Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski

Eddie's Bastard
William Kowalski
1999, Black Swan, London
0552998591
480p.

Story of Billy Mann, who, as a baby, was left on his grandfather's doorstep in a basket with the note "Eddie's Bastard". He grows up in seclusion with his grandfather in the small town Mannville which his family used to own. The story tells of Billy's childhood and of his ancestors story.

This is a fantastically woven tapestry of a story. It reminded me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is funny at times at utterly heartbreaking at others. I loved the slight supernatural themes to the story, and the prose was beautifully written. I didn't want it to end.

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Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar

Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
Louis Sachar
1991, Random House, New York
0439166233
209p.


This is the story of Gary W. Boone, a kid who doesn't quite fit in and tries to compensate by being the class clown. When the school is to hold a Talent Show he decides to enter to show everyone that he is funny even though they think he is just a 'goon'.

I thought this was a great book! It was funny and poignant. I could really empathise with the main character. And the jokes weren't half bad either.

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Foreign Foes by Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur

Foreign Foes
Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur
1994, Pocket Books New York
067184414x
274p.

The Hidran and the Klingons are long-time enemies, when they meet on a neutral planet to negotiate, two ambassadors end up murdered, and the Enterprise crew is caught up in the middle.

This had an interesting premise, although I found there were too many story threads. I liked the idea of the non-organic grain, even if it was a bit easy to see coming.

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Metal Fatigue by Sean Williams

Metal Fatigue
Sean Williams
1996, HarperCollins, Sydney
073225633x
458p.

A future-set science fiction novel in which a Great War has brought civilization to its knees. One city (Kennedy) in the old United States of America remains isolated by choice from the rest of the world. Phil Roads, a detective working in Kennedy, is on the case of an ingenious thief when an envoy from outside Kennedy comes knocking on their door.

This was an intriguing storyline. I liked the issues it explored about computer intelligences and AIs. However, I found a lot of the 'political' side to it a bit tedious, especially as these chunks of plot were written in the 3rd person past tense style.

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Facets of Murder by Ray Harrison

Facets of Murder
Ray Harrison
1997, Constable & Company, London
0094771804
192p.

Murder mystery set in Victorian England. Constable Morton and his fiancé Catherine are shopping for an engagement ring when a man enters the store, shoots the shop-keeper, steals a diamond and abducts Catherine.

This was a good mystery. And it kept me guessing right up until the end, plenty of plot twists. I liked the setting and that Constable Morton was from the upper-classes, it makes for very interesting reading.

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Love Me or Leash Me as told to Anne Bobby

Love Me or Leash Me
Anne Bobby
2001, Black Dog & Leventhal, New York
1579122159
unnumbered

Small hardback book with 50 simple tips to keep your dog happy and healthy. It is told from the point of view of the author's dogs, and also includes some stories about dogs, their owner, and trainers.

This was a nice little book with some interesting if simplistic advice for dog owners. I loved this little stories that broke up the 'advice-giving' and the cute doggie photographs with their somewhat silly captions.

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Two Moons by Martha Brooks

Two Moons
Martha Brooks
1991, Bloomsbury, London
0747548412
157p.

Story of a teenage girl living in Canada with her doctor father and sister in a TB sanatorium town, after her mother died of the disease.

This is an interesting teen book in that it was set in the late 50s, written in the early 90s. I liked the setting - time and geographical.

The main character was unsurprisingly self-absorbed, and the actual story a little formulaic, but it was a solid entry in the genre nevertheless.

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