Shall We Dance? by Maggie Alderson

Shall We Dance? is a bit of a departure from Maggie Alderson’s other novels – the protagonist, Loulou Landers is -gasp!- almost 49 with an adult daughter. I’m not sure who this book is targeted to – ladies in that age range or the age range of her daughter. It took me a while to get used to, reading about a character that is not much younger than my mum. Theo, Loulou’s daughter is 21 and obsessed with chain store shopping, which really didn’t fit in with me either.

Happily, Alderson’s characters are very interesting. There’s Chard, the ageing rock star and Keith the gay best friend. Then there’s Beaney, CEO of chain store West Wind and Mark, a young man with a taste for the older ladies.

In terms of plot, it’s quite simple: the mother-daughter relationship and the question of age and relationships. Loulou seems to spend quite a lot of the first half of the book trying to set up Theo, as she is single-mindedly concerned that Theo has never had a boyfriend. I found this really shallow that in this day and age, that was all Loulou cared about. Not Theo’s happiness or career, but having a partner, going to the extreme of having a matchmaking party with like-minded friends. This is not the modern woman!

Fortunately for Theo, Loulou’s focus then turns to her birthday and Mark, who happens to be young, a great dance partner and madly in love with her. The issue of being a cougar is raised, there’s an awkward birthday party, some dramatic moments and all is right with the world again.

There’s a lot of description of clothes in this book (as Loulou owns a vintage shop) and Theo’s textspeak diary entries could get on your nerves.

This book, while light and interesting, didn’t really fit with me. I strongly believe in women being more than just boyfriend material and at this stage in my life, I’m not really interested in reading about the problems of women with adult children.

Read it if: you’ve ever contemplated being a cougar

7 out of 10.

You Know Me by Chris Heath and Robbie Williams

I should really make my confession here and now: I really like Robbie Williams, so of course I was going to buy this book. I have read Feel (his autobiography released some years ago) and thoroughly enjoyed it. What’s not to like about a man who says things like ‘I want to learn how to play the Effexor’? (Like most medical jokes, that one is not even remotely funny).

You Know Me is predominantly a photographic book of the first twenty (yes, twenty!) years of Robbie’s career from Take That to solo to Take That again. It is divided into chapters with several pages of text, then photos and Robbie’s take on them. Robbie is still amusing as ever and Chris Heath has a talent in getting the reader into (what we think at least) the mind of the real Robbie. It’s an easy read, be wannabe Mrs Williams’s beware: there are multiple references to his ‘missus’, Ayda Field. (My take: as long as you’re happy Robbie).

The photos are fantastic – Robbie in Egypt with beard (completely unrecognisable), photos on tour (some good memories) and the text gives insight into what was going on.

This is for the fans, but it’s an enjoyable, light holiday read. The photos are spectacular (my camera wouldn’t have been able to do this justice) – the only bugbear for me was the cover picture (see below) with Robbie’s eyes following me around the room!

Read it if: you love Robbie.

8.5 out of 10.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

When you open a book to find a list of characters and who they all are in relation to each other, you know you’re in for a big read. Even just looking at this huge book (all 985 pages of it, which is rather difficult to lift casually with one hand) made me realise it wouldn’t be the type of book I could read in a few days. However, it was certainly worth it.

Fall of Giants is the first in the Century trilogy and the second and third books will be released in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Each book will deal with a war and the same set of characters and their descendants. So it is worth learning that list of characters after all!

This book deals with the First World War, but eases the reader in slowly to the events leading to the war from the English, German, American and Russian sides. I have never come across a better explanation of the events from the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (not just a band) to full blown war. It was written so well and in an interesting fashion that it didn’t seem like boring old history. The book then continues into through WWI, broken down into months or days when something significant happens. It covers all aspects of the war – soldiers on each side and family at home sensitively.

The characters are also memorable – from English Maud, who falls in love with German Walter, to Grigori, the Russian soldier trying to achieve his dream. Each character is drawn well and I found that I rarely needed to refer to the list of characters at the front of the book. Real historical characters, such as Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill, also appear and interact with the fictional ones.

