Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

Wonder Boys
Michael Chabon
1995, 1996, Fourth Estate, London
1857024052
368p.

Author and university lecturer, Grady Tripp, is a womaniser and pot-head. He impregnates his Chancellor, neglects to finish the novel owed to his publisher, steals Marilyn Monroe's jacket, kills his parents-in-law's snake, and a host of other misadventures.

Tripp is such a prick. But a readable prick. He's the asshole you just can't hate because he's also an adorable doofus. I enjoy Chabon's writing style, it is engrossing and humorous.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

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

14 by Peter Clines

14
Peter Clines narrated by Ray Porter
2012, Amazon Audible
audiobook
12 hours, 34 minutes

Nate moves in to a new apartment with extremely low rent.  Soon, strange things begin to happen, and as Nate investigates the reasons why, he becomes entwined in a mystery with long-reaching consequences.

This is the first audiobook I listened to on my Kindle.  It is an amazing story, I love the way it builds slowly and you become enthralled with the mystery.  I also enjoyed the mixture of hard sci-fi, horror and pop culture.

Summerland by Michael Chabon

Summerland
Michael Chabon
2002, HarperCollins, London
000712712X
500p.

American fairytale of Ethan Feld, an 11-year-old baseball player, who is recruited by a group of mythical creatures to complete a quest to save the multiverse.  He meets werefolk, giants, faeries, sasquatch, and goblins along the way.

This is an enjoyable fantasy for young people and adults.  It has a few dark themes, but is still appropriate for children.  It feels like the author has added every mythical creature he could think of!  There are a lot of baseball references in the book, which I didn't understand; it does not distract from the story.  As well as being a work of fantasy, there are sci-fi elements to the story, such as multiple universes, physics, and a rather cute Saab-Zeppelin.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Does My Shirts
Gennifer Choldenko
2004, Puffin, New York
0142403709
215p.

This children's book is set on the prison island, Alcatraz, in 1935.  The protagonist, a twelve year old boy named Moose, has recently moved there with his parents (his father works as an electrician and prison guard) and his sister Natalie who has autism.  The story centers around trying to get Natalie into a special school to help with her condition (autism had not been defined in the 1930s).

I picked this up knowing nothing about the story, I just found the title to be intriguing.  It was a very enjoyable read - I like reading about characters with autism and asperges.  The historical aspects really make this book extra special, and it seems as if the author has done a fair bit of research for it (judging by the author's notes at the end).

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh: Volume One by Greg Cox

Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh: Volume One
Greg Cox
2001, Pocket Books, New York
06710211273
400p.

 This novel looks at the begins of the Eugenics Wars including the background of Khan Noonien Singh.  It also has a plot about Captain Kirk visiting a planet of genetically engineered human settlers who desire to join the Federation.

A little slow to begin with, but once I got into it, it was amazing.  I really enjoyed that the author put historical facts in it (the sub plot - which is the main portion of the book - takes place between the 1970s and the 1980s), and the book is also full of science-fiction references.  Only problem is, it didn't end!  I need Volume Two!

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
2010, Scholastic, London
9781407132105
455p.

The final in The Hunger Games trilogy.  Katniss continues the rebellion, working for District 13 in their quest to overthrow the Capitol.

This was an awesome final book.  I love the moral questions Katniss has, it's genuinely thought-provoking - this is a mature book for teenagers.  The ending was sad though. :(

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
2009, Scholastic, London
9781407132099
472p.

The second of The Hunger Games trilogy sees Katniss Everdeen entering a second Hunger Games as the Capitol forces previous winners back into the game.

This book is just as heart-breaking as the first.  I enjoy the increasing tension of Panem and the start of the rebellion.  And that clock-work arena is terrifying!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
2008, Scholastic, London
9781407132082
454p.

Set in the near future, The Hunger Games is a sort of reality TV show devised as a punishment for the rebellion of 13 districts in the nation of Panem. One boy and one girl from each district are put into an arena from which there will be only one survivor.

I had seen the movie recently, so decided to pick up the book. I found the movie had a good premise but was mediocre - the book however, was excellent. It is written in first person, present tense, which normally I don't like, but the author has pulled it off really well.

The Children's Writer by Gary Crew

The Children's Writer
Gary Crew
2009, HarperCollins, Sydney
9780732285869
233p.

Charlie, aspiring writer and uni student is living with his partner Lootie, when a favourite childhood author comes into their lives and changes things between them.

I totally bought into the voice of the narrator from the start which often doesn't happen when you know the author, but Charlie is written really, really well. I've so enjoyed being with these people over the last few days, even though the story is not exactly a positive one. Also, I should have seen the end coming, but did not. lol

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

The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler
2001, Hodder, Sydney
0733613799
120p.

Psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler talks to the Dalai Lama to find out his thoughts on how we can lived a more happy and fulfilled life. This is an extract from the more complete work The Art of Happiness.

