Kerry (avatiakh) reads around the world

This year I've decided to arrange my categories by location rather than by genre. We'll see how it goes and I reserve the right to rearrange my categories if I run into trouble with this.

Reading around the world

1) South Pacific - books set in the South Pacific, includes Australia & New Zealand
2) UK and Ireland
3) Europe including Russia
4) NAME - North Africa/Levant/Middle East includes Iran
5) Africa excluding the Arab countries
6) Latin America & Caribbean
7) USA & Canada
8) Asia
9) Other Worlds - off planet or fantasy settings
10) Outliers - books that don't fit, expect mainly nonfiction here
11) Illustrated - graphic novels
12) Juvenile - books for the young

1) South Pacific - books set in the South Pacific, includes Australia & New Zealand
One of my focus areas as I'm from New Zealand.

1) Snakes and Ladders by Mary-Anne Scott (2012) - NZ YA
2) 24098087::The History Of The Early Days Of Poverty Bay: Major Ropata Wahawaha, The Story Of His Life And Times by Lieut-Colonel Thomas William Rose Porter (1897) - NZ nonfiction
3) 24101326::Völkner and Mokomoko: A 150 Year Quest for Justice and Reconciliation by Earle Howe (2016) - NZ nonfiction
4) In the clearing by J.P. Pomare (2020) - Australian crime
5) Preservation by Jock Serong (2018) - Australia
6) Sixty Lights by Gail Jones (2004) - Australia
7) A madness of sunshine by Nalini Singh (2019) -NZ
8) It's raining in Mango by Thea Astley (1987) - Australia
9) On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong (2017) - Australia/Indonesia
10) Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar - Australia
11) 24264898::High Wire by Lloyd Jones & Euan Macleod (2020) - NZ/Aus
12) The Wild Card by Renée (2019) - NZ
13) Pull no punches: memoir of a political survivor by Judith Collins (2020) - NZ
14) The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser (2020) - Australia
15) The girl in the mirror by Rose Carlyle (2020) - Australia
16) See you in September by Charity Norman (2017) - NZ
17) Land of Fences by Mark Smith (2019) - Australia
18) The Wife and the Widow by Christian White (2019) - Australia
19) The Burning Island by Jock Serong (2020)
20) Consolation by Garry Disher (2020)
21) Trust by Chris Hammer (2020)

2) UK and Ireland
My main focus will be getting through Jerusalem by Alan Moore, setting is Northampton - a year long group read. Last year I tried to read some books set in Scotland, and while I read several by Scottish writers I don't think even one was set in Scotland.

1) And the Land Lay Still by James Roberston (2010) - Scotland
2) Set on edge by Bernice Rubens (1960) - England
3) The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (2019) - England
4) Mate in Three by Bernice Rubens (1966) - England
5) Yesterday in the Back Lane by Bernice Rubens (1995) - England
6) Austenland by Shannon Hale (2007)
7) Venetia by Georgette Heyer (1958)
8) Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (1972)
9) Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (1968)
10) The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (1946)
11) A civil contract by Georgette Heyer (1961)
12) Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer (1941)
13) The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (2019) - England/fantasy realm
14) Go tell the lemming by Bernice Rubens (1973) - England/Italy
15) Autobiopsy by Bernice Rubens (1993)
16) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)
17) The Lost by Claire McGowan (2013) - Northern Ireland
18) Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (2020)
19) A song for the dark times by Ian Rankin (2020)
20) Smallbone deceased by Michael Gilbert (1950)
21) The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan (2014) - Northern Ireland
22) My name is nobody by Matthew Richardson (2017) - England
23) Here is the beehive by Sarah Crossan (2020)
24) Our Father by Bernice Rubens (1987)

3) Europe including Russia

1) The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey (2016) - Germany
2) The death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa (2019 Eng) - Spain, Morocco
3) The Convert by Stefan Hertmans (2019) - France
4) Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge (1935) - Croatia
5) The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (1869) - Europe/Turkey/Holyland
6) Check-point by Jean-Christophe Rufin (2015) - Bosnia
7) Deviation by Luce D'Eramo (1979 Italian) (2012 English) - Germany/Italy
8) The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri (2020 English) (2017 Italian)
9) The Slaughterman's Daughter by Yaniv Iczkovits (2015 Israel) (2020 English)
10) Somme Mud: the war experiences of an infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 by E.P.F. Lynch (2006) - France/Belgium
11) Where the light falls by Allison Pataki & Owen Pataki (2017) - France
12) Caging Skies by Christine Leunens (2008) - Austria
13) The summer of dead toys by Antonio Hill (2011) - Spain
14) Mother Russia by Bernice Rubens (1992) - Russia
15) Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert (1952) - Italy
16) Where angels fear to tread by E M Forster (1905)

4) NAME - North Africa/Levant/Middle East includes Iran
Hope to read a few set in Israel and I also have collected a small pile of Arab literature

1) The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi (2016) - Israel
2) Fly Already: stories by Etgar Keret (2019) - Israel
3) Jerusalem Food by Nidal Kersh (2017 Swedish) (2019 English) - Israel cookbook
4) Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (2019) -Israel
5) Becoming Gershona by Nava Semel (1988) Israel

5) Africa excluding the Arab countries

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

6) Latin America & Caribbean

1) American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (2019)
2) The Blue Hour by Alonso Cueto (2013)
3)
4)
5)

7) USA & Canada

1) Well Met by Jen Deluca (2019) - USA
2) Into the fire by Gregg Hurwitz (2020) - USA
4) Whatever it takes by Paul Cleave (2019) - USA
5) Letters to the lost by Brigid Kemmerer (2017)

8) Asia

1) Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (1956)
2) Bridge of Birds: A Novel of Ancient China That Never Was by Barry Hughart (1984)
3) Totto-chan the little girl at the window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (1981) Japan
4) The Ringmaster by Morris West (1991) - Japan/Thailand
5) Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami (2013 Japan) (2017 English)
6) The devotion of suspect X by Keigo Higashino (2005 Japan) (2011 English)
7) Lizard's Tale by Weng Wai Chan (2019) - Singapore
8) Strange weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (2001 Japan) (2013 English)

9) Other Worlds - off planet or fantasy settings

scifi
1) Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton (2019)
2) I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (2010)
3) We are legion (we are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor (2016)
4) For we are many by Dennis E. Taylor (2017)
5) All these worlds by Dennis E. Taylor (2018)
6) All systems red by Martha Wells (2017)
7) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2018)
8) Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (2018)
9) Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (2018)
10) How Rory Thorne destroyed the multiverse by K. Eason (2019)

fantasy
1) The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan (2001)
2) Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (2019)
3) So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane (1983)
4) Burn by Patrick Ness (2020)
5) The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (2020)
6) A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (2020)

10) Outliers - books that don't fit, expect mainly nonfiction here

1) How to fight anti-semitism by Bari Weiss (2019)
2) and Picasso painted Guernica by Alain Serres (2010)
3)
4)
5)

11) Illustrated - graphic novels, manga
I always seem to plough through a heap of illustrated works each year

GNs
1) City of Clowns by Daniel Alarcón (2015) - Peru
2) Naruto: vol 1: The Tests of the Ninja by Masashi Kishimoto (1999) - Japan
3) Oishinbo a la carte: Japanese Cuisine vol.1 by Tetsu Kariya (2006)
4) Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware The Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (2015)
5) Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg (2020)
6) Venice by Jiro Taniguchi (2014)
7) Guardians of the Louvre by Jiro Taniguchi (2014)
8) The Wolf of Baghdad: memoir of a lost homeland by Carol Isaacs (2020)
9) Oishinbo à la Carte: Sake by Tetsu Kariya (2007)
10) All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga (2003 Japan) (2010 Eng)
11) Oishinbo a la carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya (2005)
12) Last day in Vietnam by Will Eisner (2000)
13) What did you eat yesterday?: vol 1 by fumi yoshinaga (2007 Japan) (2014 English)
14) The Reprieve by Jean-Pierre Gibrat (2008 French) (2018 English)
15) Will Supervillains Be on the Final? by Naomi Novik (2011)
16) Thornhill by Pam Smy (2017)
17) Celeste by I.N.J. Culbard (2014)
18) Oishinbo à la Carte: Vegetables by Tetsu Kariya (2009 Eng)
19) Oishinbo à la Carte: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
20) Oishinbo à la Carte: The Joy of Rice by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
21) Oishinbo à la Carte: Izakaya: Pub Food by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
22) Monster: vol 1 by Naoki Urasawa (1994 Japan) (2010 English)
23) Spit three times by Davide Reviati (2016 Italian) (2020 English)
24) Guts by Raina Telgemeier (2019)
25) March : Book one by John Lewis (2013)
26) Roller girl by Victoria Jamieson (2015)
27) Monster: vol 2 by Naoki Urasawa
28) Monster: vol 3 by Naoki Urasawa
29) Monster: vol 4 by Naoki Urasawa

Picturebooks
1) The Secret of the Tattered Shoes by Jackie Morris (2019)
2) Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story by Lesléa Newman (2019)
3) Jiffy, cat detective by Catherine Chidgey (2019)
4) Midnight at the Library by Ursula Dubosarsky (2018)
5) Ketzel, the cat who composed by Lesléa Newman (2015)
6) The Silk Princess by Charles Santore (2007)
7) The Fearsome Inn by Isaac Bashevis Singer & Nonny Hogrogian, illustrator (1967)

12) Juvenile - books for the young
I was tempted to include these in the above categories, but it's easier to find them here when I refer back in future years.

YA
1) The Eye Witness by Caroline MacDonald (1991) - Australia
2) Lightstorm by Peter F. Hamilton (1998) - England
3) Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer (2019) - USA
4) A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner (2010) -USA
5) Someday we will fly by Rachel DeWoskin (2019)
6) Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake (2019)
7) The surprising power of a good dumpling by Wai Chim (2019)
8) Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess (2017)
9) A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (2019)

Children
1) Invisible in a bright light by Sally Gardner (2019)
2) The Sea Islanders by Joyce West (1970) - NZ
3) My grandmother's stories: a collection of Jewish folk tales by Adele Geras (1990)
4) The amazing adventures of Razza the rat by Witi Ihimaera (2006)
5) Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (2012)
6) Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (2000)
7) The Unmapped Sea by Maryrose Wood (2015)
8) The Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood (2018)
9) Lampie and the children of the sea by Annet Schaap (2017 Dutch) (2019 English)
10) The Skylarks' War by Hilary McKay (2018)
11) Storm Boy by Colin Thiele (1963)
12) The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece (2018)
14) The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz (2019)
15) The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller (2020)
16) Lark by Anthony McGowan (2019)
17) The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll (2019)
18) Brock by Anthony McGowan (2013)
19) Pike by Anthony McGowan (2015)
20) Rook by Anthony McGowan (2015)
21) Across the risen sea by Bren MacDibble (2020)

ok, I'll continue setting up this evening.

So my new year of reading kicks off with three leftovers from December -
And the land lay still - from last year's Scotland category, I'm halfway through
The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi - e-library book
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - fantasy novel set in ancient China
plus
a New Zealand YA novel - Snakes and Ladders by Mary-Anne Scott
and a children's novel by Sally Gardner - Invisible in a bright light

Happy reading year! I'm very interested by your categories. Will you participate in the GeoCAT?

Good idea. I'll have to check that out.

Happy New Year and enjoy your reading around the world!

Happy New Year, Kerry, I'm eager to travel along with you!

Love your setup. Good luck with your 2020 reading!

Gorgeous photos, especially for your Other Worlds category! Have a great reading year :)

Good luck with your 2020 reading!

I will definitely be following along, picking up book bullets as I go.

Have a great year and enjoy your categories.

Snakes and Ladders by Mary-Anne Scott (2012)
YA

One from my tbr pile. I was under the impression that this had won the YA New Zealand Post Book Award in 2013, but now visiting the author's webpage read that it won the YA Children's Choice section. I found the plot and characters a little too cliched and I would have been surprised if the twist at the end hadn't happened, not many seasoned readers would have been surprised.
Finn, is from a small beach town, and when his Dad gets in trouble for a hit and run, Finn accepts his rich grandmother's offer to go to a prestigious boarding school in Auckland for his final year. He immediately begins dating the hottest and richest girl in the nearby girls school etc etc. As he hides a lot of truth about his circumstances, he is ripe for blackmail by one of the school bullies.

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes by Jackie Morris (2019)
picturebook

A retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale. A slight twist in the ending of the tale that is appropriate for this retelling. The main reason I got this one from the library was to enjoy the illustrations by Ehsan Abdollahi.
'Ehsan is an Iranian illustrator and animator, who creates unique and beautiful artwork using a range of methods. Ehsan Abdollahi is an illustrator and animator from Iran. He currently teaches illustration at Tehran Art University.'
Ehsan says that he is inspired by the environment, the fabrics from the Southern part of Iran (where he was born) and the clothes of the people he meets. He creates hand-coloured paper for his collages, using bold colours and rich patterns in his work.

In 2017, Ehsan was denied a UK visa to appear at the Book Festival. The #VisaforAbdollahi campaign was started, resulting in the decision being overturned and Ehsan was warmly welcomed by audiences, capturing the imaginations of the children who attended his sold out events. He returned to the Book Festival in 2018 as the Illustrator in Residence.' https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/writers/ehsan-abdollahi-5940

And the Land Lay Still by James Roberston (2010)
fiction

I started reading this for my Scotland category last year but only finished it today. An engrossing read about post WW2 Scotland. The book opens as photographer Mike Pendreich, son of famous photographer, Angus Pendreich, is finishing up the selection of photographs for a retrospective exhibition of his late father's work. He struggles to write an introduction to the exhibit, which leads him to look back on his childhood and years as a student, the times that were his father's most productive years. The book contains many intertwining stories of a range of interesting characters and through them the reader experiences the political history of modern Scotland.

