An interview with New Zealand author Rachael King

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Feb 222010
 

Rachael King is the extremely talented author of The Sound of Butterflies and Magpie Hall and I think she’s one of the best in New Zealand contemporary fiction. Lucky me – she very kindly agreed to answer some questions I had thought of while reading Magpie Hall! Did you have any influences in mind when you were writing Magpie Hall? There are elements of many other novels woven into Magpie Hall. I wanted to write something very intertextual. So it has elements of the Turn of the Screw, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Woman in White, Northanger Abbey and Rebecca (as that was considered to be a rewrite of Jane Eyre), plus classic tropes from the Gothic tradition such as a maiden locked in a tower, doubles, ghosts, the cruelty of nature, castles etc etc. Other than those, I am always slightly influenced by The Crow Road by Iain Banks, which I think of as the perfect family mystery (although it’s [...read more...]

What’s BookieMonster Reading? Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

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Feb 192010
 

This is going to be such a short review, for the most part because there’s just not a heck of a lot to say. In fact this is really more of a “just letting you know where I’m at” post rather than a book review, so apologies for that. You know how some books just give you happy reading, nothing special, nothing to really jump out and grab you, a few irritants, but then you’re finished and there you go? Yeah, that was this book. A fictional account of the life of the woman who would eventually become Madame Mao, it’s a relatively enjoyable read with only minor quibbles regarding the constant jumping between first and third person. That I could have done without. And to be honest the actual non-fictional accounts of many of the people and the history of China in the 20th century is so, well, mad, that [...read more...]

My reading habits

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Feb 182010
 

I’ve noticed some odd changes in my reading habits as I get older. Namely my attention span seems to be slowly slipping towards what I like to characterise as “manic guinea pig” levels. I love the physicality and heft of large, thick books but I find myself approaching their reading with a sinking heart – it’s difficult to keep myself patient for the time it takes to read them. I think that’s why my recent reading run has been so successful – several shorter books (though I did manage Wolf Hall and that’s no shrinking violet in the length stakes). On the other hand though, I don’t want to be stuck reading shorter books forever, I vastly admire any author who can sustain their creations for truly long books, and I don’t want to deny myself the pleasure of being immersed in those creations. I’m hoping to some extent this [...read more...]

Books for sale – do we have them? Yes, we do!

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Feb 162010
 
Books for sale - do we have them? Yes, we do!

Now, here at BookieMonster we don’t promise to sell you 4 billion, squillion, million book titles – who has the money or time for that carry-on anyhoo? What WE do is sell you interesting, individual and hand-selected (by moi, yes, moi) books. Books that will have you accosting strangers at parties and giving them a full run-down on the history of hardware and hardware stores (for example, and yes we do have that book). Here’s my selection of some of our more unusual titles that we’re currently selling: Did Monkeys Invent the Monkey Wrench by Vince Staten – a history of hardware and hardware stores. Hardware turns out to be surprisingly fascinating! Seriously! Where God Was Born by Bruce Feiler - part travelogue, part religious study, part history lesson. Bruce Feiler travels through biblical sites around the Middle East. The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet - very French, Millet [...read more...]

Books to Buy! : Great Parties for Kids Aged 0 – 10

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Feb 152010
 
Books to Buy! : Great Parties for Kids Aged 0 - 10

Great Parties for Kids : Fabulous and Creative Ideas for Children aged 0 – 10 by Rose Hammick and Charlotte Packer Rose Hammick and Charlotte Packer present fail-safe schemes for fabulous parties for kids aged from one to ten. They show that, with a little ingenuity and imagination, you can throw a memorable children’s party without breaking the bank… or having a nervous breakdown! The book starts with an in-depth look at a variety of age-appropriate party themes, with ideas for decorations and costumes. There is a party plan for each age group, listing all you need to be confident that your event will go well. Following this are chapters focusing on party games, goody bags, and invitations. Great Parties for Kids concludes with a chapter of delicious recipes by Caroline Marson. Includes imaginatively themed decorations, cute costumes, bright ideas for invitations and party bags, plus a comprehensive guide to [...read more...]

What’s BookieMonster reading? When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

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Feb 152010
 

Ah, the spectacular run had to end some time. I picked up WYAEIF due to some good recommendations (waaah! Other people liked it, why can’t I?) and previous reading experiences – I’ve enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (one thing you can guarantee with a Sedaris book: great titles) as both funny and with that little tinge of sadness that can elevate proceedings and with an all important subtlety. One of the promo blurbs attached to WYAEIF goes like this: “David Sedaris’s ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art,” – to which I have to ask – whose everyday life?? My everyday life does not consist of taking a month out from my life in Paris and the countryside of Normandy to spend in Tokyo so I can give up smoking. And herein lay the problem for [...read more...]

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