Brooke Davis's "Lost & Found"

“Lost & Found” is the story of Millie, a strange seven-year-old girl who harbours a fascination of death. She keeps a book of dead things, which is a running record of all the people and creatures that she has seen die, or that she has personally lost. Her father, a victim of cancer a short time before the novel begins, is a major one in the list.

At the start of her story, she is asked to wait in the lingerie department of a shopping center by her mother, who does not return. Millie sleeps there for a few nights before heading home, finding a piece of paper on the counter. It is an itinerary, and states that her mother will be taking a flight from Melbourne in the next few days.

Millie enlists the help of an elderly widow and widower to get her to Melbourne. The former is Karl the Touch Typist, who has escaped from a retirement village, and the latter is Agatha Pantha, her hermit-like neighbour from across the street.

The unlikely trio set out on their odd journey, which balances the tragic realism of Millie’s abandonment perfectly with surreal, sometimes comical situations. We are rooting for them the whole way through, and want nothing more than for Millie’s mother to realise her harsh mistake.

Everywhere she goes, Millie writes and displays, “In here, Mum”, ever hopeful that her mother is searching just as hard to find her, too. This, along with her obsession with death, make her so endearing. Despite not fully grasping the circumstances, it is hard to call Millie naïve. She is almost wise in her vision of death as she tells everyone that they are all going to die, but that this is okay. It will be okay.

“Lost & Found” is a very fun and enjoyable book, but it does, at times, leave you feeling a bit hollow and funny inside. The ending perhaps isn’t the one that you wanted, but it is still surprisingly satisfying nonetheless. It is definitely worth reading, even buying. I have the feeling I’ll want to relive this whimsical, bittersweet adventure again soon.

Kay Langdale's "Her Giant Octopus Moment"

‘Her Giant Octopus Moment’ is the story of a mother and daughter on the run, practically living week to week until they are discovered again, and are forced to take flight once more.

The mother is Joanie, and she is the reason they can’t stay in one place too long. She works whatever jobs are available in order to provide for her daughter, but doesn’t always make the right decisions. Joanie has the tendency to put her foo tin her mouth, especially with employers, and a strong inclination towards one night stands.

Scout is the daughter; a bright young girl of eleven who likes order and school, and is fed up with moving from place to place, especially since she doesn’t know the reasons why. She keeps her dissatisfaction with their life bottled up for the most part, trying to make the best of things as her Joanie does. Scout is loyal to her mother to a fault, often protecting her at times when she really shouldn’t.

Their secret for being constantly on the go is revealed at the start of the novel (and is mentioned in the blurb in alternate editions) is enough to make you question Joanie’s intentions and integrity. Having signed on to be the surrogate mother on behalf of Ned and Elisabetta Beecham, she changed her mind several months into the pregnancy. In order to keep “her” child, Joanie faked a miscarriage, went overseas, pretended to lose her passport, and applied for a new one as “Joanie”, previously having been just Joan. Things become harder for the pair on the run as the couple try to track her down, in order to discover what is really best for Scout.

“Her Giant Octopus Moment” is told from multiple perspectives. While it generally relies upon the main protagonists (Scout, Joanie, Ned, and Elisabetta), it also relies upon support characters, some who only make only a single appearance. For example, we get to experience the case from the additional viewpoints of a hospital worker, judge, and social worker.

Knowing the truth about Scout’s conception adds tension to the story, as you’ll be heavily invested in the family that was supposed to be. Ned and Elisabetta Beecham are both teachers, which is easy to pair up with their clever, long-lost daughter.

From the moment Joanie recalls an anecdote about a giant octopus, hinting about the significance of the title, it is hard not to be imbued with such a definite sense of hope. You can only hope that the octopus moment will be Joanie’s, and that the right thing will be done by Scout.

I was incredibly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, which I borrowed as a whim to read on the way home. You’ll feel for all the characters, even the ones you don’t necessarily want to. Her writing style, and the tendency to jump between characters, is somewhat reminiscent of Marina Lewycka’s. Needless to say, it is extremely enjoyable and a hard book to put down.

Jenni Fagan's "The Panopticon"

‘The Panopticon’ is one of the most fantastic additions to the young adult fiction world that currently exists. While some people contest its suitability for the young adult library due to the vulgar nature of its sexual references and cussing, they would be unpleasantly surprised to find out that the average teenager knows a few four letter words, as well as their own developing body.