The History Of The Early Days Of Poverty Bay: Major Ropata Wahawaha, The Story Of His Life And Times by Lieut-Colonel Thomas William Rose Porter (1897)
nonfiction

This was a booklet, telling the life story of Ropata Wahawaha and mainly focusing on his time chasing after rebel fighter Te Kooti in the Ureweras in the late 1860s through 1871. Porter, the narrator, was Ropata's right hand man and told this story in the local Gisborne newspaper over 16 instalments on the death of Ropata in 1897. The instalments were collated into a booklet in 1923 and a facsimile published in 1997.
An exciting read about early New Zealand, Te Kooti was a wily rebel, who was chased through the impenetrable Urewera region, now a national park. He was responsible for the horrific Poverty Bay Massacre in 1868.
There are several more recent publications on Te Kooti and the HauHau movement, I have Judith Binney's massive Redemption Songs: A Life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki out from the library, but at this stage it would be an ambitious read for me.
Kereopa, one of Te Kooti's men carried the nickname, Kaiwhata or Eye-eater and I'm about to read an account of poor German missionary, Volkner, whose death was the reason for said nickname.

I was led to Porter's account through my family research. John Thomas Smith, my first cousin thrice removed, married a Fanny Copley in the 1880s. Fanny's sister married a son of Porter and I was interested to explore her story as I noticed that she used the Maori name, Hinemoa on her marriage certificate.
Porter's wife was the daughter of a Ngāti Porou chief, Tama-i-whakanehua-i-te-rangi, and one of their daughters was a famous singer, stage name Princess Te Rangi Pai, who toured the UK, a son was a famous traditional tattooist.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2p26/porter-thomas-william

Völkner and Mokomoko: A 150 Year Quest for Justice and Reconciliation by Earle Howe (2016)
nonfiction

Howe is President of the Anglican Historical Society in New Zealand and this is an important book as it covers an historical event as well as the journey for reconciliation for the family of Mokomoko, a Maori chief. Völkner came to New Zealand from Germany and became a missionary for the Anglican church. He worked with the Maori people of Opotiki, the Whakatōhea tribe from 1861. They built a church and school at the mission station.
As the Pai Mairere, a new religious faith, caught on Volkner wrote to the Governor of New Zealand about his concerns for his local area. For this he was accused of spying for the Government. The local Maori were suffering due to travel blockades by nearby tribes, the loss of men who went to fight in the NZ Wars led to food shortages and illness.
Despite several warnings Völkner returned from a visit to Auckland and was hanged beside his church in March 1865 as an example to the government. Mokomoko was one of several Maori charged with Völkner's death, yet according to many he did not take part. Mokomoko was executed and buried in a prison yard in Auckland, his tribal lands were confiscated. It took 150 years for this injustice to be overturned, his whanau (family) lobbied for an acquittal, they received finally a pardon only and the return of Mokomoko's body to Opotiki.
The small church in Opotiki, built by Völkner's congregation, the Whakatōhea people, has become a source of reconciliation for the Anglican Church. Völkner's status in the Anglican calendar as a martyr has been disputed over the years, now the decision was made to include Mokomoko's name alongside Völkner's.
The New Zealand government passed the Mokomoko (Restoration of Character, Mana and Reputation) Bill in 2013.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1v5/volkner-carl-sylvius
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1m47/mokomoko

Another interesting read and helps give background. I have a biography of another missionary, William Colenso - The Hungry Heart: Journeys With William Colenso by Peter Wells and might read his Journey to a Hanging which looks at Kereopa Te Rau (Kaiwhatu: The Eye-eater)'s role in Völkner's death.

>18 Chrischi_HH: >19 MissWatson: >20 lkernagh: >21 rabbitprincess: >22 Tess_W: >23 DeltaQueen50: >24 hailelib: Thanks for the good wishes

Set on edge by Bernice Rubens (1960)
fiction
Decidedly unflattering look at a Jewish family, where the eldest sister sacrifices her chances of marriage in order to help her siblings grow up and get married. Each marriage is less than what it could have been. Gladys continues to look after her mother on the death of her father. Fairly bleak with only a dash of Rubens' regular black humour. Gladys eventually marries, but she's a widow before the week is out.
A quick read but I'd recommend other Rubens before this one.

>27 avatiakh: That sounds like something for me, BB taken.

What an interesting theme! I'll be following along.

Invisible in a bright light by Sally Gardner (2019)
childrens

This was a delightful read after an initial confusion on what was going on. Gardner' first job was as a theatre set designer and here she works her magic in a fairy tale-esque story of ghost ships, a royal theatre, identical twins and emeralds in a dreaming cave. Fantastic.
I'm a fan since getting her first book for young girls, A Fairy Catalogue many years ago.
Gardner has also started writing slightly risque adult novels under the pseudonym Wray Delaney.
I saw her last year at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival where the event focused on her adult fiction and I got a copy of her The Beauty of the Wolf.

>34 avatiakh: Oooh, I hadn't seen this one! I love Sally Gardner - this is going straight on my middle grade reading list.
Just as a side note, blue and orange must be the latest colours for middle grade covers! There are so many and they look great.

>35 JayneCM: Oh a Sally Gardner fan. I was able to gush to her how much of a fan I was when I got my book signed. Kicked myself too that I hadn't brought my copy of Maggot Moon or Tinder with me to get signed.

In the clearing by J.P. Pomare (2020)
crime
My first 'published in 2020' read. I picked this up yesterday from the library and once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Last year I read Pomare's debut novel Call me Evie and liked it enough to consider reading his next novel, so when I saw it in the bookshop last week I immediately put in a library request, not expecting the book to arrive so promptly.
The structure and pacing are excellent. The plot is very compelling based on the real life story of Austraia's The Family cult. I recommend reading the novel first before finding out too much about The Family.
Joshua Pomare is a New Zealander who is now based in Melbourne. I'll definitely be looking out for his next book.

Hi Kerry! I missed you. I'm going to try to be a little more active on the threads this year. I didn't join this group...only I do have you starred to keep track of your reading. :)

I'm mainly interested these days in your graphic novels. I've become such a fan of those. My last two were They Call us Enemy by George Takei and the three volumes of March by John Lewis. Needless to say, all four of those books were marvelous. I have a graphic novel on order at my public library now. It's a new book coming out about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

>37 avatiakh: Another BB from you! I have read a bit about The Family, particularly interesting as one of the few cults with a female leader. A great investigative journalism book on the cult is The Family by Chris Johnston.

>29 avatiakh: It's a pacy psychological thriller as was Call me Evie.
I've requested the documentary dvd, The Family, from the library which the book you mention is related to - same journalists.

>40 avatiakh: Didn't know there was a documentary as well!

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (1956)
fiction

Very compelling plot about the inhabitants of a small border town during the Partition. The various peoples of different religions, Sikh, Muslim and Hindhu, have lived peacefully together here for many generations, but as stories of massacres and Muslims leaving for nearby Pakistan increase the tensions begin to rise. Especially with strangers arriving from across the border and the trains.

The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey (2016)
fiction
Winner of the New Zealand Book Awards for Fiction (2017).
An interesting read, slow paced though picking up a little towards the end. In alternating chapters we follow two children, one is part of a Berlin family where the father works as a censor in an office, never seeming to question his work. The other child is on a farm with his mother near Leipzig, the father is a soldier on the Russian Front. Eventually the two children meet and help each other survive as the war is ending. Who the narrator is becomes more clear towards the end. I enjoyed the writing style and would definitely read more by Chidgey.
Her latest book The Beat of the Pendulum sees to be an unusual book, 'a “found” novel that is part fiction, part memoir, part diary and part some other kind of beast' - maybe I'll take a look at that.

Her next book will return to WW2. Chidgey lived in Berlin for a few years so knows the city quite well.
She's also just published a children's picturebook based on her cat - Jiffy, cat detective which I've requested from the library as the coverart is enticing.

There's an interview here where Chidgey talk about writing The Wish Child: https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/culture-books/catherine-chidgey-on-writing-the-w...

Preservation by Jock Serong (2018)
fiction

Really enjoyed this historical novel which reimagines the story behind the Sydney Cove shipwreck on Preservation Island, off Tasmania in 1797. Leaving most of the crew behind to protect the wreck and its cargo of illicit rum, 18 men begin a trek of over 500 miles along the coast to the nearest settlement, Sydney. Months later only 3 of the 18 men are left when having almost reached Sydney they are rescued by a fishing boat. Each one has a different tale to tell young Lieutenant Grayling. One of these survivors is downright sinister, a fact that is known from the first pages.

City of Clowns by Daniel Alarcón (2015)
graphic novel

Illustrated by Sheila Alvarado. Alarcón wrote this first as a short story which was well received and published, then it was decided to turn the story into a GN, Peruvian illustrator Alvarado was chosen. It's about Chino, a journalist based in Lima who is writing a story about the numerous street clowns. His father has just died and he's also revisiting his childhood memories of his father. Beautiful illustrations, the layout is not the usual GN style.
Enjoyable read.
_

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (2019)
fiction

This is a lovely fun read, romantic but with enough issues in the plot to not be cloying. I requested it from the library after reading comment about it here on LT.
Tiffy and Leon enter a flat share arrangement, both need to save money and this seems an easy option. Leon works nightshift so only needs his 1 bedroom flat during the day, and stays with his girlfriend in the weekends. Tiffy works normal hours. The two have never met as Leon's girlfriend managed Tiffy's entry to the flatshare. Tiffy & Leon leave each other post-it notes to keep on top of the general running of the flat and their relationship slowly evolves.
Reminded me of the 1993 film, 'The Night We Never Met', where three people share an apartment on different days of the week.

>46 avatiakh: I really enjoyed The Flatshare so am glad you liked it too! O'Leary has a new book coming out in May, I think, and I'm excited to read it.

Many interesting reviews here, thanks!
Call me Evie seems perfect for February's ScaredyKit topic, psychological thrillers, so I think I'll go with that! :)

>47 christina_reads: I'll look out for the next o'Leary book as well. I like these lighter reads from time to time.

>48 chlorine: I hope you like it, I think the second book is better. Still with his debut, Call Me Evie, you get a good dose of rural New Zealand which he writes really well.

Well Met by Jen Deluca (2019)
fiction

Another romance read that I think I first saw on Charlotte's thread. It revolves around a renaissance faire so is interesting from that point of view. The romance is quite fun for most of the book, just towards the end it got a bit meh. The bedroom scenes were a little too much information as well, but overall an enjoyable read.
Emily, fresh out of a disastrous relationship, comes to a small town to look after her sister and niece after her sister was injured in a car accident. She volunteers to be a bar wench at the local renaissance summer faire and finds the organiser, Simon, quite insufferable, that is until she sees him in his role as pirate.

The touchstone first suggests Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture which looks like an interesting nonfiction read.

Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story by Lesléa Newman (2019)
picturebook

This is based on a true story. Gittel and her mother are ready to take their ship from Eastern Europe to New York when her mother is refused boarding due to her eye infection. She sends Gittel on her own, clutching the piece of paper with the name & address of her Uncle Mendel who lives in New York. Unfortunately by the time she arrives the details are no longer legible.
The book design and the artwork by Amy June Bates is quite stunning, lifting the story from the ordinary to another level.

Newman & Bates have another picturebook collaboration, Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, also based on a true story that I'd love to have a look at.

The death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa (2019 Eng) (2017 Dutch)
novella
Interesting read about identity. The two main characters are 2nd generation Moroccan immigrants to the Netherlands. The two girls, modern and looking for a good time, take off on a road trip back to their families' homeland. Once there, the experience isn't as wonderful as they thought it would be. While they found themselves as 'foreigners in the Netherlands' they're also not accepted as Moroccan enough in Morocco. Rapidly running out of money after some bad luck they're convinced by an untrustworthy acquaintance to smuggle a young Moroccan youth into Spain.

Jiffy, cat detective by Catherine Chidgey (2019)
picturebook

I noticed when I read The Wish Child that Chidgey had recently published a picturebook based on her cat. Jiffy is fluffy white cat with one blue eye and one yellow eye so quite distinctive. The illustrations by Astrid Matijasevich are cartoony and just right for this bright breezy rhyming story of Dad and his lost shoe.

The Sea Islanders by Joyce West (1970)
children

I loved this story about siblings who spend the summer on their own at their family's dilapidated cottage on isolated Penguin Island in New Zealand's far north. They haven't been there since their mother died some years earlier, their father is off on a mission to Antarctica and as arrangements fall through they take matters into their own hands and catch a bus north. They adopt a kitten and dog, the local Maori kuia (matriach) makes sure that they have a cow for milk and gives them veges from her garden, but doesn't interfere overall.
The island is tidal in that it is joined to the mainland at low tide. The children the only inhabitants.
I've read West's Drovers Road which was also very good. All these books are firmly set in the 1950s/60s and also reflect the values of those times.

eta: Adding this background on West
http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/tauranga_local_history/topics/show/126-joyce-tarlton...

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi (2016)
fiction

A multi generation saga of a Sephardi Jewish family. What I loved was the Jerusalem setting in the background of this novel about a succession of cursed marriages. Gabriella is a young woman serving in the IDF when her mother dies. She's never had a good relationship with her mother and her aunt tells her the stories behind the marriages of Gabriella's great grandparents, grandparents and finally that of her mother, Luna. Luna is the star of the book, though it's hard to like her.
The book was sprinkled with Ladino phrases which were easy to understand with a small knowledge of Spanish.

Bridge of Birds: A Novel of Ancient China That Never Was by Barry Hughart (1984)
fantasy

Lovely story about two unlikely heroes who go searching for the Great Root of Power, the cure to save the children in Number Ten Ox's village who have all succumbed to a mysterious illness. Along the way they have many adventures.

The Eye Witness by Caroline MacDonald (1991)
YA
Set in 2046 Tasmania, 15 year old Leo has taken his flyer to spend an hour or two fishing at the beach when a boy suddenly appears. Jack only has one eye and is disoriented and uninformed. While it's hard to believe, it seems that Jack has suddenly travelled 40 years into the future. The story is a bit confusing, the plot rounds it all up but fairly unsatisfying. I think this story could have made a decent trilogy rather than a 130 page book.
I picked this book up in a children's bookshop last year, she had a lot of older NZ published stock and this was one of them. I read any book by Caroline MacDonald that I can lay my hands on. I had thought I'd read them all.

