An Elephant In The Room by Shamini Flint

Rating 3.5 out of 5
Hardcover: 21 pages
Age: 2-5
Publisher: Sunbear Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 981057813X
ISBN-13: 978-9810578138

We recently traveled to Singapore and this was one of the souvenir books i got our son. I have taken a liking to buying books related to the country we are in as souvenirs as I think it is then educational and different.

This particular book caught my eye as the artwork was bright and colourful, it had elephants (we were due to see elephants in the flesh later in the trip), the story was short and rhymed. I thought it was perfect for us.

The story its self was not specific to Singapore or even Asia. It is just a cute story about elephants doing various activities during the day. It is a short and simple story often with one or two lines max on a page.

"There's an elephant in the room.

And here's another with a broom"

The artwork is bright and colourful and really brings the story alive. The artist put small quirky details in each of the illustrations. For instance on one page the elephant is holding a sign saying "I'm sorry" and his little friend holds a sign saying "me too".

This is a basic, sweet book that is quick and easy to read. Any child should enjoy the book.

Dixie Divas by Virginia Brown

Rating 2 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 483 KB
Print Length: 316 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0982175655
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (December 31, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004HO5M44

"You found my philandering ex-husband?" Bitty asked. "Where? Mexico? Paris? In Tupelo with a cocktail waitress?" "In your closet," I answered. "Dead." 

Break out the hoop skirts and the zinfandel. The Divas are on the case. Wine. Chocolate. Transvestite strippers. Just another good-time get-together for the Dixie Divas of historic Holly Springs, Mississippi, where moonlight and magnolias mingle with delicious small town scandal. But Eureka "Trinket" Truevine, the newest Diva, gets more than she bargained for when she finds her best Diva girlfriend Bitty Hollandale's ex-husband in Bitty's hall closet. He's dead. Very dead. Now Trinket and the Divas have to help Bitty finger the murderer and clear her name.

Sounds good right? It certainly got my attention and I thought this could be fun. However I really struggled with this book. As you know I don't really like giving bad reviews, so I decided to use the good old lol cats style of reviewing to help make it easier.

One plus was the book was short. Thank goodness. Otherwise I would have given up. I nearly did, I seriously considered putting it down just-after-the-next-page. Why did I still persist? I have no idea. I gave this book so much leeway when normally wouldn't. The second half of the book was better, and I think that is why I stayed (in the end, well I tell myself that) but seriously it took half of the book for me to even get into it. I skipped most of the first half, and skimmed a big chunk of the bits I didn't skip.

I didn't get the characters. The ladies were supposed to be in the fifties but honestly I thought they were written to be in their eighties. Now I have knowledge of the "South" of America and how ladies were raised in the 1950's, but I know plenty of fifty year olds and they act nothing like these ladies. To be honest it irked me....a lot.

The only characters I liked were Bitty and Trinket's parents.  The main character Trinket bored me, and I didn't care what happened to her really. I would have preferred the book have been told from Bitty's point of view, as she was hilarious (and I don't think it was just because Trinket was so boring that anyone would look freaking awesome).

So this review is short and sweet. I just couldn't get into it or really enjoy it. However it has gotten plenty of good reviews elsewhere so maybe it was just me.

On a weird side note while searching for lol cat pictures to put in this post, my google image searches were turning up the most bizarre things. The kind of things eyes (innocent or otherwise) should not be seeing. Google must have been on the good stuff when I was doing my searches that's all I can say.

Freaks (Rizzoli and Isles Short Story) by Tess Gerritsen

Rating 4 out of 5 
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 148 KB
Publisher: Transworld Digital (August 31, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005JXBJFI

I am a big fan of the show Rizzoli & Isles and didn't even know it was based on a book series till a friend of mine kindly pointed out. Ever since I have been curious to read the books. I am not a fan of these more hard boiled crimes books even though I like the shows (I love the Show Bones but do not like the book series it is based on), weird I know. So when I saw this book being offered for free on Kindle I jumped at the chance. In my mind a short story set with all the characters was the perfect place to get a feel for Gerritsen's writing and her characters.

In this book Rizzoli and Isles are called to the scene of an emancipated murdered 17 year old girl in a church. The case takes a supernatural turn when her friend and now suspect Lucas informs Rizzoli that they were both vampires. Now another life is being threatened and Rizzoli is in a race to solve the case and save a life. Is Kimberly Rayner really vampire? did Lucas really kill her? how does Kimberly's angry father tie into her life?

As I said previously this is my first Rizzoli and Isles book. I am not sure about the tone of the other books but this one was pretty light and not serious at all. It had a great mix of action, humour, and crime drama. All the characters were similar to the tv series so they felt comfortable even though this was the first time I was reading about them.The supernatural twist made the story very interesting.

