I decided I would TRY and write something more about books this year after frankly giving up on book reviews in about April because I got too far behind. Even if these are rubbish reviews, it's good to force myself to persevere with them.
So, I read a mere 6 books in Janiary and let me tell you, a lot of these were short. I was frankly rather disappointed in myself for such a poor number of reads.
What were they like?
1.The book of lost and found - Lucy Foley.
This was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law and she made a wonderful choice. It is a book which spans two eras, although it is largely in the present (well the 80's) with the other era being mainly presented through letters and memories told.
It tells of a girl who finds out that her mother, a famous ballerina who died 2 years ago, who was adopted, was in fact contacted by her birth-mother who longed to see her and tell her why she left her. She is told this by her adopted Grandmother who is in a nursing home and feels terribly sorry that she didn't tell the mother ballerina before she died.We go right back to the 1930's, where Alice, the mother, meets a young struggling artist called Tom. He is in love with her.
The girl in the story only has a pencil sketch of the mysterious mother who gave her up and it is by famous artist Tom. She travels to Corsica to see him to try and find out who her Grandmother really was.
This story was told so beautifully and I truly loved the characters, especially the artist Tom. There was a lot of suspense I felt in speculating why Alice, the mother, gave up her daughter. It was hard to fathom why, as the context doesn't make it obvious. World War II plays its own dreadful part in the story and I found myself anxiously reading through, hoping against hope that Birth Grandmother and Grand-daughter would find each other and that the artist Tom would be happy again.
It was a marvellous choice which I was so grateful to be bought. My only complaint was the ending- I like EVERYTHING to be resolved (hence why I loved the Harry Potter ending), and I felt things were left unsaid. Apart from that, brilliant!
2. The balloonist - James Long
Char sent this to me thinking I would love this and she was blooming well absolutely spot on with this! It was marvellous. It tells the story of a young man Willy Frazer, a young man and the part he played in WW1. Interestingly enough, he works as a Ballonist on the front line in France/Belgium, going up in the balloons to lead the artillery to attack German stockades and to field attacks. I'd never even thought about all the zepphelins that you see in war films and what it was like to be in them. The book begins with Willy in Berlin where he meets and helps out an American photographer who is attacked by some gung-ho German soldiers just before war was declared. Willy, who rebels against authority is a bit of an enigma and the American journalist is very intrigued by him. They get seperated fairly soon into the book but you know that their paths will intertwine again. There is a lovely sense of 'will there be a romance in the story' and there are unknown facts that transpire later in the book. It was, again, very well written. I loved hearing about the Belgian King and Queen who Willy gets to know and it was really interesting to speculate over certain matters. The book DOES end a bit unresolved though, which, if you just read what I said about the previous book, does irk me rather, but it is otherwise excellent. Certainly a DIFFERENT perspective than your typical war book.
3. The lying carpet- David Lucas.
This is a kids book that I encountered in a very aspirational INSET at school about reading. The person running the INSET gave us some pretty cool books to look at. I picked this one.
It has the feel of a fairytale yet with amazing philosophical perspectives and inversions, turning things on your head. It involves a statue (OR is it a little girl who was enchanted and turned into a statue) and a carpet (or is it an African tiger who has been captured and turned into a rug but he can regularly escape. The tiger makes conversation with the girl who responds for the first time. He keeps turning her thoughts or things he's previously said on their heads so you are rather confused as to what is true and what isn't, as does the little girl. But you hope against hope, that she really is an enchanted little girl. But what if she really is only a statue? Is there any way that a statue can escape from its destiny or circumstances? The carpet deals in lies or truths? Who knows!?
This was beautifully and compellingly written with glorious illustrations. I would love to read this and discuss with children, teenagers or adults!
4. The fried piper of Hamstring- Laurence Anholt
Ha, I told you some of the books were short. This is a great book for kids, probably any age from 5-11, depending on their reading ability. It is part of a series of alternative twists on fairy-tales written by this author. I used to read Little Red Riding Wolf as a guided reading book with my year 4's because it made for interesting discussion on comparing versions of fairytales. The illustrations are great fun with some speech and thought bubbles and there's always some cool verse in there. I found this one kicking around at school and decided I'd like to read more in these series. I think these are good for boys particularly. In this tale, Hamstring has an awful mayor who just keeps making up absymal rules which make life miserable. He bans chocolate, chips and anything children want. As life gets more miserable, it's up to the dude with the instrument to try and change things. This one, for a teacher with a group might make for interesting discussion on rights, junk food, healthy eating and many more topics OR can just be enjoyed in its own right.