Naruto: vol 1: The Tests of the Ninja by Masashi Kishimoto (1999)
manga

I keep seeing Naruto splashed on t-shirts etc so thought I'd read the first manga to know something about him. Cute story that I enjoyed but not sure if I need to continue through all 72 volumes.
'Naruto (ナルト) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks to gain recognition from his peers and also dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.' - wikipedia

Midnight at the Library by Ursula Dubosarsky (2018)
picturebook

Published by the National Library Australia this is a celebration of books and libraries through the ages. We follow the life of one book over the years, conceived by the writer, printed on a hand operated press and then passed from hand to hand, in and out of libraries and shops, survives the Nazi book burnings etc
The illustrations by Ron Brooks are in keeping with the concept and Dubosarsky's text is great for all ages.

'This little book
Was wrapped, unwrapped,

Opened, loved,
Read aloud,
Given, taken,
Closed, lost,
Found, forgotten,

Left behind ...'

Sixty Lights by Gail Jones (2004)
fiction

Read for my ANZAC challenge to read a book with a number in the title.
OK, I got sold on Gail Jones when hearing her speak at Auckland Writers Festival some years ago when her novel Five Bells came out. Her writing is poetic and lyrical and when Jones reads aloud the entire audience falls under her spell, even fellow writers on the same panel, I remember David Vann asking if the rest of the event could just be Jones reading from her book.
I read her Sorry and loved it. This one didn't have the same pull, the writing is excellent but the story is quite morbid. We find in the first page that our heroine will die from consumption at age 22, then the book takes us through her life and also that of her parents.
Lucy Strange and her brother are orphaned when their mother dies in childbirth soon to be followed by their grieving father. They are taken by their uncle back to London, where their fortunes decline. Lucy becomes fascinated by light and then photography.
The book is set in the Victorian era of Melbourne, London and Bombay, India. I'll be adding it to my South Pacific category as Jones is an Australian writer.

I still want to read Five Bells as that seems to have become her most popular book.

Some interesting things here, particularly in the juvenile category.

>51 avatiakh: I loved Ketzel so will have to look out for this book as well.

>54 avatiakh: I have Drover's Road as it was reprinted but have never seen any other books by Joyce West. There are some wonderful books published in this time frame that have just disappeared except for in secondhand shops. You always seem to find some great ones. I pick up any Ivan Southall and Nan Chauncy books I see, although quite a few have been republished now.

>59 avatiakh: Ursula Dubosarsky is quite a versatile writer - she writes across so many age groups. My kids love The Game of the Goose.

Always great books to find on your thread!

>61 thornton37814: Thanks. I read quite lot of children's literature.

>62 JayneCM: Oh I read your profile. Fancy getting so many great books from your grandfather! My only childhood 'claim to fame' was my uncle, who retired from farming to take a job at a plastics factory which made those little toy farm animals they used to put in cornflakes packets. He'd bring me a huge handful on each visit, so I had a rather well stocked farm to play with.
Yes, I used to browse the shelves in used bookshops for old children's books. I don't let myself anymore as I have too many that need to be read. Though late last year I happened on Beth's Books in Feilding which is chock full of children's classics and I did buy quite a few.

Several years ago when one of my son's was doing his high school rock band thing, another group came over to hang out in our garage which was set up with a drum kit etc etc. Anyway they were looking for a name for their band and picked up my childhood copy of Ivan Southall's Ash Road and decided to call themselves Ash Road. I was rather pleased about that.

I need to read more of Ursula Dubosarsky. I loved The Game of the Goose but didn't enjoy The Blue Cat.

Lightstorm by Peter F. Hamilton (1998)
YA novella

#5 of The Web series, each book by a different scifi writer. Quite a good story set in 2027 where some kids who are connected by the internet try to help one of their own investigate a possible ecological disaster on the marshes by his home.


Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer (2019)
YA

A recommendation from Roni. I enjoyed this book which features an AI character. Steph's has made good friends in a online group on CatNet, more than in the real world as her mother has shunted them both around the USA, always worried that that her violent ex-husband might find them.
I think I found Robert Sawyer's WWW.Wake series about a blind girl's friendship with an AI more compelling, but overall an entertaining read.

I've started reading I am Number Four which is also about a teenage boy having to resettle constantly along with his guardian in new remote places while on the run.

Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton (2019)
scifi

Salvation Sequence #2. My audiobook to start the year. This is the second of a trilogy, the third book is due out in September. It's a complex storyline where in 2204 all humanity is facing being wiped out by an invading alien race 'that claims to be on a religious mission to bring all sentient life to its God at the End of Time'. This second book is mostly about how we react to the threat and also partly set in the future where the ultimate fight is taking place.
The technology in use in this future Earth is stunning and almost overwhelms the listener but the human stories keep one riveted to the action. Not just set on Earth, the story takes us through jump gates, portals and on spaceships to other asteroids, planets and galaxies.
Really looking forward to book 3, The Saints of Salvation.

Totto-chan the little girl at the window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (1981 Japanese) (2011 English)
memoir

I saw this on a display shelf at the library in the children's section and it just called out to me. I was looking at manga and while this isn't, the cover art had a similar appeal. I very much enjoyed reading this and recommend it to educators.

When Kuroyanagi was a little girl she was expelled from her school after only a few weeks attendance. Her mother looked round for another school and found one that suited her daughter perfectly. It was Tomoe, a small unconventional school set up in converted railway carriages and run by educator Sosaku Kobayashi.
The book is full of her memories of the three years she spent there during the early 1940s. Totto-chan is an adorable if somewhat eccentric child, her short anecdotes are charming, giving full honour to the headmaster's vision of running an ideal school where children love to learn and have the freedom to express themselves fully.
The book was a runaway bestseller in Japan and is read and loved by children, educators, parents, well just everyone of all ages.

>63 avatiakh: That is great, calling their band Ash Road. Are they still together? Ah, the good old days, when cereal came with toys! In Australia, we used to have a tea brand called Tynee Tips and they had bird cards in every pack. I still have my albums. But I was never able to complete them. :(

I looked on your profile and see that we share 230 books. And I haven't anywhere near finished logging all mine. It is a very long ongoing process as I sort out all my shelves at the same time. So maybe it will become even more!

>66 avatiakh: Taking a BB for this one - I hope my library has it! Edit - no they do not have it! Well, they do. There are two copies, one in Mandarin and one in Sinhalese. Book Depository have it - it sounds like it is worth purchasing. Add it to my list!

>66 avatiakh: As a teacher (even though I teach older children) all books about school are for me! On my wish list it goes!

>67 JayneCM: No, alas, the band is long gone, didn't last much past high school.

Like you I've given up on logging in all my books. I did get most done when I first signed up here but have been really bad at adding additional books.

>68 Tess_W: Lots of good books about schools around. One of my favourites is Daniel Pennac's School Blues.

Mate in Three by Bernice Rubens (1966)
fiction

A few years ago I read a large number of Rubens' more popular novels and now I'm cleaning out the last few lesser ones that I still have on my shelves. This one is about a marriage where in theory the two spouses love each other but in practice less so. The book was written in the 1960s when women had more traditional roles than now.
I enjoyed it enough but it's not up there with my favourite Rubens novels.

Oishinbo a la carte: Japanese Cuisine vol.1 by Tetsu Kariya (2006)
manga

Another book pulled from the library shelves when browsing the GN section. I loved this, Kariya introduces the reader to the sophistication and simplicity of Japanese cuisine while giving us a fun storyline to go along with it. Very impressive and I can't wait to get to the next installment.

Plot description: 'Follow journalist Yamaoka Shiro on a rich culinary adventure as he hunts for the ultimate menu . To commemorate its 100th anniversary the heads of newspaper Tozai Shimbun come up with a plan to publish the Ultimate Menu . The assignment is given to journalist Yamaoka Shiro, the protagonist of the series. With the help of a female coworker, Kurita Yuko, Yamaoka starts off on what can only be termed an epic saga to find the dishes that will go into the Ultimate Menu.'

Fly Already: stories by Etgar Keret (2019)
short stories
As usual these are great stories. Keret has an amazing ability to write the most inventive short short story. Loved them all.

You've had lots of great reads already this year! Which leads me to take BBs for The Wish Child, Preservation and The Flatshare.

>73 LisaMorr: Oh those are all good reads.

Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware The Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (2015)
graphic novel

Amusing entry to the series. The Lumberjanes are a group of girls at summer camp where a strange number of paranormal happenings occur in their surroundings. Very cute.

The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan (2001)
fantasy

Read this for Fantasy February (75ers challenge group) and my ANZAC challenge (Canavan is Australian). An average fantasy adventure with a lower class, slum dwelling girl discovering she has magical powers. The Guild of Magicians need to find her before the magic becomes uncontrollable and destroys her and those around her. This was an easy entertaining read and I will probably read the next book to see how the story moves along.

Jerusalem Food by Nidal Kersh (2017 Swedish) (2019 English)
cookbook

An interesting cookbook. Kersh is half Finnish Swedish and half Israeli Arab, though identifies as Palestinian. His mother is Finnish who moved to Sweden and met his father there. The family also spent time living in Akko, Israel when his father ran a restaurant there for a few years.
Kersh runs Falafelbaren in Stockholm and his cookbook was originally published with the title Shakshuka: Jerusalems kök.

Many cookbooks from this region have a political intro and this one does too though Kersh is much more accommodating of Jewish food, even the Swedish title reflects that, shakshuka being brought to Israel by North African Jews. His great aunt is a Moroccan Jew, so this is quite a blended family and the book reflects that. The recipes look relatively easy to cook and feature a great cross section of Arab & Israeli food. The opening pages are given over to his family history in Israel and the Arab lifestyle there with some good photographs.

While he does not have ties to Jerusalem, he'used the city as a symbol of a melting pot of cuisines in his title.

I enjoyed reading this and there are a few recipes I'd like to try, most I'm already familiar with but still like to consider the different variations. As he has a falafel restaurant I'm keen to try his recipe for falafel.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (2010)
YA
Lorien Legacies #1. This has been on my shelves for a while and I've taken a vow to read more of these YAs that I have lying around unread and past their popular 'read me now' date.
I was a bit put off as someone once mentioned that Lore is not a real person but a group of writers. I looked him up and the idea was conceived by James Frey and then written by Frey, Jobie Hughes, and formerly, Greg Boose, under the collective pseudonym Pittacus Lore. So thanks wikipedia.

I'm a bit jaded on these type of reads but this one held my attention enough and I'd like to know what happens next. John Smith and his guardian father, Henri move to small town Paradise, Ohio, one of many moves as they are hunted. He's not human but from the planet Lorien, one of the few survivors from his planet and hunted by another alien group bent on destruction of all Loriens. Sounds a bit like Superman as John is about to come into his powers and must be trained so he can fight back.

Books are still popular at the library, I'm in a queue for the next book.

My grandmother's stories: a collection of Jewish folk tales by Adele Geras (1990)
children

This is delightful, each folktale is told to Geras as a little girl as part of a larger story about life in Jerusalem living in her grandmother's apartment. The folktales are varied, inspired by various items or happenings within the home - a chest in the corner, preparing apples in the kitchen, the button box etc.
I received one of her adult novels, A hidden life, in the mail today.

Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg (2020)
graphic novel

I've read Greenberg's other two graphic novels which I thought were very good. In this one she takes the Brontës' youthful stories of Glass Town and spins them into a bigger illustrated story including the Brontës themselves into the plot. I knew nothing about the Brontë Juvenilia & Glass Town before reading this but enjoyed it for all that.
The original stories - Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal: Selected Early Writings by Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, Patrick Branwell Brontë

Into the fire by Gregg Hurwitz (2020)
crime

Orphan X #5. I really enjoy this series. Evan Smoak has decided that his next mission of mercy will be his last one. Then he'll be out of the business and settle to a normal life. The original publishing deal was for five Orphan X books, but I can see this series continuing.

Venice by Jiro Taniguchi (2014)
illustrated book

Taniguchi travels to Venice, a city where his grandfather was an artist and his mother was born. He keeps a journal of his travels around the city, even finds his grandfather's work in some places.
This was one of the few books by Taniguchi that my library has.


Guardians of the Louvre by Jiro Taniguchi (2014)
graphic novel

Louvre Collection series. One of the few in the series that I haven't already read apart from those still to be translated to English. In this Taniguchi visits the Louvre while still suffering from the flu, he keeps slipping into a dream like state where he meets artists and others from the past who have a presence at the Louvre. Not the strongest one in the series which are all by celebrated graphic artists.

The Wolf of Baghdad: memoir of a lost homeland by Carol Isaacs (2020)
graphic nonfiction

This was really well done. Isaacs is the daughter of Iraqi Jews who fled Baghdad in the 1940s for England. She takes the family memories and creates a graphic novel that tells the story of life in Baghdad before and after the 1941 Farhud, the attack on the Jewish quarter when many were mutilated, raped or murdered. Her illustrations are haunting.

The amazing adventures of Razza the rat by Witi Ihimaera (2006)
childrens

I stumbled across this childrens book by Ihimaera when reading about some natural history on New Zealand. Inspired by the exploits of a rat that swam half a kilometre from one island to another Ihimaera wrote the adventures of a rat that travels the world while tagged by scientists, his exploits making the local news.
Fun story but the font used possibly makes it difficult for emerging readers.

A madness of sunshine by Nalini Singh (2019)
crime

Singh generally writes paranormal but here she tries her hand at a crime novel set in New Zealand's South Island. Golden Cove is a small coastal town with a new cop with a past he wants to forget and the reader stumbles into the town's dark past when he investigates the disappearance of a young woman.
I enjoyed this though the characters were all a bit two dimensional. The mystery was fairly well done and I'd read her next crime novel.

Oishinbo à la Carte: Sake by Tetsu Kariya (2007)
manga

Volume #2 in the series. This is quite an interesting series set in the world of Japanese cuisine. This one is all about sake and how traditional sake was almost lost to the world after WW2. I'm enjoying this series and looking forward to #3 which explores the world of ramen & gyoza.

