Mutiny on the Bounty by William Bligh

Mutiny on the Bounty
William Bligh
2006 (1790), White Star, Italy
8854401234
332p.

This book contains William Bligh's logbook of the narrative of the Mutiny and subsequent happenings to the crew members thrown off the ship, proceedings of the court martial of the crew who stayed behind on the ship and were captured, an answer to allegations by Captian Bligh written by the mutiny's ringleader's brother, an answer to that answer from Captain Bligh, and a narrative of what happened to the mutineers who escaped to Pitcairn Island.

So parts of this we're quite exciting , such as the logbooks of Bligh detailing the adventure of the open seopen sea, angry natives, and low provisions as they sailed in a small inadequate craft for TIMor. Timor. I also enjoyed reading of what happened to the mutineers when they reached Pitcairn Island. Island. The minutes from the trial and the back and forth between Nicholas Christian and Eillial Bligh were rather dull though.

Chocolate Cake with Hitler by Emma Craigie

Chocolate Cake with Hitler
Emma Craigie
2010, Short Books, Pine Street
9781906021894
189p.

Fictional account of Helga Goebbels' final days in the bunker with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.  The basis of the story is factual, but this is a work of faction.

This was a very interesting book, but I felt it was let down by the writing style.  I know it is written from the point of view of a twelve year old, but I thought the voice used was too young ... twelve year olds are much more mature than the author portrays, especially, I imagine, those brought up in war time.  Nevertheless, it is a heart breaking tale, and a quick, easy read.


Link to journal at bookcrossing

Under the Garden by Graham Greene

Under the Garden
Graham Greene
1957, 1995, Penguin 60s, London
0146000579
87p.

A short story by Graham Greene published as a Penguin 60s.  A man named Wilditch learns he is dying and returns to his childhood home to revisit a dream he had as a boy.

This was a well crafted short story.  It had a mellow feel to it, a feeling of that faraway dreamland of childhood, where reality merges with fiction.  I'm not sure if it was supposed to be an allegory with the biblical holy trinity, but it sometimes seemed as though it was. 

The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

The Star of Kazan
Eva Ibbotson
2004, MacMillan, London
0330418025
388p.

Annika was abandoned as a baby in a little church in Austria and taken home by servants of a great house in Vienna. Shortly after an old lady leaves Annika a trunk full of fake jewels in her will, Annika's mother - a noble woman - returns to take her home.

This is an interesting children's book. I don't think I've ever read a children's book so full of the history of pre-WWI Europe. It was fascinating to real of the old noble families and the social structures. The story was predictable, but it is only meant for children.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

The Carbon Diaries 2015
Saci Lloyd
2008, Hodder, London
9780340970157
379p.

Global warming due to human behaviour has caused catastrophic changes to the Earth. In order to rectify the situation, the UK government introduces 'carbon points' which limit citizens' use of transport, electricity and general consumption.

If you can get past the whining self-indulgent teenage protagonist, this turns into a good story. It is a little preachy and a bit simple at times, but it is written for children. I enjoyed the book.

Link to journal entry at bookcrossing

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

Pirate Latitudes
Michael Crichton
2009, HarperCollins, New York
9780732290696
312p.

Hunter is a pirate living in the English outpost Jamaica in 1665. He gets a crew together to capture a Spanish galleon and steal the treasure it carries.

This is Michael Crichton's last novel, published after his death when it was located in his files. I don't think it should have been published as it is, it reads like a rough first draft. Sure there's pirates, monsters, sex, witch-craft and cannibals, but it doesn't feel like the quality we're used to getting from Crichton. I thought I was reading Reilly at times - a good story in there, just without finesse.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Alien3 by Alan Dean Foster

Alien3
Alan Dean Foster
1992, 1993, Warner Books, New York
0751506672
186p.

Novelisation of the third Alien movie in which Ripley crash lands on a prison planet and discovers a xenomorph has also come along.

This is not a bad story, I really enjoyed the movie and the novel is very similar. However, at times it read like there was more than one author - it could have done with a bit more editing.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast Pillow Book by Bill Richardson

Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast Pillow Book
Bill Richardson
1998, St. Martins' Griffin
0312194404
208 p.

Sequel to the book Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast in which two brothers run a bed and breakfast for bibliophiles. This book is a collection of recipes, gossip and stories of their lives.

Not as good as the original but still I had an enjoyable time with the brothers and their crazy townspeople.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Fire Dancer by Victor Kelleher

Fire Dancer
Victor Kelleher
1996, Penguin, Ringwood
0670871117
307p.

Josie and Ivan are two adolescents from the near future who are on a time travel holiday when they become stranded in the past. They must learn to survive in the wilderness with a tribe of Neanderthals.

This was a very interesting premise and I like Kelleher's exploration of time travel theory and the nature of time. However, at times, it felt a little too much like it was trying to be educational from a historical viewpoint ... it seemed to read like a documentary about Neanderthals and their life.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Island of the Colour-Blind by Oliver Sacks

The Island of the Colour-Blind
Oliver Sacks
1996, Pan Macmillan, Sydney
0330358871
226p.

This is two books in one - the first is about Sacks' journey to a small Pacific island where a high percentage of the population is totally colour blind; the second is about Guam where a neurological disease causes muscular weakness.

I expected this to be more about the neurology and science of the diseases, but it read more like a travel diary which just happened to centre around a neurologist's study travels. It was interesting to read about these places and conditions which I'd never heard about before but I would have liked a little bit more in-depth.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Doctor Who and the Zarbi by Bill Strutton

Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Bill Strutton
1965, 1984, Target, London
0426113241
174p.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are drawn to a planet with strange bug-like creatures who appear to be under the control of an outside force. The TARDIS cannot leave the planet until the team uncover the mystery of the planet.