This was a great short read and a wonderful introduction to the world of Rizzoli and Isles. I will definitely be starting this series and seeing if the proper books are as enjoyable as the short story.

Note
As at the date of publishing this post Amazon still had this ebook listed as being free.

Quaky Cat by Diana Noonan

Rating 4 out of 5
Publication: December 2010
ISBN: 978-1-77543-029-2
Age: 3-7 years


"On a cold Christchurch morning, while the city was sleeping, before the birds roused him with twitters and cheeping, curled up on the end of his friend Emma's bed, Tiger woke with a start ...and a feeling of dread. 


He twitched his long whiskers and sniffed at the air. Danger was close, but what was it - and where? Then a voice in his head, one he'd not heard before, shouted 'Run for your life Tiger! Make for the door!'


Tiger fled from the house with a leap and a bound as, louder than thunder, from deep underground, came a roar and a shudder and terrible shaking! Around him, the city was rolling and quaking." Pages 1-3.


In September 2010 a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the Cantabury region in New Zealand. Not even six months later in February 2011 the same region, and in particular Christchurch (which suffered wide spread devastation) was struck again by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. This book however was written in response to the 2010 earthquake, and was relased shortly before the second devastating earthquake. My parents travelled to New Zealand in July this year and picked up this book for my little monkey. I am glad they did as 50% of proceeds from the sale of the book went to local charity and it gave my son a beautiful book that dealt with an unfortunately sad time in New Zealand's history.

Quaky Cat is  about Tiger,  a little cat whose world is turned upside down when during an earthquake he bolts from the house and becomes lost.  The book is his story about trying to find his way home to his beloved Emma, through the devastated city.

The story deals with emotions that children would more then likely feel after an earthquake has hit their town. Tiger's feelings of fear, isolation and sadness are explored as he makes his way back to his house. While you would think this would make for a depressing book it is not at all. In fact the book is written  is filled with hope and love as the quote below demonstrates:

"Home is the giving and helping and sharing.

When a city is crumbling, then home is the caring." 

With a lyrical, rhyming narrative, the book is easy to read to children. It also makes it the story simple for them to follow. It is a beautiful, haunting, and happy story that makes you feel good about the world at the end of the story.

The illustrations are colourful but in a way (for me) creepy. Perhaps creepy is not the right word, erie perhaps is better? Only Tiger and his owner Emma have any real detail, everything else is in silhouette. This suits the tone of the book and highlights Tiger on his journey. The use of colours are interesting as well and subtle. When Tiger is scared and alone darker colours such as blues and greens are used but when Tiger is happy and safe warmer colours like yellow and orange are used.

If you are interested in purchasing this book you will be pleased to know funds from worldwide sales of Quaky Cat are going to the Christchurch Mayoral Earthquake Appeal administered by the New Zealand Red Cross. (The author and illustrator royalties will continue to be donated to their chosen Christchurch charities).

I highly recommend this book for anyone with children who have gone through an earthquake but at the same time any child can understand the messages this lovely book has to offer.

Extras
I am not sure where you can purchase it outside of New Zealand or Australia. But if you wish to purchase this book Fishpond ship internationally and around Australia.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Rating 3 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061726826
ISBN-13: 978-0061726828
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches

 Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love--the deliria--blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls in love.

What I liked
The story concept was interesting and the world created fascinating. The whole premise is that love is a disease and scientists have cured it. By having the procedure done when you roughly turn 18 (it can be done earlier) you can live your life with out sadness, anger, happiness, any emotion at all it seems.

The story is character driven. It focuses on Lena and her struggles. She is terrified she is really like her mother who the procedure didn't work on, and struggles with her emotions leading up to the procedure. She wants to do what is best by her family and bring some honour back, but at the same time starts to question her society and the world she has been brought up in.

I enjoyed the second half of the book far more then the first. In all honesty I felt the first half of the book probably could have been cut in half, it didn't really add value to the book as a whole really.

What I didn't like
It was pretty slow paced for the first half. This was in part due to the nature of the book being a character driven more drama type book. Don't expect a Hunger Games or Pretties type book, this is not that kind of book. To be honest I nearly gave up after about 100 pages. I was on holidays though so persevered (as I didn't have anything else to read). It was just a big info dump about Lena and her life, with out really explaining why the world was the way it is. This was a problem when Lena really wasn't that interesting.

There was not much "history" about how the world Lena lives in came to be. Events are hinted at but no real detail is given as to why they wanted to cure love and then why and how they did it. Apparently this is the first book in a trilogy and it certainly felt that way. Maybe the history side will be revealed later.

This book felt to much like a first book in a trilogy. There were story threads not really finished off and information not given to the reader. This was annoying because by the end of this book I wasn't sure if I would read the rest but I will probably have to now so I can get some answers.

