A Waltz For Matilda by Jackie French

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 729 KB
Publisher: HarperCollinsAU (December 1, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004GNFX68

First Sentence "It was midnight in Grinder's Alley".

A Waltz For Matilda is set in the late 1800’s in Australia’s outback and tells the tale of a young girl called Matilda who after loosing everything she knows and loves in the city, heads out to “beyond the black stump” to find her missing father. There she has to grow up fast and learn the ways of the bush and its people to survive.

The start of the book was strongly tied into the song Waltzing Matilda, and the song has a presence through out the book. I liked this tie in which worked well with the story.

Matilda was a wonderful character who we meet at the age of 12. The book follows her life on the station and how she grows and evolves living there. Auntie Love is a lovely character that takes Matilda under her wing and shows her the way of the bush. I liked Jackie French’s treatment of the Aboriginal characters and culture, you got a distinct impression that French respects the culture. There was nothing clichéd about the characters at all.

Her friendship with Mr Drinkwater was an interesting one. It seemed to be a love hate relationship at best. But there seemed to be genuine respect for each other. What I found interesting, having recently been at a workshop run by Jackie, was the shearers themselves. Jacki said in her workshop she had originally planned for them to be the bad guys, but by the end of the story they were the comedy relief. Certainly the shearers were a funny bunch with interesting names like Mr Goto, they always floated around the sidelines supporting Matilda when she needed it.

This book covers some very important historical moments for Australia. The formation of the labour union movement, the fight for women to vote, the fight to become one nation instead of separate colonies, and the Boer War. This is not an actual retelling and the facts are not accurate, the events are just a back drop to the main story which was a girl struggling to survive in the bush. She captured the essence of the events and was able to tell them from the point of view of a teenage girl living on a farm in the middle of no where.

There are also some very serious issues that get touched on in this book such as immigration, racism, sexism, class differences, and technological advancement. I found it very interesting that the very thing that immigrants get accused of now in this modern day and age, such as stealing jobs; was the exact same stuff that was being said in the late 1800’s. It made me wonder just a little if we really had progressed as a society as much as we like to think.

Jackie French was very careful to not mention any dates, places, times etc. She did this deliberately as she was not writing a novel based on these events. She was writing a novel about a girl who witnessed these events.

This would be a wonderful book for a teenager to read and gain a solid insight into Australia’s history. While it wont give the reader the nuts and bolts of what happened it does give a good over view of what was happening at that time.

While the ending was good it did seem a little too neat and tidy. With everything being explained. While on one hand I did like having some things explained, I thought in a way it ruined some of the mystery that surrounded some of the characters like Auntie Love. The book would have been fine with out the explanation but like I said I did like finding out why, probably because I’m nosey ☺

If you like history and keen to learn more about Australian history this is a great historical novel with the added bonus that right at the end Jackie has included factual information about the events she writes about and the influences (such as Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson). I found this just as interesting as the book itself.

The Outlaw Demon Wails (Book 5) by Kim Harrison

Rating: 4 out of 5

Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager; Reprint edition (November 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780061149825
ISBN-13: 978-0061149825
ASIN: 0061149829

First Sentence "I leaned over the glass counter, squinting at the price of the high grade redwood rods, safe in their airtight glass coffins like snow white"

We are back for the fifth installment of the Rachel Morgan series. Rachel's exploits are finally catching up with her. Someone is summoning a demon, who should be in demon jail, to kill her and it is a rather long list of contenders of who would want Rachel dead. There is a new big boss vampire in town, Ceri has a secret, a Gargoyle now lives in the roof of the church, and Trent is well Trent. There is also a possible love interest in Rachel's life because her life is not complicated enough.

There are some big story developments in this book and lots of revelations about Rachel and her family. It has been hinted at in the previous installments that perhaps Rachel has been living in a bubble her whole life. What did Trent's father do to her? what is her heritage? Why can she do the magic she can do? A lot of these questions are finally answered. Some of the answers were kinda obvious but it was still a surprise on the how and who.

