BookieMonster

Book Watch – Herald on Sunday, 21 August 2011

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Aug 212011

Here is the full text of my Book Watch column in today’s Herald on Sunday Books page (21 August 2011), reproduced courtesy of the Herald on Sunday.

Graveminder

By Melissa Marr (Harper Collins, $39.99)

Having felt thoroughly over the supernatural/paranormal/zombies/werewolves/vampires genre, I’m suddenly finding myself enjoying some new titles immensely! One of the best has definitely been Graveminder, the first adult novel from Melissa Marr. Graveminder takes us to Claysville – small town USA – where the living are kept safe and the dead need looking after. Rebekkah returns to Claysville after the death of her grandmother and discovers that her family history is even more complicated than she knew. Despite the odd moment of frustration with Rebekkah, Graveminder is a compelling read, entertaining and original.

Brimstone

By Alan Skinner (Sibling Press, $21.95)

An accidental find, Brimstone has been a very satisfying read and is perfect for the young adult audience for which it is written. It follows the adventures of Jenny Swift, abruptly taken as an apprentice by the master alchemist Antrobus and thrown into a story of intrigue and mystery, with a bit of alchemy and science too for good measure. While the imagined world of Vale is convincingly portrayed, the real ace here is the character of Jenny – an intelligent female protagonist who is active in her own story, with a few internal reservations and conflicts to keep things interesting. This is the first in a new series (the Earth, Air, Fire and Water Series) and I’m looking forward to reading more.

When God Spoke English : The Making of the King James Bible

By Adam Nicolson (Harper Collins, $26.99)

On a completely different note is When God Spoke English, the story of the history and creation of the King James Bible. Adam Nicolson does a simply fantastic job of not only backgrounding the historical Jacobean period, but also illuminating the literary achievement of the King James Bible – bringing out the beauty and grace contained within the language. He takes us into the lives of many of the translators, highlighting the contradictions often present within them as well as the society around them. This is the best kind of history: lively, contextual and relevant.

Win a copy of Cowboys & Aliens!

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Aug 182011

1873. Arizona.

An era when all a man could count on was his horse and his six-gun, and Indians fought a losing battle with European settlers.

Until somebody else entered the fight—an invader who saw all humans as slaves, and was determined to conquer our world.

Thanks to the lovely folks at Harper Collins I have two copies to giveaway of the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens (you may have heard of a movie of the novel that’s out right now)! And because I’m nice I’m going to give them away to you, lovely readers. Well, two of you. Because I only have two copies. Clear as mud, right?

All you have to do is enter using the form below and I will randomly pick two entries. I can only send to NZ addresses, sorry. Competition closes on 1 September at 6pm. Enter away!

This competition is now closed.

Quick Reviews for Busy People: Grow Up and When God Spoke English

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Aug 172011

Grow Up by Ben Brooks, Text Publishing, RRP $30, ISBN 9781921758737, Available now.

Would it be wrong to just write a review that says “No no no no no no no”? Yes.

Grow Up is billed as hilarious but it isn’t. It’s way too self-conscious to be funny. It squanders some potentially funny storylines and it has a really dodgy attitude towards rape. I think we are supposed to see Jasper (the protagonist) as the ironic, self-aware narrator of the drug and sex-soaked teenage goings-on but, unfortunately, he’s just an irritating participant, and reminds me of that person at every teen party who spent most of the night telling everyone how DRUNK they were.

Get off my lawn, Ben Brooks.

When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible by Adam Nicolson, Harper Collins, RRP $26.99, ISBN 9780007431007, Available now.

In a totally different direction is When God Spoke English, a fascinating history of the King James Bible and, specifically, its translation. Starting with King James I’s ascension to the English throne, it reveals how the idea for the translation came about as well as providing a detailed and revealing historical context – covering the Catholic/Protestant split, the zeal of the Separatist puritans and the mood of the Jacobean times.

Nicolson also does a great job of revealing the literary achievement that is the King James Bible, highlighting the lyricism of the language and how ingrained it has become in so much of our culture. A (surprisingly) enjoyable read.

Book Review: Brimstone by Alan Skinner

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Aug 162011

Brimstone by Alan Skinner, Sibling Press, ISBN 9780955726866, Available now.

I have to be honest: I really wasn’t at all sure what I would think about Brimstone. Turns out I didn’t need to worry at all – Brimstone is a very satisfying read and probably near to perfect for the young adult audience for which it is written (libraries take note – I highly recommend searching out this title).