5. A river ran out of Eden- James Vance Marshall
This was a short, but very interesting read. It tells of a family who move to a small uninhabited island Unimak in the Aleutian islands off Alaska. Jim and his wife Tanya, who is a native American. In their isolated existence, they bring up their son Eric in total paradise and are truly happy except for one thing. Jim is a sealer and he has always sought to seek the skin of the rare and mystical golden seal which would bring him fame amongst men and riches as the pelts would sell for immeasurable riches.
The story moves on when there is a great storm. It actually brings one of the seals to the island but its coming also risks the life of their son Eric and their own happiness as it also brings another sealer to the island, Crawlford who also seeks the Golden Seal. However, he is cut of an entirely different mould from Jim. The tale goes on to see what happens as they seek the golden seal.
The description in this story was interesting and it was told in a very simple, engaging manner. I enjoyed the story progression and hoped that this story would end in a good way for the seal and the family, but at times I wasn't sure. The characterisation of Crawlford is a bit crude and cliched, but I guess cliches are there for a reason as nasty men exist throughout the world.
6. Seven Days in May - Fletcher Knebel and Charles W Bailey II.
This is a political thriller and it was a real corker! So exciting in a way that made me think of both the Man from UNCLE and Clive Cussler novels in one! Colonel Jiggs Casey works for Gentleman Jim Scott as his director of staff. In the US, Jordan Lyman is president and he is not popular with the military or the public in an opinion poll on his decisions to agree to disarmaments with the Russians during the Cold War. As the story progresses, Casey becomes increasingly confused as he sees strange things happening and coincidences connected to his boss Scott, who is a brilliant and much-loved military leader who might possibly make a good president. He becomes worried as things click together in his mind and he realises that there is an awful plot against the President. Does he risk his own career in letting the president know of his suspicions? By the time he does, there are only 7 days to stop a horrific plot that could ruin the government of the USA at such a critical time!
This was BRILLIANT! I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to know what would happen. There was constantly something happening. I liked the parts where went with different characters on their part of the plan to counteract the dreadful coup, so exciting, you weren't sure what would happen. Casey is a great character and I loved hearing a president's perspective, I felt quite sorry for Jordan Lyman the president. I'd love to try the author's other book which is written in a similar style. Apparently, according to Goodreads, the author got the idea after interviewing the Airforce chief of Staff during the cold war.
Have you read any of these? Do any intrigue you at all?
xx
This month I am reading a biography so far- unusual for fiction-loving me.
So, I read a mere 6 books in Janiary and let me tell you, a lot of these were short. I was frankly rather disappointed in myself for such a poor number of reads.
What were they like?
 |
| Image from Goodread.com |
1.The book of lost and found - Lucy Foley.
This was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law and she made a wonderful choice. It is a book which spans two eras, although it is largely in the present (well the 80's) with the other era being mainly presented through letters and memories told.
It tells of a girl who finds out that her mother, a famous ballerina who died 2 years ago, who was adopted, was in fact contacted by her birth-mother who longed to see her and tell her why she left her. She is told this by her adopted Grandmother who is in a nursing home and feels terribly sorry that she didn't tell the mother ballerina before she died.We go right back to the 1930's, where Alice, the mother, meets a young struggling artist called Tom. He is in love with her.
The girl in the story only has a pencil sketch of the mysterious mother who gave her up and it is by famous artist Tom. She travels to Corsica to see him to try and find out who her Grandmother really was.
This story was told so beautifully and I truly loved the characters, especially the artist Tom. There was a lot of suspense I felt in speculating why Alice, the mother, gave up her daughter. It was hard to fathom why, as the context doesn't make it obvious. World War II plays its own dreadful part in the story and I found myself anxiously reading through, hoping against hope that Birth Grandmother and Grand-daughter would find each other and that the artist Tom would be happy again.
It was a marvellous choice which I was so grateful to be bought. My only complaint was the ending- I like EVERYTHING to be resolved (hence why I loved the Harry Potter ending), and I felt things were left unsaid. Apart from that, brilliant!
 |
| Image from Goodread.com |
Char sent this to me thinking I would love this and she was blooming well absolutely spot on with this! It was marvellous. It tells the story of a young man Willy Frazer, a young man and the part he played in WW1. Interestingly enough, he works as a Ballonist on the front line in France/Belgium, going up in the balloons to lead the artillery to attack German stockades and to field attacks. I'd never even thought about all the zepphelins that you see in war films and what it was like to be in them. The book begins with Willy in Berlin where he meets and helps out an American photographer who is attacked by some gung-ho German soldiers just before war was declared. Willy, who rebels against authority is a bit of an enigma and the American journalist is very intrigued by him. They get seperated fairly soon into the book but you know that their paths will intertwine again. There is a lovely sense of 'will there be a romance in the story' and there are unknown facts that transpire later in the book. It was, again, very well written. I loved hearing about the Belgian King and Queen who Willy gets to know and it was really interesting to speculate over certain matters. The book DOES end a bit unresolved though, which, if you just read what I said about the previous book, does irk me rather, but it is otherwise excellent. Certainly a DIFFERENT perspective than your typical war book.
 |
| Image from Goodread.com |
This is a kids book that I encountered in a very aspirational INSET at school about reading. The person running the INSET gave us some pretty cool books to look at. I picked this one.
