What's the Story Morning Glory?

The Seven Days of Peter Crumb - Jonny Glynn

2010-05-27T15:17:00.000+12:00

I originally picked this one up because of the simple but effective portrait on the cover. The premise sounded promising: our hero has seven days left to live and he was told to write everything down about this last week and it begins with something like: "I am not a good man, I am not a bad man, in seven days I will be dead.." I was intrigued.

And the writing is quite good, it is very easy to read and the book itself is not that long so a nice filler novel to prepare for the next lengthy tome. My problem with it was that as you read further into the week of Peter Crumb, you discover just how messed up this character is and what an utterly evil pyschopath he really is and this character I wasn't really prepared for.

Still, I read the book and it remained a quick and easy read but it left me wondering about the author and how on earth anyone could imagine somebody this twisted. I know I could never write a character this wicked and overall, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. It's a few hours of my life that I'll never get back but it's not necessarily a bad book, just a subject matter I wasn't really in the mood for and the paragraph on the back cover simply doesn't prepare you for Peter Crumb.

The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

2010-05-22T16:39:00.001+12:00

I think that this graphic novel should be compulsory reading for anyone truly interested in our world. It is an autobiographical depiction of growing up in war-torn Iran, through countless wars and revolutions. It follows Marjane's life from about 10 years old until her early twenties and is a fascinating insight into a previously untold slice of human history and the story of a country with its history usually so well guarded.

The drawings themselves are so wonderfully basic that you admire the simplicity and understand that this allows you to really focus on the story at hand. Whether this is just the author's preferred drawing style or whether it was done intentionally, whatever the case it helps make the impact of the novel even more real.

You learn a lot about the coming of age of our author and what a long and at times very desolate journey that was. She is not afraid to bear all unto scrutiny by her peers and this honest approach is one of the things I enjoyed most.

I'm not so great at summarising the recent history of Iran as she does so I've borrowed someone else's words to give you an insight into some of the things you learn while reading Marjane's tale:

"Starting in 1979, the year that the Shah of Iran was overthrown in a popular uprising,.. we learn the history of this unique country that lies between the Arab world and Asia. Throughout its history, whether as Persia or Iran, the country was constantly under attack and being invaded by one foreign power after another. After World War Two, the father of the last Shah of Iran led a revolt sponsored by the British in return for allowing them access to Iranian Oil. Instead of the republic that most people had hoped for, they merely replaced one dictator for another.

The uprising in 1979 started as a popular rebellion against the tyranny of the Shah, but was corrupted. A great many of those who helped ensure its success ended up imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed by the new regime. Any chance that there might have been for the overthrow of the religious leadership was quashed by the American-sponsored Iraqi invasion, as those in power seized upon it as an opportunity to quash what remained of the opposition. Political prisoners were given two choices - die on the front lines as cannon fodder or be executed. After eight years of war, nothing was accomplished save for the deaths of close to a million Iranians, ensuring the elimination of any opposition to the religious authorities."

Imagine growing up through all that, while being the great grand-daughter of the last Shah of Iran and with two very intelligent and polictically motivated parents who were constantly protesting about the injustices happening in their country.

What can I say? Read this one, you won't be disappointed.

Posession - A. S. Byatt

2010-05-13T16:04:00.000+12:00

I loved the premise of this novel, two scholars stumbling across a long forgotten secret: an illicit affair between two well known victorian poets, one of them very married. I once read a brilliant book about a lost Shakespeare play and all the mystery and intrigue that followed the discovery and so my hopes were very high for this offering, especially with that Booker Prize tucked firmly underneath its belt, but I'm not sure it really delivered and it was definitely not as good as 'The Book of Air and Shadows' by Michael Gruber which is the book I just mentioned.

But for all that, this one is very well written and does keep you intrigued as you follow the story and slowly learn more clues as to where the secret takes you. My big gripe and it's not so much a gripe as a disappointment in myself and my headspace, is that the author has written a lot of victorian poetry to back up the story and the hunt for clues and these pieces are stunningly written and very detailed. The gripe is also that they are stunningly written, very detailed, and some pieces are pages long.

Unfortunately I was not prepared to undertake the poetry, which really deserves and demands the correct attention, and while I could skim the longer passages for key words crucial to the story, I just could not find the headspace to focus solely on the poetry itself. This is a real shame. Some verses are written in a style similar to Spencer's Fairie Queen verses, and so are very heavy in mythology, allegory, and fantasy as well as the normal metaphorical style of the victorian poets. It can get heavy. Thankfully, the shorter verses were easy to absorb and thoroughly enjoyable, this author is very versatile and talented.

So, to summarise, a well-written novel of giddy intellectual heights supported by original victorian verses by the author. A story of suspense and intrigue with a couple of tragic romances entangled along the way. A novel that should satisfy and one that I will return to when I feel in the mood for some excellent poetry.

Son of a Witch and Lost by Gregory Maguire

2010-04-28T09:45:00.000+12:00

Okay, I read these two books to kind of make up for the fact that I couldn't get my hands on a copy of his 'Wicked!' novel without buying it - this being a book for my book club this month. And I am so pleased I didn't fork over any money.

This guy has a great imagination but his style of writing I found so utterly frustrating. I started with 'Son of a Witch' which is a loose sequel to 'Wicked!' and for probably the first 150 pages I was simultaneously flipping back to his map of Oz to find out what and where he was talking about, and tearing my hair out at yet another new character/race/religion/leader/family member that the author drops in with no warning or explanation.

I got the distinct feeling that we the reader should already know what goes on in the author's head so bugger the buildup of descriptive explanations normal books utilise. Who do we think we are?

I actually found a copy of 'Wicked!' in the bookshop and sat down to read the first few pages of that offering and even though I knew his version of the land of Oz and a few characters by then, I was still as lost as ever and immediately frustrated because of it.

To be fair though, there is something in the story and I enjoyed the second half of the book, but that was only after I finally had all the setting sorted out and I had yelled for long enough at the book.

Now, 'Lost' is also based on an existing story, this one being 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, and the premise is that the main characters ancestor was really the inspiration for the Ebenezer Scrooge character, having met the young Dickens and told him of his ghostly encounters when he was young.

The problem here, apart from the similar frustrating style of 'I'll just jump into my narrative and let the reader catch up later' is the fact that the main girl, Winifred Rudge, is a complete and total loser. I hated her character. She suffered a loss in her past and she hasn't let it go, she hasn't moved on with her life, and she walks around being miserable and making others miserable but all the while she thinks she is normal and it is others who are acting oddly.

Now, I've come across this before where the author writes a totally self-indulgent whiny lead character and it makes me hate them and therefore the whole book every time. Why do they do it?

This one also has a better second half but Winnie is still her own bitter twisted self and nothing can really help the story, although I must say the ghost in the story pulls off self-centredness with aplomb.

To summarise, Gregory Maguire has taken well-known stories and twisted them into his own vision and expanded on them or used them as a base for his own tales but he hasn't necessarily pulled this off to the standard I require in a good book.

I am still intrigued to read 'Wicked!' one day, I already know the setting and the characters so it should make it easier, but I'll be buggered if I will spend $28 on it. If I want to pay money to be frustrated, I'd rather buy an early Gus van Sant movie.

Zelary

2010-04-13T07:42:00.000+12:00

Very quick review here. Saw this again on TV the other night and if you've never heard of it then make it known, this film is bloody good. Poignant, sweet, raw, heart-breaking - all the best adjectives for this one. make a point to see it if you can. It is well worth the effort.

Rena's Promise - Rena Kornreich Gelissen

2010-03-28T13:02:00.000+13:00

This is one of those rare books that should have the line 'everyone must read this' after the title. Truly it is an incredible read, more so because it is a true story, and you will feel despair and horror, hope and fear, as well as many more emotions before the book is over but the underlying feeling of all is amazement at the incredible strength of this amazing woman.