The romance side of Rachel's life is played down in this book. I think it was good as we focused on Rachel and her inner turmoil as she deals with what her life has become and the need for change. I found this refreshing for this genre of book where the heroine usually just careens from disaster to disaster and never seems to take responsibility for themselves. Rachel frequently thinks and says "something has to change, things can not continue this way".

I was glad to see more of and learn more about Rachel's mum. She seems like a really interesting character and refreshing breath of air amongst the cast that are normally involved. She is both sweet, bad ass, funny, and a little crazy. I hope she features more in future books, and takes more of an active role in Rachel's life.

If you are a fan of this series you will want to read this book. A lot of the puzzle pieces fall in place and you get a better picture of the characters and the world the inhabit.

Extras
Head over to Kim Harrison's website to read and excerpt of the fist chapter.

Movie Reviews - May 2011

Inkheart - B-

While this is an old film I had not seen it. I remember vaguely reading the book but I didn't like it. For the life of me I don't remember why. The movie however, was good fun. I actually didn't mind it at all. Lots of action and good vs evil type stuff. Nothing to over the top or scary so all round a good movie for the whole family.

Drive Angry - C

Stupid action movie with lots of blood, guts, violence, swearing, and sex. If this is your thing you will probably love this movie. It was a little weird storyline wise, and Nicolas Cage did not stretch himself acting wise. I think Nicolas Cage did this purely for the money. The special effects were bad but maybe they were better if you watched in 3d? we didn't and it just looked dodgy. The actor who played the demon seemed to be the only one having any fun, and doing any decent acting.

Here After - C-

This had a pretty full on opening sequence, and some interesting plot twists but mostly it was BORING. Really slow and was told for three different point of views. Two of which I didn't care about and one I did care but was let down with where the story went. It just didn't do anything really, I did not get

the point to this movie. It wasn't a great script, and it didn't have brilliant acting. It was just average, oh and did I mention boring?

Old School

Groundhog Day - B+

A great film from 80's comedian mega star Bill Murray. About a man reliving the same day over and over. Still a good film that gets the belly laughs even though you know what is coming. There isn't much to not like about this film.

Up - A

Such a charming and delightful film from Pixar. Though the Disney influence in this film, I think, is pretty strong. In typical Disney fashion it has a sad beginning as Mr Fredricksen's wife dies. But from there it is funny and charming story about different generations, achieving dreams, and a bird called Kevin. Some great laughs with some awesome one lines such as Russell exclaiming "BUT its a talking dog!". Dug and Kevin steal the show with their hilarious antics. If you are a Pixar fan this film has to be in your collection.

Independence Day - A

What can I say I am sucker for this film and enjoy it every time. The witty one liners, the awesome action, and motivational speeches. The special effects are a little dodgy in places now and there are some big ass story inconsistencies if you stop and think about it. But I still love it. Will Smith for the win every time :)

Which Book From Mt TBR Should I Read Next Poll

Hi Guys

Im having difficulty picking my next book to read from Mt TBR so I thought I would throw the selection over to you AND have a crack at running a poll on my blog!

I have selected four books for you to pick from and you can (In theory I ticked the box) vote as many times as you like. The poll is located at the top of the right hand column (Look right you cant miss it!)

The contenders are:

Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
"She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
“They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them.
 Until now.
 Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.”

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
“Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey.


According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.

Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.”

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harknass
"Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell."

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter

Rating: 2 out of 5
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Gallery (March 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781439199084
ISBN-13: 978-1439199084
ASIN: 1439199086

Ok I don't like doing negative reviews, so I thought I would have a little fun and do a Chibi review, using anime chibi's to help illustrate my review. Hope this makes the review a little more fun to read.

Altar of Bones is about an alter made out of bones with secret mystical powers. Of course there is a really bad guy who wants these mystical powers and will do anything to get it (with a psychotic blood thirsty girlfriend/side kick).
“I will defeat you mawhahahahaha”

Enter the clueless heroine who protects the alter (once she gets a clue and works out she is in fact the al might protector from a long line of protectors). Then enter stage right is the girl’s protector and love interest who will fight by her side and help her save the day.

