Book Watch for 25 March 2012

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Mar 262012
 
Book Watch for 25 March 2012

Originally published in the New Zealand Herald on Sunday, 25 March 2012. Reproduced here courtesy of the NZ Herald. Runelight By Joanne Harris (Doubleday, $29.99) Joanne Harris is far better known for her adult bestsellers like Chocolat but Runelight marks her second book in a Young Adult series that started with Runemarks. And what a series it is – fun, intelligent and innovative storytelling, using the legends of the Norse gods as a character base but building on that with action and a sense of humour. Runelight is a great read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new twist on the YA fantasy genre. A History of the World in 100 Objects By Neil MacGregor (Penguin, $45) Fans of the fantastic BBC radio series and podcast A History of the World in 100 Objects will equally love this accompanying book. A comprehensive immersion in world [...read more...]

Book Review: Total Blueprint for World Domination by Jolene Stockman, ISBN 1466359307, Available now.

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Mar 072012
 
Book Review: Total Blueprint for World Domination by Jolene Stockman, ISBN 1466359307, Available now.

Total Blueprint for World Domination by Jolene Stockman, ISBN 1466359307, Available now. Total Blueprint for World Domination turned out to be a self-help book: it’s a guide to ruling your world, not the world. (But I think we can all agree that this BookieMinion shouldn’t rule the planet, so that’s probably for the best.) Self help books are kind of a nebulous genre, halfway between misery memoirs and the uplifting babble that is Chicken Soup for the Soul. They have a kind of a stigma attached to them, which I think is ridiculous, because I read somewhere that they can be as effective as therapy – and who doesn’t have at least some problems? (I googled and can’t find that reference: does anyone know what I’m talking about?) I received Total Blueprint as a PDF ebook, and read it in Google Docs because I am not currently on speaking terms [...read more...]

Book Review: Tea with Miss Tilly, Written by Justine Payen, Illustrated by Philip Webb

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Mar 012012
 
Book Review: Tea with Miss Tilly, Written by Justine Payen, Illustrated by Philip Webb

Tea with Miss Tilly by Justine Payen, illustrated by Philip Webb, Harper Collins NZ, ISBN 9781869509170, RRP $19.99, Available 9 March 2012. When you take afternoon tea with Miss Tilly, there’s no knowing where you’ll end up … In a gorgeous picture book, that’s where! Tea with Miss Tilly is a wonderfully illustrated little tale about tea… with Miss Tilly. It’s not just tea though – Miss Tilly and our unnamed narrator embark on travels to Atlantis, Loch Ness, the pyramids and even further afield. Then they come home for Warm Milo and apricot banana chocolate chip cookies. Yum! The story is perfect for little kids, not too wordy and not too dorky, and the illustrations are beautiful. Soft and dreamy with lots of detail (like Miss Tilly’s cat who goes on all the adventures too). Kids will just adore this and parents will be equally delighted.

Book Review: A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

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Feb 292012
 
Book Review: A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, Allen Lane (Penguin NZ), ISBN 9781846145117, RRP $45, Available now. A History of the World in 100 Objects from the BBC was one the best podcasts I listened to throughout 2010 (they’ve also been broadcast on Radio NZ) and this accompanying book is the perfect version of those shows in book form. A bit of background: A History of the World in 100 Objects is a different approach to history. Rather than focus on places and times Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, has chosen 100 objects that live in the museum to explore themes of human history – from pre-historic to the present. This approach turned out to be the perfect way to show how everyday lives of people in cultures around the world and throughout time have interconnected and how everything we do, know and think today has been [...read more...]

Book Review: Generation, by William Knight

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Feb 262012
 
Book Review: Generation, by William Knight

Generation, by William Knight, The Standing Hare Publishing Company,  ISBN 978-0-473-19682-0, Available now. Generation is a scifi page turner that presents a horrifying vision of what the advances of science may bring. Once I’d figured out these themes, I was comforted by the fact I couldn’t get my ebook copy to load on my antiquated Kobo at first, and the browser plug in I downloaded is clunky. (For the record, I blame my Kobo – the file loaded fine in the browser.) Whatever evil scientists are up to, they’re a way off achieving world domination yet. (Tips for Bookie Minions: did you know you can read epub books in your web browser? I didn’t either! Google “epub reader for [preferred browser]” and see what happens. And, oh, look, you can get Generation for Kindle right this moment. That’s handy. Check your plug ins before you buy though!) Technical difficulties overcome, [...read more...]

Book Review: The Half Life of Ryan Davis by Melinda Szymanik

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Feb 222012
 
Book Review: The Half Life of Ryan Davis by Melinda Szymanik

The Half Life of Ryan Davis by Melinda Szymanik, Pear Jam Books, ISBN 9781927182406, RRP $19.99 paperback, $8.49 ebook, Available now. You know how sometimes you get these ideas in your head for stories? Like “imagine writing a book about a unicorn… from the point of view of the unicorn!”¹ What I’m saying is, a great premise can make a book. And in The Half Life of Ryan Davis, Melinda Szymanik has a great premise. What if you were the sibling of a missing child? Ryan Davis is 15 – the same age his older sister Mallory (shout out, 80s kids) was when she went missing. And she’s still missing, now presumed dead, only she looms over Ryan and his younger sister Gemma, particularly because their Mum now thinks of Mallory as the “perfect child”. Part mystery, part family drama, part coming of age tale, The Half Life of Ryan [...read more...]

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