Brasswitch and Bot - Gareth Ward

Yup, it’s book review time again.  Mostly cos this book was pretty damn amazing :) and yes I did read it cos Lou reviewed it on one of her The Wonderful World of Wardini Books shows, and as with most my fav books the main character is a rocking awesome as female so it was like I had to read it hehe. 

Brasswitch and Bot is a young adult steampunk novel, set in the UK back in whenever it was set (yup as per normal I only took in some of the details, not all of them lol).  I did love that the main city was York, which is totally a better city than London, in my opinion.  Wrench is the main character, she is a almost 14 year old engineering apprentice who also happens to be a brasswitch, which is not really a good thing.  There was a rupture in the something that resulted in aberrations (aka humans that are different, some have powers, some have weird extras like tentacles, some have both, and some have magic) and that is what Wrench is.  She prefers the term Remarkable though, and as she says different doesn’t mean bad (that Wrench is a smart girl).

Wrench gets caught by the Regulators (aka the people trying to rid the world of the aberrations) and then, to her rescue comes Bot.  Bot is, in my opinion and words, basically a grumpy old man in robot form.  He has those cool as funny one liners which grumpy old men have that make us love them, and make us forgive all the other grumpy moments they have.  So yes, I also enjoyed Bot, he’s a cool character.  There are other cool as characters but I shant name them here, for a couple reasons, 1 you should read the book and 2 I have loaned my book to Ken and have forgotten the names, one either begins with a O or maybe a C…. lol.

The story is a pretty good one, I wasn’t sure if I would like it as I am rather fussy with my steampunk, and tend to only like it in regards to fashion, but I was happy to be pleasantly surprised.  And it almost made me late to work atlst one morning so it musta been a good book.  It contained trains, magic, running, fighting, baddies, goodies, goodies that might be baddies, friends, adventure and so much more.  I would share more but personally I think you should all just read it :) and I don’t think you will regret it, unless you don’t like book hangovers then you might not love it quite so much.  I am over my book hangover now, and I have forgiven Gareth for making me wait till August next year for the next book hehe.

If you would like to listen to my spoken review of the book, check out the A Study In Literacy episode that airs on 5^th September (its title will start with Steampunk and end in Games (I think)), and if you would like hear mine and Luke’s interview with Gareth Ward it will air on the 12^th September, and the audio will be on our website that evening as well :) 

Here is the link for all you interested folks - A Study In Literacy 

Jean Batten: The Garbo of the Skies - by Ian Mackersey

Time for a book review, I know these aint really all that regular on here but this book is definitely worth one.  It is one of those books that I have no idea why I even picked it up, it was at one of my visits to the secondhand bookstore in Napier and outside the shop is a box or two of free books.  One day as I was leaving I looked down and saw a spine that said Jean Batten, so I picked up, had a quick flip through and decided why not.  Now I do not remember studying Jean at school, I knew she broke some record flying, but I don’t know what made me think I wanted to read the book.  Anyhow I grabbed it and it sat on my to-be-read shelf for quite a while till recently when I decided I would give it a go, and yes I’ll admit I was thinking I would read a chapter or two and get bored then send it to the Lions book sale.

Now, and I don’t feel bad admitting this, I was super pleasantly surprised when right from the start I was hooked.  Ian Mackersey has written it so well, and it just flows so easily.  It does not feel like a typical biography, it does not just boringly list facts or achievements while pretending its being written as a story.  Don’t get me wrong, it is full of facts and quotes but they are not laid out in a boring way.

I can also admit that I learnt quite a bit reading this book.  Those of you that know me may be surprised by this but I had no idea that Jean’s first record breaking flight was in a biplane, I know shocking aye.  You would think I would have known that one, but nope, learnt it while reading the book.  I also didn’t know that she broke more than one record, knew of the UK to NZ one, but that wasn’t her first one, and not the biplane one sadly.  The biplane one was UK to Aus and it was her third attempt that was successful.