“Dude…..BRING IT!”

Sounds good right? Well for awhile it was. I read through half of the book and while the action was pumping I did enjoy it.

Ready? Fight-o!

But then it got bogged down in conspiracy theories. While I don’t mind a little conspiracy theory here and there, this just got to much. There were roughly 20 pages of the stuff. It just went on and on and on, about JFK and Marilyn Monroe being murdered.

Enough! Enough already I get it! Waaaahhhhaaaa!

I could have handled the brief mentions that happened earlier but then the narrative jumped back and told the whole story in full of how the baddy killed Marilyn and JFK. To be honest the book totally lost me and I lost all will to read any further. It’s not like the conspiracy theory was new, it was just rehashed stuff.

“Bahahaha JFK & Marilyn Conspiracy, no one would have thought of that…..best conspiracy theory ev-a!”

If it wasn’t for the conspiracy theory overload, I could probably have overlooked the fact that a big chunk of the book was ridiculous and filled with too many inconstancy's. If the story is going to be flat out ridiculous then it needs to be a non-stop thrill ride with constant action and things going boom. So dont have a chance to stop and think "hey thats not possible". Then I don’t care if it is completely stupid, I just don’t want the action to stop (for an excellent example try Matthew Reilly!).

Crazy unbelievable fight scene – you’redoing it right!

If I get bored and start to think about it, then I get annoyed. There was one scene where the hero spent hours sucking air out of his tire at the bottom of the harbor, while waiting for the baddies to leave. The problem of sea water in his eyes aside (as he was watching them from the bottom of the harbor), Mythbusters

busted this myth yonks ago. I am sorry but even if Mythbusters said it can’t be done then why is it in your book! If

you’re going to write unbeliev

able stuff, at least write s

tuff that hasn’t been or can’t easily be disproven.

Totally Busted!

I think like me, you can all guess where this book was heading and that was to a big good vs evil smack down fight scene; where good ultimately wins.

“You’ve been pawned bitches”

Look this was not a terrible book despite the fact I put it down. The conspiracy thing really killed it for me. As my reading time is pretty precious these days I decided to ditch the book rather then struggle on and hope it got better.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Rating: 5 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 440 KB
Print Length: 290 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin (May 3, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B003KK6GOQ

I have decided to review this book in the style it was written, in a letter format to my friend over at Ticket to Anywhere. I apologise for the more formal language in some parts of the letter, it just kind of came out that way! I hope you enjoy.

Dear Irishyz

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I know it has been a rough winter for you in the wilds of New York. To cheer you up and give you something to look forward too I thought I would write you about a fantastic novel I have had the pleasure of reading.

It is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and her Niece. The book is set in the British Island of Guernsey which is a English channel island, just after World War II. The island had been occupied by the Germans for a period and the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society arose during those dark times.

The whole book is told through letters! Can you believe it? It felt like I had snuck into my sister’s room and read her secret correspondence (not that you or I would know anything about that!). It made for a very intimate and personal way of discovering the characters and story At the same time though it was like they were your best friends and you were catching up on their latest news. The central character, the one all the letters revolve around is Juliet Ashton. She is a thirty two year old writer looking for inspiration for her next book and finds it in this society when they start corresponding with her.

The book was rather slow to start with and I must admit I almost gave up! But you know me I like my books actiony, fast paced and humorous. So to go for a slower paced book with detail and character development was quite a shock to my system.

However I am glad I persevered. There was a letter discussing Doodlebugs and I had no idea that they were bombs! That is what the British called a particular type of bomb that landed in London during those dark times. Reading Juliette’s response to Doodlebug was moving and terrifying. Could you imagine having to always listen out for the noise of the bomb and then the dread that you couldn’t hear it anymore! What could I say, from then on in HOOKED, and could not put it down.

I am glad it is just a made up story though or I would feel horrible saying the next part; it was a little predictable. That didn’t detract from the story at all and make it less enjoyable or interesting to read, oh no not at all. But the more emotional scenes probably did not have the impact on me that they should have when they happened, as I had already guessed what was going to happen. Despite the predictability, there was still a very sad part of the book (I won’t give anything away promise) that almost had me shedding a tear.

