy then.

#91: Paul - Melbourne University Press has an imprint The Miegunyah Press which has a Miegunyah Modern Library series that's worth investigating, each book comes with an intro. I bought one a while back that I keep adding to lists of Australian books I want to read - Letty Fox: her luck by Christina Stead ('Christina Stead’s sixth novel, was first published in New York in 1946, and banned in Australia for its salaciousness'). Still need to read one of Stead's books. Jeffrey Eugenides mentioned at a talk I attended, that her The man who loved children is the one book he gets constantly recommended that he still has to read.
NB: the slogan for MUP is 'books with spine'

#102: Hi Mark - hope you enjoy Among Others, it works at a different pace to most books. Just can't get over all the books she talks about (that I've never heard of).

#103: Heather - The Derkholm books are probably my current favourites of DWJ. I had a scavenge in my daughter's room last night and took away Conrad's Fate, The Pinhoe Egg and A Sudden Wild Magic. So I have 2 Chrestomancis left, a stand alone and probably a couple of short story collections somewhere as well as her nonfiction Reflections book.

Well, finished Ted Dawe's Into the River and will write up a review. Just following some of the responses online, the Family First (local Moral Majority) people are populating the comments section on the Awards' FB page. Judge Bernard Beckett has replied thoughtfully to all the commentors to his blog post about the book.
https://www.facebook.com/NewZealandPostChildrensBookAwards
http://bernardbeckett.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/into-the-river/

A lot of the fury is caused by an older YA book receiving the Book of the Year Award in an award named NZ Post CHILDREN'S Book Awards. The sponsors decided last year to drop the additional '& Young Adult' from the award title... and yes, there are a couple of sex scenes, drugs and coarse language.

98 - THAT is priceless. I've been chuckling to myself imagining the same guest doing the same thing and then finally finishing up in a pile on the desk, as the news anchor turns to the camera to announce "...and now - the weather" or somesuch!

"...Ihab, I'm worried about you..." She's not the only one!

Glad you enjoyed The Gentle Falcon, too, Kerry! I did indeed run across this as a young girl (perhaps 8) and loved it. Interestingly, I read one of her novels for adults two or three years later, and it advanced my unofficial sex ed considerably. By today's standards, not explicit at all, but I remember there were one or two racy scenes. I probably did pick up much of my knowledge about the 'real world' from books, perhaps 'too young'. But then, had it been left to my mother, who never liked answering even direct questions, I would have been left in utter ignorance, which I don't think is very helpful either.

Love the Hemingway cats, especially the one guarding the typewriter! Although while I was looking at the pics, Tigger jumped on the desk and slashed at the desktop's screen. Clearly, he didn't approve of my devoting any attention to other cats...

Hi Kerry, I was listening to Nat Radio this morning and heard the guy from the Children's Bookshop talking about Into the River and how wonderful it was. Also about how it is actually "age appropriate", and isnt intended for those under 16 really.
He is so articulate, and I cant even remember his name!

I think that the people who complain about books being inappropriate for teens have all forgotten what it's actually like to be a teen. And it's pretty ironic that folks want to "protect" our kids from books, but aren't interested in protecting kids world-wide from violence, war and hunger.

#107: Paul - it was too good not to share! ...and now for the weather! yes.

#108: Suzanne - I'm enjoying my foray into older children's books. I'm still not reading enough of them, or the ones I originally lined up, but that's what usually happens with my reading plans. I read nonstop as a child but can only remember a few titles. The Hemingway cats were fascinating, fairly unfriendly in that they ignore most of the visitors to the home and garden.

#109: Megan - that would be John McIntyre, he has a regular slot. I'll have to listen to that. Ted Dawe spoke to Kim Hill a while back, it will be on the RadioNZ website somewhere. I'll put my review up this weekend, my main focus is finally finishing Time and Chance which I've been reading on and off since April and I really want to be done with it.

#110: Rhonda, I agree. I'm all for them protecting "their kids" from the books, it's when they want to protect "all the kids" that it gets me riled. And when I look at them worrying about their children reading a little risque content and I think of all the problems other children in the world have to face....well....that too.

The new Redoubt School library was inspired by futuristic libraries in Asia.

I don't think my cats would be too pleased to have a constant stream of visitors through THEIR home all the time, either! I can just hear them: "Can't they leave us in peace?"

>113 avatiakh: excellent shelving! Really, how cool does that make the books look? I love that.

Interesting article in the Guradian: Teens: are you too young for young adult books?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2013/jul/11/young-adult-books-cla...
Rayner commented specifically on Patrick Ness's novel Monsters and Men, branding the trilogy "adult books disguised as children's books". Ness responded on Twitter: "I believe that if you don't engage with darkness, you're leaving a teen alone to face it by themselves. I think THAT's the amoral position."

#116 Great response by Ness.

Suzanne - our cats too!

Megan - I really liked John McIntyre's comments in support of Into the River . The book is provocative but teens can handle it. Some of those against are labeling the writer a paedophile because he writes about paedophilia, never enters their heads that maybe he can write about it because of newspaper items or the possibility that he was a victim or knows a victim and is writing a cautionary tale.
Anyway I checked my library and the queue for the book is now at 224 which is unheard of for a NZ YA book, so the controversy has definitely created a demand.

WORD ....

"I believe that if you don't engage with darkness, you're leaving a teen alone to face it by themselves. I think THAT's the amoral position."

Kerry (and Charles) thanks for the heads up for on-line antipodean booksellers. I will avail myself liberally of these as and when I can.
Have a lovely weekend Kerry and congratulations for leaving 100 books read far behind already.

I think before the 40s or 50s there wasn't even a thing such as a children's book or before the 80s as a YA book. Am I right? They read the same books as adults.

Just popping by to say Hey Kerry!

Hi Kerry,

Catching up here at last - I missed the discussion about Into the River. I haven't read it but am going to add it to my WL for the next couple of years before Fletch picks it up. Am curious to see your review - it is aimed at 15 year olds not 9 year olds, and I well remember copies of Flowers in the Attic (with PLENTY of graphic sex and I think even incest) being passed around the class in 4th form back in 1984.

Fletcher found Wonder at Marsden Books yesterday and to my delight wanted to buy it. I thought you'd liked it but couldn't remember - have just read some of the 156 positive reviews. It's well outside his normal range (latest thing is Skulduggery Pleasant, and before that it was Percy Jackson and the spinoffs). Anyway he has hardly put it down all day and has just finished it. He usually reads at night, in the car and if he's waiting for us to do boring things but he even took it into the toy shop and read it there. I must read it.

Hope you're enjoying Time and Chance. I bought it at the secondhand book fair a couple of years ago... no I have not read it!

Hi all, I'll make comments on your posts later as I'm fairly busy at present and also trying to finish three chunksters before the end of the month.

I've got two recent picturebooks to take back to the library this morning so I'll add them in now:

Henry's Map by David Elliot (2013)
picturebook, new zealand

I'm not a fan of the cover design, font unappealing and too much white space, but the story and illustrations inside are very appealing indeed. I'm a fan of David Elliot, he's possibly best known as one of the illustrators for Brian Jaques' Redwall books. Henry decides to draw a map of the farmyard and so begins with his sty, then Abigail the cow under the tree. He gets round all the farmyard and gathers the interest of all the animals. They clamber up the nearby hill to check out his map and it's wrong....where are all the animals? This will appeal to young map creators everywhere.
I read another picturebook on maps a year or so ago, My Map Book by Sara Fanelli. It's probably worth getting out from the library at the same time.



The Green Bath by Margaret Mahy (2013)
illustrated by Stephen Kellogg
picturebook, new zealand

Another last story by the late Margaret Mahy. A boy has a bubbly adventure in a funny green bath that his father brings home from a fleamarket. A collaboration with Stephen Kellogg who illustrated several of Mahy's earlier books.

My own last words on the great age-appropriate debate. Why are we sheltering teenagers? It is unlikely, the era that we live in, that much content is new to them. Even as a relatively sheltered 16 year old (in life, if not in reading), I found nothing all that novel or scandalous about Lady Chatterley's Lover and that was back in the late 1970s. Let's not delude ourselves, and let's not patronize teenagers. Some other facts to ponder: a teen aware of a book and told not to read it will redouble their efforts to obtain a copy. Teens are, indeed, potentially or actually participants or victims of some of the things described in YA books, from pedophillia to child soldiers. In our past, and in the present in some parts of the world, teenagers are able to marry, to go to war, to hold full time jobs. They are not older children, they are younger adults, whose judgment may not have kept pace with their physical maturity and who may need to be protected from foolish decisions (I'm a big fan of statutory rape laws, for instance; the idea of informed consent between a young teen and someone of 20 plus is simply absurd) but who shouldn't be screened from the realities of life. Let them read Go Ask Alice; do whatever it takes to make sure they don't try drugs. That's the line that is important.

Ditto Suzanne-- sheltering teens doesn't keep them innocent, it keeps them naive & uninformed. But the worst thing is when one parent (or group) decides that they get to set the rules on what everyone else's children get to read or experience.

I just popped in to see what's up in Kerry's world; I love that you review your picture books. It makes me nostalgic for someone small enough to enjoy them with. :)

I'm curious as to the chunksters you are trying to finish! I have three I'm working on myself.

Hi Morphy - I'm in the closing stretch of Titus Groan and midway through Iain Banks' The Crow Road and I have still only read a few pages of The Long Ships. The Peake and Bentsson are both group reads that got held up while I finally finished historical chunkster, Time and Chance which was a group read back in April that I've been relieved to finally finish. Which ones are you working on?

As well I've been watching some great tv featuring John Simm. The two seasons of 'Life on Mars' and then the miniseries 'Exile' and now I'm halfway through 'State of Play' which has a brilliant cast and is really riveting stuff. John Simm was The Master in Dr Who and I've always meant to catch more of his work.

Other news: Israeli-born Oscar winner, Natalie Portman, to direct, write and star in film adaptation of Amos Oz’s memoir, 'A Tale of Love and Darkness.' http://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Entertainment/Natalie-Portman-to-direct-fi...

Interesting news about Portman and A Tale of Love and Darkness.

Just finished this graphic novel, The Adventures of Superhero Girl. Such a fun read, fell down a little at the end but really fun. My daughter was totally inspired by this and is currently back into creating her own graphic novel.



In the last few pages of The Crow Road, it is totally riveting at present. Very impressed.

Kerry- Have you read the Rivers of London series yet? I just started the 1st book and it's a lot of fun and seems to be your cuppa.

Hi Mark, yes...I've read the first three and have my name down at the library for book 4.

I've finished The Crow Road and have to say it was a highly enjoyable read. I love his descriptions of the Scottish landscapes and the storyline was well executed. Now on the closing few pages of The ocean at the end of the lane and finished listening to The Raven Boys as well. I need book 2 of that one.

Kerry - I was looking overhere for Crow Road to read instead of The Wasp Factory but unfortunately it isn't in the shops in KL. I seemed to recall it was the better read of the two.

Have a great weekend.

Paul, I'd recommend looking for the more recent Stonemouth which is slightly more violent than TCR as it involves a local 'mafia' family, I'd say tones of The Sopranos but I haven't watched that. I recall being knocked for six by The Wasp Factory as I read it, but being totally won over by the sheer audacity of the plot and being in the head of such a character. I'd never read such a book before and not sure if I ever want to read another, but an important milestone in my reading life.

Engleby by Sebastian Faulks is another book that puts you in the head of an unpleasant character, but fairly tame in comparison.

Ok, I must finish the Gaiman and get on with The Long Ships, really enjoying what I've read so far. I've also got a couple of older children's books I'd like to finish before the end of the TIOLI month - Alison Uttley's A traveller in time has started well and Robert Westall's The Cats of Seroster is looking ok so far.

I have Stonemouth on the shelves Kerry, just have to find a little time for it. Agree that Engleby was a bit tame.

While stopping by to say hi, I found such interesting comments about children and age appropriate books.

I remember that my mother forbid me to go to the movies to see Forever Amber! I found it so ironic because this was a women who exposed her children to boyfriends too often and too many!

As you know, come YA books deal with very serious topics. I think that is one of the reason I am drawn to this genre.

Some of my favorite books in the last couple of years have been YAs - The Fault in Our Stars and Wonder.

#121 & 138: Morphy - thanks for visiting. I'm also a YA fan. I've enjoyed many over the past 15 or so years that I've been reading YA regularly. I read both those two books recently and would recommend them too.

#122 & 126: Hi Kathy - glad to see you agree on the book censorship issue. The kerfuffle here seems to have died down a bit now, but I'll write about all that in my review which I should get done today now that I've finally finished all my July books at last.