There is also the misconception that the panopticon represents the building that the protagonist is sent to, while realistically it is not-quite-figurative; a mental state. While some elements of fantasy are implied in the beginning, the story will quickly establish that these, too, are imaginary.

The main character is Anais, a young girl who has bounded from foster home to correctional facility and back again for most of her young life (she is only 16 at the opening of the story). While her offenses have always been relatively minor, she is the main suspect in a potential murder. A police woman who had already had several bad run-ins with Anais is in a coma, and as a result, both of their outcomes are looking bleaker by the day.

Anais cannot remember committing the crime (a result of being constantly on drugs), but knows she will, if she knows anything, given enough time, the way it always does. The book goes through her daily life at the correctional facility, slowly remembering her events on that day, with occasional glimpses to her childhood.

The friendships in “The Panopticon” are also an integral theme, since many of the characters are lacking a family of their own. They are beautifully depicted, and often heart-breaking considering the tragic setting of the book.

It deals with real issues, even if the average adolescent will never have a life that completely contends with that of Anais (but, unfortunately, there are many that will). It is not only the mystery that will keep you reading, but a genuine love for the protagonist. While she doesn’t always do all the right things, and can be downright antagonistic at times, you will root for her. She is a good girl at heart, let down by family and the general system.

While I would definitely say this belongs on the young adult shelf, every adult would benefit from reading this book. There are experiences we forget as an adult, especially if we have lived an essentially trouble-free adolescence. It is all too easy to forget or ignore the perspective of another in the circumstances depicted in this novel, and while the problems in this book are not something we enjoy being reminded of, they are crucial in the current day, while these social problems are still all too real.

Janna Levin's "A Madman Dreams Of Turing Machines"

“A Madman Dream Of Turing Machines” is a fictional novel of two real mathematicians from history: Alan Turing and Kurtele Gödel. It delicately intertwines their parallel lives, blending their work with personal anecdotes, mathematical theorems, and philosophies with imagination.

The result is strangely compelling, and tragic in its retelling. The back blurb links them through their lives; that of being a genius and the isolation that comes with being misunderstood, but also in their deaths, as both ended their own lives with intent.

It showcases their genius, dedication to their work, personal moments, and relationships, but doesn't shy away from portraying them as the outcasts they were (however, unlike the fellow man of their time, we sympathise completely).

This is a book for all black sheep, and not just those of the mathematical kind. The persecution of these characters will resound with many for varying reasons, and Turing especially will have a place in your heart (if he didn’t already!)

Nathan Penlington's "The Boy In The Book"

“The Boy In The Book” starts with the charming premise of finding a secret in a book. The author, Nathan, having ordered the complete collection of “Choose Your Own Adventure” series off eBay, notices that the commentary of a young boy has been scrawled in the margins. Sandwiched in the story, Hyperspace, are four pages from a diary, alluding to suicide, drugs, and guns.

Nathan has an obsessive personality, and it is this in part that leads him to set out on a journey to find the previous owner of the book, who, judging from years in the diary, must be a similar age to himself.

Before directly heading out to find the man (but after trying to Facebook stalk him), we met with a number of professionals, including a graphologist who analyses the young boy’s writing, a historian who collects diaries, and a child psychologist.

During this adventure, Nathan starts to realise that his interest in finding the boy in the book is not only out of concern and curiousity (did he go through with the plan to end his own life?), but also because of the striking similarities between the boy and his own childhood self. Quite often outsiders, the boys both kept lists of things to better about themselves (such as posture, and reading).

In the epilogue, it is revealed that all along the journey was as much for a television programme as it was a personal quest, as they were filming a documentary on “Choose Your Own Adventure”.  One character in the story represented three real-life men, a camera was there for most of the scenes, and some events had been reported out of order.

Unfortunately, this revelation changed the whole context of the story for me, and left me feeling deceived and rather sour. While it is still quite definitely a work of non-fiction, finding that scenes are changed for the sake of story and continuity changes the validity of the story as a whole.

I would still recommend this work, but with a slight sense of hesitation. I think finding the edited nature of the story after the book, not before, is what caused this sudden prejudice against the work, and it would have been better knowing the facts going in.

