Is the beginning the end?

Posted in Musings by Bookgirl

The start of a novel can make or break a book for me. It has to grab my attention with the very first line. As everyone today, I am too time poor to hang around hoping the book will get better. Am I too harsh? If an author has not put everything into their opening sentence then where is the respect to the reader? But here lies the problem, what makes a good first sentence? Every reader has different taste and I know what I like and if the writing is good, I’ll stick around and give the book a fighting chance.

I recently attended a talk by the author Alexander McCall Smith. McCall Smith discussed the importance of a great opening line. He then delighted us with one of his favourites from The Tower of Trebizond by Rose Maccauly.

“Take my camel dear,” said my Aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass.

Has the reader curious. No?

My favourite is a little more subdued, from the master himself, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Whenever I read this I wonder whether Dickens sweated over every word, rearranging, rewriting, putting in a comma and then removing it again or was he hit by inspiration and it flowed in one sitting. Here it is, for your pleasure.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”

My son wanted to add his favourite, it’s the opening line of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit

“In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit”

What is your favourite opening sentence?

1Apr2014

Bitter Greens

Posted in Book Reviews by Bookgirl

The reinventing of a classic fairytale is nothing new, it’s as old as the spoken word, but in recent years there has been a rush on this trend. To do this successfully the talent lies in making each story its own. The book and author who has done this with finesse and expertise is Bitter Green’s by Kate Forsyth. In the reworking of the fable, Rapunzel, Forsyth has made a version that’s an intriguing blend of history and fairytale.

It is through Forsyth’s extensive research that we are transported to the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV in France where we follow Charlotte-Rose de la Force, one of the first writers of the story Rapunzel. Charlotte is banished to a convent for her scandalous behaviour. (Charlotte- Rose de la Force is such a fascinating person that everyone should follow this book with one of the biographies of her life). It is here that Charlotte meets a nun called Seraphina who tells her the tale of a young girl, with long red hair, named Margerita (Rapunzel) who is sold by her father to a Selena Leonelli for some bitter greens. Selena, also known as the La Strega Bella, is the muse for the renaissance artist Tiziano. Kate Forsyth’s writing is like delicate lacework interweaving the stories of these women. Their lives are entwined through common threads of desire, love and obsession. We voyeuristically watch these characters through the hobbled streets of 16th century Venice and the grand palace of Versaille to the sparse convent of 17th century France. It is an intriguing journey of magic, tragedy, loss and consequences. Enjoy!

NB This book was published early last year, but with Kate’s soon to be released Dancing on Knives I thought I’d review her book, which is most dear to me.

28Mar2014

A book is a book, or is it?

Posted in Musings by Bookgirl

“Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own”.
-William Hazlitt

There was one book in my childhood, which shone brighter than all the others it was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read this book over and over. My mother was the school librarian, and she would exclaim ‘again?’ when I’d place the book on her desk on library day. My mother probably thought my recurrent borrowing was because the library was very small, (actually almost non-existent – one wall of fiction) or because I did not own any books myself. The reason was that this book spoke to me like no other had before it. I believe that there is at least one book in a child’s life, which has such a profound impact that it stays with them for life. I can picture a generation of “Harry Potter” fans nodding their heads at this statement.
Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden’s protagonist, was with me when I was sad, happy or lost in a daydream. I suspect a little part of her creeps into my lead characters in every story I write. I believe we are drawn to someone we identify with or someone who embraces the qualities we wish we had. Mary was stubborn, and I’ve been called that once or twice, okay, I’ve been called that a lot, but she was also brave, tough and adventurous, all qualities I admired.
Let me know what book/character shaped your childhood.
“Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow”- The Secret Garden

24Mar2014

Jump

Posted in Book Reviews by Bookgirl

At the end of last year, a book was released that had me page turning faster than the bionic woman on steroids. This book was “Jump” by Sean Williams, book one in the “Twinmaker” series. Set in our future world where the characters are using a teleportation device called a d-mat. The teen generation are consuming this technology like candy without a thought to it’s possible consequences until the protagonist, Clare’s, world is spun out of control when her friend Libby’s life is threatened. Clare’s life is turned into a rollercoaster ride and this is where the book shines, Williams knows how to move the novel along at a gripping pace. We see Clare’s character grow as her eyes are opened to a larger more sinister world than her previous carefree life.