There were some things I learnt that I wasn’t so super happy to learn as well.  Jean did whatever it took to achieve her goals, and in some cases it included leading men on to use them financially and then discarded them when she either found someone with better financials or they had run out of their usefulness.  I am not very ambitious so I do not understand anyone just using people to get what they want so I felt kinda uncomfortable finding out that Jean had no issue with it.  She also believed she was destined to be great and break records so it was owed to her. 

            Sadly Jean also didn’t really have any friends, part of this I think was because she never really let anyone in and only seemed to listen and care about her mum.  But another part of it (I think) is because she used those that could be friends, she would go and stay with them for a week or so and months later she would still be there without having contributed anything towards bills or food, and in many cases not having helped with any chores either.

I did feel quite sorry for Jean though, she seemed to lead a very lonely life.  I don’t know if she was happy with her life alone, but if she was then good for her.  Her flights would have been very lonely, no radios in those old planes, and maybe she got used to this and loved it.  She sure did live a rather spectacular life, with amazing adventures and some very very tough and sad moments as well.  The saddest thing about her life, in my opinion, is that it took two years for those that knew her to become concerned enough about her silence to start looking for her, and it then took three more years of searching to find what had happened to her.  Admittedly this was later in her life and it wasn’t the first time she had gone off to be alone, and she had told people she wanted to be alone for a while, but still two years before anyone started to look to make sure she was ok, that makes me sad.  

So yeah, really enjoyed this book.  I loved that the author didn’t sugarcoat anything and didn’t try and make Jean seem like a polite caring person when she wasn’t.  I also loved that the author personally helped with the search to find out what happened to her so the book wasn’t left with a we have no idea what happened ending.  I am not sure if I think Jean Batten is a great role model for young people, I mean sure her achievements were awesome but the way she got there could have been better.  Not that the next book I am reading is going to provide me a good role model either lol, it’s on Minnie Dean who is the only female ever hanged in NZ.  So super learny books for me at the moment :)

It's NZ Music Month

NZ music is pretty good right now. Gone are the days when you hear a song on the radio and think 'oh dear god that must be a kiwi song, change the station', now it's the time that when you hear a kiwi song on the radio you think 'crank it up that is awesome'. There are so much good music being made by us kiwis and it is fantastic.

A good example of how much better the music is now is that you find out the artist is kiwi when you google them or hear the DJ's say it or see the NZ on Air logo on their video clip. When I first heard Dane Rumble I assumed he was an overseas artist (as did many of my workmates) cos of how good he was, we were pleasently surprised to find out he was a Kiwi. Same goes for Gin, Kids of 88, Dukes and many more.

So go and enjoy some Kiwi music this month, it is something we should be, and are, very proud of.

Crazy Heart

If you are after a movie with a easy to follow plot that has a fantastic soundtrack you should totally go and see Crazy Heart. Of course the great soundtrack applies only of you like country music, if you don't I am pretty sure you will disagree with me.

The plot is basically a country singer (think a has-been but not too sure if he ever really 'made') who is going through the motions of life. He mets a chick (of course this is Hollywood) and keeps going through the motions. So very good and Jeff Bridges not only acts great, but sings great too.

Think the songs sold me on this more than the plot. Garth Brooks may have competition....

Gotta love her...

Her being Adrian Phoenix. Not only does she write awesome as books, but she also wrote me a thank you note (handwritten) which arrived in the mail today. Is nice to know that she took the time to not only my email (basically saying I love her books), but she took the time to write a reply.

Finished the last book in the trilogy (The Makers Song, book three was Beneath the Skin (I think)) the other day and without spoiling the ending in case some of you are reading it, it ends great. My characters dont die (well not yet at least), and the couple that you know are going to end up together do not do so in a cheesy way.

Fantastic read, didnt want to leave that world and will return again soon I have a feeling.

Prince of Twilight - Maggie Shayne

Awesome book. So think you should read. My copy has a better cover but I doubt that that affects the story none. Not gonna tell you what happens as will spoil the ending, my fav bit (other than the whole book) is the ending.