Overall, it is still a fun, nicely paced personal story of two boys, separated by distance and time, who managed to redeem an odd kind of friendship.

A Short Guide To Writing About Literature

This is an informative edition to any young writer’s bookshelf, particularly those with a taste for fiction. It serves as an introduction on how to write about the writing of others’, but also how to find meaning and worthy topics for discussion.

While it mainly deals with narrative, poetry also gets a look-in. As you go through chapter by chapter, it establishes how to take notes for particular works, including how to arrange and rearrange these, dissecting and analysing titles, sentences, and structure, and most importantly, how to construct a solid thesis dealing with a topic or theme from the piece.

Included are a great deal of examples of not only original works, but accompanying student’s notes and first and final drafts of the resulted thesis. These are set out in a clear and concise way with appropriate spacing and changed fonts for last minute realisations or additions to their notes.

 This book is best suited for first-year literature university students and adolescents at a school certificate or higher school certificate level. Each chapter is neatly summarised at the end for quick reread, making it a versatile book to keep on hand. It also includes a further recommended reading list for each topic, which feature other general literature analysis texts or those dealing with a specific topic (novels, poetry, writing, report construction, meaning or symbolism).

My only fault with this book is that it doesn’t discuss how to talk about or critique non-fiction works, which is a huge shame considering all its other substance. Regardless, A Short Guide On Writing About Literature is a great book to have on hand, for book reviewers and students alike.

Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park, written by the popular Rainbow Rowell, is another solid young adult novel to add to your collection (home or library). It is beautifully written, swapping between the perspectives of two teen misfits that lend their name to the title.

Park wants to go by unnoticed, preferring to just do his own thing and move on. He is clever, a dedicated martial artist, and music-lover. From the moment his headphones go on for the bus ride home, he enters his own world and wants to be left alone there.

Eleanor is the new kid at school, with a troublesome home life. Strange, and perhaps eccentric in terms of her style, she is good-hearted, but not quite “nice”. She sits next to Park on the bus just because it is the only seat remaining, but, like him, at least she just wants to be left alone. Or maybe things aren’t that simple after all?

The story is predictable in terms of its beginning love arc, but that doesn’t make it any less good. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was still eager to turn each page, happy to be getting to know our two protagonists a little bit better. The character progression is believable, as is each situation that arises because of their choices.

While teen love is a huge theme in the book (parodied within the book by references to Romeo and Juliet about what love actually is, and whether teens understand the concept of and feel true love), it is not quite as light hearted as it first appears. It deals with family, domestic violence, and abuse, all in a serious and honest tone that is not thrown in merely for the sake of drama.

I read an obvious last sentence but still turned over, ever hopeful there was one more page only to be let down. Though it is well-written, fans of the characters will be left wanting more; to know specific details after the story ends. More often than not, these things are best less ambiguous, so over-all, the ending is really a satisfying one.

‘Eleanor & Park’ is definitely a page-turner, so clear out two to three hours in your schedule to start and polish it off in one sitting. After finishing it, check out Rainbow Rowell’s works. While I can’t personally recommend them, having yet to read them myself, the Internet has decided that while this book is a good one, it is not her best. That is an exciting prospect!

J. P. Davidson's "Planet Word"

‘Planet Word’ is one of the most delightful books I have ever read, and I cannot wait to see the documentary. I was surprised to have learned so much from it, having already read a handful of etymology books.

Though it is quite long, it is a surprisingly easy read due to being nicely segmented and worded. It was very hard to put down, but at the same time, I often closed my eyes in an attempt to digest everything. I have a feeling I have probably forgotten 40% by now, making it a brilliant contender for my next re-read.

It is on the expensive side, so if money is trouble (fellow students), put this one on reserve. It is definitely the sort of book that deserves a definite place on your bookshelf, however.

Jonas T. Bengtsson "A Fairy Tale"

(I flicked back through the story while indulging in berry white chocolate yoghurt. Decadent.)

From the moment "A Fairy Tale" was translated into English and thrown onto bookshop shelves, I have been eyeing it eagerly. The entrancing cover art enticed me to read the blurb, which only further baited my curiousity and I was instantly hooked. The moment I saw it available, after checking on and off for months in Worldcat, I reserved it and went to snatch it up immediately.