#123: Cushla - probably you are too busy back at school to get round to reading here so I'll give my response on your thread as well. I hope Fletcher enjoyed Wonder it's an excellent read. My local Paperplus had it in the adult fiction section for some reason. I found Time and Chance hard going, it was more that I had more exciting books to get on with and my patience for historical fiction from that period wasn't strong. Looking forward to the next in the series but am sure it will take more than a month to get through the 800+ pgs of Devil's Brood.

#125: Suzanne - I agree with you. Let children, especially teens find the books they want to read. I know that I read from my parents' bookshelves as a child, mostly poetry, war biographies, mysteries and historical fiction, but also remember us passing around The Happy Hooker as a young teen which my grandfather took off us and secretly read as well.

#137: Hi Linda - I love the range of YA books out there and they do cover important taboo topics from time to time and they should. Nicholas Dane was one of the grimmest YA books that I've in recent years, and Adam Rapp writes on similar ground. Both writers cover important social topics that should be exposed and discussed.

Ok, I'm ready for August, just have to write up all my July reading.

_
103) Into the River by Ted Dawe (2012)
new zealand, YA fiction

TIOLI challange #16: Read a book under 300pgs.

This is a prequel to Thunder Road which Dawe wrote a few years ago. I really liked TR and looked forward to finding out more about racer Devon, one of the characters. Dawe wrote an 800 page manuscript which was rejected by his publisher and so edited it down to 280 pgs and self published it.
When 13 yr old Te Arepa wins a scholarship to a prestigious private boarding school in Auckland, he finds himself in a different world from the one he grew up in. Home is his grandfather, Ra and young sister Rawinia, and the Maori heritage he has grown with. At school he encounters friendship, bullying and unsympathetic adults. By his second year Te Arepa, now known as Devon, has grown away from his family, the Maori traditions and the expectation for him to become a tribal leader. Devon's new friends introduce him to a wilder, more exciting underworld that tempts.
Dawe, who taught for many years at Dilworth College, a school for disadvantaged boys, has written an exceptional story about the isolation and dislocation of young Maori teenagers as they move away from supportive rural communities to the unfriendlier urban environment, it's also a book for them to read.

This book won the NZ Post Children's Book of the Year late last month. A few days later a couple of items and an editorial in a national paper launched a big kerfuffle over the suitability of the book to receive the award. Part of the problem is that last year the award was renamed from NZ Post Children's and Young Adult Book Award to just NZ Post Children's Book Awards, the other is the inability of the protesting parents to understand that YA or senior fiction includes not just books suitable for the lower end of the age range but quite often books for the older end of the age range up to 18yrs. The newspaper included a link to an excerpt which was just non related extracts of the more explicit paragraphs from the narrative. Most complaints about the book come from those who only read these extracts and did not read the book.
There was an unattractive campaign from a parents' group on the Award's FB page including defacing the logo to call it a 'porn' award, naming the writer as a paedophile and calls for the sponsor to withdraw from the awards. There was a lot of support for the book as well with links to articles and blogs that explained why books like these are necessary to teens. Most people supporting the book were fine with parents shielding their own children from reading books they don't approve of but the issue becomes red hot when they want to ban the books outright for all children. All supporters were in agreement that the book was recommended reading for 15+.

So how do I feel about the explicit content? The use of the c***t word was completely in context with the type of rough element the boys were hanging out with. The descriptions of Devon's first sex encounters were typical and awkward for these types of teenage reads. There are drugs and a predatory teacher but the worse by far for me were the descriptions of bullying.

Emma Neale worked as an editor on the manuscript and blogged about the response here
Bernard Beckett was chief judge and responded on his blog, the comments are especially worth reading, he responded to every one.
The New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards FB page
The Family First FB page

104) Time and Chance by Sharon Penman (2002)
historical fiction

TIOLI Challenge #2. Read a TBR that has been on a previous TIOLI in 2012-13 and still isn't finished. I'd been struggling to finish this book since the group read back in April. There's nothing that wrong with the book, it is a straightforward historical fiction, the second book in the Eleanor of Aquitane trilogy, but then again I just haven't been in the mood for historical fiction based on royal families. So I set a daily page count and managed to finish it. I'm hoping that bk 3 Devil's Brood is more interesting, it's one of my group reads for August.

105) The scapegoat by Daniel Pennac (1985)
fiction, french
Benjamin Malaussène #1.

TIOLI challenge #1: Read a book whose cover pictures an animal also seen on the 2013 National Book Festival poster.
I've read book 2 of the Malaussène or Belleville series and had to wait a long while to find a copy of the first book. The premise sounded very intriguing, Malaussène's job title is 'Quality Controller' at the Paris department store where he works, but in essence he is a scapegoat, called in when customers come in to complain. He takes the blame, the managers all yell at him, the customer feels sorry for him and often withdraws their complaint. He's well paid and that's good because his mother is a bit useless, usually pregnant and his numerous siblings need to be supported. Then the bombs start exploding in the store and he becomes one of the main suspects.

I liked book two more, but this one is pretty good as well. If you like oddball mystery/crime novels set in the immigrant-rich arrondissement of Belleville then this series is for you. Now once I find it in the piles of books around the house I'll be diving into book 3, Write to Kill.
Pennac is more well known for his The Rights of the Reader and the extremely good nonfiction School Blues. He's written some good children's fiction as well.

106) The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner (1960)
children's fiction
Tales of Alderley/The Weirdstone trilogy (1) bk 1

TIOLI challenge #2. Read a TBR that has been on a previous TIOLI in 2012-13 and still isn't finished. I listed this in January and didn't make it past the first page. This is a great children's fantasy, featuring a wonderful adventure sequence deep in underground mines that had overtones of the LOTR/Hobbit adventures. This was Garner's first book and he set it close to his home and based it on local folktales of an enchanted sleeping army. Danger galore as many of the ordinary people in the village turn out to be on the side of the darker elements such as The Morrigan. Colin and Susan have come to Adderley Edge to stay with their mother's old nurse and her husband while their parents are abroad. They soon find themselves in a fight between good and evil.
I'm hoping to read the other two books before year's end.

107) Father's Arcane Daughter by E. L. Konigsburg (1976)
children's fiction

TIOLI challenge #14. Read a book by an author who has passed away in 2013 in tribute to him/her. I've read most of Konigsburg's books so looked around for one of her earlier ones and the plot for this one had me intrigued. Winston and his sister live a very quiet life, their wealthy father hardly notices them and their mother is overprotective. One evening they are startled by the arrival of Caroline, their father's grown up daughter to his first wife. Caroline had been kidnapped 17 year's earlier and feared dead. Their mother had been the first wife's nurse until she died. Winston's mother is suspicious of Caroline, is it really her, she's arrived just in time to claim her late mother's fortune before it reverts to the father. The children's lives slowly change for the better, they've been excessively sheltered until now and the mystery of Caroline is revealed at the end.
This was a great read and one wonders aboiut Caroline and her motives right to the end.

There's a 1990 tv movie, Caroline starring Stephanie Zimbalist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GmbbFtaxDU

108) The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness (2013)
fiction

TIOLI challenge #7. Read a book whose title includes the name of a bird. This is based loosely on a Japanese folktale, a man helps an injured crane one night and the next day a mysterious woman appears and becomes his lover. I enjoyed the urban London setting for this. Unhappy and divorced, George owns a print shop and has a grownup daughter with her own problems, enter Kumiko who brings happiness but also unsettling mystery to their lives. Not everyone is going to love this but it worked for me. Ness adds in a narrative between a volcano and a crane that mingles in and out of the main story as Kumiko creates art that complements George's more clumsy creations. It's quite intriguing, the folktale element has to give the story a fantastical edge.

109) Alhambra by Madeleine Pollard (1971)
YA historical fiction

TIOLI challenge #6. Read a book having an ARCH in title, author or cover. Set in the time of Isabella and Ferdinand's conquest of Malaga and Granada. Two young Christian children, Jacinta and Juanito are taken from their home by Moorish warriors to Granada to be sold into slavery. They escape into the gardens of the Alhambra and are accepted into the royal household as companions/servants of the Caliph's niece. While Jacinta assimilates to the Moorish life, eventually marrying into the faith, Juanito never forgets that he is a Spaniard even when he realises that he loves his childhood playmate, the unattainable Nahid, a royal princess. His ambition to join the army of Isabella and Ferdinand to fight against the Moors is at odds with his sister's desire for a Moorish life.
I thought Pollard's Children of the Red King was a great read and this is also quite captivating. The book has quite striking ink illustrations at the start of each new chapter.

110) The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Ohuzo (2012)
fiction, nigeria

TIOLI challenge #20. Read a book that you acquired while traveling. I bought this in Shakespeare and Company when I was in Paris earlier this year. I've wanted to read the book since reading Andrea Eames talk it up after they were both shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize last year. Ohuzo started writing this when she just 17 and was only 21 when it was published. The book was long/short listed for the Commonwealth Prize (Africa), the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, so I had to find out for myself.
I felt the story brought the contrast between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor of modern Lagos to your attention in a quite interesting way. Abike is a rich 17 yr old girl who one day buys an icecream from a street hawker, he's handsome but poor. They strike up an unlikely friendship/romance, but there are hidden elements to both their stories. Abike's father is head of a wealthy empire built from corruption whereas the hawker's family has only hit hard times since the death of their father a year or so ago. The ending was a little weak for me but I loved the story up till then. This looks like it's a romance but it's anything but.

111) Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (1946)
fiction

TIOLI challenge #7. Read a book whose title includes the name of a bird. There is a Jul-Sep Group Read of the Gormenghast trilogy if anyone wants to join us.
I'd tried reading this once before and got about 150pgs in before abandoning the book. This time I kept reading and really enjoyed the grotesque characters, the wonderful descriptions of Gormenghast itself and the weird rituals of the Earldom. The book kicks off with the birth of Titus Groan, the heir to the 76th Earl and also the day that a young, ambitious kitchen hand, Steerpike, decides he's had enough of working under the despicable chef Swelter.

The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks (2013)
graphic novel

This was a lot of fun. Superhero Girl is just your average superhero trying to start out in a new location away from her more impressive family. There are still some parts of her 'act' to workout like who is her arch-nemesis, her back story etc but given time it should all sort out though Skeptical Guy has his doubts about her.

112) The Crow Road by Iain Banks (1992)
fiction

TIOLI challenge #14. Read a book by an author who has passed away in 2013 in tribute to him/her. I'd already read The Wasp Factory some years ago and have had The Crow Road on Mt tbr for a long while. This was a great novel to become immersed in. I wasn't at all sure where it was going but the story grows bigger and uncovers more mystery as it goes. The plotting and mixing of timelines is impressive and probably typical Banks territory, though I haven't read enough of his straight fiction to be sure. Not as dark as The Wasp Factory and not as violent as Stonemouth.
Prentice arrives home, just north of Glasgow, for his grandmother's funeral and once we are introduced to his family, the story meanders into the past...

113) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
YA fantasy / iPod audiobook

TIOLI challenge #7. Read a book whose title includes the name of a bird. I've been constantly reading good reviews of this, most saying they were pleasantly surprised by how good it was and I have to agree. There are just so many interesting aspects to this paranormal story. Blue is the only member of her family not to have psychic powers but she's a magnifier, whenever she's around everyone else's power increases. The boys from the private and elite Aglionby Academy in her town are nicknamed 'raven boys' because of the school emblem. Blue becomes involved with a group of boys and finds they are not at all like she expected. Can't wait for the next book, The Dream Thieves.

114) The Ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman (2013)
fantasy

TIOLI challenge #16. Read a book with less than 300 pages. A great dark fantasy story. A man returns to his hometown for a funeral and when he drives to the street of his childhood home he remembers what happened there when he was really young. Gaiman based the story on his own childhood home. He's a remarkable storyteller.

115) The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (1954)
fiction, swedish

TIOLI challenge #19. Read a book that has been published by The New York Review of Books.
This was another group read and one I had doubts about finishing before the month ended but was such a great read I ended up finishing with a day in hand. A wonderful saga about Vikings, the story starts with our hero, Red Orm being kidnapped as a youth. He has many adventures, makes many friends and lives to a ripe age before going on his final adventure. Set at the end of the 10th century quite a bit of story is set around converting heathens to Christianity. So glad I finally read this one. Recommended.