First, to plot, Brimstone begins right in the thick of it, with Jenny Swift being taken from her home by the great alchemist Antrobus. For reasons to be revealed he has chosen her as his next apprentice and so she must journey to the city of Vale – a whole new world for Jenny. She’s immediately thrown into mystery and intrigue, political machinations and personal plotting, as well as learning new skills in alchemy and science (and friendship).

The plot is definitely page-turning and the portrayal of the imaginary historical world of Vale is convincing but the real ace for me was the female characters. Jenny is an intelligent female protagonist, active in her own story and quite capable of getting her hands dirty (so to speak), with some internal reservations and conflict that make her character rounded but not annoyingly plagued by self-doubt bordering on ridiculous. She makes several female friends during the course of the story and they’re all nicely individual, and not incidental to the main story.

Tom scowled at them. “Rayker will kill me anyway if I let anything happen to any of you.”

“It isn’t up to you to let us do anything!” Emily said archly. It was always best to set the rules early, she thought.

All this makes for a lot of FUN. There’s action, there’s humour, there’s a bit of fashion, there’s a bit of chemistry and there’s even a little gore. FUN!

Brimstone is the first in the Earth, Air, Fire and Water series and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Book Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

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Aug 082011

Graveminder by Melissa Marr, HarperCollins, RRP $39.99, ISBN9780007349272, Available Now.

I know, I know. You’re like “BookieMonster, you keep telling us how you’re over the whole paranormal/supernatural/ werewolves, vampires, zombies OH MY genre and then YOU KEEP READING THEM.”

Yeah. I’m sorry about that. But, in my defense, I keep liking them too, so at least it’s not just an excuse for a whinge but a chance to bring you new and exciting books to read!

Right, so, Graveminder. The first adult novel from Melissa Marr (who has so far written several Young Adult novels including the Wicked Lovely series) Graveminder is a really enjoyable and satisfying read, with only the teeny-tiniest of caveats.

Graveminder follows Rebekkah, returning to smalltown USA Claysville after the death of her grandmother and finding that the history of both her family and Claysville are a little more complicated than she had realised. Claysville is a town where the living are kept safe and the dead need looking after… and it seems Rebekkah is just the gal to do it! To add to matters she’s also returning to her first love, Byron Montgomery. Yes, the love interest’s name is Byron. Yes, he is dark and brooding.

Despite using a pretty well-gone-over trope Graveminder is surprisingly fresh, held aloft by an inventive and original storyline that delves into worlds unknown and reveals just enough to keep you wanting to read more (and hoping there will be a sequel). Marr keeps the tension at just the right level, and throws a bit of undertaking information into the bargain (which I always find fascinating).

So, seriously, the only thing that marred (bada-bing!) my enjoyment of Graveminder was an irritation with one of the characters. Unfortunately that character was the main character – Rebekkah. The “real world” story for Rebekkah is that she is a commitment-phobe, unable to accept Byron’s love, and in denial about her feelings for him. Characters in denial are great, characters who continually voice that denial over and over and over and often twice in the same sentence? Annoying. Fortunately Rebekkah spends a lot more time involved in the action of the story and less time constantly telling us about how she is unable to commit. So really, that’s just a small complaint on my behalf. And perhaps if I was more of a romantic I might have been more tolerant of that.

None of this takes away from the compelling nature of Graveminder. It’s a fun read, well-written and more than a great way to spend a rainy weekend.

Book Review: Tupaia by Joan Druett

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Jul 272011

Tupaia: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator by Joan Druett, Random House, RRP $55, ISBN9781869793869, Available Now.

Random House has done a fantastic job recently of gorgeously produced, hardcover history books/objects of art (see The Great Wrong War) and they’ve continued that tradition with Tupaia. Presented in a printed hardcover, with liberal use of illustrations, and a simply beautiful design, Tupaia has instant appeal.

Fortunately, again as with The Great Wrong War, we’re also treated to an amazing historical record and a wonderful read. Tupaia is a beautifully produced, enthralling history of a previously sidelined figure in the story of European exploration in the Pacific.

Tupaia (the man) was a Tahitian priest/politician, a skilled navigator and he joined the crew of the Endeavour at Tahiti, sailing on their circumnavigation of New Zealand and the subsequent trip up the coast of New South Wales.

Druett has clearly put a huge amount of research into not only Tupaia’s travels with the Europeans but his life previous to the European arrival, along the way providing an informative picture of local Tahitian life, politics, religion and culture.

Druett presents everything with an eye to narrative so the story never becomes dry or boring, and she enriches the book with a thoughtful approach that builds on the research, presenting cultural theories that challenge the standard historical story that has been told again and again around Captain Cook.

It all adds up to an entertaining and illuminating read, with the bonus of a beautiful object for your shelf.