This novel is engrossing from the very start, and extremely hard to put down. I started reading it on the train into the city, and ended up sitting on the platform until it was finished. I walked to the library, alone in my thoughts about this extremely lively, whimsical, raw, and genuine story. This is a significantly beautiful and well-composed contemporary fairy-tale, the best I have ever read, but it might be debatable whether it falls under the category of its namesake.

Alluded to constantly throughout the book is the presence of the surreal, that there is more to the world than first meets the eye, shown mainly through the character of the father of the protagonist, who seems sensitive to such things, in a subtly presented manner. It seems to be part of the reason for their nomadic, flighty life, which neither seems to desire, but is nonetheless essential to their survival.

The father is a rich and complex person who truly felt real to me from his very introduction, and this preconception was only ever strengthened as their tale progresses. He falls into the "gray" chasm of morality, as with a very specific and significant exception, you never really feel like he is doing the wrong thing, or anything different to what you would do in similar circumstances to ensure the survival of not only yourself, but your young child. Together they survive on odd jobs, the occasional theft, and even the charity of others. While the father seems to have a constant rose-tinted view of the world, not only looking for but also giving small tokens of kindness everywhere, it is rare that they encounter people they can truly trust with the weight of their own truths and journey.

Loyalty is a huge theme that resounds from the opening chapter, as the the bond between the father and son is completely joyous to say the least. More often than not it resembles that also of a teacher and pupil, but also of two best friends. The story is told in first person perspective by the son, "Peter", and the respect he has for his father seems noticeably limitless from the opening pages. The father can really do no wrong in his son's eyes, which is further sustained in Peter's imagination as he considers them not only a father and son on the run, but a king and his son on a noble quest.

It is hard to speak of anything more without spoiling the novel completely, as there is a dramatic change to the story and characters at around the midpoint of the novel. While the second half is a little different, it somehow got all the more engaging and compelling for me. I was so invested in these characters, and the bewildering and sometimes unsettling blur of the line between reality and the unknown. There is a lot left unsaid and unexplained as you turn from the last page, but I found this really suited the overall atmosphere of this often charming, fleetingly haunting fairy-tale. From going on this expedition with these characters and getting to know and understand them with specific gaps left uncertain, I had a clear picture of everything in my imagination (but this will greatly differ between readers). I am glad my speculated conclusions were neither defied nor negated in the ending pages.

Due to the magnificence of libraries, it is rare that I will ever say a book is worth buying, but "A Fairy-Tale" certainly is. I enjoyed this so much, from beginning to end, with every blow and delight along the way that I could not possibly leave their adventure there, with only one-look through. It is close to perfection, and I can't wait for a day where I am in need of the familiar more than the new, so that I can open this book and be lost once more. If I live to be old, I daresay I would have visited this world more than a dozen times (up there, for me, with the fictional likes of Harry Potter, or the works of Murakami and Kingsolver).

I heartily await the translations of Bengtsson's other works, with the strongest desire to be held captive to his eloquence, anew, once more.

Marina Lewycka

I only had to read "Two Caravans" to realise that Marina Lewycka was a great writer. I picked it up, and didn't put it down until I had finished, feeling like I had gone on an incredible adventure. I'm not sure what I liked so much. The story and characters were lovely and realistic (with a hint of almost zaniness to some of it), but most importantly, it was her writing that really touched me.

When I read the last paragraph, and closed the book, gently placing it on my lap, the first thing I thought was, "Wow. She really knows how to do an ending", and to be honest, she has not disappointed me in all her books I have read since. She doesn't give you too much or too little, but the perfect amount. And I think that this is a quality that is quite often hard to find.

I had to trek all over Sydney to find her other books for borrowing which so far includes "A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian", "We Are All Made Of Glue", and "Various Pets Alive And Dead".

From the start, I instantly became involved in beautiful Ukraine (though her novels are not set there, a lot of the various characters call it their birthplace or home). While there seems to be turmoil and strife there following the events with Russia, I can really see the appeal, not to say that she doesn't have her problems.

So far, I haven't written about her, because I am not sure what to write, other than that she is brilliant. I find it much easier to engage with authors and their works if I feel cold or lukewarm, rather than boiling hot.

Her stories are beautifully composed, displaying a world that sits on a fine line between the real and surreal. While not other-worldly, her stories take the more interesting aspects of life alone (or perhaps her tone just makes the dull incredibly fascinating), showing honest characters (even while being deceitful).