116) A traveller in time by Alison Uttley (1939)
children's fiction

TIOLI challenge #19. Read a book that has been published by The New York Review of Books. Last of my July reads. This is a time slip book set in the 1930s and the 16th century. Penelope and her siblings travel from London to stay with their great aunt and uncle to convalesce after a long illness. They live in 'Thackers', a old farmhouse that was once the country home of the Babington family in Elizabethan times. Penelope slips into the past and the time of Anthony Babington who plotted to free Mary, Queen of Scots from the nearby country home that she had been confined to for more than twenty years. She knows the tragic outcome for the Queen as well as for Anthony Babington but is unable to warn him.
I found this a quite nostalgic read, the descriptions were really vivid but the story was a bit plodding with a sense of tragedy in the making overwhelming the story a little too much for me. The actual time slip and her 'ghosting' effect from time to time was really effective. I loved her great-aunt who seemed to be identical in both time eras.
Another entry in the 1001 children's books you must read before you grow up.

Uttley writes in the forewaord that she based the story on her childhood years spent in the area of the manor-house and the stories her father told her of a secret passages underground. The 1586 Babington Plot led to the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and the conspirators were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Planned reading for August:
I'm going to probably work with the 'leave it' aspect a lot more this month as I have a bundle of books I'd like to rea that aren't included in the following. I also want to continue my Sandman read.

TIOLI:
Challenge #1: Read a book whose title or subtitle ends in "Y"
Boy Nobody - Allen Zadoff
The hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
*The Testament of Mary - Colm Tóibín
Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley - Danyl McLauchlan - not a likely contender already

Challenge #4: Read a book with a word in the title or the author's name suggesting either "big" or "small"
*The Big Music - Kirsty Gunn

Challenge #5: Read a book where the title has at least two sequences of 2 letters or more that follow each other in the alphabet
*Devil's Brood - RS, DE - Sharon Kay Penman
Friends of Mine - EF, NO - Ángela Pradelli
*Gormenghast - GH, MN, RST - Mervyn Peake
The Intentions Book - HI,NO - Gigi Fenster
*Mateship with birds - AB, RST, HI - Carrie Tiffany
Starship Troopers - RST, HI, OP - Robert Heinlein

Challenge #7: Read a book you acquired in the first six months of 2013
Espedair Street (April/May) - Iain Banks

Challenge #8: Read a book by an author with a name that is also a verb
The industry - Rose Foster

Challenge #12: Read a Book Longlisted for the Booker Prize but not Shortlisted (can include the 2013 longlist)
*The Luminaries (2013) - Eleanor Catton

Challenge #14: Read a book with punctuation in the title
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
A winter's day in 1939 - Melinda Szymanik
Why blame Israel? - Neill Lochery

Challenge #15: Read a book with murder in its heart
Nineteen Seventy Four - David Peace

other books to be considered -
creepy & maud by Dianne Touchell
Bahia Blues by Yasmina Traboulsi
The spy who loved by Clare Mulley
The green man by Michael Bedard
The Hero's guide to saving your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
everything good will come by Sefi Atta

Wow you've been knocking out some great books lately!
Glad to see you enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I recently finished that and it secured Gaiman as one of my faves!

Lots of good reading. I love the Brisingamen books, but aren't there just the two of them? I was always disappointed that Garner moved away from that style in his later works.

Hi Chelle, Gaiman is fairly consistent isn't he, it's hard to choose a favourite.

Roni - Garner wrote the third book recently, Boneland came out in 2012.

I've got to add The Ocean at the End of the Lane to my obese wish list, Kerry. I'm just about to re-read The Sandman because my week's so busy I don't really have time to start something new. I have enjoyed all the books by Gaiman I've read thus far, but I have to say my favorite is Good Omens which he wrote jointly with Terry Pratchett.

117) A fine summer knight by Jan Mark (1995)
children's fiction, audiobook

I read Mark's YA The Eclipse of the Century a few years back, it's an interesting scifi-ish novel that I keep thinking about. I wanted to read some more of her work and do intend to read Useful Idiots because I think it's such a great title and the plot sounds interesting. Anyway I saw this audiobook on the library website so grabbed it.

Grace is the youngest in her family, her siblings are all much older than her, most are grownup and a couple even have children of their own. Her nickname is 'Auntie' which she has grown to hate because everyone calls her that, even at school. Family life revolves round the parents' passion for restoring old steam engines. One day looking through the telescope she sees a knight walking on a patch of green on a distant hill and becomes determined to discover more about this mystery.
This was a great little story about friendship and family. I loved all the characters, the restoration of the old machines etc and how Grace ends up finding an unlikely solution to her father's problem.


118) Mateship with birds by Carrie Tiffany (2012)
fiction

TIOLI challenge #5: Read a book where the title has at least two sequences of 2 letters or more that follow each other in the alphabet (AB, RST, HI).
I'd been looking forward to reading this one, it was on the Orange Prize longlist earlier this year as well as the Miles Franklin Award shortlist and won the inauguaral Stella Prize which is the Australian equiv of the Orange Prize. It also won the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award (Christina Stead Prize, 2013) and was on the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction Shortlist (2012) and Melbourne Prize Best Writing Award Finalist (2012).

I did not enjoy it. Luckily it was a quick read and I'm writing my comments now so I can push the book far from my mind....
I've read a couple of reviews and can see why it's so highly thought of. It's about a lonely farmer in 1950s rural Australia and his relationship with his neighbour, Betty, and her two children. Harry is socially inept but highly observant, and keeps a journal on the family of birds that live in his backyard. It is really wonderful in its evocation of the rural lifestyle, Harry loves his cows, his dog, his birds and I really enjoyed the parts of the novel set around his relationship with nature. He cares but doesn't quite know how to show it. Betty is unsure too, her children have been the product of sexual encounters rather than loving relationships that failed.
But then I just found it difficult to read through too many pages of crude sexual observances (Harry tries his hand at writing a 'how to manual of sorts for Betty's teenage son) and then there was the altercation with another neighbour who had been 'carrying on' with his pet ewe....well I never! I got the point, no one had taught these poor men how to talk to women, how to communicate, how to build relationships with people.

From the Stella Prize website - "Her second novel, Mateship with Birds, is a triumph of noticing and, having noticed, of carefully, meticulously assembling the things that have been noticed into a novel that shows, on almost every page, not just an eye for detail, but also a conviction that every detail is in some way connected and that the connections have meaning. Mateship with Birds seems like a natural extension of Tiffany’s sculptures: her skills in the meticulous piecing-together of fragments are apparent in this novel, where she uses several different kinds of text – letters, diaries, homework, nature notes – to weave a single strong narrative showing the interconnectedness of all things, and supported by a broad and generous world view....For Mateship with Birds is, above all, about sex and desire: ‘mateship’ here is translated from its familiar Australian meaning into a word for the practice and the art of mating. The book juxtaposes, in unexpected and surprising ways, its observations about love, sex, character, instinct and the natural world to create an original, tender, frank and funny version of the oldest story in the world: how a man and a woman get together."
Christina Stead Award judges - "In this wonderfully lyrical book, Tiffany evokes the breadth of a rural landscape through her moving story of two wary people who each lack the confidence to believe they could be loved by the other. The simplicity of Tiffany’s language and the gentleness of her narrative give to the story a poetical brilliance that is at once energetic and serene. With an eye for detail and a willingness to confront topics more easily left untouched, Tiffany has created in Mateship with Birds a memorable work of gentle beauty, wry humour and delicate but earthy imagery."

Hi Kerry- Wow! You always have so many good books going! I love it. Glad you enjoyed the Gaiman. Everyone seems to love the Long Ships, so I'll have to get to that one. I know many LTers did not care for The Wasp Factory but I will more of his work.
Have you read Little Brother? I just started it and it looks like it will be fun.

#159: Hi Caro - Good Omens is a great book, so long since I read that. I still haven't picked up my next Sandman, maybe this weekend.

#161: Hi Mark - yes, I read Little Brother when it came out but I haven't read more of his work. Currently reading another YA, The Hit by Melvin Burgess which has an interesting premise. I need something fun to sweep away memories of my last read. My audiobook is another YA as well, Arcadia Awakens, I don't think this has garnered wonderful reviews but I wanted to read more by the author.

I've also read a couple of Banks' Culture novels and really liked those. You'll love The Long Ships, I flew through that in just a few days it was so good.

I somehow got wayyyyy behind on your thread - can't read it all, but I did stop for a few - the Kretzer among them - I very very much liked the one I did read - the man who loses his dog.... let me find the title, well duh, here it is The Lost Dog. So I will have to WL this new one!

Pushing Ice was an odd one indeed, wasn't it?

I've got Kretser's The Rose Grower lined up to read, though I'm going to focus on a few NZ writers this coming month.

Pushing Ice was odd, I just couldn't buy in to the power struggle between the two women. I'm probably going to read older scifi for a while, so many classics I still haven't got to.

119) The Hit by Melvin Burgess (2013)
YA fiction

A thriller about an ultimate drug, Death. If you can afford it, you have the ultimate week long high but then must pay the ultimate price. I wasn't sure how the story would proceed on a premise like this but the plot while a bit far-fetched had its moments. The main character, Adam, is not the brightest spark on the planet, none of the characters prove that likeable.
Not Burgess at his best but still an interesting action-packed escapist read. Be aware that there's quite a lot of violence. It's set in a bleak near future where a large part of the population is repressed by a totalitarian government.

Burgess was approached by publisher, Barry Cunningham, The Chicken House to write this book after an initial working of the novel was presented to him by a couple of philosophy lecturers. In the acknowledgements Burgess discusses the constraints of working on someone else's ideas for the story.

The original idea was not Burgess’s at all however, and The Hit is a uniquely collaborative project. The initial idea came from two A-Level philosophy teachers who approached Chicken House MD Barry Cunningham with a novel they had written that tackled big ideas. Cunningham, who liked the idea, but didn’t think the novel worked, asked if he could take it to Burgess. ‘When Barry came to me with the idea,’ says Burgess, ‘I was interested really. I’ve done a little bit of work for TV and am used to the collaborative approach, and I was keen to give it a try. I’m always interested in finding new ways of writing, new approaches.’ He’s quick to credit Barry, ‘Barry picked out the idea, he spotted it’, and the two obviously worked very closely on the book.'

I read the original novel’ says Burgess, ‘and tried to keep as much of it as I could. Initially Barry and I approached it as if it was a treatment for a film or for TV, and I thought that version kind of worked. It was only when I came to write it that we realised neither of us are as experienced as we’d thought!’
The Hit remains true to the vision of those two philosophy teachers, and underneath the comedy, serious points are being made.

http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/199/childrens-books/articles/melvin-burgess-int...

Catching up with threads here .....

The Luminaries - Eleanor was on with Kim hill this morning does sound rater intriguing .....

I loved A Traveller in Time; it was a big fave of mine as a kid/YA reader. Did you know Madeleine Polland also wrote novels for adults? They're relatively banal historical fiction, mostly set in the early 20th century and heavy on the romance subplots, but I enjoyed them in my 20s.

Suzanne - I have a copy of Uttley's The Country Child in a box of old children's books that I was sorting through last night. Most of these books I want to read, they are all great writers whose work has fallen by the wayside but are constantly mentioned as the inspiration by current UK children's writers.
I also noticed on Anne Fine's website that she was inspired to write The Road of Bones after reading Anne Appelbaum's Gulag. I have another children's book by Polland set in early Britain (I think it's about the arrival of the Romans) and one of her adult historical romances that I might never get to when I look around the house at all the unread books I've collected over the years.

Alex - Catton's barely not in the news of late. I'm waiting to read the book now, no more talk or reviews, just need to get my hands on a copy. Craig Cliff's new book also sounds like a good read, The Mannequin Makers, I really enjoyed his short story collection. Did you see The Listener review of Theatre of the Gods by a London-based NZer, sounds like a fun scifi read; 'an endless stream of gags and puns makes it fun in a very Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett/Jasper Fforde fashion'.

I hadn't seen Theatre of the Gods ( reminder self to remember to buy listener more often) .... Looks absolutely bonkers - so right up my street

consider it wish listed .....

I have a subscription for The Listener through my flybuys points. They've blocked their website so you need a sub to access most of their online stuff now which is really annoying as I used to link to their reviews quite often.

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with the listener having a paywall - much of the content is not available elsewhere & there is limited advertising - not a believer that all content should be free .... as long as its quality.

Keep forgetting to subscribe - something for the list this week :)

120) The Center of Everything by Linda Urban (2013)
children's fiction

TIOLI challenge #13. Read a Book which is dedicated to the parents (or one parent) of the author . This is another thoughtful story from the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect. It's set around a town's annual parade that celebrates the founder who is famous for inventing the hole in the donut. Ruby has won the school essay competition so has a special role. Books referenced in the narrative include Rebecca Stead's When you Reach Me and L'Engle's A wrinkle in time.

Hi Kerry- I have not heard of Burgess but this one sounds interesting. I am going to start the Last Unicorn. Are you a fan?

Mark - try his Bloodtide instead, a much better read. Burgess is famous for writing hard hitting teen fiction such as Junk, Nicholas Dane and Doing it. I've read most of his work and been impressed.
I enjoyed The Last Unicorn but didn't love it.

