05 Aug 2009
by mashadutoit
in books
Title: Speed of Dark
Author: Elizabeth Moon
Series : No this is a stand alone book.
Rating:
In Short: Its about 50 years into the 21’s century. Lou Arrendale has made a comfortable life for himself. He is good at his job. He may be falling in love with a woman at his fencing club. And his new boss is trying force him to “volunteer” for a experimental medical procedure that will make him normal- because Lou is autistic.
What I thought: This is a fascinating book. Most of it is told in the first person, from Lou’s point of view. It works. There is no other way to tell this story. Lou’s life is accompanied by an ongoing internal monologue as he navigates the world of the “reals” as he calls none-autistic people. More
29 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books
Title: Heaven Eyes
Author: David Almond
Series : No this is a stand alone book.
Other books by the same author: Skellig, Clay, The Fire Eaters
Rating:
In Short: Erin, Mouse and January are running away from the Whitegates children’s home. They float down river on a raft made of doors aiming for freedom far beyond the horizon – but are soon drawn into a hidden riverside world on their doorstep. They meet the wild and gentle Grandpa, forever searching for treasure in the black mud, and Heaven Eyes who finds treasure in everything she sees.
What I thought: Initially I was a bit skeptical. I found the voice of Erin Law – the first person narrator – not quite convincing. She seemed a bit too controlled, too smoothly knowing, too adult for my complete belief in her as a young teenage girl.
But as the book progressed, this became unimportant. More
27 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy
Tags: children's books, peter dickinson
Title: The Weathermonger
Author: Peter Dickinson
Series : First of the three “The Changes” – but they can be read as stand alone books as well.
Rating:
In Short: Five years ago, a mysterious change took place in Britain. Thousands fled the country, and those left behind reverted to a medieval way of life. Machines are hated and feared. Anyone associated with modern technology is stoned as a witch. So far, all missions sent by the outside world, have failed to find the cause of the phenomenon. Pilots forget how fly, or are struck by lightning. Soldiers turn upon one another. And now, two children – Geoffrey and Sally -are travelling to the heart of “The Changes” on the Welsh border to discover and if possible destroy it’s cause.
What I thought:
The Weathermonger is another favourite book from my childhood. I first read it when I was about 10 years old and I found it frightening but fascinating. I still do. Geoffrey and Sally are both very young and have been orphaned by the Changes. They live in a world where magic is real. Geoffrey is the village Weathermonger; he can make it rain, change the wind, or call up a mist. This is a dangerous skill in a world where witches are stoned, drowned or burnt to death. More
23 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, Illustration
Title:Corby Flood
Author:Paul Stewart
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
Series : Part of the “Far Flung Adventures” Not so much a series as a set of related books that can be read separately too.
Rating:
In Short: Corby Flood is travelling with her family aboard the decrepit cruise ship the SS Euphonia. There is plenty to keep Corby’s mind off the new school waiting for her at the journey’s end. Who is the man from Cabin 21? Why is Mr Times New Roman, leader of the Brotherhood of Clowns, in such a foul temper? And above all – what is the source of the saddest song echoing out of the cargo hold?
What I thought:
I loved this book. It is simply crammed with fabulous characters and places. More
17 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books
Tags: children's books, Illustration
Many of the books I share here are books that I grew up with. There is something special about books from your childhood. Varenka by Bernadette was one of my favourites.
I tried to find out more about Bernadette – I have several of her books – but her surname is not mentioned anywhere. Edit: Bernadette is, of course, Bernadette Watts I used to have a link to her site, but the site appears to have gone down. Varenka is not a re-telling of a Russian folk tale as I previously stated, but written by Bernadette herself. Each picture fills the entire page, so I was forced to reproduce mostly cropped details here. Which really does not convey the beauty of the book.
Varenka was a widow who lives in a little wooden house deep in the great forest. “Inside was everything Varenka needed, a table, chairs, a cupboard with a shelf for crockery, and picture on the wall.” More
16 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books
My post on my subconscious book-choosing rules has spawned a child. Since most of us seem to have strong preference when it comes to genres, it makes sense for publishers to develop clear genre styles.
I remember reading a post about Gothic romances that feature a woman, in a night dress outside a house with a light in one window.