I am given the impression that perhaps this is what all our life stories would be like if only we opened up a little more, to our neighbours, family, or momentary strangers, and got swept along in their adventures instead of just our own. (This makes great literary fodder, but this would be the nightmare of an introvert like myself).

We grow and learn as Lewycka's characters do, making the transition from adolescence to adulthood, or sometimes budging slightly from one stubborn view to another. The subtle changes in characters are often the most natural and truthful to real life, and there are plenty to behold between these pages.

I can do nothing but heartily recommend these delightful books, and anything Marina Lewycka will write from hereonin. I eagerly and not so patiently await her next work, and just know that I will not be disappointed.

(It is also great that she seems to be painting a consistent world within her own books. Within "We Are All Made Of Glue", there was a vague reference made to "Two Caravans", and I almost died of a gleeful heart attack as my eyes graced the words and I reread it just to make certain. Small undertones of consistency and linkage, between two completely different works, so greatly rewards readers, and makes it all feel like some great, sometimes detached, long adventure.)

The Library Book: A Book That Started It All Again For Me

To cut a long story short, when I was in late high school I was severely depressed. As a result of this, I had no idea what I actually wanted to be in life. I had vague ideas, like I wanted to be a writer, of the adult and picturebook kind, but I didn't make any steps towards this. With depression riddling my sluggish brain, I was sure I would be dead by twenty, and the laws of what I wanted to be didn't really apply to me.

(Think of how surprised I am to be here, almost 24, and writing this to you all!)

So unhappy was I between my home and school life that I dropped out of school, in an attempt to drop out of life completely. I drifted around (in a metaphorical sense) for a while, before looking at possible careers. I wanted to be a librarian in a sense, but I knew that if I couldn't survive high school, there is no way I could possibly survive university. So I went into childcare, like a lot of lost souls with a sense of compassion.

I loved my years in childcare, until I got too sick to continue. The children were all delightful, and I think I learned more about the world there than most other jobs would have taught me. At the end of the day, however, it was a little bit unsatisfying. I wanted to study, but I was suddenly sure I didn't want to do a diploma in childcare. I just couldn't think of anything attainable.

Meeting Peter changed my life, as I have recounted so many times before. He has changed and bettered it in a thousand small and not-so-small ways. He inspired me to want to go back to school as I had always wanted to do, and better yet, he gave me the stable home life that I needed to support me. His influence has been indescribable. If I dedicated a thousand blog posts to him, it still wouldn't do him justice.

I was just over half-way through a certificate in game design when I found the book "The Library Book", and I wish I could remember which library it was from! It was life changing. I borrowed more and more books about libraries before it finally began to click: I wanted to be a librarian, and not for the first time in my life.

To stumble upon the audiobook of this, half-way through a library diploma, brought upon a wave of nostalgia. This is the audiobook of the book that changed everything for me, and rekindled an old desire of mine.

I want to be a librarian for many reasons, and not just because I love books, or because the library has always been a sanctuary for bookish girls throughout the centuries. I love learning, and I love information. I love universal truths, and classic stories. I also want to serve my community, and help others continue to better themselves, just as I try to, too.

The library is a place of infinite self-betterment and wisdom, and I treasure every moment that I spend trying to pursue this dream.

Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child"

This is an amazing modern adaption of the fairy-tale by the same name, or, alternatively, Snegurochka in Russian. The original tale is referenced frequently throughout the story, which actually serves as a prophecy to foreshadow the entire plot, to some extent. I won't spoil the ending, but not everything is as it seems throughout the story.

Jack and Mabel represent the childless couple. Mabel contemplates death and suicide while out in the forest, feeling helpless as she no longer has much to life, while Jack works every day, and they struggle to say afoot. Their marriage seems to be dwindling, and they almost seem to be holding on just because there is little else out there.

One night they rekindle their love, and happen to also build a little snow girl, who they give a hat and mittens. After this, they start to see a little girl, as light as snow herself, running through the woods, donning the clothes they left out in the snow.

Both Mabel and Jack change their stance throughout the story of whether or not this is a little girl formed from snow, or a real little girl, lost from a local village somewhere. Getting to snow the girl, and inviting her into their home, doesn't really change their answer for the majority of the story.