I will take your advice and let you know about the Last unicorn. Thanks!

Online exhibition: Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle-earth An exhibition at the Bodleian Library: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley/whats-on/online/magical-books

#176 Oh I would love to visit that. I wonder if I can fit in a little day out in Oxford in September

Hi Kerry--Long time, no see. :) I saw on another thread that you were about to read Nineteen Seventy Four, which I read and loved. I wanted to warn you that I think you need to read all four of the novels in the Red Riding Hood Quartet to get the best perspective on the novel. Some people find the writing style annoying, though, and that style continues in all the novels.

#177: I hope you manage to get there. It's a bit far for me so I'm glad to have come across this online version.

#178: Hi Deborah, I have all four books and hope to manage all of them at a steady pace. I've seen the Red Riding mini series a couple of years ago so have a good idea of the storyline. I'm ok with the writing style though it does take some getting used to.

The Book Thief is currently being filmed, I feel like a reread.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.631054140261811.1073741825.20170457319...

I'm excited to see what they do with The Book Thief. Markus Zusak has been on the set and seems happy. I am a huge Geoffrey Rush fan, casting him as Papa seems wonderful to me.

Oh, yes, Geoffrey Rush seems perfect.

I'm pretty excited too. Geoffrey Rush seem to be a good choice.


121) Marry Me by Dan Rhodes (2013)
flash fiction

I picked up this short collection at the library in the new release area. The initial stories were rather fun and reminded me of a stand up comics routine but then became a little 'more of the same'. Funny, cynical flash fiction on the theme of marriage, mostly around getting married or leaving the spouse. I read a few aloud to my daughter and we had a good giggle.
The reviews on GR indicate that his first flash fiction Anthropology 101 true love stories is stronger so I've put in a request for that.

I should stay out of bookshops, I picked this one up today while looking at the new release section. It's been out since March in Australia but I hadn't noticed it before here in NZ. I have some of her children's fantasy to read still, I've collected quite a bit of Australian lit that I have to get through at some stage in my life.

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
'The Wild Girl tells one of the greatest untold love stories of all time – the heart-breaking romance between Wilhelm Grimm and the young woman who told him many of his most famous stories. Her name was Dortchen Wild, and she grew up next door to the Grimm family in Hessen-Cassel, a small German kingdom that was one of the first to fall to Napoleon. It was a time of war and tyranny and terror, when the collecting of a few old half-forgotten tales was all the young Grimm brothers could do to resist the oppressive rule of the French.'

Well, you definitely caught my eye with The Wild Girl!

I know, it sounds really good and all the reviews are positive.

121) The Green Man by Michael Bedard (2012)
YA fiction

TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a Book which is dedicated to the parents (or one parent) of the author.
Average YA fantasy that is lifted by setting most of the action in a used bookshop called The Green Man and focusing on poets. Ophelia or 'O' arrives to spend her summer helping her aunt run the bookshop. Dark magic is lurking in the shadows. I'd probably read more by the author.

Kerry- I like your idea of rereading the Book Thief, before the film comes out. I would probably give it a go on audio.

>184 avatiakh: And I'm hit. Onto The List it goes.

Oh dear, I have been absent for some time now.
Glad to see you read the NZ Post Children's Book Prize winner, and loved it. I will get around to it, but wont even bother to see how long the queue is around here :)

The other Iain Banks one looks like a possible for me, especially as you say it is not as violent as some of his....

>183 avatiakh: funny snippet, but I could see that format getting old after a few stories.

122a) Friends with boys by Faith Erin Hicks (2012)
YA graphic novel

Hicks did the artwork for Brain Camp which might be familiar to some of you. I really liked this, the storyline is the serious one about fitting in to a new high school but comes with stacks of humour and great artwork. Maggie, the youngest of 4, is starting high school and after being homeschooled like her older brothers it's a big step. I enjoyed the relationship between Maggie and her brothers, the friendship she strikes up with brother/sister loners, Lucy and Alastair and then the improbable problem she has of being haunted.


_
122b&c) A Family Secret (2007) & The Search (2007) by Eric Heuval
children's graphic novel

These were produced in cooperation with Anne Frank House and the Resistance Museum of Friesland and serve to educate (Dutch) children about Holland during WW2 and what happened to Dutch Jews. The first one focuses on Helena who is friends with a Jewish girl Esther. The second one is more especially focused on the Holocaust. Both start out in the present day with the grandsons of Esther and Helena making a discovery that brings the past to life.
These are for a younger audience than Maus and have more straightforward artwork in full colour.

123) The Intentions Book by Gigi Fenster (2012)
fiction, new zealand

TIOLI challenge #5. Read a book where the title has at least two sequences of 2 letters or more that follow each other in the alphabet; (HI,NO, ST).
This debut novel is on the shortlist for the New Zealand Post Book Awards, the winner will be announced at the end of the month. I found it very accomplished and read most of it in one sitting. Morris looks back over his life; his childhood and marriage, while waiting for news of his daughter who has not returned from a solo tramp in the Tararua Ranges.
Fenster, a lawyer, is from South Africa and studied for her MA in Creative Writing in Wellington.

Other shortlisted novels include The Forrests by Emily Perkins, Absence of Heroes by Anthony McCarten (UK-based) and The Big Music by Kirsty Gunn (Scotland-based).

Have you read some or all of the other shortlisted books, Kerry? If so, which ones were particularly good?

THe Intentions Book sounds interesting.

Darryl - I've read In the absence of heroes which was good but is the sequel to Death of a superhero, another great read. I'm intending to read The Big Music and have managed a few pages to get a feel for it, definitely one that will need concentration and covers new ground for me, bagpipe music. But next up is The Luminaries, I've been waiting for this one since finishing The Rehearsal back in 2009.

Emily Perkins is a writer I've yet to experience, her The Forrests seems to have both lovers and haters. She's led and been on lots of panels at my local writers festival and headed our now defunk tv book show so I have a lot of respect for her. I only lasted three pages of Novel about my wife so will need to do better on my next attempt.

Rhonda - The Intentions Book was really enjoyable, the plot was designed to slowly unravel family secrets as it jumped between different parts of Morris' past.

124) Anthropology and a hundred other stories by Dan Rhodes (2000)
flash fiction

Another volume of Rhodes short short stories, this one is about girlfriends and I probably slightly preferred it to his followup Marry Me up in post #184. One thing I've enjoyed in these two volumes are the exotic names of his girlfriends and wives - Running Water, Zazie, Badr-al-Budur, Aurelia, Tadhana etc

"Crying":
story number 13 from Anthropology
"My girlfriend left me, and I started crying in my sleep. My nightly lament became so loud that my neighbors called the police. The press found out, and people came to stand outside my house to hear me call her name and moan. Television crews arrived, and soon a search was on to find the object of my misery. They tracked her to her new boyfriend's house. I watched the coverage. People were saying they had expected her to be much more beautiful than she was, and that I should pull myself together and stop crying over such an ordinary girl."

"Anthropology"
story number 1
"I loved an anthropologist. She went to Mongolia to study the gays. At first she kept their culture at arm's length, but eventually she decided that her fieldwork would benefit from assimilation. She worked hard to become as much like them as possible, and gradually she was accepted. After a while she ended our romance by letter. It breaks my heart to think of her herding those yaks in the freezing hills, the peak of her leather cap shielding her eyes from the driving wind, her wrist dangling away, and nothing but a handlebar moustache to keep her top lip warm."

some more here: http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0900/rhodes/excerpt.html

And here's the description from a book site:
In 101 words each, the 101 witty, haunting stories of Anthropology chronicle the search for love in an age preoccupied with sex. Each story is a pure distillation of heartbreak, longing, delusion, and bliss. Each spins speedily, shockingly, to its unpredictable climax. And each is unlike anything you have read before.
Anthropology's macabre humor builds imperceptibly, story by story and girlfriend by girlfriend, until it reflects with surreal accuracy how we try to complete ourselves through--or at the expense of--another. Read it to laugh and forget your sorrows; read it to recognize and remember your delights; read it to discover a vivid, provocative new talent.

I've been wanting to mention some of the films I've been watching of late, so using my unreliable memory and grabbing a second cup of coffee I'll give it a try. I prefer to let some time lapse between reading a book and seeing a film so that my memory of the plot is much hazier and I don't get so angry about the adaption. I do get excited by casting choices and other times extremely disappointed.

Cloud Atlas - I saw this in London earlier this year and really liked how it was adapted to the screen. I went with 3 others who hadn't read the book and they all enjoyed it, possibly more than I did. I'm not a fan of Tom Hanks but he did well here. Jim Broadbent was great too.


...so wanting to see what else Broadbent had been in led me to 'Exile' (2011), a 'British psychological thriller television series dealing with the topic of Alzheimer's disease against a background of corruption'. This one starred John Simm as Broadbent's son and so I went on to watch more Simm. John Simm is well known as playing 'The Master' in one of the recent Dr Who series, he was also on one of the 'Spaced' episodes.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znJb-NDoMls

_
Life on Mars (UK) 2006 & 2007
I'd watched a couple of episodes when it had been on tv but my daughter and I raced through these two seasons in a couple of days recently. 'The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural, featuring an officer from the Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm) who travels back in time after being involved in a road accident. The title is a reference to David Bowie's 1973 single "Life on Mars?"' One of the outstanding features is the soundtrack, it features so many great 1970s tracks that I ended up making my own playlist on spotify. we followed this with the spinoff, 3 seasons of Ashes to Ashes (2008-2010) which is set in the 1980s and again music plays a big part in my enjoyment of the series. Actor Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt and his two police sidekicks from 'Life on Mars' continue in this one.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhffuKpgVyM
Ashes to Ashes trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO_Kox2GCws
And please do not even consider the US version of 'Life on Mars', what a dog.


'State of Play' (2003) stars Simm and David Morrissey, James McAvoy and Bill Nighy. This six part miniseries was totally brilliant and came from the writers of 'Cracker'. '....telling the story of a newspaper's investigation into the death of a young woman, and centres on the relationship between the leading journalist and his old friend, who is a Member of Parliament and the murdered woman's employer.' In the US this was made into a film starring Russell Crowe.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67QZy4lLuCs

_
Mad Dogs (2011)
This was the brain child of the four actor friends, John Simm, Philip Glenister, Marc Warren, and Max Beesley wanting to do a project together, and why not set it in Majorca! About four long-time and middle-aged friends getting together in a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo (Ben Chaplin). However, after Alvo is murdered, the group find themselves caught up in the world of crime and police corruption.
It ends on a cliffhanger and I'll be looking out for the followup season.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=224nkjjvhno

We rewatched "Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', a few 'Spaced' episodes before going to see 'The World's End' which was predictably a fun film. The first part was especially good, but as the evening unfolds it gets weaker.


Death of a Superhero (2011)
Irish/German drama film based on the New Zealand novel of the same name by Anthony McCarten. Originally planned to be directed by McCarten in New Zealand, the film was shot on location in Ireland throughout 2010. The film stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster alongside Andy Serkis. It tells the story of a dying 15-year-old boy who draws comic book stories of an invincible superhero as he struggles with his mortality.
I thought this was a great adaption of the novel, the film drew more on the boy's imagination with great animated sequences and by making Serkis' psychologist a widower rather than being in a difficult marriage the film's focus was entirely on Donald. In Germany the book was released as a YA novel and was extremely popular, the film was funded by Germany and the animation was done there as well.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbvfm3Gflg
Thomas Brodie-Sangster was Sam, the cute son of Liam Neeson in 'Love Actually', and more recently Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones. Serkis is most famous as Gollum in LOTR & The Hobbit.

We watched Cloud Atlas last night coincidentally: I really enjoyed it despite never having read the book. This evening we watched Lincoln (having a bit of a movie kick at the moment). Jim Broadbent was also great in And When Did You Last See Your Father?

Snow White & the huntsman (2012) followed by Mirror Mirror (2012). I only half watched these. Both are Snow White films but while one is grim and nasty the other is a cheesey look at the story. Both forgettable.
Just Visiting (2001), a comedy starring Jean Reno, Christian Clavier and Christina Appelgate involving time slip. I remember the very funny sequences with Clavier's peasant at a posh NY restaurant, so tracked it down for my daughter to watch with me. It's a remake of Reno's 1993 French film 'Les Visiteurs' - a 12th-century knight and his servant travel in time to the end of the 20th century and find themselves adrift in modern society. Must look out for the original.