It has the feel of a fairytale yet with amazing philosophical perspectives and inversions, turning things on your head. It involves a statue (OR is it a little girl who was enchanted and turned into a statue) and a carpet (or is it an African tiger who has been captured and turned into a rug but he can regularly escape. The tiger makes conversation with the girl who responds for the first time. He keeps turning her thoughts or things he's previously said on their heads so you are rather confused as to what is true and what isn't, as does the little girl. But you hope against hope, that she really is an enchanted little girl. But what if she really is only a statue? Is there any way that a statue can escape from its destiny or circumstances? The carpet deals in lies or truths? Who knows!?
This was beautifully and compellingly written with glorious illustrations. I would love to read this and discuss with children, teenagers or adults!
 |
| Image from Goodreads.com |
Ha, I told you some of the books were short. This is a great book for kids, probably any age from 5-11, depending on their reading ability. It is part of a series of alternative twists on fairy-tales written by this author. I used to read Little Red Riding Wolf as a guided reading book with my year 4's because it made for interesting discussion on comparing versions of fairytales. The illustrations are great fun with some speech and thought bubbles and there's always some cool verse in there. I found this one kicking around at school and decided I'd like to read more in these series. I think these are good for boys particularly. In this tale, Hamstring has an awful mayor who just keeps making up absymal rules which make life miserable. He bans chocolate, chips and anything children want. As life gets more miserable, it's up to the dude with the instrument to try and change things. This one, for a teacher with a group might make for interesting discussion on rights, junk food, healthy eating and many more topics OR can just be enjoyed in its own right.
 |
| Image from Goodread.com |
This was a short, but very interesting read. It tells of a family who move to a small uninhabited island Unimak in the Aleutian islands off Alaska. Jim and his wife Tanya, who is a native American. In their isolated existence, they bring up their son Eric in total paradise and are truly happy except for one thing. Jim is a sealer and he has always sought to seek the skin of the rare and mystical golden seal which would bring him fame amongst men and riches as the pelts would sell for immeasurable riches.
The story moves on when there is a great storm. It actually brings one of the seals to the island but its coming also risks the life of their son Eric and their own happiness as it also brings another sealer to the island, Crawlford who also seeks the Golden Seal. However, he is cut of an entirely different mould from Jim. The tale goes on to see what happens as they seek the golden seal.
The description in this story was interesting and it was told in a very simple, engaging manner. I enjoyed the story progression and hoped that this story would end in a good way for the seal and the family, but at times I wasn't sure. The characterisation of Crawlford is a bit crude and cliched, but I guess cliches are there for a reason as nasty men exist throughout the world.
 |
| Image from Goodreads.com |
This is a political thriller and it was a real corker! So exciting in a way that made me think of both the Man from UNCLE and Clive Cussler novels in one! Colonel Jiggs Casey works for Gentleman Jim Scott as his director of staff. In the US, Jordan Lyman is president and he is not popular with the military or the public in an opinion poll on his decisions to agree to disarmaments with the Russians during the Cold War. As the story progresses, Casey becomes increasingly confused as he sees strange things happening and coincidences connected to his boss Scott, who is a brilliant and much-loved military leader who might possibly make a good president. He becomes worried as things click together in his mind and he realises that there is an awful plot against the President. Does he risk his own career in letting the president know of his suspicions? By the time he does, there are only 7 days to stop a horrific plot that could ruin the government of the USA at such a critical time!
This was BRILLIANT! I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to know what would happen. There was constantly something happening. I liked the parts where went with different characters on their part of the plan to counteract the dreadful coup, so exciting, you weren't sure what would happen. Casey is a great character and I loved hearing a president's perspective, I felt quite sorry for Jordan Lyman the president. I'd love to try the author's other book which is written in a similar style. Apparently, according to Goodreads, the author got the idea after interviewing the Airforce chief of Staff during the cold war.
Have you read any of these? Do any intrigue you at all?
xx
This month I am reading a biography so far- unusual for fiction-loving me.