All posts by skyebjenner

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Wild

Title: Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Easy reading, Memoirs, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Atlantic Books London
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: He unscrewed the cap and handed it to me.

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Synopsis

At twenty-six, Cheryl Strayed thorught she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s rapid death from cancer, her family grew apart and her marriage soon crumbled. With seemingly nothing to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to walk eleven hundred miles of the west coast of America and to do it alone. She had no experience of long-distance hiking and the journey was nothing more than a line on a map. But it held a promise, a promise of piecing together a life that lay shattered at her feet…

Thoughts

This book was a really good journey. I had no idea what to expect from it, since I haven’t seen the movie. But it was a great tale, and I can see why it was made into a movie in the first place. It kind of had everything. Including a happy, hope for the future ending.

Cheryl’s journey to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) was just as much of the tale as her actual journey along it. Instead of breaking the two important aspects of her life apart, Strayed’s tale is filled with flashbacks along the way. Each chapter almost tells two stories – what is happening to her along the trail, and the journey that made her start such an epic (and admittedly insane) journey in the first place. Although there are many moments when I cringe at the choices that made her feel so lost, it’s such a great look into someone who really hit rock bottom. And the ways in which the self-reflection and independence provided by the trail helped her to “find” herself again.

I found Wild a little slow to start with. And as aforementioned, a little bit cringe worthy. But about halfway through, I fell deeply into the tale. There was something about Cheryl’s gumption and strength that made me unable to put her words down. And the epilogue at the end highlighted how far she had come and that even when we hit rock bottom, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Something to look forward to and hope for, even when we feel like we can’t fall down any further.

 <- Hidden FiguresThe Southern Education of a Jersey Girl ->
Image source: College Fashion

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Stardust

Title: Stardust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fae, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Headline
Year: 1999
5th sentence, 74th page: Such a nice name.

Synopsis

THE SLEEPY ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE…

At the dawn of the Victorian era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall. Young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester, but Victoria is as cold and distant as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky one evening. For the prize of Victoria’s hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the star for his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the town’s ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining…

Thoughts

I had to buy this because I have loved the movie Stardust since I was a kid. Actually, I didn’t even realise that this was a book until it showed up in my suggested buys list. And, honestly, I was not disappointed for one single moment. This story was phenomenal, and fun, and took me on a wild adventure that I really couldn’t put down. Which was a problem, because I am an adult with other responsibilities…

Having watched the movie before reading the book, I knew roughly what was going to happen. And the main storyline really didn’t differ much between the two. Normally this annoys me in a movie adaptation, but it worked so brilliantly well. Gaiman’s lyrical writing and vivid descriptions sweep you away all on their own. The beauty of his words and the joy of the storyline just take you away as your toes curl up with the joy (and slight absurdity) of the story.

One of the things that I like about this story is that it leaves the world so open. Gaiman is a master of showing without telling, and there is so much that is left open to the readers’ imagination without getting bogged down in all of the details. I loved that even after I closed the final page of this book, I still continued to visit Faerie in my mind’s eye, imagining the many places that Tristan Thorn was able to visit throughout his life.

 <- Snow, Glass, ApplesStories: All New Tales ->

Image source: Amazon

Kangaroo Dundee by Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Kangaroo Dundee

Title: Kangaroo Dundee
Author: Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Biographies, Conservation
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Back to working seven days a week, dealing with massive overheads, busting my back, sweating like a pig.

Synopsis

When Chris Barns, AKA Brolga, stopped at a roadside to tend to a kangaroo lying there, he found that she was already dead – another victim of speeding cars in the remote Australian outback. But as he gently moved her body, he discovered still tucked up within the pouch a tiny pink baby kangaroo, injured but alive. So began an extraordinary and life changing journey.

Brolga’s deep love and respect for animals went back to childhood, but for years he had led a nomadic life drifting from one job to the next never settling. This moment was a turning point. Brolga tenderly nursed the baby joey back to health and realised that if he could save one orphan then he could save another.