Is about Dracula and the love of his life. So very funny and excellently written.

Top marks for sure (whatever the marks are out of it gets the most possible)

In The Blood - Adrian Phoenix

Have you ever read a book so good that you wanted to do nothing but read but also did not want to read it (and not because you didn't want it to end but because had fallen in love with the characters and you knew something bad was going to happen but by not reading maybe it wouldn't)?

In The Blood was like that for me. I knew something was going to happen to Dante and possibly Heather, Von and Lucien and I knew it was going to be bad. Figured that if I didn't read anymore then they would stay safe. Well turns out I was no good at the not reading, book was just to good plus I figured that by the end of the book the bad stuff would have happened and they would be safe, well till the next book and then more/different bad might happen.

I WAS WRONG!!!

That is not unusual in life in general but for a book it kinda is. I was right that cad stuff would happen, it did. Was almost worse than what I thought was going to happen. Where I was wrong is that they are not ok. Dante is unconsious, Lucien is who knows (alive or dead we are not told), Heather and Von are ok (well alive and conscious). But they (Dante, Von and Heather) are in a car with a possible friend/possible enemy, we are not sure on that either. Now all I have to do is wait till the next book is released (Jan 2010 supposedly) in America where I have it on preorder through Amazon so it will be posted to me (cant find these books (other than the first one) in NZ for some reason).

Not fair, hurry up January!!!

Excerpts from ‘Never Hit A Jellyfish with A Spade’ by Guy Browning.

This book has How To articles that Browning wrote for the British newspaper The Guardian and here are some of the best bits.

On How To…

Ø Die: ‘The best way of preparing for death is to make sure you have a good life. This doesn’t mean you should live each day as if it were your last. You don’t want to spend every day of your life with eighteen anxious relatives around your bed and a priest warming up in the hall.’

Ø Be Beautiful: ‘Some people start ugly but become beautiful, like the ugly duckling. But if you are young and ugly you should brace yourself for the fact that most ugly ducklings grow up to be ugly ducks. On the other hand, swans make a nasty hiss while ducks make a lovely quake. There’s got to be a moral there somewhere.’

Ø Get Up: ‘If you don’t think anything will get you up in the mornings, simply have a small child. Then you will be able to get up quickly and efficiently, and you’ll be able to do this six or seven times every night.’

Ø Meditate: ‘The constant repetition of ‘om’ can help induce a trance-like state, either because your brain settles down or because your flatmate has just punched your lights out.’

Ø Reorganize Your Room: ‘Reorganizing your room is a cheap form of therapy, if you discount the cost of physiotherapy to rebuild your back after the attempt to move your bookcase with all the books still in it.’

Ø Be A Student: ‘When you first become a student you have to decide whether your life is going to centre around coffee or alcohol. If it’s alcohol, then you drink yourself stupid on a regular basis. This is a vital part of the education process. The first year has to be spent in the student bar where beer is cheap; the second year is spent between the off-licence and your evil-smelling digs; and the last year is spent in rehab, or the library as it’s sometimes known.’

Ø Put People At Ease: ‘The best way to put someone at ease is to make them feel superior. You can do this by admitting you’re stupid or sad or unlucky (most people will assume you’re at least two out of three already). The fastest way to make other people feel superior is to bang your own head quite hard against a low beam. This instantly robs you of dignity, composure and intelligence, and makes virtually anybody else look as though they’ve got their life completely together.’

Ø Love: ‘Men love women because they are the loveliest things on God’s earth. Women love men because chocolate can’t mow the lawns.’

Ø Live Together: ‘The key to living together in a relationship in the same as in the diplomatic world: nothing keeps people together like a common enemy. That’s why living together so often leads to children.’

Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks

The Night Angel Trilogy: The Way of Shadows (book one); Shadow's Edge (book two); Beyond the Shadows (book three).
Author: Brent Weeks


Azoth, a Guild rat is desperate to get out of his current life and is willing to do anything to make this happen so he makes a deal which sees him become an apprentice to Durzo Blint, the best assasin, or wetboy as he prefers to be called, in the city.

A wetboys life is harder than Azoth realised. To start with he must turn his back on his old life and friends, especially Elene the girl he loves, and to do this he must become Kylar Stern. Durzo Blint teaches Kylar the basics of a wetboys survival; how to fight, make potions, and how to not care. In his new life Kylar sees just how corrupted the city he lives in is and is taught that he can do little to help. This, however, does not stop him from trying.

The Night Angel trilogy is filled with adveture, magic, betrayal, love, propheyies, war, hope, and more making it a fantastic series by debut author Brent Weeks. And as an added bonus starts one of possibly the best characters, that being Durzo Blint.

Rush of Wings - Adrian Phoenix

Dante is the star of the rock band Inferno and rumoured to be the owner of the hot New Orleans nightspot Club Hell. He was born of the Blood then broken by an evil beyond imagination.
FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace’s hunt for the sadistic serial murderer known as the Cross Country Killer leads her to New Orleans, Club Hell and Dante.
Heather knows that something is linking Dante to the killer making him the next target but Dante resists her help and claims to be ‘nightkind’ aka a vampire. Heather believes she must unravel Dante’s past to stop him being the target but Dante has a dark secret, which once revealed it seems that no one can protect him from his destiny.

I picked this book up as I figured that with a lead character by the name Dante it had to be good. In fact it was better. A Rush of Wings was hard to put down and it had me hooked from page one.

Country all the way

Now most people right this talented man off as being a, I don't know really but not a good thing, and yet he is makes fantastic music. Guess you wanna know who I am talking about don't you, well that would be Mr Billy Ray Cyrus. Yup he is talented and I finally found one of his albums (all be it in the Warehouse clearence bin) and let me tell you it is better than even I would have guessed. I love his song Achy Breaky Heart (which just for your information some other guy released about a year before Cyrus did under the title Don't Tell My Heart and it flopped big time, Cyrus released it and it went big so that's gotta tell you something. It is still one of the most played country songs in the states), and yet that single is not the best song on the album.

You really should listen to some of his stuff and enjoy, its really easy to do. This album may just be the best album I get this year!

Generation Dead - Daniel Waters

Oakvale High School is just like any other school in America, it even has a reputation for being the best school for living impaired teenagers. No one knows what has triggered the sudden phenomenon of the living impaired (people that are dead but have come back to life, zombies as they are often called), nor why it only seems to affect teenagers. Society has yet to accept the living impaired, especially in Oakvale where there are more and more appearing daily. Matters are not helped when Tommy Williams, one of the living impaired, tries out for the school football team, and things only get worse when Tommy and Phoebe Kendell (a normal teenager) are seen hanging out together.

I felt that Generation Dead did a job at showing racism/prejudice and how it affects the different people in a community and by setting it in a high school it is easy for the reader to relate.

----> This was a teen book and personally not a very good read. Dunno if this is cos I read it straight after Hamlet or not, but it spent to much of the book on why teens were coming back alive without giving an answer which I felt was just plain dumb. But other than that it was good for showing how different people deal with racism/prejudice.

Hamlet

Ok so at work we have as a performance objective to write book reviews so thought I would post them here for you to read also. Some of them (teen book reviews) may appear on the library website as Amanda likes the new ones reviewed and I like reading them so it's a good system. Anyhow here's my first review:

Hamlet: A Novel, by John Marsden

Hamlet is trying to deal with his mother's remarriage shortly after his father's death when he his visited by the ghost of his father, who instructs Hamlet to avenge his murder. This story is well known as Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, which John Marsden has done a great job in converting to a novel.
Being a Shakepearian tragedy it is fulled with murder, insanity, lust and treason which all make for spectacular reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and even passed up a shopping trip as I couldn't put it down.