Title: Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex Author: Larry Niven In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Humour, Superheroes Dates read: 15th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: ROC Year: 1990 5th sentence, 74th page: It would be unreasonable to assume otherwise for a kryptonian.
Could the Man of Steel reproduce? How is he supposed to ensure the success of the next generation? This tale might just have all of the answers…
This might be one of the funniest stories I’ve read in a
while… I was laughing out loud so much that my dogs got scared and ran away. There
was just a great, sarcastic, satirical take on the Superman stories… one that I
really hadn’t thought about. But now, I just can’t stop thinking about it…
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex is a great tale that makes you wonder how Superman, or indeed, any superhero could reproduce. After all, their superpowers are going to affect their offspring and the way they have sex. Superman maybe more so than some others (although, can you imagine The Thing? On second thoughts, maybe don’t… get that insane image out of your brain…). There are so many questions that need to be answered after reading this… so many. And I’m also not sure that I want them answered, because this is just kinda… well, weird.
There are so many ways in which this short story could just be disgustingly ick. After all, we’re talking about reproduction of a prominent public figure. Yet, the way that Niventells the story, the language he uses and the unique format… it was completely brilliant. It is only as I’m writing this review that I remember that there’s a bit of an ick factor there… mostly I just seriously enjoyed the tale and the questions that it raised.
Title: Nobody’s Business Author: Jhumpa Lahiri In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Relationships Dates read: 15th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: The one you took the message from when I was away.
Paul has had a crush on Sang for years. But she’s always had a boyfriend. Yet, when he finds out the truth about Freddy, things quickly come unravelled and he realises that it miight just be his business.
My partner always says our relationship is nobody’s
business. Which I completely agree with. Except. Except for things like this
story, when Sang’s relationship very quickly did become Paul’s business. After
all, he was in a no win situation where he kind of did need to say something.
Or at least, that’s how I felt. His own emotions did kind of get in the way,
but he was still placed in a position where he needed to deal with “nobody’s
business”.
There is nothing worse than being put in a position where you just don’t quite feel right about your friends’ other half. I’ve had it happen a few times, and the gut wrenching feeling every time you are both together and see how they’re being treated… it’s absolutely freaking horrible. Lahiri was able to describe this perfectly. Although the backstory might have been completely different to what I’ve experienced, that feeling of horror is still there.
I found this short story a little bittersweet and tragic. Which I’m kind of learning to expect from Lahiri. There is something so much more realistic about not having a happily ever after ending. After all, there isn’t a ride off into the sunset, live happily ever after for anyone in real life. Even if we do get that one moment, there are all of those enjoyable, messy, ridiculous moments afterwards…
Title: Only Goodness Author: Jhumpa Lahiri In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Family, Mental health Dates read: 30th September 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: You are in no position to be getting married.
Sudha gave her brother, Rahul his first beer. But she had no idea what that could lead to. Where life would take them and how much danger he could eventually find himself in.
Family is difficult, complex and insane. Completely insane at times. Which is captured brilliantly in Only Goodness. Featuring two siblings and following them as they grow, change and navigate the adult world, there are moments of frightening familiarity, interwoven with a life that I have never experienced. It created a world that was surreal and known. One that I really enjoyed visiting.
Alcoholism is a pretty severe mental health issue. The fact
that this story explores it from those beginning, niggling warning signs to the
eventual demise of a family worked brilliantly well. There was no one moment
throughout which you could pinpoint as the start of an addiction, rather a
series off events and personality traits which eventually led to an incredibly
sad ending.
Unlike the first few stories in the Unaccustomed Earth collection, this didn’t really feel so much like a story about migration and race. Sure, there were aspects of this within the story, but it was the son’s mental health and addiction issues which really took centre stage – something that transcends race and culture.
Title: The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl Author: Melissa Keil Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Young adult Dates read: 9th August – 30th September 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont Year: 2014 5th sentence, 74th page: How symbolic.
Alba loves her life just as it is. She loves living behind the bakery, and waking up in a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. She loves drawing comics and watching bad TV with her friends.
The only problem is she’s overlooked a few teeny details:
Like, the guy she thought long gone has unexpectedly reappeared.
And the boy who has been her best friend since forever has suddenly gone off the rails.
And even her latest comic-book creation is misbehaving.
Also, the world might be ending – which is proving to be awkward.
As Doomsday enthusiasts flock to idyllic Eden Valley, Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. Whatever happens next, it’s the end of the world as she knows it. But when it comes to figuring out her heart, Armageddon might turn out to be the least of her problems.