Meanwhile, for a lot of the story, Mabel is convinced that their little girl is really a snow child. She sends home to her sister for her original copy of the book, and is careful to try and appease the forces in the real world that caused the snow child harm in the book (such as the fox, or the fire).

It is wonderfully beautiful, and you begin to wonder whether or not the world displayed in this book is that of reality as we know it, or one of absolute magic and fairy-tale. The ending is left open to your interpretation, but will most likely further displace your idea of "The Snow Child"s world.

My problems with the book are subjective, not to mention quite shallow: I don't get why human life is so revered, while animals are hunted sometimes meaninglessly in comparison for fur and meat. This is a small and nitpicky problem with a great book, and doesn't detract too much from the story.

There is a little trailer for the book here, and to further immerse yourself in the world of "The Snow Maiden", you can listen to Tchaikovsky's incidental music here. This book is only short, and can be polished off on a cold, indulgent reading day.

Jeff Ryan "Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America"

If you were born into a time where Sega and Nintendo were something that were already around, and that is just the way life is, this book might be for you, as it was for me.

Peter had already known a lot of the anecdotes presented in this story, but I must admit, I had never delved much into the history of video games before, aside from a few youtube videos explaining the basics.

While this is clearly a book about Nintendo, it mentions the competitive nature and market of the original and follow-up video game consoles, so Sega, Atari, Sony, and Windows all come into it appropriately and repeatedly.

This book and the story of Nintendo is mainly presented objectively, but occasionally the writer does present a kind of biased view of Nintendo (I am pretty sure he had a Nintendo console growing up!)

I learned a lot from this book, so I heartily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of video games or Nintendo in general. If your kids are really into video games, this book will be great for them, or for you if you want to understand their passion a little bit better! (Assuming you are a parent who hates video games, which is not a valid assumption to make!)

Books I Forgot To Review In May (Moonlight In Odessa, The Opposite Of Loneliness, The Novel In The Viola)

Apparently the debut novel of Janet Skeslien-Charles, this is a wonderful story which paints a flattering yet honest portrayal of beautiful, crime-filled Odessa. I really felt for and related to the protagonist, a young and capable girl, clever from start to end.

This book starts with one of the saddest notes I have ever heard. Marina Keegan, portrayed on the front cover and the writer of the various essays and fiction contained within, was killed in a car crash only a few days after graduating. Her family put together this wonderful collection and released it for the public. And while, as you read, you feel for her family who have lost such a lovely young lady, but you feel a loss as a reader. Her work is nothing short of fantastic, and we are left wanting more.

So aware of this poor girl's fate throughout the pages, I found myself crying on the train, when in one of her essays she discussed her future, which was cut far too short.

 Natasha Solomons has written a heart-wrenching novel about a young Jewish lady, starting just before the outbreak of WWII. It is a love story above all else, I enjoyed the perhaps controversial choice of the protagonist towards the end.

Ian Sansom "Paper: An Elegy"

This one took a long time to read, since I was sharing it with Peter. In the end, I didn't even end up finishing it, but not due to time. The first half of the book is fantastic, and just deals with pure fact and history, but the second half of the book develops into a preachy, philosophical affair, and it only just stops short of saying, "Paper is God". I jest, slightly, but I'm not into such artsy interpretations, and preferred just hearing about the history of paper.

Peter made a good point in saying that it glossed over sheet music, which revolutionised the music world. The first half is still pretty good, but it is not completely comprehensive.

Idiomantics: The Weird World Of Popular Phrases

If you have an interest in the history of words and phrases, this is a great book to read. I love the way it is divided up into categories, such as military, and I'd be lying if I said I knew more than half of the origins! However, I do think there are books that have a better format and layout, but I by no means regret reading this book. It was a lot of fun, and is a nice light-hearted read for the bus or the train.

Ken Robinson "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything"

"The Element" has been on my to-read list for a very long time, and I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to do so. If you're after an inspirational book, especially one that details overcoming obstacles to get your dream career or keep pursuing your hobby despite adversary, add this to your list.