The Secret of Kells (2009)
An Irish-French-Belgian production, this has some of the most beautiful art I've ever come across in an animated movie. 'The story is set in the eighth century and gives a fictionalized account of the creation of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the bible which has since become an Irish national treasure.' It's been compared with the work of Hayao Miyazaki but honestly I think it might even surpass that. Drawing on Celtic mythology and set around a Viking invasion, it is the endlessly imaginative animation with luscious background that continually manages to amaze.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMPhHTtKZ8Q

Human Traffic (1999) was an early John Simm movie about coming of age, drugs and club culture that I lost interest in within about 30 mins. I did try. Blurbed as another Trainspotting but not. It seems to have a cult following and while I'm always interested in movies/books that attain that status they are not always for me.
Actually watching the trailer makes me want to give it another try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc0kPAPNahU


The last king of Scotland (2006)
Oh wow...what a great movie. I know it's based on a book but surely you can't go wrong watching this one first (LT reviews for book are totally uninspiring).
A naive young Scottish doctor arrives in Uganda to serve the poor and ends up through chance circumstances as Idi Amin's private physician. Always a fan of James McAvoy, he's wonderful in this as is the outstanding performance of Forest Whitaker as Amin. My son saw this on his flight back from a recent trip to Japan and said it was a 'must see'.
Trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/last-king-scotland/trailer


Footnote (2011)
An Israeli movie that was nominated for an Oscar last year. 'The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors in the Talmud department of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The son has an addictive dependency on the embrace and accolades that the establishment provides, while his father is a stubborn purist with a fear and profound revulsion for what the establishment stands for, yet beneath his contempt lies a desperate thirst for some kind of recognition. The Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious national award, is the jewel that brings these two to a final, bitter confrontation.'
This was painful, I felt so much for the father in the opening minutes that I only half-watched the rest, my husband loved it.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DjUwSr0VFo


Arab Labour (2007)
(Hebrew: עבודה ערבית‎, Avoda Aravit; Arabic: شغل عَرَب‎) is an Israeli sitcom television series created by Israeli Arab writer Sayed Kashua. This is rather fun.
From the web: 'The sitcom series, whose title in colloquial Hebrew carries the implication of "shoddy or second-rate work", focuses on the family and work situations of Amjad, an Arab-Israeli journalist. Much of the comedy is derived from the paradox of Amjad's love-hate relationship with his Arab identity and his simultaneous wish to integrate comfortably into Israeli society. Poking fun at the cultural divide, Kashua and his characters play on religious, cultural and political differences to daringly depict the mixed society that is Israel. This show marked a milestone on Israeli television as the first program to present Palestinian characters speaking Arabic on primetime, and it generated great controversy between Arab and Israeli media.
The story and characters are based off of Kashua’s life experiences, which you can also read about in his Haaretz columns. I want to read Kashua's novels especially Dancing Arabs and Exposure.
Opening sequence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrTlekO3bV4

Rhian - thanks for that. I've requested 'And When Did You Last See Your Father?' from the library. We've been on a dvd kick of late as the tv channels seem to be full of reality shows. I have a few documentaries to watch as well.
My kids have me watching the new Dr Who series, I've just got to season 6, Matt Smith's second season. I'm meant to be also watching the original ones but stalled on the first Dr when I had to listen to the lost episodes on youtube.

Cloud Atlas is a great read.

Les Seigneurs (2012)
I saw this French comedy when flying Air France earlier this year, 'the film centres on fifty-something Patrick Orbéra, a former football star who has completely failed to convert to a new career. Unemployed, alcoholic and financially ruined, he is no longer even allowed to see his daughter Laura. When a judge orders him to find a stable job, he has no other choice but to set off to a small Breton island to train the local football team. If they win the next three matches, they will raise enough money to save the island’s canning factory, which has been put into administration and employs half of the inhabitants. Patrick Orbéra is immediately faced with a major obstacle: how to turn some fishermen into quasi-professional footballers. He thus decides to call on his former team-mates to help him raise the little Breton club to the level of the greats.'
Hilarious, a little goofy and some fun football moments. The former team mates are a bunch of mainly has-beens, even if you don't understand French you'll get the idea from watching the trailer.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9dQOcz8gHA

Seriously pissed with LT for making changes to the thread pages so you can't tell any longer (previously unread posts were in different colours) which posts you haven't read yet. Makes catching up much more difficult - why tinker with things when it was working so well?

Still a pleasure to catch up Kerry. Have a lovely Sunday.

On subject of movies thoughts on Elysium ? can't decide whether to see or miss ??? - somehow managed to miss Cloud Atlas movie ... might be a good thing since i loved the book .....

Paul, the colour is bolded for those you haven't read yet. I think we'll catch on to the contrast eventually, I'm also finding it a bit difficult to deal with.

Alex - I saw the trailer for Elysium and it looks interesting. The plot reminds me a little of Reynold's Revelation Space with Chasm City on the ground and the Glitter Band surrounding it in space. I think I'll see it as the big screen for these sorts of movies can't be beaten.

Wow, Kerry, you've been busy! A lot of your movie pictures aren't showing up for me, but I get the picture anyway. ;-)

Another couple of films I caught on flights were 'The Silver Linings Playbook' which was ok and Anna Karenina which was also ok though I loved the theatrical setting of Anna Karenina and the costumes were fantastic.


More recently at home I watched the 1966 film Is Paris Burning? which is based on the book by Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre. About the 1944 liberation of Paris by the French Resistance and the Free French Forces during World War II, it includes real war footage as well. What I liked was how empty central Paris looks in some of the shots. I'd like to read the book as I've read a couple of others by these authors, Freedom at Midnight and O Jerusalem.
It was a wonderful ensemble cast: Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Gert Fröbe, Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins, Robert Stack, Charles Boyer, Yves Montand, Leslie Caron, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Simone Signoret, and Alain Delon. Screenplay by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola. and music is by Maurice Jarre.
From wikipedia: The film is almost entirely in black and white, presumably to better blend the documentary stock footage that is included in the film (the film was shot in black and white mainly because, although the French authorities would allow swastika flags to be displayed on public buildings for key shots, they would not permit those flags to be in their original red color; as a result, green swastika flags were used, which photographed adequately in black and white but would have been entirely the wrong color), but the closing credits feature aerial shots of Paris in color. The entire film was shot on location in Paris.
Some film footage on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_fTJUGSZ-M (French)


I'm also partway through the 2007 movie of the 1972 book O Jerusalem. It's about the siege of Jerusalem during the Israeli War of Independence and the end of the British mandate of Palestine in 1948. The movie focuses on an Arab and a Jew who were friends in New York before coming to Jerusalem in 1948. I read the book back in the 1980s.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxPn90Dg30

#206: Hi Roni - not sure why the images aren't working, just thought I'd colour up my thread a bit more.

Noodle (2007), an Israeli film.
'At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been summarily deported from Israel.'
I sometimes get tired of subtitles and this was one of those times. My husband enjoyed this one, I stopped reading the subtitles as I like to do more than just sit through a movie.


Outside the law (2010)
an Algerian movie that was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.
'The story takes place between 1945 and 1962 and focuses on the lives of three Algerian brothers in France, set to the backdrop of the Algerian independence movement and the Algerian War.' Very dark gangsterish portrayal of Algerians living in Paris after WW2.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHTBTAfYoo


The long way home (1997) documentary from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, traces the stories of Jewish refugees & displaced persons in the years between the end of World War II and the formation of the state of Israel. Includes archival footage, original broadcasts and personal testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1998. I've watched this before.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgp2AxpLOok


Ironclad (2011) is rather forgettable movie set in the times of Knights Templar and King John. The blurb 'blood. will. run.' is certainly true.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHCMt0kfF8Y


Crusade : march through time) (2006) is based on the book Crusade in Jeans by Dutch writer Thea Beckman which I read last year. Dolf goes back in time using a quantum laboratory to the year 1212 and finds himself a part of the Children's Crusade to Jerusalem.
Excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgWij1luMeE


Born Romantic (2000)
Romantic comedy set partly in a Salsa Club about 3 men falling in and out of love. Fun but forgettable.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWd944ogqUU


Shallow Grave (1994) is Danny Boyle's debut film and made on an extreme budget. Starring roles for the then relatively little-known actors Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox. Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash. Dark and entertaining. I also re-watched Boyle's Trainspotting after finishing the audiobook.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vvEn9bDBps

Thanks for the capsule movie reviews! I must find a version of "les Seigneurs"! Is Paris Burning? is a fab film; I didn't know that about the flags, though! When I moved to London to live in the late 60s and into the early/mid 70s, the sirens on ambulances and fire engines were an abrupt series of noises -- Zeh/ZEH, Zeh/ZEH, Zeh/ZEH -- because apparently the long wailing sound that we heard here in North America was too reminiscent of the air raid sirens for people who had lived through the Blitz. I believe that since then they have reverted back to the 'classic' sound? At least, I no longer notice the difference when I travel there... Speaking of which, I watched an episode or two of 'Life on Mars' and really must watch some more...

I just finished watching the amazing BBC adaptation of The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst, which really captures the noir atmosphere of the novel and doesn't compromise by making the ending too happy ever after. WOW! Also watched recently was the astonishing French film 'le Rafle', which was released in English as 'The Roundup'. Focuses on a group of people caught in the Vel d'Hiv roundups in Paris, and the tale of some French nurses. Heartbreaking but powerful.

I have been trying to watch the third season of 'Luther' on DVD with the gorgeous Idris Elba in the lead, but it's too dark even for me, or at least at this point in time.

I've only watched a few of Luther season 1. Neil Cross, the script writer, also wrote for Spooks, another series I need to get back to and finish. Luther is dark, I remember the creepy young woman, Alice Morgan, from those first episodes. I'll have to get back to those. I had the idea that the books deal with the early Luther and explain his situation at the start of season 1.

I'm looking forward to 'The Spies of Warsaw', I'll have to wait a while for it to arrive here. I've ordered the dvd of 'Falcon' as I loved the books by Robert Wilson so much and wasn't sure if it would arrive to NZ at all even though the main actor is from NZ.

I love French comedy films, though I have to be in the 'subtitle' mood. The US remakes are almost never as good as the originals. Reminds me that I have an Asterix movie waiting to be collected from the library, Asterix and Obelix. Mission Cleopatra. I also watched part of the latest film on an Air France flight earlier in the year - Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia, Edouard Baer & Gérard Depardieu et al are hilarious in these. I presume they would be good for learning French?!

Hello Kerry! Trying to catch up but you're making it difficult. I'll have to go back and read your movie reviews more in depth. But I have to second your love of Secret of Kells. It's one of my favorite animated movies, and so beautiful.

125) Why Blame Israel? by Neill Lochery (2004)
nonfiction

TIOLI challenge #14. Read a book with punctuation in the title. With new peace talks underway between the Israeli government and PA, I felt it timely to read some neutral background to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Lochery makes a good job of analysing the facts, Dr. Neill Lochery holds the Catherine Lewis Lectureship in Modern Israeli Politics and is director of the Centre for Israeli Studies at University College London. He's fluent in Hebrew, Arabic and Portuguese and has served as an advisor to politicians in the Middle East, on both sides of the political divide, and consults for business leaders.

From author's website: 'For a surprising number of people, Israel has become a pariah state, a threat to world – not just regional – peace and security. Israel gets the blame for half a century of Middle Eastern violence, for inciting Islamic-based terrorism throughout the world, and for stealing land whose historical right of ownership is at best contentious. This book examines the true history of the conflict and asks what could inspire such a caricature, and whether any truth lies behind it. Should Israel shoulder this blame, or are the realities of the conflict far more complex? And how can a geographically tiny state of only 6.5 million people be thought to have such a profound effect on world politics?'

Points covered include:
How being forced by peace mediators to make concession after concession has not led to peace but only weakened the Israeli position.
How Israeli politics have evolved in reaction to the changing demographics is the country - the influx of the Arab-Jewish refugees (50% of Israeli Jews) through the early 1950s favoured the Likud Party as they felt the ruling Labour had handled their absorption poorly. The arrival of Soviet Jews from 1990, who now make up 20% of the Jewish population also changed the political scene, expected to vote for Likud, they voted for Labour as they felt Likud had handled their aliyah poorly. Hard to imagine in both cases how difficult for a small population to absorb such large numbers of immigrants at all.
Israel has been under considerable world scrutiny and pressure through the past 60 odd years, at every move they make to ensure their security and survival even they come in for condemnation. Having a democracy and a free press has made the government and military more open to criticism from the media and public than those of neighbouring countries. Lochery is critical of various Israeli politicians and their motives especially the deals done with religious parties in order to stay in government. This has given the minority Ultra-Orthodox parties an unfair influence over Israeli society.