A little book with some good advice - some of it practical, some of it not so much. I will endeavour to be more compassionate towards others now. :)

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Star Trek: Voyager: Equinox by Diane Carey

Star Trek: Voyager: Equinox
Diane Carey
1999, Pocket Books, New York
0671042955
254p.

Voyager receives a distress signal from another Starfleet vessel. When they investigate, they discover the Equinox, a science ship which was also transported to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker and whose crew have been using different means to make their way home.

It's a shame that such an excellent story was spoiled by awful writing. I've never liked Diane Carey and she doesn't fail to disappoint in this novel. This book is supposed to be set in the Voyager universe, but reads more like The Original Series with good old-fashioned sexism and a bit of casual racism to boot.

The writing style is also atrocious. Here is an example of a bad sentence from page 121: 'Sniggering doubts entered her star system.' It's about Janeway arguing a point with Chakotay, but even in context it makes little sense. And there are editing errors which aren't the fault of the author but I see whoever read my copy has fixed some of them!

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1902, 2006, Headline, London
9780755340125
209p.

When a wealthy land owner is found dead of a heart attack, his heir suspects the death is part of a family curse - a supernatural dog. He hires Sherlock Holmes to investigate the death and to find the truth about the hound which has haunted his family for generations.

My first Sherlock Holmes and I quite enjoyed it. It has a rather modern writing style and the detective techniques are readily identifiable within a context of modern police stories. And the mystery kept me guessing.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michalel Chabon

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Michael Chabon
2000, Picador, New York
0312282990
636p.

When Sammy Clay's cousin arrives from Prague during WWII they embark on a comic book writing partnership creating the superhero The Escapist.

I kept expecting something incredible (or indeed amazing) with this book but it never happened. I found it to be a bit bland and lifeless which was very disappointing. I get that it's a big, expansive American novel, yet, at the end of reading it, I don't feel illuminated, or even like I've been on a journey.

Some of the vignettes were beautiful - like the scenes of Joe's relationship with his escape-artist mentor - but they were lost in the quagmire of the rest.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll

The Wooden Sea
Jonathan Carroll
2001, Tor, New York
0765300133
302p.

A police chief in the small town of Crane's View, New York takes in an old three-legged, one-eyed dog named Old Vertue. When the dog drops dead, the police chief's world goes nuts.

This is one of those books where if you try to describe the plot too much, you ruin the book for someone else. So I'll just say that it's fantastic. The characters are fantastic, the situations are fantastic, the plot is fantastic. I loved it.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Ace Ventura Pet Detective by Marc Cerasini

Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Marc Cerasini
1995, Random House, New York
067987867X
165p.

Book based on the movie in which Jim Carrey plays Ace Ventura a pet detective who is hired to investigate the disappearance of Miami Dolphins missing mascot Snowflake.

Very cool. Just like the movie - it's a silly story but very entertaining.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Love and War by Paul Cornell

Love and War
Paul Cornell
1992, Doctor Who Books, London
0426203852
235p.

The Doctor and Ace travel to a planet called Heaven where the dead from a number of cultures are sent for burial. Ace falls in love with a Traveller called Jan, but their love appears doomed when the dead begin to rise again.

An enjoyable, if convoluted story, and utterly confusing. The 'war' parts of this book were much better than the 'love' parts ... haha.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody

The Farseekers
Isobelle Carmody
1990, Starscape, New York
0765342715
316p.

This is book two of The Obernewtyn Chronicles set in a post-Apocalyptic world where some humans have developed new mental powers. Elspeth is a farseeker - she has the ability to look into the minds of others. When her home is threatened, she begins a quest to find an old library, and a new powerful ally.

The first chapters of the book are a bit of recount of what has happened in the first book - which was good for me seeing as I hadn't read the first book, but chapters like that can be a little boring. I enjoyed the story, although I felt it was let down by a lack of focus. Most quest stories have one really strong quest, which isn't resolved until then end, but this one had a series of connected quests and they gave the novel a stop-start feel. The premise of the story was interesting, but hardly unique; the well-developed characters are what really drove the story.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Ancient Guild of Tycoons by Matthew Condon

The Ancient Guild of Tycoons
Matthew Condon
1994, UQP, St Lucia
0702226890
365p.

Brucey Bird is an all-round celebrity and administrator of an island in the Pacific Ocean. His father was the original administrator of the island, which was claimed by the Empire Garbage Company as a refuse.

This book is impossible to describe, as evidenced by my poor explanation of the plot without trying to give too much away! I was reading this for a long time, but I did enjoy it. It's quirky and clever - there are parallels with Australian history if you can spot them, and its exploration of modern culture is stinging. It's far too complex to describe in full - I really recommend that people read it for themselves.

Link to journal at bookcrossing