Bad Dirt by Annie Proulx

This is the Annie Proulx’s second collection of short stories set in Wyoming.  I didn’t particularly enjoy the first one (Close Range), but this one was a far better read, and I could understand all the acclaim which Annie Proulx has received.

There are eleven stories in this collection, and a number of them are set in Elk Tooth, Wyoming, a small town with a population of around 80 people, so almost inevitably, certain characters pop up in two or more of the stories.

Proulx masterfully conjures up an image of the tough but beautiful land and the hard life of it’s inhabitants – mainly cowboys, ranchers and their families.  From whimsical tales about beard growing contests and a craze for crudely fashioned hot tubs, to tales of rough justice being served, these are stories which though short, never fail to flesh out their characters.  Many of the tales are almost like modern day fables, with a sting in the tale.  My personal favourites were Dump Junk with it’s supernatural twist, and The Contest (concerning the aforementioned beard growing contest).  Plenty of moments of wry humour too.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis:

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella’s life – first discovered in TWILIGHT, then scattered and torn in NEW MOON and ECLIPSE – seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed…forever?

This is the final part of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. I was wary to begin with because it is a large books – 755 pages, and because I had heard some negative reviews about the book. However, although not as good as the other three books in the series, this is an enjoyable book, and worth reading.

For the final installment we attend the wedding of Edward and Bella, and then the honeymoon – which has interesting consequences. Faced with therepercussions of the honeymoon, the Cullens group together ready to face the Volturi – the vampire royalty. But this is not a fight they can win alone, so they call upon all friends and alliances for the final fight…

Interestingly, a section of this story is narrated by Jacob. I liked this. Although not my favourite character, he is vital to the storyline and Bella’s life. It was fascinating to read the book from a werewolf’s point of view, especially someone as close to the protagonist as Bella. It was well written and I enjoyed it.

There were, however, story lines in this book that I didn’t like/wasn’t convinced by. The main one is the Jacob and Renesmee story. It just didn’t work for me. Although these are fantasy books, for me that was just pushing a little too far towards the extreme.

My favourite character throughout the whole Sage has been Edward. I just love him – the way he looks, how he thinks, how he loves, just a great character. I would love it if Meyer did go ahead and publish Midnight Sun, Edward’s version of the Twilight book. In addition to Edward, I loved Renesmee – everything about her except the name. That too was a little far-fetched for me, however her character was adorable – just too cute.

For the most part, I loved this book. Maybe it was a little too long but it was engaging and fun. A nice way to end the Saga. I definitely encourage people to read this series if they haven’t – they are really good books.

8/10

What’s the Best You Can Do? – Derek Rowlinson

Amazon Synopsis

If you happen to harbour a vague romantic notion of some day opening your own second-hand bookshop where the artistic intelligentsia would congregate to discuss highbrow matters and engage in witty badinage, then perhaps you would do well to read “What’s the best you can do?” first. It may not necessarily put you off the idea altogether, but it will certainly provide you with a sharp reality check. The book is an autobiographical account of a second-hand bookshop owner in Northern Ireland during the 1980s and 90s and is a combination of straight prose mixed with numerous anecdotes of a mainly humorous, but sometimes rather poignantly sad nature. Although set against the backdrop of ‘The Troubles’, it shows how life generally went on pretty much as normal in those times, and that the experience of the second-hand bookseller is essentially universal, irrespective of circumstances or location. These recollections provide an insight into the world of used bookselling whilst simultaneously entertaining with descriptions of the often inexplicable behaviour of various characters who came through the door. The rude, the mean, and the downright stupid all make an appearance, and the eccentric is never too far away either. Bizarre situations, silly questions, and the author’s reaction to them, seriously threaten to have you chuckle out loud at times. A ‘must’ for lovers of the world of used books.

MY THOUGHTS

This is an autobiographical collection of anecdotes about the life of a bookseller that provides the reader with many unexpected insights into the book-dealing world. Some of the author’s reminiscences will have you laughing out loud and some will bring a lump to your throat and tears to your eyes. Some of his descriptions of his customers are so entertaining, the rude, the thoughtless, the eccentrics and the tightwads all get a mention, as do the kind and considerate.  His bookshop was in Northern Ireland, during the Troubles, and it was a bomb that bought to an end Rowlinson’s bookstore enterprise. He explains how this event led to him becoming an online dealer and his thoughts on this manner of selling books. This little book is a must for lovers of ‘books about books’ and for those interested in the world of second-hand book selling. It will always have a home on my bookshelves.