The Convert by Stefan Hertmans (2019)
memoir/fiction

An unusual structure, Hertmans lives in a small village, Monieux, in southern France. His interest is in the story of a young woman convert to Judaism in the 1090s. She is from an aristocratic Norman family based in Rouen, and falls in love with a young Jewish man, they end up living in hiding from her family in Monieux. This is in the time of the First Crusade and her husband is killed in one of the first Jewish pogroms, her children taken. In her grief she travels to Cairo to search for traces of her children, taken as slaves maybe. The letter of introduction that she travels with ends up in the Cairo Genizah and it is this document that fires Hertmans' search and travels across the Mediterranean seeking out her travels.
Hertmans reimagines her full story and introduces the reader to a second document from medieval Spain that could perhaps be another step in her story.
Fascinating, though the story of poor Vigdis is ultimately very sad. I will seek out his War and Turpentine.

I love the cover art for this book.

>87 avatiakh: That sounds fascinating. My husband is half Spanish and he recently found out that his ancestors were Jewish but converted to Catholicism before/during the Inquisition. Some members of the family apparently kept practicing Judaism in secret but not my husband's direct ancestors.

>71 avatiakh: & >86 avatiakh: - I may just buy the whole series. These look fantastic!

>87 avatiakh: That's a BB for me!

>88 JayneCM: I spent quite a few weeks in Spain a few years ago and we visited many of the links to the Jewish past. There is a trend now in Spain to rediscover this lost Jewish heritage. The conversos had a difficult time during the Inquisition as they were never completely trusted even though they had converted.

>89 LittleTaiko: It's a popular series that I'd never come across before. Luckily my library has most of them though I had to buy book 2.

>90 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it.

>91 avatiakh: I think that is why it was hidden so well in the family. No one in the family knew about it until my hubby's uncle really started digging into the family history and met someone who was doing their thesis on this subject.

>85 avatiakh: I hadn't realised Nalini Singh had moved towards crime, I think I'll have to give this one a go.

Dear Parents: Letters from the Teacher-your children, their education, and how you can help by Gabbie Stroud (2020)
nonfiction

DNF. I read Stroud's first book, Teacher, and really enjoyed it. This one sat on the library book pile a bit too long and is due back in a couple of days. I started reading this and find it okay but as I'm not really learning anything from it, just another 'a teacher's job is hard work' with humour, I really can't be bothered finishing it.

All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga (2003 Japan) (2010 Eng)
manga

A series of stories about different young women, interrelated though friendship or family. It starts with Yukko who is almost 30 and lives with her mother. Suddenly after cancer treatment her mother brings home her new husband, an attractive 27 year old actor. I enjoyed these stories.

Oishinbo a la carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya (2005)
manga

Oishinbo #3. I'm loving this series. This time we explore ramen and then dumplings, both dishes are from China but have been adapted into Japanese cuisine. Rivalry between father and son, twin brothers and neighbouring villages features in the stories. Very entertaining.
I'll have to wait for my next read as the next two are on loan at the library.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (2012)
children

I enjoyed this. About Georges, a boy, who moves into an apartment building and meets up with a weird family living there. Safer, Candy and Pigeon have been home schooled and Safer wants to teach Georges how to be a spy.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner (2010)
YA
One I saw around the bookstores when it was first published and wondered what it was about. Fairly meh YA about a teen recovering from the sudden death of a friend. The chapters alternate between 'Now' & 'Then'. The story is mostly based over the summer and a few weeks into the new school year. The back story is about a rather disastrous solo bike trip that should have been taken by the two friends and the 'Now' story is about putting on a musical written by the dead teen.
I felt that some of what happened needed the input of responsible parents.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (2000)
children

This has won a few awards and understandably so. The story is based on Ryan's grandmother's story, quite a sad one really, and also seeks to share the story of Mexican migrant families working on the produce farms in California during the 1930s. Many Mexicans, including Mexican Americans were deported back to Mexico, some number between 450,000 and 1 million involuntary migrations by the US government.
The story is informative, interesting yet lacks a little. Overall a good read for the age group.

Ketzel, the cat who composed by Lesléa Newman (2015)
picturebook

This is based on a true story. Delightful and beautifully illustrated by Amy June Bates.
Moshe, a composer, adopts an abandoned kitten. One day when Moshe is struggling to come up with a simple piece for The Paris New Music Review's 60 sec composition competition, the kitten jumps down and runs across a few keys of the piano. Moshe quickly writes down the 'tune' made by the cat and while it doesn't win, its creative instinct and imagination wins Ketzel a certificate of special mention. When Ketzel, who has been smuggled into the performance hall, hears his name announced he meows loudly to the delight of the audience.
Who could not be charmed by this story.

The Silk Princess by Charles Santore (2007)
picturebook

A retelling of the folktale of the discovery of silk. Beautifully illustrated and a lovely story. I found this one on Linda's thread (whisper1 on the 75er thread) which is full of wonderful picturebooks. Luckily my library had an e-book and I didn't have to wait for the lockdown to end to read this one.

Yesterday in the Back Lane by Bernice Rubens (1995)
fiction

Bronwen narrates her life story, a life that has been dominated by an assault in the back lane to her childhood home when she was returning from her Auntie's house with the big carving knife for the Christmas turkey. It still feels that it all happened just yesterday. I enjoyed this, Rubens writes people so well.

View on my morning walk yesterday. I live on the edge of my city and this is looking over Mangemangeroa reserve which has several walkways down to the waterfront.
An information board says that local Maori used to stand on the top of the hill here with their clubs and hit out at the godwits as they returned from their migration to the Siberian and Alaskan tundra. Easy catch for their dinner.

Austenland by Shannon Hale (2007)
fiction
I've seen the film a couple of times and picked up this one in a charity shop so wanted to read it and put it on my 'to cull' pile. Rather average story that translated well to the big screen. Thirty-something Jane goes to England to stay three weeks in an Austenesque themed environment with other paying guests surrounded by actors who carry the idea of living in an Austen novel to perfection.
Just saw that there is a sequel that is themed on Northanger Abbey, this one is mostly Pride and Prejudice.

>103 avatiakh: What a beautiful place to have a walk in!

>104 avatiakh: That's a cute one, though I do prefer the movie, largely because of the great cast!

>105 DeltaQueen50: I haven't been able to go for a few days due to a painful hip.

>106 christina_reads: Me too! Have you watched Northanger Abbey (2007) with JJ Field. My daughter and I love this production too.

>107 avatiakh: Hope you heal up quickly.

>107 avatiakh: I have that production of Northanger Abbey on DVD! I think it succeeds in some ways and fails in others, but JJ Feild as Mr. Tilney is utterly delightful!

>103 avatiakh: That's a beautiful place to go for a walk. Happy Easter, Kerry!

>96 avatiakh: - Thank you so much for introducing me to this series. I just finished the first one and am looking forward to the rest in the series.

>111 LittleTaiko: Oh good. I have to wait for the library to reopen so I can pick up the next one.

The Unmapped Sea by Maryrose Wood (2015)
children

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #5. Thought I would come back to the series and finish it now that I'm aware that the 6th book is the last one. I really enjoyed this, the children and their governess are great characters, the villians are fairly awesome too. If you liked Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Events, this series will charm as well.

Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (2019)
fiction

I liked her Waking Lions and this read was quite as captivating. Nofar, a 17 year old school girl, works the summer holidays in an ice cream shop. She's bored and ordinary, her best friend ignores her, boys ignore her and she's jealous of her perfect little sister. When a grumpy failed reality star walks in and verbally abuses her while ordering his icecream she runs to the alley. He follows and verbally attacks her once again, the only witnesses are a deaf mute beggar and a boy from a close-by apartment balcony. When she screams her frustrations for everything bad in her life, others come running and the ex reality star is accused of sexually abusing her. Nofar is so taken up in the moment, getting so much attention that she goes along with the story.
The book is about what happens when you tell a lie that grows beyond your control. Nofar is not the only liar in the book.
I have her One Night, Markovitch on my tbr pile, will move it up a few notches after this.

one of my gingers sitting by my bookshelves

Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge (1935)
fiction
Came across this book in Around the World in 80 Novels which I had out from the library last year. This was a lovely read that had vivid descriptions of the countryside around Dubrovnik (Ragusa). Grace is a lonely rich woman who escapes her marriage and family for a few weeks in Croatia. She's also a respected artist and plans to spend her time painting. She becomes the mentor for a talented young artist whose father is threatening to cut off if he continues to pursue his love for art. Their unlikely friendship grows and they fill their days with painting, good meals and excursions into the countryside.
After this I will be on the lookout for more books by Bridge.
Must read the introduction to this Vintage Modern Classics edition by Jennifer Uglow.

The Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood (2018)
children's fiction
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #6. The last book in the series which ties everything up tolerably well. I really enjoyed every book in this series and am happy that I decided to go back and finish the series earlier this year.

Someday we will fly by Rachel DeWoskin (2019)
YA
This was an interesting read. A Jewish family flees Poland for Shanghai, China during WW2, the mother disappears a day before they are due to leave and is left behind.
Through Lillia the oldest of the 2 girls we see the family's fortunes as they struggle to survive in Shanghai, a haven from Hitler but still a very difficult place to live, while waiting and hoping that their mother will eventually join them. The parents had both been circus performers and this plus the Shanghai setting made for an absorbing read.

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (1869)
nonfiction
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner. I loved this book, Twain is not very diplomatic about much of what he experiences, and definitely not from our current era of political correctness. I laughed out loud many times.
'In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period.'

It's raining in Mango by Thea Astley (1987)
fiction
Read for my ANZAC challenge. Read a book about gold mining. Well, this book mentions gold mining in the first two chapters and then moved on, but it will do. My second book by Astley, very well written but a tad depressing. The family fortunes over the four generations ebbs more than triumphs in this book set in the tropical north of Queensland.

Venetia by Georgette Heyer (1958)
fiction
Don't think I've read this Heyer before. Very enjoyable read to make up for the more depressing content of some of my current contemporary reads. Heyer is my pick for a comfort read.

The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell (2011)
children's fiction
Rundell's powerful debut novel is well worth looking out for. Mother-less Wilhelmina (Will) has had an almost feral childhood on a large farm in Zimbabwe, hanging out with best friend, horse and monkey. When her father suddenly dies, she's sent to a posh English boarding school for girls and expected to fit in. US title is Cartwheeling in thunderstorms

Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (1972)
fiction
Another comfort read thanks to my library having so many Heyer's available as e-books.


Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (1968)
fiction
My least favourite so far of the Heyers but Kate is a delightful character.


The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (1946)
fiction
Ok, I loved this one. Lots of political intrigue and a fabulous hunting dog called Bouncer. Elinor must take up the position of governess to a young boy, but along the way she ends up getting in the wrong carriage and is taken to a rundown country home, where she is convinced by a young lord to get married to his cousin. By midnight she is a widow.

Last day in Vietnam by Will Eisner (2000)
graphic novel

A collection of vignettes on being a soldier in Vietnam. OK, not great.

On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong (2017)
fiction
This was a riveting read. There are three threads to follow, the first is in Canberra, the Australian government introduces a new policy for asylum seekers setting out by boat from Indonesia. Here we follow the Minister for Border Integrity, on the eve of an election as he must navigate the fallout from this new policy, his failing health, family issues and a no scruples Prime Minister.
Next is a charter of Australian surfing enthusiasts setting out from an Indonesian tourist spot to surf at breaks on remote uninhabited islands. The skipper, Isla, has substituted for the more popular Joel much to the chagrin of her paying customers. The boat is a large old traditional fishing boat.
On another traditional fishing boat, though one that is not so seaworthy, a group of about 50 asylum seekers from the Middle East - Afghans, Iraqis etc
While this was a good read I preferred his other two books that I've read. They'e all so good though and quite different from each other.

A civil contract by Georgette Heyer (1961)
fiction
This was a re-read just because I've been reading Heyer of late. I have one more to read and I think I will be done then as I've overdone reading them at present.
A marriage of convenience has its ups and downs as the husband, a Viscount who has inherited his father's ruined estate is forced to relinquish the love of his life and marry the daughter of an immensely wealthy City man. Both the main characters are extremely likeable.

The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (2019)
fantasy
This books is set partly in our world and partly in another realm. I was excited to get my hands on the book and started reading it in February but put it aside a few times for other reads. I found it hard to be captivated, eventually finding some parts a bit of a slog rather than a page turner, so it turns out to be a book I can admire but not love. I just didn't like any of the characters and that makes it hard to keep at a book so I did find it easy to put down, often.
I've loved other books by Knox, I just feel that maybe I haven't been in the frame of mind to get the most out of this read as others have loved this. I would class it as sophisticated fantasy.

'Taryn Cornick believes that the past is behind her – her sister’s death by violence, and her own ill-conceived revenge. She has chosen to live a life more professional than personal. She has written a book about the things that threaten libraries – insects, damp, light, fire, carelessness and uncaring. The book is a success, but not all of the attention it brings her is good.' book description

Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer (1941)
fiction
My last Heyer for a while. I have possibly read this before as parts felt quite familiar. Max Ravenscar is called in to help when his young cousin falls for an alluring beauty who runs a gambling house with her aunt.

I've looked out some YA and crime novels as my next set of comfort reads.

The Ringmaster by Morris West (1991)
fiction
Bolinda audio have released new audio editions of several of West's novels earlier this year. I grabbed this one as it sounded interesting. It was a fairly entertaining novel, the main character is involved with global business deals involving Japanese, German and Russian business entities. Possibly a bit dated.
I'm in the library queue for another West novel on audio.

Check-point by Jean-Christophe Rufin (2015)
fiction
Lots of action as a humanitarian aid convoy goes off mission in 1994 Bosnia. Rufin based this novel on his own time in Bosnia during the war. I enjoyed this, a sort of dangerous road trip read.

Go tell the lemming by Bernice Rubens (1973)
fiction

Story of Angela, who still loves her husband even though he left her 2.5 years ago to live with his secretary. David doesn't even know why he did it, he hasn't much backbone and so continues on even though he's not happy in this new relationship. Angela should just move on, instead she takes a job with David's film production in Italy, the film is based on a book that is basically a mirror image of their marriage. Several of the cast and crew have similar problems in their relationships. Ending is rather surprising.
Good not great Rubens, I feel that I've already read her best. Next up is her Chosen People which she wrote just before her Booker winning The Elected Member.

eta: Chosen People is the same novel as The Elected Member according to Fantastic Fiction - both have Norman Zweck as the main character so I suppose I can write that one off my tbr list. Next up will be Autobiopsy.