Summary
This was not a terrible book and perhaps my timing was not the best (reading it after a fast paced action book). Sometimes I find it hard to shift from writing styles and might have been more critical as a result. But I did like this book and for someone who likes this type of book they will probably enjoy it more then I did.

Extras
If you would like to read and extract of Chapter 1 of Delirium then head over to Lauren Oliver's web page.

Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles Book 1) by Kevin Hearne

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 440 KB
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0345522478
Publisher: Voyager (June 1, 2011)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B0050ZPAPA

Atticus O’Sullivan has been running for two thousand years and he’s a bit tired of it. After he stole a magical sword from the Tuatha Dé Danann (those who became the Sidhe or the Fae) in a first century battle, some of them were furious and gave chase, and some were secretly amused that a Druid had the cheek to defy them. As the centuries passed and Atticus remained an annoyingly long-lived fugitive, those who were furious only grew more so, while others began to aid him in secret.


Now he’s living in Tempe, Arizona, the very last of the Druids, far from where the Fae can easily find him. It’s a place where many paranormals have decided to hide from the troubles of the Old World—from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg.


Unfortunately, the very angry Celtic god who wants that sword has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power, plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned luck of the Irish to kick some arse and deliver himself from evil. 

Sounds good right? well it was good! It was fun from the beginning to end. That is the easiest way to sum the book up.  It was full of humour, action, mythology, bad guy smack downs, and witty one liners. All the things I love in urban fantasy series.

This book came on my radar by reading reviews on From My Bookshelf and Ticket To Anywhere (these two are bad for adding to my Mt TBR). I was intrigued as it has been described as being the next Harry Dresden series (I hate comparing but wont go there), plus it was about druids and celtic mythology an area in the urban fantasy area not really tapped into previously.

Up front the book is not really anything like Harry Dresden other then it had a guy as the main character, he was witty and sarcastic, oh and he did magic. So the comparison really is only at the surface level and was probably a gimmick by a marketing guru to get people to buy the book. By comparing the book they undersell this book/series.

The celtic mythology was really good and the research showed through. I actually learned quite a bit as I had to look some creatures mentioned up on the net. The characters felt believable and fit their "image". I quite liked Morrigan even though in other books she is painted as quite the villain, in this book she walks a fine line between being a baddy and a goody. The book also touches on other mythologies from around the world. There are also vampires, werewolves, and fairies to round out the mythological roll call. But you will no find vampires who sparkle and do creepy stalking type stuff, no the vampires and werewolves are much edgier and realistic.

The pace of the story is quite fast and energetic, you don't get much "down time" between scenes. It moves a long quickly, but not so fast that the story suffers.  If you are a fan of anime or comics you can definitely see the influences they have had on Hearne, there is even a reference or two to anime (the author gets big points for that alone).

I loved the character of Oberon and the little old Irish lady who is Atticus’ neighbor. Both added a great comical element to the book and I look forward to learning more about them in later books. The werewolves and the vampire (whose names elude me currently) were fascinating and I hope to learn more about them over the course of the series.

This should definitely be on your radar if you love urban fantasy. I will be getting stuck into the rest of series in the new year.

Extras
Head over to Kevin Hearnes web page to read the first six chapters of Hounded.

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1) by Cassandra Clare

Rating 3 out of 5

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; First Edition, Later Printing edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416914285
• ISBN-13: 978-1416914280
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches

Given there are heaps of reviews on this book I thought I would do more of a Q&A style review with some basic questions. I found this book hard to review as it would be very easy to give away spoilers.

What is the book about?
City of Bones follows the story of 15 year old Clary. One night Clary and her friend Simon go to the Pandemonium Club and their lives change forever after witnessing a murder where the body then proceeds to disappear into thin air. Clary then finds herself thrust into the middle of world she never knew existed

Who was your favorite character?
Probably Jace. He was witty and interesting.

Which character did you dislike the most?
Easily Alex. I know the reader does get some back story to him at the end of the book which goes some way to explaining his character. But I didn't like him on any level. He could probably easily be voted "character most likely to turn to the dark side".

How does this book compare to A Clockwork Angel?
I can honestly say I liked A Clockwork Angel better. A Clockwork Angel came well after this series was written (even though it is a prequel), and it felt Clare had a better feel for the world in that book compared to City of Bones. Plus I liked the characters better. I cant really put my finger on why I liked A Clockwork Angel better I just did.

Is the story original?
Not particularly. You could see the plot twists coming. There are no surprises.

Is there much action?
There is quite a bit of action in the second half of the book. But the teen love triangle is more the focus I thought.

Is it like Harry Potter? 
Not really. There are some parallels yes, but its not like that story line is really original, even before JK Rowling got it. The whole "orphan discovers they are a wizard/witch and there is a magical world existing next to ours" story line was being used for years before Harry Potter so don’t act like JK Rowling invented it.