Over the years Brolga has watched how kangaroo mums care for their young. He now uses what he’s learned to give these helpless creatures a second chance; feeding them, bathing the, doing everything a mother would.

Living simply in a one-room tin shack in Alice Springs, this tough, 6’7″ Australian has dedicated his life to painstakingly caring for his kangaroo ‘mob’ before releasing them into the sanctuary he has created.

Here, Brolga describes life with the joeys and how through his care and love for them a lifelong bond is created. We meet Roger and Ella and the other kangaroos, and come to understand how this unique relationship between one man and these beloved animals not only saved their lives, but gave purpose to his.

Thoughts

I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages. I went looking for Australiana books while I had a friend over from overseas and just thought that this looked a little interesting. The other night I decided to pick it up. Which was great, but also a mistake. I didn’t put it back down again. Something about the familiarity of our beautiful country, Brolga’s passions and the great Aussie voice completely reeled me in and made it just impossible to put this down. Or sleep. Even though I was absolutely buggered…

My family has always rescued birds (and the occasional possum) found on the side of the road. So many of the things that Brolga goes through are kind of familiar. The heartbreak of losing something because of human stupidity, or just a simple accident. And the joy at nursing something back to health, just to return it to the wild and a life that they can now live. It’s all familiar, and incredibly heart-warming to read about in someone else’s words.

This story takes you all along the western coast of Australia, to the Top End, and back down to central Australia. Mostly throughout the outback and more intense parts of our country, but I loved the vividness and realism of Barns’ descriptions. This is definitely a book that I’m going to be recommended to others, and reading a few more times.

 <- Journeys to the Other Side of the WorldThe Emotional Lives of Animals (Revised) ->

Image source: Goodreads

Adventures of a Young Naturalist by David Attenborough

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Adventures of a Young Naturalist

Title: Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions
Author: David Attenborough
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Conservation, Non-fiction
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Two Roads
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: We had constructed a large cage for the peccary from thin saplings bound together with strips of bark, and this was wedged in the bows of the boat.

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Synopsis

In 1954, a young David Attenborough was offered the opportunity of a lifetime – to travel the world finding rare and elusive animals for London Zoo’s collection, and to film the expeditions for the BBC for a new show called Zoo Quest.

This is the story of those voyages. Staying with local tribes while trekking in search of giant anteaters in Guyana, Komodo dragons in Indonesia and armadillos in Paraguay, he and the rest of the team battled with cannibal fish, aggressive tree porcupines and escape-artist wild pigs, as well as treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather, to record the incredible beauty and biodiversity of these regions. The methods may be outdated now, but the fascination and respect for the wildlife, the people and the environment – and the importance of protecting these wild places – is not.

Written with Attenborough’s trademark wit and charm, Adventures of a Young Naturalist is not just the story of a remarkable adventure, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world, and who is still doing so today.

Thoughts

I love David Attenborough. So it’s not really a surprise that I love this book. Although I’ve seen him live, and talking about the years in which he travelled around filming and catching for Zoo Quest, it was a lot more fun to read about it. Or at least, to read about three of his adventures. It was completely unexpected, quite funny in spots and just a fascinating journey to be swept away on.

This journey starts with an introduction – it tells you a little about the background of Zoo Quest and how it all came about. Then you begin in Guyana. Each chapter is its own little adventure, and the three completely different journeys are structured and separated in a way that you almost pause and take a break in between. Much like Attenborough would have as he travelled on such a crazy whirlwind.

One of the things that really stuck out at me throughout this novel is how dramatically everything has changed. I highly doubt you could go on such an adventure anymore. And it’s even less likely that many of the animals that were found, filmed, and in some cases, captured are roaming about the wilderness anymore. This might be where Attenborough’s career really took off, but it is also a poignant reminder of the myriad of ways in which conservation practices and wilderness has changed in the last sixty years.