The book plunges headlong into all the teen dramas without moral judgment. It delves into the dilemmas of friendship, loyalty and, superficiality and comments on the future use of technology and social media.

I felt at times that Sean Williams lacked subtly in exploring these themes, I like my themes whispered not screamed, but his twisting and suspenseful plot kept me intrigued to the very end. There are two more books in the series; I do hope we see more character development, as I need to care. I do like Clare, but everyone else is slightly superficial.
NB. In the US the books title is Twinmaker

21Mar2014

Books to Film

Posted in Musings by Bookgirl

I was glancing at my bookshelf and noticed how many of my books are currently films, being made into a film or a film that’s about to be released. This is a hot topic; everyone has an opinion, what makes a good book into a good film?

Is it budget, direction, casting, writing or a combination? There are films that have done excellent adaptations, the “Harry Potter” series and “To Kill a Mockingbird” for example. But the reverse it often true; good books to bad films have become ubiquitous.

Casting has a significant impact for me. Every reader forms a picture in their head of how a character looks, and when an actor is cast who is in complete contrast it can be quite jarring – sometimes for the entire film. With the soon to be released “The Fault in our stars” I feel some foreboding if the casting is wrong, particularly since the whole story is mainly centred around two pivotal characters. The film will do well if screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber don’t stray too far from the brilliant writing of John Green. John Green’s dialogue uses a sharp, acerbic wit to deal with a difficult subject. This is one of my favourite books, so fingers crossed the film be just as fantastic.

Let me know who your favourite and least favourite casting in a book to film.

18Mar2014

The Rosie Project

Posted in Book Reviews by Bookgirl

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is the story of Don Tillman and his quest to find the perfect wife using an exhaustive questionnaire. Don is an echo of Sheldon, from “The Big Bang Theory”, so I imagine you can see the difficulty in his task (picture a science professor geek with extremely inadequate social skills). Simsion has formed the character of Don with such expertise that we, the reader, come to appreciate and understand him in all his awkwardness.

The underlying theme of the book is that we are all different, yet all the same, all anyone wants is to be loved and valued. Simsion’s skill is in the humour, it moves the story along at an enjoyable pace.

This is one of those books that produce spontaneous laughter if you don’t want to be known as the crazy, laughing, train, person, it‘s probably best to save your reading for home. Option two is you celebrate your inner crazy and let people see the Dustjacket, and, they’ll think what a good book that must be. Think of it as spreading The Rosie Project word. The movie rights have been optioned, and this book will convert fabulously into a film, and I’m buying a ticket.

16Mar2014

Libraries

Posted in Musings by Bookgirl

Confession – I have an addiction to libraries. In my wallet, amongst the Boost Juice and Gloria Jeans loyalty cards, sits my many library cards. Like inching out the notches on a belt, my wallet needs more room, maybe a separate wallet just for them.

Over the years I’ve had many fine library moments, running around London’s library was pure joy, Sydney University library, had my face pasted with a smile, like the joker, for the entire day. Recently I visited my local library after it had major renovations, and I declared I’d found my utopia. I also have fond memories of visiting the Lands Title’s office and feeling like Alice in Wonderland as I struggled to open the huge record books. The large tomes are the size of a house; well a moped at least – seriously! I still have a world of libraries to conquer. I may start with the one pictured; it’s the Anscient Ursino of rare books in Sicily, Italy, or we could search for the lost books/library of Alexandria. Does anyone want to join me?

12Mar2014

The Bone Season

Posted in Book Reviews by Bookgirl

Sometimes you need a doctorate to keep your finger on the pulse of the publishing world.New books, new authors, emerging every minute, it can do your head in. When the latest, hottest thing is buzzed about, I get excited and worried. I know I’m going to read it, but I worry whether I’ve succumbed to the hype. This brings me to the much hyped book “The Bone Season” by Samantha Shannon, likened, of course, to J.K Rowlings. Publishers are very quick to put this on a sleeve, but just this once what if it’s justified. i mean she did get an eight book publishing deal – amazing!
So what was it like?
It’s a dystopian world set in London and Oxford, England in the year 2025, with an alternative history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and like any “good read” I was sad when it ended. The book did have some obstacles. The beginning is a bit of a slog, it takes some concentration to get through Samantha Shannons comprehensive world building, but once I locked it in my brain, i was fine. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for the second book as my brain tends to leak and that stored information may have left and formed it’s own alternative universe elsewhere.