The Night is for Hunting by John Marsden

Review by The Mole

This is the sixth book in the Tomorrow series and we start to see the story come to a head. There is just one more book to come in the series and here we see the team - reduced by casualties over the war - start to feel threatened in their own sanctuary - Hell. Having collected some 'feral' children along the way they are also encumbered by their responsibilities of protection.

Once again the story moves along at what is a surprisingly slow pace. Surprising because it's only when you look back after having read it that you realise all the real action was packed into just a few short pages. But it didn't feel that way at the time of reading.

The action, as always, feels very cinematic and very intense but I found myself less sympathetic or concerned about the characters. Fi tells Ellie how she has become hard and cold and while this is true she has also become less likeable too.

The scene is now set for the final book in the series and I cannot believe the end will bring that much of a surprise to the readers because, as with all good series, we expect the hero to come through and love to succeed. Marsden has, however, killed off a few characters along the way so will they ALL be standing at the end? We must wait and see - but not for long now as the final book comes out 7th November 2013.

Despite everything a most enjoyable read but don't leap into the series - if nothing else read book one for background but much happens in between so try reading them in series - you will enjoy it.

Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Teenage fiction

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Robin Hobb - author event

We've had rather a break from local Waterstones events, with holidays and family things clashing so it was lovely to be back there last night - especially as the author was fantasy writer Robin Hobb whose work includes the Farseer, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, Rain Wild Chronicles and Soldier Son series. 

Robin is over here from Washington state, USA  on a book tour of the UK, an appearance at Brighton World Fantasy Convention and then on for a quick visit to Sweden. Last night she was mainly talking about her new novella, The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince, which comprises two short stories set in the Farseer world but long before the events of the novels. It is a story which she said she'd had in mind for ten years, and made a number of attempts at, trying to find the right narrator or 'voice'. As she prefers writing in the first person, like a teller of stories to people huddled round the campfire or blazing hearth, getting this 'voice' right is all important. Before reading the opening to one of the stories, Robin gave thanks to the illustrator Jackie Morris who has designed many covers for her in the past but this time provided art-work appearing throughout the Wilful Princess.. and advised us all to check out Jackie's website for more wonderful art.

After the reading, the audience were invited to ask questions - ranging from ones about daily writing routines, to the magic systems and ecology of the worlds she creates, her influences (Tolkein), what she's reading (if she has the time), are any of her books likely to appear on screen and if so who would she cast (a young David Bowie as the Fool) - but I'm not going to share all her answers. Two things that interested me were her comment that despite the wishes of her readers, she feels compelled to only allow the characters to behave in ways that seem, well, within character and her 'go-back' file; if the plot calls for a person to be, say, hiding in a garden but discovered by his sneezing at flowers, she makes a note to go back and insert a flower-allergy for him earlier in the book (I've often wondered how writers managed this sort of thing).

a rapidly emptying table of books for sale

The end of the evening was, as is usual, a book signing and while many new books were sold, the snake of readers that went round three walls of the room included many people hugging treasured copies of books that they brought with them for Robin to sign as well as many new copies.

Another excellent evening from Waterstones Nottingham - but check your local book shop for events near you.
 

A Sixpenny Song by Jennifer Johnston

review by Maryom

When Annie's father dies she isn't exactly heart-broken, in fact mildly inconvenienced might be a better description of her feelings. With her mother having died while Annie was still a child and with breaking free from her domineering father when he refused to allow her to go to university, Annie has had nothing to tie her to home and hasn't returned in over ten years. Even so, she decides the right thing to do is head back to Dublin for her father's funeral. Back there, she discovers things aren't quite as she imagined - by leaving Annie the house where she grew up, her father seems to still be trying to direct her life, but she starts to discover that their family history was not quite as she's imagined and that maybe, just maybe, her father wasn't quite the man she'd thought he was.

A Sixpenny Song is a short but satisfying tale of family secrets that packs a bigger punch than might be expected of its size, just under 200 pages. In some ways the story is one of those 'must face the past before you can build a future' tales but not in a lazy formulaic way. The characters are real, stand-alone people, that I felt I got to know as the story, and their stories, unfolded. I loved the way it took the world as seen through Annie's childhood memories and turned it on its head. Children see the grown-up world around them from a slanted, biased stand-point; they like the people who let them do as they wish, and dislike those who try to impose order and rules. Being distanced from her father, first at boarding school then in self-imposed exile in London, Annie has had no chance to gradually revise her opinions as she's grown older - which is why so many surprises lie in wait for her back in Dublin.

A charming, engaging read, great for winter evenings.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher -  Tinder Press
Genre - Adult fiction, literary

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Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye

review by Maryom

New York, 1846; Timothy Wilde, a 'copper star' in the newly formed New York police force, is drawn into a maze of almost unbelievable greed and corruption when Lucy Adams reports her family missing. For they haven't merely disappeared but been taken by 'blackbirders', slave traders who not only track down missing slaves from the Southern States but also abduct free black people of the North and ship them south to slavery. The system of justice in place offers virtually no protection to these people, so how can Timothy help them?

