Month: April 2009

Categories
Booker Prize Recommended books

The Secret River – Kate Grenville

Winner of the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize 2006
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2006

 

 

 

William Thornhill is born into poverty, in 19th century London; to survive he turns to crime. One night he is caught stealing from his employer, and sentenced to death.  He pleads for mercy, and manages to escape the rope by agreeing to be sent, with his family, to Australia. Once they arrive in this strange, hot country they find that they face new battles for survival, against the mysterious native black people.

This book is really easy to read, the simplicity of the prose was reminiscent of Mudbound, by Hilary Jordan, which although written about a different continent, contains many of the same powerful messages about the humanity of different cultures. 

The Secret River is a fascinating insight into what life was like for the first settlers of New South Wales.  William Thornhill is one of the first white people to cultivate the land, fencing in his crops. This quickly leads to animosity, and ultimately tragedy, as the nomadic society, who gather food wherever they can, object to their land being taken from them. Kate Grenville’s portrayal of the aboriginal people is touching; she shows them as a proud people, at one with nature. She beautifully describes the conflict between the two cultures; showing how each is affected by the others actions, and giving no prejudice to either side.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were well developed, and I didn’t envy the difficult descisions they had to make.  The plot was fast moving, and the end rounded everything off well. I was pleased that it was tinged with hope, as I was expecting it to be very bleak.

Highly recommended to all fans of historical fiction.

This is the first book by Kate Grenville that I have read, but I will be keeping an eye out for all of her other books, as I enjoyed this one so much.

Have you read any books written by Kate Grenville? If so, which one did you enjoy the most?

Categories
Audio Book

Delicate Edible Birds – Lauren Groff

I really enjoyed reading The Monsters of Templeton, so when I saw that Lauren Groff had released a selection of short stories I immediately ordered a copy. The hardback wasn’t available at the time, so as I often listen to books in the car, I decided to purchase the audio book. I think that this was probably a mistake, as this collection of short stories didn’t work very well in audio format.

The first story was very reminiscent of  The Monsters of Templeton, and many of the characters shared traits with those found in her Templeton novel. The plot was mildly interesting, but wasn’t anything special. The rest of the short stories varied in their settings, but concentrated on the mother-daughter relationship. I often got bored when listening to them, and found my mind wandering off to other places.

These stories, may be excellent, but I’m afraid they were let down by the narration. This isn’t the fault of the narrator, I just think that this book wasn’t suitable for reading aloud. I’d still be interested in obtaining a copy of the paperback when it comes out, to see if the stories work well in that medium, but for now all I can say is that I can’t recommend the audio book.

Categories
Blog Improvement Project Other

Comment of the Week Competition – Results

2009bip-150x210The Blog Improvement Project challenged me to make my blog more comment friendly, so last week I initiated three big changes to try to increase the number of comments on my blog. These were:

Ask specific questions

I ensured that every post contained at least one, and frequently more, specific questions, to try to encourage my lovely blog readers to supply me with their book knowledge, and engage in discussion.

Reply to every comment received

I made an effort to reply to every single comment left on my blog, as soon as possible. Even when people left short “I loved this book too” comments, I used this as an opportunity to agree with them, and then give further reasons as to why the book was great, or to recommend similar books they might enjoy.

Launch Comment of the Week Competition

    The idea was that at the end of the week I’d write a post highlighting the most thoughtful/inspiring/amusing comments I received in the previous seven days.

    So here it is!

