People of the book came highly recommended from a number of reviews. As with Geraldine Brooks’ other book that I’ve read, March, I liked lots of things about People of the book. The story starts in Sarajevo in 1996 where a book conserver is at work on a precious Jewish holy book that was wonderfully saved from destruction by a dedicated librarian.* Different chapters are then interspersed that tell the story of the book backwards to its creation in the 14th century. The set up was a very clever way to explore snippets of history, especially as these sections seemed like the product of loving research.

Sadly the historical chapters often demonstrated the way apparently stable societies can be split apart by racial hatred. As I read I got depressed remembering just how recent so many of the atrocities in Europe alone have occurred. But I also think remembering these events is very important.

Despite enjoying People of the book , as a whole it was still slightly disappointing (which was also the case with March). I felt a little disconnected between the different sections and the ending was a bit dramatic for my tastes. And sometimes the Australianess of the main character was a bit over the top. The pattern of the language felt Australian enough to me that I don’t think all the additional slang words were necessary.

I don’t know if it’s because I would expect to adore a book with a plot like this, and getting closer to being a perfectly satisfying book is more frustrating than simply not being my thing at all. Happily, most people seem to enjoy it so I don’t need to feel bad!

*This book and some of its story was based on the real-life Sarajevo Haggadah. Very cool.

Tags: books, historical, march

Scott Westerfeld recently provided links to some discussions on the coolness of YA fiction. In these and other discussions of YA books, there are often comments along the lines of “it’s not just Sweet Valley High anymore”. I agree that the post-Harry Potter boom in YA, particularly in fantasy, has been phenomenal. It’s fantastic seeing the growth in this area. But I want to acknowledge the scores of YA authors that were around when I was a child and teenager in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the authors are Australian or New Zealanders, but I’m sure other countries must have had their equivalents?

It’s hard without my books with me (I’m even picturing book covers here but not recalling the title/author), but I here are some of the authors I remember from the YA (or “older children’s” or teenage as they were generally called) sections of libraries in the 1990s*:

In fantasy and YA, Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix, Isobelle Carmody, Margaret Mahy, Sally Odgers, Tamora Pierce, Madeleine L’engle, Diane Duane, Ken Catran, Victor Kelleher, David McRobbie, Caroline McDonald, and Gillian Rubenstein (now writing as Lian Hearn) all wrote books that I devoured eagerly.

In other types of novels, I remember reading authors such as John Marsden, Robin Klein, Paula Danziger, Catherine Jinks, Libby Hathorn, Gary Crew, Cynthia Voight (though I loved her fantasy books, too) and Melina Marchetta.**

I know these lists are sure to be incomplete but will avoid driving myself mad by just posting now and updating as necessary!

* of course there were plenty more in the children's and adults sections too
** scary aside for other Australian readers my age, Melina Marchetta’s Looking for
Alibrandi came out in 1992!

Tags: books, young adult

Here’s a sample from the diverse range of books that have been keeping me busy in my non-internet writing days of recent weeks.

Wives and daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. This novel follows the life of teenager Molly as she learns to cope with life beyond her sheltered home and her father’s remarriage. It’s a novel focussed around family relationships and growing up in a small town (including a sweet romance). I enjoyed it, but less so than North and South, perhaps because I found the social observations in the latter more interesting. When I read Wives and daughters I didn’t realise it had been written as a serial, but I wasn’t surprised as it definitely feels like a drama that has been stretched out further than is strictly necessary (however as I read it on a long train trip I certainly didn’t mind!). I also didn’t realise Gaskell died before completing the story and so was very shocked when I reached the last chapter and read “and here the story ended” with another writer finishing up the book!

Melusine by Sarah Monette was recommended to me by Checkers and other people and it was a very different type of book! (Lots more swearing for one thing!) The setting is a fairly typical fantasy world with magic etc but with an abundance of small details and interesting politics and social problems of its own. Melusine is very fast paced book and is narrated by two very different characters. I often find this type of storytelling difficult and want to keep skipping ahead to stay with one narrator but in Melusine I was interested enough in both stories to read it all in order! It finishes fairly abruptly with lots of preparation made for the sequel, which is already out (thank goodness!).

