The Catwings Series by Ursula K Le Guin and S.D. Schindler

   

Ursula K Le Guin is one of the authors I consider one of my favourites. Her Earthsea series is absolutely amazing and I particularly love her lesser known series ‘The Annals from the Western Shore’. Something about those sweeping fantasies moves me incredibly.

But this review isn’t about those books. This is about a little series called Catwings that I discovered in my bookshop days. I bought them on the spot (well three of the four – all that was in available at the time) and sat them proudly next to her young adult books on my shelf. At that time, while I wanted to own these little chapter books, I didn’t read that sort of thing very much, so they have sat, untouched, for 6 or 7 years now. These days, I know the joy a well written chapter book can bring, so one night when I finished reading a more substantial sci-fi, I got out of bed and went and got them and read all three in a row.

What are they about? Cats with wings. Couldn’t you tell?

Why do they have wings?

“Mrs Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings.” - The first sentence of the first book. But, it is unimportant. We grow with the kittens, learning to use their wings, trying to survive in the city. Then Jane sends her children away to find a safer place to live. That’s when the adventures begin.

These are gentle fantasy chapter books for imaginative children, especially if they like cats.

In each book we meet a new friend and come up against a new challenge.

I must admit I wasn’t as profoundly moved by them as I have been by her other writings, but I believe she achieved her goal with these books. They really are charming.

3.5 Silver Stars

Find them on Goodreads:

Catwings

Catwings Return

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings

Jane On Her Own

 9, 10, 11/40

The Penalty by Mal Peet

Mal Peet is an amazing writer. He writes the most fascinating stories about basic subject matter that I would usually have no interest in. Keeper is predominantly about football/soccer, I'm not into sport in any way, yet I loved this book. Life: An Exploded Diagram is set during the cold war/Cuban missile crisis, I love me some ancient history, but modern has never been as engaging, yet this book totally blew my mind. So when it came to reading the 'next' in the 'Paul Faustino' series I was ready to put aside my dislike of sport once more because I knew I was going to get a great story none the less.

And I was right. If anything, this book has a lot less actual soccer in it than Keeper did, as this focuses more on the kidnapping of soccer star and the religion and voodoo that it is wrapped up in. Almost a half of the book is set in the 1800s, telling the story of a slave captured and brought to South America who ends up becoming a powerful spiritual leader. This same faith is the root of the kidnapping and the strange goings-on in San Juan, a city in an imaginary South American country.

I loved the two stories and how they intertwined, never really stating with any finality whether the spiritual happenings were real, or not. Leaving it to our own beliefs to decide.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Mal Peet's books, if you haven't read any, you should amend that!

4 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

8/40

Hansel and Gretel by Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark

What is it?

Hansel and Gretel

Who wrote it?

Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark

Where can it be found?

Bookshops/Libraries (individual story)

Adaptation?

Yes – To a degree

My thoughts in exactly 10 words:

All the misfortune is caused by one single wicked witch.

Lips Touch - Three Times by Laini Taylor

This book was recommended to me by a friend who shares many of my tastes. She showed it to me in a shop, taking care to point out the stunning production value of the hardback edition and the beautiful illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo. I don't even think she had read it yet, but for some reason I bought it only to have it become shamefully neglected among the hundreds (simply too many) books that I own and haven't read yet.

Well, now I've read it, and why did I leave it so long?!?! It was fantastic!

It is a collection of three stories that each explore a different style of mythology. Not strictly, mind you, but that's the beauty of a fiction writer, they can take any inspiration they like and create their own world. And that is exactly what Laini Taylor has done, created three separate but vivid worlds. In the author's note she says "Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more." But she points out she is no scholar, nor should she be; this is not non-fiction.

What it is, however, is brilliantly written! Even though paranormal romance can bore me silly at times, right from the beginning the quality of her writing had me lapping it up. I should clarify: these stories aren't strictly paranormal romance. In fact, they would be better described as mythology based fantasy. But in each story, a kiss, or lips touching, plays something of a key part.

The three stories each begin with a series of illustrations that provide a visual prologue for the story to come.

Goblin Fruit

Spicy Little Curses

Such As These

Hatchling

REALLY good! Very worth reading!

All the time I was reading it, Laini Taylor's name was playing somewhere in the back of my mind as being familiar somehow. When I sat down to write this blog, I realised where from: she's the author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone which people have been raving about for months AND I was given a copy of for Christmas. So now I'm even more excited to read it because I know how good an author she is! I wonder where I'll find the time to squeeze it in.

