Kerry (avatiakh)'s goes to the movies again

Forum2022 Category Challenge

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Kerry (avatiakh)'s goes to the movies again

1avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 17, 2021, 9:05 pm



Welcome to my category challenge. I've been doing this since 2009 and some years i've been more successful than others. 2021 wasn't a great reading year for me and I also had poorly chosen categories.
I liked my 2021 theme of translated books to films which went with my first category of books to film.
So this year I'm tying each category to a New Zealand film.

2avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Jan. 10, 2022, 11:23 pm

Group Challenges -
I'll keep this slot for any CAT challenges or Bingo etc. Not sure yet what I'll join in on, in the mean time I'll add some pics to liven my thread up.
_____

2022 BingoDog Challenge
The categories are:
1. An Award Winning book - The Exeter Blitz by David Rees
2. Published in a year ending 2
3. A modern retelling of an older story
4. A book you'd love to see as a movie (maybe starring your favourite actor)
5. A book that features a dog
6. The title contains the letter Z
7. Published the year you joined LT
8. A book by a favourite author
9. A long book (long for you)
10. A book you received as a gift
11. The title contains a month
12. A weather word in the title
13. Read a CAT
14. Contains travel or a journey
15. A book about sisters or brothers
16. A book club read (real or online)
17. A book with flowers on the cover
18. A book in translation - The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
19. A work of non-fiction
20. A book where a character shares a name of a friend
21. A book set in a capital city
22. A children's or YA book - To fight in silence by Eva-Lis Wuorio
23. A book set in a country other than the one you live
24. A book by an LGBTQ+ author
25. A book with silver or gold on the cover

3avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:41 pm

1) 'The Locals'
_
'The Locals' is a 2003 horror film and this category is for my local reads from New Zealand and Australia.
Reading from my collection of Text Classics published over the years by Text Publishing, These affordable editions have a distinctive yellow themed cover and feature classic books published in Australia and New Zealand.

a) Text Classics
1)
2)
3)

b) Fiction from NZ & Oz
1) The Family String by Denise Picton (2022) -Aus
2) Springtime: a ghost story by Michelle de Kretser (2014)
3)

4avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:34 pm

2) In My Father's Den
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In My Father's Den (2004) is an adaption of Maurice Gee's novel of the same name and stars English actor, Matthew MacFadyn. Gee is a great writer and I especially love his fantasy books for the younger ones. There should always a few good books tucked away in a den as there are in this one.
General fiction - hopefully a few classic books find there way here.

1) The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Sharak (2021)
2) Frost in May by Antonia White (1933)
3) Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra (1997)
4) King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett (1982)
5) Black Sheep by Geogette Heyer (1966)
6) The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (1921)
7) The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (1940)
8) The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (1951)
9) The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (1948)
10) Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (1970)
11) Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer (1960)
12) Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (1956)
13) The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (1962)
14) The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer (1954)
15) Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (1957)
16) That Jewish Thing by Amber Crewe (2022)
17) The List by Martin Fletcher (2011)
18) Adult Virgins Anonymous by Amber Crewe (2021)
19) The No-Show by Beth O'Leary (2022)

5avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 19, 2021, 11:43 pm

3) Sleeping Dogs
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Sleeping Dogs (1977) was adapted from Smith's Dream by C.K. Stead and launched the careers of actor, Sam Neil, and director, Roger Donaldson. I saw 'Sleeping Dogs' when it came out but only read the book a couple of years ago.
Books I shamefully own but have never read even though everyone else has - they've been sleeping on my book shelves.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

To be considered:
City of Thieves by David Benioff
We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle

6avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 29, 2022, 8:47 pm

4) Predicment
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I've read and enjoyed all four novels by Ronald Hugh Morrieson and they've all been adapted to film. Predicament (2010) was the most recent and stars Jermaine Clement.
Completing an ouevre - reading all the fiction works of Amos Oz and perhaps David Grossman, also YA writer Marcus Sedgwick.
Quite satisfying to know you've read all the works of a writer you enjoy. I finished reading all Bernice Rubens works in 2020 and am up to date with YA writer Robert Muchamore after reading many of his books in 2021.

Amos Oz fiction still to read:
1) Touch the water, touch the wind
2) Fima
3) To know a woman
4) The Hill of Evil Counsel
5) Unto Death
6) Where the jackals howl
7) Soumchi
8) Judas

David Grossman
1) A Horse Walks into a Bar
2) More Than I Love My Life
3) Be my knife (1988)
4) Her body knows
5) The Smile of the Lamb (1983)
6) Duel - read in Jan

7avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 5:49 pm

5) Footrot Flats
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Footrot Flats: a dog's tale (1986) is an animated film based on the comics of Murray Ball. This category is for 'Cats in Fiction' but apart from a short film 'Madam Black' about a taxidermied cat, I came up short, then remembered the amazing Horse, the cat from this cute film.
I created an LT list 'Cats in Fiction' and will select my reads from there.

1) The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles by Kij Johnson
2) A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai (2020)
3)
4)
5)

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
Seven Lives and One Great Love, Memories of a Cat by Lena Divani

8avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 28, 2022, 6:41 pm

6) The Fall Guys
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The Fall Guys (2011) is a crime comedy made in my local suburb of Howick. I'm including it because my son, Alon, created the soundtrack music for the film.
I seem to enjoy reading a lot of crime, mystery and thrillers. This year I should read and clear out a lot of my own books instead of racing for the 'new and shiny' of my favourite crime writers.

1) Murder in the Central Committee by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1981 Spanish) (1984 English)
2) Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri (2021)
3) The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (1973)
4) Death goes on skis by Nancy Spain (1949)
5) Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (2022)
6) Death by Publication by Jean-Jacques Fiechter (1993 French)
7) My friend Maigret by Georges Simenon (2006)
8) The Wrong Woman by JP Pomare (2022)
9) A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin (2022)
10) The Cleaner by Elisabeth Herrmann (2011)
11) The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (2022)
12) The Tilt by Chris Hammer (2022)
13) Day's End by Garry Disher (2022)

Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri
Hyde by Craig Russell
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
Night Heron by Adam Brookes
The Last Detective by Pete Lovesey

9avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:32 pm

7) Goodbye Pork Pie
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Goodbye Pork Pie (1980) was a hilarious road trip movie that took a stolen yellow mini from the north of New Zealand all the way to Invercargill in the deep south.
Anyway after reading Dodgers this year and remembering how much I liked The Grand Tour & Piglettes a couple of years back I decided to have a roadtrip category.

1) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - Jan
2) The Cruise of the Rolling Junk by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1924)
3)
4)
5)

I've never read On the Road or Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance so I might have a go at those.
Local New Zealand novels include:
State Highway One by Sam Coley
Attraction by Ruby Porter
Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry - YA

others that look interesting -
Red Dust: A Path Through China by Ma Jian
We all loved cowboys by Carol Bensiman - Brasil
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck - US
The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin - US
Chasing the stars by Virginie Grimaldi - Scandinavia
The rest of their lives by Jean-Pail Didielaurent - France
As I lay dying by William Faulkner - US
Marrow and Bone by Walter Kempowski - Europe
A hundred thousand worlds by Bob Proehl - US/Comic Cons
Catch the Rabbit by Lana Bastasic - Europe
Women who blow on knots by Ece Temelkuran - Turkey
The Cruise of the Rolling Junk by Scott Fitzgerald - US

10avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:37 pm

8) The Changeover
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The Changeover (2017) is based on Margaret Mahy's 1984 YA novel of the same name which won the Carnegie (UK) Medal.
I read a lot of YA and this year I'm including a section for YA verse novels based on Book Riot's 100 must read YA books in verse list which I stumbled across recently. I love verse novels so this year I get to indulge.

a) Verse Novels
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle
The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolfe

b) YA fiction
1) The Exeter Blitz by David Rees
2) Under the Iron Bridge by Kathy Kacer (2021)
3) Bright Candles by Nathaniel Benchley (1974)
4) Once More with Chutzpah by Haley Neil (2022)
5) Zoo by Graham Marks (2005)
6) Wild Jack by John Christopher (1974)

11avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 31, 2022, 7:34 pm

9) Boy
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Boy (2010) is Taika Waititi's second film. It's about two boys living in a rural Maori community whose father comes to visit. It was a New Zealand box office hit and established Waititi's career.
I read lots of children's books and have piles I'd love to read and move on. I'm trying to read some older ones, as I collected lots by Henry Treece, Peter Dickinson etc in the past. I'm also trying to read all the Carnegie (UK) Medal winners, some of which are YA.
1) To fight in silence by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1973)
2) Jacob's Rescue: a Holocaust Story by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin (1993)
3) The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough (2016)
4) The Land of Right Up and Down by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1964)
5) The Twelve & the Genii by Pauline Clarke (1962)
6) Uncle Misha's Partisans by Yuri Suhl (1973)
7) Night of the Perigee Moon by Juliet Jacka (2014)
8) Code: Polonaise by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1971)
9) Masters of Silence by Kathy Kacer (2019)
10) The Midwinter Violins by Sally Bicknell (1976)
11) Drones, Dams & Destruction by Robert Muchamore (2022)
12) The Ogress and the orphans by Kelly Barnhill (2022)
13) The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Murlevat (2006)
14) Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (1985)
15) Fattypuffs and Thinifers by André Maurois (1930)
16) The Lost Ryū by Emi Watanabe Cohen (2022)
17) The Thousand Eyes of Night by Robert Swindells (1985)
18) Birdsong by Katya Balen (2022)

Illustrated and Graphic Novel books
1) The Cross Eyed Mutt by Étienne Davodeau (2013 French) (2017 English)
2) Cruising the Louvre by David Prudhomme (2012 French) (2016 English)
3) The Book Tour by Andi Watson (2019)
4) Silver Surfer vol.1 New Dawn by Dan Slott (2014)
5) It was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi (1993 French) (2010 English)
6) Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes by Gavin Bishop (2021)
7) Mr Benjamin's Suitcase of Secrets by Pei-Yu Chang (2017)
8) Hakim's Odyssey Book 1: From Syria to Turkey by Fabien Toulmé (2018 French)
9) Hakim's Odyssey Book 2: from Turkey to Greece by Fabien Toulmé(2022)
10) Resistance Book 1 by Carla Jablonski (2010)
11) The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come by Sue Macy (2019)
12) The Rooster Prince of Breslov by Ann Redisch Stampler (2010)
13) A Concert in the Sand by Tami Shem-Tov & Rachella Sandbank (2017)
14) Huck, vol 1: All-American by Mark Millar (2016)
15) White Bird: a Wonder story by R. J. Palacio (2019)
16) Catherine's War by Julia Billet (2020)
17) Girl in Dior by Anniie Goetzinger (2015)
18) The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff (1999)
19) Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1 by Jing Liu (2011)
20) Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis (2021)
21) The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan Aldridge (2022)
22) Victory by Carla Jablonski (2012)
23) Passport by Sophie Glock (2021)
24) A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz Korczak and His Children by David A. Adler (2002)
25) Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo (2021)
26) Tunnels by Rutu Modan (2021 Eng)
27) When I grow up: the lost autobiographies of six Yiddish teenagers by Ken Krimstein (2021)
28) The Upside-Down Boy and the Israeli Prime Minister by Sherri Lederman Mandell (2021)
29) The Lighthouse Princess by Susan Wardell (2022)
30) It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken: A Picture Novella by Seth (1998)
31) The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2021)
32) Leonard Cohen on a wire by Philippe Girard (2021)
33) Lion guards the cake by Ruth Paul (2021)
34) Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2019)

Manga
1) That wolf-boy is mine! vol.1 by Yoko Nogiri (2016 Eng)
2) Asadora! vol. 2 by Naoki Urusawa (2019 Japanese)
3) Asadora! vol. 3 by Naoki Urusawa (2020 Japanese)
4) Asadora! vol. 4 by Naoki Urusawa
5) Asadora vol: 5 by Naoki Ursawa (2022)
6) Yoshi no Zuikara vol. 2: The frog in the wall does not know the ocean by Satsuki Yoshino
7) My Neighbor Seki vol: 1 by Takuma Morishige (2015 Eng)
8) That Wolf Boy is Mine! vols 2 by Yoko Nogiri
9) That Wolf Boy is Mine! vols 3 by Yoko Nogiri
10) That Wolf Boy is Mine! vol 4 by Yoko Nogiri
11) Kamisama Kiss vol. 1 by Julietta Suzuki
12) Kamisama Kiss vol. 2 by Julietta Suzuki
13) Kamisama Kiss vol. 3 by Julietta Suzuki
14) Kamisama Kiss vol. 4 by Julietta Suzuki
15) Kamisama Kiss vol. 5 by Julietta Suzuki
16) Kamisama Kiss vol. 6 by Julietta Suzuki
17) Love in Focus: Complete Collection by Yoko Nogiri (2021)
18) The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún: Vol. 1 by Nagabe (2017)
19) Sailor Moon vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
20) what's Michael?: fatcat collection vol. 1 by Makoto Kobayashi (2020)
21) Those Not-so Sweet Boys vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri (2019)
22) The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga (2018)
23) The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 4 by Natsu Hyuuga (2019)
24) Vampire Dormitory, Vol. 1 by Ema Tōyama (2019)
25) Love me, love me not vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2015)
26) Dreamin' Sun vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano (2008)
27) Strobe Edge vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2007)
28) Manga Dogs vol. 1 by Ema Toyama 2011 Japanese
29) Yona of the Dawn vol. 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (2010)
30) Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1: A Touch of Magic by Kamome Shirahama (2017)
31) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 2 by Ichigo Takano
32) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 3 by Ichigo Takano
33) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 4 by Ichigo Takano
34) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 5 by Ichigo Takano
35) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 6 by Ichigo Takano
36) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 7 by Ichigo Takano
37) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 8 by Ichigo Takano
38) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 9 by Ichigo Takano
39) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 10 by Ichigo Takano
40) Skip and Loafer vol. 1 by Misaki Takamatsu
41) Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 1 by AidaIro
42) orange: the complete collection: vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano
43) Witch Hat Atelier vols 2 by Kamome Shirahama
44) Witch Hat Atelier vols 3 by Kamome Shirahama
45) Witch Hat Atelier vols 4 by Kamome Shirahama
46) Witch Hat Atelier vols 5 by Kamome Shirahama
47) Witch Hat Atelier vols 6 by Kamome Shirahama
48) Witch Hat Atelier vols 7 by Kamome Shirahama
49) Witch Hat Atelier vols 8 by Kamome Shirahama
50) Witch Hat Atelier vols 9 by Kamome Shirahama
51) Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka
52) Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 2 by Io Sakisaka
53) Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 by Ryōko Fukuyama
54) Anonymous Noise, Vol. 2 by Ryōko Fukuyama
55) Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui
56) The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 5 by Natsu Hyuuga
57) Vagabond, Vol. 1 Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #1 Books 1-3 by Takehiko Inoue
58) Vagabond, Vol. 2 (Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #2) Books 4-6 by Takehiko Inoue
59) Vagabond, Vol. 3 (Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #3) Books 7-9 by Takehiko Inoue
60) Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 by Takehiko Inoue
61) Slam Dunk, Vol. 2 by Takehiko Inoue
62) Slam Dunk, Vol. 3 by Takehiko Inoue
63) My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 1 by Satoru Yamaguchi (2019)

12avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:36 pm

10) Kombi Nation
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Kombi Nation (2003) is about a group of young New Zealanders doing their OE (overseas experience) and travelling through Europe by van accompanied by a film crew making a ‘reality-TV’ show.
Another roadtrip but I'll use it for my Translated Fiction category.