I only heard about Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy when I read a review of the sequel (not out yet) at Bookshelves of Doom. The references to Nesbit and Enright were enough to get me trotting around to the library. Having read the book, I agree that the story of a family’s summer adventures did have that lovely old fashioned and happy feel - I can see why it might be too cozy and sweet for some readers. For me, though, it was a really enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out later this year!

Tags: birdsall, books, fantasy, gaskell, monette, romance

Spain was great! I’ll write a post about it soon (with piccies! Hopefully great ones as one of my travelling companions had a very nice camera and an awe-inspiring dedication to good shots).

I admit once I was free of posting along with the group I just gobbled down I, Claudius. And any virtuous thoughts I had about keeping notes went out the window once Sangria and the Prado and the Alhambra entered the picture. So I’ll just post thoughts about all of the chapters in the last half of the book in a big jumble.

( I have forgotten lots of stuff but here are some quick reactions, spoilers as usual )

I, Claudius was a great book to read. It was slow at times with the lack of dialogue and the name-heavy prose. But the sly humour and the sheer madness of the storyline (and the fact that many of the bits were true!) made it worthwhile. I just wish I had been around more to do it justice in my blog.

Claudius the God is on hold at my library. I’m eager to read it. Will Claudius revenge Caligula’s death as he promised even though it was a Good Thing that the mad emperor was offed? Will his fourth (? I’m losing track) wife turn out better than the previous two? Will he make Livia a Goddess? Will the population of Rome boom now that people can survive a year without being poisoned? Good times ahead, my friends!

Edited to add, thanks to Leila at Bookshelves of Doom for arranging this Big Read! It was great trying out a book I probably wouldn't have got around to picking up myself!

Tags: books, graves, historical

I ran late putting this entry up as I was going out for dinner last night with work friends and at the last minute arranged to give one of them a lift, which involved very hasty tidying of the house so I would not be reported to the relevant health authorities.

I don't think I can talk about this book without spoilers. I personally wouldn't heed the spoiler warning as there are so many names and corpses and so on but in case you have a good memory: SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!!! FOR EVERY I CLAUDIUS ENTRY FROM NOW ON!!

OK. I was dithering over whether I liked Livia or not. As I said at Bookshelves of Doom, she's evil but in an admirably manipulative and efficient manner. Well, no more dithering after she bumped off Claudius' poor little fiancee! She is very bad and must be stopped!

I liked all the stuff about Augustus hectoring the bachelors for not getting married and it turning out that it's the noble women who don't want to let themselves in for childbirth and the loss of their dowries. However, all the betrothals and marriages and divorces are quite complex, especially as they seem to be keeping it within the same extended family. Say what you will about the role of divorce in society, you have to admit it would be easier to keep track of people's relationships in a society where it was not allowed!

Cladius continues to be shown as learning lots of useful skills about speaking and writing history. But I'm glad Livia seems to be continuing to underestimate Claudius - it seems like a far safer position to be in.

Don't forget there are plenty of insightful comments over at Bookshelves of Doom!

Tags: books, graves, historical

I wonder if I'm the only one getting a Jerome K Jerome vibe? I think it's the self-conscious, witty manner, the random asides and the discussion of ill health (although Claudius is more self-mocking than J).

The stakes of the story are raised as further hints (in the subtle form of a BABY WOLF FALLING OUT OF THE TALONS OF AN EAGLE INTO HIS ARMS) are given that Claudius is going to play a key role in the fate of Rome.

These chapters are very dense with storylines! I can't imagine how the miniseries covered them without dedicating hours and hours of episodes. There are enough things happening to keep any soap opera happy for a few seasons. Livia alone chalks up an impressive body count. I wonder if she's going to be knocked off in the same way - surely someone will think to poison her at some stage?

I don't hold out hope for Postumus having a long and happy life now that he's is the only one of Julia's sons left alive. Run, Postumus, run!

Tags: books, graves, historical

I had so much fun reading and blogging about Rebecca that I'm taking part in The Big Read II at Bookshelves of Doom. I'll be away for the last part of the reading schedule, and can't even promise to post frequently in the first couple of weeks, but I'll give it my best.