The book includes several maps from Martin Gilbert's The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Why at the very start they did not make Jordan a Palestinian state is beyond me. Why all this insistence on security and survival, is because Israel is a very small country smaller than Vancouver Island which makes it very vulnerable especially when you consider that on the 1949 armistice lines it is only 9 miles (14.5km) wide along part of the coastal belt between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

My only regret was that the book doesn't cover the last 9 years, he adds a postscript to the paperback edition to cover Arafat's death in Nov 2004.

Born in Scotland, Lochery has written several books on Israel and Portugal. I want to read at least three more by him:
Loaded Dice: The Foreign Office and Israel - Professor Lochery examines the truth of the myth that the British Foreign Office has been heavily prejudiced in favour of the Arab cause in the Middle East.
Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45 - atmospheric history of Portugal's capital city during World War II is a gripping tale of high-stakes intrigue, betrayal, double-dealing and survival.
The View from the Fence: The Arab-Israeli Conflict from the Present to Its Roots - an even-handed analysis of the history of the Middle East - and dissects the failure of recent peace efforts.

Lots of interesting reviews, Kerry. The one that hit me with a bb is Friends with Boys. I've enjoyed other ordinary life graphic novels (albeit here with a ghost), and this sounds like a good one. I wishlisted it.

Hi Joe, that GN has great artwork. I'm picking up Brain Camp today, I remember reading a blog post about how the cover design was decided on a few years back.

>213 avatiakh: My only regret was that the book doesn't cover the last 9 years
That is a shame, but I suppose the written word cannot remain current indefinitely. Oh for magically updated paper-books!?

Love the film reviews and all the books! How do you do it?

Hi Megan - yes, it looks like I don't do much else than watch tv shows, but that has been 8 months worth.
I have a few more recent books to read about the Middle East, but I like to know about the writer of some of these books as some have obvious bias, others use selective referencing etc etc. I found Lochery through an academic article he wrote reflecting on Arab-Israeli scholarship as propaganda.
I'm currently reading a more historical perspective in A line in the sand: Britain, France and the Struggle That Shaped the Middle East by James Barr which is interesting.

I also have a couple more controversial ones to read about radical Islam in Europe (if I get time), Londonistan, While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within and Eurabia: the Euro-Arab Axis. I had no idea till yesterday how Islamic Brussells & Belgium in general has become, every second high school student is a Muslim.

All the talk on Darryl's thread about how great Helen Mirren is, reminded me of another film I watched earlier this year,
The Debt (2011) was a remake (with changes) of a 2007 Israeli film.
Starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Marton Csokas and Jesper Christensen. I was looking for films with Marton Csokas, a NZ/Hungarian actor in, he was in LOTR as Lord Celeborn and is the star of 'Falcon' (the adaption of Robert Wilson's Seville crime novels).
In 1965, Mossad agent Rachel Singer arrives in East Berlin to meet with fellow agents David and Stefan. Their mission is to capture Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel – infamously known as "The Surgeon of Birkenau" for his medical experiments on Jews during World War II – and bring him to Israel to face justice. It starts 30 years later at a book launch, when the truth of what happened slowly begins to unfold. Really tense.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI4mrRgELgA

I love Helen Mirren. I've seen her in everything from Excaliber to RED.

Nice review of Why Blame Israel?, Kerry.

Apparently I'm the newest member of the Helen Mirren fan club. I don't watch movies, and hadn't heard of her before Sunday!

A couple of months ago I read Martha Gellhorn's A stricken field which is her autobiographical novel about the plight of refugees in Prague following Nazi Germany's 1938 annexation of the Sudetenland. I hadn't read any of her actual reportage but have just finished reading her 1961 article for The Atlantic, 'The Arabs of Palestine'.
Novelist, journalist, and former war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn has recently returned from a journey to the Middle East, where she went to see the "Palestinian Refugee Problem" in terms of real life, real people. Here she reports how the Arab refugees and the Arab Israelis live, and what they say about themselves, their past and their future.'

Really interesting reading and makes me want to read more of her journalism.

HI Kerry

I'm swamped at work and not feeling up to par and thus am way behind on the threads.

Sifting through all the great books you read, of course, I want to add many.

I just finished Doll Bones by Holly Black. It was touted in many lists of YA books to read.

It was kind of creepy and then at turns silly. I finished it and I'm still wondering what kind of review I should write.

I hope all is well with you!

Linda, I've gone off Holly Black and urban fantasy a little of late, just too many other better books to read. I read her White Cat late last year and have a GN of hers to get through as well but not Doll Bones. I've just finished the GN Brain Camp mainly because of the illustrator who wrote the much superior Friends with Boys.

I'm not reading many books at the moment, my current obsession is politics and history and I've been reading lots of online archival stuff, lining up a few books and getting into a bit of de-cluttering around the house which also means off-loading a lot of the books I've read but haven't as yet donated or tried to sell on our local trading site.


126) Brain Camp by Susan Kim (2010)
graphic novel

I got this from the library on the strength of Faith Erin Hicks who is the illustrator. I also remember in the dim past reading a great blog post about the cover design. The story is not particularly strong but is creepy and quite imaginative and revolves around a summer camp that takes in failing rebellious teens and turns out high achieving model citizens within a couple of weeks.

As I said above I'm reading online stuff so not much at all to report on the reading front, making little progress in most books I have on the go. I'm putting up with the narrator of my current audiobook, Arcadia Awakens, which isn't the greatest YA paranormal I've come across but the narration adds to the dismal experience. I will finish it.

220 > wow .... just wow .....

Hi Kerry,

Just catching up with your thread again...love the film/tv reviews as well
Before I respond to any of your comments, I just wanted to say that 'Top of The Lake' is one of the best things on British television at the moment (its on BBC2). I wondered how was it received in NZ? (I'm assuming it has been broadcast over there...?) For those who've not yet heard of it, it is a beautifully shot crime thriller set in the stunning landscape deep in the mountains and lakes of South Island. It's directed by Jane Campion and stars Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men's Peggy Olsen - totally different but equally excellent here), Holly Hunter, and Peter Mullan ('menacing' isn't an adequate enough word for his character!). It's VERY dark and beguiling.

>198 avatiakh:
So glad you saw and liked 'Exile'. Simm and Broadbent are indeed both very good, but also making her mark is Olivia Coleman in the role of Simm's brother and Broadbent's daughter. She's well known in a variety of comedy tv roles notably in serial British hit 'Peep Show' as Mark's sometime girlfriend Sophie, and also as the pathetic PA in the very funny Olympic Games dis-organisation comedy ensemble 'Twenty-Twelve' - both excellent shows, but I really loved the 'Tomorrow's World' piss-take 'Look Around You' that she's also in from a few years earlier. It's good to see her acting so strongly in a straight role.

We also really liked 'Life on Mars', and I'll agree that the soundtrack was a big plus in it too. I missed the second series though and never really caught 'Ashes to Ashes' either. The 1970s and '80s cars in each show were fun to see as well (we're so used to seeing classic period cars from US shows, that it made a nice change to see Ford Cortinas and the like doing the screechy-tyre thing!).

>200 avatiakh:
Read great things about 'Avoda Aravit', and have liked some of the clips of it that I've seen. I'm glad to hear that Sayed Kashua's show made a big impact on Israeli TV. I too really want to read Dancing Arabs and also Let it be Morning by him too - but I don't have any of his books on my shelves yet.

>207 avatiakh:
Thank you for mentioning Is Paris Burning? - I don't think I'd ever heard of it before, but it sounds like an excellent film. Screenplay by Gore Vidal & Coppola you say? Wow! And what a cast!! Must keep an eye out for that one.

Never read O Jerusalem but it's one of those books that I've been around one way or another for a very long time. I have a copy upstairs somewhere that I think I might have to dig out. I didn't know that there was a film adaptation though. The 1948 siege of Jerusalem (and the subsequent division of the city in two) is an event that fascinates me. Pivotal in the civilian experience of the Israeli War of Independence, as well as the Palestinian Naqba, it is an integral moment in the history of the region, and has featured at the heart of several books that I've either loved or plan to read in the future. It's not a commonly found book but Harry Levin's Jerusalem Embattled: A Diary of the City Under Siege is quite a remarkable piece of primary history. Amos Oz's superb A Tale of Love and Darkness is set with it in the Jerusalem background of course.

(By the way, one of the best Israeli films I saw in the last few years was Ajami - about the criminal underworld in contemporary Jaffa. Really packed a punch I thought.)

>213 avatiakh:
Great review of Why Blame Israel. Lochery sounds like an interesting writer. I'd take issue though with his generalisation that the Soviet Jews who immigrated in the '90s and early 2000s were supporters of the Labour Party. I didn't see too much evidence of that in the elections of '92, '96, '99, '01, or since really. On the contrary, they were, and still are, a pretty right-wing voting section of the electorate. Yes, indeed they are not fans of the religious establishment, and are often openly anti-Orthodox, but some of the most vociferous and bigoted anti-Arabs in the country hail from the former USSR countries. (Not that I'm excluding other backgrounds for that dubious distinction - witness the heavily American accented settler-zealots in the occupied territories...)

One interesting element of 1st Netanyahu government of the late '90s was that the newly arrived Soviet immigrants were offered massive subsidies and discounts on nice new housing in the larger more established settlement blocks in the West Bank - the same population centres that would likely be very expensively compensated for (probably by North American and EU taxpayers) when the eventual land-swap 'peace' deal finally happens (as soon as the knuckleheads sort out their priorities).

(Apologies for ranting away there a little! - I don't 'vent' on this subject very often at the moment.)

Lochery's book on Israel and the British Foreign Office - Loaded Dice looks interesting to me - I wishlisted that one.

>218 avatiakh:
The Debt does sound like a very exciting thriller. I'd kind of forgotten about it, after reading some very positive reviews of it, as well as of the original Israeli production when they both came out a few years back. One of my favourite actresses is Gila Almagor who was in the Helen Mirren part. I'd like to get the dvd of this one.

Sorry for such a lengthy reply - that's what happens if I miss your thread for a week!

Hi Paul - first I have to apologise for just lurking on your thread for a long while.
I have seen media coverage of 'Top of the Lake' but am not sure if it has been broadcast here, nothing comes up online. Our local tv has become so bad that we only turn it on for the news hour and Friday night comedy. It's cheaper to rent or buy the tv series we want to watch than pay for a full Sky NZ satellite subscription. My husband is very upset that Sky NZ lost out on the tender for British & European football for the coming season, it has gone to a new digital only company set up for online viewing only. We ditched all the Sky sport channels in protest (not that they can do anything about it now). Not sure who is going to get the World Cup coverage.

I've seen Olivia Coleman in a few things and will seek out those shows you mention. I'm watching these shows like Life on Mars with my youngest daughter who missed a lot of the programmes first time round. She's also catching up on all the Disney cartoons we never watched.

O Jerusalem was one of those books I read soon after it came out, I also really liked their Freedom at Midnight. Another book that is meant to be easy to read and based on extensive research and over 1000 interviews is Genesis 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War by Dan Kurzman, it's near the top of Mt tbr for me. The other writer who appeals is Efraim Karsh, I've only read his writing at the Middle East Forum but I want to read some of his books including Empires of the Sand. He challenges the 'new historians' and if what he writes is anything to go on...well they need to be challenged.
I'll look out for the Levin book, I'm interested in those books that use primary sources or are first person accounts. I do a bit of research on the authors before I decide to read something as I'm not into polemic books that use dubious or selective sources.
I loved A tale of love and darkness, he's such an excellent writer.

I'd heard of Ajami but the library doesn't have it, I've put in a purchase request.

Regarding Why Blame Israel?, that issue with the Soviet Jewish vote was only for the 1992 election. There was a change to the election system in 1996 which shifted things again and the Soviets have their own party now don't they? I remember going to the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv back in 2000 and being amazed at all the Russian language children's books for sale in the shops there. Most of the Soviet Jews ended up in the big cities and spurned the settlements.
I think they are currently looking at upping the percentage of votes needed to get seats in the Knesset, which will lock out a few of the minor parties.
I tried to be a bit laid back in my review as I don't want to get too political on my thread but was led to Lochery after coming across so many anti-Israel books at the library. I just want to read balanced stuff, I can get all the propaganda I want through social media. The propaganda is quite disturbing in that the incitement to hate has so changed the relations over the past twenty odd years since the first intifada. If I lived there now I'm sure that I would be voting for security over a forced 'peace' deal.
Anyway the Lochery book has 23 pages of bibliography and notes.

I enjoyed 'The Debt' quite a bit. Have just watched 'Four Lions' again this afternoon. I've seen Gila Almagor in a few films and read her book Under the Domim Tree.

OK, back to my reading.

#224 - Ha Alex - it's almost a crime not to have watched Helen Mirren in at least something!