If I had to find a fault in this book (apart from the weight), it would be that it is more slow moving than A Dangerous Fortune but it is unfair to make the comparison. The slow build really does set the scene and reinforces the characters in your mind.

I really enjoyed this book and I hope that the next one comes soon, although I think I’ll buy it as an ebook!

Read it if: you want an in depth account of the First World War from multiple sides and memorable characters.

9 out of 10.

Every Eye by Isobel English

Every Eye has the distinction of being the first Persephone book I have read. The Persephone books can be easily distinguished by their grey covers and lovely end papers, taken from the period in which the book was written. I do suggest looking at their website, but beware – you may fall in love with these beautiful books and want to collect them all!

This book was a surprising library find for me – surprising because a) I’m in Australia, a long long way from Persephone Books and b) my library is generally not known for fiction other than very popular bestsellers and romances.

Back to the book – the book contains an introduction by the author’s husband, which sets the background of the book. The book is told in both the past and the present – the present being the protagonist’s honeymoon with her younger husband and the past being a more unsuitable liaison as a younger woman. The past is triggered by Hattie learning about the death of her Aunt Cynthia as well as returning to Ibiza on her honeymoon. It can be a little difficult at first to work out if it’s in the past or present (no changes of fonts here) but the book rolls along in its beautiful, gentle prose. It conjures beautiful images in a gentle manner and the reader slowly learns more about Hattie and her history all in good time.

This is a short read but demands your attention to take in all that is going on.

Read it if: you enjoy restrained fiction that opens your eyes (think Revolutionary Road)

7 out of 10.

The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa

I’ve often been tempted to try Yoko Ogawa’s books – my work colleague has repeatedly told me that The Housekeeper and The Professor is a must read and I’ve picked up her books in bookshops many times, yet put them back due to price. I was pleasantly surprised that my local library had a copy of The Diving Pool not only on the shelf but in a condition that suggested nobody’s lunch had ever been spilled on it! (Always a bonus).

The Diving Pool contains three novellas and can easily be read in a day. The first story, The Diving Pool, is about a girl who lives with many foster brothers and sisters. Every day, she watches her foster brother practise diving. Unfortunately, she is not as nice to her other siblings…

The second story, The Pregnancy Diaries, is a diary of a young woman living with her sister and her brother-in-law. The diary starts as the sister announces she is pregnant, but the sister has all sorts of strange things going on…

The final story, Dormitory, is about a young woman about to depart for Sweden. She reminisces to her cousin about her college days in a dormitory. He goes to live there when he starts college, but mysterious things are happening. The caretaker is a triple amputee and the students are disappearing…

All three stories are written beautifully and sparsely, leaving you to make up your own mind to what may have actually happened. All facets of human nature are laid bare from jealousy to cruelty. There’s an element of the gothic or horror to each story. When trying to explain this book to a friend, her response was ‘you read weird stuff’ but I think Japanese literature is a lot more brutally honest in its assessment of the human psyche.

I look forward to reading one of Ogawa’s novels soon.

Read it if: you enjoy the slightly creepy and can handle people doing strange things.

8 out of 10.

I read this as part of the Hello Japan! January Mini-Challenge, which was to try something Japanese that I haven’t before. Yoko Ogawa was a new author for me, with a great result!

Himalaya by Michael Palin

Everyone knows by now that I really enjoy Michael Palin’s travel diaries of his TV series (even though I have read more of the books rather than watch the series). Himalaya has spent some time on the bestseller list and it’s easy to see why. Palin and crew cover areas that the average person would be unlikely to visit and give you a warts and all experience, including what it feels like to have altitude sickness and meet the Dalai Lama.

I haven’t seen the TV series of this one, but I bet it’s majestic. The pictures in my copy covered spectacular scenery, as well as scenes from a different lifestyle (eg. catching fish and putting them down the front of your shirt). Once again, Palin’s style of writing is easy to read and easily transports you from your comfy chair to Nepal, Pakistan or Mt Everest. He is honest about when he’s not really liking something (like a bad cold going up to Everest) and truly delightful when he enjoys the experience.

I think I’m fairly unlikely to visit any of the areas Palin visited any time soon (my travel desires revolve around Europe, south east Asia and North America at present) but at least I can sound intelligent about the area thanks to Michael!