Rena Kornreich was in the first transport of jews to Auschwitz in 1942 and survived the war with some amazing tales of courage and survival. Her number was 1716, so low that many didn't believe it at first when they were finally liberated in 1945, and just another testiment to her incredible bravery.

Within a few months of arriving at Auschwitz, Rena had reunited with her younger sister, Danka, and I believe she found the strength to endure some horrific conditions because of a promise she had made her mother years before to always watch over the 'baby' - Danka. The promise also refers to a promise she made her sister in those early months when it looked like despair would overwhelm Danka and claim her life.

Rena's incredible memory supplies us with some of the most vivid recollections of the work camps that have ever been recorded. Just by reading this memoir, you learn so much about the conditions the camps were run in and you'll read about some very brave people. There was one polish prisoner working in the kitchens at one point who was sweet on Rena and offered her a plan of escape. She turned it down as it couldn't include her sister but another girl took up the plan with her boyfriend and their escape was successful, at least for a short while. Mala Zimetbaum did escape Auschwitz with her lover before being recaptured, tortured and murdered.

Rena and Danka were also selected by Mengele for what they thought was a special work detail. Rena became suspicious after a work leader snuck a friend out of the group and so Rena made a daring exit from the group and blended back into the work details. That group went on to endure horrors in the medical experiments that Mengele became infamous for and no-one from the group survived.

There are many other references to things we now take for granted as tales from history, but these women actually lived through these events. This book will open your eyes to a very black time in human history but you will not regret taking a look.

To learn more about these people, the ones who survived and the ones who didn't make it, is quite an honour. This book is written in such a way that although you are learning about an episode that is full of dread and horrors, you also get a real sense of the hope that Rena felt and gave to others. Of course she had her low points but even then, you will be amazed at her strength to rise up again.

A brilliant memoir, this book should be compulsory reading for all high schools, and if you can find a copy you won't be disappointed.

18 Books..

2010-03-21T15:30:00.000+13:00

.. at 11 weeks down for the year. I am so on target for one book a week. Finally! only 3 years in the making. Looking around for my next read at the moment and am leaning towards my favourite Austen book, again. I read Persuasion at least once a year, I just adore it. The tale of 'loving longest, even when all hope has gone' just gets to me for some reason.

Treezy asked me how do I manage to read so quickly. Very simple. I read multiple books at a time, I'll spend a few hours of the day reading every evening (I prefer reading to TV or DVD's at the moment), and I don't have any kind of a life.

Not that I miss it mind you, I'm quite happy to live vicariously through my characters. Bring on Anne Elliot.

Galileo's Dream - Kim Stanley Robinson

2010-03-21T15:13:00.001+13:00

I've read quite a bit from this author, his Mars trilogy was especially good, and so when I spied this one based on a real enigmatic and brilliant figure from history I was sold instantly.

We follow Galileo's life beginning when he was a professor living in Padua. We are offered an alternative explanation for how he came across his brilliant telescope idea and the consequences that follow, in particular his growing fascination with star-gazing and his studies of the moon, Venus and Jupiter and finally to the discovery of the four closest Jovian moons.

From here Galileo makes the logical observation that the Earth is not the centre of the Universe as previously believed, but rather it appears that the Sun is at the centre and the other heavenly bodies turn around it, and the church begins to take an eager interest in his work, especially these new shocking heretical announcements.

Basically, the book follows what really happened in Galileo's life (I read up on his life during reading this one) and follows it rather closely for the most part. You will actually learn a lot about the man himself just by reading this novel as it is heavily steeped in fact, but that is not all of what this book is about.

There is a parallel story happening, of a human settlement from the future who live on the moons of Jupiter and who have the ability to travel back in time. They are highly advanced as you would expect, but being human they still have the same struggles and difference of opinion that is timeless in our race.

They are the ones who guided Galileo towards his telescope discovery, his star-gazing, and helped him during his investigation by the inquisition. They revere Galileo as the Father of All Science and believe he may have some part to play in assisting them with their own volatile issues. They are almost god-like in appearance and knowledge and Galileo is both in awe and intrigued by their world.

The author keeps us moving quickly through the many times in Galileo's life with ease and I found that the peripheral characters were almost as interesting to read about as Galileo himself. His eldest daughter for example, possibly as intelligent as her father but doomed by circumstance, also his mistress and his workshop worker. They all were real people and all are fascinating.

I did get lost slightly during the many mathematical explanations of the time travel and the future world on the Galilean moons. The drug-enhanced trips into the history and future of mathematics that Galileo goes on were beautifully described but passages that needed a dictionary close to hand if you were really to be able to say you understood the chapter properly.

That doesn't mean they weren't enjoyable though. I did spend a few hours reading with a dictionary and a laptop by my side, reinforcing my knowledge of the harder concepts and words, but it isn't the kind of easy reading that you can enjoy last thing before sleep which unfortunately is my usual reading hour.

The ending is something I don't think I could give away even if I tried. The nature of the problems near Jupiter aren't fully resolved by the end of the book and the life of Galileo is already one we know the ending of. I think this book is more a melding of scientific and mathematical concepts into novel form, using a great figure from history as the vehicle to deliver the images and story, more than just a straight novel with a beginning, middle, and end.

That said, I enjoyed the book, loved learning more about Galileo, and will keep reading Mr Robinson in the future. I might just add that if you are intrigued by his writing, his very impeccably researched writing, then start with The Mars trilogy books or the stand-alone novel Antartica. They are very good.

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant - Alexandra Fuller

2010-03-16T11:08:00.000+13:00

This book made me do something I have never done in my whole 35 years and which I'm still reeling from. I cried my eyes out in the last few pages of this book.

Not just a few tears but they were literally streaming down my cheeks and this just doesn't happen with me and words. I love words, perhaps even obsessively at times, but they just don't get to me like images do (I am a movie cryer) and it's always been that way.

Anyway, jumping ahead, part of the reason I was so moved I think is Alexandra Fullers amazing way of writing and making you fall in love with Colton. I wish I had a Colton for a brother and a best friend, he just seems such an amazing human being, full of so much compassion and uncluttered by materialistic worries. A rare genuine soul you could say.

The chapters are really short as well, 4-8 pages mostly, so it's as though you get a glimpse into a lot of different episodes of Coltons life and not a running commentary from childhood to fatherhood, which would've taken too long and taken away from getting to know Colton from how he was with his family and friends. I really liked this style and it suited the subject matter perfectly.

Colton H. Bryant. A gorgeous kid with a loving family and startling blue eyes. Teased as a kid, possibly for his ADHD tendacies and his struggles to concentrate on his learning. He was called a retard so often that he made up a mantra which he repeats often through the book - "Mind over Matter: I don't mind so it don't matter."

His family blew me away, they are so close, so real, so tough, so true. Colton had a very good childhood and it was largely due to these wonderful people. His friendship with his best mate Jake also blew me away. These guys are so close, so in tune with each other, it kinda made me jealous that I've never experienced a friendship quite like theirs; but I doubt many people have.

Apart from learning about Colton and wishing he would have a long and happy life, you knew that something was going to happen, something bad. I tried to believe I was mistaken though, almost put myself in denial, as I couldn't believe that tragedy was around the corner for this amazing guy but something does go wrong.

Bravo for the author that she leaves this bit until right in the last few pages. I really appreciated reading about all the good times of Coltons life for as long as possible, you just can't help but really love the guy by this stage. Also good on her for leaving the other message of the book until right at the very end so it doesn't detract from Colton's life story at all.

