Categories
BBC Shop Reviews Other

Earthflight by John Downer

Earthflight

Earthflight is a stunning picture book created to accompany the recent BBC series. Using groundbreaking technology the programme makers managed to follow birds into the air and see the world through their eyes.

The book covers a wide range of birds from around the globe, capturing each in action in their natural surroundings. The majority of the book is made up of whole page photographs, organised by continent, with small captions describing the bird pictured:

ARFICAN FISH EAGLE: Victoria Fall, Zambia – Zimbabwe
Some fish eagles migrate seasonally to avoid areas affected by particularly heavy rain, while those in drier areas stay put all year round. The Victoria Falls offers especially rich pickings.

The photographs are a combination of traditional close-ups, taken from ground-level, and images of birds in flight, taken from the air. These aerial shots offer a new view from the bird’s perspective, but many of them were of a lower quality; either because they were taken using smaller cameras attached to the bird or because the ground was blurred/less interesting.

I thought some of the photographs were impressive, but as I’m not an ornithologist I began to lose enthusiasm as I leafed through dozens of photographs that were essentially the same, but each with a different species of bird. For this reason I think it has less appeal than books like Frozen Planet, where almost every picture was outstanding.

 

The final chapter detailed the techniques used to capture the images, explaining how people with special relationships to individual birds encouraged them to take to the air using microlights and how model planes/gliders were adapted for photographic use. This section was the most interesting to me and I enjoyed reading about the problems faced by the team and how they overcame them.

This is a good accompaniment to the series, but I’d only recommend it to people who have a special interest in birds.

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This book was given to me by the BBC shop in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
2012

The Roundabout Man by Clare Morrall

The Roundabout Man

Five words from the blurb: childhood, books, reclusive, past, truths

I loved Astonishing Splashes of Colour, so was keen to try Morrall’s new book. Unfortunately it isn’t in the same league, but it is still an enjoyable read.

The book introduces Quinn, a man living an isolated life in a caravan on a roundabout.  Quinn has few possessions and relies on food scavenged from the nearby motorway service station. He is befriended by its employees, who wonder why he leads this bizarre existence. The truth has something to do with the fact that his mother was a famous author who immortalised his life (and that of his triplet sisters) in a series of very successful children’s books.

Clare Morrall has an amazing ability to create eccentric characters. They are well-rounded and believable, but also sensitively portrayed, without a hint of sensationalism.

Much of the book reminded me of the film, Enid, which showed how Enid Blyton’s hectic schedule of writing and publicity led to her children being largely ignored.

When I was about three, I kept trying to sneak into the drawing room where my mother was writing, shuffling along the floor on my bottom, humming softly to myself, trying to be quiet but needing to imagine the motor of a car beneath me.
‘Not now, Quinn, I’m busy.’
Sometimes I reached the desk before she saw me, and once I even managed to lean my head against her legs.
‘Go away, please, Quinn. I need to concentrate.’
Why didn’t she just tolerate my presence for a while, let me stay there, even put out a hand and stroke my hair? I know she was busy, but I wouldn’t have disturbed her.

The first half of the book was very good, creating an interesting story with layers of mystery. Unfortunately the plot petered out in the middle and I found that the more I knew, the less interested I was in carrying on. I was initially going to criticise the book for its slightly disappointing revelations, but as I normally complain about unlikely coincidences, I should probably praise their realism!

Things picked up towards the end and I thought the final page was especially good. The quietness of the plot meant that I actually appreciated the book more after I’d had a few days to let the general themes settle in my head.

Recommended to Clare Morrall fans. Everyone else should read Astonishing Splashes of Colour first.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

…a really clever fusion of urban legend, news story and popular history. The Book and Biscuit

Sometimes the story rambled. Sometimes it became a little too fanciful……But its strangeness and charm kept me holding on. Fleur Fisher in her World

This is a beautifully written story with fully realised and engaging characters. Lovely Treez Reads

Categories
2000 - 2007 Books in Translation Chunkster Other Prizes

The Half Brother by Lars Saaybye Christensen

The Half Brother  Translated from the Norwegian by Kenneth Steven

Winner of the 2002 Nordic Prize for Literature
Longlisted for the 2004 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
Shortlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Award

Five words from the blurb: Norway, epic, family, brothers, life

The Half Brother is an epic, multi-generational story from Norway. The book begins shortly after the end of WWII and follows one family over several decades, concentrating on Barnum and his older brother, Fred, who was conceived during a rape. The brothers are very different in terms of both personality and stature; we see them grow up, learning to cope with their problems.