 <- Life on Air ReviewJourneys to the Other Side of the World Review ->
Image source: Blackwell’s

Kisses and Curses edited by Lauren Burniac

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Overview

Kisses and CursesTitle: Kisses and Curses
Author: Lauren Burniac, Marissa Meyer, Marie Rutkoski, Jennifer Mathieu, Anna Banks, Emmy Laybourne, Courtney Alameda, Jessica Brody, Ann Aguirre, Lish McBride, Lindsay Smith, Katie Finn, Caragh M. O’Brien, Nikki Kelly, Gennifer Albin & Leigh Bardugo
In: Kisses and Curses (Lauren Burniac)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Square Fish
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: “And I don’t know any other girls who skate, but it could still be kind of cool.”

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

EVERY PAGE MORE FIERCE THAN THE LAST.

Enjoy a good monster love story? Or a dark, Russian-style folktale? How about a flashback to the secrets of a cyborg’s past, a post-apocalyptic romance, or a conversation between a boy and Death’s dead assistant, while both sit in a diner and eat waffles?

Whether you’re already a Fierce Reads fan or you’re a fan-to-be, this short story collection will satisfy your every bookish craving! Featuring multi-genre tales from some of the hottest YA authors around, including Ann Aguirre, Courtney Alameda, Gennifer Albin, Anna Banks, Leigh Bardugo, Jessica Brody, Katie Finn, Nikki Kelly, Emmy Laybourne, Jennifer Mathieu, Lish McBride, Marissa Meyer, Caragh M. O’Brien, Marie Rutkoski, and Lindsay Smith.

By turns uplifting and sad, light-hearted and powerful, startling and laugh-out-loud, these bite-sized gems have one thing in common: You won’t be able to put them down!

Thoughts

I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved this collection. It is everything that a short story collection should be – a common thread throughout the tales, but such a diverse array of tales that constantly draw you in. I had no idea about any of the authors in this collection, except for Marissa Meyer, and now I have a new set of 12 authors to dive into.

The fact that each of these tales is part of a greater series worked beautifully. Although, there were a few spoilers throughout. Which was a little disappointing. And makes me not only want to read all of these series, but also gives a hint as to what is going to happen in each of them. The wide array of styles and tales throughout made me thoroughly entrapped.

If you like fantasy tales, this is definitely a collection worth reading. It is also a great way to find new authors if you need to add to your library… maybe make sure you have a little bit of surplus cash before you crack the spine of this though.

 <- The Too-Clever Fox Review Glitches Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Hans Christian Andersen Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Hans Christian Andersen Tales

Title: Hans Christian Andersen Tales
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fairy tales
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: World Cloud Classics
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “I know I’m not stupid,” the man thought, “so it must be that I’m unworthy of my good office.”

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Synopsis

Then the door BLEW open. A puff of wind struck the dancer. She flew like a sylph, straight into the FIRE with the soldier, blazed up in a flash, and was gone. The tin soldier MELTED, all in a lump. The next day, when a servant took up the ashes she found him in the shape of a little tin HEART. But of the pretty dancer nothing was left except her SPANGLE, and it was BURNED as black as a coal.

Thoughts

I love reading original fairy tales. It’s always fun to compare and contrast them to the modern tales that I love and recognise. Hans Christian Andersen is certainly one of the key writers of the fairy tales that we all know and love today. I wasn’t sure though how many of my well known tales were from here, and how many from another writer. So it was kind of a pleasant surprise to discover some quite familiar tales throughout this collection.

This is the perfect book to read before bedtime. A great way to unwind, relax and think about absolutely nothing. Especially if you’re home alone, have a great imagination and really like to watch crime shows. Nothing like a good fairy tale to unwind and relax. Even though some of these are a little dark. Nothing like the Brothers Grimm who have some truly blood-thirsty tales, but there is a note of sadness, and often not a happy ending when reading this collection.

This entire collection made me float away in a dream world. It was fun, enjoyable and I’m actually really disappointed that it is all over.

<- InfernoEmma ->

Image source: QBD

Dynamite Junior by Jennifer Mathieu

Book Review, ,

Overview

Kisses and CursesTitle: Dynamite Junior
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
In: Kisses & Curses (Lauren Burniae)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Square Fish
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: “Jesus, those white girls are bitches,” says Claudia, like she’s bored more than surprised.

