I read quite a few short books this week – it was exams, so I tried to limit my reading a little bit! So even though I read 10 books, seven of them were under 50 pages! I loved revisiting Matthew Reilly’s Jack West Jr.
Where I’m Reading From: The Changing World of Books – Tim Parks (4 stars)
This was a very interesting non-fiction told in short essays. I really liked Parks’ ideas on not-finishing books – I personally cannot leave a book unread, but his thoughts were interesting. Chapter 31, about translation, was also marvellous.
Where the Shoreline Used To Be – Susan La Marca & Pam Macintyre (Australian authors) (4 stars)
This anthology was a perfect mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and song lyrics. There was no chance to get bored. Amie Kaufman’s story about her dad’s pet kangaroo was brilliant, as was Laika, an illustrated poem by Wil and Lizzie Wagner. It reminded me why I love Australian writing.
The Night is Darkening Round Me – Emily Brontë (Little Black Classic #63) (3 stars)
A Little Black Classic full of poetry. Beautiful, though it took me a long time to read. I had to keep rereading the poems to understand what they meant to me.
Paladero: The Riders of Thunder Realm – Steven Lochran (Australian author) (4 stars)
This story is sort of like a Western, only instead of horses, cowboys (paladeros) ride dinosaurs or other magnificent creatures, like polar bears. It was an incredible story about four very different children setting out on the path to adulthood. There was a transgender character as well, who I think was portrayed amazingly. Fast-paced, brilliant story. I borrowed this book, but need a copy of my own.
Odd and the Frost Giants – Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell (4 stars)
Visually stunning and also a fabulous story based on the Norse gods. Neil Gaiman has been firmly cemented as a favourite. And Chris Riddell’s illustrations are truly the most amazing things to grace the pages of a picture book.
Hansel and Gretel – Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti (4 stars)
A super, super dark version of Hansel and Gretel. Pretty gorgeous though – I loved all of the black in the illustrations.
The Four Legendary Kingdoms – Matthew Reilly (Australian author) (4 stars)
I love Matthew Reilly’s books – they are fast-paced, thrilling, and often have some link to Ancient History. This was the latest addition in the Jack West Jr. series, which has been a long time coming! Even better though, this book included Scarecrow, another of Reilly’s famous characters – it was fabulous to see the rapport between the two protagonists. I also loved, loved, loved the creepy, deadly games which were the basis of the whole story. So cool.
Fucking Apostrophes – Simon Griffin (4 stars)
The best and only way to learn about apostrophe use. I did actually know all of these rules, but I laughed to hear it told in Griffin’s sweary manner!
A Monster Calls: Special Edition – Patrick Ness and Jim Kay (illustrator) (5 stars)
I adore A Monster Calls and can’t wait to see the movie. So when I saw this special edition, I could not resist. It has interviews with the author, illustrator, publisher, director, actors, and more. I loved reading about everybody’s interpretation of this gorgeous story.
Socrates’ Defence – Plato(Little Black Classic #52) (4 stars)
I have been meaning to read this forever, because not only is it a Little Black Classic, it is about one of the greatest philosophers of all time. I really enjoyed reading Socrates’ Defence and intend to search for Plato’s full Apology sometime in the near future.
A Terrible Beauty is Born – W.B. Yeats(Little Black Classic #98) (2 stars)
This poems sadly had very little impact on me – so much so, that I can barely remember any of my thoughts and feelings. Apparently I am much more selective in my poetry preferences than I ever believed.
What did you read this week?
The Book Addict 