    My post on The Ten Most Useful Cookbooks had a record-breaking (for me anyway!) 33 comments. I loved hearing about other people’s love of cookbooks, and here are a few of my favourite comments from this post:

    Since I am an absolutely horrible cook (just ask those that have ever been exposed to the dodgy results of my efforts!) any cookbook is a godsend to me! I need a book with clear, precise instructions – starting with the very basics (i.e. turn on oven). There is a very comprehensive cookbook written by Australian chef, Stephanie Alexander, which I find really helpful. It takes you though the basics as well as including many, many recipes – just perfect for me! Karen

    I collect cookbooks as well but don’t use them nearly as much as I should. I am going to make an effort to try more cooking recipes and be creative. Your post has inspired me along with watching my favorite cooking shows! In the US, I love Top Chef and Chopped( a new show on Food Network) and another called The Chopping Block that was hosted by UK Chef Marco Pierre White. Sadly, it was just cancelled but I found that you can still watch all the episodes online. I wrote a post about it yesterday. Bonnie

    Love Nigella Lawson but have never checked this one out. Looks as if a trip to the library is in order. Just love the way she thinks of food as pleasurable, social rather than a mere collection of nutrients. And she is extremely funny. Always got a kick of her eating out of her refrigerator late at night on her show. Frances

     For a moment then I didn’t think there was any Nigella on the list and would have been most shocked, then I spotted her. Though her Christmas show was a bit bizarre my first Christmas Dinner was a huge hit thanks to it. Simon

    I also found many of the replies to My First Week on Twitter post very useful:

    Just post any ole link you’d like! I love Twitter and feel that I’ve gotten to know people a lot better through it. I have also used it for business by using DM (direct message). It is a great marketing tool and social tool. As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. One thing is to stay around for at least a half hour or so at a time so that you can tweet thing and people can answer and you join in or start a conversation. Beth

    I will enjoy Twitter vicariously through you! I figure by resisting Twitter, I will be banning myself to old-fogey status, but I’ll stick with my Facebook. I figure if I wait long enough, something else will take over the world soon enough! Sandy

 

 It took me a long time to decide who should win my comment of the week competition, and finally decided that Dorte H  sneaked into the lead with:

Oh, how do I write a comment so short, boring and stupid that anyone can see I am not at all trying to win anything??

It summed up exactly how I’d feel if one of my blogging friends launched a competition like this, and as it was a little bit different to all the other comments I didn’t have to decide who was being the most useful!!

Congratulations Dorte!

You win 3 bookmooch points, or the choice of any book I have for sale on greenmetropolis – I’ll send you an email later!

The improvements to the way I handle comments on my blog had a positive effect on comment numbers. In the week I launched the improvements the number of comments I received  increased by 33%, compared to the previous week.  I also noticed an improvement in the quality of the comment – so a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment on my blog! I really appreciate every single one!

I will continue to use these techniques, and although there will no longer be prizes, I hope to highlight the best comments I have received at the end of each month.

Did you notice the comment friendly improvements on my blog?

Did you feel that you were commenting more than usual, and if so why?

Can you think of other ways I can make it more comment friendly?

I look forward to hearing all your comments/suggestions!

Categories
Recommended books Thriller

Little Face – Sophie Hannah

Little Face is the best thriller I have read in a very long time. It begins with Alice returning from her first anxious trip away from her newborn baby. She returns home to discover the front door of her house open, and her husband asleep. When she rushes to greet her baby in the nursery, she is shocked to discover that it doesn’t look like the one she left just a short time ago. No-one believes that her baby has disappeared, assuming she is just a paranoid new mother. It is only when further unexplained events start to occur, that they wonder what the truth really is….

The writing was incredibly easy to read. I flew through the pages, as I was so keen to discover what was really happening. There were many points when I thought I’d worked in out, but as with all great thrillers I didn’t get close!

This is more than just a straight crime novel, there are many elements of psychology in here. The almost obsessive behaviour of a new mother is well observed, and I empathized immensely with the central character, Alice, as she struggles with the thought that her husband may have swapped her baby. The relationships between the members of the dysfunctional family were very credible, and the interfering mother-in-law reminded me of many stories I have heard from new mothers recently.

Unlike much of the crime fiction I have read recently this contained no unlikely coincidences. The plot was as realistic as it is possible to get, while retaining many clever twists.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys well written thrillers, or has an interest in the psychology of new mothers.

I’d like to thank Simon for recommending Sophie Hannah to me. I will be reading all her books as soon as I get my hands on them!

Categories
Other

Could you be a literary agent?