This was my last unread Melissa Keil book on my
shelf. And I tried to stretch out reading it as much as possible… I just love her
writing way too much. And my plan to stretch things out worked reasonably well…
for the first quarter, but then I got sucked in (as always) and ripped through
it. After all, these are the sweetest, most heart-warming books I’ve read in a
long time. The fact that they’re set in Australia just helps to make it that
much better.
I’m from a rural area of Australia, not as small and
secluded as the Eden Valley in this story, but many of the idiosyncrasies of
small town Australia life are incredibly familiar in this tale. Especially when
it’s partnered with the idea of the end of the world, the gullibility of the
masses and the power of social media. The setting itself worked as another
character, one that was slightly insane and seriously intense.
Melissa Keil’s books are always a great coming of age
story. One which, whilst it features a romance, is more about realising who and
what we are. So far all three have taken place around the end of high school –
a moment in our lives when we’re not sure who and what we want to become. Since
being in that position, I’ve had many “standing on the edge of a cliff”
moments, but finishing high school was the first of these. The shorter time
frame of this story and the way in which it explores making future decisions
reminded me of all those moments in which I wasn’t sure about what my future
decisions should be… the ending of this tale helps to give you a sense of happiness
(in that Alba and her friends have taken their first steps into the adult
world), but it also is open enough that you feel like their lives are just
beginning.
I found the love story in this incredibly sweet. I didn’t
quite guess which boy would end up with Alba until much later in this book.
Because it felt more about their friendship and their love and respect for one
another. This is the perfect friends to lovers story. It’s a great reminder that
some of the best relationships are built on a solid foundation of friendship
and respect. This is the book that you should read if you want to feel at peace
with the world and finish with a huge smile on your face.
She thinks that she’s finally found the love of her life. But, when she finds out that he’s been seeing another woman… she might just crack.
This was a nice, creepy little contemporary take on the Jack
the Ripper mythos. For starters, it is in present day and deals with his
descendants. For another, it is written from the point of view of one of these
descendants. You spend most of the time wondering who is about to get
themselves murdered… and just what genetics do mean for the serial killer gene…
or if there even is one. Actually, this definitely swayed me towards the belief
in a serial killer…
Nature versus nurture is a constant debate. One that
seriously fascinates me. This tends more to the angle of nature. That genes can
give us certain tendencies that aren’t great. Alright, not great is an
understatement… this is talking about serial killers with no real purpose other
than death. It makes yo concerned for who the real descendants of Jack the
Ripper could be… if there are any (I’m kind of hoping not).
The flip in the culprit of the story took me completely by
surprise. I like that there were two people who had a genetic tendency to be
killers. The genetics aren’t really what I blame their actions on (we’re all
masters of our own fate), but it still made things incredibly tense and spine
tingling as I read about the different backgrounds of two people who aren’t overly
nice. But it does raise a number of questions.
Title: Looking for Alibrandi Author: Melina Marchetta Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Australian authors, Book to Film, Contemporary, Family, Young adult Dates read: 23rd – 24th September 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Puffin Year: 1992 5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I can look after myself,’ I argued as I followed her into the house.
And what’s this about you and your friends driving around Bondi Junction half-dressed last week?’ ‘Who told you that?’ ‘Signora Formosa saw you. She said you and your friends almost ran her over. She rang Zia Patrizia’s next-door neighbour and it got back to Nonna.’ Telecom would go broke if it weren’t for the Italians.
Josephine Alibrandi is seventeen, illegitimate, and in her final year at a wealthy Catholic school. This is the year her father comes back into her life, the year she falls in love, the year she discovers the secrets of her family’s past and the year she sets herself free.
I’ll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself. Not as an Australian and not as an Italian and not as an in between. I’ll run to be emancipated.
This book is amazing! Ground shakingly, life-changingly
amazing. Which shouldn’t surprise me. Since I felt that way about the movie
when I first saw it as a teenager. After all, it’s about a young Australian
girl who is just trying to find where she belongs in the world. Trying to fit
in amongst racism and parental expectations. Trying to understand the past and find
a way towards a new future. All things that we struggle with ourselves, just
with different pressures.
There is so much pressure put on students who are studying
year 12. Stupid amounts. I remember my year 12 year, we were all told to put
all relationships on hold and just study. That is not a sane, safe or
reasonable thing to ask anyone. Let alone a teenager. Josie’s story encompasses
that year and the pressures that we all feel about our future, our choices and the
external requirements people place on us perfectly. Her sarcastic, attitudinal
teenage voice carries the message better than any other story would – and make
it far more relatable for someone like me, who was a highly attitudinal
teenager.