Colton works on the rigs in Wyoming and in particular, for a rig contracted by Ultra Petroleum. They make a huge turnover drilling for coal-bed methane gas but despite the large profits, the company isn't so great on safety training or safety devices on their rigs. Colton fell and hit his head, falling from a narrow platform which had no safety rails and wearing no safety harness as the area he was working in was too tight and the harness would've restricted his movements. Rails, which would've saved his life, would have cost $2000.

The family never received any decent compensation from the company and the contractor was ordered to pay just under $8000 to the local occupational health safety.

This amazing man becomes another statistic in Wyomings very high workplace death numbers and it would appear that nothing much has changed, despite the worst happening over and over again. There are some great articles to read on this topic, please have a look:

Disposable Workers of the Oil and Gas Fields - Ray Ring

Recovering from Wyoming's Energy Bender - Alexandra Fuller

Colton H. Bryant: a modern american tragedy - Helen Brown (book review)

I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a touching tale of one man and his quest to make all those around him happy and to live his life to the absolute fullest. He is a character you wish you'd had a chance to meet. He is Colton H. Bryant, gone at 25 but never forgotten.

There is another thing that keeps repeating through the book, a saying that Colton says regularly, 'If I should die before I wake, feed Jake.'

It's from a favourite song of his I believe, by the Pirates of the Mississippi, and it obviously sticks to him because of his best mate Jake but it will stick with you as well, long after you read the book. I know I find myself saying it. It makes you think you're homouring his memory by saying it. Corny but true.

Galileo, Waterloo, Austalian Convict Ships, Odysseus..

2010-03-12T14:43:00.001+13:00

Yes, I've been reading some rather unusual things recently. Gawd knows why, but I've quite enjoyed them all. The female novelists then - a brief summary.

The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood

I chose the Margaret Atwood novel for two reasons. Firstly, I have enjoyed a few of her other novels and knew her to be an intelligent and engaging author, and secondly, I love the greek mythologies and the story of what happens when Odysseus finally returns and finds so many manipulative suitors vying to to take over his life, his wife, his land, title and wealth, has always fascinated me.

This tale is told from his wife Penelope's point of view, and how she coped during those long years of his absence. It is also interspersed with prose and lamentations from the 12 maids that were killed after his return and their reasons for blaming both Penelope and Odysseus for their deaths. Some of the pieces are very much in the style of Aristophanes with his repititive verses and choruses and which oddly give the style a lighter air despite the topic. In fact, the book itself is short and a fairly quick, easy read, almost written as something specifially aimed at teenagers although I don't know if this is actually the case.

I think I enjoyed it overall but it is quite divorced from more common styles of storytelling, constantly flipping back and forth between Penelope's narrative and the maids accusatory songs and speeches. Also the distance between that ancient time and our present time is rather odd. What I did enjoy quite alot though is Penelope's reflections of the character of Helen of Troy, quite amusing. An interesting point of view.

The Floating Brothel - Sian Rees

I picked this one up after a brief glance at the first few pages and realised just how harsh and excessive the English judicial system was back in the late 18th century. This book covers the women who were transported to Australia on the ship the Lady Juliana, considered sometimes part of both the first and second fleets. The truth is that she sailed about a year before the second fleet but arrived only a week or two before them, the convicts and crew enjoying a rather pleasant journey, all things considered, especially compared to some of the appalling conditions that convicts were transported under in later journeys.

While the women on board did defintiely use their more relaxed state of imprisonment to their advantage, and also made many alliances and valuable trades in every port they stopped in along the way; I felt the real information in the book was focusing on the ridiculously petty crimes that landed these women with such weighty sentences, mostly to '7 years transportation across the seas'. These crimes included stealing a metre of cloth, pickpocketing a teaspoon, taking an apron, and it goes on. The harsh treatment of women who often had all other options of making a living taken away from them by the very system that then punishes them so horribly for trying to survive just made my blood boil at times.

One interesting fact was that during the American war for Independence and the war with the French, women were encouraged to take up many shop positions as the men were rather scarce. When the men returned in abundance, these women were forced from their positons, even in haberdasheries and other stores more suited to a female pysche, and the only real form of honest employment was maid work. When Pitt the younger imposed his income taxes on the people to try to alleviate the growing national debt the wars had incurred, many simply couldn't afford to live and stole to get by. A vicious circle for some it would seem.

Still, I also read about Mary Wade, the youngest female convict to travel to Australia (she left Britain when she was only 11), and her descendants today number over tens of thousands. By all accounts, she embraced her new life and is considered one of the founding mothers of Australia.

At times this book was too factual but I learnt alot and it is an absolutely fascinating time in history. So much tragedy but also glimmers of real hope.

Two Months Down...

2010-02-23T19:23:00.000+13:00

...and about thirteen books read so far. I've tried for three years now to average one book a week for a whole year and despite getting very close, I've never made the goal of 52.

But, 2010 feels like the right year to break bad habits and it's started well. Roll on more reading.

Actually, let's up the ante and make the goal an even 60.

As you can see, we live dangerously in this corner of the world.

The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff

2010-02-14T15:32:00.001+13:00

I approached this with curiousity as it is an intriguing idea to use characters from a beloved childrens book to illustrate the basic principles of Taoism, and despite my reluctance to study the book intently for the taoist teachings it offers especially as it felt quite a childlike way to explain something, I find that ever since I've finished the book, little occurrences happen with which I can accurately assign a taoist principle.

The ideas offered are the very basics of taoism but the main point of taoism is also that the simplest things and methods are the best, so in a way, you could argue it was surprisingly thorough.

One major concept I garnered from the book is that we as humans should stop trying to twist other people, other things, other ideas to conform with how we want it to be. One example of this from the book was when a man became annoyed with a tree on his property because the trunk was all gnarled and therefore would not be good for milling. He complained the tree was useless.

The reply was that even though it was not valuable as lumber, you could still make use of the tree and shelter from the sun or rain under its branches or just simply admire the feat of nature that went into its creation. It is useless only because he wanted to turn it into something that it was not, and didn't appreciate it for the qualities it already had in its natural form.

I really like that principle and if you think about it, you can apply that to many things in our everyday lives today. Hoff illustrated this one by using Pooh Bear's Cottleston Pie riddle and specifically the first verse including "A fly can't bird but a bird can fly". Essentially, we can't fit square pegs into round holes - things are just what they are.

There are many other principles explained and then cross-referenced with examples from Pooh. As I said before, reading it all felt rather too simplistic and more like a new Pooh Bear story then an explanation of taoism but that is the beauty of the way this has been written. It is easy to read - my eleven year old has read it, and you don't realise until later just how much of the teachings you really took in.

To be fair, to cement them in my mind, I suspect a second reading is in order but at only 150 pages long, that will be just a quick days work.

There is also The Te of Piglet which I might try to keep an eye out for. This idea of using a bear of little brain to explain things is quite a nice way to be introduced to new ways of thinking and if you have an open mind, then I recommend giving this one a try.

I've Also Seen....

2010-02-03T17:51:00.001+13:00

The Young Victoria

I adored this film. Maybe it was the period drama which is a particular love of mine, or just the fact that Victoria was presented in a way we normally never see, a young vibrant and beautiful girl finding her feet in the heady world of royalty and politics and rule. This piece has a gorgeous love story and a coming of age tale coupled with some stunning costumes and english history. A win-win in my book.

A Film With Me in It

Didn't know anything about this one except that the very funny Dylan Moran (of 'Black Books' fame) was involved and I'd found a pretty favourable review. Basically, this loser whose life is literally falling to pieces around him, has the uncanny experience of coincidental and accidental deaths in his flat, all straight after each other. He gets his neighbour round (Moran) to help him figure out what to do and it goes from bad to worse. It's a black comedy and you do laugh, it will definitely entertain you, just not an oscar winner here. But I enjoyed it and it is a good escape from the world.