The Cave by Kate Mosse

Synopsis:
March 1928. Frederick Smith is on a motoring holiday in the mountains of south west France. He is caught in a violent storm and his car crashes. He is forced to seek shelter in a boarding house in the nearby village of Axat. There is only one other guest in the tiny hotel, a pale and beautiful young woman called Marie. As the storm rages outside, she explains how the region was ripped apart by wars of religion in the 14th century. She tells how, one terrible night in March 1328, all the inhabitants of Axat were forced to flee from the soldiers into the mountains. The villagers took refuge in a cave, but when the fighting was over, no one came back. Their bodies were never found. Axat itself became a ghost town. When Fred wakes the following morning, Marie has gone. Worse still, his car will take several days to repair and he has to stay at the boarding house for a few days more. To pass the time, he explores the mountains. Then he realises it is almost 600 years to the day since the villagers disappeared. He decides to go and look for the cave himself. Perhaps, he thinks, he might even find Marie? It is a decision he will live to regret.

Review:
At just under 100 pages, this little gem of a novella lives up to its Quick Read origins very well – you can easily read it in your lunch hour and it would certainly entertain you admirably well through that time, so it’s probably just as well it’s short or you might forget to go back to work!

It’s very predictable, especially to those who have already read Labyrinth, and as the reader you are constantly several steps ahead of the protagonist, but it doesn’t matter – events unfils exactly as one hopes they will. The Cave reads like a classic ghost story, but that isn’t a bad thing, as setting even the “modern” part of the story a little in the past gives it a slightly more mysterious air and actually adds to its appeal.

Definitely one for fans of Kate Mosse, historical fiction, traditional ghost stories and France – The Cave has it all covered within 97 pages of delightful prose that quickly gets into the action and carries the reader along smoothly and swiftly to the perfect conclusion.

Rating: 7

Reviewed by Kell Smurthwaite

The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy by Gina Collia-Suzuki

Synopsis~

Benjamin Arnold Guppy loved turnips. He loved eating them, but most of all he loved throwing them. He also loved money and pain…extorting a lot of the former and causing an equal amount of the latter. A foul, sour-faced old swindler with a penchant for clucking like a chicken and more than a passing interest in the local postman, he was determined to get his hands on his neighbours’ money, regardless of the cost. As it turned out, the price was his life.

I think at some point in our lives we have all experienced bad neighbours, whether they play their music too loud or just plain annoy you, they are always there.

With ‘The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy’, Gina Collia-Suzuki has created the most loathsome of characters I have ever had the pleasure to read, the formidable Mr and Mrs Guppy, who despite their age control a whole neighbourhood and daily harass their new neighbours, Roy and Alex Leah (Alex’s is the narrator of the story), the reason for the harassment? Well Roy and Alex are just not Ben and Pat Guppy’s, ‘type of people’.

I really enjoyed ‘The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy, ‘Gina Collia-Suzuki description of them and their various antics to get rid of The Leahs were hysterically funny, I took pleasure when their antics went wrong because they were so horrible.

Gina Collia-Suzuki does an excellent job of highlighting how bad The Guppies are and also explores the feelings of the Leahs well, the long term effects of having such bad neighbours,I was amazed how the Leahs could just ignore the couple despite The Guppies endless attempts to extort money from them.

Pat and Ben Guppy are mean, they are cruel, they are neighbours from hell and Gina Collia-Suzuki has written them well and very realistically. I know at certain points in the story, I was appalled by their actions.

A wonderfully dark read, highly recommended. It will make you more aware of your neighbours.

Rating: 10/10

Vampire Apocalypse: Descent into Chaos by Derek Gunn

A while ago I was sent the first Vampire Apocalypse book to review, which you can read about here. I was looking forward to the second book, and I wasn’t disappointed.

To recap, the world is thrust into confusion due to a energy crisis, and it’s into this world that the vampires appear, after living in secret for years. These vampires are not the ones that have been found in recent novels, but are vicious killers.