1) The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (Eng 1939, 2021) German
2) Homesick by Eshkol Nevo (2004 Hebrew) (2008 Eng)
3) Unto Death by Amos Oz (1969) Hebrew
4) Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2015) Japan
5) Cancion by Eduardo Halfon (2022) Guatemala
6) The Book of Wonders by Julien Sandrel (French 2018)

Slow Read of Dr Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn As Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann

13avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:34 pm

11) Black Sheep
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Black Sheep (2006) is a fun horror film based around the genetic engineering of sheep. Fairly gory and was hard to find a respectable image.
I always try to read some scifi through the year. There are a few writers I like to read.

1) The Captains Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton (2022)
2) Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (2016)
3) Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (2021)
4) Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds (2019)
5) Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld (2022)
6) Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds (2020)
7) Killashandra by Anne McCaffrey (1985)
8) Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds (2021)
9) Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey (1992)

To be considered:
Cytonic by Brandon Anderson
The Captain’s Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton (2022)

14avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:40 pm

12) What we do in the shadows
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What we do in the shadows (2014) is a mockumentary about an oddball collection of paranormals living together in the same house.
Fantasy - I read less and less but would like to clear some from my stacks.
1) An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton (2003)
2) The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney (2019)
3) The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)
4) Thraxas and the Dance of Death by Martin Scott (2002)
5) Thraxas at War by Martin Scott (2003)
6) Thraxas under siege by Martin Scott (2005)
7) The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (2022)

15avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 5:44 pm

13) Hunt for the Wilderpeople
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) is as close as I can get with a wild pig, as I want a category for Wolves. This film features an older Sam Neil and is based on the 1986 book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. There are so many books around with wolves on the cover or in the title so here is a little challenge for me to read a few books with Wolf or other wild beasts in the title.
1) Wolf's Lair by Brian Falkner (2022)
2)
3) Wolf by wolf by Ryan Graudin
4)
In consideration:
We are wolves by Katrina Nannestad
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
In the Shadow of Wolves by Alvydas Slepikas
Sticking with Pigs: a pig hunting adventure by Mary-Anne Scott
The girl who speaks bear by Sophie Anderson
She Wolf by Dan Smith
The Pig Plantagenet by Allen Andrews

16avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Jan. 26, 2022, 2:28 am

14) My Wedding and other secrets
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My Wedding and other secrets (2011) is a film about a cross cultural relationship. The girl, from a traditional Chinese family, falls for a New Zealand guy she meets at university. And so this is for my Asian literature.
I plan to read Journey to the West through the year and have lots of other Asian fiction lined up as well. Paul has set up a year long 2022 Asian literature challenge in the the 75er group and I'll be participating in that.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

17avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 6:40 pm

15) The Dark Horse
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The Dark Horse (2014) is a film based on the life of Genesis Potini, a chess champion who suffered bipolar disorder.
Here is my non-fiction category. I have lots of non-fiction on my shelves and barely any of it gets read.Each year I'm amused by what NF I do end up reading.
1) Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (2002)
2) Love Stories by Trent Dalton (2021)
3) Stories for South Asian SuperGirls by Raj Kaur Khaira (2019)
4) The Children We Remember by Chana Byers Abells (1983)
5) The Cigarette Sellers of Three Crosses Square by Seth Ziemian (1970)
6) Inheriting Anne Frank by Jaqueline van Maarsen (2004 Dutch)
7) Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani (2020)
8) Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas by Mathias Malzieu (2016 French)
9) Literary Lunch by Vintage Books (2015)
10) Things That Matter: Stories of Life & Death by David Galler (2016)
11) Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany by Ilse Koehn (1977)
12) A Room in Athens: A Memoir by Frances Karlen Santamaria (1970)
13) Mara's stories : glimmers in the darkness by Gary Schmidt (2001)
14) Vidal: the autobiography by Vidal Sassoon (2010)
15) Lily's Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live by Lily Ebert (2022)

18avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Jan. 26, 2022, 5:41 am

16) Vigil
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Vigil (1984) was directed by Vincent Ward and is one of many NZ films I still haven't watched. So this final category will be for listing films I watch through the year.

1) Who framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
2) Ladyhawke (1985)
3)

19DeltaQueen50
Dez. 17, 2021, 1:25 pm

I am looking forward to being hit multiple times with book bullets here, Kerry!

20pamelad
Dez. 17, 2021, 4:20 pm

Plenty of films here to seek out. The only one I've seen so far is What We Do in the Shadows, which reminds me to get back to watching Wellington Paranormal on TV. I'm putting Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople at the top of my list.

Happy reading in 2022.

21NinieB
Dez. 17, 2021, 5:21 pm

My husband and I laughed ourselves silly when we saw Black Sheep. Happy reading in 2022!

22rabbitprincess
Dez. 17, 2021, 8:13 pm

Yay, What We Do in the Shadows! I also liked Eagle vs. Shark. Have a great reading year!

23VivienneR
Dez. 18, 2021, 12:43 am

What an terrific theme! So many books and movies to check out. Good luck with your reading.

24avatiakh
Dez. 18, 2021, 5:48 am

>19 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy. I'm picking up quite a few book bullets from your present threads, I've been lurking.

>20 pamelad: Hi Pam - I've been lost to Netflix for a few months but must get back to all the dvds in our house. I've watched a couple of episodes of Wellington Paranormal and should keep watching.
>21 NinieB: Oh yes, I thought it was funny, yet when I looked for images from the film they were all quite gory.
>22 rabbitprincess: Hi. Great movies.
>23 VivienneR: Thanks. I'm having fun looking at all the books i'd like to read rather than actually reading.

25MissWatson
Dez. 18, 2021, 10:37 am

Interesting categories and films! Have a great reading year!

26avatiakh
Dez. 18, 2021, 4:24 pm

>25 MissWatson: Hi Birgit. I wish you a good reading year too.

27Tess_W
Dez. 18, 2021, 9:33 pm

Good luck with your 2022 reading!

28hailelib
Dez. 25, 2021, 8:04 pm

Have a great reading year in 2022.

29markon
Dez. 26, 2021, 7:18 am

So many movies that look fun! My coworkers were talking about What we do in the shadows the other day.

Look forward to seeing you in Paul's Asian challenge.

30Crazymamie
Dez. 27, 2021, 4:22 pm

I like your theme and your categories, Kerry. And a category for films - fun!! I added a BB for both the book and the movie of In MY Father's Den.

31avatiakh
Dez. 27, 2021, 7:10 pm

>27 Tess_W: >28 hailelib: Welcome to my thread and thank you

>30 Crazymamie: Thanks. I've enjoyed several of Maurice Gee's adult novels though haven't read this one. There was a film, 'Fracture' (2004), made of his book Crime Story in 2004 as well. I read Crime Story in pre-LT days and liked it.

32thornton37814
Dez. 31, 2021, 9:36 pm

Enjoy your 2022 reads!

33avatiakh
Jan. 4, 2022, 6:07 am


To fight in silence by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1973)
children's
I found this book on a list somewhere and it sounded interesting. It's about an extended family, some live in Norway while the main part of the family is in Denmark. The story is about their activities in both the Danish and Norwegian resistance and culminates with the 1943 evacuation of the Jewish population to Sweden.
It was an interesting read, the two countries were taken over by the Nazis in different ways.

Eva-Lis Wuorio is an interesting writer / journalist. She was born in Finland, though grew up in Canada and then lived on islands such as Ibiza, the Channel islands etc before retiring to Finland. To fight in silence was based on the interviews she did with hundreds of Norwegians who escaped to Canada during WW2 and trained to fight in the war, many became pilots. She also interviewed many Danish officials who wanted to explain their country's position. I'd never come across her works before, she mainly wrote children's books, and will now look out for Code: Polonaise and The Land of Right Up and Down which is set in Andorra. Several of her books were illustrated by Edward Ardizzone .
http://desturmobed.blogspot.com/2012/11/eva-lis-wuorio.html

34avatiakh
Jan. 8, 2022, 4:07 am


Murder in the Central Committee by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1981 Spanish) (1984 English)
crime
Pepe Carvalho #5. I only have two more in this series, they are hard to find in English. I think the best known one is Buenos Aires Quintet. So now I've read 4 out of the 23 in the series.
PD Carvalho, an ex-Communist, is asked to look into the murder of the General Secretary of Spain's Communist Party who has been murdered when the lights go out during a meeting. It's a parallel investigation alongside a police one, as the party prefers to trust an ex-insider.
Not my favourite outing, there is a lot of politics regarding the legacy of the communists during and after Franco. I had enough of all that after reading The Battle for Spain.

35avatiakh
Jan. 8, 2022, 4:08 am


Jacob's Rescue: a Holocaust Story by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin (1993)
children's fiction.
This is based on a true story. Drucker co-wrote Rescuers: Portraits in Moral Courage in the Holocaust and this simplified story for children is about the Roslans, a couple featured in the book. The Roslans hide Jacob in their home when life in the Warsaw Ghetto is becoming too dangerous. Alex Roslan had earlier arranged for Jacob's two younger brothers (3yrs & 5yrs) to hide with families in the countryside.
The story is poignant because after the war when the two surviving brothers were reunited in Israel with their father, he hid correspondence from the Roslans and never mailed the boys' letters to them. So it was many years later that they met and Alex and Mela Roslan received their Righteous Among Nations Medal. The story ends with Jacob's young daughter reading the wording on the medal, 'Whoever saves a single life is one who has saved the entire world.'

36avatiakh
Jan. 8, 2022, 4:09 am


The Exeter Blitz by David Rees (1978)
YA
Carnegie Medal (UK) 1978. Colin and his family are dispersed in different parts of Exeter, when the Germans begin their heavy bombing raid, it's 1942 and the city is being bombed due to a new strategy of targeting cities for their cultural and historical value. the "Baedeker raids".
The story follows the family fortunes during the raid and its aftermath. This was well done, Colin has to grow up fast and take the initiative. An enjoyable read that sat on my shelves for a number of years.

37avatiakh
Jan. 8, 2022, 4:10 am


The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough (2016)
children
I picked this up at random, it's a junior fiction about a boy, Marcel, whose parents are in the French Resistance. They live in a small town in the south of France. The boy is obsessed with the Tour de France and even though the race is now on hold for the duration of the war, he's still inspired by past winners.
He cycles to nearby villages to deliver messages hidden in loaves of bread and eventually saves the fortunes of a Jewish family who are about to be exposed.
An enjoyable read, the Jewish girl in the story is quite a strong character, she is also a Tour de France fan, beats Marcel and his friend in a bike race and shows him how to adapt his bike for better speeds.

38avatiakh
Jan. 8, 2022, 4:11 am


The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (2021)
fiction
Set in the days after Kristalnacht, a Jewish businessman's life falls apart in a series of incidents that turn into a nightmare that he can no longer cope with. He bides his time by crisscrossing Germany by train, interacting with strangers, looking for a solution to his homeless dilemma. A wonderful, noirish, tense read.

The author was a German refugee aged only 23 in Paris when he wrote this, in the weeks following Kristalnacht. He ended up in England but was considered an enemy alien and sent out to Australia on the Dunera in 1940 for internment there. When his refugee status was established he was allowed back to England in 1942 but the ship he was travelling on was torpedoed with loss of everyone on board. He was 27.
The book had been first published in unedited form in 1939 as The man who took trains in the UK, then in 1940 as The Fugitive in the US. Both editions failed to find an audience.
It was never published in German till recently. Peter Graf was asked by Boschwitz's niece to look into the manuscript and was immediately convinced to get it republished.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Alexander_Boschwitz
The controversial voyage of the Dunera is another story in itself -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Dunera

39avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Jan. 8, 2022, 4:26 am


Who framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
This was unexpected, we put it on last night for a fun watch. I got the dvd last year for my youngest daughter as I knew she'd love the mix of live-action and animation. It has some really funny scenes.
I learnt when the credits rolled up that it was directed by Robert Zemeckis of Back to the Future fame.
From wikipedia I learn that the film was based on a novel - Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf
_
From wikipedia: It grossed $329.8 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in the year. It brought a renewed interest in the Golden age of American animation, spearheading modern American animation and the Disney Renaissance. It won three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for its animation direction.
In 2016, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

40Tess_W
Jan. 8, 2022, 7:00 am

>38 avatiakh: Looks like a BB for me! Thank you for the extra links.

41rabbitprincess
Jan. 8, 2022, 9:40 am

>39 avatiakh: Wow, I did not know Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was based on a book!

42Tess_W
Jan. 8, 2022, 11:31 am

>41 rabbitprincess: My 1980's something copy of the book was Who Censored Roger Rabbit.

43markon
Jan. 17, 2022, 8:20 am

>41 rabbitprincess: Me neither. Have you read the book Tess?

44Tess_W
Jan. 17, 2022, 6:53 pm

>43 markon: You want me to remember clear back to 1980? I can see the book cover; a man in a green trench coat and a rabbit staring at him. I think I read the book, or part of it--don't think I was a fan. ****Spoiler Alert**** I remember Valiant being hired by a movie producer to investigate Jessica Rabbit for adultery. Along the way, somebody is murdered and Roger is blamed.

I had 2 children in diapers and bottles in the 1980's (11 months apart), didn't have long periods in which to read, and this wasn't my type of book, but I think I did give it a try!

45avatiakh
Jan. 18, 2022, 4:46 am

>41 rabbitprincess: >43 markon: I can't think that the book could live up to the movie?
>44 Tess_W: I don't think I'd want to read this one!


Ladyhawke (1985)
Another oldie but goodie. I used to say this was one of the most romantic films for me and I have fond memories of watching it in the past. Haven't seen it for a good 10 or 15 years but pulled the dvd out of a box when looking for a different film.
First I had forgotten the entire start to the film, so enjoyed that. The music is very 1980s and I fell in love with the cast all over again. Although I could see the weaknesses in parts of the film it still has a place in my heart as I really loved the fairytale storyline of the lovers separated but together.