June Loves "The Festival By The Sea"

I admit shamefully that it was the first the cover art that drew me in to this book, but it was the concept of a writer's group and festival that clinched the deal. (Also, I didn't realise it was the illustrator behind the Penguin Children's Classics collection I received last Christmas).
After days of rain, there was finally a sunny afternoon that was perfect to indulge in reading a book with a sea-side setting. However, I failed to be drawn in, and putting the book down, I had an inner discussion with myself about whether or not I wanted to read this book, which I wasn't enjoying, or simply return it.
It is not entirely to my regret that I continued, but unfortunately, even as I turned to the last page, I failed to see any merit in the characters or story, at least for me personally.
The only character thoroughly enjoyed was the Dog (a dog), who is shown as having conversations with the protagonist (and it is probably harsh of me to say that I think he is the only character with character).
I can't say the protagonist was inconsistent, but there were times I thought I knew what kind of woman she was, only for her to turn that on her head, and not in a good way. While not preachy or self-righteous, she does carry a hint of self importance as the director, where for me, a down to earth character would be far more appreciated. The ending was predictable. The life-changing decisions hinted near the start of the book are easy to guess the outcomes for. The friends who are mentioned constantly throughout the pages seem to be left with loose threads though. I think the story would work better if we were given insight into the lives of all the characters, with more significance placed on and more Time given to the main protagonist. I think a lot of the side characters were more interesting and relatable than the one we were forced to follow every step of the way.
As a slice of life novel, following the day to day routine of a middle-aged woman as she goes about her business, the story is slightly lacking. A festival planning isn't the most interesting story with only pale characters to back it up. Fresh perspectives would lend the plot much needed story.
Although Loves paints a variety of distinct characters, I felt they weren't fleshed out and I only got to know them as if I were a stranger briefly visiting their lives, rather than an investment in a world and its people I will carry forever.
I'm not dismissing this book entirely, as it is still charming and at times funny, but I doubt I will ever think back on Shelley Beach with fond memories the way other places of fiction inspire.
If you enjoy light novels and middle-aged protagonists, this may be the perfect novel for you. It is set in Australia, but failed to register with me as such (although I might be bias to the more lush green and dusty scenery).
I can't recommend this, but at the same time, it isn't terrible. If you are running out of things to read and have this on the shelf, then get around to it.

"Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors On How And Why They Do What They Do"

Any writer will adore a lot of the sentiments repeated throughout this book, as for most, writing is a necessity. Whether you write slowly everyday, or alternate between binging and breaks, it is a clear requirement to our sanity.
While the majority of the writers that contributed to this book do now write full-time and earn enough from their books alone to live, it did not start that way, and I think this is where the average reader will get the most out of their personal stories as they tell of how they struggle, working full-time and stealing moments of a morning or afternoon for their true passion.
I originally borrowed this book because it was the only book by Meg Wolitzer that I could not, and I was not disappointed by her story, or any of the others. I heartily recommend this book to any person interested in writing, the creative process, or any of the authors featured in general.

Tove Jansson “The True Deceiver”

While “The Summer Book” was charming, this novel is just plain brilliant. Still quaint in its own way, there were times when the story seemed nothing less than dark, and engrossingly human.

The story follows a pair of odd siblings: an odd young lady named Katri, and her younger brother Mats. They are considered outsiders in a sense, even in their own town, unhelped by their rather cold demeanor, and Katri’s ability to be downright frightening (there are times where her eyes appear to be almost supernatural and yellow).

The sister is good with numbers, but Mats is slow with his hands, but efficient and a quick learner. He spends his time helping out ship-makers, slowly learning their trade as he designs a boat by secret in his spare time.

The story really lifts off as the pair start communicating with the famous (fictional) illustrator, Anna Aemelin. She herself is a bit on the odd side, as she rarely appears outside her home, known as the “Rabbit House” due to her books. Their relationship is strange, and not always friendly.

With a name like “True Deceiver”, you know there is a twist somewhere in the story, but I won’t spoil anything here. Perhaps it is obvious from the start, but I didn’t want to believe it, even as the deceit is admitted to.

Like all of Jansson’s stories, I was thoroughly delighted in reading this, but it is perhaps the darkest thing she has written. Sometimes the distinctly human acts feel like they are hitting a little too close to home, and leave you feeling vulnerable, if not a little suspicious of those around you (and yourself).

My life has been enriched by this tale of deceit, so I whole-heartily recommend borrowing or purchasing a copy, as you see fit. The whole thing is little over an hour long, and the snowy setting of the book can thoroughly be indulged in the almost-cold, rainy weather we have been having these past few days here in Sydney.