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.

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Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Battle Royale
Koushun Takami
1999, 2003, 2009, Haikasoru, San Francisco
9781421527727
576p.

A group of junior high students from an alternate reality of Japan are taken to an island where they are fitted with exploding collars and told they must kill each other until there is one survivor remaining.

I saw the movie and wanted to read the book.  This is like Hunger Games only better.  Bloody and violent and a hell of a lot of fun.  It may have been improved by a more in depth look at the dystopian aspects of this alternate reality, but then again, that may have distracted from the premise of the book.  As a stand alone, straight-out blood bath novel, it works.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1922, 2013, Kindle e-book
no isbn
192p.

After being wowed by the recent Luhrmann film based on this novel, I thought I'd get a copy.  And I was not disappointed!  Set in 1920s New York, a mysterious and rich young man named Gatsby throws massive parties nearly every night.  He befriends his neighbour, a bonds salesman, but not everything is as it seems.

I found the movie to be quite emotive, and the book was too.  I knew nothing of the story before I saw the movie - it has themes relevant to today (interracial marriage vs. gay marriage).  It is beautifully crafted, I love the words and turns of phrase.

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
2005, 2006, Penguin, London
9780141019017
284p.

An economist and a journalist look at the economics of everyday life.  From asking questions about real estate agents incentives, to the effect of specific baby names on a child's future potential.

This was a very interesting, if sometimes uncomfortable (the parts on the abortion-crime link), read.  It is data analysis for the morbidly curious.  The only disappointment is that the book portion ends about two-thirds of the way in and the rest is bonus material.

Murder in the Dark: A Phryne Fisher Mystery by Kerry Greenwood

Murder in the Dark: A Phryne Fisher Mystery
Kerry Greenwood
2006, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest
1741147093
295p.

Phryne Fisher is a well-to-do amateur detective from 1920s Australia.  In this tale she is invited to an intense multi-day party to celebrate the end of 1928.  She is threatened to not attend, which makes her want to even more.  At the party, people start disappearing and the threats continue.

I had seen the TV series of this, but this is my first read of the books.  I really enjoyed it, Phryne is a great character, she is so powerful and confident.  Th
e storytelling really evokes the feel of 1920s Australia (albeit, the upper-class side).

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Zodiac by Robert Graysmith

Zodiac
Robert Graysmith
1986, 2007, Penguin, London
9780425212189
307p.

Non-fiction account of a serial killer from 1960s and 1970s San Fransisco and then taunted the police with letters.

The writing style was dull and hard to wade through, but the story interesting.  It's hard to believe that a criminal like this could get away uncaptured.

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PartnerShip by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

PartnerShip
Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
1992, Baen Publishing, Riverdale
0671721097
323p.

Sequel to The Ship Who Sang, this is set in the same universe but with different characters.  Nancia is a Brainship - human-brain controlled spaceship (those humans who would not have survived much beyond birth)  - on her first mission out of Laboratory School.  She is to transport high-family young people to their first assignments and overhears some of their horrifying plans.

I really like this universe - imagine being a space ship!  The characters are really three-dimensional and I enjoyed the exploration of their motivations.  There could have been a little more science for my taste, but it was a good entry in the soft science fiction genre.

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