4.5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

6/40

Kenny And The Dragon Tony DiTerlizzi

As part of the challenge for 2012 to read books that I've had for ages and never read (see below), I've been working through the shelf where I keep most of my hardbacks (good a place as any to start).

So, this cute little book was nestled in amongst them and was selected.

It was really nice. From time to time it's great to read a book in which nothing terrible happens. I guess I read a bit much dystopian fiction... but that's why books like this one are a welcome break from all the angst.

At the beginning we're introduced to Kenny, who loves books more than anything and always has his nose in a book despite his parents' attempts to get him to notice the real world from time to time. (I wonder who that sounds like?)

Then his father rushed in one evening, panicking, saying that they had to move immediately as there was a dragon living on the hill behind their house. Kenny's mother (very sensibly) says that they can't possibly move at that minute because dinner was nearly ready. Kenny gets very excited and asks if he can go and inspect the dragon. His parents allow it, knowing that thanks to all his reading, Kenny would know more about dragons than anyone else in these parts, but not until after he does the dishes and finishes his homework.

Now I don't know about you, but for me, this little family exchange was more than enough for me to love the book. The rest of it was gravy (as they say).

Tony DiTerlizzi has written this book in a delightfully old-fashioned tone, making reference to books like Wind In The Willows and The Reluctant Dragon, which I thought was well done. By evoking Wind In The Willows early on, the reader (well in my case anyway) is put into that mind-set. After all, these are all anthropomorphised animals who talk and live in a world that is just outside our reach, but within our imagination. Like it is only just on the other side of living memory. This only added to the charm of the whole situation.

I'd give you more of the story line, but I try very hard not to give spoilers on my blog, even spoilers of how the story establishes itself 4 chapters in. So you should just go and find it and read it for yourself. I should also mention that his illustrations are a perfect match for the story he's created. Fantastic detail and expression of character.

3.5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

5/40

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

When 2 or 3 specialist children's book sellers that I know had effectively said to me that Liesl & Po was their pick of the year for 2011, I knew I was onto something special. One of them asked me if I had read it yet every time I saw her.

Well I have read it now, and what do I think? I thought it was fantastic!

Lauren Oliver is carefully deliberate with her words and the way she stitches them together that you know she has the skill that some authors lack. What I mean by that is this: quite often, a book will be written because someone had a good idea for a story. That's fine, but they don't necessarily have the skill to inspire awe with their writing technique. And i'm not saying that these books aren't worth reading either. But what I love, what Oliver has achieved here, is the brilliant combination of having a great story AND knowing how to string a sentence together that isn't the same mix of words that has been used so many times before. I don't mean laboured either! The note from the author in the back said she wrote it in a concentrated two month period.

The result is an easy to read, beautifully written, engaging adventure story that reveals just enough of the human condition to be genuinely moving and insightful.

I don't want to go on too much on what it's about. You're more than capable of reading the back of the cover in whatever shop you'll by it from (or the blurb on the website, if you swing that way). I'll just sum it up like this: It's about a girl, a ghost, a pet, a boy, a box filled with the most powerful magic in the world and a string of other characters that are out to help, hinder, or just look after the common good.

4 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

4/40

A Dog Day by Walter Emanuel and Cecil Aldin

Gifted to me for Christmas: "A Classic you should have in your collection." I had never heard of it before. Now that I've read it, I'm very glad it is in my collection.

A Dog Day (with an alternate title of The Angel In The House) is the perfect book for anyone who is in any way partial to dogs. If there is one word that I could use to describe it, it would be charming.

This book is just simply charming.

It is a day in the life of a dog, with very short diary-style entries with time stamps. It starts with the dog inadvertently stopping a burglar from getting away with lots of silverware, and following through the many meals and mishaps and altercations with the cat.  All accompanied by some very endearing illustrations by Cecil Aldin.

Even though it was first published in 1902 (110 years ago!!) it is just as true of dogs today as it was then.

4 Silver Stars

Find it on Goodreads

3/40

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

It's been some time since I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but I knew as soon as I heard that Brian Selznick had released a new book that I wanted to read it. Luckily for me, I was given a copy for Christmas and I'm very appreciative because as soon as I finished reading the book I was reading before this, I sat down and read it.