The ending was really rather sudden. I kept turning the pages of my ebook thinking that maybe it had not downloaded correctly. But no, that was it, game over, thank you very much for playing. Gah! How could it end just like that? It was a nice ending though but I wanted just a little bit more to round it all off, tie off some loose ends. Sadly the author did pass away after her manuscript was submitted so perhaps this was not the ending she envisioned? I guess we will never know.

While I know your tastes generally run towards the Young Adult and Supernatural genres, I also know you enjoy a good historical novel, and you are interested in WWII. I really think you should give this book a go, you won’t be disappointed!

I must be off now have the house work to do now and the washing will not wash it’s self (no matter how long I sit here and will it, the darn lazy things wont budge and clean themselves).

All the best from your friend
Caspette

Movie Reviews - April 2011

Rio - A

The latest animated film by the makers of Ice Age. This movie has everything good about animated films; musical numbers, funny sidekicks, hilarious one liners, and awesome animation. The story is well written if not predictable. The monkey's doing Krunk dancing was too cute. This was also our first 3D movie experience at the cinemas and it was pretty cool.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - B-

A great installment. It stayed pretty true to the book with only a little bit of creative license. If you have read the book then you know there is a whole lotta nothing happening in the middle (just story and character development) so the movie does slow down for a big chunk. I suspect they saved all the action for part 2 judging by where they stopped part 1.

The Green Hornet - B-

Was a pretty good film. I don't normally like Seth Green (I know sacrilegious considering he is the "in" thing in Hollywood at the moment) but I found this movie to be a good mix of action, comedy and story. my only criticism is when they seemed to develop super powers, or what looked like super powers. Was just weird. Jay Chou who plays Kato was really good, I hope we see more of him now he has "broken" into Hollywood.

The Tourist - C

This was not a terrible movie it was just average. You just couldn't believe there was any relationship between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, let alone that they were falling in love. There was also not a lot of action, despite what the trailer showed. The lack of chemistry between the main actors gave this movie a low score however the interesting twist at the end salvaged the score to a C.

The Fighter - B-

This is not really my kind of film because a) its a sports movie, b) its about boxing and c) its a drama. But all those aside it is a good film with a fascinating story. I found it ironic Christian Bale played the older brother (by ten years) to Mark Wahlburg considering in real life Mark is roughly ten years older then Christian. The actors really do make this film and I can see why so many got nominated. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo were just amazing in their roles and make the movie worth it.

Morning Glory - B+

A delightful movie full with lots of laughs, a little romance and a nice story line. Dianne Keaton, Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams all do a wonderful job. This is light and fluffy movie viewing. I did find the scenes where Rachel McAdams character tries to save the show hilarious.

Little Fockers - B-

Not a bad effort for a third movie. Was it as funny as the first two, well no. But it was still good and there were a few laugh out loud moments. It was a shame that the Grandparent Fockers were not featured as much because their story lines, though brief, were interesting. I enjoyed it but I know many didn't. My recommendation, start watching it with low expectations and you should enjoy it.

Old School

Back to the Future 1,2 & 3 - A

As always a great trilogy. One of the few where all movies in the trilogy are just as good as the first. Back to the Future 3 spawned one of the most famous 80's movie quote ever "duded up egg sucking gutter trash". We enjoy watching it and watch it at least once a year.

The Transporter - B

Awesome pure action film with the spunky Jason Stratham. Funny one liners, with awesome martial arts fighting scene, great action scenes. What is not to love in an action film. The perfect brain candy film.

Cruel Intentions - C+

A clever movie about Upper class Manhattan Socialites. Based on the old French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. I have not seen any of the other adaptions to compare but it was a good show case of the 90's teen Queen's and Heart Throbs acting talents beyond their respective shows. If you want to watch nasty people getting their just deserts in an elegant way this is the movie for you. Think Gossip Girl before the technological age and a a little darker. But this is not really my kind of movie, and its pretty predictable.