Seven for a Secret is an excellent historical crime story which brings the disreputable side of mid-1840s New York fascinatingly to life. It has an excellent twist and turn plot, supported by lots of historical detail about slave-traders, abolitionists and everyday New York life, which informs the reader without clogging up the story line. I definitely came away with a new insight into attitudes towards the culture of slave-owning and exploitation.Timothy himself, for a hard-nosed street cop, seemed a little naive about the realities of his world, but I suppose this helps in explaining things to the reader.
I only had one hassle with it - I really struggled with the writing style. The story is told in the first person from Timothy Wilde's viewpoint and in the (presumed) style of the period which I found hard-work and cumbersome; it wasn't the scattering of 'flash' slang - most of that makes sense in context and for the bits that don't, there's a glossary, but the overall delivery. I expected to get used to it but didn't, finding it as heavy going at the end as at the start. Otherwise I found it an excellent historical crime novel.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Headline
Genre - Adult historical crime thriller, slavery 

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Dinosaur Scramble By Jeanne Willis

Illustrated by Arthur Robins
Review by The Mole

Darwin is to have a little brother or sister shortly because his mother has laid an egg. But is it the right egg? And then Flint, the t-rex, kidnaps the egg so Darwin's mum must prepare his wedding feast? Can Darwin sort it out? Can anyone sort it out? Can you not laugh at their attempts?

Darwin's family takes the concept of a dysfunctional family and makes even more dysfunctional. Jeanne Willis also manages to do it in a way that adults, while reading aloud, will get a lot out of too. Genuinely laugh out loud at lots of times and totally unpredictable to the last, these Downtown Dinosaur books are really wonderful books that will delight both girls and boys equally.

But let's not forget those all important  illustrations by Arthur Robins with each one complementing the story line and adding to the humour - ace!

Another great children's read!

Publisher - Piccadilly Press
Genre - Children's 8+, Fiction

Buy Downtown Dinosaurs: Dinosaur Scramble from Amazon

World Food Cafe Quick and Easy by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott

review by Maryom

Chris and Carolyn Caldicott took a break from running their World Food Cafe in Covent Garden and went on a trip in search of new recipes - not just the fortnight or month-long trip of the average holiday-maker, though. They travelled by boat through Burma, Laos and Bangladesh, on foot through Chile and Bhuttan, with reindeer herds in Lapland, on quad bikes and by plane in Namibia, by rickshaw in Vietnam,on the bullet train in Japan, a 1950s Oldsmobile in Cuba and went on a road trip through history in Syria - the sort of trip that most of us could only dream of! And then, there's the foodie ideas they came home with, which after all was the reason for the trip.

It's an eye-catching book with a lime green and shocking pink cover as vibrant as the food within. The book is divided into sections for each country visited - with lots of photos of the places, people and food.  Each country's section starts with a description of the Caldicotts' travels and a general introduction to the cuisine of the region, followed by recipes. Most of these use familiar everyday vegetables in totally unexpected ways - a leek and broad bean dish from Bangladesh, a Bhutan recipe for asparagas or a potato and mushroom bake from Namibia. There are recipes for salads, stews, snacks, breads, desserts and drinks - all vegetarian, though how anyone would miss meat with these dishes I don't know. The emphasis, as you may guess from the title, is on quick and easy cookery rather than fiddly and complicated and, as far as I can tell from merely reading, they live up to that description - most seem to involve popping a few ingredients in a pan, simmering or frying for a while, maybe adding a last-minute extra - and that's it!

I've two minor gripes - I'd have liked to see nutritional info for the recipes and the index only gives the names of dishes, not the ingredients, so it isn't easy to find a recipe for, say, chickpeas or broccoli.
 
As well as being a delight to browse through, I can imagine that this will become a well-used, well-thumbed cookbook.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - cookery, travel

Buy World Food Cafe: Quick and Easy: Recipes from a Vegetarian Journey from Amazon

Here Come The Creatures by Wes Magee

Illustrated by Lorna Scobie

Review by The Mole

With more than 100 books of poetry for children and 6 for adults, Wes Magee is clearly an author appreciated by all age groups but adored by children. But what's not to like?

This collection includes 'The Bestest Bear Song' which has become a real classic and one of my all time favourites.

The poems are all just a few verses long with a catchy rhythm and regular rhyme but also a lot have a large injection of humour or nonsense - the way children really love their poetry. Many are observational and mood setting while some tell a story but all having a lot of appeal for younger readers and showing that poetry is totally accessible to them. Aimed at Key Stage One this collection is for the very young reader.

But let's not ignore those  lovely simple illustrations by Lorna Scobie - I know that as a child the illustrations were something that drew me to poetry books and said "read me".

A really fabulous book to be read and shared (with lots of possible actions) or simply read alone (I mean the young ones, but why not you if you can get your hands on it?)

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's poetry, early reader (5+)

Buy Here Come the Creatures! from Amazon