This is a novelisation of one of my favourite classic episodes of Doctor Who. In the TV show I love how the Zarbi keep bumping into the cameras, and the rather effeminate voices of the Menoptera. I enjoyed the read, though it seemed to take forever to get through.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Brother Odd
Dean Koontz
2006, 2007, HarperCollinsPublishers, London
9780007226580
439p.

Odd Thomas can see dead people and strange creatures which feed on death he calls bodachs. After his girlfriend is killed in a mall shooting, he finds his way to a monastery where he hopes for some peaceful reflection. But of course, he doesn't get it - bodachs begin swarming around the monastery and Odd must find out what they are after before too much blood is shed.

An ok story, but not great writing style. I never felt comfortable in the narrative - it was like the narrator wasn't sure which voice to use, and the story jumped around far too much. Odd should be a fascinating character, but it just doesn't come through which is a shame. The best part of the book was the tete-a-tete between Odd and Romanovich.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Antarctica on a Plate by Alexa Thomson

Antarctica on a Plate
Alexa Thomson
2003, Random House, Milsons Point
1740512073
385p.

Alexa decides to give up her city-based web-design career to fly to Antarctica and be the cook for a small base.

This was an interesting memoir, however, I was expecting to be wowed by the majesty of Antarctica, but that didn't come through.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Aliens by Alan Dean Foster

Aliens in The Complete Alien Omnibus
Alan Dean Foster
1986, Warner Books, London
0751506672
241p.

Book based on the sequel to the science fiction classic Alien, Aliens. Ellen Ripley returns to Earth after spending over fifty years in hypersleep and then must journey back to the planet where she encountered the alien to again face her nightmare.

Like the first book, this one had more detail than the movie (which I watched not long ago). I think maybe some of the stuff that was on the original screenplay but ended up on the cutting room floor is in the book. It's no great work of literature, just a bit of action-fun-dumbness.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Chrysalis by Libby Hathorn

Chrysalis
Libby Hathorn
1997, 2001, Hodder Headline, Sydney
0733611508
204p.

Set in small town rural Australia, Lara is in her final year of high school, and trying to befriend a new girl who is shy. She also has to deal with family issues and boyfriend issues.

Not too bad for an angsty teen book. I wish it wasn't assumed that because a person is shy that means there is something wrong with them, and that they need to be 'brought out'. But other than that, it had some interesting issues (for teenagers) and deals with them in a realistic way.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Dreamtime Alice by Mandy Sayer

Dreamtime Alice
Mandy Sayer
1998, Random House, Milsons Point
0091836212
368p.

Autobiography of an Australian tap-dancer who performed on the streets of New York and New Orleans with her drummer father in the 1980s.

This was an interesting tale of growing up amidst the unique characters of street performers and the underworld. At times, I found Mandy/Alice to be unbelievably naive and obsessed with boys, which made me want to give up reading, but I'm glad I stuck with it because some of the characters we meet are fabulous.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Divorcing Jack by Colin Bateman

Divorcing Jack
Colin Bateman
1995, HarperCollinsPublishers, London
0006479030
282p.

Dan Starkey is a journalist who commences an affair with a young woman he meets at a bar. When she ends up dead, Starkey is suspected of the murder and finds himself on the run from the good guys as well as some very bad guys to boot.

This book gave some interesting background on Northern Ireland history which I didn't know much about. I think the story was good, but it suffered from inconsistency. Parts of the book were humorous, but it wasn't maintained throughout. Other parts were poignant, but not very often. And the suspense was a bit flat at times. It wasn't a bad book - I enjoyed it - it just wasn't super-great.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews

Murder with Puffins
Donna Andrews
2000, 2001, St Martin's Press, New York
0312978863
290p.

Freelance metal-worker (I think) Meg Langslow decides to have a quiet weekend in her aunt's summer house on Monhegan Island with her boyfriend Michael. However, when they arrive, her entire family is there, and when a local misanthropic artist turns up dead, Meg puts her amateur sleuthing skills to use.

This was an unusual cosy mystery in that the amateur sleuth is on holidays! Usually their day-job comes into the story somehow, but I'm not even certain I know what Meg does for a living (something to do with metal-work I think). Anyway, it was a good cosy mystery. A little convoluted at times with 'cliff-hangers' at the end of every chapter, which got a bit annoying. But other that that I did enjoy the read very much. Didn't really care whodunnit, I just enjoyed reading about the whacky characters.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Mouthing the Words by Camilla Gibb

Mouthing the Words
Camilla Gibb
1999, 2002, Vintage, London
0099286580
238p.

This is the story of Thelma growing up. She has a disturbing childhood and becomes anorexic and borderline with multiple personalities.

A very quick read and an interesting book. I found that the characters and situations felt very real. The ending was very abrupt but then so is growing up!

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Love You to Bits and Pieces by Gillian Helfgott

Love You to Bits and Pieces
Gillian Helfgott
1996, Penguin, Sydney
0140265465
329p.

This is the story of Australian pianist David Helfgott. It is told by his wife Gillian who recounts her time with David and of David's past before she met him.

A very interesting biography of an amazing man. Gillian obviously knows her husband very well, and I liked the non-linear style of the book as we went along on the journey of discovery Gillian herself was on.

Link to journal at bookcrossing