Archive for reading

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

27/01/2012 Joh gratitude, reading

This book was gorgeous. I am sold on Alice Hoffman’s writing and I want to read everything she’s written. There is a long list. This is her 16th.

The story is about a family line of women who discover a gift on their 13th birthday. Stella, the latest in the line of Sparrow women rewrites the past. I find she writes such empowering female characters. Flawed, human women who use their strength to have what’s important to them. This quote from The Times says it better than I could:

Alice Hoffman hits bulls-eyes on the incomprehension between the young and the old, on the magic and pain of ordinary life. She is erotic and romantic, funny and clever and humane.

Finding a new author with troves of books I haven’t read, is like the first days of summer. I have been reading in my lunch hour by the Lake in Sale some days, or when I’m in a rush I just read for some of the time. Things are getting busier as my half holidays draws to an end. I do more when I’m busy and more important things. I think holidays are a little overrated for me. I enjoy the life I’ve created, including work.

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The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

17/01/2012 Joh reading

This book is based on historical evidence. Alice Hoffman has brought an historical event to life. Those Roman’s certainly went in all directions to conquer the world. From the back cover:

In 70AD, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain outside the Judean desert, Masada.
Two women and five children survived.

Their story is told through four strong women, dovekeepers. The doves were kept to fertilise the gardens (interesting in itself). It’s a great story of survival even before the final event.

Alice Hoffman’s book’s are magical. I have ordered more to read because I enjoy her inclusion of the invisible in her stories. The women in this story have to keep themselves hidden in many ways. They are courageous and love fiercely. It was an insight into religion and spirit.

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Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

13/12/2011 Joh reading

I have read plenty of Scott Westerfeld’s books . ‘Peeps’ contains a couple of the characters mentioned in ‘The Last Days’ and tells about the same ‘plague’. It was another good read.

There was a lot of information in it about parasites and a very handy afterword that informs how to avoid them. The entire way through reading the book, I wanted to get to Scott Westerfeld’s blog and ask him if that information was fact or fiction, but I didn’t have to, because he explained it all in the end. Fascinating!

‘Peeps’ is the short form of parasite positives, and when Cal Thompson is infected through a random meet with a woman, his life changes forever. As a carrier only he has passed the parasite on to all his former girlfriends and the book is about how he sorts out the problems he has created before the place goes crazy. Those who experience the full symptoms are quite similar to what we would call vampires.

I’m a bit over the ‘vampire’ genre, yet I enjoyed ‘Peeps’. I really like his writing. I think I will order ‘So Yesterday’ and ‘Evolution’s Darling’ to add to my pile of summer reading:).

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Gravity by Scot Gardner

12/12/2011 Joh reading, work

The back cover of Gravity reads “Saturday night. Nowheresville.” How many teenage regional dwellers have this to say for the place they live in? I related to this story because I was busting to get out of here when I was a young person. I’d love a massage for every kid I’ve taught that has plans of heading elsewhere as soon as… I certainly didn’t have the heavy home life that Adam (the protagonist) lived with. His mum has already shot through.

I enjoyed this book. I have been meaning to read Scot Gardner’s books for a long time. He is a local author and I want to use some texts created in our area next year with my students. He names local towns that students are familiar with. I am aiming for connection. Not just to school, but to community and place. I’m not sure I will use this novel, cause I think it would be more relevant to older students. Scot Gardner has written many books so I’ll work my way through them and find a suitable one I’m sure.

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The Faithful Gardener by Clarrisa Pinkola Estes

28/11/2011 Joh reading

‘Women who run with the Wolves’ is one of the most meaningful books I have ever read. I reread it and gain insights from what I read each revisit.

‘The Faithful Gardener’ is another storytelling triumph. I loved it. It reminded me of the treasure that stories contain. Our stories are what brings life to our lives. This short book was a story within a story within a story. It was a celebration of the art of storytelling.  I wholeheartedly recommend it to you.