The Invention of Lying

While this film will make you laugh and the first half hour is especially funny where everybody says the absolute truth of what they are thinking, it got a bit bizarre later on, religion came into it and I'm wondering if I'm just over Ricky Gervais - he wasn't really suited to the main lead character. Jennifer Garner was great as the female love interest and it is good to see her in such a non-action, non-teen role but Gervais was very unbelievable as the man who invents lying and tries to change the world. Maybe it's that perpetual smirk he carrys with him, I dunno, but having said that, this is a good light watch and you will enjoy for that alone.

Up in the Air

Hmmm. I dunno about this one, it was so bloody weird. Of course all the acting was very good but the story was kinda slow and it does makes sense at the end when they tie the moral of the story together, but I felt quite unsatisfied on the whole and I can't place my finger on it. Clooney's character appears confident and tough on the outside but you slowly see that unravel when he makes a connection with a fellow traveller and also when he is made to take a rookie on his work trips, and these two women end up turning his safe life upside down. It's a good film but not a stunning film. No laughs either unlike the two above.

500 Days of Summer

I like the styling of this film, thought it would be really annoying at first with jumping all over the place in the span of 500 days but it actually worked quite well. I guess in a way, this is also a coming of age film as our main hero eventually figures out what he really wants and learns how to move on from his past that he seems to love to cling to. Just an enjoyable easy watch although my husband didn't like it as much so perhaps a possible chick flick here.

and the first 10 minutes of Bruno...
...gawd. Sacha Baron Cohen really pushes the envelope here and you'll notice I only got as far as 10 minutes. I'm actually annoyed with this as I love his piss-takes of certain people and industries. He does it so well, Borat was so insanely funny, but I dunno where he's going here. I may give it another try but it's not at the top of my list. Pity.

How about them Movies then?

2010-01-25T18:19:00.003+13:00

Yep, so I've seen a few movies recently and here's a quick rundown of what I've been watching:

Inglorious Basterds!

What a load of twaddle and averageness. How come this has had so many good reviews? In reality it is a slow meandering piece peopled with vengeful violent characters and a lack of imagination. I think this is supposed to be a black comedy set during World War 2 but it is an excuse for Brad Pitt to show us possibly the worst acting of his career so far (or maybe just his worst movie decision so far), and Quentin Tarantino proves that a movie filled with mindless violence and no plot isn't always a recipe for success. Possibly could have been a better watch if they had edited a lot of the unneeded extra shite scenes. Didn't warm to this one at all.

9

Absolute gem of a film using animation and a futuristic story eerily similar to The Matrix and The Terminator where the machines take over the earth. The story is a bit abstract in places but the characters are lovable, their design is fantastic, and the movie flows easily right to the end. I did get a bit lost at the end as to how 9 wraps up the whole thing but it didn't seem to matter too much as I had enjoyed the rest so much. My kids loved this one as well. Search it out.

Julie and Julia

Wasn't sure what to expect here but I absolutely loved it although I would probably preface that by saying it is a chick flick - cooking and the female emotions that follow just don't seem like your average guy's cup of tea. But, that said, this one is very good. Meryl Streep absolutely nailed Julia Child, has she won the Oscar yet because she bloody well should?, and the blogger Julie is beautifully portrayed and her quest to give herself a goal in life starts this behemoth of a project which has made her a global name. A very well executed film.

Avatar

Really enjoyed it but damn, 3D technology on the 'ole glasses absolutely sucks. Why bother? I suspect if you're at a studio preview and you get to wear flash 3D lenses then the experience would blow your mind but those pieces of shite at the local cinema? Meh! Waste of money, just go to the 2D version. That said though, I really enjoyed this film, I loved the action, I loved the natives of Pandora and I loved the way they made the human avatars look so much like them, very cool. And apparently the language was based on New Zealands own Maori which is also very cool. Possibly too long but it's becoming a trend for these big budget movies now. Deserves a few nods at the Oscars for sure. Had to laugh that The Vatican have an official stand on this movie because it poses the idea of nature being a living entity that can control worlds and that people can believe in and subscribe to. It's a movie guys! Ever heard of entertainment?

Sherlock Holmes

Ooh, how good an actor is Robert Downey jr? Friggin out of this world I think you'll find. He just stole this one for me, his Holmes is a fantastic eccentric addict genious who is both embittered and bored by the world while also being fascinated with it. Guy Ritchie keeps a good pace throughout the film although his insistance of muffling the voices got a bit annoying, I thought I was going deaf at first! Probably a stylised trick of the trade but a frustrating one for those already slightly hearing impaired like moi. The story is good and I'm hoping they'll do more films, keeping the two main leads as well, as Jude Law played the straighter Watson very well. While I love Rachel McAdams, I struggled to find why her character was needed in the story apart from a bit of eye candy and a minor love interest for Holmes. Other than that, excellent and I suspect it gets better on the second viewing as you'll be prepared for the mumbling voices.

The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

2010-01-20T16:33:00.000+13:00

Wow. I could leave the review there and I think it will convey how good I think this book is but I'll expand slightly for those of you who want to hear more.

This book has easily jumped straight away into my Top 10 books of all time and I could barely put it down for 4 days. I ate, slept and breathed these characters lives and if I had a spare moment, a quick five minutes while waiting for my turn in the shower or three minutes while I drank my coffee, then I grabbed this book and read more.

We first meet Margaret Lea who is a recluse working in her father's antique book shop and not dealing so well with her everyday life. She more often than not chooses to escape into books, especially the lives of dead people from whom she makes a bit on the side, writing up essays on their lives.

Our other main character is Vida Winter, an elderly author who is considered Britain's most beloved author of modern times and also the most enigmatic and mysterious. She has made a habit of never telling the truth about her past, preferring instead to invent a new outrageous tale anytime she is asked. Added to this is her unusual book originally entitled Thirteen Tales while only containing twelve, and she has turned herself into a kind of an urban myth.

So when Maragaret Lea gets an letter from Vida Winter inviting her to visit and undertake the job of writing her biography, she is naturally sceptical. Still, curiousity is a strong emotion to overcome and she journeys to Miss Winter, and so we all begin the story of stories within a story as Miss Winter's past is told through many tales and through Ms Lea's own investigations.

I think it is the style of telling many stories within a story that is so appealing here and so successful. This book is a page-turner and I'm still a bit sad that I finished it so quickly. Miss Winter's stories are fascinating and through her you meet other great characters in a time and place that has an ethereal quality about it, it very often just doesn't seem real.

The real story is eventually revealed but it's not one that you could guess and so the suspense maintains right until the end of the book. I must admit, it took me about 40 pages to get thoroughly hooked into the novel. The first couple of chapters are following Ms Lea at her home and work and her lonely sad existence doesn't immediately translate into what becomes an engaging, sensational and incredibly excellent first novel.

You will not be disappointed if you pick this one up and even better, this is not a chick book. I think guys would really enjoy the writing style of this tale and the fact that the book keeps up the intrigue and only releases a bit more of the puzzle, a little bit at a time, you can't help but get hooked.

Treat yourself to some good storytelling.

Silent on the Moor - Deanna Raybourn

2010-01-20T16:03:00.000+13:00

This series is one of my wee guilty pleasures. So far there are three books (also Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary) that exist purely to give readers an indulgent escape for a few days.

Nothing too intellectual, no major concepts to puzzle through, just really well written mystery books with a wee smattering of romantic interludes that propriety dictates really shouldn't be happening in the 1860's.

Our main heroine is Lady Julia Grey who is young and gorgeous and rich and a widow who has never really enjoyed her life or felt she was alive until her husband is murdered in book one and she teams up with the mysterious Nicholas Brisbane, a inquiry agent, to find the murderer.