Alphabet Book PileNathan Bransford is challenging us to try his job as a literary agent for a day. He has posted a list of fifty book summaries, and we have to decide which ones to request manuscripts for. Hidden amongst 45 unsuccessful entries, are five book summaries, which have gone on to be published. The competition closes on Saturday night, so you still have plenty of time to decide on your publishing strategy!

I have really enjoyed trying to decide which ones I would like to read, but this isn’t really a good reflection of what will probably be published. There are lots of books published each year that I don’t like, but that doesn’t mean thousands of other people won’t like it. The problem is finding the ones which will sell the best. The discussion in the comment sections for this competition is also really interesting, so I urge you to take a look!

Everyone seems to be choosing different books, so it is great for showing authors how important it is not to be disheartened after a few rejections. I think I’d really enjoy being a literary agent. I can usually tell whether I’ll like a book from the first page, and although I wouldn’t like rejecting all the authors, I’m sure I could get used to it!

Did you find it easy to chose which books to pick?

Would you like to be a literary agent?

Categories
Chunkster Pulitzer Prize Recommended books

Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

I have finished! I think that this is the longest book I have ever read, and even though it was a pleasurable, easy read, the length felt like a heavy commitment. It took me nearly six weeks,  but I am pleased to have finally finished all 1000+ pages.

WARNING: A FEW SPOILERS

Gone with the Wind follows Scarlett O’Hara through the years of the American Civil War. She battles through fear, hunger and loss; but also against her love for the unobtainable Ashley, and the uncompromising Rhett Butler.

Scarlett is an amazing character; she was just so entertaining to read about. I loved her naive decisions, and her determination to succeed as a woman, despite the pressures on her to behave in a more ladylike manner.

The complexity of the story was it’s major plus point. The book’s length meant that the lives of all the side characters could be developed properly, and this led to a very satisfying book, in which I felt that I knew everyone that Scarlett did, and how they’d react to the ever changing circumstances.

The horror of the war was fully portrayed, without the need for graphic descriptions. The never-ending line of injured soldiers, the fear Scarlett felt, and most importantly, the compassion fatigue she experienced as the suffering continued, brought it all home to me vividly. I’m ashamed to admit that this book is my only source of knowledge on the American Civil War. I have just started reading Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Penguin history)and Tara Revisited: Women, War and the Plantation Legend to gain a greater understanding of what actually happened. I’ll let you know what I thought of these books soon.

I loved the first half of Gone with the Wind (Volume One), but some sections of the second volume really grated on me, and I didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much. I think my main problem was the severe racism present in it. Margaret Mitchell clearly sympathises with white supremacists, and portrayed many of the black characters as being not much better than animals. I know that this is a product of the time it was written, and that thankfully times have changed, but the mention of the Ku Klux Klan just ruined my opinions of many of the characters. How could a character as seemingly lovely as Ashley end up being a member of the Klan?  All my empathy for him evaporated instantly. Did you have any objections to the extreme rascism?

I haven’t seen the film, so was totally shocked by the ending. The blurb on the back of my book describes GWTW as “the greatest love story of all time”. I was expecting everything to fall nicely in place, and for Scarlett and Rhett to finally come to their senses and realise how good for each other they could be. How wrong was I?!! The loss of Melanie, and then Rhett’s refusal to return to Scarlett, left me shocked, and almost beyond words. Once I managed to lift myself above the horror of it, I realised that this was probably the best ending that could have occurred. Throughout the book Scarlett comes across as a selfish, spoilt child, and for her to finally lose everything that actually meant anything to her was a fitting end.

I am keen to read  Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind”, as I’d love to know what someone else thinks should happen to the couple next. Has anyone read Scarlett? Is it worth reading?

Despite its flaws, Gone with the Wind is the best piece of historical fiction I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the time to read such a long novel.

Many thanks to Matthew from A Guys Moleskine Notebook for hosting the Gone with the Wind read-along.

Did you enjoy reading Gone with the Wind?

What did you like about it most? Least?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!