So what other genre cover clichés are there? I’m starting with the easy ones: More
15 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books
Title: Pirates Galore (also titled “The Giant Rat of Sumatra”)
Author: Sid Fleischman
Series : A stand alone book, but it is related to “By the Great Horn Spoon” and “Bandit’s Moon”
Illustration: Jim Hendrix
Rating:
In Short: Captain Gallows of the Giant Rat of Sumatra rescues a cabin boy from drowning. He takes a liking to “Shipwreck”, and invites him to join him at his new ranchero in Mexico. Should Shipwreck stay with his new friends, or try to make his way home to Boston, where he is not even sure if his mother misses him? More
09 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy
Title: Across the Wall
Author: Garth Nix
Series : No, this is a stand alone book
Rating:
In Short: A collection of short stories from different parts of his career. Garth Nix wrote an introduction to each story.
What I thought: More
07 Jul 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy
Tags: children's books
Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Author: Kate di Camillo
Series : No, this is a stand alone book
Rating:
In Short: This is the story of Chiaroscuro the rat who longs for light, Midge the deaf servant girl who desperately wants to be a princess, and Despereaux the tiny mouse who believes in fairy tales, honour and happy endings. All of them are drawn, by love or hate to royal daughter, Princess Pea.
What I thought:
The Tale of Despereaux is much darker than I expected. More
09 Jun 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy
Tags: Charles de Lint, fantasy
Title: The Little Country
Author: Charles de Lint
Series : No, this is a stand alone book
Rating:
In Short: A fantasy rooted in folk and fairy tales. Janey Little, a Cornish folk musician, finds an unknown manuscript by a famous fantasy author. She starts reading it, and so doing sets in motion an uncanny chain of events that puts herself and everyone she loves in danger.
In Full: The Little Country is my third book by Charles de Lint. Although its not my favourite (that still has to be Moonheart) I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found themes of redemption and forgiveness, about the core of innocent hurt in the heart of even the most evil person. More
19 May 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy, Illustration
Tags: john howe, laura ingalls wilder, tad williams, The Hobbit, the wind in the willows
When I was a child, one of my favourite day dreams was building my own home. It was usually underground, inside a tree or under water, and often featured wall-sized fish tanks. I’ve gathered together a number of fictional homes and rooms that inspired my day-dreams then and now.
First off – the familiar classics, starting with Bilbo Baggins’s own Bag End: More
28 Apr 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy
Tags: fairy tale, fantasy
Title: Birdwing
Author: Rafe Martin
Series : No, this is a stand alone book
Rating:
Do you know the Grimm Brother’s fairy tale “The Six Swans”? That’s the one about the six brothers who were turned into swans, and how their sister undid the enchantment. At least – she almost succeeded. At the end, the youngest brother’s left arm remained a swan wing.
Birdwing is the story of what happens next, as Ardwin grows up and tries to make sense of his divided loyalties – his memories of the wild life of a swan, and his need for acceptance in the world of humans.
detail from Eleanor Abbot’s illustration
Rafe Martin asks if it is possible to live “happily ever after” when your family has been so spectacularly torn apart. More
26 Apr 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy, Illustration
Tags: Charles de Lint, fantasy, moonheart
Title: Moonheart
Author : Charles de Lint
Series : Nope, this one is a stand-alone.
Rating:
In Short: Sarah Kendell’s comfortable life is derailed when she discovers an ancient Native American medicine bag at the back of her uncle’s second-hand shop. She and her friends become entangled in a centuries old conflict between a Welsh Bard, a Druid, and the old gods of pre-colonial America.
This was my first Charles de Lint book, and now I have a new author to look out for – I loved it. Moonheart drew me firstly because of its evocative title and the cover: More
22 Apr 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, Opinions & reviews
Tags: fairy tale, princess
Continuing the “Once Upon a Time Challenge” with a review of The Hamish Hamilton Book of Princesses
Title: The Hamish Hamilton Book of Princesses
Edited by : Sally Patrick Johnson
Series : There are many of these Hamish Hamilton collections – about Dragons, Goblins, Heroes, etc.
Illustrated by: Fritz Wegner
Rating: 
In Short: A collection of short stories about Princesses, by eclectic list of authors including Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wilde, James Thurber and AA Milne.
I expected this book to be like a chocolate box of stories. Lots of variety, certainly, but fundamentally …sweet. But I was wrong. A better culinary metaphor would be a medieval banquet table, with sweet confections next to the bizarre dishes- a boars head, maybe? More
18 Apr 2009
by mashadutoit
in books, fantasy, Inspiration
Tags: books, earthsea, fantasy, gandalf, hambly, le guin, lord of the rings, t h white, tolkien, wizard
What is the collective noun for a group of wizards? A “wrath” of wizards? An “argument”? I’ve been gathering together some of my favourite wizards.
First, of course will always be Gandalf. I grew up on The Lord of The Rings and of all the characters, Gandalf is the most compelling. He has become my benchmark of what a wizard should be. Here is my favourite image of him, from that famous poster by Jimmy Cauty : More
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