Friday, October 29, 2010

iboy - Kevin Brooks


I have been a long time fan of Kevin Brooks. His books often deal with a harsher look at the life of disenfranchised teens. His style is very contemporary and very gritty. iboy is no exception.

A shocking attack begins the story - and for this reason I would recommend this only to mature teen readers. The attack changes Tom and Lucy forever - in different ways. Tom's brain has somehow merged with the mobile phone that is embedded in his head. A phone that provides him with continual online hook-up with the entire mobile network. Just how will he use this power?

Set against a backdrop of housing estate gangs, drugs and violence, Brooks provides a tense and emotional journey.

American Youth - Phil LaMarche

It's not often that I don't like a book that's been recommended - but this is one of those times.

I really expected to be won over by this story of Terry, an ordinary boy from small town America, whose life is changed by a fatal mistake. After his family tries to cover up and hide the truth Terry's issues become internalised. The novel has been lauded as 'great' by American critics. I simply did not 'warm' to any of the characters.

I guess the scary thing is, is that fiction mirrors life. Read about the real life NZ case here...




Thursday, October 28, 2010

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (The hunger games 3)


Wow! What could we expect from the third in this great series. Action and reflection. Tension and tenderness. Provocative and thoughtful.

A great conclusion. An ending that was expected and not.

What are we as humankind capable of?

Thank you Suzanne for a great read.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The messenger - Marcus Zusak


I am always a little suspicious when publishers republish (usually with a new cover) an author's books that pre-date a best-seller. So I wasn't expecting a lot when I picked this from the author The Book Thief.

From the start the narrator, Ed Kennedy, a down-and-out underage taxi driver, was a captivating voice - at times I just wanted to shake him. Ed is reluctant hero who foils an incredibly 'stupid' bank robbery. From here he is targeted by an 'unknown' watcher who presents him with a series of challenges in the form of playing cards. Each ace holds a particular meaning.

An vast array of characters cross his path - from his best friend Audrey (who sleeps with everyone except for him and who he is hopelessly in love with) to the lonely old woman who thinks he is her dead husband come back to read her Wuthering Heights. Every social issue imaginable confronts the reader making the novel more of a social commentary than a straight narrative.

The ending is unusual and leaves the reader questioning the very nature of fiction writing.

Well worth a read.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Top 10 Teen Reads for 2010




Check out the list of the top 10 books as voted for by teens across the US - some of my fav. books are on the list -

  1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
  3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
  4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
  5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
  6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
  7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
  8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
  9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
  10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Can't say that I have read them all - but the fact that they are all by women writers is FAB!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Homer and Langley - E L Doctorow


I read about this novel awhile ago and it took me some time to find a copy. Worth the wait! An incredibly interesting tale based on the lives of the Collyer brothers who lived in New York through to the 1960s. They were renowned for their compulsive 'hoarding' - you can see some of it here . The events are told from the narrative point of view of Homer, as he slowly went blind. His views on some of the most radical times of the 2oth century are as eccentric as the brothers themselves. They say that fact is stranger than fiction - and so it is with Homer and Langley.

You can read about Homer and Langley here

Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery


Rene, the unattractive widowed concierge of a Parisian apartment. A deep thinker and philosopher, she hides this from the residents she has lived with for 27 years. Until Paloma, the 12 year old daughter of a resident family discovers her secret. Almost at the same time a new resident, Mr Ozu , also finds out the depth of her intellect.

Paloma and Rene's narrative voices are quite distinct and but they are linked by their common bond of wanting to remain apart from those around them. While some critics think that these voices are artificial and unrealistic, I enjoyed the contrasting stream of consciousness style.

And I was surprised by the ending!
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