She makes many wrong moves, gets herself into a bit of trouble but also discovers new clues in the case and every book has followed roughly this similar pattern.

She finds herself being drawn more and more to Brisbane but he is rarely civil to her and mostly wants her to keep out of his way. As the books progress their unusual relationship keeps getting more intriguing and we learn a bit more about Brisbane's background.

In this particular book, Lady Julia follows Brisbane to his new estate in the moors, determined to get some kind of label to put on their relationship. Of course there is murder, intrigue, mad people and mystery but this book does focus more on the two main characters and their budding romance, even though Brisbane continues to fight his feelings.

As I said before, these are my guilty pleasures. They are so easy to read and I always find myself completely transported to Lady Julia's England for a few days, not really wanting to stop reading until the very end. I read them and satisfy my need for a pure escape. I'm looking forward to the next one and interested to read her latest book following a new character altogether.

Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett

2010-01-10T12:13:00.001+13:00

An odd choice for light reading you might think but I thoroughly enjoyed this play, despite not alot actually happening, and I will probably keep my eyes on the lookout for a stage version to attend.

Twice when I told people that I was reading this they couldn't wait to tell me how much they hated this play and it always transpires that they studied it at school. A third person who also knows the play well gave the impression that he found it a very boring piece of literature and it makes me wonder if I have a very strange sense of what I find enjoyable or, and I think this is closer to the truth, high school english has a lot to answer for in terms of ruining perfectly good pieces of writing by making the students analyse and dissect meanings that are merely assumed and never intended.

I didn't take 7th Form english purely because I couldn't stand what they make you do to good books. I remember studying The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier in 5th Form english and perhaps much to my credit, I still remember it as a great book, despite taking it to pieces analytically. I also still read Shakespeare and the old poets so maybe it is just me but I digress.

Most people I've talked to can't stand the books, plays, poems that they were made to study back in high school and I think this is a ridiculous situation which counteracts what studying english is trying to achieve, ie. a love of all literature.

But I still digress, so back to Godot. I loved it. The whole time I read it I held a visual image of the characters in my head, either in the real landscape or on a man-made stage setting, and the story just seemed to come alive for me, both mentally and visually.

Yes, it is a play where nothing happens but I think you can also argue that everything happens during the nothingness. Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for Godot and in waiting they devise a whole series of distractions to pass the time. They moan, they jest, they sleep, they ponder, they curse, they contemplate suicide, they dance, they pontificate.. the list goes on.

Their actions are broken in both Acts byt the arrival of Pozzo and Lucky who simply add to the action and distractions of the nothingness. I can still picture Lucky's monologue of verbal diarrohea as the three other characters scramble about him to take off his hat and thus make him quiet once more.

I sniggered quite a bit during this book and I really do think it is a brilliant piece of writing.

I was just reading some reviews of the play which are really analytical observations and suggestions as to the symbolism of the characters, the setting, and the non-appearing Godot. While academically you could argue that there is a lot of merit to be had in such reviews, to me I felt it all a bit unneccesary. Is it not enough to simply enjoy a good piece of writing and then leave it alone?

In my opinion that is how you should approach this play. It can be read very quickly as it is quite short, and just enjoy the pictures it conjures up and the simplicity of the characters and their laughable foibles. It is a good piece of writing, better if you don't over-analyse it.

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt

2010-01-08T16:51:00.000+13:00

This book is one of those that really takes you by surprise when you're least expecting it. It tackles some incredibly huge topics like tragedy, separation, anxiety, guilt, and the gap between relationships when you're not sure if you really understand all that is going on in your life. The distance that others have when viewing your life from afar, often seem to give them a better understanding of what is really going on, and of course hindsight is the best kind of distance there is, which is how this book is written.

It is roughly split into 3 parts. For the first 120 odd pages we learn, through Leo's voice, about all our main characters and how they came to be such a tight group, the ways that they interact and love each other. There is Leo and his wife Erica, Bill is an artist and Leo's best friend and his paintings and conceptualisational art often seem to be the thing that holds the characters and the story together, his way of looking at the world can relate to the people around him.

We also have Bill's first wife Lucille, their son Mark who is the same age as Leo and Erica's son Matthew, and then lastly, Violet, Bill's muse and eventually his second wife. We follow about 15 years of these characters lives, their troubles and good times, the love and the hurt, and we begin to really know them like we are a part of their group. Erica and Violet are writers and very intelligent which often leads the dialogue and the theorising into abstract proses on life. Leo is an art history professor and a writer as well so he is very much in tune with analysing what he sees.

It is an easy enjoyable first section of the book but I kept reading the words 'urban thiller' on the inside cover and wondering where it is all going to end up and when.

Part two begins with a tragedy so sad that it rocks our characters, especially Leo and Erica, into a way of living that they never quite recover from. We delve very deeply into what it really means to grieve and we witness the unspeakable kindness and goodness in people as Bill and Violet look after their friends. This section is especially beautifully written and you have to wonder whether the author hasn't experienced some personal tragedy of her own to portray the grief involved so vividly and realistically.

This middle section is bookended by two tragedies and the second death rolls us into part three and into an absolute page turner of a story. We go even deeper into the depths of grief, of friendship, and then eventually into trust and love. Some really odd characters enter their lives and affect them in ways that there will never be any going back. Leo struggles with his own inability to realise what was right there in front of his eyes at the time, and his unquavering trust and love for someone he knew was unworthy.

The author really explores imagery here that I haven't quite read anywhere else before. Her intellectual approach to writing about human experiences and emotions is very welcome and brilliantly done and has left me with a lasting impression of a thoroughly clever and enjoyed novel and an author I will look out for.

The book begins very modestly but the intensity of the story just keeps building up until you get to the last few pages where we return to Leo and his recounting the story of their lives. It is a book I highly recommend.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2010-01-06T15:47:00.000+13:00

I've been pondering how to review this book for a week or so now and I'm still not sure that I'll do it justice but here goes.

It actually took me about four tries to really get into this book, before then I made it to about page five and then just navigated away to some other more interesting read at the time. And I guess the reason for that is that this book is a narrative without a beginning or an ending. It just begins in this scene but you don't know how the characters came to be there or what has gone to pass before then, it all just is.

The other thing that I found hard to warm into at first was the very poetic style of writing. For example, the first three sentences of the book read:
"When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him. Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before. Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world."

See what I mean? Now I'm not saying that this style isn't quite brilliant (which it is), but you definitely need to be in the right head-space to absorb the words in the beginning, before you're hooked into the story, to keep reading. But it is worth it, mostly.

Okay, I say mostly because not all the ideas are thought-provoking, some, or one in particular, is downright disturbing. The passage involves a newborn and a fire and some travellers and I won't say anymore but the imagery was quite brutal and I've found it hard to forget. It has been the single thing about the book that has lingered in my mind and I really don't think the author meant for it to be that way so it must be me. But you are now all warned.

Gawd, what a hodge-podge review this is turning into. I read one reviewer called this book 'haunting and unsettling'. Yep, pretty much on the mark. It is about survival in a post-apocalyptic America, about the despair and desperation that goes hand in hand with survival, and it is about the relationship between father and son while pushed to their very limits emotionally, mentally and physically.

The father is consumed by his need to protect and provide and is often blinded by anything else. The boy is dealing with emotions to his situation and has less of a desire to survive if the life to be had is not worth having. The subtle interactions, often monosyllablic, between these two characters is raw and incredibly honest, despite the short nature of the scenes, and we are left feeling emotionally drained at the end of the book.

The father was so attuned to looking out for 'the bad men' that I wonder if he doesn't often overlook the good in people that are there to be seen if he'd just lessen his guard. The boy plays his opposite in this role and we often hear the moral viewpoint from the boy's own actions and thoughts and words.

