Top 10 for 2012

As I said in the last blog post, I wanted to do my highlights of 2012. Now I’m going to start off by saying that these are not necessarily books published this year, but I read them this year and so they have helped make up my Year of Reading.

I understand that the year isn’t over, but If I read anything stand out between now and New Year I’ll be sure to let you know.

I figured I’d give you my Top 10. Now, these are only in a loose order, it can be very hard to rank several different kinds of genius, and so I’ll do my best.

# 10

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

This is a tame book for a David Almond Title, but for me, that will give it more general appeal. It’s quirky, fun, and tender at its core. There is one passage that won me over. He basically describes techniques writers use to tell stories, to jump from place to place and back and forth in time, while actually telling you the story! It was brilliant! I’d quote it, but it goes on for a few pages, so I’ll let you read it for yourself.

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Tales From The Tower Vol 1: The Wilful Eye Edited by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab

Is this my type of thing? Yes, absolutely! I love me some fairy tales and their adaptations So I've been hanging out to read this since its beautiful cover started gracing bookstores with its presence.

I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm not terribly versed in the world of short stories, and the cover leads us to believe that the stories inside are all magical, mystical - fantasy in every sense. Were they quite that? I'm not sure. They certainly had a fantasy vein running through them, I mean they're all re-workings of fairy tales, how could they not have? But I found myself having very mixed reactions.

The contributors were:

Margo Lanagan - Catastrophic Disruption of the Head (Retelling of The Tinderbox)
Isobelle Carmody - Moth's Tale (Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin)
Rosie Borella - Eternity (Retelling of The Snow Queen)
Richard Harland - Heart of the Beast (Retelling of Beauty and the Beast)
Margaret Mahy - Wolf Night (Retelling of Babes in the Woods)
Martine Murry - One Window (Retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier)


Of these authors, I have read the most of Margo Lanangan. In fact, other than some of Margaret Mahy's picture books, I haven't read anything by any of the other authors. So perhaps I was a little more used to Margo's style, but talk about opening with a bang!

Catastophic Disruption of the Head deals with the corruption of the soul that can come with sudden wealth and power. I won't explain everything about it, that is done in an eloquent way in the Afterward, but I will say that it is a thoughtful and powerful retelling. It sets the story in any of the recent contemporary wars and also deals with how western culture can corrupt as well as the violence of war. As far as 'saying something' with the short story, this one takes the cake from this collection. It is confronting at the capabilities of humans in extraordinary situations.

Moth's Tale was pretty and nice, but didn't engage me as I hoped a Rumpelstiltskin retelling would. It had the feel of a fantasy / fairy tale story but never came alive for me. The constant list of alternate endings also was a little too Meta for my liking. But it was a nice read.

Eternity was the biggest disappointment for me, which was a shame, but I'll tell you why. The Snow Queen is my all time favourite fairy tale. Some days I can articulate why and others all I know is I love it with all my heart and it makes me feel wonderful. Therefore, I had high expectations. (perhaps too high - too unfair). But the one thing about The Snow Queen that stands out from so many other fairy tales is that it is Gerda, the girl, who goes on the adventure and saves the day, it is her steadfast love and care for her friend that gets her through every obstacle she comes across. The Gerda in this story does go on the adventure, and manages to save Kai, but I felt that she was such a weak character! Not weak as in written poorly, but weak as in was constantly controlled and persuaded by everyone she met, she was whiny inside her own head and really irked me. Now, that might just me my reaction, but I'm entitled to it. I should say that I really like the alternate 'Sydney' universe setting and the inclusion of the 'Eternity Man', they were really nice touches.

Heart of the Beast was, I think, my favourite of the six. It was a sensuous and vivid retelling that captured the essence of the original story, kept the setting and feel delightfully 'fairy tale', but introduced some contemporary sensibilities. The ending was changed, but still managed to stay true, but was beautifully done. I loved it! Then how they chose to stay in the humble house rather than the giant chateau really finished on a great note for me. Another thing about fairy tales which sometimes gets to me is that people are happy when they are rich and have everything they would ever want. Now, I have no experience in being rich or having everything I could want, so maybe I can't really say, but I do love a story where people are happy with less. It both reinforces that my happiness despite my lack of wealth is justified and that there is hope for its longevity.