Lampie and the children of the sea by Annet Schaap (2017 Dutch) (2019 English)
children's
Debut novel by Schaap, a well known Dutch illustrator of children's books. This was a lovely read, at times meandering. Lampie's father is the lighthousekeeper, he only has one leg and loves to drink, so Lampie is the one who climbs the steps and light's the lamp each day, hence her nickname. After a disaster, involving no matches, no lamp lighting, and a shipwreck, Lampie must go work in the forbidding monster house for seven years. Just who/what is the monster, Lampie is about to find out. I was reminded of The Secret Garden to begin with but this story also involves pirates, mermaids and a travelling fair.

Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake (2019)
children's/YA
Currently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (UK). I was a tiny bit disappointed with this one, though I can see children loving it. Lake hits the bullseye with action and excitement. Emily and her little brother stowaway on a small plane, heading out of the Alaskan winter wilderness. The plane crashes and the two plus Bob, the wounded pilot, must make their way across snow and ice while being hunted by men with guns. Implausible because they should have died from exposure, hunger etc etc. You learn early on that Aidan isn't a little brother but something else entirely and that's the reason for running away from home.
Readership would be for about 10+.

When Lake isn't writing he has a real job as Fiction Publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books in the UK.

Autobiopsy by Bernice Rubens (1993)
fiction
This was a fun read, silly premise that allows Rubens to write a great black comedy. Martin Peabody is a writer suffering from years of writer's block after the success of his debut novel. When his mentor, a famous writer, dies he steals the brain and manages to syphon off random thoughts. Martin's block disappears as he uses these thoughts to write a fictional biography of his mentor. Quite intriguing as well as very entertaining.

Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar (2015)
fiction

Another read for my ANZAC challenge. I've driven through Salt Creek and the Coorong National Park in South Australia and had been excited to know that there was a book written about the settler history of the area. A truly bleak story of a large family, their encounters with the local aborigine and the slow dismantling of the father's hope to finally make a go of their lives as his fortune had failed in previous ventures. Not everyone survives and if they do have the happiness they should. A beautiful book with real soul for the land and its people.
Treloar's own family had settled in this area and she has based some characters on real life people from those times such as Malachy Martin, murderer.
https://willunga.nowandthen.net.au/Martin,_Malachi

Good to see you enjoyed your Heyers. Some of my own favourites here!

>115 avatiakh: Pretty kitty! :)

Looks like you've had a good lineup of reads, both in quality and quantity!

Wow - lots of good reads there.

>136 MissWatson: Yes, I enjoyed my Heyer binge. Lucy from the LT 75ers group had read all these recently and made them sound irresistible.

>137 rabbitprincess: I have a stack of lockdown library books that I'm slowly plugging away at. I've enjoyed the novelty of not having to take them back unread.

>138 thornton37814: Yes, hoping to be on my home stretch of library books this coming week. Also managed to read a few of my own books...wonders never cease.

Love the picture of your ginger kitty on the bookshelf, and the Heyer reading.

>140 lkernagh: Gaius is the prettiest of the three ginger brothers we brought home a couple of years ago. He whines outside my daughter's window each night, she's allergic and doesn't want him to spend time in her room.

What did you eat yesterday?: vol 1 by fumi yoshinaga (2007 Japan) (2014 English)
graphic novel

Depicts the daily life of Shiro, a young lawyer, and his boyfriend, a hair stylist. Shiro works and then at night prepares gourmet meals from simple ingredients. Quiet read set in Japan's urban society.

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (2019)
YA fantasy

A great fantasy read with a wonderful cast of characters. Hark is a boy scavenger, living on one of many islands making up The Myriad. Thirty years ago the gods had been the sea monsters lurking in the Undersea but that era is over. An interesting setting for this steampunk style adventure. I loved this one.

The Reprieve by Jean-Pierre Gibrat (2008 French) (2018 English)
graphic novel

I loved Gibrat's Flight of the Raven, his artwork is just glorious and this is more of the same. This one is similarly set during the German occupation of France during WW2, but this time in a rural village. A love story between Julien, a young man in hiding and Cecile, his childhood girlfriend, but more than that as it portrays the life of various villagers most siding with the Resistance but a few Fascist sympathisers.

The Skylarks' War by Hilary McKay (2018)
children's fiction
Alternate title: Love to Everyone. About a motherless brother and sister whose father mostly ignores them, their summers are spent with their grandparents in Cornwall, with their older cousin who they adore. WW1 starts and changes everything. Compelling storytelling.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak (2019)
fiction
I really enjoyed this. Leila is a prostitute who has just been murdered, in the time that it takes for her brain to shut down we journey with Leila through her memories. The second part of the book deals with the day after her death. I will be looking for other books by Shafak.

Storm Boy by Colin Thiele (1963)
children's fiction

This was a follow up read to Salt Creek, both are set in the Coorong National Park of South Australia. This is a classic Australian children's book and has been made into a film in 1976 and also 2019. I haven't seen either but will try to. It's about a beachcomber father, Hide-Away, and his son, Storm boy, living in a humpty or shack right on the shore in the Coorong. Storm boy raises three orphan pelican chicks, Mr Proud, Mr Ponder and Mr Percival. It's a lovely story and the trailer for the 2019 film looks beautiful.
My edition had stills from the 1976 film.

My Michael by Amos Oz (1968)
fiction
Set in 1950s Israel this is the story of a marriage, two university students from different disciplines meet and marry within a few months. Hannah tells the story of her marriage to Michael. Beautifully written with wonderful descriptions of Jerusalem during this time of austerity and war.
I read this for a category challenge to read a book you have owned for the longest time. This one I have probably had on my shelves for 20 years as I collected his books back then and did not read them all.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley (2020)
fantasy

Sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. I don't do rereads and this time it was a trial to figure out what had happened in the first book and so this bogged down a little for me at times. Anyway the story was interesting, set in alternate Victorian times but mostly in Japan and with a lot of science of the day, this time experiments with electricity. Real life characters are woven into the plot, notably Kuroda Kiyotaka, who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1888-1889.
Overall a good sequel, but the five years between the books made it difficult to dive straight in.

Will Supervillains Be on the Final? by Naomi Novik (2011)
graphic novel

Liberty Vocational vol. 1. Yishan Li is the illustrator and does a great job. The style is manga and the story reminds one of the film Skyhigh. This was meant to be a series but only this one got published.
Leah Taymore has a strong superpower and Liberty Vocational is the university for superheroes, but there seems to be someone working behind the scenes making every attempt by Leah to succeed turn to disaster.

The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece (2018)
children's fiction

Winner of The Text Prize (2017). I read all the Text Prize winners, usually it is a YA manuscript that wins but on occasion it's a children's novel. This comic story won a couple of years ago and I finally got round to reading it. The cover didn't encourage me and the story inside was much as to be expected, silly fun for younger readers with lots of illustrations by Andrew Weldon. There's now three Huggabie Falls books.

'Most of the humour comes from the narrator’s many deviations and asides that are reminiscent of authors such as Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch.’ - I felt that Lemony Snicket did it better, though for children discovering the author talking to the reader within the book for the first time, they'd probably lap it up. I did feel that Cece uses this device a little too much, but then I'm not the target audience.

The story itself is solid with lots of cartoon-like fun. Three school friends live in a town full of weird families. Suddenly things start to go normal, so what's up? Normal isn't normal for this town where every street is named Digmont Drive, they set out to discover whats what.

I still have to read The Book of Whispers, the 2015 winner to complete the sweep and then wait for last year's winner to be published later this year.

Thornhill by Pam Smy (2017)
illustrated book

This is like Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck in that there are parallel stories, one told by text the other by illustration alone. One is the story of Ella, a girl who moves with her father to live alongside Thornhill, an abandoned building with a huge neglected garden. The other story goes back to the 1980s and tells the story of Mary, a girl who lives in Thornhill, a home for girls, where she is copes by selective mutism and making puppets. Sad story that offers a glimpse into the world of social care and how it fails the most vulnerable.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary (2020)
fiction

Another easy story by the author of The Flatshare. Leena who has just been told to take a break from her high pressured London job switches places with EIleen, her lively grandmother, for two months heading back to the Yorkshire village where her mother also lives. The plot alternates between Eileen's dating adventures in London and Leena taking over Eileen's schedule of Neighbourhood Watch and May Day planning meetings. I enjoyed this, O'Leary is careful to add much more to the story than just a romance for the main character.

A solitary grief by Bernice Rubens (1991)
fiction

Another Rubens, I only have two left to read now. This one I enjoyed quite a bit though the story is a little unusual. Alastair Crown is a psychiatrist so knows all about mind disorders, yet when his long awaited first child is born and is found to be a downs syndrome baby, he can't accept it. He never looks at the baby's face and misses her first birthday and then others all because he can't bear to look at little Doris' face. His whole life is dominated by this rejection of his daughter, a rejection that he tries to fight but can't seem to overcome.
I loved the relationship that Alastair builds with the very unusual Esau, this gives the book its potency.

The surprising power of a good dumpling by Wai Chim (2019)
YA
This is about an Australian Chinese family and their struggles with their mother whose mental health is deteriorating. Anna is the oldest daughter who is struggling at school while she takes over most of the household chores as their mother remains in bed for weeks at a time. Baba, the father mostly sleeps over at the family restaurant which is miles from where they now live, he is doing his best to keep it thriving.

I really enjoyed this, quite educational about how hard some immigrants work to get ahead in a new country and how the language barrier works both ways. Anna's mother speaks broken English and while Anna speaks colloquial Cantonese she can't read or write in that language. Her father tells her about when years earlier he got off the plane from China, his uncle put him straight in the restaurant kitchen to work a twelve hour shift. He'd never had a day off in years.

Oishinbo à la Carte: Vegetables by Tetsu Kariya (2009 Eng)
manga

This is volume #5, I'm still waiting for volume #4 to come from the library but order isn't too important. This focuses on vegetables and organically grown vs the use of pesticides and herbicides. Also using all parts of the vegetable and simplicity of preparation, all set around the lives of two journalists, Yamaoka and Kurita. Engrossing, fun and educational too. I'm not a fan of Japanese cuisine but have total respect for it, just not my thing. This series goes deep into the traditional cooking methods, the regional delicacies and the downside of mass production of foodstuffs.

The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz (2019)
childrens

Magical fun story about Clementine whose father, The Dark Lord, is under a curse so she must manage on her own to maintain the castle and farm while also looking around for a solution to her father's predicament. I liked this didn't love it.

Celeste by I.N.J. Culbard (2014)
graphic novel

This was not my thing at all, I raised it from 1 star to 2 stars only because of the art, the storytelling was confusing and more confusing. There are three stories following three different characters that never meet. They suddenly find themselves alone, all other life has been removed from the planet, well not quite and yet maybe yes. I wasn't sure what was going on. Anyway the locations are Los Angeles, New York and somewhere in South East Asia.

Oishinbo à la Carte: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
manga
Vol 4. Really love this series. This time the focus is on fish, the ongoing Ultimate Japanese menu vs Upreme Japanese menu rivalry between Yamaoka and his father.


Oishinbo à la Carte: The Joy of Rice by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
manga
Vol 6. And one more, the penultimate. Here we learn everything about Japanese rice and explore dishes based on the grain. Very entertaining.


Oishinbo à la Carte: Izakaya: Pub Food by Tetsu Kariya (2005 Eng)
manga
Vol 7. Last one in the series, in Japan there are about 100 vols but the translators just chose a variety from these to make the 7 volumes. I enjoyed this even though the father is missing from the stories in this one. Recommended series.

Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess (2017)
YA
Blink #1. Alexander writes his novels in verse and his Crossover about basketball was brilliant. This one just doesn't catch the heartstrings at all, it feels contrived, like it was written to a plan and the characters are all so so hollow.
Blade is the son of a mega rich but alcoholic/druggie musician and while his life is very Beverly Hills privileged he isn't enjoying the fact that his latest girlfriend's parents disprove of his father's lifestyle choices. The action moves to Ghana where Blade immediately falls for the first person he meets apart from the taxi driver who has driven him from the airport to the village of Konko.
Maybe teen readers will be more taken with this, after all Blade is also a talented musician.

Reading the author's note at the end of the book and following links, the reasons the book is clunky though written with good intentions become a little clearer - 'The Leap For Ghana initiative was co-founded in 2012 by Kwame Alexander following a trip to Konko, a village in the eastern region of Ghana.'
https://parade.com/587624/tamrabolton/the-experience-that-inspired-poet-kwame-al...

He has collaborated with Hess on another stand alone novel in this series, Swing, set around baseball.

High Wire by Lloyd Jones & Euan Macleod (2020)
illustrated book

I found this outside of my prefered reading zone and with quite gloomy artwork.
Jones uses poetic-like prose to accompany dark charcoal and pen artworks by Macleod, both shedding light on bridges/crossings including the metaphorical and the high-wire used by Philippe Petit on his walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, on the morning of 7 August 1974.

'High Wire brings together Booker finalist writer Lloyd Jones and artist Euan Macleod. It is the first in the new kōrero series of a series of ‘picture books written and made for grown-ups’ and designed to showcase leading New Zealand writers and artists working together in a collaborative and dynamic way.' -publisher, Massey University Press.
There's a preview of the first 25 pages here: https://www.coalitionforbooks.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/First-Chapter_High-W...

from an interview with Jones: What was the process the two of you developed?

We started off with the working idea of ‘bridges’, and after an exchange of many drawings and text the subject migrated to ‘high wire’ and that transactional space that where art is made; like any tight rope walk, it is precarious. There are no guarantees it will succeed. But in terms of plain old narrative, High Wire is told by a narrator who walks to Australia.