It is a book easily read in one sitting and is often recommended to be read as such. It is a book that will leave you in a slight turmoil for a few days and it is an incredibly beautifully written novel despite the underlying topic being the ugliness of humanity. It is a book that is sure to touch you in some way.

As an aside, the movie 'The Road', is due to open in cinemas here soon. It will be interesting to see how well it translates onto the big screen although I think that Viggo Mortenson has the perfect intensity needed for the character of the man. Look out for that as well.

The Angel's Cut - Elizabeth Knox

2009-12-29T23:09:00.002+13:00

I was rather dubious about reading this offering seeing as it is the sequel of a book I consider one of the best I've ever read, and sequels can be notoriously disappointing.

I had actually planned to re-read The Vintner's Luck first but decided against it as I wanted to not have the reading of this tale to be altered in any way by my opinion of another book - which is an awesome book by the way and 'read it' is my highly professional opinion.

So we pick up about 100 years after we first meet the angel Xas in The Vintner's Luck and he is still quite shaken over the death of his lover and determined to live in the air to try to fill the hole in his heart and also the absence of his other love, his wings, which naughty Lucifer [spoiler alert] cut off in the first book.

With the advent of flying machines in the early 1900's Xas finds himself more able to indulge in his desire to live high above the earth and we follow his adventures from a German zeppellin scout during World War 1 to an acrobatic dare-devil in 1920's France to the budding Hollywood scene in Los Angeles in the 1930's and beyond. But the actual adventures aren't as important as the character interactions.

Xas befriends a pioneering black woman pilot, also a heavily scarred film editor, and begins an affair with a young and upcoming movie director. The peripheral characters play a huge role as well onto the lives of our main protaganists, most important would be a couple of brothers in the film industry, Lucifer the almighty angel, and none other than God, who never utters a word but his presence is strongly felt nonetheless.

Yes, this book tells a tale of certain characters but their story is really just background noise to what Xas is finding out about himself and the humans he cares for and the human emotions he fights hard to feel. The dialogue between Xas and Lucifer dotter the book sporadically but I felt their weight was the true binding that held this story together.

It isn't as deep a story as The Vintner's Luck and indeed, you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy and understand this second offering, but although I enjoyed the book I couldn't help but thinking that something was missing from the story, something perhaps that a third book may contain but that is just pure supposition on my part.

Even though I enjoyed the book, I'm really not sure wether to recommend it or not. If you are open to homosexuality and discussions about the creation and heaven and earth in a biblical sense then you would find this book okay but I am sure there are a group of people out there that would be offended by the ideas here. I know a few who were quite upset by The Vintner's Luck which I found such a good read so I am not one to presume to understand to whom this book would appeal.

I think that the slightly unusual and controversial will appeal to a few and you know who you are so give it a go. Also, if you're already a fan of Elizabeth Knox then it may be worth a look (I go hot and cold on her - Vintner's Luck is one of my favourite books and Billie's Kiss is one of the worst books I've ever read so I go all schizophrenic on this one at times).

A good thing to point out is that this book is a stand-alone novel in that you don't have to have read The Vintner's Luck to understand or enjoy the story. And kiwi writers are always good to support so there is definitely that. I'd love to be a kiwi writer someday and local support would mean the world to me. At the end of the day, read it if you've got the time, but not because it will change your life. Who knows, maybe the third one is the charm... although I suspect the first book was the life changing story and is just too hard to beat about now.

New Moon - The Film

2009-12-16T17:36:00.002+13:00

Okay, so I said I'd take Little Miss 13 (the twilight addicted daughter) to this movie and off we went.

It's interesting as I find myself in two minds here. First of all, the base material, ie. the book 'New Moon', is the worst and most boring book of the series. Possibly because it drags through the middle there with tales of Bella the Dull and her 'aching hurting I'm missing my boyfriend' heart. Thankfully they condense this in the film and I still maintain that the author needs a strong talking to for subjecting us to so many pages of Bella's emotional failings.

We then have the Jacob character getting more air time as he develops in the series, and also into a wolfman. This bit I was really looking forward to as I thought the scope for wolfy transformations would be at the top of a CGI's wishlist. Not so apparently. The wolves are alright, but not nearly as big and menacing as the book made them out to be, and there just isn't enough of them in the movie.

Now, I realise that this could be quite true to the book but the problem is that apart from the great Italian Vampire Mafia scenes at the end of the film, the action is few and far between and hence why I go hot and cold on the film. It really didn't live up to its true potential but as far as teen movies go, it is definitely watchable and especially handy if you're planning on seeing the next two movies as the filler in of gaps.

Of note is the very talented Dakota Fanning (see picture above) who plays one of the mafia's evil henchmen, the notoriously powerful Jane. She is feared for her ability to inflict pain on someone with her thoughts and she brings this character to life superbly.

Other than that? S'all right. Like I say, see it to fill in the gaps (and avoid reading the book version), so you're up with the play when movie 3 comes out - if you want to be up with the play that is.

I will be because I was tricked into reading the first book, and like my younger sister I then just had to finish the series because I don't ever leave books unfinished (even if I don't like them - must be a family thing..), and of course I have two daughters who insist on dragging me to the films because they seem to enjoy discussing this kind of thing with me. The three of us are reading more of the same books and then watching the film adaptions and it's actually kinda cool.

To conclude, I have no idea if you should watch this film or not. Definitely yes if you intend to see the whole series through (and seeing as the first 2 films have been quite faithful to the books this bodes well for the future as the last two book are miles superior). If you're just curious then you may well end up slightly disappointed as I don't believe it lives up to the hype but you are fully warned.

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

2009-12-14T10:27:00.002+13:00

I finished this book a few days ago but it has taken me this long to form my thoughts into a review worthy of such a brilliant book. I'm not really sure I'll do it justice so I may just begin by pasting a brief synopsis from the author's own webpage:

"Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard."

I mean, how cool does that sound?? And the best bit is that it really is every bit as good as you want it to be.

Right, so the first few pages leaves you a bit confused as to what is going on. There is a tavern and an inn-keeper, his assistant and his regulars, and there are stories told around evening drinks of things that go bump in the night and heroes and villains. A regular saturday night at the pub in smallville you could say.

Then we shift to a travelling storyteller and his run in with some highway thugs and then some unkown and truly demonic creature. Our two main characters meet in these strained circumstances and we learn that the storyteller is almost as famous as the inn-keeper once was and it is his story that the storyteller has come to find.

Okay, now that that is established we hear from Kvothe's own voice the tale of his life, interrupted every now and then by what is still going on in the real world of smallville, and his tale is pure genius, utterly riveting and such a refreshingly new take on the whole wizards and magic theme which has been so popular recently.

It has been said that this book should stand alongside The Lord of the Rings as an equal and I thoroughly agree. It is miles better than the Harry Potter series and on a par, if not better, than The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Johnathon Stroud. The one bad thing I can say about this book is that Mr Rothfuss hasn't finished writing the next book yet and I just know it will be a hard wait for me as this book only covers Kvothe's life story up until the age of 16.

Kvothe is a fantastic character, hero and anti-hero all rolled into one at times, and a pure joy to read about. This book is one of those novels that you really don't want to put down, especially the second half which just gets completely fascinating as he enters the University and begins to study magic and beyond.

What more is there to say? I think this guy is an amazing writer who is in the middle of a series of books which will be a future cult classic. When I think magic and wizards I always think of the fantasy genre which is something I haven't really read much of before, but if the rest of the top books in that genre are anything like this one then I may be the newest convert.

I won't give the plot away because I really do think it is worth reading for yourself. And besides, we've only heard so little of his life and there is plenty more of the tale still to tell so I really couldn't tell you the true plot anyway. This book covers roughly about three days real-time of these guys sitting around and telling, listening, or writing down this story and that in itself is quite a unique way to present any tale.