Wolf Night was great. It was the only story where I hadn't read the original. And I really liked it - except that the characters discussed how their adventure was just like 'Babes in the Woods'. Again, this 'Meta' element detracted, rather than added to the story. It was a fantastic realisation of an urban landscape as a setting for a fairy tale story.

And Finally, One Window really brought The Steadfast Tin Soldier to life. The characters were colourful and engaging and I could see them all before me. And I loved how it all tied up in the end, with the dancing princess and Soldier meeting and why and how etc.

Over all, this was a great read! As with every collection of short stories by different authors there were ups and downs, but they all fit together really well!

I cannot wait till I get a chance to read Vol 2!

 

4 Gold Stars

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JudgeABook Revisited: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Guess what, I've read it! After nearly two years of its beauty staring at me from the bookshelf, I've read it! and Oh, how I loved it!.

As this is a revisited post, you can all refresh your memories on this book, and my relationship with it's cover in the original JudgeABook post: HERE.

So this has been a long time coming, and while I would say it's worth the wait, it's only worth the wait if it is forced upon you. As in, if it hadn't been published and you knew it was coming... Sadly, I must hang my head in shame; I owned it for so long and have nothing but a dusty pile of excuses to cling to.

I can strongly recommend this beautiful book! it is heart wrenching, and honest. Uncomfortable in places and so homely in others. I just melted in its magic.

I would have to say that the opening is difficult. Difficult and harrowing. But it makes sense eventually. And you must get past that point where you feel like saying 'I'm only 20 pages in and it's already like this, I'm just going to stop there.' because in another 20 pages you'll have broken through to the beauty that was born of such ugliness.

I always wondered why I thought so much about this book, sitting on my shelf, when I knew little of the author and nothing other than the cover. I don't think I even read the blurb on the back in all those years. But now its as if my subconscious is saying, see, I knew it would be important.

And it is important. To me as a reader, to me as a writer. It has shown me something that is too easily left out of young adult books, and handled in entirely different ways by 'grown-up' fiction. It is the cross over that belongs in both sections and definitely has found a home on my shelf.

If you read my review of Sea Hearts, you'll know that I was somewhat critical of the spineless, powerless, crewel males of that book. I have since come to terms with them as a whole in the context of the story after a fantastic Book Club meeting where Margo was present and all perspectives were discussed. However, 20 pages into Tender Morsels, at that point of 'Do I go on?' I found myself wondering will there be any redeemable male in this book. I am please to tell you yes. YES! Davit Ramstrong is the best of men. I was so strongly moved by him (of course among others - there were many equally moving females) I think I fell in love a little.

Now I have so many short stories to look forward to (I've only read a handful of one of her 4 or 5 collections) and I'm looking forward to being inspired and challenged; as a reader, and as a writer.

5 Gold Stars

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Other JudgeABook posts

Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

So this is how it went for me and Margo Lanagan: I had a long-standing love affair from a-far with Tender Morsels which you can read about HERE, which sadly remains unresolved, as I haven't got around to reading it yet.

Then, last semester, her collection of short stories 'White Time' was a set text for my masters subject. I liked what I read there, I liked that I had to fit myself into each story like someone doing advanced yoga of the mind. But alas, Tender Morsels still waved, sadly-unread, from my shelf.

Then there was the release of Sea Hearts AND the possibility of meeting Margo at an event at Better Read Than Dead, a beautiful bookshop in Newtown where a friend of mine works as the Children's specialist. What was I to do? I'll tell you what: I got my hands on a copy, forced myself to take a break from work reading (it was well timed really) then Sea Hearts jumped the queue. I had accepted the invitation to the event, so I knew I had to have it read.

The plan was to read Tender Morsels as well, so I could seem switched on and genuine in my apparent fandom. Because, lets face it, despite having only read some of her short stories last year, I have thought of Margo Lanagan as an author that I love for years. (it might have something to do with the jacket of Tender Morsels - See the other post) But I know I loved the idea of her.