Wonderstruck, and Hugo Cabret for that matter, are a completely different reading experience from anything else. I've seen people describe it as a graphic novel, but I think it's different from that. By all means, it's a novel and it's heavily graphic in design (of the 640-odd pages, over 460 of them are illustrated), but it's in now way like a comic book, or relies on cells that need to be read/viewed in the correct order. Similar to a sequence in Wonderstruck, I think it's much more like a silent picture, where we are shown sequential images, the size of a movie screen, and then it cuts to text to fill in some of the blanks. The only difference with this one, is that the text is telling a different story completely (or is it?) until they overlap towards the end.

Brian, himself, explains it fairly well in this nifty little video, even if he gives a bit more away of the story than I would have done.

Brian Selznick's books are a delight to behold. The level of detail in his illustrations is astounding and the way they progress and play with the written text is delightful. I can fully recommend them to anyone. They're beautifully produced as well.

4.5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

2 / 40

The Tale Of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo & Timothy Basil Ering

I've long loved Kate DiCamillo but haven't read as much of her as I would like. I've only read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and the Magician's Elephant, both of which were absolutely beautiful. It occurred to me, during my fleeting time off over New Year, that I had time, and the desire to finally read her most popular book: The Tale of Desperaux.

Now I've been told by countless booksellers that their personal favourite is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane but I've also heard that Children's favourite is The Tale of Desperaux. Personally, I think that The Magician's Elephant was my favourite, But really, it's like six of one, half a dozen of the other. They're all brilliant! (well, I can only speak of the 3 that I've read).

But on to the book at hand! The Tale of Desperaux won the Newberry Medal (most of what Kate has written has won something...) and then was turned into a film that certainly helped it along in popularity with children everywhere. I've heard lots of stories of teachers reading it to their classes a chapter at a time and having entire classes enthralled. Now that I've read it, I understand why. It was just fantastic.

Every time I read something that Kate DiCamillo has written it just drives home how much of an inspired wordsmith she is. She has a way with words that moves me greatly and makes me think I'm kidding myself that I want to be a writer. (I mean this is a positive way, if you understand me. She raises the bar for writers everywhere). And she's funny! She has me laughing and gasping in wonder at the way her sentences just work. On so many levels, they work.

The Tale Of Desperaux is about a mouse that is born very small compared to the average mouse, and born with his eyes open (which "just isn't done!"), and with very large ears. He develops in a way that is in no way typical of a mouse and is banished to the dungeons where the rats live after he shows himself to Princess Pea.

All I can say is that Desperaux's tale is one that is perfect for readers of any age, and so perfectly crafted that it lends itself to being read aloud. Bed-time-Story-time-Any-time, Chapter-by-chapter or all in one sitting, it is perfect to be devoured or savoured as you wish, but consume it you must! You might get a new appreciation for soup too... but I'll let you discover why.

5 Gold Stars

1 / 40

Reading Challenges for 2012

A few months ago, I found myself updating up book catalogue, correctly marking each book as 'read' or not. In doing this i learned that 45% of my 1200 books are sitting on my shelf unread.

I found this both appalling and more than a little overwhelming.

Working in a job that requires me to read anywhere from 5 to 10 (or more) new fiction titles each month so I know what I'm talking about, leaves little time for reading books of my choosing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy almost all of what I read for work; my problem lies in my overbearing impulse to collect and hoard any book that looks like it might be worth reading. So, at said point of realisation, I had to make an agreement that I wouldn't continue to acquire fiction titles until I started reading more of what I owned. 

It's true, I still get a picture book whenever I get a chance, but it's easy to read that before adding it to your shelf...

Then, while reading other blogs, I came across two reading challenges:

Bev, over at My Reader's Block put forward the "Mount TBR Reading Challenge"

The rules are simple. Set yourself a challenge to read what you have owned prior to 1st January 2012. 

Wow, I thought to myself, that's pretty much what I've just told myself to do! The only problem came when wondering how many to commit to. 

Challenge Levels

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s

Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s

Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s

El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s

Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s

I've said Mt Ararat because I wasn't sure exactly I'll get done (work and all) but we'll see how I go.

Then I came across another challenge that I thought wouldn't be too hard to achieve with all the reading that is in store for me. Over at Beth Fish Reads she is hosting the 'What's in a Name' challenge.

In this one, you just have to read 7 books that fit in with the categories of names that she has set some time in 2012:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The books don't have to be the ones listed, of course. 

Then we can put a link to our review on her designated page for each category. Like I said, that won't be too difficult with all the reading that's headed my way next year! 

Just thought I'd try a few challenges to make it a bit more interesting!

Well, they're the challenges I've hard about that I think I can undertake. If you hear of any more, I'd be interested!

Let's see what next year brings!