From wikipedia: Originally, Kurt Russell was cast as the male lead alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. The role of the pickpocket was offered to Sean Penn and then Dustin Hoffman, before Donner decided to go with Matthew Broderick. Eventually, Russell pulled out during rehearsals, and Rutger Hauer was chosen to replace him...The film was a box-office disappointment, grossing around $18.4 million against a $20 million budget....The film's score was composed by Andrew Powell and produced by Alan Parsons. Richard Donner stated that he was listening to The Alan Parsons Project (on which Powell collaborated) while scouting for locations, and became unable to separate his visual ideas from the music.

46avatiakh
Jan. 18, 2022, 4:49 am


The Land of Right Up and Down by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1964)
childrens

Illustrated by Edward Ardizzone and set in Andorra, this is a charming little story. Maribelle is sad, their horse has died and so the family can't attend an upcoming festival in a nearby valley. The story is set in the early 1900s when cars arriving to the village are a rare event and life is based on the rural traditions of old. This is a delightful glimpse into the past.

47thornton37814
Jan. 18, 2022, 6:20 pm

>36 avatiakh: That YA book on the blitz looks good. I don't know how easy it would be to find a copy, but I'll keep it in mind for a YA WW2 read.

48avatiakh
Jan. 26, 2022, 2:28 am

>47 thornton37814: Yeah, it was an unexpectedly good read.

49avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Jan. 26, 2022, 5:43 am


The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Sharak (2021)
fiction

Read for Paul's January Asian Challenge of reading a book by a Turkish writer in the 75er group.
This was a book about modern Cyprus, the narrative jumps between the years, but mostly it tells a modern day story of Ada and her widower father , a Greek Cypriot, living in London. Then back to 1974 when he falls in love with a beautiful Turkish Cypriot girl & the 2000s when they are reunited. One of the main characters in the story is the fig tree and it tells it's own tale of Cyprus.
I wasn't that taken at the start but the story grew on me as I accustomed myself to the pace, the jumps in time and having a fig tree informing me of the history of Cyprus.

Adding to the General Fiction category as don't feel it's Asian enough.

50avatiakh
Jan. 26, 2022, 2:30 am


The Cross Eyed Mutt by Étienne Davodeau (2013 French) (2017 English)
graphic novel

Part of the Louvre Series. This was quite a fun read and ends with an explanation on how the Louvre acquires new artworks, which is definitely NOT how it went in the story. Fabian is a security guard at the Louvre who ends up involved with his girlfriend's brothers in trying to bring an old family painting to the attention of the Louvre. Is it a masterpiece or a terrible painting?
I enjoy reading this series, the quality of story does vary, but overall it covers interesting aspects of the Museum.


Cruising the Louvre by David Prudhomme (2012 French) (2016 English)
graphic novel

Part of the Louvre Series. In the process of creating a graphic novel Prudhomme meanders through the museum observing the visitors rather than the works of art. This one is almost wordless and interesting look at people and their interaction with art.

51avatiakh
Jan. 26, 2022, 2:30 am


The Book Tour by Andi Watson (2019)
graphic novel
A fun read. A less known writer embarks on a book tour, anything that could go wrong goes wrong, his life slowly turning into a nightmare. Watson is a cartoonist and the artwork here is quite interesting, simple pen & ink drawings.

52avatiakh
Jan. 26, 2022, 2:31 am


The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (2021)
fiction
I read this for my Roadtrip category challenge. Overall I enjoyed my read though I felt that events and people were mostly too good to be true. It's set in the 1950s USA, two orphaned brothers are heading off to start a new life in California, however nothing goes according to plan, including the direction they travel in.


Silver Surfer vol.1 New Dawn by Dan Slott (2014)
comic
This was mentioned over in Club Read on the graphic novel thread. I'm happy to have read it as I enjoyed both characters, Dawn Greenwood and Norrin Radd aka the Silver Surfer.

53avatiakh
Jan. 26, 2022, 3:11 am


The Twelve and the Genii by Pauline Clarke (1962)
children
Award winner - Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1963), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Kinderbuch (1968), Carnegie Medal (UK, 1962).
This was an interesting read. Max's family have moved to a rural farmhouse which is only a couple of miles from where the Brontes had lived. In the attic he finds 12 old toy soldiers who come alive and move about the attic reenacting old expeditions. Max becomes their Genii or mentor and soon he becomes convinced that these are the toy soldiers that the Brontes played with and wrote about as children.
Each soldier has his own history and personality and they're fiercely independent so move around on their own rather than being carried safely by Max.

54avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:38 pm

_
Duel by David Grossman (1998)
children
This was a great little read, one for all ages. I was really delighted reading this, the pacing and plot were both excellent. The story is set in 1960s Jerusalem and concerns events during the British Mandate. David must use all his wits to stop a duel between two old men.
I pulled my two copies off the shelves this afternoon when looking for some other books. First I have to say that I've put off reading this as I didn't think much of the cover art. I got one copy through betterworldbooks and the other more recently through a local library booksale.

55avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:39 pm


It was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi (1993 French) (2010 English)
graphic novel
Vignettes of the war experiences of French soldiers during WWI, most ending in death. Some executed after being found to have abandoned their posts or as an example to the others.
The illustrations are very much showing the horror of life in the trenches. I'm now slowly making my way through vol. 2 Goddamn this war.
_

56avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Feb. 3, 2022, 5:40 pm


Homesick by Eshkol Nevo (2004 Hebrew) (2008 Eng)
fiction
First, thanks to PaulCranswick for sending me the book. This is Nevo's debut novel and it's a delight to read. I enjoyed his World Cup Wishes too. A young couple, both students, decide to move in together. They find a small apartment on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Their relationship undergoes changes as they both grapple with difficulties in their studies, with each other and their neighbours.
The community where they choose to live is mostly Kurdish and I've been looking up Kurdish kubeh recipes as they sound delicious.

57avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:41 pm


Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (2002)
children's non fiction

Using very simple language, Levine tells the story of Hana Brady, a young Czech girl sent to Auschwitz. At random her battered suitcase is sent from the Auschwitz Museum to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Resource Centre in 2000. It is hoped that Fumiko can use it as a prop in her work as an educator to young children.
Immediately Fumiko and the children are curious to know more about the Hana behind the suitcase and Fumiko writes numerous letters and even visits Theresienstadt where Hana spent two years. Her efforts pay off as she slowly unearths the fact that Hana's older brother George survived the war.
The book covers both Hana's life and Fumiko's search and includes family photographs, documentation and several examples of Hana's artwork from her time in Theresienstadt.
An interesting read for all ages.

58avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:41 pm


Love Stories by Trent Dalton (2021)
nonfiction
When Australian writer and journalist, Trent Dalton, inherited a rather battered Olivetti portable typewriter from an old friend he decided to use it for an unusual project which he felt appropriate for our pandemic times. He spent two months sitting on a street corner in central Brisbane asking passersby to tell him their stories about love.
The result is an amazing cross-section of tales about love and life's struggles.
I loved his Boy Swallows Universe and this one is just a lovely read. Dalton is a great wordsmith, just a joy to read his work.

59avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:42 pm


Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes by Gavin Bishop (2021)
folktales
Bishop's talents are on full show here. His last couple of books have been minor works of art and this one is a stunner as well. He retells Maori creation myths and uses the large size book format to include lots of side information alongside the main text and wonderful art. Te Reo is sprinkled through the text, though these words are generally explained on the side and there is a vocabulary of the Maori language words at the back. He also notes the several books he used for reference.
There is a magnificent double page spread that folds open to a four page spread on the birth of the gods from their parents - Ranganui, sky father and Papatūānuku, earth mother.


This image above depicts part of the war of the Gods - Tāwhirimātea, god of weather is upset that his brothers separated their parents and whips up a storm on the seas of Tangaroa, god of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them.

60avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:42 pm


Stories for South Asian SuperGirls by Raj Kaur Khaira (2019)
YA non fiction
50 South Asian women and how their lives make or made a difference to others. These short bios each accompanied by a colourful portrait are inspiring. I was mostly taken with the bios of historical figures, women warriors such as Jhansi Ki Rani (Lakshmi Bai, Queen of Rani 1829-1858), Razia Sultan (1205-1240), Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944), Noor Jahan (1577-1645). Many of the featured women weren't born in South Asia but to immigrant families in the USA, UK, Canada, Africa and Europe.
Raj Kaur Khaira founded the pinkladoo project in 2015 and works towards eradicating gender-biased customs and traditions in South Asian communities. 'The Pink Ladoo Project was established to change one tradition in particular: the custom of families only celebrating the birth of a baby by distributing “ladoo” (traditional Indian sweets) within the community if that child is a boy. '

61avatiakh
Feb. 3, 2022, 5:43 pm


Uncle Misha's Partisans by Yuri Suhl (1973)
childrens/YA
National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature (1974), Sydney Taylor Book Award (1973). This book gives younger readers a good look at what life was like for the partisan fighters during WW2. Young Mitak/Motele returns from his violin lesson in a nearby town to find that Nazis have slaughtered his family and other Jewish families in a nearby village. He wanders the countryside earning his keep by playing the violin and eventually ends up with a band of Jewish partisans. His musical skills and ability to speak pure Ukrainian without a Yiddish or city accent make him a valued member of the group despite being only 12 yrs old.
This is a well written exciting story.

62avatiakh
Feb. 6, 2022, 9:28 pm


To know a Woman by Amos Oz (1989 Hebrew) (1991 English)
fiction

This was a fairly tedious read plot-wise though the book contains beautiful descriptions of the natural world and quiet moments of everyday life. An Israeli secret agent has taken early retirement due to his wife's sudden death. He moves to a suburb of Tel Aviv with his daughter and his mother and mother-in-law. He spends all his waking hours in the pursuit of domestic tasks as he clinically thinks through his relationships with his late wife, tries to understand his daughter and considers a few red flags from his last mission.
These is one jarring note and that is the neighbours, American brother & sister who befriend him, the interactions between the three of them are a bit weird and not sure why they needed to be in the novel at all.
For me the beauty of this novel is in the writing rather than an enjoyment of the characters or plot.

From Kirkus Reviews - '...a treasure for readers who think contemporary novels carry too much plot.'

63avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Feb. 6, 2022, 9:31 pm


The Waterbearer by Dianne Hofmeyr (2003)
YA
This was a great little read. Set in 14th century Africa. Maji, the son of a sea trader is shipwrecked on the southern coast of East Africa. He's captured and taken on a treacherous journey inland to the drought stricken Kingdom of Gold.

64avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:21 pm


Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri (2021)
crime
Montalbano #28. The final Montalbano, the one that Camilleri wrote several years ago and left with his publisher so that it could be the last book in the series. So I read it knowing that this was how Camilleri wanted to end the series. I'll leave it there as better to discover the book without much info.
Sad to know that I've finished this series and my visits to Vigata, Sicily.

65avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:22 pm


Mr Benjamin's Suitcase of Secrets by Pei-Yu Chang (2017)
picturebook
I have to agree with some reviews that this is a strange subject for a children's picturebook. It's about Walter Benjamin's attempt to escape the Nazi's and his failed border crossing to Spain in 1940. Chang has focused on Benjamin's suitcase and its mysterious contents using this to show how the Nazis hunted 'people with extraordinary ideas'. Both the suitcase and Benjamin disappear, leaving many to wonder what was in his suitcase.
The art work is a little different. I can't say I love the style of illustration but I did like the use of font and layout of text. Chang interprets Benjamin's sad story into a universal one.

Not covered in the book is that Benjamin committed suicide that night in the border town, thinking he would be sent back to the Nazis.
The book includes notes on Lisa Fittko who led the group and many others over the border.
Fittko's autobiography Escape through the Pyrenees has been noted for future reading.


66avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:22 pm


Resistance Book 1 by Carla Jablonski (2010)
children's graphic novel
Illustration by Leland Purvis. This is about young siblings living in a rural town wanting to do their part for the French Resistance. On their own they have hidden their Jewish friend just hours after the Nazis take over his parents' hotel. The story is fairly exciting and the characters of the children are all different.
There's two more books, my library only has the last one. I don't think I want to continue.

67avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:22 pm


The cat who walked a thousand miles by Kij Johnson (2009)
novella / short story

The cover art is stunning and drew me to this e-book. I didn't realise how short it was till I started reading it, only about 50 pages. Small Cat lives in a cat colony in Kyoto until an earthquake then fire disrupts their lives. All alone and suffering a burnt paw, Small Cat decides to take the road to the North, following the fudoki story of The Cat from the North and starts out on her perilous journey.
The story is quite delightful and takes the reader past Mt Fuji along the Tōkaidō Road into the north at a time when cats were not that well known in Japan.

68avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:23 pm


The Children We Remember by Chana Byers Abells (1983)
photograph / picturebook
This picturebook uses photographs from the Archives of Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem, Israel to tell a very simple narrative of the children of the Holocaust. It's very effective, the photographs can't be denied. They show life before the war and then with the growing restrictions on the rise of the Nazis, the wearing of the yellow star, children helping the weak and old, children begging for food, some photos of the children who didn't survive and the children who did.

In the past I've looked at many before and after photography collections - Roman Vishniac documented Jewish life in East Europe between the Wars and his work shows us the world that was lost. David 'Chim' Seymour a co-founder of Magnum Photos worked with UNCEF postWW2 to document the children of war, his work is especially illuminating and worth seeking out. There were several Jewish photographers documenting life in the various ghettoes.
There's a Yad Vashem article Who Took the Pictures? about the Lodz Ghetto photographs that also looks worth reading.

69avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:23 pm


The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come by Sue Macy (2019)
picturebook
This is an inspiring story for children about Aaron Lansky and his role in the rescue of many thousands of Yiddish books and the role of his Yiddish Book Centre in the revival of the Yiddish language & culture. I love the illustrations by Stacy Innerst.
Mention is made of Lansky's memoir Outwitting History.


The Rooster Prince of Breslov by Ann Redisch Stampler (2010)
picturebook
I'm on a little Eugene Yelchin binge and he is the illustrator here. This is a retelling of a popular Jewish folktale. The lesson according to the notes is that for a teacher to teach a student to the highest spiritual level then first the teacher must start at the level of the student no matter how low that is. Here the young prince is pretending to be a rooster, so the rabbi must become a rooster too, and slowly together they work back to normality and the young prince is all the better for it.


A Concert in the Sand by Tami Shem-Tov & Rachella Sandbank (2017)
picturebook
This is the story of the first performance of what became the Israeli Philharmonic. Quite delightful as the grandmother takes her grandson for a long walk through 1936 Tel Aviv and meeting various people carrying weirdly shaped cases. Avi Ofer's illustrations give us a lot of Tel Aviv to discover along the way. There's some historical notes and photographs at the end of the book.
Bronislaw Huberman was a Polish Jew, a musical prodigy who played violin. He saw the threat of the Nazis and travelled across Europe conducting auditions, choosing 70 musicians to travel to Israel with him in 1936.

70avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:24 pm


Night of the Perigee Moon by Juliet Jacka (2014)
childrens

This is an enjoyable magical story about a young girl learning what her talent is as she turns thirteen, the special changeover party and one relative with a nefarious plan.
This won the 2013 Tom Fitzgibbon Award for best manuscript of an unpublished children's writer. I'm slowly getting to the unread books for this award. The prize is a Scholastic NZ publishing deal for the manuscript. I've read 14 and have eight more to read. Bullseye Bella is next, not read a book about playing darts before.

71avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:24 pm


Death goes on skis by Nancy Spain (1949)
crime
I read the Virago Modern Classic edition (2020). A murder mystery on a ski holiday in a fictitious Central European country, Schizo-Frenia. I didn't like any of the characters and none of them cared at all for the two dead women or liked much about each other. I don't think I'm one for these types of reads. Onwards to more enjoyable reading I hope.

72avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:25 pm


The Cigarette Sellers of Three Crosses Square by Seth Ziemian (1970)
nonfiction

This was one I came across in an essay about reading children's books on the Holocaust. It's not a children's book but is about how Jewish children who escaped the Warsaw Ghetto during the transportations managed to survive in the Aryan part of Warsaw. Ziemian who worked for the Jewish Resistance came across a number of Jewish urchins selling cigarettes to German soldiers amongst a group of Polish children. He observed for some days while trying to work out how best to help them survive the war. His committee decided to assist by supplying them with fake IDs. The children's biggest difficulty was finding somewhere to sleep during the curfew hours, their regular haunts sometimes became unsafe.
Ziemian asked them to document their stories and the book is a narrative of these amazing experiences, right up to their involvement in the Uprising. Most survived though had lost all their family. There are some photos taken in 1960s Israel/Canada to complement the 1940s photos of them as Warsaw street urchins. There was a street photographer in the square and he often took photos of the children while waiting for customers.

It's worthwhile to read a nonfiction account of these years to counter the fiction books that are constantly being published. I especially liked the comradery between the children and their care for each other. A recommended read.

73avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:25 pm


Huck, vol 1: All-American by Mark Millar (2016)
graphic novel
This was an entertaining comic. A backwater gas pump attendant with a heart of gold though limited intelligence turns out to have super abilities - he's super strong and has a homing ability to find missing persons / animals. Knowledge of his powers are a secret in the small town, but a newcomer alerts the media.
The story is good and the illustrations are well done. Not sure where I came across this one.

74avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:26 pm


White Bird: a Wonder story by R. J. Palacio (2019)
graphic novel
This one I had some issues with though I liked the actual story of young Sara Blum. First I liked Palacio's book Wonder, I didn't read the followup, Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories, as I felt it was sort of cashing in on her first book. This one tells the story of Julian (the bully)'s Jewish grandmother.
After I read it and went to goodreads to flick through some reviews I noticed that several Jewish readers really disliked the last few pages of the book as did I and also mentioned that it was a Holocaust story marketed as a Wonder story. They were mostly dissed by comments. Most published reviews were very positive about the book without mention of any concerns.

Anyway the story is framed at beginning and the end by Julian. At the start he facetimes his grandmother to do a homework assignment and she promises to tell him a complete story of her experiences during World War Two in the French Free Zone. My first thought was how can a teenager during the war come to have a young teenage grandson in 2019, surely the years don't allow it. Well it's possible though uncommon, she should have been his great grandmother. That thought sort of grated on me throughout the book.

His Grand-mère, Sara, is hidden by a French family. Their son, Julian, uses crutches due to polio and has sat beside Sara in class for three years but she has never spoken to him or known his real name, just his nickname, Tourteau or crab. He becomes a good friend while she lives in the loft of an abandoned barn etc etc...and after the war when she eventually marries she names her son Julian in his memory.
The last few pages are set in the present 2019 and tied in to politicking about Trump's illegal immigration policy on the Mexican border and about family separation. Julian on the last page is shown marching in a demonstration with a sign, 'Never Again' #we remember. This was a really unnecessary intrusion of current social activism into a Holocaust story. I have to admit that many contemporary Holocaust stories for children do use this framing of a young person discovering what happened during the war.
In the author's note Palacio discusses the right of a non-Jewish writer writing a Holocaust story. Her husband is Jewish and the book is dedicated to his mother.
There's an afterword by Ruth Franklin and a glossary, suggested reading list and Bibliography. The artwork is all by the author and beautifully done.
I'm not so keen on the 'Wonder' badge on the cover, this story did not need to be tied back to Wonder, it feels tacky and part of a product line.

75avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:26 pm


Goddamn this war! by Jacques Tardi (2008 French)
graphic novel
DNF. This is a companion book to Tardi's It was the war of the trenches which I read in January. I tried hard to finish this but it felt like more of the same - gruesome images of trench warfare, hopelessness of the average soldier etc etc. So last night had the bright idea of giving up and I immediately felt good about doing just that.


34) Catherine's War by Julia Billet (2020)
graphic novel
This is an adaption of Billet's novel based on the experiences of her Jewish mother in France during WW2. Her mother was a young child during the war and moved from place to place as it became unsafe.
Her parents leave Rachel at Sevres Children's Home, a progressive modern school, where she discovers a love for photography. As the occupation becomes more intense the Jewish children are given new identities, separated and sent across France to different homes. Catherine/Rachel is allowed to take the school's precious rolleiflex camera with her to record her experiences. A cute detail is that all the teachers have animal nicknames, Yvonne Hagnauer, the principal is Seagull.
A good read, the focus on photography is interesting and one of the teachers at Sevres was Marcel Marceau.

From wiki -'After France's invasion by Nazi Germany, Marcel, 17, fled with his family to Limoges. His cousin Georges Loinger, one of the members of the French Jewish Resistance in France (Organisation Juive de Combat-OJC, aka Armée Juive), urged him to join the French Jewish Resistance in France in the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust. The OJC, which was composed of nine clandestine Jewish networks, rescued thousands of children and adults during the Holocaust in France.
He was schooled in the Paris suburbs at the home of Yvonne Hagnauer, while pretending to be a worker at the school she directed; Hagnauer would later receive the honor of Righteous Among the Nations from Yad Vashem.'

76avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:27 pm


An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton (2003)
historical fantasy

A Tam Lin story that also touches on another ballad, 'Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight'. I enjoyed this as it is set in 12th Century Scotland in the time of King Malcolm IV about 100 years after Macbeth who I'm reading about in King Hereafter.

77avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:27 pm


36) Girl in Dior by Anniie Goetzinger (2015)
YA graphic novel
Winner: YALSA 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. I saw this when scrolling through the list of graphic novels available through my library's Libby app.
Follows the fortunes of the Dior fashion house from the 1947 first collection through to the sudden death of Dior in 1957. Clara (fictional) is a fresh faced young woman there at the start as a newby journalist and then as a model for Dior. While the story is really just a vehicle to look at the behind the scenes of the fashion house and a sympathetic look at Dior himself, it's his collections that transform the pages. Beautiful beautiful feminine dresses and evening gowns that showed that the war years and austerity was over.

_

78avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:28 pm


Under the Iron Bridge by Kathy Kacer (2021)
YA
Uninspiring cover art. This is one of Kacer's many books set during World War 2, my first time reading her.
Set in the lead up to Kristallnacht in 1938 Dusseldorf, it's about a teenage German boy who rejects the Hitler propaganda, though still must join Hitler Youth due to peer pressure and his teacher's zeal. He also joins the Edelweis Pirates and the book is about the local group's activities.
Quite a good read, not outstanding, my first about the Edelweis Pirates though I have a couple more on my radar.

'In 1988, the Edelweiss Pirates were recognized as ”Righteous among the Nations” by Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, but it was not until 2005, at the continued urging of Julich and Pirate Gertrud Koch that the group was ”politically rehabilitated,” the criminal status deemed them by the Gestapo was dropped and they were officially recognized as ”resistance fighters” and heroes.' from https://www.raoulwallenberg.net/saviors/others/edelweiss-pirates-story/

79avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:28 pm


Code: Polonaise by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1971)
children's
I read this with interest as it was mentioned in Eric Kimmel's 1977 essay, 'Confronting the Ovens: The Holocaust and Juvenile Fiction'. Kimmel was not happy that Wuorio wrote about the Polish children of Warsaw without mention of Jewish suffering or the well known Polish Anti-Semitism,
If the Jews are marked by passivity, their rescuers often seem unable to grasp Nazi intentions. Vague references are made to concentration camps, but what goes on in such places is never really specified. To an extent this is excusable. The existence of the death camps was on the whole a fairly well-kept secret. How­ever, in one book, Eva-Lis Wuorio's Code: Polonaise (Holt), the vagueness of the fate of the Jews is especially glaring. Code: Polonaise is set in Poland, yet it never mentions the Warsaw ghetto, the murder factories as distinguished from ordinary labor camps, or the virulent anti-Semitism of the Polish population — especially of the right-wing underground groups, were not above betraying fugitive Jews to the Germans or killing them themselves.
On the whole, however, there may be a reason for the blurred focus on the Jews in the Resistance novels. These book are above all optimistic: stories of young people struggling against great and terrible odds to win in the end. Besides, the outcome is hardly ever in doubt; Germany, after all, did lose the war. But so, to a considerable extent, did the Jews. And to face this unflinchingly is to inject an extremely somber tone into any work — far darker, perhaps, than anything these authors wish to convey.


Here is Wuorio writing in the book's epilogue -



I enjoyed this book even with the Kimmel reservations in mind. For young readers it shows how children also did their part in resisting the occupation. I especially enjoyed the second part of the book when Jan and Wanda must leave Poland and with the permission of the resistance travel through Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia meeting freedom fighters along the way. Wuorio weaves in stories of the folklore heroes of Poland, giving the children inspiration for their fight. Chopin's Polonaise was a rallying call for the Polish people.
From wiki:
'During the September 1939 German invasion of Poland at the outset of World War II, Polskie Radio broadcast this piece daily as nationalistic protest, and to rally the Polish people.'
King Boleslas: 'often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025.'
Wanda: 'Princess Wanda (reputedly lived in 8th century Poland) was the daughter of Krakus, legendary founder of Kraków. Upon her father's death, she became queen of the Poles, but committed suicide to avoid an unwanted marriage to a German.'
Jan Kilinski: 'was a Polish soldier and one of the commanders of the Kościuszko Uprising. A shoemaker by trade, he commanded the Warsaw Uprising of 1794 against the Russian garrison stationed in Warsaw. He also became a member of Polish provisional government.'

80avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:29 pm


Inheriting Anne Frank by Jaqueline van Maarsen (2004 Dutch) (2009 English)
memoir

This was an interesting read at times. She was a friend of Anne, probably her best friend, and was referred to as Jopie in Frank's diary. The book covers the post war years and focuses on van Maarsen's at first preference to be a background figure while Otto Frank was alive. Later she steps forward, even writes a book, when she sees that Otto Frank's second wife Fritzi's daughter, Eva Schloss has fabricated stories of her friendship with Anne when van Maarsen remembers very little interaction between Anne and Eva.
Eva talks of a friendship between Anne's older sister, Margot, and her brother, based on the fact they were both at the same Lyceum. Yet when van Maarsen talks with Margot's friends, she establishes that none of them knew of Heinz's existence.
The Anne Frank Foundation was too reliant by then on Fritzi Frank and her daughter Eva Schloss and refused to investigate van Maarsen's claims.
That Ann Frank became an industry and her story overshadowed that of many other survivor stories, causing some resentment is well known.

The book also covers other parts of van Maarsen's life including her time as an internationally esteemed bookbinder. Her earlier memoir was a response to Eva Schloss's 1988 Eva's Story.

van Maarsen also states that Alison Gold plagiarised some parts of her as yet untranslated (to English) first memoir when writing Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend which is based on Hannah Elizabeth Pick-Goslar's story. Gold 'romanticised' her story.

81avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:29 pm


Masters of Silence by Kathy Kacer (2019)
children's
This is one of Kacer's The Hero Quartet books. Written for middle grade readers this is a brief introduction into Marcel Marceau's resistance work where he guided hundreds of Jewish children through French countryside to safety in Switzerland during WW2. The story is quite good though set at a juvenile level. My only annoyance was with Kacer continually referring to Marceau as the clown as often as she called him Marcel through the book.
Two Jewish children are brought to a French convent by their mother, but after some months the situation becomes unsafe and the resistance must take all the Jewish children in small groups of 3 or 4 to safety in Switzerland. The younger brother, a selective mute, has formed a bond with Marceau during his visits to entertain the children when he performs as a mime.

82avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:30 pm


The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff (1999)
picturebook
Simple story about a Russian Jewish family's immigration to the US. The scruffy coat is the last possession of the young cousin that ties him to his late mother, but he might not get accepted through Eliis Island. His quick thinking cousin turns it inside out and the family is able to pass into their new life.

83avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:30 pm


The Midwinter Violins by Sally Bicknell (1976)
childrens

I've had this old paperback on my to read pile for a long while and it was a good enough story though a tad dated. A violin virtuoso lives in a flat adjoining the home of a blended family just off Chelsea Road in London. These a lot of mysterious comings and goings and in the end a murder or two, amid a haul of drugs that arrive in a shipment of violins from Japan. With parents away for a month, the children get to help find Misha, the violinist who has mysteriously disappeared on the night of the murder.

84avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:31 pm


Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (2022)
crime
Orphan X #7. Another good Orphan X novel, this one features Mexican cartels and the rescue of a kidnapped 18 year old girl, it gets complicated. I love these escapist reads, and you have to feel for Evan, a boy raised to be a killing machine and now trying do some good deeds to make up for his past.

85avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:31 pm


Drones, Dams & Destruction by Robert Muchamore (2022)
children's
Robin Hood #4. This children's series is so full of action and fun characters. I really enjoy this writer and have read all his books. Anyway 13 year old Robin lives in a dystopian near future England that suffers from floods and refugee influx. They discover that some of the flooding is deliberate and that the failing gambling resort, Sherwood Castle, is about to be turned into a high security prison. What to do? His friend Marion Maid along with her biker gang father have some ideas.

86avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:31 pm


Unto Death by Amos Oz (1969)
novellas

This was two novellas, Crusade & Last Love and I found both quite hard reads. The cover art above is far more interesting than the cover of my paperback.
Crusade is about a doomed expedition to the Holyland by religious zealots led by their Lord. On the journey they seek out Jews and show them no mercy, they suspect there is a Jew hidden in their midst and several able men come under suspicion. Overall quite depressing.
Last Love is about an old man, a Russian Jew and communist now living in Tel Aviv. This reads like a meditation and took me forever to get through. Even when I had only two pages left to read I took a break.

87avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:32 pm


King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett (1982)
historical fiction / audio

A hefty wonderful read about the life of Thorfinn / Macbeth, King of Scotland (1040 – 57).
I did the 36 hour audio listen and have been stuck in this book for several months. It is a well written, beautifully detailed account of Macbeth's life. I had never appreciated the Viking aspect of his heritage and the role of the Orkney Islands in his life. Well worth seeking out.
I'm hoping to re-read Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles via audio later this year.

https://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk/articles-real-macbeth.php

88avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:32 pm


Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1 by Jing Liu (2011)
graphic novel
Brief trip through China's ancient history (The Yellow Emperor through the Han Dynasty ca. 2697 BC - 220 AD), simply told and with lots of illustration.
My library only has this & vol 3 Barbarians and the Birth of Chinese Identity: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty 907 - 1368 so I'll have to jump over a few hundred years.

89avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:32 pm


Hakim's OdysseyBook 1: From Syria to Turkey by Fabien Toulmé (2018 French) (2021 English)
graphic novel
Toulmé's graphic novel is based on interviews with Hakim, a Syrian refugee. This first part describes Hakim's life growing up in an outer suburb of Damascus, the protests of 2011 which began in his neighbourhood just as Hakim was moving to the next stage of his life with a successful business, a new apartment ready for a possible marriage. The story follows him through his arrest and then leaving for Lebanon. Life is hard for Syrians in Beirut with work opportunities very scarce, Hakim flies to Jordan to live with his aunt's family. With the huge influx of refugees, Syrians are exploited and looked down on, so with the last of his savings Hakim decides to join a friend in Turkey.
Hakim is typical of many refugees, their ordinary lives and aspirations taken from them by the turmoil in Syria during this period.
Toulmé writes a preface to readers about his responsibility for depicting Hakim's story. The many interviews over several months are part of the GN and show that this project was a sensitive one.
I've requested book 2 from my library which has it on order.

90avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:33 pm


Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis (2021)
picturebook
Tells the story of kindertransport hero Nicholas Winton alongside that of Vera Diamantova Gissing who wrote a memoir, Pearls of Childhood based on her childhood diaries. Vera was one of the 669 kindertransport children.
Any book by Peter Sis is well worth looking out , he is a remarkable artist.

91avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:33 pm


The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan Aldridge (2022)
graphic novel / children
Delightful. I follow Aldridge on twitter and enjoy his work. This is a story of a young prince who wants to be a bard and runs away from home. His mother is a legendary bard and in this world the music is combined with magic to be a fairly potent weapon.

92avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:34 pm

_
49) Asadora! vol. 2 by Naoki Urusawa (2019 Japanese) (2021 English)
50) Asadora! vol. 3 by Naoki Urusawa (2020 Japanese) (2021 English)
manga

These continue the story of Asa, a young girl who lost family members in a typhoon that hit Tokyo. Now she is around 17 and is a pilot of her own small airplane. It's 1964 and the Tokyo Olympics are around the corner. In the background is the mysterious yokai (monster) which appeared briefly during the typhoon, it just cannot appear during the Olympics, Japans first big international event since WW2.
This series doesn't totally hold my attention but I have vol. 4 waiting for me at the library.

93avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:34 pm


Yoshi no Zuikara vol. 2: The frog in the wall does not know the ocean by Satsuki Yoshino (2019 Japanese) (2020 English)
manga
Continues the story of Naruhiko, a manga artist/writer who lives on an isolated island. This time he travels to Tokyo for his first signing event at a big bookstore. He gets to meet his new editor etc etc.
Took me a while to sort out the characters on the island as it's been a while since i read vol. 1. Overall a fun read.


Victory by Carla Jablonski (2012)
YA graphic novel

Resistance #3. My library doesn't have book 2 so I jumped to the last volume in the trilogy. The siblings must work together one final time to deliver vital information to the resistance in Paris. Illustrations are by Leland Purvis.

94avatiakh
Mai 6, 2022, 8:35 pm


Asadora! vol. 4 by Naoki Urusawa (2019 Japanese) (2021 English)
This series got a little more exciting and I'll definitely read vol. 5 as this one ended on a cliffhanger.

95avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:42 pm


Passport by Sophie Glock (2021)
YA graphic novel
A graphic memoir telling of Glock's high school days spent somewhere in Central America. She discovers her parents are actually undercover CIA which should make the memoir more memorable than it is.

96avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:43 pm


Wolf's Lair by Brian Falkner (2022)
YA
Katipo Joe #3. Continues the adventures of Joseph St George, a New Zealand boy who is an undercover agent in the Hitler Youth. This one is set at Wolf's Lair during Operation Barbarossa and Joe is in the position to make an assassination attempt on Hitler.
Sounds farfetched but Falkner bases his story on factual history so it makes for interesting reading, he has a lengthy resource list at the end of the book. The other 3 members of the Hitler Youth (they are being groomed as Hitler's heirs) are all coming to terms in various ways to the Nazi war effort.
There's probably one more in this series as Hitler wants to send Joe to the USA to spy.
This one took me an age to read, as i was at peak of my book funk.

97avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:43 pm


A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz Korczak and His Children by David A. Adler (2002)
picturebook
I found this while going through some boxes of books. A good intro to the life of Korczak, his childhood, his change of name etc etc.
The illustrator, Bill Farnsworth, has donated several of his works to the Florida Holocaust Museum.
https://www.thefhm.org/exhibits/collections-bill-farnsworth/

98avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:43 pm


The Captains Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton (2022)
audio/scifi
Arkship Trilogy #2. I have to wait till early 2023 for the final book. This series is an audible exclusive so can't be found as yet in print form.
Hazel and her friends discover a whole lot more about the history of the Daedalus's 500 year journey and the uprising. They continue their fight against the alien Yi takeover of the ship.
Always a sucker for entertaining scifi and this fits the bill very nicely.
Will pick up #3 in Brandon Sanderson's Skyward trilogy next.

99avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:44 pm


A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai (2020)
manga
Thought I'd enjoy this one but it didn't grab me much. An unwanted kitten languishes for almost a year in a pet shop, his price drops every few days but this doesn't help. He's shocked when finally he's picked by an older gentleman looking for companionship. How will they get on with each other?

100avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:44 pm


Death by Publication by Jean-Jacques Fiechter (1993 French) (1995 English)
crime
I renewed my e-loan of this one several times, another book where the reader has no sympathy for any character. The plot is clever though it fizzles out at the end. A publisher takes revenge on his friend, a writer, in a dastardly fashion. Childhood friends, he's always been jealous of his friend's effortless talent at succeeding in life.

101avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:45 pm


The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney (2019)
fantasy
Sally Gardner has written a couple of adult books under the name, Wray Delaney. I'm a big fan of her YA and children's books and have followed her since picking up The Fairy Catalogue: : everything you need to make a fairy tale back in 2000.
The Beauty of the Wolf is a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a small amount of erotic content. Gardner has switched the gender roles, making Beauty into Beau a young man growing up under a curse. The Beast has been born half Beast, half human, belongs in the faerie world but instead is locked up in the cellar in her father's home.
Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Beau ends up working as an actor, his beauty makes him ideal to take on the female roles.
I ended up enjoying this more than I initially thought I would. I'm a fan of these fairy tale retellings and this one was a deliciously dark encounter.
I'll be looking out for her other adult book, An Almond for a Parrot.

102avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:45 pm


Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo (2021)
GN
I was quite entertained by this one though the story itself is a tad unoriginal. Young woman goes to secluded house to interview a reclusive pianist for his last interview. He was once renown around the world but retired to his family home in France.
He decides to open up and over a period of a few days tells his story, a story that starts in 1933 when he was a young boy and a local music contest competing with his rival who played like he was possessed.
The artwork by Argentinian Juan Cavia is delightful.
Filipe Melo is Portuguese and according to wikipedia started out as a teenage computer hacker then turned jazz musician.
The book has the music for the ballad n the final pages and you can hear it played on Melo's soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/filipemelo/balada-para-sophie


103avatiakh
Mai 17, 2022, 5:46 pm


Tunnels by Rutu Modan (2021 Eng)
GN
Modan's latest GN wasn't a hit for me like her The Property was. Another read where none of the characters appealed and the storyline was a bit of a balagan (disordered or chaotic) to borrow Hebrew slang. Though to be fair, life in Israel can be a bit of a balagan at the best of times and Modan tries to portray this through a story about a search by tunnels for the Ark of the Covenant.
There's an afterword where Modan explains how complex the novel had been for her to work on, especially during this last couple of years of Covid.

104lowelibrary
Mai 17, 2022, 6:48 pm

>101 avatiakh: Taking a BB for this one. I love Beauty and the Beast retellings

105avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 7:57 pm


The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)
fantasy
I started this last year and then put it aside for several months. My son read it then insisted that I go back and finish it. An enjoyable fantasy read set in the politics of an Elven court. Maia is half-Goblin as his late Goblin mother was the fourth wife of the Emperor. He becomes Emperor as he is the sole surviving son when an airship crash kills his father and his three half brothers. Since his mother's death Maia has been living in a secluded backwater with a brutal guardian. He is thrust into the centre of a hostile Court and must learn quickly how to survive.
I have The Witness for the Dead which is a sort of sequel though not sure if I want to read more fantasy just now.
Will make mention, again, of the great goblin vs elf YA, The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson.

106avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 7:57 pm


Black Sheep by Geogette Heyer (1966)
fiction
I enjoyed this, my first Heyer read in a couple of years. I don't think I've read this one before. Fairly typical romance with a happy ending.
I've now picked up The Black Moth which Heyer wrote when she was 19, her first published work.

107avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 7:57 pm


The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (1921)
fiction
First published 101 years ago, this was Heyer's first novel, written as a 19 yr old. Overall it was a dashing plot, adorable hero and heroine. I'm reading the library digital editions of Heyer as my mother's copies aren't in great shape and smell a little musty.
I have The Quiet Gentleman up next.

108avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 7:58 pm


The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (1940)
fiction
I found this one to be quite delightful and don't have any recollection of having read it before. Back to The Quiet Gentleman.

109avatiakh
Bearbeitet: Dez. 26, 2022, 5:51 pm


The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (1951)
fiction
Another entertaining Heyer that I don't think I've read before. I'm enjoying reading these and that's helping me get over my reading block so all to the good. I'll also have less pangs about letting my mother's Heyer collection go in a couple of month's time. I've about ten or so unfamiliar ones left to read.
Next up is The Foundling.

110avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:05 pm


The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (1948)
fiction
Highly amusing read. An over-protected young Duke goes into the countryside incognito and falls into numerous escapades.

111avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:06 pm


Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (1970)
fiction
Not quite as entertaining as the others I've read. I see that it is one of her later ones.


Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer (1960)
short stories
I was mightily entertained by most of these stories. I didn't realise when I picked it up that it was a collection, just as well as I might have put it down again.

112avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:06 pm


Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (1956)
fiction
The hero here has a hard time keeping up with the young runaway. He was on his way to half heartedly propose marriage to an old friend when he realises he must protect this young girl from her own impulses and that means taking her along to his proposal. Madcap but enjoyable, not a favourite Heyer.

113avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:06 pm


Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (2016)
scifi
Revenger #1. Finished my audiobook and very enjoyable escape into scifi. Two sisters run away from their world to join a space crew who salvage old artifacts in 'baubles'. They have the ability to 'read bone' which enables them to listen in and communicate with other space crews. They are separated when their ship is taken by legendary space pirate, Bosa Sennen.
Adventure, action and a great story sucked me in and I dived right into the second book.

114avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:08 pm


The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (1962)
fiction
Another enjoyable romantic read. Heyer is quite brutal with her treatment of the young, arrogant beauty though it needed to be done.

115avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:08 pm


The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer (1954)
fiction
Another romance/thriller. Captain John stays on at an isolated toll gate when the young lad manning it says that his father has disappeared and he's frightened. Enjoyed this one.

116avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:08 pm


Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani (2020)
YA, biography
While the target audience is for the younger reader, I was wanting an easy read to discover more about the short life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil and this met my expectations. The text is accompanied by lovely watercolour illustrations, photos and also her stunning paintings.
Sher-Gil had an Indian Sikh father and Hungarian mother. She was born in Budapest in 1913 and raised in India. Her family travelled back to Europe a few times for their daughters' education. After study in Paris, Sher-Gil moved back to India to capture the colours of her homeland.
Sadly she died at age 28 years from a sudden illness.
_

117avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:09 pm


Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (1957)
fiction
My last Heyer read for the year hopefully. This was quite madcap towards the end. Not a favourite. Sylvester's godmother suggests he considers marriage to her grand daughter whose late mother was his mother's best friend. However Phoebe is unimpressed and has other plans.

118avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:09 pm


Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (2021)
scifi, YA
Skyward $3. The first 200 pages is a bit slow but the pace of the last 300 pages makes up for that. I really enjoyed this installment and now must wait till 2023 to pick up book #4. Can't wait.
Spensa is now in the Nowhere and must learn the secrets of the Delvers if she is ever to help her people stuck in endless combat back on her home planet.

119avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:10 pm


Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas by Mathias Malzieu (2016 French) (2018 Eng)
memoir
This is about Malzieu's year long battle for life after being diagnosed with acute anemia. Malzieu is frontman songwriter/singer for Dionysos, a French band 'known for their surrealism and eccentricity.' He wrote the book The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart and worked hard for several years for the film of the book to be made. Just as the band wraps a final music video for the film, Malzieu realises there is something really wrong with his energy levels and almost collapses. He goes from skateboarding everywhere and jumping into lots of creative projects to living in an isolated sterile hospital room hoping to survive on the many blood transfusions he needs.
After months of treatment he needs a bone marrow transplant but with no compatible donor is told he'll have to try a new treatment of stem cells. After initial setbacks the procedure starts to work and he's back on the road to a healthy existence, soon he'll even be able to skateboard again.

I read the book The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart years ago, loved the title song and my daughter and I had just watched the film when I found out about this book. It's from his diary entries from his time in hospital and is an interesting read. His creative mind & soaring imagination just wants to do things but his body can't do anything at all. The slightest cut could be lethal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IuQRrPYzIw

120avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:10 pm


Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds (2019)
scifi
Revenger #2. Reunited the two sisters, Fura and Adrana Ness, need to get their ship, Revenger, to a port to save the life of a crew member.
Really enjoying this scifi adventure series. Bone Silence just became available on audible so my timing is just right.

121avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 8:11 pm


Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld (2022)
scifi, YA
Imposters #4, Uglies #8. Concluding book for both series. Tally is back for this final action packed adventure. I was more than happy to reach the end of the series, this final outing was full of action but I was a tad worn out and found it hard to remember who was who.

122DeltaQueen50
Jun. 18, 2022, 9:32 pm

You've reminded me that I quite enjoyed Revenger when I read it some time ago. I really need to continue on with the trilogy.

123avatiakh
Jun. 18, 2022, 10:38 pm

>122 DeltaQueen50: I'm already enjoying the third one, just a few minutes in. Interesting that book 1 is Fura's story, book 2 is Adrana's and now #3 is a third person narrative.

124christina_reads
Jun. 21, 2022, 3:21 pm

Hooray for Heyer! I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the various novels...you've reminded me that it's been years since I've picked up some of her books!