I just can't recommend this book enough. Grab a copy and enjoy!

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

2009-12-11T16:28:00.000+13:00

Here's one of those novels that you constantly hear about but never really get round to reading for yourself except I finally did thanks to a cheap $3 copy found at the local hospice shop recently. I know it is required reading in many schools but my schools weren't part of the required ones it would seem

After all the hype I was surprised to find that's it's written more like a children's novel. Very simple, easy to follow dialogue and quite short. It is a novella really which explains the length but I expected a more sophisticated style from this Nobel prize-winning author.

Not to say that this lessens the impact of the book, not at all. The themes come through very strongly even with such a simple delivery: Independence, Loneliness, Companionship, Powerlessness and Fate. Some fairly hefty topics for any book to tackle and Steinbeck does a great job of exploring them here.

It is essentially the tale of two travelling workers in the Great Depression era who find themselves moving from ranch to ranch for work to escape the trouble that inevitably finds them. George is the smaller of the pair but quick-witted and kind-hearted. Lennie is a giant in comparison but mentally like a child and relies on George for many things. Lennie gets frightened easily by situations he doesn't understand and holds on tight to the closest thing when scared which causes all sorts of problems, the last one being a rape allegation that they are running from as Lennie couldn't let go of a girl's dress once she started yelling at him. He has a liking for soft things and a special fondness for animals, especially rabbits, but he doesn't seem to be able to control his own strength.

It seems to me that looking after Lennie is a major part of what keeps George going day-to-day. He enjoys the role of protector and genuinely likes Lennie, despite his slow wits. Together they have a dream of saving up enough money to buy a wee property of their own and live off the fat of the land, growing or raising everything they need. It turns out that this dream is more often thought of among the ranch hands then they realised, as they discover when a couple of others ask if they could join them in their dream. Ranch hands are such lonely nomadic people and to settle down with a good group and have something to call your own would be like winning the lottery back then.

Should I give away the end of the story? It's only 112 pages so I think you should give it a read for yourself but I will say that I was initially a bit miffed that it ends so abruptly. But since then I have been pondering over what I think happens to the characters next and I'd imagine that is the way that Steinbeck wanted his audience to remember the book.

I did a bit of research and discovered that Steinbeck was a ranch hand at one point and he did come across a mentally handicapped rancher on whom Lennie is based on. The real life Lennie had a very different ending to the fictional counterpart but it seemed to make me understand the way the book was written a bit more.

It is a novel that will make you think for quite a while afterwards and for that fact alone I recommend it. I would also give a nudge to your kids as well as it also has a fair dollop of compassion thrown into a couple of the characters and it's always a good thing to teach our kids.

New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

2009-12-01T17:23:00.000+13:00

Okay, so I wrote here about how I kind of got trapped into reading the first book of the Twilight Saga. And, as annoying as I thought the first book was I also must give the author credit because I did get hooked and then I just had to read the other ones. Probably a really good skill to have if you're into writing and selling..

Right, so New Moon sees us catching up with the young odd couple of Bella the whiny irritating human and Edward the sensible and handsome vampire. Edward has somewhat of an epiphany when he realises that he is constantly exposing Bella to dangerous vampire habits and makes the big decision to walk away and leave her forever. Does she kill herself in misery? No, damn it. At least if she'd put herself in a coma we would have been saved this particular offering of the story which is so full of this huge hole in Bella's chest which stops her breathing that I was surprised my nauseated stomach handled it so well. This character is way too melodramatic fo a normal human and I still just want to slap her!

At least Edward suddenly seems normal and rational to me and I'm liking him more and more for leaving her. But he doesn't come back and so we are left with her Quileute mate Jacob helping her over the 'hole' and emptiness while laying down the foundations for his fortuitous attempt at stealing her heart. Oh dear.

The writing style is a lot more grown-up than the first book thankfully but the first half of the book is just a million different ways to describe the ache in Bella's chest and it is way too many times. Finally we get some action as Jacob turns into a werewolf creature and joins a new pack of brothers, and Alice returns with visions of sugar plums in her head, or maybe of Edward trying to kill himself by dancing with death and some mafia style vampires... Yep, the ending is actually pretty good in this one and all through the last part of the book I was thinking to myself, this would make one hell of a movie and I think it probably did - am planning on seeing it next week and will let you all know.

Moving on to Eclipse and we see the odd love-struck couple going through the motions of Bella finishing high school and choosing colleges which is the cover story for when the time comes to change her into a vampire. Again the first half of the book is taken up with these silly little worries, we also have Bella's father being really surly with Edward (whom he no longer trusts after the last book), and then there is Jacob playing as many guilt trips on poor Bella as he can squeeze into any given week - to try to make her understand how much he loves her and how she should really be with him and not Edward.

And so it happens. Because of Jacob being a douche-bag I am finally warming up to the silliness that is Bella's character. Wonders will never cease.

Once more, most of the action is in the second part of this book but what I really enjoyed more was the back stories of some of the other characters, in particular Rosalie and Jaspar. Exploring why these characters behave they way they do adds another dimension to this previously light tale and I appreciate any nods to a more adult approach to writing.

But to the ending, we have the female vixen vamp from book one who is seeking revenge for her partner's rather violent death at the hands of the Cullen family. She has amassed an army and they move on the sleepy town of Forks. The vampy mafia make another small appearance which I also enjoyed as they are fantasticly evil and well written characters and that is enough for now. Another strong ending here.

Finally we arrive at Breaking Dawn which is a behemoth of a book compared to the rest but no less addicitive. Bella and Edward are a solid unit that Jacob thankfully has no chance at ruining and they get married and go on honeymoon like any normal young couple in love do. The twist is what happens after and again the author has an uncanny knack of dragging out the trivial stuff and then squeezing all the action into the last few pages.

How much do I say of this plotline I wonder? The twist, what happens because of the twist and then the frustrating wait for the real action to happen and tie up the end of the book will really give too much away I feel. Let me just say that the wonderful Vampire Mafia make a stunning return (yay) and are even more evil and self-absorbed than ever; Jacobs character gives Bella a break but becomes annoying in a different way; and Bella finally comes into her own and throws off that whiny outer shell to emerge quite a cool character in the end.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the series, not the characters so much but the actual vampire base story is quite a good one. Stephenie Meyer loves sweating the small stuff and cramming the good stuff in at the end which was frustrating but I still left the books with a good feeling and am very much looking forward to the rest of the movies. This is the kind of series that translates better on the big screen and I do recommend the films at least, even if the books hold no allure for you.

The Brothers Bloom

2009-11-27T11:32:00.000+13:00

A brilliant gem of a film about two con-men, brothers, and their final heist complete with a Japanese explosives expert who doesn't speak and a rich heiress who collects hobbies as her hobby.

If you've ever seen the movie Brick then you'll know the style you're in for here - a black comedy with modern characters set in olden times with a film noir style to it.

In fact go here and watch the trailor on the Video page, I also recommend the 7 minute opening sequence and then you'll get the gist of what I'm trying to say.

Adrien Brophy plays the younger brother Bloom and he is really good as the long suffering actor in his older brother's cons. In fact the whole cast perform exceptionally well and it really will leave you with a huge smile on your face and wondering why you've never heard of it before.

That is all, a must see for all viewers with fantastic taste.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

2009-10-06T15:19:00.001+13:00

I have always imagined this novel to be a stupendous read, one that would require a few weeks and thorough mental preparation. The reputation of this book precedes it and the phrase 'great american novel' is bandied about recklessly. The truth of it is that the book is fairly short and very light, a real pleasure to read and not at all something which will test your braincells. I was quite surprised.

