Book Reviews
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The Hundred Foot Journey
Richard C Morais
Take
half a cup of charm, 100gms of India, 200gms of France, a cup of
family, 3 tablespoons of humour, and good sprinkling of rivalry and
combine in a book. Read well.
Abbas Haji is the proud
owner of a modest family restaurant in Mumbai. But when tragedy
strikes, Abbas propels his boisterous family into a picaresque journey
across Europe, finally settling in the remote French village of Lumiere,
where he establishes an Indian restaurant, Maison Mumbai. And so the
distance of a hundred feet represents the gulf between different
cultures.
The
Hundred-Foot Journey is a charming novel which reads like a blend of
Indian fiction and a real memoir, a couple of times I forgot this book
was fiction. This book was so much fun; the humour was biting, the
characters quite endearing and the descriptions of food were beautiful
and evocative. I can't recommend it enough!
The Last DragonslayerJasper Fforde
I loved this book, though I have to admit a certain bias, I love Jasper Fforde. Fforde has a knack of writing really terrific female heroines and very quirky situations. His last book Shades Of Grey was just as quirky and fun.
The Last Dragonslayer is set in a time where magic is a recognised skill, just like carpet laying and plumbing. Magic workers however, are getting harder to find as the magic in the realm slowing seems to be petering out, encumbered as it is in regulatory forms and government red tape.
Enter Jennifer Strange, office manager to the Kazam magic agency. When several magicians get powerful premonitions of the killing of the last dragon - everyone wants in on the act - there is a lot of magic at stake. Jennifer unwittingly lands in the middle of political and magical mess and somehow has to try and change the future... or not.
Ffordes first young adult fantasy book was a joy to read, full of his offbeat humour and clever word traps. A very entertaining read, for lovers of fantasy with a humour twist and admirers of well written word play!
The Distant HoursKate Morton
Edie
Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long-lost
letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of
Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to
suspect that her mother's emotional distance masks an old secret.
The
Distant Hours weaves books, history, secrets and the joys of childhood
fantasy into a stunning plot that keeps you reading longer and longer
into the night. Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric
story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance
and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of
storytelling.
A beautifully written with characters
that seem to leave the page and wander around your mind after you've
put the book down.
Bill's BasicsBill Granger
Credited with re-inventing the scrambled egg... Now, Bill Granger, restaurateur, television chef and food writer, works his magic on 100 other classic dishes from across the globe.
Bill draws on his fondest food memories, then simplifies techniques, minimises fussy ingredient lists and gives these dishes a modern twist that′s in tune with our busy lives and passion for fresh, healthy flavours. From Thai beef salad to lamb tagine, coq au vin to chocolate brownies, Singapore noodles to jam tart, this is the cheat′s guide to making the recipes every home cook wants to master.
Shades of GreyJasper Fforde
A tad Orwell-ian but with humour and the touch of an incredible author to make it much better than 1984. In a world where your social status is determined by your ability to see colour, the narrative talks about ‘The Event,’ which caused this social reform – you are left in the dark as much as the characters! I don’t want to say much for fear of giving away the plot, but I will say that ‘Shades of Grey,” is a damned fine piece of writing.
Jasper JonesCraig Silvey
This book gets under your skin; you feel the country town, you're with Charlie as he stumbles along his journey and you desperately want to be Jasper's friend.
Set in a average Australian country mining town in 1965 with all the usual bigotry and racism, the book revolves around one shattering event that ignites fear and suspicion in the town. Charlie, the bookish main character, is drawn into the heart of it all by Jasper Jones. Amid this world turned upside down Charlie has to find his feet and himself in this amazing book.
As I read the book I was reminded of To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.This is a superbly constructed book with a page-turning story and characters you want to bring to life.
The GatesJohn Connolly
Hilariously dark and twisted, I loved every syllable of this book which follows one strange little boy and his dog who are desperately trying to close the gates of hell. It’s the little details that make this book great- from the footnotes which add witty commentary, to the description of demons including the demon that holds back that last bit of toothpaste you KNOW is in the tube but won’t budge. Thoroughly enjoyable
with just the right amount of the perverse.
BreathTim Winton
Winner Miles Franklin Award 2009
This is a book to be read in one sitting if possible. If you have heard the hype surrounding this book, it is for good reason, Breath was definitely worth waiting for - and is now in paperback :)
The story is very dark as you might expect, from the lovely hippy-esque Tim Winton. I loved the description of surfing. It was so real I could feel myself out there catching the waves and I'm not a surfer. The book starts with the main character attending an apparent suicide but he knows from bitter experience that it was not suicide but a horrible accident - the young boy never meant to die. And so it takes the narrator back to where his obsession with breathing all started, his coming of age and his own experience of someone close to him "getting off" on breath holding.
The book was extremely sad, but exceptionally well written. I would recommend it whole heartedly.
Ransom
David Malouf
Want a story about war, revenge, history, Gods and love?
Want to indulge in a novel written by one of the best authors in Australia?
Then Ransom is for you.
David Malouf revisits Homer's Iliad, shining a new light on the history of the Trojan war and the characters involved. If you like classic literature,fantasy novels, history or even just love reading beautiful sentences you will treasure this book.
I love when an author fictionalises historical events and makes the world come alive with characters you can relate to, despise, love and revere. David Malouf has done this and more, I was completely absorbed in this book and when I finished, I wanted to read it again.I hope you love it as much as I do.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer
:::: Book of 2008/09 as voted by our customers ::::
A delightful book written as an epistolary novel - which makes for a very easy read. It is set on Guernsey just after WW2 and is a gentle novel which evokes strong images of life in that era as well as social niceties and customs.
Juliet Ashton, a writer of newspaper columns, corresponds with different people living on Guernsey and eventually moves there in hope of finding inspiration for her next writing. We are drawn into the lives of these people, as is Juliet, and the experience turns her life upside down. "Honest, enchanting and funny" is what the blurb states and I couldn't agree more, it surprised me that I loved this book so much.
You deal with very accurate historical events as well as quite brutal information about the occupation of Guernsey almost without realising it. You are so involved in the characters lives and the trials of their 'everyday' that some bigger events wash over you. Exceedingly well written and you wish it didn't end.
A bookclub and customer favourite- a book that I never fear to recommend!