Read it if: you’re an armchair travel or are saving for your next trip. It’s not full of Monty Python references (sadly).

8 out of 10.

Naked Cruelty by Colleen McCullough

Naked Cruelty is the third in a series starring Captain Carmine Delmonico, detective in the Holloman police in the 1960s. The first book was the excellent On, Off, a truly creepy thriller, followed by Too Many Murders that had me throwing my hands up in the air in despair at the conclusion. (It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt really sorry for Carmine).

Naked Cruelty doesn’t continue with the murder theme from Too Many Murders. It starts with a series of rapes (described rather graphically) on women in Carew, a suburb of Holloman. One of the ways to combat the rapist is a walking club, the Gentlemen Walkers, walking the streets at night to protect the women from the ‘Dodo’ rapist. Are they hiding a rapist in their midst?

Add in a giant glass teddy bear, a pair of strangely acting twins, a kidnapping and guns found at the local school and you think Carmine must be in over his head. On top of that, he has a lot of bureaucracy to deal with – Helen, the wayward new recruit and others that are trying desperately to swim against the tide.

As always, Colleen McCullough writes a gripping crime story with many threads. Some seemed to be better ‘fleshed out’ than others (eg. the guns in the school doesn’t rate much of a mention and is tied up very quickly) but it’s easy to follow. Once again, the conclusion had me throwing my hands in the air – such an ending! I won’t give it away for you, but poor Carmine. He never seems to get a break.

This is very different from The Thorn Birds and also The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (thank goodness). This series does not need to be read in order, but I’d suggest On, Off as the first book to read, as it’s the strongest. 

Read it if: you like fast paced crime set in the past.

7.5 out of 10.

LibraryThing Secret Santa

I know I’m a bit late with this one, but I just wanted to share my LibraryThing Secret Santa present from the lovely kismoody with you! Despite horrific weather conditions, the present landed on my doorstep just after New Year, so a present on its own was extra special!

I was lucky enough to receive two books, including my first Persephone!

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day looks fantastic. I’ll share what the end papers look like when I’ve read the book.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt looks like it will satisfy my need for a Southern USA book after enjoying The Help and Gone With the Wind (one of my favourite books). Isn’t the cover gorgeous?

Thank you kismoody for such thoughtful choices! My best Secret Santa present ever!

Book Blogger Hop: 14-17/1/11

An all new hop for the new year! I hope you’re enjoying 2011.

This week’s question is from Barb who blogs at Sugarbeat’s Books:

Why do you read the genre that you do?  What draws you to it?

I actually read quite a few different genres from historical fiction, modern fiction, mysteries/crimes, chick lit, travel memoirs, biographies, literature (classic and contemporary), books in translation…the list goes on. I can’t really pin myself to one genre for the rest of my life, I like to switch. For example, I’m reading Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants at the moment and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, so the next books I read won’t by historical fiction or a classic!

What draws me to all these? I suppose it’s a need for variety and change. You can learn so much from books and I want to know it all!

Do you stick to a particular genre or do you hop around like me?

Have a good weekend!

Mad Men: The Illustrated World by Dyna Moe

Mad Men: The Illustrated World is an official book based on the international hit TV series (which screens on SBS in Australia and some channel on pay TV. I obviously do not have pay TV otherwise I’d know more!). As the title suggests, it’s illustrated by Moe herself (very cool name, by the way).

The characters of Mad Men are instantly recognisable in their illustrations from Don to Betty to Roger and Joan. They capture that kitsch 60’s feel.

Mad Men fans will recognise this scene from Season 3 – how do you know if your stewardess is keen on you?

The written content I feel is a bit of a let down. It’s a mixture of recipes from the 60s, ironic attempts at humour that didn’t work for me (however, I’m not a big fan of American style humour. Give me Monty Python or Shaun Micallef). Some things are giggle worthy (eg. Make Your Own Folk Song) and I’m still wondering if I’m actually meant to cut out the Joan paper dolls (which are beautifully done).

This is cute, but it’s a better library read than purchase. I’m disappointed- the series is great but this feels forced at times.

6.5 out of 10.