This has turned into a rather long pre-amble for my review of this book, I know. But partly the time it took me to read it is needed to explain how I felt about it. I read each night when I climb into bed. It's the one time of the day I can guarantee myself the time to read. Unfortunately, I picked a time to read Sea Hearts when I was particularly exhausted from work and life in general. One thing I discovered when I picked up this book is it's the kind of writing that you sort-of need to pay attention to (not quite as hard as the aforementioned mind-yoga, but still) and this is difficult to do when your eyes are struggling to stay open as it is. Therefore, it took me much longer to get through this book than I had hoped. (then along comes reading for work again, and unless I can read three books in the next 2 days, there no chance of be even attempting to start Tender Morsels before the event on Wednesday.)

Enough already! I hear you sighing, tell us about the book! Ok, here it goes:

It's a moving re-work/fleshing-out of the Selkie legends from the regions of the far-North Atlantic Ocean. Now I had only a passing/second hand knowledge of these legends, so for me, it read like a well thought out fantasy. I can see how others who know the tales better would enjoy it even more than I did. Margo Lanagan's writing is superb. She doesn't fluff around, but fills her prose with the magic of time and place. Her conviction to the story she is telling is striking. This is a book for anyone who loves a tale of love, loss and a spot of magic.

I feel like I have to say, though, that as a male reader, I felt appalled at the state of men in this book. Every single female character was wronged at the hands of a male, and absolutely none of the men had any redeeming characteristics, save for one pre-pubescent boy who devised a way to help his mother. I understand that in the context of the story that the sea-wives were enchanting, but I would have loved to see at least one man resist. As you do with books, I put myself in their shoes and asked: What of a gay man? would he be equally beguiled? (Although I must admit that the Seal King magiked into a man was rather steamy...) Or are all men destined to hurt the women in their lives and rely on their young sons to make amends on their behalf?

That said, I loved reading this. There was a sequence in it that was one of the most exciting-cannot-put-down-what's-going-to-happen things I've read in at least 6 months (and I've read a lot in that time). It's a beautiful novel that reveals the devastating effects of taking things from where they naturally belong for your own personal gain.

I really need to stop writing now, so I can go and read and hopefully - finally - find the time to read Tender Morsels.

4.5 Gold Stars

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TopographicalFeature: Sea Hearts - Margo Lanagan

Something You'd See In The Sky:

Creepy Crawly:

Type Of House:

Something You'd Carry In Your Pocket, Purse, or Backpack:

Something You'd Find On A Calendar:

JudgeABook: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Welcome to the inaugural post of my new series called JudgeABook that is all about the cover. You can read all about where this came from HERE.

Let's jump straight into it:

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

(In the rules, I've said that you should only write one sentence about how the cover made you react, but I'm going to expand a bit.)

When I first saw this book, I was riveted by it. I visit a lot of book shops and I think 2 or 3 of them had it in stock and every time I went back I would find myself picking this one up and just looking at it. I'm pretty sure it was a long time before I even read the back cover. In any event, after 6 months of periodic gazing at it, I finally bought it, still knowing very little of what the book was about. I have now owned it for almost a year, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. It even has a spot on my coveted spinner (one of the beautiful, wooden Vintage Classics ones I scored from one of my old jobs) which is in my lounge room and reserved for my favourite books as that's the shelf that gets browsed by visitors. But there it is, it's gorgeous cover staring at me while I watch TV. 

A while into my affair with this cover image, a friend of mine told me it's a Shaun Tan cover! Amazed, I looked in the publishing details and lo an behold, there it is, copyright Shaun Tan. I basked in the confirmation of my own good taste. Later, when he released The Bird King, I would discover a preliminary sketch of this very cover image. 

In all honesty, the amount I think about this book, I cannot believe I haven't read it yet. Maybe I'll select it for my choice next time for Bookclub. 

But that's enough of that. I'm sure you can see by now how I feel about this cover. On to part 3!

Rather than a synopsis, I think I'll write a glimpse of the story that the cover tells me.

The time she had spent in that forest would surely be coming to an end soon. Scratched and bruised, she clung to her friend who had been more humane to her than the man she had fled. Tear-matted fur stuck to her face; she could feel the setting sun on her back, falling beyond the reach of the trees (for the last time?). The wrath of an ignorant man is a terrible thing; too ready to trample and claim. She shivered as the last of the light died on a barcoded horizon. Was this the price of love? 

Cover Rating:

5 Gold Stars

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Other JudgeABook posts.