It is impossible not to develop an emotional attachment to all the characters in this book. They are distinct and realistic – a fantastic achievement given that this involves both sexes and four different generations. But it is the relationship between the two brothers that is the real attraction of this book. It is rare to find a fraternal relationship described with such accuracy and compassion.

The story was simple and easy to read, giving a wonderful glimpse into Norwegian life after the war. Many of the historical events were new to me and I was especially interested to see how the population reacted to the death of their king:

Some of the girls stood in a huddle by the fountain supporting each other. I envied them because they could cry. They were good. I wasn’t. I was bad. I had never seen the playground so quiet before. Nobody laughed. No one threw chestnuts at me. No one called my name. It was a fine morning. It should have been like that every day. It was just the way I wanted the world to be – slow, quiet, and with no jagged edges.

At over 750 pages this is a daunting book to start, but I quickly became hooked. Every page was necessary to the plot and it never dragged. It could be argued that too many tragic events affected this one family, but although the method of death was occasionally a bit unusual, I thought this book was realistic. Light humour was present at the darkest moments, so it never felt depressing.

Details of the family’s secrets were revealed slowly and, although most plot threads were tied up by the end, the reader never knows the whole truth. The atmosphere can be summarised by this quote:

And I remembered what Dad had once said, that it was necessary to sow doubt, because the whole truth was dull and made people lazy and forgetful, whereas doubt never loses its hold.

This is story telling at its best. Highly recommended.

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Categories
2012

The Boy who Fell to Earth by Kathy Lette

The Boy Who Fell To Earth

Five words from the blurb: autistic, son, challenging, quirkiness, family

Ten years ago I loved reading Kathy Lette’s books, but my reading tastes changed and I didn’t think I’d be tempted to try her again. Then I received an email from her publicist in which I was informed that Kathy Lette’s new book was a big departure from her previous novels and was written based on her experiences with her twenty one-year-old son who has Asperger’s syndrome. Always keen to read books on the subject, I agreed to give it a try.

The Boy who Fell to Earth centres on Lucy and Jeremy, a fictional couple who have an autistic son called Merlin. Unable to cope with the demands of a special needs child Jeremy leaves and Lucy finds herself alone, battling with authorities to achieve the best results for her son.

The first half of the book annoyed me. I know that all parents of special needs children have difficult days and experience a whole range of emotions, but the negativity of the opening chapters was over powering. A lot of the content didn’t ring true when compared to my recent experiences of the NHS/local schooling system. I can’t decide if this is because Kathy Lette is basing this book on her experiences from twenty years ago or because she is more familiar with the Australian schooling structure (or both!) but I can reassure any parents with children recently diagnosed with autism that things are far better than this book makes out.

There was no mention of the National Autistic Society and the central character made no effort to understand her son’s way of thinking. This meant that she spent her whole life tormenting the poor child, who would have probably been easy to look after if she’d made a few small changes in the way she communicated with him.

I was also frustrated by the way the way she continually moaned about mainstream schooling, but then rejected her in-law’s offer of £300,000 to privately educate him. She seemed to want sympathy more than solutions and her cycle of negativity drove me mad.

The writing was light and easy to read, but the chatty style and endless punchlines became tiring after a while. Perhaps I’m just too close to the subject matter, but I didn’t find some of the jokes very funny.

One thing I learnt in my three years of disastrous dating is that when Cupid closes one door…he slams another in your face. Who knew that Asperger’s was sexually transmittable? But it must be, judging by the way men bolted at the first glimpse of Merlin.

Luckily, things improved as Merlin aged and I found the descriptions of him as a teenager far more enjoyable to read. Their relationship had stabilised and they seemed to have a far better understanding of each other. Lucy continued to do annoying things, but I had a bit more tolerance for her.

The ending almost made up for the earlier sections. It was beautifully written, moving and poignant.