In this second book, the vampires have split themselves into cabals, controlling certain areas of the US. There are both ancient and younger vampires, with their teams of thralls to keep control in the day light hours. Most humans have been captured, and under the influence of a serum, are being kept for food. A small group, however, are living in secret, and are fighting to free more – their latest plan is to cause confusion between two cabals, setting them up against each other.

As with the first book, this is a book about war, with the vampires adding an extra horror element. This makes for an action packed book, which doesn’t let up until the last page. Again, the human stories aren’t deeply explored, but there’s enough to add another layer of interest. The vampires are explored a little more than in the first book, and it is rather refreshing to find a return to the type of creature you would expect in as an ‘undead’.

Each book so far has wrapped up the particular story line it focuses on, but leaves it open for the next one.. I look forward to the next!

Eric by Terry Pratchett

Synopsis:

Eric is the Discworld’s only demonology hacker. The trouble is, he’s not very good at it. All he wants is the usual three wishes: to be immortal, rule the world and have the most beautiful woman fall madly in love with him. The usual stuff. But what he gets is Rincewind, and Rincewind’s Luggage into the bargain. Terry Pratchett’s hilarious take on the Faust legend stars many of the Discworld’s most popular characters in an outrageous adventure that will leave Eric wishing once more – this time, quite fervently, that he’d never been born . . .

This is the ninth book in Pratchett’s Discworld series, and features some of the favourite characters – Rincewind, The Luggage and Death – all of whom are hilarious and tremendously fun to read. They are three of my favourite characters in this series, and I am always happy to read about them. Death with his dry sense of humour makes me laugh every time he is featured in a book, Rincewind and his great philosophy: run away make great reading and the Luggage is legendary – with its sharp teeth and hundreds of legs, scaring even the most fearsome. Highly entertaining.

In the ninth installment of the Discworld adventures we are introduced to Eric – a teenager with an acne problem who tries to conjure up demons. Instead, he realises Rincewind. With a snap of the fingers, they are transported back into the Faust legend, where armies defeat their enemies by the use of a wooden horse. This was an interesting re-write of the legend, and I definitely prefer it with Rincewind as the star! We find ourselves transported off with Rincewind and Eric to see universes created and the problems with Hell, all in one short book.

I enjoyed this book, like all the others I have read, but it isn’t my favourite. I laughed and enjoyed Pratchett’s writing ability and sense of humour. I liked his take on the legend, making it his own. I think the problem with this book was that is wasn’t his own adventure and it wasn’t very long. That said, I did enjoy it and would recommend it as a quick-read Discworld novel.

7/10

The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan

Gina Davies, aka ‘The Doll’ is a pole dancer from Sydney, who yearns for a better life for herself.  To The Doll, all that matters is the pursuit of money and all the pleasures that it can being (such as designer clothes, accessories etc.).  One night, The Doll has a one night stand with a stranger named Tariq, who has disappeared by morning.  At around the same time, three unexploded bombs are discovered, and Gina discovers that Tariq is a suspected terrorist…and as someone who has been seen with him, she finds herself a suspected terrorist (the ‘unknown terrorist’ of the title).

The Doll goes on the run, while around her the media whips Sydney into a state of panic about the threat of terrorism.  An unsavoury journalist jumps on the bandwagon in an attempt to rescue his own flagging career, and soon the situation becomes a major news story, with Gina as public enemy number one.

 

This book can be enjoyed as a straightforward thriller, but there is a a subtext, showing how the media manipulate people’s fears, and how such fears give society justification for vilifying people, with nothing concrete to base their feelings on.  Scariest of all was the fact that it is easy to see how such a situation could happen in today’s culture of fear.

It’s a fast moving story (despite taking place over only a few days); the first half however was more enjoyable for me than the second half, which seemed to get a bit bogged down by some overwrought prose.  It also felt a little preachy towards the end, but overall this did not detract from the story.

Angelina’s Children by Alice Ferney

Blurb from Amazon:

‘Few gypsies want to be seen as poor, although many are. Such was the case with old Angelina’s sons, who possessed nothing other than their caravan and their gypsy blood. But it was young blood that coursed through their veins, a dark and vital flow that attracted women and fathered numberless children. And, like their mother, who had known the era of horses and caravans, they spat upon the very thought that they might be pitied.’ So begins the story of a tribe exiled to the outskirts of the city, outlawed and ostracized by society. Esther, a young librarian from the town, wants to teach Angelina’s grandchildren to read. She runs into a wall of suspicion but eventually manages to tame the children and gain Angelina’s confidence. Dealing with the widow’s five sons is another matter.