Monster: vol 1 by Naoki Urasawa (1994 Japan) (2010 English)
graphic novel

I enjoyed this and have already requested vol 2. A young Japanese surgeon who is now working in 1990s Germany becomes involved in the investigation of a series of serial killings, learning that a decision he took that saved a young boy's life is one he might live to regret.

We are legion (we are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor (2016)
scifi

Bobiverse #1. I got sidetracked to read this after seeing enthusiasm for the series on other LT threads. This was a lot of fun and I'm definitely reading the others.
One minute Bob is strolling along the street in Las Vegas after signing up with a cryonic agency, he's just sold his company and looking forward to a life of new possibilities when the unfortunate happens. Next thing he wakes to find himself a sentient AI over 100 years into the future, put into training to take control of a self-replicating probe being sent into space as Earth begins to melt down in conflict.

The book has an interesting publishing story - 'Taylor self published his first novel and began working with an agent to try and publish his second novel We Are Legion. However, Taylor still had difficulty getting any publishing house to take on his work, and eventually published it through his agent's in-house publishing arm. An audiobook rights deal with Audible was also reached. Once recorded, We Are Legion became one of the most popular audiobooks on the service and was awarded Best Science Fiction Audiobook of the year.
Taylor has been noted as one of many popular authors that debut their work in audio form rather than print to take advantage of the explosive growth of the audio medium.' - wikipedia

Deviation by Luce D'Eramo (1979 Italian) (2012 English)
autobiographical fiction

Not an easy read but very worthwhile.
The book is in four parts, the first contains two pieces that she wrote in the 1950s & 60s. Then as her memories cleared she has slowly written the other parts and also written about memory itself.
It's 1944 and 18 year old Luce, a Fascist like her parents, decides to go to a volunteer labour camp in Germany to see the truth for herself after coming across rumours of death camps. Her idealistic world view is abruptly shattered, her experiences almost surreal and then just as the war is ending she is severely injured trying to save people trapped in rubble.

Not an easy book to comment on either, this from a Guardian review 'Repeatedly she questions her own integrity. In the fourth section, written in 1977, she performs a kind of autopsy on her own text, laying open not only its untrustworthy content, but also the circumstances in which it was written. In early passages, she says, she detects a “sexual anxiety” that belongs not to the young runaway but to the writer – the “betrayed woman in her thirties” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/31/deviation-by-luce-deramo-review

The Fearsome Inn by Isaac Bashevis Singer & Nonny Hogrogian, illustrator (1967)
illustrated story
I saw this on Amber's thread. A great tale about a witch, a devil and their three slave girls. When three young men arrive separately to spend the night at the inn the witch thinks she can cast them under her spell. One of the young men is returning home from studying Kabbalah and with the help of the others is able to outwit the witch.

The Wild Card by Renée (2019)
crime
Renée's first crime novel published at the age of 91. Renée has described herself as a ‘lesbian feminist with socialist working-class ideals’ and most of her writing is a direct expression of that conviction. She has been involved with community theatre, the Broadsheet Collective, PEN, radio shows, programme organisation for the Globe Theatre in Dunedin, and with script writing for TV.
She started writing for the stage at the age of 50.

A good yarn set in the world of small town community theatre. Ruby has returned to write a history of the town's theatre group as well as act in their latest performance. Her first stop is at the ruin of the local orphanage where she was placed, a baby in a flax basket, on the verandah.
There's several intriguing mysteries to be solved here, Ruby is assaulted as she walks towards some sheds in the back garden by a man in a balaclava just like the man in a balaclava who stood over the body of her protector, Betty, those many years ago.

Spit three times by Davide Reviati (2016 Italian) (2020 English)
graphic novel
This was recommended to me by Richard. Depicts the rather grim postwar journey from childhood through adolescence to manhood of Guido and his friends and their interactions with a Roma family that lives on the outskirts of the town alongside an abandoned farmhouse. The boys' prospects are not good and for the Roma family even less so.
The narrative touches on the genocide of the Romani people during World War two. The artwork is great, very moody.
There is a shorter piece at the end that tells the lifestory of Bronisława Wajs or Papusza, one of the more famous Romani poets. Her story is sad as not many Romani were literate in those times, a scholar translated and published some of her work and for this she was shunned, even beaten by her people and had to live most of her life in isolation from them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronis%C5%82awa_Wajs

Whatever it takes by Paul Cleave (2019)
crime

Great crime fiction from Cleave. He's set this one in the US instead of his usual Christchurch, New Zealand. Noah, a deputy sheriff twelve years earlier, severely injures a suspect when trying to track down a missing seven year old, Alyssa. He finds the girl, promises to protect her from the 'bad men' and then has to leave the remote community where he lived as the suspect was the sheriff's son. Now he gets a call from his ex-wife, Alyssa has gone missing again, will he come back and find her. There should be a sequel.

The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri (2020 English) (2017 Italian)
crime

Commissario Montalbano #25. Only two or three more Montalbanos after this one....sigh. What a little gem, I really enjoyed reading it....and Ingrid is back after a long hiatus of about 20 books. His 'The Sicilian Method' should come out at the end of the year.
A retired gentleman brings in a puzzling mystery from long ago while Ingrid is helping a Swedish film crew that has taken over the town. There's also a startling event at the school that Mimi's son attends.

Guts by Raina Telgemeier (2019)
graphic novel/children

Raina tells a true story about facing her fears when she was young. She constantly gets an upset stomach, it seems to be linked to her worries about food, school and friendships. This is a companion to her Smile & Sisters.


The Republic of Birds by Jessica Miller (2020)
childrens

I loved this. Set in a fantasy world of tsarinas, yagas and birds, Olga's family is exiled to the border between Tsaretsvo and the The Republic of Birds when her father falls to disfavour. Olga has always loved stories of exploration and the feats of the early mapmakers, she's also excited to come across yagas, banished from Tsaretsvo since the War in the Skies.


Lark by Anthony McGowan (2019)
YA

This just won the UK Carnegie Award for Fiction, a remarkable achievement as this is a YA for reluctant readers. The text is simple but evocative, the story is heartwarming, I shed tears at the end. It's the fourth in a series about two brothers, but can be read as a stand alone. I'll be reading the earlier books Brock, Pike & Rook.
Two brothers who have suffered hard knocks growing up take up their father's suggestion to go for a walk on the moors. They get off to a late start before getting lost, all the time the snow is coming down and their old dog doesn't like it one bit.
I've mentioned publisher Barrington Stoke before, they publish wonderful stories for dyslexic and reluctant readers.

The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll (2019)
childrens

An exciting read set around the 1607 tsunami in Somerset with the addition of James I and witch hunting to the story. Fortune must leave her home by the sea to escape the attention of witch hunters, she dresses as a boy and lands work at great house, but has she gone from the frying pan to the fire.

For we are many by Dennis E. Taylor (2017)
scifi

Really enjoyed this #2 in the Bobiverse trilogy. Can't wait to dive into #3, luckily I already have it from the library. The are lots of clones of the original Bob and I can just about keep them all in my head though there is a character list and family tree of cloning at the back of the book to help. Each clone of Bob is slightly different as different aspects of his personality come on stronger in the different clones, and then there are clones of clones. This makes each 'Bob' quite individual. I love their choice of names too. The story is exciting and I'm looking forward to see how they deal with the 'Others'.

All these worlds by Dennis E. Taylor (2018)
scifi

Final in the Bobiverse trilogy and ties up all the plot points. Highly enjoyable. Loved it.

Looks like you are getting caught up on your posting here!

The Slaughterman's Daughter by Yaniv Iczkovits (2015 Israel) (2020 English)
fiction

I really loved this. Set in late 19th century Pale of Settlement or more precisely today's Belarus we follow the escapades of Fanny who decides enough is enough and leaves her family in the middle of the night to go in search of her brother-in-law. He has abandoned her sister and children almost a year earlier and gone to Minsk. Along the way Fanny is helped and hindered by an assortment of colourful characters.
The Yiddish-style humour in the book reminds me of Moyshe Kulbak's The Zelmenyaners.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (2019)
fiction

This starts out as a compelling read about a mother and her young son on the run from a drug cartel that has taken over in Acapulco. I enjoyed the book though found it quite light and slightly implausible at times. Don't want to give details as it will spoil the read. This is an action paced read that does not get as gritty as it could.
There has also been a huge controversy over this book, I'll just say I'm aware of it and appreciate the concerns put forward.

I have to say the YA Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick was a much more convincing read.
The only Mexican writer I've read is Robert Bolano, his The Savage Detectives was great, though only go there if you like his style. I've probably read more non-fiction on Mexico, John Reed's Insurgent Mexico was a good one.

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami (2013 Japan) (2017 English)
novella

Not sure where I heard about this one. It's narrated by a young boy, probably abut 10 or so. He's totally in awe of the young woman who works at the sandwich counter at his supermarket. He goes every day during the holidays to buy an egg sandwich, just so he can look at her and names her, Ms Ice Sandwich. From these daily encounters we're taken to the boy's homelife, to his school and in particular his friend Tutti who lives nearby.
This was a great read, I especially loved his friend Tutti and her obsession with acting out the gunfights in the films she watched.

How to fight anti-semitism by Bari Weiss (2019)
nonfiction

A worthwhile read as it covers recent events.
Weiss is a NYT op-ed writer and wrote this in response to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Most of the book is devoted to explaining the three main branches of anti-semitism, each getting a chapter - the right, the left and radical Islam. The final chapter is about how to deal with or fight it.
There is nothing much new here and you only have to read some of the reviews of the book over on goodreads to know that the 1 star reviews are mostly from anti-semites. I haven't looked at the Amazon reviews.
She mentions a 1990 'How to fight anti-semitism' essay by Ze'ev Magnon that she came across while at college, as a wake-up call at the time and one that she came back to when writing this book.
http://www.doku-archiv.com/antisemit/FightAntiSem.html

All systems red by Martha Wells
scifi novella

Forgot about this one. An engrossing action packed story set on a remote planet. A security robot accompanying a team of scientists on an investigative mission has hacked itself and no longer just obeys orders, it has become self aware.

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Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2018)
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (2018)
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (2018)
novellas

Murderbot #2-4. These follow the adventures of Murderbot, an anti-social self aware killing machine who loves binge watching tv soaps and other media. The story follows along from the first novella, each one just jumps straight back into the episodic story, with book 4 leading to a final conclusion. Lots of exciting action piled into each book.
The next one is a stand alone novel that I'm now in a longish queue for at my library.

Pull no punches: Memoir of a political survivor by Judith Collins (2020)
memoir

Read this over the weekend. Collins became leader of New Zealand's opposition party a couple of weeks ago, so whatever happens in the upcoming election we'll have a woman PM. She was my electorate MP for a term or two around 2008, before boundary changes, though I wasn't a supporter at the time.
Anyway this was a very accessible and quick read that gives her background and then goes into more detail on her parliamentary career. The book came out about a week before she gained leadership so the timing was impeccable.
I've grown to like her more and more over the last couple of years as she has been on an offensive to win back public support after PM John Key using her as a scapegoat, stripped her of her Cabinet portfolios just before the 2014 election. A subsequent enquiry cleared her of all charges, but it takes a lot for the sticking mud to clear.
What impresses me most is that having already a Masters in Law and also Masters in Taxation Studies she's just completed a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety to better understand submissions in her parliamentary work.

The Blue Hour by Alonso Cueto (2005 Spanish) (2013 English)
fiction

I enjoyed this, it starts almost like a thriller and then the pace slows and becomes more introspective. A successful Lima lawyer must look back into the 1980s and come to terms with his late father's role in the civil war.
I'm fairly sure that I added it to my tbr list back in 2013 when Ltr kidzdoc (Darryl) read it.

Somme Mud: the war experiences of an infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 by E.P.F. Lynch (2006)
memoir/fiction

LTer petermc who is long gone from our group recommended it to me probably back in 2010 or so and the book has spent several years on my tbr shelves.
I was captivated reading this, Lynch puts you in the trenches along with the ordinary soldier. The book has been compared with All quiet on the Western Front.
Now I have to watch the film 1917 as the dvd is due back to the library tomorrow.
Lynch wrote up his war experiences in the 1920s, typed it up in the 1940s and then shelved it. In the early 2000s his grandson brought it to the attention of war historian, Will Davies, who thought it was an extremely important addition to Australia's canon of WWI literature. He edited it and the book which was published in 2006 quickly became a classic.

From wikipedia - 'The book's editor, military historian Will Davies, asserts that the "Nulla" character is based upon Lynch himself and that Lynch used the device to try to distance himself from the story. Lynch's record indicates that he saw similar service, including suffering similar injuries to Nulla, although he includes Nulla in well-known battles, such as Villers-Brettoneux, when Lynch himself was recovering from wounds. Nulla's unit is 14 Platoon of D Company of the 45th Battalion (New South Wales) within 12th Brigade of the Australian 4th Division. Nulla's expertise during his service includes his sense of direction and ability to find his way in and around the front line which results in his recurring deployment by his Officers Commanding as a runner or front line guide. He also has qualifications as a Signaller and variously throughout the story is asked to relieve for signalling parties who suffer casualties.'

Quote - 'It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying...'

'
eta: Another of my ongoing ANZAC challenge reads - only 4 more books to read to complete this.

and Picasso painted Guernica by Alain Serres (2010)
childrens/YA nonfiction

While this is for the younger set it is a great resource on Picasso's creation of his famous Guernica artwork. The book documents Picasso as a child artist, he was extremely accomplished at just 13 yrs and then uses Dora Maar's documentary photographs of Picasso working on his sketches and then on the actual canvas itself.
I've seen Guernica in its present spot at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. At the time there was also an exhibition of his sketches for the artwork, these are usually on display in Paris which is where he created the work.

The devotion of suspect X by Keigo Higashino (2005 Japan) (2011 English)
crime
This did not captivate me though the plot was quite interesting. I read somewhere that it is a redo of a Sherlock Holmes story. A mathematics teacher covers up a murder for his neighbour and her young daughter. He's quite the genius and comes up with a foolproof alibi for them.