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Aleph by Paulo Coelho

18/11/2011 Joh reading

I am a fan of Paulo Coelho. I have read all his books and this latest ‘Aleph’ was a return to his writing about his personal and spiritual journey. He has written some great stories. The quest type stories are rich as his tales, yet different I think due to their personal nature. In this story he adventures on a train across Russia. There are many reflections about travel in this book.

I related to the start of the novel where he met with his ‘Master’ yet felt disillusioned and doubtful about his whole process. I really enjoyed the discussion about routine as I mentioned in a recent post about work I have recently noticed how my change of routine has given me my life back. I feel happier and more connected.:

“Go and re-conquer your kingdom, which has grown corrupted by routine. Stop repeating the same lesson because you won’t learn anything new that way.’ (pg9)

When I read those pages I knew the tale was for me. I haven’t travelled across continents and rediscovered past lives, recently, yet stepping out of the familiar routines doesn’t always need such things:).

 

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Path of the Stray by Kim Falconer

14/11/2011 Joh reading

Kim Falconer’s books get better and better. I loved ‘Path of the Stray’. The characters, plot and especially the world she has created kept me enthralled. She blends technology, magic and astrology.

‘Path of the Stray’ is an adventure across time and space that I couldn’t put down and finished sadly. This is the first in a series of three books that is set in the same worlds as the first trilogy, yet with different, although related characters.

I enjoyed it immensely. Read more on Kim Falconer’s site.

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Ads R Us by Claire Carmichael

27/10/2011 Joh reading

‘Ads R Us’ is set in a dystopian world where advertising has taken control. In many ways like our own:). The main character, Barrett comes from ‘Simplicity’ an alternative lifestyle commune that rejects the ‘Chattering World’ he nows finds himself in. When his uncle, the founder of ‘Simplicity’ dies, he goes to live with his aunt.

Barrett’s sudden exposure to the new world reveals the manipulations and persuasions of advertising as he uncovers his value to his aunt and uncle. It has many themes including ‘cliques’ and popularity, privacy, personal freedom, power and corruption, materialism, addiction, all the things that come with a society that revolves around consumption.

I read this book with my Wednesday students. It’s the year 8 text at their school. In the US it’s been published under the title ‘Leaving Simplicity’.

Here is a Reading Guide from the authors web page.

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The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

24/10/2011 Joh music, reading

‘The Last Days’ begins with a chance meeting over a puzzling occurence in New York. Why would a woman be throwing her own precious stuff out the window and seeing it smash on the streets? In the bid to rescue a rare and valuable guitar, two musicians connect. So begins a musical journey set in a world of plague.

An unlikely band forms with dreams of success, however poor timing necessitates that their performances are of higher importance to civilisation than the aspirations they began with.

This is a companion book to ‘Peeps’. That’s next on my young adult reading list. The plague is a vampirish infection, a popular theme with young adult readers . It also had a music theme and the chapter titles are all band names. I enjoyed it.

 

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Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

16/10/2011 Joh reading

‘Saving Francesca’ has been on my ‘to read’ stack of books since Tom was going to school. He declared it the best of Melina Marchetta’s books and kept telling me to read it. As much as I had enjoyed ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ and ‘On the Jellicoe Road’, it was all too close to home at that time and I couldn’t be bothered in immersing myself in a story about angsty teenage lives, I was living with one:).

Recently I enjoyed ‘The Pipers Son’. I texted Tom to tell him to read it but he already had. When I chatted to him he asked me if I’d finally read ‘Saving Francesca. I hadn’t. Same characters! It became a prequel for me. I’d loved ‘The Pipers Son’.

This book was my favourite of all her books also. I loved the references to stupid music being played by the mum and I’m sure when my kids read it they smiled at that. I’ve tormented them for years with Kate Bush. The characters are likeable. It reveals how hard homes can be when parents stop being able to keep going. It’s a very good read. Here is a review from the Sydney Morning Herald.

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