My review:

“Grace and Destitution” could be the translation of the original title of this short novel. Set in France it portrays a group of Gypsies who have set up camp on an abandoned piece of wasteland, on the outskirts of a city. “Grace and Destitution”: Angelina and her children in a nutshell.

From stereotypes to the harsh reality Alice Ferney delves into the lives, culture and identities of this Gypsy clan who despite “not having left the French soil since more than 400 years” still lives there as complete strangers to the country. The author shows them to truly be a clan, a culture of its own, both ostracized by the ‘real’ French and refusing to become Gadgés or be approached by them. Proud, enduring, free spirited, beautiful, they maintain their grace in the face of utter destitution: living in half broken caravans wherever they manage to settle without being immediately expelled. With a deep respect for family ties, the elders and ‘destiny’ they love fiercely, unconditionally, sometimes violently.

They do not let themselves be approached easily and refuse the standard way of living and administrative rules which mean nothing to them: when the registration official declares that ‘Djumbo’ isn’t an appropriate name for their last born they turn around and return home without a birth certificate. In fact their contacts with the exterior world seem to be virtually inexistent.

Those they do have are harsh, filled with intolerance and rejection. From the hospital to the school and the town hall Angelina’s family is rejected everywhere, its very existence denied. Without jobs, proper lodging, education or minimum wages they only represent for the authorities and neighbours undesirable squatters.

Their life is hard, down to earth, close to the fire, ground, blood and the seasons… Even in the middle of a wasteland plot, amidst dirt, shards of glass and improbable fuel for the fire such as smashed car seats. Their daily life seems to follow closely the seasons: the harsh winter from which all don’t always come out, followed by spring, a renewed sense of hope, unexpected pregnancies and the promises of better days to come.

In this environment the mothers are the life keepers, those who scrape up meals and fetch water from the far away tap, the feeders, protectors and minders of the children. They keep going day after day in the face of adversity, sustained by their duties. Without jobs the fathers seem lost, wander aimlessly throughout the day, occasionally tinkering with more or less legal odd jobs, trying to keep up appearances.

Arriving in the middle of this Esther, a ‘Gadgé’ by all means, slowly gets closer to the clan, penetrates it, is accepted by Angelina, the children and the parents… Through the books she brings with her and the stories she tells she slowly builds up trust and friendship. Indeed stories prove to be a real bridge: those she reads to the gipsy children are the same she tells her boys and my mother told me when I was a kid.

All in all this is a beautiful little book, both realist and with a poetic quality in the way it is written, which shows an unacceptable, hard to hear but unfortunately true reality. It is an appeal to open our eyes and reach out in whatever small way, to those around us. Indeed many volunteers from the ATD Quart Monde organisation reach out every week to underprivileged children with a box of books, in the very same way Esther does in Angelina’s Children.

It is also a testimony to the universality of stories. From Babar’s adventures to Andersen’s tales they prove once more to be universal, a fact which has always amazed me. Think of it: What is it that unites children (and adults) around the world and across cultures to enjoy tales of Babar or Harry Potter ? What common dreams do they feed?

The Folklore of Discworld by Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson

The Folklore of Discworld by Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson
Synopsis:
Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly, some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings that on Earth are creatures of the imagination, like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods, are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc. In “The Folklore of Discworld”, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to give an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

Review:
This book is such fun to read! The way it’s set out makes it easy to dip into every now and then; as there’s no plot to follow, you don’t lose the plot. However, it would also be just as easy to read straight through – and every bit as enjoyable as any of Pratchett’s novels.

The folklore of Discworld takes all the myths, legends and rituals of Pratchett’s now famous discoid world and links them all back to their “round world” counterparts and holds the reader’s interest from start to finish – personally, I could hardly wait to find out what little gem would come next as I perused the pages.

A must for all Pratchett fans and also a lovely addition to the collection of anyone who loves folklore in general.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by Kell Smurthwaite