Where the light falls by Allison Pataki & Owen Pataki (2017)
historical fiction
Brother and sister writing duo's historical novel set in the terror years of the French Revolution. The two main characters are a young army officer of noble birth and an idealistic young lawyer who both have their fortunes rise and fall during these years. Several real life figures are in the background of the novel.
I took several months to read this though overall it is a fairly good story and I liked the cast of characters which is more than I can say about a lot of my recent reads.
I looked out this book as my son is doing a history research project this year and he wanted to choose a topic around the revolution. He's ended up researching the British caricaturist, James Gilray who portrayed the revolution and its consequences to the British public.

Letters to the lost by Brigid Kemmerer (2017)
YA
I enjoyed this more than I expected. Juliet has lost her mother who she idolises, her grief is expressed in letters she leaves by the headstone at the cemetery. A stranger replies to the letter expressing their own pain. The two correspond, they comfort each other, pour out their innermost thoughts, safe in not knowing the other's identity. Yet they work out they both attend the same school. Declan is the star of the book, a troubled teen, who is doing community service mowing lawns at the cemetery.
The book hits all the right notes.

There are two more stand alone books in this series, the next one is about Declan's friend.

So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane (1983)
childrens

Long time on my bookshelves and I've finally kicked off reading this magical series, Young Wizards. It's a good story with lots of interesting magical elements. I have the omnibus of the first 3 books but will not continue to book 2 for a while as I have several other reads on the go.

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens (2008)
fiction
This is the book that Taika Cohen Waititi's mother pressed him to read and the film Jojo Rabbit was the result. He won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. As a booklover I loved the story and hurried off to read this book which inspired the film.
Caging Skies is bleak and unrelenting, what is in the film happens in the first 100 pages plus the ending.
Johannes tells the story, it starts with him as an ardent member of Hitlers Youth when he discovers that his parents are hiding a Jewish girl in a hidden alcove. Elsa had been the friend of his now dead older sister. The book leaves the film behind and covers the next ten or so years.
It's well written though not a happy read and I made very slow progress. I started reading the book back in July so it has been shunted aside many times. I enjoyed the movie, it is typical of Waititi's style, and am impressed how he took the soul of the story and turned it into Jojo Rabbit, letting much of the bleakness fall away.

Leunens has had an interesting life - 'Christine Leunens was born in Hartford, Connecticut to an Italian mother and a Belgian father. As a teenager she moved to Paris, where she had a close relationship with her grand-father, Guillaume Leunens, the Flemish painter and sculptor. She funded her study and early writing by modelling in Europe, becoming the face of Givenchy, Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Pierre Balmain and Sonia Rykiel, acting in TV ads such as Mercedes Benz, Suzuki and House of Fraser. She went on to earn a Master of Liberal Arts in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University in 2005, and a PhD at Victoria University of Wellington in 2012...Caging Skies was adapted to stage and film. The play adaptation, written by Desirée Gezentzvey and directed by Andrew Foster, had its world premiere at the Circa Theatre, Wellington in 2017'
She now lives in New Zealand, another of the reasons I wanted to read this. I'll consider reading another of her books.

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Brock by Anthony McGowan (2013)
Pike by Anthony McGowan (2015)
childrens

The Truth of Things #1 & #2. I've already read the Carnegie Medal (UK) winning #4, Lark and decided to read the first three books in the quartet too. #3 Rook is on my library request list.
These books are published by Barrington Stoke, are dyslexic friendly and just fabulous. They are about two brothers growing up in tough circumstances in Yorkshire, the older one, Kenny, was deprived of oxygen at birth and is a little simple. Nicky, the younger one, narrates their story and their adventures.
Brock is about when some older boys force them to watch an attack by their dogs on a badger set. They end up taking ownership of one of the injured dogs, Tina, and nurse her back to health.
The second is about going fishing on a murky pond beside the old bacon factory where monstrous pike are said to lurk. Nicky spots a glint of gold in the water when he rescues their dog and is determined to come back and get his treasure.

Burn by Patrick Ness (2020)
YA

Loved this one. There's dragons, a prophecy, a teenage assassin, a dragon cult and some normal folk about to be thrust into a huge mess of confrontation. There's also a couple of FBI agents trying their hardest to stop all this from happening...all wrapped up in 1950s Montana, just as Russia is about to launch their first satellite.

Becoming Gershona by Nava Semel (1988)
childrens

Lovely coming of age story set in 1950s Tel Aviv. Gershona hates her name, she's teased by the other children and hasn't any friends. She's named after a Gershon but doesn't know who he was.

Lizard's Tale by Weng Wai Chan (2019)
childrens

I loved this one. Set in 1940s Singapore, this is an action packed adventure featuring Lizard, a 12 yr old boy, who is mixed heritage and for the last two years has been making his own way in Chinatown after his guardian uncle disappeared. When he steals a wooden box with mysterious contents from Raffles Hotel for a gangster he is suddenly engulfed into a world of espionage where the Japanese are making plans for their invasion and the British are determined to get their hands on a Japanese codebook that has gone missing.
Authors note at the end informs that several of the adult characters were based on real life people, all involved in this pre-invasion drama.
Weng Wai Chan is a New Zealander who was born in Singapore and came to NZ when she was eight.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)
scifi

My library book has scifi on the spine label so scifi it must be. This is hot off the press and another great read. When Nora's meaningless life crumbles a little bit more with the latest two disappointments she decides to end it all. Then she comes to in a strange library run by her old school librarian, Mrs Elm. She's told that she has the chance to experience all the lives she could have led if only she'd followed through rather than turning away from opportunity.

A great premise about regretting decisions made in one's past and then not living and making the most of the life you now have.

The Lost by Claire McGowan (2013)
crime
Paula Maguire #1. I enjoyed this. I was looking for a book to read set in County Down, as I've been doing family research from that part of Ireland. McGowan grew up in Rostrevor, Co. Down and this series is set in a fictional bordertown. The book is about teen girls disappearing, maybe they are runaways or maybe they've been killed. Maguire is enticed back to her hometown after 12 years away to join a special North/South taskforce charged with investigating some cold cases as well as girls who've been missing only for a few days.
The book covers the political legacy of Ireland's troubled past. Most families in the town have suffered loss. I've already requested the second book from the library.

Rook by Anthony McGowan (2017)
childrens
The Truth of Things #3. Another lovely read. This starts with the brothers bringing home a rook that has been attacked by a sparrowhawk. The main story is about Nicky's clashes with the school bully and a sudden realisation that he really likes the bully's sister.

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (2020)
crime
Susan Ryeland #2. Really enjoyed this one and you get the bonus of a book within the book. Ryeland is an ex-publishing editor and is called in to help solve a possible crime when it seems that a clue to who the murderer was to an older crime can be found in the pages of a crime novel that she edited. That novel features Atticus Pund, a Hercule Poirot-like detective character. I loved Horowitz's Magpie Murders, this is just as good or better.

Strange weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (2001 Japan) (2013 English)
fiction
Delightful novel about a friendship between a lonely woman and her old high school teacher who she encounters in a local bar one night. Their friendship slowly grows into love.

The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser (2020)
crime
Rather bloodthirsty. Frank, a loner, runs a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere in the Australian Outback. His granddaughter, in trouble at school, has been dumped on him for a few weeks, neither of them are talking to each other. While he's serving a couple in a campervan, a car has come to a halt at the pumps with a badly injured young woman slumped in the driver's seat. All hell is about to break loose.
Rather good action read but not for the faint hearted.

March : Book one by John Lewis (2013)
graphic novel
A lot of LTers have read this already. This first book tells the story of John Lewis' childhood, his education and participation in the early events of the civil rights movement. Done well and as it's a graphic novel it is an easy read for those not into reading.

The girl in the mirror by Rose Carlyle (2020)
crime
This has had a lot of hype here in New Zealand and it is already signed up for a film deal. One of those thrillers that are easy to slip into and then you can't put down. Iris is a mirror of her twin sister, Summer Rose, and she's always felt the lesser of the two, even her name appears to have been an afterthought of their mother. Still she jumps at the chance to help Summer and her husband out, they need her to help crew the family yacht from Thailand to the Seychelles.
The plot is clunky and the character isn't that likeable and yet it all works, even when you work out the ending there's still enough there to satisfy.
Carlyle is a New Zealander and I've read an interview where she says that she worked out the plot with her sister.

See you in September by Charity Norman (2017)
fiction
Waving goodbye to her parents and sisters at Heathrow with a cheery, 'See you in September', Cassy is off with her boyfriend for a working holiday in Thailand followed by a trip to New Zealand. Cassy doesn't return, she's been picked up hitchhiking after an argument with her boyfriend and is now living in a cult in rural New Zealand.
The book follows Cassy's life in the cult, how she passes through the various stages of indoctrination and thrives in her new life and also the disintegration of the family she left behind.

I liked this, though I've had enough of reading about cults for the year as I also read In the clearing by JP Pomare. I'll definitely be reading Norman's The secrets of strangers.
Norman lives in New Zealand having moved here from England after a career as a barrister.

Land of Fences by Mark Smith (2019)
YA
The Wilder trilogy #3. This was a good final book in this dystopian YA set in Western Australia. A virus brought to Australia by asylum seekers has wreaked devastation across the country. The trilogy follows Finn's fortunes and misfortunes as he navigates the world created by the decimation of the population and the wildness of those left behind.

A song for the dark times by Ian Rankin (2020)
crime
Inspector Rebus #23. Picked this up from the library on Friday afternoon and already delivered it back there for the next Rankin fan on the queue. This time the action is split between two locations, Rebus is up north around Thurso where his daughter's partner has gone missing and Clarke & Fox are investigating the death of a Saudi student/playboy who was a James Bond fan.
Always love an Inspector Rebus novel.

The summer of dead toys by Antonio Hill (2011)
crime
Inspector Salgado #1. Toni Hill has only written 3 Salgado books and only two have been translated. This is a good crime novel set in Hill's native Barcelona.
19 year old Marco has fallen from a high up window while smoking a cigarette late at night, his estranged mother asks that the police investigate to set her mind at ease. Inspector Hector Salgado has his own problems to deal with, both personal and professional and Marco's death looks more and more suspicious.
According to wikipedia Hill's main job is translating works from English to Spanish.

I've already requested the second book from the library as this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (2020)
YA fantasy
Fun read. Not only are there left-handed booksellers but there are also right-handed ones too. Both types keep order in different ways - stemming the influence of the older more mythical world against our modern normal one. They work out of The Old Bookshop and The New Bookshop in central London. Susan comes to London a few weeks before going to art school, she's going to look for her father and her search throws her into the world of booksellers, sorcery and mythical beasts.

Smallbone deceased by Michael Gilbert (1950)
crime
Inspector Hazlerigg #4. Great read. The body of a client turns up in a large deed box at a law office. Someone that works there is the likely murderer, but who?
I've had this on my to read list since 2009, not sure who gave me the book bullet but the paperback has been on my shelves for some years.
Now I want to read his Death in Captivity, a murder mystery set in a POW camp in Italy and also Death Has Deep Roots which is another crime novel, the main character is a former French Resistance fighter now accused of murder in London.

>183 avatiakh: I've seen Guernica in Madrid as well - it really is an astonishing painting. Actually, I loved the entire gallery, there were several paintings that I just stood and stared at for ages. I'd go so far as to say I think it's my favourite art gallery in the world.

>206 avatiakh: Death in Captivity was great. I borrowed it from the library and liked it so much that I'm going to have to buy my own copy.

>207 Jackie_K: On our last visit we avoided all the other artworks and only saw Guernica, we had our youngest two children with us and I wanted them to remember just that painting and how epic it is.

>208 rabbitprincess: Thanks. As soon as I saw it was a murder mystery set in a POW camp I wanted to read it.

>209 avatiakh: Oh absolutely - if you only see 1 painting, that's definitely the one, and it's a life-changing one. I was lucky on my visit, I was by myself, so could take all the time I needed in the whole place :)

Mother Russia by Bernice Rubens (1992)
fiction
Started this a couple of months ago but kept putting it aside for my library book reads. Engaging saga set in 20th century Russia. Two babies born on the same night in 1900, at the start of a new century. The girl is daughter of the local aristocracy; the boy, a son of peasants who farm the land. They bond as from that first night they share the same milk mother. Their story and that of their family fortunes is told from the years of revolution, through Stalin, Khrushchev & Brezhnev to the emergence of Gorbachev.
So a love story, but one that is interrupted constantly by brutal politics and wars.

>211 avatiakh: definitely a BB for me!

Enjoy. I've read all but 2 of her books.

Across the risen sea by Bren MacDibble (2020)
children's
Another dystopian adventure by MacDibble. This one is set in a future where the sea has risen and people are living in small community islands and relying on salvage and fishing. The sea adventure that young Neoma embarks on involves crocodiles, sharks and a wicked pirate.
Very fun reading.

How Rory Thorne destroyed the multiverse by K. Eason (2019)
scifi
The Thorn Chronicles #1.
Hmmm. I enjoyed this though not the authorial intrusion including every chapter starting with a short lesson on how the multiverse works. That upset my flow of reading as I had to concentrate much more for the first few paragraphs each time before I could settle back to the actual story. The ending sort of fizzled for me too. Not sure if I can be bothered with continuing.
Rory Thorne is the first girl first-born in 200 years in the Thorne succession, she'll either be the heir or a valuable pawn in the politics of this unusual outer space world.

The Wife and the Widow by Christian White (2019)
crime
This is White's follow-up to his debut, the popular The Nowhere Child, and he says in the acknowledgements that it was a hard act to follow.
A good read with an interesting approach that unfolds nicely. When Kate's husband doesn't appear to have been on a flight back home from an international conference, things take a turn when she finds out he never went. Abby, mother and wife, lives on an island that booms in summer with tourists though through winter with only the locals around goes into hibernation. Her husband has been acting out of sorts of late.

Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (2020)
fantasy
Scholomance #1. I loved this and can't wait till the sequel comes out next July. Set in a school that is full of monsters where students spend their four years learning spells and how to survive. Fabulous.

Glad to hear you enjoyed this! I loved Novik's two standalones, but not the dragons of Temeraire, so I've been nervous about picking up this one.