So now I’m torn. I want everyone to read the ending, but I can’t recommend the first section. The only solution is for everyone to read this as part of a book group. It will provoke lots of discussion and give people a greater knowledge of autism. Perhaps the excessive negativity will lead to greater sympathy for us parents?

Categories
Orange Prize Other

The 2012 Orange Prize Longlist

The Ones I’ve Already Read

The Forgotten Waltz

The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

Five words from the blurb: powerful, people, moving, love, adultery

My review: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

One of the few authors able to engage me without the use of a plot. This character study is packed with emotion.

 

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Five words from the blurb: circus, dark, dazzling, world, imaginative

My review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Unforgettable, vivid setting, but plot is a bit weak.

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The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Five words from the blurb: Greece, Heroes, King, war, immortal

My review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Light, but enjoyable read that will suit anyone interested in Greek mythology.

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Gillespie and I

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

Five words from the blurb: Glasgow, encounter, tragedy, mystery, humour

My review: Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

An entertaining Victorian mystery.

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Half Blood Blues

Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

Five words from the blurb: cabaret, black, Berlin, betrayal, secrets

My review: Half Blood Blues – Esi Edugyan

Fantastic atmosphere, but too much jazz for me.

..

The Sealed Letter

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue

Five words from the blurb: Victorian, women’s movement, marriage, affair, divorce

My review: The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue

Some great descriptions of Victorian London, but court case was too slow for me.

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State of Wonder

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Five words from the blurb: Brazilian, river, researcher, mystery, secrets

This book had some great sections, but they were interspersed by long dull bits. I abandoned it at the half way point.

Painter of Silence

Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding

Five words from the blurb: Romania, hospital, memories, society, war, victim

Beautiful poetic writing, but plot was too gentle for me. I abandoned it after 50 pages.

The Ones I Haven’t Read

Island of Wings

Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg

Five words from the blurb: islands, family, love, madness, hardship

On the Floor
On the Floor by Aifric Campbell

Five words from the blurb: city, bank, success, trouble, risk

The Flying Man

The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki

Five words from the blurb: man, charm, Pakistan, escapes, game

The Translation of the Bones

The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay

Five words from the blurb: motherhood, faith, love, emotional, London

The Blue Book
The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy

Five words from the blurb: voyage, deceived, super-rich, false, hearts

There but for the

There but for the by Ali Smith

Five words from the blurb: dinner party, stranger, satirical, perspective, memory

The Pink Hotel

The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard

Five words from the blurb: Los Angeles, funeral, mother, letters, photographs

Tides of War

Tides of War by Stella Tillyard

Five words from the blurb: Regency England, Spain, Peninsular War, freedom, women

Lord of Misrule

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon

Five words from the blurb: horses, racing, steal, fast, winners

The Grief of Others

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

Five words from the blurb: family, secret, past, grief, tenderness

Foreign Bodies
Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick

Five words from the blurb: teacher, New York, divorce, family, love

The Submission

The Submission by Amy Waldman

Five words from the blurb: 9/11, memorial, grief, Muslim, conflicts

My Plans

This is an interesting list, containing several books that are new to me. So far I’ve tried 8 books and whilst several have been enjoyable, none have bowled me over with their brilliance. I would like to try all the books at some point, but make no promises about finishing them.  

The Submission has been on my radar for a while so this gives me the perfect excuse to read it soon. I’ll read the others over the coming weeks, but try to spread the reviews out a little bit so that this blog doesn’t become overly Orange.

What do you make of the list?

Which book do you think I’ll enjoy the most? 

Categories
Orange Prize Other

Early Peek at the 2012 Orange Prize Longlist

The Jewish Chronicle has leaked 5 titles from the Orange longlist. The paper reports that:

Cynthia Ozick is one of five American Jewish writers on this year’s Orange Prize longlist”

Further investigation led to the discovery of all five titles written by Jewish writers:

Lord of Misrule

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Grief of Others

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

Foreign Bodies

Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick

The Submission

The Submission by Amy Waldman

I was on Twitter discussing prize list leaks from previous years and so decided to search google for the terms “orange prize longlist 2012”. I couldn’t believe it when I was rewarded with this sneak peek at the longlist.

The remaining 15 titles will be revealed at 12.30am GMT tomorrow…..unless there is another leak!