We're reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves, with today's portion being chapters 1-3. I admit this isn't a book I probably would have picked up on my own. I sure didn't vote for it. I'm a bit over Roman history, and the boring cover on my copy isn't doing the story any favours. But when I read the first lines, I relaxed a bit:


I don't know if it's the Bujoldian echoes of Ivan-you-idiot but I liked the tone. Claudius goes on to say he is writing his life's story as a record for those who will read it in 1900 years time (according to the local prophet). These first chapters are tales of his parents and grandparents, and various intrigues that feature many a divorce and poisoning. The scene is set for a novel full of intrigue and drama!

There started to be a real tangle of Roman names by the end of chapter three - I hope I can remember them all across the course of the month - one of the problems of slowly reading when you have a poor name memory!

Tags: books, graves, historical

Some quick thoughts on books I’ve read recently:

Popco by Scarlett Thomas. Alice is singled out by her large children’s toy company to create a new fad for teenage girls. While trying to understand her new task Alice is also trying to solve the mystery of a locket left to her by her grandfather, a coding genius. Scenes of scary insights into marketing for children are interspersed by Alice’s memory of herself as a young girl and teenager.

There were many great elements to this book but overall I don’t know that it really worked for me. I loved the whole code breaking aspect (I would have been a sucker for the children’s spy kit described in the book), Alice’s teen experiences rang true and there were lots of intriguing side stories. But I think some of the suspense in the book was let down by the various ensuing events. I also wasn’t convinced by Alice’s sudden conversion to understanding the evils of mass marketing/mass meat production etc. But I know other people found the story meaningful, so I might have been a bit hard on old Alice. I think rowana recommended this book to me – thanks Ro!

All seated on the ground by Connie Willis. Aliens have landed on Earth, but they just stand around looking disapproving. This was a fun novella by one of my favourite authors, with Christmas carols playing a large role, so I enjoyed reading it. But I admit I’m glad I hadn’t bought the expensive hardback as a lot of the themes and storytelling methods were reminiscent of other Willis stories and I’m hungry for something new.

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass- Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce. Everyone has written about this book extensively over the last year so I won’t write too much (hee, that’s a good excuse isn’t it?). As the wonderful title suggests, Flora Segunda is set in a fantasy world crowded with colourful names and magical beings. Unfortunately things aren’t going so great for Flora – her mum is absent, her dad depressed and the magical butler that is supposed to look after Flora’s house has diminished and the whole place is collapsing around the family. But in the best tradition of a penny dreadful, the plot soon picks up and Flora is having adventures all over the place. I thought it was great fun. At times the characters seemed two-dimensional, but this might have been in comparison to the flamboyant setting and plot. I look forward to reading the sequel!

Tags: books, children's, fantasy, thomas, wilce, willis

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay stars 15-year old Ned, who has travelled to Provence with his famous photographer father. Ned knows he’s lucky to be missing school but is also tied of being babied by his father’s assistant and is starting to feel bored. But Ned's worries are soon superceded by new concerns as the past becomes tangled with the present, placing his family and friends into danger. Kay does a great job at gently introducing the many different historical events that have occurred in the region.

Ysabel tells an interesting and action-packed story, especially if you’re a sucker for travel or history in a book. I like the modernity, too, though – the characters researched stuff on the internet and used mobile phones to communicate with each other at key moments. Too many books seem to ignore the reality of 21st century life in order to maintain tension in a story! It reminded me of Charles de Lint’s books at times. I’m not sure what it was - possibly large cast of characters thrown together and forced to deal with the reality of the supernatural. I did like that there are no clear baddies.

Sometimes the tone of the main character felt slightly off to me, like Kay was trying too hard to write from the POV of a teenage boy. And at times it felt like there were almost too many storylines going on so that they and the corresponding motivations of some of the characters couldn’t be fully developed.

If you like urban fantasy but would prefer historical characters (admittedly ones with supernatural powers) to faeries, this might be the book for you. Even though this isn’t marketed as a YA book, I definitely agree with Colleen that it would have strong YA appeal.

* Is it petty to want to bop an author on the head for getting to live in Provence to research their book?

Tags: books, fantasy, kay

Over the course of the last month I've slowly read another Isabella L Bird travel book, The Golden Chersonese and the way thither. Awkward title, isn’t it?* Isabella explains in the acknowledgements that it was her sister’s favoured title. Sadly the preface also notes that her “beloved and only sister to whom the letters of which it consists were written” died before the book was published.**

( Travelling around South East Asia in the late nineteenth century )

Tags: bird, books, non-fiction