What is the mythology used? 
The book taps into the angels and demons mythology and builds on those. For instance the Shadow hunters are descended from the people the Angel Riezel mixed his blood with. I haven't read the whole series so do not really know the whole mythology attached to this world, but it seems interesting so far. There are also Vampire, Werewolves, and Warlocks. That side is not really developed in this book.

Would you recommend the book? 
To a teenage girl, yes definitely. That is the target audience and I think they will love it. For older readers, not so sure. While I didn't mind the story, it didn't grab me and make me want to read the rest of the series on the spot. There are better books in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre that I would recommend over this one.

Extras
Head over to Cassandra Clares page and read Chapter One City of Bones.

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

Rating 4 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 4 and up 

Hardcover: 32 pages 

Publisher: Orchard (September 1, 2001) 

Language: English 

ISBN-10: 0439287197

ISBN-13: 978-0439287197 

Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches

"Gerald was a tall giraffe

Whose neck was long and slim,

But his knees were awfully bandy
And his legs were rather thin"

So begins the tale of Gerald the Giraffe who cant dance. Every year he dreaded the annual jungle dance as he could not participate with out being made a fool and be humiliated. But this year it is different, this year there is a full moon and a little cricket who teaches Gerald sometimes you just need a different tune to dance too.

This is a wonderful book to read aloud to children. It has an easy flow and rhythm, with rhyming words. You can have use silly voice to narrate the different characters which adds some fun.

The illustrations are bright and colourful. They convey the feeling and action of the story on each page. There is also a cricket hiding on each page!

The book finishes with a great "moral of the story" type ending. This one being about be happy with who you are, there is nothing wrong with being different, and sometimes you need to do things differently to achieve the same results.

This book will quickly become your child's favourite. It is one of our favourites to read.

Extras
A video of someone reading the book. For anyone who wants an idea of what to expect with the book.

Movie Reviews: October 2011

The Change-Up - A

This film was hilarious, rude and totally inappropriate for any child under 15 or so. But I found myself laughing so hard I was crying on a numerous occasions. I dont normally like the stupid crass/rude type movies (I am proud to say I did not like The Hangover) but for some reason this one really appealed. 

Green Lantern - A
I really enjoyed this film, even though it had a very Superman kinda feel to it (even the music was suspiciously close). Ryan Reynalds is really good in the role. The CGI was well done and the action fantastic. There was a good story line that was not to "out there" and required a complete suspension of belief. 

Zookeeper - C-
Not the greatest but not the worst. A slight twist on the romantic comedy genre with the animals trying to help the looser guy. Nothing surprising in the story but some funny moments anyway. Good purely for the animal factor and the "pick the celebrity voicing this animal" factor. I would wait till it is on tv and watch it for free.

Captain America - B

This was not what I was expecting, which is interesting considering I know nothing about Captain America. Lots of clever CGI, bit of humour and sci-fi mixed in with a good dollop of action. This is not a serious film and I had fun watching it, it had an ok story line (some big story holes which did bug me) but good acting. Plus it tied in nicely to the marvel comics universe & the Avengers movie.

Kung Fu Panda 2 - B

Very cute and enjoyable film. Not as hilarious as the first one, but then again I was horribly sick while watching this, and Hubby did laugh a lot more then me so maybe it was just me? I did still enjoy this story and how it added to the over all story of the Kung Fu Panda world. Seemed to be setting the scene for a Kung Fu Panda 3?

Mr Poppins Penguins - A

As this didn't have a long theatre life here in Oz I kinda wrote this off as being a dud. Well I was wrong it was adorable, funny, and had a sweet and touching story line. Jim Carey really should do more family movies, his brand of comedy just suits it perfectly. A great story about setting priorities in life. Oh and the penguins totally steal the show as they are soooooo cute!

Smurfs - B+
Ok I was all prepared to hate this movie because I loved the original series as a kid. But I actually liked this movie A LOT. Found myself laughing in quite a few places, and chortling in others. It wasn't completely corny and stupid (did have moments). The acting was great (is there nothing Neil Patrick Harris cant do?) and the animation was fantastic. There were jokes for all age groups, and I love the sly digs at the original cartoon which only adults will get. A great family film for everyone.

Bad Teacher - D+
I dont really like Cameron Diaz, and I just found her annoying in this film. I  didn't feel any chemistry between her and the two leading men. There were some funny (but few) moments, but over all it just seemed like the bad girl with the bad behaviour got rewarded because she was pretty. The only part I really found funny was when she was grading the papers. I think ALL teachers would love to write what she does at some point.


Old School

Frequency - B

An old detective sci-fi movie about a father and son talking across the decades. Very clever and interesting. Not much can be said with out giving it away (if you haven't seen it).