The narrator, Nick, is a stockbroker from the west and he helps you to navigate through the other characters, encompassing his own limitations when his character has no idea what is happening. This approach is very natural and welcoming, making the reader feel an even more personal connection to Gatsby as we live the story precariously through Nick's friendship with him.

Jay Gatsby is himself quite the enigma and very little is known of him. He is a roaring socialite who throws grand parties and has many acquaintances but no real friends. His parties and purpose on Long Island are quite puzzling as there seems little point to such a hollow existence but gradually we learn of the real reason behind such a superficial way of life.

He is in love. And is trying any avenue he can to secure the hope that one day the woman he loves will attend one of his glorious events. It turns out that she does, it also transpires that she is Nick's second cousin, and also that she once loved Gatsby back but is now married to a wealthy man with 'old money' family connections.

And this is where it all gets rather complicated and intriguing. There is a rekindled love affair, a mistress, a hit and run, a murder, a break-up and a suicide all within the last 50 pages and really, as the book is so short, it would be a shame to ruin everything here. Suffice to say that a lot happens and the action is compelling if not deeply morally flawed.

The Great Gatsby is essentially the tale of a very lonely, slightly obsessed and rich entrepreneur with delusions of happiness and visions of yester-year running through his head. The genuine friendship he strikes up with our narrator is touching as we eventually learn that it is one of the few real social relationships of his whole life. His utter belief in the goodness of other people is borderline naivety and there is also a sense of innocence about him despite his profession which we understand to be very suspicious, legally.

I really enjoyed this book a lot but the real thinking happens afterward as you begin to dissect the information surrounding Fitzgerald's novel.

It is set in New York in 1922, smack bang in the middle of the prohibition era but you would never guess from reading the book; alcohol seems to flow so readily. From what I've read, the prohibition wasn't such a big deal if you had money and indeed, many budding businessmen made themselves a fortune by joining the bootleggers, Gatsby included, as did many mafia style groups who used the situation to gain immense power.

It is also interesting to note that Fitzgerald admired many of these wealthy people but also struggled with their materialism and shallowness. It has been suggested that this novel was a thinly veiled satirical look at life in upperclass New York and the author certainly uses many real personalities of the time as inspiration for his characters. Perhaps this explains why the novel was not popular when first published in 1925 but gained a following later when republished after World War Two.

Alas, Fitzgerald died in 1940 still believing that the book was a massive failure but it would appear that the majority disagree. It is a good book, an easy read, and eventually, a novel that will inspire some thought. I am very glad to have crossed it off my list and even happier to have enjoyed it so much.

Keeping the World Away - Margaret Forster

2009-10-04T14:46:00.000+13:00

I had this novel recommended to me by the owner of a boutique bookstore and the way she described it, I was quite enthralled and very eager to read it for myself, especially for my other self - the budding painter which I indulge in my spare time.

Unfortunately, this book really didn't live up to the hype that I had so eloquently described to me as and I would go so far as to place a disclaimer on the book for all artists; a warning as such that this novel may make you second guess your own artistic ability and god forbid, completely give up painting altogether.

Having said that though, the novel does have many highlights and perhaps a non-artist will find it less disturbing in the reading.

The style puzzled me as it begins so awkwardly and slowly that I found myself rather despising the artist of the painting in question, Gwen John. Having read up a little on the history of the painting and Gwen John herself, it indeed seems to be the case that she was very obsessed and pathetic for a while there during the height of her affair with Auguste Rodin and the author captures this part of her perfectly.

My real gripe is the jumpy style of the narrative as we follow her path from childhood to adolescence to art college to Paris all in a concise 85 pages, sometimes skipping years without any warning. It was almost as if the author was in a very great hurry and simply couldn't be bothered to ease the passage of time between plotlines for the reader. In fact, I found myself more than once in those first 100 pages literally having to force myself to carry on reading as I was really struggling to find a reason to read it.

Thankfully, it gets a lot better.

After we leave the emotionally challenged artist behind us, the painting takes us on a journey through other peoples lives and this is done with a lot more thought. These tales of the other women whose lives this painting touched, is less patchy, more complete and thorough, possibly due to the fact that we don't begin at their childhood, and I found myself enjoying the book more and more.

The awfully convenient ways that all the different characters had their lives overlapping at times felt very contrived and unnecessary but on occasion it also managed to tidy up some loose ends as you were wondering how the painting arrived at its next destination.

The painting itself at first glance is very plain and almost boring but as I found myself constantly referring back to the image on the cover, I also noticed that I gradually built up a solid appreciation of the skill and the composition and the many hidden meanings that are waiting within, if you were willing to delve a little deeper into it; just like the many characters in the book.

As I said before, it also had the not so good effect of making me doubt my own ability and has made me wonder why I continue to bother - a realisation that quite a few characters in the book also reach - but right at the end, the final character makes a statement that gave my painting back to me. She asks the question: "Don't artists want to put more than the paint onto the canvas?" And that for me is so true.

Painting is such a personal activity. We literally bleed our heart and soul onto our canvas, there is so much added to a picture but left unsaid and that is the beauty of art. There is always more to see. And a picture can have a million different meanings for a million different people, such is its maleable nature.

In the end, this is exactly what the book teaches you, in its own way, and I was glad that this painting has also come into my life. I feel as affected as one of the characters in the book.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2009-10-04T12:11:00.000+13:00

I came to read this book rather against my will. I had no desire to read it, maybe one day in the future, but the pile of books next to my bed waiting to be read is far too big to allow something as fickle as this offering to slip onto the top of the pile.
Yet slip on it did.

My 12 year old daughter swears by this series, proclaiming that they are rather brilliant and that I must read them. I love that we are starting to read the same books now but it still wasn't enough incentive for me to give it a go. Then a work colleague also swore by the books and convinced me to give it a try, despite all of my misgivings, and so that was it then.
I began to read.

The style of writing is very basic, very simple, and very much aimed at younger readers. I felt I had really lowered my standards by reading it. The characters are quite flat and the lead female, Bella, is really incredibly infuriating - you just want to give her a good slap every other page, just because.

To be fair, the lead vampire, Edward, is also very annoying and I think perhaps this is a reflection of the limitations the author imposed on the characters themselves for writing a love story written for young teens. I swear the middle 150 pages alone deal solely with how many different ways he can stroke the side of her cheek with his cold fingers and how many different ways she can shiver in response. It's a wonder I have any hair left after pulling out major tufts of it just to get through that middle sector.

Finally, towards the end of the book something interesting happens, a persistent vampire is trying to kill Bella and I found myself getting into the story at last, albeit slightly cheering for the naughty fella to rid us of the girl for good. Yes, she is that cringe-worthy.

Of course the good guys win, the bad guy gets ripped apart ferociously by the good guys, and annoying Bella gets saved although cursing her bad luck that she didn't become a vampire from the bite she sustained. It is a light read, more entertaining in the last third by an arms length and you are pre-warned as to the middle lovey-dovey cheek stroking action.

What intrigued me more is the impact the movie has on how you perceive the book and whether the order you read/view them has an outcome on your own assessment. Both my friend and daughter read the book before seeing the movie and immensely enjoyed both. I on the other hand, saw the movie twice before tackling the book and I guess I came at the novel from a more cynical view.

You see, the Bella character is just as annoying in the movie, you just want to slap her all over again, but in my opinion the movie was far better than the book - probably because they condensed those terrible middle 150 pages to a mere one minute of screen time. Bless those little screenwriter gremlins and all their little gremlin friends.

Initially I actually thought that the Bella actress was a really bad actress and made a hash job out of the character given to her to portray, but it turns out she was pretty true to the book much to my horror. Who writes characters like that?

So, to conclude, a light read full of annoying people both human and other, and way too much shivery cheek touching. Go watch the movie instead, it will be over much quicker and it's actually quite an enjoyable wee flick despite the silly characters.