Hey,

'Top of the Lake' is currently showing on UK TV or Prime via SKY if you have it ???? Not sure which team hubby supports but SKY have managed to get delayed coverage thru other means of the Top 4 ie Manchester United via MUTV .....might be worth checking out ??? too much of a sports addict to cancel my sky subscription .... there is no known cure.

Thanks, I do get Prime and UK TV on Sky. I only seem to keep up with Dr Who these days and that's only because of the two youngest.
I'll tell him about the delayed coverage...he's a Derby supporter from their glory days in the early 70s, though watches everything available. My oldest son is a West Ham supporter.

Helen Mirren is fabulous, as was that film.

The "Luther" series is excellent, but while I watched #1 and #2 back to back when they became available, this time around it's even darker and I'll be doing it an episode at a time, I think.

Belgium -- where I went to high school, and to which I retain close ties -- has a significant minority from Africa, in general, especially the Congo, who tend to get lumped together dismissively as 'les marocains' or (akin to the 'n' word), the 'djeeks'. As in France, where it's tough to get employment, a mortgage, even a bank account if you have a North African name (it's like London was in the 1950s, with the influx of Jamaicans), the result has been the creation of an underclass that is alienated because there is no ability to integrate. I think this is a problem across Western Europe, which we started to see in Germany in the 1970s and 1980s with the arrival of Turkish 'gastarbeiters', that was exacerbated at the time of reunification in the former East Germany.

Europe has no tradition of any kind of assimilation -- quite the contrary. As a result, you see the kind of tensions that exist today. Large parts of the Pakistani population in England have now been absorbed successfully, as with the West Indians, but even in London you see the kind of stuff no one would dare try in the US or Canada. That's why I find the comments about political correctness in Europe a little absurd, especially as characterized in While Europe Slept or Chistopher Caldwell's book on the same subject. The policies may be there, but the reality remains that these groups are outside the mainstream, in ghettos. And the stuff that happens is stuff that a politically correct society wouldn't tolerate. I recall a trip to France during which two friends and I saw a bunch of yobs rip the headscarf of young girl and start pulling her hair. She might have been nine or ten. The French people? They stood around and laughed. Reminded me of a scene that might have taken place on the same streets in 1940. In any event, my point is that these governments encourage immigration (often from former colonies) when it was economically convenient for them, without ever contemplating what it meant for a cohesive nation/society that was never friendly to "others" in the way that immigrant-based societies have had to become. In some ways, it reminds me of Japan, where a fourth generation of descendants of Korean laborers born there are denied civil rights. In France, there are 20-somethings whose parents were born in Paris, and born there themselves, but who are told by the broader society that they aren't French. In France (other than Belgium, the country I know most about), the law allows state funding of religious institutions only for religions with "cultural associations". In practice, that means that Muslims in the French armed forces have no chaplains. Technically, job discrimination is illegal, but it's routine to see help wanted ads that specify they want a white person, or "BBR", which is "blanc (white) bleu (blue) rouge (red)", and code for someone who is 'real' French. The law notwithstanding, those ads continue to appear. One study on all this: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/november/muslim-france-study-112210.html (On a separate note, I just remembered during my summers spent working in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais near Arras, when people would simply say, 'mais vous n'est pas francaise, mademoiselle?' They would think I was a native French speaker, but the accent wasn't right, and besides, all that really mattered was what I wasn't -- I wasn't French. They never followed up to ask what it was that I was!)

Sorry for the rant, but having read some of these books, spent chunks of time living there as these changes started taking place, having a largish chunk of my closest friends living there, and myself now living in North America, the allegation that Europe is in danger of being swept up by radical Islam is slightly odd to me. It may feel as if they are being told to be PC, but the actual attitudes and behavior are anything but. I've had friends caught up in this, too, including one former colleague who was detained as a "suspicious person" in Germany. He was there to report on a technology conference... but he had the wrong skin color.

A book on the European situation that I would HIGHLY recommend as nuanced and balanced (as well as written by someone from within the society, but who has also spent time living in other cultures) is Ian Buruma's excellent look at the crisis caused by the murder of Theo van Gogh, Death in Amsterdam. I wish it had been a longer and more detailed book, and still hope that Buruma will write one, as his view is genuinely an even-handed one: he came to the whole question without a preconceived view on either side (i.e. poor persecuted minorities, or the West under siege.)

Kerry, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed reply.

You're of course very welcome to lurk on my thread as much as you'd like!

Just wanted to reiterate, that both Ajami and Top of the Lake are REALLY worth watching when you get the chance, and also to compliment your eldest son's obvious genius for supporting West Ham United. He is a man of great taste, ahem, and I hope he enjoys the new season - starting today with a win over the new boys Cardiff City (I certainly hope so as there's a fair share of guys in the depot where I work who are Cardiff fans...)!!

Hi Kerry! Just catching up with you.

222: I just read Doll Bones recently and found it pretty good. It's the kind of creepy I enjoyed as a young reader-- enough to give you chills but not enough for nightmares. It's interesting that it gets listed as YA, since I think it really does better as childrens'.

Hi Kathy - I have her Kin still to read. I'll pick up Doll Bones at the library if I see it on display. I'm getting swamped by all number of books that I really want to read right now.

Paul - I'll make sure to track down both of those. I'll let my son know. We visited West Ham stadium back in the late 1990s.

Suzanne - thanks for writing at length on this issue. I came across the books when searching my library catalog and I've now requested the Theo van Gogh book. It's quite concerning with the changes this type of immigration has brought to Europe, the lack of assimilation has definitely made things more tense.

127) The Gaza Kitchen: a Palestinian Culinary Journey by Laila El-Hadad & Maggie Schmitt (2012)
cookbook

This came out earlier this year and was the result of one of those kickstarter type productions. The money raised enabled the two authors to travel to Gaza and interview women, look at food and agricultural enterprises etc and produce a cookbook that showcases the local Gazan cuisine, ingredients and way of life. The writers do not make excuses for the political stance that comes across in some of the entries in the book. What's in here is quite interesting; recipes, interviews with ordinary residents from the strip, photos, information about the aid packages they receive each month, the economy, the local enterpreneurs, the water supply, electricity supply, crops, home gardens, local artisans etc etc. It is an attempt to capture a changing way of life as with modernisation and higher education of the new generations of women there is less time to spend in the kitchen.
The recipes are typical for the region, with the Gazan speciality being dill, dill seed and more chili than other local Arab cuisine. They also claim to be the home of red tahini though I had recently read a food blog about an Arab business in Jerusalem's Old City that has specialised in red, black and white tahini for many years. Many of the recipes call for the red tahini and the writers suggest substituting ordinary tahini and sesame oil.

The book is not a glamorous production like we expect from cookbooks generally nowadays but then again it doesn't set itself out to be a typical cookbook and the production values are appropriate for the cause. I found the guest introduction to be superfluous and in fact repetitive to the content in the writers' own introduction. The editing and layout could have been improved, the photos could have had captions etc etc, but there is a lot of content. Some of the statements I personally found too political but other readers will probably be ok with them.
Laila el-Haddad is Harvard educated, born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents from Gaza and grew up in Saudi Arabia. She chose to live in Gaza with her young children for several years to establish a career in journalism, quite a decision because her Palestinian husband, a US based physician had to remain behind. She kept a blog - gazamom.com which led to a book deal, Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything In Between which covers her own experience and that of her parents who stayed on in Gaza after she left in 2006. Schmitt is a food writer/researcher from Madrid.
One interview that stuck in my mind was that of a women who struggled to put her daughter and then son through university, but chose an uneducated 16 yr old for her son's bride as 'it's better that way'.
It was interesting to read about the aid packages which they receive each month (I think). The recipients generally sell part of them for cash so that they can then purchase fruit/veges and meat. It's clear that these food aid packages are very basic and don't cover a family's needs and children especially suffer from lack of fresh healthy food. Flour, legumes and milk powder are not enough. The fresh foods are readily available but many of the families are in economic difficulties.
Many of the women grew herbs and vegetables in their backyards, others also bred rabbits. Some were lucky enough to live on small farms.
Several recipes are available on the website: http://gazakitchens.wordpress.com/category/recipes/

Have just watched a documentary, She Wolves, about England's early queens from Matilda through to Elizabeth I.
The first episode goes along with my current Sharon Penman reads about Matilda and Eleanor of Aquitane.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_nBOg6bE84


The First Grader
This was a fairly inspiring movie with grim flashbacks to the Mau Mau uprising.
'The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.'
Trailer: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/movies/thefirstgrader/first-grader-tra...

The Gaza Kitchen sounds very interesting. I'm sure I'd like to read about the day-to-day living in the Strip, especially the more domestic perspective which is often ignored by the wider political issues, and I know I'd like a lot of the recipes - although I'm not too keen on chilli-heavy spicing. I'll definitely keep an eye out for it though.

She-Wolves was a very good TV history series I caught not long ago. I'm sure the book is very good as I remember being very impressed with Helen Castor.

Oooh. I've got She-Wolves bookmarked. I'll watch it sometime soon. Thanks!

Morphy - my daughter enjoyed it too, she is not a history person.

Paul - I'm taking note of the book's falafel recipe which is a little different from the usual, not that I've researched the matter to great depth but it was my daily lunch while I studied at Ulpan years ago. Another book worth looking through is Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews. I've requested a new book Meet Me in Gaza: Uncommon Stories of Life Inside the Strip that looks interesting.
Blurb: 'Do Gazans ever have fun? Is the Strip beautiful? And do TV reports actually reflect ordinary life inside the world's largest 'open-air prison'? From beautiful beaches to sealed borders, from a secret New Year's Eve party to a lingerie market staffed entirely by men, award-winning writer Louisa Waugh paints an intimate picture of Gaza, revealing the pleasures and pains, hopes and frustrations of Gazans going about their daily lives.'

128) Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer (2012)
YA / audiobook

This is a paranormal fantasy cum mafia cum Romeo & Juliet story. An ancient order of shapeshifters that once dominated the Mediterranean, these powerful Arcadian clans having settled in Sicily have formed the backbone of the mafioso. Alesandro and Rosa meet on a flight from the US back to Sicily but their attempts at building a friendship seems to be at odds with family feuding.
I found the narrator a bit hard to take, all the Italian accents distracted me from the storyline. For most of it I felt a little blase but it did have everything - action, shapeshifters, romance, guns, fast cars, vendetta.


129) The testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (2012)
fiction
Very beautiful prose. The story has been told before but it is interesting to read these retellings. Overall I think I preferred My name was Judas just because Stead's Judas is a more interesting character and his relationship with Jesus had that interesting factor, tension. Tóibín's Mary was a bit too pallid, she had no influence over her son or really even any interactions with him, so the book was a tad reflective and the tone doom-laden.
TIOLI challenge #1

I've watched two of the three episodes and am really liking it. I just wish there were more pictures of older stuff and less pictures of the narrator walking around and of modern England.

Kerry, Aromas of Aleppo - is one my Mum has in her cookbook collection (she doesn't really read any other books...) - I've flicked through it once or twice before and will have to sit down with it properly and find a recipe or two to photocopy when I'm next visiting. Any recommendations of particular recipes to look for will be very welcome! It is a beautifully designed book as well - the sort you don't really want to get too messy in the kitchen...

Nice summary of The Testament of Mary as well, and I've now added My Name Was Judas - that one looks very good.

Paul - it's one of those cookbooks that sits on my shelf to be admired for the beautiful photography of a lost world, and I haven't cooked from it apart from last year when I tried the process of making tamarind paste and then went on to make one or two of the recipes featuring tamarind. Memorable but not one to repeat. I find some of these speciality cookbooks often feature hard to source local ingredients so I usually go online to find a simpler version of the recipes. The book emphasises Aleppo red pepper flakes which of course I'm not going to be able to get in NZ, but I did track down Turkish red pepper flakes and use them a lot in my day to day cooking.
Most of my Middle Eastern cooking is done by habit and internalised recipes - my first books were Tess Mallos' The Middle East Cookbook and Claudia Roden's original little Penguin edition of A Book of Middle Eastern Food and these are the ones I keep referring back to though I've had to get a new copy of Roden's book as my first fell apart.
Nowadays I'm following several Israeli food blogs which bring wonderful photos (and recipes) from around Israel into my life.
FoodBridge: http://www.sarahmelamed.com/2013/08/spring-in-the-summer-in-search-of-the-perfec...
Cafe Liz: http://food.lizsteinberg.com/2013/06/23/a-tale-of-two-tahini-mills/
IsraeliKitchen: http://www.israelikitchen.com/travels/a-day-with-the-druze/
Galilee Seasonality: http://galileecuisine.wordpress.com/
and
Taste of Beirut: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/
Paris food blogger David Lebovitz visited Israel last year and did some great foodwriting/photography on the subject: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/07/jerusalem-israel/
search his blog for Israel and it brings up lots of posts on Israel and Israeli food. He also visited Lebanon and that was interesting as well. He takes lots of photos of the markets and the food and you just want to dive on a plane and get over there for an extended 'eat Israel' visit.