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Synopsis

A short story set against the backdrop of The Truth About Alice. It tells the tale of Carmen as she starts her new life at a new school and in a new town.

Thoughts

It’s been a few days since I read this – I haven’t actually had the chance to sit at my computer until now to write. And the more that I think about it, the more I like this story. It’s a reminder of the cruelties that people inflict on each other. Especially when they are in high school. Although this is a side story that belongs to Mathieu’s bigger novel, it works beautifully as a stand alone.

With the rise of teen violence and disarray in schools, the fact that this was my first short story about such a thing is actually kind of surprising. And it worked really well. It’s a reminder that for many of those children who turn violent for whatever reasoning, there is a family that is left behind. And in this case, it was the boy’s younger sister. The aftermath of his decisions have left an everlasting scar and the way in which she deals with this in her daily life is really captivating and interesting.

 <- Bridge of Snow Review Monster Crush Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Angels' Blood

Title: Angels’ Blood
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And beyond that lay the view of Archangel Tower.

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh introduces a world of beauty and bloodlust where angels hold sway over vampires…

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best – but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option – even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other – and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not estroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break…

Thoughts

I loved Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. So when I realised that she had a series about vampires and vampire hunters. And angels? I was fascinated. Although I read the three novellas that fit in before the occurrences of Angels’ Blood, I was still incredibly confused about how this world works. And although this story answers so many questions, so many, many more were raised. Which is kind of how a good book should be.

It was expected that Elena and Raphael would end up together. After all, this is a paranormal romance at its core. But the journey to their union… wow! I loved Elena’s complete refusal to succumb from the very beginning. Raphael’s arrogance and treatment of her at their first meeting was actually something that concerned me. I thought that this was going to be a bit of a Shades of Grey type thing… so seriously unhealthy that it isn’t worth delving into. But, it wasn’t like this in any way, shape or form. The many, many, many hidden layers to both the characters worked in conjunction with each other to build a great relationship that was amazingly believable.

Alongside the feisty romance, there was a great hunting tale. Although you know the who-done-it straight away, the how, the why and whether or not they would be caught was impossible to predict. Actually it was so difficult to predict that I couldn’t put the book down and didn’t sleep properly for two nights straight since I was so keen to finish Elena’s first journey. And the ending… NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING!!!

<- Angels’ PawnArchangel’s Kiss ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

Book Review,

Overview

The Travelling Cat ChroniclesTitle: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Author: Hiro Arikawa
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Doubleday
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: That reminds me of Chatran.

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Synopsis

It’s not the journey that counts, but who is at your side.

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where to. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved Satoru in the front of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and striking humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about friendship, solitdue, and knowing when to give and when to take. Above all, it shows how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.

Thoughts

I cried. Like a baby. And I knew the ending was coming. It was fairly easy to guess from the beginning – but it was still heartbreaking. And sweet. And endearing. And really one of the very best stories that I’ve read in a long, long, long time.

Set against a beautiful backdrop with the most amazing narrator’s voice, this story is just amazing. I actually can’t find the words to describe this. Nana (the cat) starts the story with the beginning of his relationship with Satoru. From there, as they travel the countryside to visit old friends, parts of Satoru’s life come flashing back. It creates this beautiful multi-layered world in which it is incredibly easy to get lost.

The beauty and innocence of Satoru and his past make you feel incredibly warmed. It’s a reminder that not every story needs a romantic tale, but that platonic and familial love is just as important. It helps to remind you that a good story (whether on paper or in real life) just needs a little bit of kindness and care to make it soar on wings of beauty.

For an impulse buy that I “accidentally” clicked the buy me button on, this was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. It’s rare that a story can truly make me cry and weep like this one did. There is something about the love that jumps from the pages that really helps to bring this amazing tale home to the heart.

 <- More easy reading reviews More easy reading reviews ->
Image source: Penguin Books Australia