125avatiakh
Jun. 23, 2022, 5:19 am

>124 christina_reads: I was amazed at how many I probably hadn't read before. It's sort of hard to comment on a Heyer read, as they all have happy endings after the inevitable fun plot.
I read all my mum's Heyers when I was a teen but her collection grew and grew. I have all her books now but some aren't in great condition, so I made a list of all the ones I wanted to read and got most through my library's digital collection.
I'm trying to cull books from my overstocked home. Next up is to go through all her cookbooks, most are really dated.

126avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:27 am


Hakim's Odyssey Book 2: from Turkey to Greece by Fabien Toulmé(2022)
graphic novel
This continues Hakim's journey with his move from Istanbul to Athens. Hakim is now married and his new family is struggling once again for work and survival in Istanbul. His father-in-law eventually takes his family to France, including Hakim's wife. They are able to get visas as family is already living there and it's hoped that Hakim and his baby son will be able to soon follow once documents are obtained. Nothing runs easily, there is no marriage or birth certificate and Hakim can't work while looking after his toddler baby.
Eventually when France closes the door on his documents due to a wrong date, he is advised to pay smugglers to take him and son to Greece. This trip is not without mishap.
This focus on one person's struggle humanises all the news reports we saw back in 2014/15.
The artwork continues to be fabulous. The portrayal of the interviews between Toulmé and Hakim lessen in this second book.

127avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:28 am


Frost in May by Antonia White (1933)
fiction
Frost in May Quartet #1. Frost in May was the title chosen to launch Virago Modern Classics back in 1978 and i've had the paperback on my shelves for some years. This is an elegant novel, beautifully written about a young girl's four or five years spent in a Catholic convent boarding school. It's based on White's own experiences of a pre-WWI convent school education.
Nanda's parents have converted to Catholicism and so young Nanda is always suspect by the nuns as her family does not have the generations of Catholic life preceding her entry to the school. What an education these girls have, what a repressive life.
From a Guardian article about the book - 'With its twisted ethic and casual cruelty, this 1933 classic about convent school life reads as dystopian fantasy today' https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/09/growing-pains-antonia-white-frost-...

I have the next book in the quartet and will eventually read that too, as we leave Nanda here at age fourteen.

128avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:28 am


Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra (1997)
short stories
I read this collection of five stories for Paul's Asian Reading Challenge and it was also one of my picks for the Club Read's tribute to Rebeccanyc thread.
I loved Chandra's Sacred Games and so was delighted that one story features the character of Inspector Sartaj Singh. Each story brought the diverse society and streets of 20th century Bombay to life in different ways.

129avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:30 am


That wolf-boy is mine! vol.1 by Yoko Nogiri (2016 Eng)
manga
scaifea gave Nogiri's Love in Focus a high rating so when I was searching my library catalogue for that title, it brought up this one as well and so I requested it. There's only four volumes in this series so I'll continue reading as my library has the next two. It's a cute, funny story about a city girl relocating to the countryside and discovering that the boy she sits beside in class is actually a wolf.
This is shojo manga - manga for a female audience (12-18 years).


Asadora vol: 5 by Naoki Ursawa (2022)
manga
I've enjoyed this series but will stop here. Vol 4 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but this one resolves that and ties up enough that I'm happy to let go.
The story switches back and forth between story threads, in one Asa and a young researcher are flying at night over the sea trying to turn the mysterious ocean monster away from land. It's the day before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony and the last thing the country needs is a monster rampaging through the streets of Tokyo.

130avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:30 am


The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (1973 Japanese) (2019 Eng)
crime
Kosuke Kindaichi #1. Part of the Pushkin Press Vertigo series which publishes classic crime novels from around the world.
I loved this one, a locked room mystery set in 1930s Japan. It introduces Kosuke Kindaichi who arrives on the scene and uses his masterful skills of logical thinking to solve the crime.
I'm looking forward to reading the other 3 Kosuke Kindaichi novels in the near future.

131avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:30 am


My Neighbor Seki vol: 1 by Takuma Morishige (2015 Eng)
manga
Schoolgirl Rumi Yokoi sits beside Seki in class. He's always playing with some sort of game or toy, hardly ever takes notes. Yokoi is so distracted she's the one who ends up getting in trouble with the teachers. Fun, going nowhere but amusing to read this first volume. The art is great and Seki's play is quite imaginative.

132avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:31 am


Thraxas and the Dance of Death by Martin Scott (2002)
fantasy
#6 in the Thraxas series. Written by Martin Millar under his pseudonym. This is a comic fantasy series about a failed sorceror/investigator that I enjoy dipping into from time to time. There's 12 books in total so I have a way to go. In this one Thraxas is hired to find a magical emerald that has gone missing.

133avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:31 am

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That Wolf Boy is Mine! vols 2 &3 by Yoko Nogiri (2015 & 2017)
manga
My library doesn't have vol. 4, the final one so I'm leaving this one a little up in the air. Not really that enthralling but features four cute guys who happen to actually be animals that transform. One is half human, half wolf, the others are a two tailed cat, a fox and a tanuki (raccoon). There's also their mentor who is a three legged crow (Japanese folklore creature). Girl, love interest is the sympathetic Komugi who they're unable to hypnotise to forget that she's seen them transform.

134avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:31 am


That Wolf Boy is Mine! vol 4by Yoko Nogiri (2015 & 2017)
manga
I found vol. 4 online on a website - mangatoto.com. So I've been able to read the concluding volume. This goes back into the past when Yu & Komugi met when they were children and clears up their feelings, hypnotism by the mentor etc. Now they can enjoy their love for each other.
The bonus story about the cat is also very heartfelt.

135avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:32 am

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Kamisama Kiss vol. 1 by Julietta Suzuki
Kamisama Kiss vol. 2 by Julietta Suzuki
shoju manga
Cutely drawn story about a high school girl who has become homeless. She helps an old man and he offers her to live in his home which turns out to be a shrine. She becomes a deity and must get on with his ex- familiar, a fox yokai, Tomoe who at first rejects her. Quite fun, an interesting plot but obvious that Nanami and Tomae will fall for each other.
Thrown into the mix is Kurama, a popular goth pop idol, who has transferred to Nanami's highschool. To complicate things, he's also not human.
This is also an anime series.

136avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:32 am


Love in Focus: Complete Collection by Yoko Nogiri (2021)
manga
Cute manga about a girl whose first love is photography. She moves into a boarding hostel with other photography students who attend her new school.

137avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:32 am


Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds (2020)
scifi / audio
Revenger #3. Exciting last book in the trilogy. Those Ness sisters have a lot of pluck. Very happy to have stumbled across this trilogy. I've already listened to a ton of Reynolds' books and there are a few more to go.

138avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:33 am


Thraxas at War by Martin Scott (2003)
fantasy
Thraxas #7. I immediately dived into #8 on finishing this one. Thraxas is hired to investigate the poisoning of a senator by the wife of the alleged guilty party. Meanwhile there are reports that the city will soon be attacked by an army of Orcs, there are only the winter months to prepare and train an army drawn from the citizens and mercenaries.

139avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:33 am

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Kamisama Kiss vol. 3 by Julietta Suzuki
Kamisama Kiss vol. 4 by Julietta Suzuki
Kamisama Kiss vol. 5 by Julietta Suzuki
Kamisama Kiss vol. 6 by Julietta Suzuki
shoju manga
Kept reading this but will stop here for a while. There are about 26 volumes in the series.

140avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:34 am


Bright Candles by Nathaniel Benchley (1974)
YA fiction
16 year old Jens wants to resist when the Germans occupy Denmark and he goes on to being a member of the Danish resistance. While the book is mainly about Jens and his activities, the author also includes much historical background about the occupation and how Danes resisted. Well worth reading if you can find a copy.
Benchley spent two years researching the background for this novel, including many interviews in Denmark with those who lived through the occupation. He also wrote The Off-Islanders which was made into the 1966 film, The Russians are coming The Russians are coming. Can't find a copy of the book but have requested the film from the library.

141avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:34 am


When I grow up: the lost autobiographies of six Yiddish teenagers by Ken Krimstein (2021)
graphic biography
Quite a story behind this graphic adaption, easier just to link to a Forward article about the background to publication.
https://forward.com/culture/479973/holocaust-lost-autobiography-ken-krimstein-yi...
I enjoyed his The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt so looked forward to this one. Krimstein has chosen six stories from many written by Yiddish teenagers in the early 1930s. They had entered a competition by writing about their lives and aspirations, almost all lost their lives in the Holocaust. Their entries were found in 2017 hidden in the basement of a Lithuanian church.
Each story is poignant to read knowing the fate of these teens. One is known to have survived and Krimstein was able to meet her family. That teen, Beba Epstein, had been part of the Paper Brigade and is mentioned in The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis.

142avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:34 am


Thraxas under siege by Martin Scott (2005)
fantasy
Thraxas #8. Still enjoying this series. Thraxas and fellow citizens are surviving winter while beyond the city walls is an Orc army. Orc sorcerers seem to be infiltrating the city and then there is the virus affecting most who enter the premises of The Avenging Axe, the small tavern that Thraxas and Makri call home.
I'll leave the series here and come back to the last four books when I need some light entertainment.

143avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:36 am


Literary Lunch by Vintage Books (2015)
nonfiction / cookbook
The intro is by Jay Rayner. This slim volume quotes a brief food related passage from numerous novels followed by a recipe or two. It starts with the messy 'blue' chicken soup from Bridget Jones's Diary and finishes with a James Bond vinagrette from Solo.
I'd read several of the books featured and it was nice to briefly revisit them, but none of the recipes caught my interest, maybe the Bengali Rice Pudding from The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee.

144avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:36 am


The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún: Vol. 1 by Nagabe (2017)
manga
I chose to read this as it includes a fantastical character. A young girl is being cared for by a mysterious being, there is one rule - that she can not ever touch him. This has a fairy tale feel to it but the story just did not engage me, a little too much gloom.
I believe it is quite popular and that there is an anime based on the manga series. The title comes from an Irish folksong.

145avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:36 am


The Ogress and the orphans by Kelly Barnhill (2022)
children
I enjoyed this fantasy story though felt it was overlong for young readers. An ogress settles outside a town that has seen better days, nothing good ever happens for the dwindling number of inhabitants, but they are 'blessed' with a sparkling mayor who is always happy and has a secret. The orphans are truly suffering with not enough food for all the little mouths.

146avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:37 am


The Upside-Down Boy and the Israeli Prime Minister by Sherri Lederman Mandell (2021)
picturebook
Rather wordy picturebook that features a famous photograph of Israel's first Prime Minister, Ben Gurion doing a yoga headstand on the Tel Aviv beach.
A young boy who hardly keeps still and is always doing cartwheels and headstands at inappropriate times goes on a class trip to the office of the current Prime Minister.


The Lighthouse Princess by Susan Wardell (2022)
picturebook
Rose Northey won the 2021 Gavin Bishop Award and her prize was to illustrate a picturebook. This was a quite lovely story about a girl lighthousekeeper / princess who rescues a boy from a storm. The illustrations are delightful.

147avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:37 am


Things That Matter: Stories of Life Death by David Galler (2016)
memoir
Galler is an Intensive Care specialist and tells the stories of various patients he's treated over the years, interspersed with stories from his childhood.
This book created quite a buzz at the time of publication and I've always meant to read it after hearing him read an excerpt at Auckland Writers Festival back when it first came out.
Each chapter is about a different organ of the body beginning with the heart.
The book opens with his father's death from a heart attack and Galler's regret that his father's mistrust of hospitals meant that he hadn't followed up on treatment that could have added a few more years to his life. The book ends with his mother's death from cancer some years later and he describes her last weeks when he and his brother made time to care for her.
Galler's mother was a child survivor of Auschwitz and The Long March. Growing up, he didn't know and she never told her story until her later years.
A good read.
Zofia Galler's obit: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/editors-picks/7111583/Zofia-survived-the-te...

148avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:37 am


Sailor Moon vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
manga
The manga and anime were very popular back in the 1990s. My daughter and I recently watched the first season of the anime. Anyway I thought it would be good to follow up by reading some of the manga. The illustration style is delightful and the story has a few differences from the anime that make it worth the read.

149avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:38 am


My friend Maigret by Georges Simenon (2006)
crime
Inspector Maigret #31. My first Maigret, I picked this up a few weeks back and started reading. Don't know why I started with one of the later books.
This didn't really hold my interest and I should have read it in a couple of sittings instead of dragging it out.
Maigret, along with a visiting Scotland Yard Inspector, travels to a small Mediterranean island to solve a murder. Sort of a locked room mystery.

150avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:38 am


It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken: A Picture Novella by Seth (1998)
graphic memoir
I loved the illustration style though the story itself wasn't riveting. It tells of Seth's interest in long forgotten cartoonists from the 1950s and his particular obsession to find out more about an obscure cartoonist called Kalo, whose work featured in the New Yorker just once.

151avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:38 am


what's Michael?: fatcat collection vol. 1 by Makoto Kobayashi (2020)
manga
These comic strips came out in the 1980s and were very popular in Japan, sort of considered the Japanese Garfield. It covers various cats named Michael, all identically drawn but with different owners. I enjoyed most of them though it's probably best to take your time reading through as there are so many. Kobayashi really gets cat behaviour, one strip is just about Michael walking around with his tongue out - something that one of my ginger cats is always doing.
Fun.

152avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:39 am


The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Murlevat (2006)
children
This won the 2007 Batchelder Award for a book not originally written in English. A retelling of Perrault's Tom Thumb. Yann is the youngest, tiny and mute, he has six older brothers, 3 sets of twins. He wakes them up one night and informs them that their lives are in danger and they must leave their home. They begin a journey to the ocean.
It reads really well, each segment is told by a different person starting with the social worker who brings Yann home from school and meets the unfriendly, suspicious mother and the family's guard dog.

153avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:39 am


Those Not-so Sweet Boys vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri (2019)
manga
Nogiri wrote Love in Focus and That wolf boy is mine and I had to wait a few weeks to try this other series of hers. A lightweight read as is typical of most shojo manga. Due to her circumstances, Midori is asked to intervene with a tightknit group of three rather cute boys who have stopped attending highschool.

154avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:40 am


Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2015)
fiction
I enjoyed this and will be getting to the sequel eventually. A basement cafe hidden up a side alley in Tokyo has been around for about 100 years. Rumour has it that by sitting in a certain chair one can time travel to the past. There's a set of rules to follow, the most important is hinted at in the book's title.
This was originally written as a play and morphed into this delightful little book.

155avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:40 am

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The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga (2018)
The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 4 by Natsu Hyuuga (2019)
manga
My library finally decided to continue getting this series with vol. 5 just arriving on the shelves and I'm well placed in the queue to get it soon.
Charming series set in an Imperial Palace. Maomao, a young girl who has a good knowledge of the art of apothecary, ends up being sold into service. She is a lowly servant for one of the Emperor's concubines, becomes a food taster and helps solve cases of attempted murder/murder using her skills and knowledge of poisons.

156avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:41 am

I've been requesting a lot of shojo manga from the library recently. This is manga aimed at girls of all ages and seems to be mostly romance with a sprinkling of fantasy.
My Little Monster vol. 1 by Robico - gave up after a few pages.


109) Vampire Dormitory, Vol. 1 by Ema Tōyama (2019)
manga
Not continuing with this one and don't have much to say about it. My daughter suggested that I try Vampire Knights if i'm that keen on manga vampires.


110) Love me, love me notvol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2015)
manga
This was ok and I'll read the next 1 or 2. Sakisaka wrote the popular Ao Haru Ride, #1 which I'm still waiting for, so thought I'd read their other works.


111) Dreamin' Sun vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano (2008)
manga
Really enjoyed this. About an unhappy girl who runs away from home and ends up living in a house with 3 guys. There is lots of humour, responsible adult decisions on her welfare etc etc. I'm requesting a couple more volumes to see where this goes.


112) Strobe Edge vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2007)
manga
I found the art style a bit over the top and that detracted from what story there was. Too much romance and too little of anything else, though I liked that lots of the interaction was on the subway coming home from school.

157avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:42 am


Manga Dogs vol. 1 by Ema Toyama (2011 Japanese) (2014 Eng)
manga
Picked this up from someone's favourite manga list. I'll continue but only because there's only two more to read. Will also mention that this seems to be free of romance.
Kanna Tezuka is a published manga writer/artist, she's serialised in a magazine though hers is the least popular story. She goes to a high school that has recently established a manga course and finds herself in a classroom with three fairly stupid manga wannabees (boys) who don't have a clue how to be a manga artist. With no specific manga teacher as yet they look upon her as their sensei. Just as you wonder how far such a storyline can continue, a new student appears.
Learnt some manga terminology at least and the characters are all named after well known manga artists. Their school is Tokiwa High, named after the Tokiwa-sou apartment building that Osamu Tezuka worked out of. Tezuka is considered to be a 'God of Manga', and his studio in the 1950s and 60s was a magnet for aspiring manga artists.

Toyama is fairly prolific with many series including Vampire Dormitory which I read earlier in the week.

158avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:42 am


Yona of the Dawn vol. 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (2010)
manga
Fantasy manga about a princess who must escape with her bodyguard when her father, the King, is killed by the youth she thought she loved. A lot of back story in this first one to establish the storyline. This is quite popular and one I could continue reading.

159avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:43 am


Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1: A Touch of Magic by Kamome Shirahama (2017)
manga
Another popular series. This has a good magical storyline and compelling reasons to read on past volume 1. It's about Coco, a girl that becomes a witch apprentice despite not being from a magical family.

160avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:43 am


The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2021)
graphic novel
The author has taken her mother's story and added in those of two others to make a fictionalised account of the now elderly generation of Koreans who left loved ones behind when they escaped to the south during the Korean War in the early 1950s. The story does read like a graphic memoir, with Gendry-Kim interacting with her mother who is always hoping that she'll be one of those called up to meet family members at one of the North-South family reunion sessions.
In the fiction story her mother is hoping to meet with her son, a toddler who was with her husband when they became separated while trekking to the south. She makes it to the south with their baby daughter but never knows what happened to the rest of her family. Eventually she makes a new life with a good man and his young son who lost their wife & mother and other children on the journey south.
In fact it is a sister that Gendry-Kim's mother wants to reunite with, but this became a fiction story to protect the vulnerable who shared their testimonies with her. Gundry-Kim tells her mother's story briefly at the back of the GN. She also writes about the family reunion sessions and the statistics of the separated and how these people have spent their lifetime waiting for news of their loved ones and are now dying of old age without ever finding out.

161avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:43 am


Leonard Cohen on a wire by Philippe Girard (2021)
graphic biography
This was originally published in French. Is a slight portrayal of Cohen's life, glosses over everything and doesn't really get to the heart of Cohen's life in any particular depth. The artwork is quite standard, the lettering is well done but it is all rather boring.
I discovered that he naively signed away the rights to his first hit, Suzanne and was always being recognised by strangers as the guy who covered other famous singers' recordings of Hallelujah which was actually not the case, they covered his Hallelujah. Interesting if not riveting.

162avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:44 am

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Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 2-10 by Ichigo Takano
manga
I read all this series in a couple of goes, mainly went with it because it is only 10 volumes and I liked some of the characters, especially Zen. The main romance is a little off at first as the girl is a high schooler and Taiga is about 5 or 7 years older, though their relationship is not at all intense, more like a friendship through most of the series. Overall enjoyable with lots of fun scenes.

163avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:44 am


Skip and Loafer vol. 1 by Misaki Takamatsu
manga
Country girl comes to Tokyo for high school, she's smart but awkward and plain. She becomes friends with the school heart throb when he helps her navigate to school on the first day. She also makes friends with another shy girl.
Won't continue with this as I'm not wanting to increase my time spent on manga but it was an enjoyable read.

164avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:45 am


Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 1 by AidaIro
manga
This is a popular series featuring a spirit who is bound to the toilet block in an old high school, sort of like Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter. Anyway this is more based on folklore than ghosts, he is able to grant a wish though there can be consequences which Nene discovers when she ventures in. This was quite a fun read though the artwork was a bit busy at times.

165avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:45 am


Once More with Chutzpah by Haley Neil (2022)
YA
I was taken with the cover art, the background image of Yafo continues to the back cover. The story was a typical YA angsty sort of one, Tally and her twin brother on the cusp of college go on a short group trip to Israel with other Jewish teens. The book touches on Israeli and gender politics in ways that feel forced in.
Meanwhile Tally is still grappling with grief, expressed at first through her need to have her brother be like he was before the accident while Max is needing to finally make a break with his twin and lead his own life. The accident is at first described as Max being in a car and the driver, a teenage girl, who had been drinking, died. The identity of the girl becomes clear later in the book.
Tally comes out as demisexual after some confusing encounters.
I read the book as it was set in Israel but really it didn't hit any high notes for me.

166avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:46 am


The Wrong Woman by JP Pomare (2022)
crime
I think the title is a misnomer, it should be 'girl' not 'woman', and this made me fairly annoyed as I finished up the book. Pomare has usually set his books in either New Zealand or Australia, here he goes to the US.
A college professor has died in a car accident, his wife is in a coma. Reid is sent in to do a quick investigation for insurance purposes. He slowly uncovers a more complicated story around the accident.

167avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:46 am


Lion guards the cake by Ruth Paul (2021)
picturebook
Delightful, engaging picturebook about a lion guarding an important cake for a family. By morning there isn't much of the original cake left.

168avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:46 am


Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (1985)
children's
I hadn't realised that the Studio Ghibli film was based on a book until someone mentioned reading it during last month's Asian reading challenge.
This is a delightful little story about a young witch setting up house in a new town and deciding to start a courier service as well as making friends in the process.
Now to finally watch the film.

169avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:47 am


orange: the complete collection: vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano
manga
This was the series that came recommended and I read Takano's Dreamin' Sun while waiting for this. A teen girl, just starting 11th grade receives a letter from her future self that implores her to change her interactions with a new student in order to save him and save her future self from the regret that she could have done more. It's quite an interesting premise and I'll probably read more as it is available from the library.
There's an anime series too.

170avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:47 am

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Witch Hat Atelier vols 2-5 by Kamome Shirahama
manga
Lovely magic series. I can leave it here after vol. 5. About a world where magic use is limited and strictly policed by the Knights Moralis.

171avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:48 am

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Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka
Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 2 by Io Sakisaka
manga
This is a popular shojo series that was adapted to the anime, 'Blue Spring Ride'. At middle school Futaba starts to like Kou, but he suddenly moves out of the district to another school. Then at high school she meets him again though he is using a different name and isn't interested in her friendship.
I liked it but I don't need to keep reading.
shojo is romance oriented manga for young women readers.

172avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:49 am

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Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 by Ryōko Fukuyama
Anonymous Noise, Vol. 2 by Ryōko Fukuyama
manga
Manga series set in high school and based around a group of musicians. This drew me in and I requested several more of the series from the library though when they came in I decided not to bother.

173avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:49 am


Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui
manga
My daughter really loves this series though I struggled to read this first volume. Fantasy about exploring a dungeon where most of the action revolves around eating the weird food that they slay and eat.

174avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:49 am


The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 5 by Natsu Hyuuga
manga
Latest instalment arrived to the library. This is a series I'll continue to read as I enjoy Maomao's ability to solve the various crimes in the Emperor's Court

175avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:50 am

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Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 6 by Kamome Shirahama
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 7 by Kamome Shirahama
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 8 by Kamome Shirahama
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 9 by Kamome Shirahama
manga
Enjoying this series about an unusual witch apprentice in an interesting magical world. I think I'm up to date with what's available from my library.
The illustrations really make this series.

176avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:50 am


Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2019)
graphic novel
Covers the true story of Okseon Lee who as a young girl became a 'comfort woman' to Japanese soldiers during WW2. Gendry-Kim includes her interviews with Okseon, now an old woman. Really well written with great illustrations.

177avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:51 am

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Vagabond, Vol. 1 Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #1) Books 1-3 by Takehiko Inoue
Vagabond, Vol. 2 (Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #2) Books 4-6 by Takehiko Inoue
Vagabond, Vol. 3 (Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition #3) Books 7-9 by Takehiko Inoue
manga
I really loved this series. I had the next two omnibus volumes out from the library but decided to stop reading manga for a while. The art in these is magnificent, the story of a Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, who is finding his way to become the best in Japan. The series of 12 omnibus or 37 volumes is based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi.
I'll definitely finish this series at a later date.

178avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:51 am

__
Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 by Takehiko Inoue
Slam Dunk, Vol. 2 by Takehiko Inoue
Slam Dunk, Vol. 3 by Takehiko Inoue
manga
Another series by Inoue, Slam Dunk is still very popular and I believe there's an anime series based on it. Fairly comic story about a first year high schooler who decides to play basketball as the girl he likes is a fan of the game. He is one of those characters who barely thinks before jumping into the action, so gets into loads of trouble before he even knows the rules or how to play.
I enjoyed these but it's another series that I don't need to continue.

179avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:51 am


Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany by Ilse Koehn (1977)
memoir, children's
An interesting read about a girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Her parents split up when Hitler rose to power as her father's mother was Jewish and the family were Social Democrats. They didn't tell their daughter about her Jewish heritage until the end of the war as a form of protection. When her grandmother is sent to the camps, Ilse's father writes to Ilse that she died of old age.
Ilse joins the Hitler Youth and goes away several times for long periods to various camps where the German teenagers work on farms and other activities for the war effort.
The parents reunited at the end of the war.

180avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:52 am


Zoo by Graham Marks (2005)
YA
Long time resident on my pile of books to read. Quite a fun read, sort of thriller set in California. It starts when 17 year old Cam is kidnapped on the street outside his home and taken several hundred miles away. He escapes and on his journey back home begins to realise that his life has changed forever.

181avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:52 am


A Room in Athens: A Memoir by Frances Karlen Santamaria (1970)
memoir
The writer was married to one of my husband's distant cousins, so I couldn't not read this memoir about their 1960s stay in Athens where she gives birth to their first child. Santamaria attends Athen's only natural childbirth clinic run by a Madame Kladaki. There are lovely descriptions of Greek life, the couple having enjoyed the Greek music in nightclubs in New York thought they'd find the same atmosphere in Athens, but didn't. The people they meet are all very traditional. The book covers the pregnancy, birth and first weeks as a new mother in those times. The father, Arno Karlen is a writer, and is attempting his first novel during their time in Athens.
Josh Karlen, the son who was born in Athens, writes an extended introduction to the 2016 edition. He also wrote his own memoir, Lost Lustre: A New York Memoir about growing up in 1970s New York. I'll look it out to read next year.

182avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:53 am


Killashandra by Anne McCaffrey (1985)
scifi
Crystal Singer #2. Enjoyable romance set in a scifi world. Killashandra is asked to travel to Optheria to install a set of crystals that she has mined. The politics of this planet are quite repressive and she works with others to help bring change.

183avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:53 am


A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin (2022)
Crime

Inspector Rebus #24. Love my annual dose of Rebus. Retired and unwelcome Rebus is in court and accused of a serious crime. The book then sets out to tell us how he got there. The title is from the song 'Single Father' by Jackie Leven.

184avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:54 am


That Jewish Thing by Amber Crewe (2022)
romance
Saw this on display at the library and impulsively got it out. A good enough romance read with the main character re-identifying with her Jewish self and eventually finding that her true love is indeed a good Jewish man.
I'm requesting her other book which sounds like a fun read, though the title makes picking it up from requests at the library a tad embarrassing - Adult virgins anonymous.
Amber Crewe is a pseudonym for Nicole Burstein.

185avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:54 am


Fattypuffs and Thinifers by André Maurois (1930)
children's

A Vintage Children's Classic. This book has a history in our family. I had it out from the library years ago and our then puppy totally ripped the book to shreds (and many others that day), so I had to pay a fine when I couldn't return the book and always wondered what the story was about.
Two brothers, one on the large side and the other quite slim discover an underground world by chance. Here there are two countries - The Kingdom of Fattypuffs and The Republic of Thinifers.

186avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:55 am


The Cleaner by Elisabeth Herrmann (2011)
crime
Really enjoyed this one. Judith Kepler is a cleaner, the firm she works for does a variety of jobs including cleaning up crime scenes. When she's sent to clean up after a murder in an apartment she doesn't expect to find a document that links her to the dead woman. Her childhood was spent in an East German children's home and since then she has lived a life of despair. Now her own life is under threat as she begins asking questions about the past.
There are two more Judith Kepler books but they aren't translated as far as I'm aware.

187avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:55 am


161) The List by Martin Fletcher (2011)
fiction
A compelling read. Journalist, Martin Fletcher has based this fiction around his own family story and real life events. It's 1945 and as a trickle of survivors begins to arrive in London the Jewish refugees living in Hampstead Heath, London are learning of the terrible fate of their family members. There is a local petition circulating to send the Jewish refugees back to where they came from.
It also covers the Irgun and Lehi plot to assassinate Foreign Minister Bevin on British soil and the letterbomb campaign against British servicemen who served in Palestine.
In the midst of all this Austrian Jewish refugees, Edith and George are expecting their first child and Edith's cousin, Anna, arrives from the death camps.
On clearing through his father's papers in 2002, Fletcher came across an old piece of paper with two lists of names, one his father's family, the other his mother's - every name had been crossed through as their fate was discovered. He determined then to write a book titled The List.

188avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:56 am


The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (2022)
crime
Cormoran Strike #6. Hefty tome at 1016 pages. I love getting back into the world of Strike and Robin. In this one they are asked to find the identity behind an online personality who appears to be the instigator of murder. It revolves around fandom, online chatrooms and trying to work out who's who behind all the pseudonyms. Robin and Strike continue in their professional relationship with Robin becoming more and more confident as Strike's partner in detection.
Probably was a bit too long of a read but who cares. JK Rowling has once again invented a bunch of interesting characters to play around with.

189avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:56 am


Adult Virgins Anonymous by Amber Crewe (2021)
romance
Delightful romcom about two twenty-something virgins. Kate wonders if life has left her behind, she's failing at relationships, work and now must give up her flat and move back to her parents. She's almost 30 and still inexperienced. Freddie is the same age and still struggling to overcome his OCD, he's also relationship shy and inexperienced. They both turn up to a help group for adult virgins and begin a friendship that grows into something more. The group helps both of them, here is somewhere they can safely share their secret shame and receive the support they need.
I've enjoyed both of Crewe's light novels. Her characters are extremely likeable.

190avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:57 am


Cancion by Eduardo Halfon (2022)
autobiographical fiction

My first try of this Guatemalan writer and I really liked it. Halfon is invited to a Japanese Literature Festival for Lebanese writers loosely based on his Jewish grandfather having been born in Beirut. Most of the book is about when his grandfather was kidnapped in 1967. One of the kidnappers is known by the name 'Cancion' a gentle sounding name, though it is a play on 'Carnicero' or Butcher.
This is a meandering look at the past, Halfon's childhood memories of his grandfather mix with Guatemalan politics and the present day interactions in Tokyo at the Literature Festival.
I've requested a couple of his other works which follow a similar format. Mourning & Monastery.

191avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:57 am


The Cruise of the Rolling Junk by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1924)
nonfiction

This caught my eye when I was going through possible road trip reads late last year and it took me a long while to get my hands on the actual book.
Hesperus Press re-published it in 2011 with a long introduction by Julian Evans and a foreword by Paul Theroux. Both of these I've yet to read and will.

Fitzgerald and his new wife wake up one morning and decide impulsively to drive from Connecticut to Montgomery, Alabama and surprise Zelda's parents with a visit out of the blue. Their car is nicknamed 'The Rolling Junk' and does live up to its name on the 5 or 6 days it takes them to get there.
I enjoyed this dip into 1920s USA. There are a few jarring bits where he comes across as fairly patronising towards African Americans, though this seems more ignorance and of those times.

192avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:58 am


The Tilt by Chris Hammer (2022)
crime
Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan Series #2. I requested this from the library after seeing it for sale in a bookshop. Now need to go back and read #1.
This was a great read. The story is set in The Barmah-Millewa Forest, the largest river redgum forest in the world, located by the Murray River on the border of NSW and Victoria. It's where Nell Buchanan grew up and they are sent there to investigate a cold case that ends up revolving around her own family.
Hammer wrote a nonfiction book, The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling Basin, about 10 years ago and spent time in the forest then. He was inspired by a story a local historian told him about spending a summer in the forest during WW2.

193avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:58 am


Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds (2021)
scifi
Revelation Space #4. Forgot I'd finished this audiobook last week. The first 3 books were published twenty years ago. I have to confess to only having vague recollections of characters as I read #3 ten years ago.
The story is exciting, the threat posed by "wolves" (a cybernetic entity) will see the extinction of the few remaining pockets of humans and hyperpigs in the universe. A team of brave enhanced humans go seeking an ultimate weapon.
Narrated by John Lee, a favourite of mine. I've started another of his trilogies, Poseidon's Children, Blue Remembered Earth but will have to restart as the narrator has an accent that I need to get used to. It's about a future world where Africa has become the dominant technological and economic power.

194avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:59 am


The No-Show by Beth O'Leary (2022)
romance
I really enjoyed this one. I was disappointed with her third book, The Road Trip but this one was far far better. About a charming guy and the three quite different women he is dating. As the story progresses a few unexpected twists gives the reader a greater understanding of the three relationships.
I read this in one sitting which gives me hope for my reading mojo.

195avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 3:59 am


Mara's stories : glimmers in the darkness by Gary Schmidt (2001)
folktales, Holocaust
I put this on my to read list back in 2011, I think it was because of Linda's review at the time. Excellent concept - a collection of Jewish folktales that have been adapted and retold. Each night in the concentration camp the mothers and children gather around Mara for her stories.
Schmidt includes notes on the source for each story and the how/why of the adaption. The cover illustration by Leonid Gore is particularly haunting.

196avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:00 am


Vidal: the autobiography by Vidal Sassoon (2010)
memoir
Vidal Sassoon (1928 – 2012). I read this to find out about Sassoon's early years, but also found the story of his business success quite fascinating. Sassoon's father abandoned the family when Sassoon was very young and his mother struggled to raise them in London's Petticoat Lane. The two brothers spent eight years in a Sephardhi Jewish orphanage, but were able to go back to their mother when she remarried.
She insisted on Sassoon becoming a hairdresser's apprentice when all he wanted was to be a professional footballer (he was a lifelong Chelsea supporter).
He joined the Group 43 which resisted against London's facists who emerged after WW2. He also went to Israel in 1948, joined the Palmach and fought in the Independence War.
Most of the book is about how the Sassoon hairdressing empire was built, beginning with opening his first salon in London's Bond St in 1954. He revolutionised haircutting with his architectural angular cuts and his wash n wear look. Sassoon didn't achieve all this on his own and he is effusive on how great the people he's worked with over the years have been.
A chapter is devoted to his many trips to Israel and his philanthropy which includes his long liaison with the Hebrew University and helping to found The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism (SICSA) with Yehuda Bauer.
43 Group: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/01/remembering-the-43-group
The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism (SICSA) - https://sicsa.huji.ac.il/

I came across Sassoon's name when I was researching about Group 43 after reading Martin Fletcher's The List.

197avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:00 am


The Lost Ryū by Emi Watanabe Cohen (2022)
children
A debut novel for children that features a Japanese boy, Kohei, and his new neighbour, Isolde, who is half Jewish American and half Japanese. Kohei is very excited to meet Isolde and her parents because they have a Western dragon and he's expecting a really big one, so is disappointed to see that her dragon, Cheshire, is smaller than his own little ryū, Yaharu. Cheshire is a Yiddish speaking dragon. The large dragons/ryū disappeared from Japan after World War Two and twenty years later Kohei would love to see a big dragon.
The set up is interesting though I was never totally captivated with the story. I love reading dragons and the idea of a little ryū that can cuddle up on your shoulder is endearing. There are Japanese phrases sprinkled through the text The book touches on the Japanese internment camps and the Holocaust as Isolde lost both sets of grandparents during war.

198avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:01 am


Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin (2015)
YA
This is an alternate history where Hitler and the Japanese have won the war. Each year there's an Axis Tour, a motorcycle race across the continents by German and Japanese teenagers. An exciting read with a brave heroine who is part of the resistance and must win the race in order to carry out the planned assassination of Hitler at the Victor's Ball. I've requested the sequel Blood for Blood from the library.

199avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:01 am


The Book of Wonders by Julien Sandrel (French 2018) (2019)
fiction
A lighter, charming read. Thelma is forced to reassess her life when her 12yr old son, Louis is put into an induced coma after an accident. She stumbles across his 'bucket list' and decides to do it for him in case he never can. In doing so she changes her own life forever.

200avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:02 am


The Family String by Denise Picton (2022)
fiction
This one pulled the heartstrings a fair bit. Dorcas is her mother's least favourite child and she is always blamed for any troubles. The children note each morning if it will be a 'Jesus' day, a 'head' day or a 'cross' day, depending on their mother's mood. Being Christadelphian means that taking medication is frowned upon and so the mother's depression is not treated, it's expected that praying to God and living a good Christian life will be enough.
Picton's debut novel and well worth seeking out. It's set in 1960s Adelaide.

201avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:02 am


Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey (1992)
scifi
Crystal Singer #3. Finished this trilogy. Enjoyed this one which follows Killashandra in her later years when the crystal singing is beginning to affect her memories.

202avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:02 am


Wild Jack by John Christopher (1974)
YA
Enjoyable dystopian adventure. My copy fell apart as I read but the story was good. A 23C future with walled cities, an elite society with inferior servants and savages living in the forests of the Outlands. Pampered Clive has never questioned his life, but then is wrongly accused and sent to an island detention centre for teenagers. John Christopher is a really good writer, I need to read his The Death of Grass.

203avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:03 am


The thousand Eyes of Night by Robert Swindells (1985)
childrens
This has scifi and horror elements to it, the baby mice the children find in a disused railway tunnel aren't actually mice. They also discover a skeleton in the tunnel and what's weird is that it has only been two days since the dead man was seen out and about.
I learnt a new slang word - 'prannock' - an idiot of epic proportions

204avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:03 am


Lily's Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live by Lily Ebert (2022)
memoir
98 year old Lily's story became a viral sensation during the Covid lockdowns in the UK when her great grandson, Dov, tweeted a picture of her holding a banknote signed by the first US Jewish soldier/rabbi she met after escaping from a forced march. Dov bet with her that the soldier would be identified within 24 hours, it only took 8 hours!
Her story along with her years of promoting Holocaust education is in this easily accessible book. Most chapters are by Lily telling her Holocaust story, her time in Israel after the war and the family shift to the UK for her husband's health. There are a couple by Dov, telling the present day story and of the aftermath of his viral tweet.
They were helped in writing this by Dr Lydia Syson and this very much helps the book by including events that were unfolding at the time of Lily's story as well in documenting present day Holocaust Remembrance. Lily is a founder member of the Holocaust Survivors Centre in London.
Dov is still in highschool, so his role in Lily's story is quite amazing, he knew how social media worked and made it all happen.
I've had to wait some months to read this as I joined the library queue late in the process and was about #135 in line for the book.

205avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:04 am


Springtime: a ghost story by Michelle de Kretser (2014)
novella
I read this for December's Asian Diaspora challenge. De Kretser left Sri Lanka at 14yrs for Australia. I've read a few of her novels and find them quite challenging literary reads.
This one was shorter, full of atmosphere and compelling. While out walking her dog, Frances often sees a woman wearing an old fashioned dress in an overgrown garden. Through the story we learn about Frances and her tidy life that is disrupted by visits by her young stepson.

206avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:04 am


The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (2022)
YA, fantasy

Scholomance #3. Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. My daughter read it before me even though she only started the trilogy a couple of weeks ago, while I had to wait 12 months between each book.
I've decided to go back to Novik's Temeraire series in the New Year.

207avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:05 am


My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 1 by Satoru Yamaguchi (2019)
manga
Not my ideal manga, just read it because my daughter enjoyed it. She'll continue but I'll leave it here. Apparently isekai manga genre is a popular thing - 'being reincarnated into a fantasy world'. So main character usually dies in a traffic accident on the first page.
'A high school girl is stunned to find herself reincarnated as the conniving villainess from her favorite dating sim game'

208avatiakh
Dez. 26, 2022, 4:05 am


Birdsong by Katya Balen (2022)
children
Another Barrington Stoke book for dyslexic or reluctant readers. Annie has been injured in a car accident and her fingers are no longer as flexible. This is devastating as she was a promising musician and flautist. She needs to get her confidence back, but is just angry with everything and everyone.
She then meets a new friend, Noah, a gentle boy who loves birds.
A lovely simple story.

209christina_reads
Dez. 27, 2022, 12:10 pm

Wow, good job on catching up with all those reviews! I agree with you about The No-Show -- I think it's my favorite O'Leary book since The Flatshare. Also, I hope you enjoy Temeraire in the new year...I revisited the series this year and loved the early books, though I got frustrated with the later ones.

210avatiakh
Dez. 27, 2022, 2:23 pm

>209 christina_reads: Thanks. This wasn't a stellar reading year for me, my early reading plans just didn't work out for me and I hit a reading funk big time.
I started back with all the manga reading.

I'm glad I picked up The No-show, the large print edition was sitting on the library shelves so I went for it. I had basically given up on her so was delighted that it was a good one.

211rabbitprincess
Dez. 27, 2022, 7:20 pm

Sorry you hit a reading funk! It’s so frustrating. Manga seems like a good way to get out of it, though. I tried a few manga series this year myself: Natsume’s Book of Friends, A Man and His Cat, and Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun.

212avatiakh
Dez. 28, 2022, 6:39 pm

>211 rabbitprincess: Oh I know those manga, mostly through my daughter. She's a fan of Natsume's BoF and watched the Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun anime. I read the first A man and his cat.

213avatiakh
Dez. 28, 2022, 6:39 pm


Day's End by Garry Disher (2022)
crime
Paul Hirschhausen #4. Latest in the series about a South Australian rural cop whose beat covers territory the size of Belgium. Each week he makes a sweep through remote areas to visit and maintain relationships with those living on isolated farms. This one starts with Hirsch accompanying a Belgium woman out to a sheep station where her backpacker son had been working before he lost contact.
Not the best entry imho mainly as it focuses on Covid dissidents and online misinformation and I already have had enough of all that through the media.
I do like how all the threads of the story start to tie in together as the book comes to an end, Disher is very good at this.

Only have one more book, Remote Sympathy, that I'd like to finish by year's end and it's very doable as long as I read a good chunk today.

214avatiakh
Dez. 30, 2022, 3:33 pm


Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey (2020)
fiction
It's described as a 'polyphonic novel of domestic drama and human connection set in and around a concentration camp in Germany during the second world war.'
The book is set around Buchenwald labour camp and told to us by three different first-person narrators - the camp administrator through his postwar interviews, an imaginary diary by his wife and the 1946 letters to his daughter by a doctor of Jewish ancestry who is an inmate of the camp. There are also short passages from the inhabitants of the nearby Weimar village.
An absorbing read, the Germans living beside such atrocity able to lead their calm lives by wilfully ignoring the truth that their eyes can see.
A good review here: https://www.anzliterature.com/anzl-review/remote-sympathy-by-catherine-chidgey/

This probably wraps my reading for the year, I have picked up a children's book, Emma Carroll's tribute to Eva Ibbotson, Escape to the River Sea but I'll probably use my time to set up my 2023 threads.

215pamelad
Dez. 30, 2022, 4:02 pm

>213 avatiakh: I always like Garry Disher's crime novels and enjoyed this one too, though it wasn't one of his best. My hypothesis is that he was stuck on the Mornington Peninsula and, just like the rest of us during the lockdowns, spending too much of his time doom scrolling and watching Dan Andrews' daily press conferences. Day's End seems to have collected every social problem in the Australian news over a year or so and deposited them in one tiny South Australian town.

Adding The Tilt to the wish list. I didn't much like Chris Hammer's first book, Scrublands, but this one sounds a lot better.

216avatiakh
Dez. 30, 2022, 7:38 pm

>215 pamelad: I also thought it was a bit too overloaded with Covid conspiracy. I feel like Hirsch needs to move on from this rural beat.

I've read all but one of Chris Hammer's books, I find them good escapist reads. Anyway I picked up Treasure & Dirt last night, the prologue is fairly gruesome.