Forgot to add: Bethany Kehdy, a Lebanese/UK food blogger - http://www.dirtykitchensecrets.com/
Her book The Jewelled Kitchen has just been published.

Wow!

I've just had to mark the last post as a favourite, so I can come back to it again and follow these tasty links. In the meantime - "b'tayavon!"

PS - I actually found sumac in a supermarket in the county where I work today!

Hi Kerry! Reading your thread is almost as good as reading the books themselves your reviews and commentary are so interesting...

re: Into the River I can't believe the furore it's caused. Everyone I've talked remembers reading with glee books like Flowers in the Attic and The Mammoth Hunters as teens. Didn't do us any good but neither did it do any harm... except the embarassment of admitting reading the books later on as an adult lol. At least this book is relevant for NZ teens if only because it's set in NZ. And the stuff that's on tv!... How many teens watch Home and Away every night? and don't get me started on music lyrics *sigh* I never understand people who want to force their opinions on to everyone else... freedom of choice... we (including teens) can choose not to read it if it offends.

Have you started The Luminaries? the short note at the beginning about being the age of pisces.. what the? lost already on page 1! lol

Hi Lisa - I agree about the censorship issue, did you know that it has been sent to the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Wow, a few swear words that you hear all the time on the street and a couple of racy passages. You can not like a book or not want your teenagers to read it but to make that decision for others is what gets me. And I was extremely unimpressed when they defaced the Awards' logo.

I've read a few pages of The Luminaries and know I'm going to like it, but I'm having a slow reading month. I'm falling asleep almost immediately when I go to bed instead of the usual etc etc so have been picking up the shorter reads during the day. I'm probably going to whizz through The Rosie Project today so I can take it back to the library, there is an enormous queue for it.

The Rose Project was awesome and I whizzed through it too... it's that kind of a book. Light, funny and fresh. I'm calling it dude-lit, chick-lit for dudes.

#244: Paul - I can imagine that it's a bit harder to track down interesting spices in Wales. I'm lucky that living in Auckland we do have a few Middle Eastern grocery shops. I'm wary at times of their spices though, the packaging seems to be a bit dusty and of dubious origin. I prefer the Indian spice shops that offer the 'pack your own' spice bins, though buying more than a couple makes identifying them once I get home that bit harder.


The Parent Trap (1961)
I watched this Disney movie with my daughter this afternoon and I'd forgotten how much fun it was. I used to have the comic book version that came out around the time of the film. The film which stars Hayley Mills, is based on Erich Kastner's Lisa and Lottie which I read a few years ago. The film differs quite a bit from the original story but is a gem. And we've got a few more Hayley Mills movies on the way including Pollyanna and The Castaways.
Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7F1p-KRocQ



Mon Oncle (1958)
This French film had hilarious moments but was quite dated.
Wikipedia: The film centers on the socially awkward yet lovable character of Monsieur Hulot and his quixotic struggle with postwar France's infatuation with modern architecture, mechanical efficiency and consumerism. As with most Tati films, Mon Oncle is largely a visual comedy. It won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV2qM1SeBos


Four Lions (2010)
I like this black comedy, this was a rewatch. 'Four incompetent British jihadists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.'
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg97xa_nQjs&list=PL186DB5D02D2011FC

Another recently watched movie that I forgot to mention was World War Z which was mildly entertaining. A lot of the Jerusalem sequence looked unfamiliar to me so wasn't a surprise to see that it had been filmed in Malta.

And if anyone is a Russell Crowe fan, here he is fronting his band back in 1985. Back then he went by the name Russell Le Roq so people wouldn't get him mixed up with his famous cricketing cousins, Martin & Jeff Crowe.
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/shazam-feat-russell-crowe-1985

I love the Parent Trap. Both versions. I have the original and the remake with Lindsay Lohan before she became a train wreck. It's a lot of fun, too.

I watched Hayley Mills version a lot when I was a kid and loved it. Really enjoy the Lindsay Lohan version as well. :)

I've seen the Lohan one so must track it down again. My daughter as the youngest and growing up when we chucked out all our VHS tapes in favour of dvds has missed out on a lot of these older classics. We're playing catch up, Grease was anther that she only recently got to see.

Lindsay Lohan was really good in the Parent Trap. I also liked her in Freaky Friday, with Jamie Curtis.

Oh yes, Freaky Friday is good too.

130) The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (2013)
fiction, australia
This was an entertaining read. Originally starting out as a screenwriting project was switched to a novel and won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for unpublished manuscript over in Australia last year. The main character, Don, is an accomplished but eccentric professor of genetics. He has asperger's syndrome and this dictates his very ordered life until he decides it's time to find a wife. Rosie does not tick any of the boxes on his checklist... Predictable but fun and will make a great romcom movie.
TIOLI challenge #5

Just noticed that I can pick up Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch from the library, just in time for September's series and sequels.

Ahhhh! Hit with book bullet for The Rosie Project. *performs dramatic death scene*

Oh Morphy, you'll love it. I've been in a massive library queue for most of the year to get this one. I don't think it's available in the US till early October.

131) Smoke over Golan by Uriel Ofek (1974)
children's fiction, israel

I found this book in the library stacks when looking for fiction set in Syria. I hadn't heard of Ofek before but very much enjoyed this story which seems to have been based on historic fact though I can't track down the specifics.
Eitan moves with his parents to found a small farm on the Golan Heights in 1968 called Neot Golan. It's right on the border with Syria, and life is fairly idyllic and he even makes the news as the sole pupil in his school which is set up in the tool house with a girl soldier for a teacher. He befriends a Syrian boy, Saleem, from across the border when he comes to the Israeli side looking for a stray donkey. When the Yom Kippur War breaks out right beside his farm, Eitan is home alone, and right in the thick of all the action.
The book focuses on friendship and comradery, bravery and courage and was an IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour Book in 1977.

I didn't find any children's fiction set in Syria but did bring home In praise of hatred which blurbs: censored by the state: the famous novel that was banned in Syria. Also Writing Love: a Syrian novel.
I just googled 'children's fiction syria' and the first search result was an Arab news headline '120 children slaughtered in Syria's Tal Abyad - Alalam News Network' - so sad what has been happening there.

132) Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff (2013)
YA fiction
TIOLI challenge #1: Title ending in 'Y'. This YA thriller is compulsive reading but ultimately unrewarding not at all meeting the satisfying feeling you get from reading every one of Robert Muchamore's Cherub series. It is the first book in another new series about a trained teenaged assassin, in this one we follow him on assignment in NYC. There are lots of unanswered questions from his past that will probably unfold in future books. As I said before it is ultimately unsatisfying but a racy read for all that.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the latest Muchamore, Black Friday which has just been published.

Now back to Catton's book which is proving a great read just hard work for my wrists.

The boy who loved math: the improbable life of Paul Erdös (2013) by Deborah Heiligman
picturebook

Lovely picturebook bio of Hungarian mathematician, Paul Erdös. Illustrations are by LeUyen Pham and she includes some notes in the back explaining the illustrations which adds to his story. Also in the notes is a fuller bio of Erdos by Heiligman.
'Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And, it’s true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn’t learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty. Instead, he traveled around the world, from one mathematician to the next, collaborating on an astonishing number of publications.'
LeUyen's work is featured here: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2605



Brave Girl: Clara and the shirtwaist makers' strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel (2013)
picturebook

Another bio, this one of Clara Lemlich, an immigrant to America who ended up working in the deplorable conditions of a garment making factory. She led the strikes that eventually led to better working conditions. Important history about strikes, labour unions, sweatshops and workers' solidarity in a format for young readers.
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet who uses offcuts of sewn material to great advantage in the collage inspired parts of the artwork.
You can see more about her artwork on this Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog post: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2506
or her website: http://melissasweet.net/
I have to say, her illustrations for The boy who drew birds : a story of John James Audubon look wonderful.



On a beam of light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne (2013)
picturebook
Another bio, this one is the story of Einstein. Berne successfully manages to tell down his story to a younger audience focusing on his abstract thinking and curiosity. I loved the illustrations and the storytelling both. Art is by Vladimir Radunsky.
http://www.vladimirradunsky.com/
_

As always, I enjoy visiting here. I tried to add Brave Girl: Clara and the shirtwaist makers' strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel (2013) but wasn't successful in doing so.

Do you know if this is a book only published in your country?

Happy Day to you!

Young Montalbano (2012)
Six wonderful episodes of subtitled tv featuring the early adventures of Montalbano. The first episode covers his promotion and move to Vigata and then the episodes set up his moving to a home on the beach, the new staff at the station, including young Fazio, Mimi and Catarella. Also features his first meetup with his housekeeper/cook, his father and girlfriend Livia. Oh yes, he gets to solve several crimes which was great as I've read all the books featuring the older Montalbano, so here I did not already know the outcome. Camilleri had input to the script.
Fab-u-lous.


Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feast
Yoram Ottolenghi visits Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia and Israel to explore their cuisines. Includes an extra focus episode on Ottolenghi's boyhood city, Jerusalem. Interesting and very ethnic.


The Parent Trap (1998)
An updated film featuring a young Lindsay Lohan, the late Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid. We probably watched this too close to watching the original one.


Pollyanna (1960)
An oldie classic that showed its age but was still fun to watch. Stars Hayley Mills.


Django Unchained (2012)

Lots of bloodshed in this one. Well, now I know what everyone was talking about.

133) The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant (2012)
YA fiction, australia

From the publisher: 'The Ink Bridge was written with a grant awarded from the Australia Council for the Arts in 2005 to write a novel about the refugee situation in Australia. Neil travelled to Afghanistan in 2009 to research this project. The resulting novel is set primarily in suburban Melbourne and in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.'

This was a really interesting read showing the perils faced by a young refugee boy fleeing the Taliban around 2001 and travelling all the way to Australia as one of the boat people. After having his tongue hacked out by the Taliban when he is found watching the dynamiting of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, young Omed must flee as the local Taliban Commander decides that he needs even more punishment. While in Australia there is a grieving teen who has become a selective mute, their paths cross when both end up working in a candle factory in Melbourne. The third part of the book is set back in Afghanistan.
It received an Honour Award at this year's Australian Children's Book Awards (YA fiction) and won the 2012 Queensland Literary Award (YA fiction) and is on the current YA fiction shortlist for the Western Australia Premier's Book Awards.


134) Rebecca and the Queen of Nations by Deborah Burnside (2013)
children's fiction, new zealand

This is the first in a new historical series for 9-12yr olds, 'New Zealand Girl', and the line up of authors so far is quite stellar. I think Burnside is a great writer and this quick read is no exception. It's about life on board the 'Queen of Nations' 1874 voyage to New Zealand from Ireland, orphaned 10 yr old Rebecca has managed to get a job at the last minute on board helping an expectant mother with her unruly brood of children. I'd be happy to read a sequel.
The next book is Hone and the Burning Harbour by Paula Morris. I noticed on the Penguin NZ website that they have a Cover Photo competition for the third book in the series, Charlotte and the Golden Promise by Sandy McKay. How cool to have the chance to be on a book cover.

The Ink Bridge looks a worthwhile read Kerry and what a good idea to have a competition to get your pic on a book cover. Hate my own photo despite SWMBOs efforts to record almost every minute of our existence.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Whew.. just caught up on your thread. I had to add the Dan Rhodes to my obese wishlist after the snippets you posted. If the other stories are anything like those, I'm in for a great time.

Hoping for a better reading month in September as August turned into a dead loss. Yesterday we walked around the waterfront in Auckland CBD and I came across this lovely reading zone - books seem to be mainly culled library books.

_

We came across a 'just opened' dining place that I'm keen to try, Miss Clawdy, it has a New Orleans cum Latin American inspired menu. It was a lovely sunny day, hope to see more of these in the next few months.
_
We had brunch at the Market Kitchen in Auckland's Fish Market and after my youngest son got eliminated from his gaming tournament (2 wins/2 losses) at a nearby hotel, we went out for tapas at El Faro in Eliot Stables, and then gelato at Giapo (I tried their caramel popcorn & peanut butter flavours).


These two images sourced from internet

#265: Paul - The Ink Bridge is fascinating. I didn't mention a lot of the content, but Omed's late father who was also probably a Taliban casualty was a writer and had been researching and documenting the local myths and legends and stories around the Bamiyan area.

#266: Caro, hope you enjoy the flash fiction.

267 > That reading zone looks very cool .....

Well post # 267 is just all kinds of RIGHT! Love it all!

Your yesterday looks and sounds wonderful . . .