November

One Day – David Nicholls I loved this book, even more so than ‘Starter For Ten’ which I read a few months ago. Dexter and Emma meet at the end of uni in 1988 and each chapter details the events of the same date each year for the next 20 years as we see Dexter travelling overseas and thriving in the entertainment industry while Emma toils away at a seedy Mexican restaurant and secretly pines for her so-called ‘best friend’. It’s full of snappy dialogue and brutal honesty – no gloss to be found here. Funny and sad all at the same time, with a twist that I saw coming even though I didn’t want it to be true. Word is there’ll be a movie version somewhere down the line too.

Matilda – Roald Dahl & The Witches – Roald Dahl I went through a two week patch where I had no concentration span whatsoever and could only manage to reread old childhood classics. Any child of the 80’s should be familiar with the wild and wacky literary stylings of Roald Dahl, and they still stand tall in the field of Children’s Literature today. Much better than bloody Saddle Club and Zac Power and those ridiculous Go Girl! books. What I love most about Roald Dahl is that while he deliberately sets out to shock and excite children with his outrageous writing (Miss Trunchbull is a prime example of a ridiculously outrageous character, as are the Twits) it’s never just for the sake of it, but rather to make a point – people who are mean to children deserve what they get.

Funny fact regarding the film adaption of The Witches: Felicity Dahl states that Roald Dahl hated the happy ending. (The ending to the book was not so truimphant, with neither child being returned to human form and having to cope with some serious consequences of being a mouse.) He apparently stood outside cinemas with a megaphone, telling people not to watch the film. Love it.

October 2009

Just finished: The Secret Life Of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd. I loved this book. Set in the 60’s in South Carolina, 14 year old Lily Owens flees life with her uncaring father, who blames her for the death of her mother when Lily was a small child. Accompanied by her black housekeeper Rosaleen, who Lily frees from hospital after she is beaten for spitting on the shoes of a white man, they are taken in by three black women who keep bees and worship their own Black Madonna. I especially loved all the bee descriptions and the ritualistic nature of their care. A charming read.

All We Know – Simon French A wonderful book by an Aussie author who was quite prolific in the 80’s and 90’s, winning several awards for his novels for children. I missed this one when I was a kid and enjoyed reading about 12 year old Arkie and the way she dealt with the changes in her life from behind the camera lens.

Who Will Run The Frog Hospital? – Lorrie Moore I only made it a quarter of the way through this one – I’d read about this book on the net somewhere and the reviews I checked out made it sound really good. Unfortunately I found the writing very pretentious.

The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas It took me two days to get through this one. A family picnic turns sour when a man slaps a child that is not his own. The rest of the book examines the event from the points of view of eight different people who were present at the picnic. Very interesting.

Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates I absolutely loved this book. Yates writes beautifully, detailing the bleak and despairing relationship of Frank and April in a way that makes you both loathe them and feel for them at the same time. I ripped through this book, loving each and every word. I’ve not seen the movie and I don’t think I will either – I can’t imagine either Leo or Kate being able to portray such tragic characters in a way that would do the book justice.

August/September 2009

The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown You can read my less than complimentary review right here.

Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger’s – John Elder Robison This was a fascinating read. Robison was not diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome until the age of 40 and writes of his difficulty growing up. Working as a special effects engineer for KISS, a sound engineer for Milton Bradley and a specialist mechanic, Robison does his best to fit into a world that he struggles to understand, and that struggles to understand him. Honest, unemotional and at times very funny – highly recommended.

Ariel – Sylvia Plath I studied the poetry of Sylvia Plath at high school and have always been fascinated by her work. I bought my copy of Ariel when I was in Cambridge earlier this year, and I dip in and dip out of it, re-reading my favourites and discovering new poems to savour.

My Friend Leonard – James Frey Who cares if it’s not technically a ‘memoir’? The sequel to ‘A Million Little Pieces’ continues where it left off, as James attempts to rebuild his life after a stint in rehab. Great storytelling and a distinctive writing style.

Cannily, Cannily – Simon French I’ve been looking for a copy of this book for ages and finally stumbled across one in a secondhand bookshop last weekend. This story of a 10 year old boy trying to fit into a new town by joining the local footy team was one of my favourites when I was a kid. Trevor and his parents move from town to town chasing seasonal work and Trevor does his best to adapt to the every new situation, but still dreams of a time when they’ll be able to settle down properly.

Mystic River – Dennis Lehane I’ve never been game to watch the film version of this – I always thought it looked too creepy for my delicate sensibilities. For some reason I cope a lot better with scary/creepy/weird stuff in books than I do in films and now that I’ve read the book I reckon I’ll be ok watching the film.

Starter For Ten – David Nicholls My sister bought me this for my birthday and it was hilarious. It reminded me a lot of the Adrian Mole books, another favourite series from my childhood, in that the protaganist had a very high opinion of himself and failed to realise that his so-called friends and acquaintances spent most of their time laughing at him. A great read.