I also loved her two standalones. I've read the first two Temeraire books and found them to be ok, I've stalled on the series though...too many good reads out there.

The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan (2014)
crime
Paula Maguire #2. Fairly gruesome one. Starts with a newborn baby being snatched from the local hospital with seemingly no clues as to the how & why. The Missing Persons unit and the local police are working hard to figure it all out and then another baby is reported missing....

The Burning Island by Jock Serong (2020)
fiction
A sequel to Preservation set about thirty years later. I enjoyed this further look into the islands of the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Joshua Grayling is aged beyond his years and blind, his daughter, Eliza, a spinster and narrator of the story. She accompanies her father on a voyage from Sydney, down to the islands of the Bass Strait in order to investigate the truth behind a shipwreck.
The story is based on a real life shipwreck and also the forced removal of aborigine women and their children from the islands where they had been living as 'wives' of the European sealers.

146) My name is nobody by Matthew Richardson (2017)
thriller
A debut espionage novel that hits all the right buttons for a racy read. A suspended MI6 agent is called in by his ex-boss to do an outside investigation to uncover a double agent. Exciting, though to begin with the timeline jumps around a little too much.

>221 avatiakh: Oh, that's a book bullet! The series looks quite interesting!

>221 avatiakh: I'll have to add Jock Serong to my list of authors to check out. Both Preservation and The burning island sound interesting.

Hollowpox: the hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (2020)
childrens
Nevermoor #3. This installment was delayed by a few months due to Covid 19. I'm enjoying this magical series more than I thought I would. Morrigan is learning more and more about her craft as a wundersmith and there's a dangerous Hollowpox virus infecting the Wunimals (animal-human hybrid) in the Free State with no cure in sight. The villain in this series is much more bearable than HP's Voldemort.


Celebritrees: historic & famous trees of the world by Margi Preus (2010)
picturebook

This caught my eye when searching the library catalog for Preus's latest YA novel. A collection of trees either famous for their age, height or breadth or just the historic story about them. Illustrations by Rebecca Gibbons.
I liked the story behind The Tree of One Hundred Horses which is in Sicily. Others include the Boab Prison Tree in Australia and The Chapel Oak in France.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Horse_Chestnut
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/derby-boab-prison-tree
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chapel-oak

>217 avatiakh: I hadn't realized that Naomi Novik has a new series out. I'll be sure to check it out. I've loved every book I've read of hers so far.

>227 mathgirl40: This new book is really good. I've also enjoyed every book I've read of hers and should finish the Temeraire series.

Here is the beehive by Sarah Crossan (2020)
verse novel
Crossan's first (I believe) outing for adults. Anna and Connor have been having an affair for three years. The book starts with Connor's sudden death and Ana looking back on the affair.
Not sure I had much sympathy for Ana, her life was a mess of her own selfish making. I did enjoy reading another verse novel, I do really love this style of writing.

>224 NinieB: >225 markon: Thanks for visiting. I have enjoyed every Jock Serong book I've read.

Our Father by Bernice Rubens (1987)
fiction
Superb novel once again from Rubens. Veronica runs into God while working out in the North African desert, He follows her back to her home near London and she is forced over the next few months to confront the family secrets locked away in the bottom drawer of her late mother's desk.

I only have two more Rubens books to read Spring Sonata & Milwaukee - one I own and the other will come from the library.

>231 avatiakh: a BB for me!

>232 Tess_W: I can recommend the majority of Rubens' books.

Consolation by Garry Disher (2020)
crime
Paul Hirschhausen #3. Another excellent read from Disher. Hirsch has several small matters to follow up, some leading to bigger crimes, others just community stuff. A teacher at the high school seems to have a crush on him, it leads to her becoming an unwelcome stalker, he already has a woman in his life. There's the snowdropper (underwear thief) and a young homeschooled girl hasn't signed on for her weekly lessons for a couple of weeks. Life as a rural cop is never easy.


Roller girl by Victoria Jamieson (2015)
graphic novel
Children's GN that was a 2016 Newbery Honour Book. Delightful fun story. Astrid signs up for Roller Derby camp even though she can hardly skate while her best friend abandons her for Ballet camp.

>234 avatiakh: A new Garry Disher is very good news. I've just bought it, and am keen to begin.

>235 pamelad: Yay, another Garry Disher fan!

>236 avatiakh: Finished it. Loved it. Disher's people seem real, and I like that Hirsch is often cheerful and funny, unlike the bulk of fictional policemen.

Yes and his relationship with Katie, Wendy's daughter, is cute and realistic.

Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert (1952)
fiction
I liked this and want to read his Death Has Deep Roots. Suzanne aka chatterbox has also recommended his Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens.
Set in a POW camp in northern Italy towards the end of the war. The escape committee finds a body of an unpopular inmate in their tunnel. Quickly they hustle to remove the body and place it elsewhere....and now they have to find out who the murderer is.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (2019)
YA
Good Girl #1. Couldn't put this one down. Pippa is in her final year of high school and for a special research project she decides to investigate the story behind the murder of schoolgirl Andie Bell by fellow pupil, Sal Singh from five years before. She has never believed that Sal could be the murderer.
Very compelling read.

>239 avatiakh: This one was so good! I haven't had a chance to read Death Has Deep Roots yet. Had to request it from the library and both times it came in, I had a dozen other library holds out at the same time.

>241 rabbitprincess: Great to see another reader of his books. Suzanne (chatterbox) recommended his short story collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. She's over in the 75er group and is one person whose opinion on books I highly value.

Your thread is dangerous today, I have added Death in Captivity to my Kindle lineup. I already have another Michael Gilbert to get to - Smallbone Deceased. I also added A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and it's sequel, Good Girl, Bad Blood.

Trust by Chris Hammer (2020)
crime
Martin Scarsden #3. Another really entertaining read in this series. This one takes us into the past, five years earlier, and the fall out in the present. Scarsden is an investigative journalist and this story is a really big one.

Milwaukee by Bernice Rubens (2001)
fiction
My penultimate Rubens, just Spring Sonata left. This was a good read. Annie is in a hospice with very little time left. She is travelling through her life's journey and all the ups and downs she has had, hoping that her daughter will visit and make her peace. Milwaukee is the name given to the America soldier she had a one night stand with when she was 17, he said he was from there, he is also the father of Annie's daughter.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (2017)
fantasy
The Daevabad Trilogy #1. I've been reading this most of the year, starting out as a library book and then switched to e-book when my loan ran out. It's quite exciting at the beginning and a little bloodthirsty towards the end. Nahri is a young woman surviving on the streets of Cairo when she is whisked off to an adventure involving djinns, enchantments and spirits.
I'll probably pick up the second book at some point.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs (2019)
children
This was recommended by a childrens lit specialist, Wayne Mills, as a great read and I generally love Wayne's recommendations. He focuses on books that are exciting reads that children will love rather than award winning books that adults admire.
Charlie is a bit of an anti-hero, a genius 12 yr old with a penchant for questioning the law. Anyway this is about her assisting the CIA on a mission to obtain Einstein's last equation that he hid from the world. So it's a race against the baddies with most of the action set in Jerusalem.

The Good Suicides by Antonio Hill (2013)
crime
Inspector Salgado #2. I enjoyed this second book, though unfortunately the third book seems not to have been translated so I can't find out what happens in Salgado's personal life - his ex-wife went missing in the first book and while we find out more about her in this one, there is only a teaser in the last page as to her fate. Salgado investigates a trio of suicides at a cosmetics company, the only other factor in common is that they'd all gone on an executive training weekend a year earlier.

Mr Calder and Mr Behrens by Michael Gilbert (1982)
short stories
This was recommended by chatterbox / Suzanne. A collection of short stories featuring British counterintelligence agents Calder and Behrens and their various jobs dealing with traitors, deeply embedded foreign agents etc. They are bland, effective, discreet and lethal in a variety of situations. Along the way Calder picks up a Persian deerhound whom he names Rasselas, the hound is also rather effective.

Jerusalem by Alan Moore (2016)
fiction
This was my big read for the year and a year long group read in this group. I started in January and finished up at the end of last month. The book is in 3 volumes and can only be described as a work of rambling genius. Moore brings the sprawling history of Northampton and parts of his own family story to life in this absorbing read. There are chapters to love, some to admire, a few are difficult to penetrate and others don't always resonate but overall it is a satisfying read, one where you feel like diving in and rereading right away.
Apart from the cast of ordinary working folk and ghosts the historical figures include - Lucia Joyce, John Clare, Samuel Beckett, Cromwell and many others.
I listened to the audio read by Simon Vance and also read many passages from the book. There is one chapter I want to return to to decipher -'Round the Bend' which features Lucia Joyce.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher (2019)
dystopian

I really enjoyed this dystopian adventure. A bleak world where a couple of generations ago some virus has wiped out the ability for humans to breed, only a few are able to. Griz's family live on an isolated island off the coast of Scotland. One day a thief comes and steals their precious female dog, Griz goes after him.

The Sentinel by Lee Child (2020)
thriller

Jack Reacher #25. This is the crossover Reacher written by both Lee Child and his brother Andrew (Child) Grant. Grant is taking over the series as Lee Child retires from writing. Not my favourite Reacher but an ok read for what it is and quite topical.

The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (2020)
scifi

Salvation Sequence #3. End of the trilogy and a great story overall. I would have preferred to read it straight through rather than having to wait 12 months between each outing. The first book starts with a varied group of experts setting off from Earth to inspect the ruin of a spaceship discovered near Saturn

Network Effect by Martha Wells (2020)
scifi

The Murderbot Diaries #5. Another thrilling adventure in space, this time a full length novel. Highly recommended series.

I've been killing slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Vol. 1 by Kisetsu Morita (2017)
manga

Cute story about a overworked office worker who dies and is reinvented as an immortal witch who lives a lazy life for 300 years. Just tried it because the cover art appealed.

Monster vol 2 by Naoki Urasawa (1995)
manga

Continues the story of Dr Tenma, a Japanese surgeon based in Frankfurt, wrongly suspected of serial killings and is hunting for the real killer.
Interesting plot. I have #3 & #4 out from the library.

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Monster vol 3 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
Monster vol 4 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
manga
Continues the story of Dr Tenma. The plot continues to expand and intrigue.

>250 avatiakh: Well done for finishing Jerusalem! "Rambling genius" is an excellent description, from what I've read so far. I've come to a bit of a halt with it, but have a plan to pick it up and work through what I have left next year.

>258 Jackie_K: Thanks. I still have to o back to that Lucia Joyce chapter. A book well worth reading imo.

Hideout by Jack Heath (2020)
thriller

Timothy Blake #3. This series won't appeal to everyone, they're a bit gory and you are dealing with an anti-hero who is a cannibal. There is barely any content of that nature, just the back story and compulsion, if you can read vampire fare then this is much the same. The plots are fairly action packed and the hero is quite resourceful. He started by helping the local police chief and is now involved with the FBI. I enjoy them.

Monster vol 5 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
manga
Another instalment. This is a great series and I have the next four books home from the library.

Game without rules by Michael Gilbert (1967)
short stories / crime

Another great set of stories about retired MI6 agents, Behrens & Calder, who undertake some of the trickier jobs for their boss, Mr Fortiscue. Definitely pays to read the other short story collection first.

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Monster vol 6 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
Monster vol 7 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
Monster vol 8 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
Monster vol 9 by Naoki Urasawa (2008 Eng)
manga

I finished up this series quite quickly, the story proceeds to an inevitable showdown of dramatic proportions. The politics of East and West Germany before the Berlin Wall came down plays a part in this series.
I'm watching the anime tv series with family members and that pushed me to finish the manga. We are just reaching the half-way point.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (2018)
YA scifi

Skyward #1. Highly enjoyable story set on a distant planet. Spensa wants more than anything to be a fighter pilot just like her late father, fighting against the alien Krell in a sky war. The third book in the series comes out in March so I will be able to read the next one in time for that.

Spring Sonata by Bernice Rubens (1984)
fiction

So I've now read all of Bernice Rubens books. This one is not a favourite though quite a good read for all that. Buster is a baby that refuses to be born, he can hear the plans his mother is making, she wants an exceptional child. We know from the first page that it all ends badly. Buster is an unborn musical prodigy, his mother an accomplished concert pianist who performs with Clarissa, a violinist.

Where angels fear to tread by E M Forster (1905)
fiction

My last book of 2020. This was Forster's first novel, though he was working on A room with a view at the same time. A good read that I enjoyed thoroughly. A widow visits Italy with her young friend and falls in love with an unsuitable Italian youth. Her brother-in-law is sent by the family to sort out the mess.

According to GoodReads I read 55,277 pages in 2020 from 189 books (includes several children's picturebooks which I don't count here).
My shortest read was Lumberjanes #1 (26 pgs) and longest read was Jerusalem (1266 pgs) by Alan Moore.

The most popular book I read was American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (544,220 shelved it), least popular was History of the Early Days of Poverty Bay: Major Ropata Wahawaha, N.Z.C., M.L.C.: The Story of His Life and Times by Thomas William Rose Porter - no-one else shelved this one.

My personal 2020 reading highlights -
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
Monster by Naoki Urasawa - all 9 omnibus volumes of manga
Bernice Rubens - completed reading all her books
The Murderbot Diaries series
Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Anthony McGowan's The Truth of Things quartet of children's books

I really liked A Deadly Education as well -- can't wait for book 2!

>267 avatiakh: I've found GoodReads' page counts are off. In spite of saying they count audiobooks by the average page, they seem to just count the number of discs. I'm going to actually compute it myself this year to see how close they really are.

>268 christina_reads: Such a great premise, can't wait to see what happens next.

>269 thornton37814: Oh dear, I use the audible editions which don't have discs. My longest read was Jerusalem and I mostly listened to it but probably marked the slipcase paperbacks as the edition I read as I owned it and preferred the cover-art.
I listen mainly to chunksters (16+ hours) so that could really affect my page count.

>270 avatiakh: Yes, but I often cannot find the ISBN for the electronic version without discs so I end up using the CD version. I know my pages were underestimated last year. I can't wait to see how they go. I'll do it both without and without the introductory pages numbered with Roman numerals. Should be interesting.