The relationships in this story are intense. And real. And, when bad things happen, heartbreaking. Enough so that I started weeping in the car. In the middle of summer. With my partner looking on in total confusion. Marchetta manages to create characters that you knew in high school. Dynamics that you too had, even if they were people of a slightly different socioeconomic group, or background. From that moment of first falling in love to letting go of the crush you always had, to seeing the “mean girl” as just another real person… she manages to show the growth and change that we all went through at such an important time in our lives.
Australia is known as a multicultural country, but it’s not always so accepting. Marchetta helps to bring this to life, not only in Josie’s experiences, but the tales of her mother and grandmother. Interweaving three generations of strong women into one story and showing the importance of family takes you on a fantastic journey. Not only through Australia’s cultural past, but also in the making of Josie Alibrandi and bringing all three women full circle to who they are today. And oh, my beating heart… now I just want to read this amazing novel all over again…
Title: A Choice of Accommodations Author: Jhumpa Lahiri In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Family, Race Dates read: 21st September 20199 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: Megan was content with one, telling him she’d paid the price for being from a large family.
Amit is attending an old friend’s wedding with his wife. The past and the glory of the night make him reflect on the decisions he’s made in life and whether he’s truly happy in the world he’s created for himself.
Relationships aren’t always sunshine and roses. Whoever tells you that they are is either lying, completely delusional or still in the honeymoon stage of theirs. That’s not to say that relationships aren’t completely amazing, but there is a level of comfort and almost boredom that you reach after a point. One that isn’t glorified in stories, because it is this amazingly comfortable, well-loved and satisfied feeling. Which, in a rare case for the stories I read, Lahirimanages to do kind of perfectly.
Multi-cultural relationships are a little bit difficult. And meeting people from your partners’ past can make all of the issues you thought you no longer had rise to the surface. Jealousy. Insecurity. So many questions. Yet, Lahiri manages to highlight this with a sense of respect. Not just for what people who have been happily married for umpteen years’ experience, but how they sometimes deal with their first night of freedom away from their children.
One of the things I am completely falling for with Jhumpa Lahiri’swriting is her way of taking the everyday life and telling a tale. In some cases, it’s the everyday life of migrants and refugees (something I don’t have much in common with). But in others, it’s the everyday ins and outs of being in a relationship. I think that it’s something that needs to be addressed more frequently. After all, the meeting and first contact are fun and intense. But that bit after? The part where you become comfortable and know that you’ve found that person to spend forever after with. Because forever after can all be first moments and stolen kisses… it has to be about something more.
Title: The Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe Author: Annette Blair Series: Accidental Witch Trilogy #3 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance Dates read: 4th – 6th September 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Damn it!
He sought his birthright
Long ago, Rory MacKenzie’s Scottish ancestor lost the bewitching woman he loved and regretted it forever. Before he died, he sent her his greatest work of art, a beautifully carved unicorn, as a token of his eternal devotion. Now, Rory is determined to reclaim the unicorn and restore his clan to glory.
She fought her birthright
Like all the women in her family, Victoria Cartwright has inherited the key to the mysterious wardrobe in the family attic. Legend says that only the girl who possesses the magic of her ancestor can reveal the treasure within. But Vickie refuses to believe she is any sort of enchantress.
They both got more than they bargained for…
When Vickie unexpectedly opens the wardrobe, the unicorn makes her dreams come true – until the handsome Rory shows up with his own plans for the unicorn, and for Vickie…
This is a beautiful, fantastic, breathtaking end to a
beautiful little trilogy. It has the same level of cute, sweet, heart-happy
overload of the first two books. But with just that little bit of extra magic
thrown in to spice the pot. There’s nothing like fate, destiny and a magical
spell or two to help sweep along the romance. To a beautiful Scotsman. With a
serious attitude problem.
It’s hard to find someone who will accept you for who and
what you are. Even when you don’t have the extra burden of magical powers. And
a man who is inherently terrified of that extra something that this woman
possesses. Vicky and Rory’s constant tango as they both try to come to terms
with her magic is kind of a beautiful symbolism of the battle which many of us
go through to find someone who just accepts us for us.
I have a Scottish background, it’s diluted, but it’s enough
that I’m constantly fascinated by any character from the country. There is
something weird about it that seems to keep drawing me back in. Which, of
course, is why I immediately found Rory fascinating. He is a cantankerous Scottish
hermit with a HUGE chip on his shoulder. All things that will immediately draw
me in. Partnering him with an absolute sweetheart like Vicky and intertwining
their lives with foolish ancestors and a prophecy or two was just brilliant. I found
myself completely drawn in by the title, let alone when the story started…
Unlike the first two books in this series, The Scot, the
Witch and the Wardrobe ties much tighter to family and history. Kira and
Mel are both in difficult family situations, but they are a backdrop to the
main storyline. Vicky’s family on the other hand act as a major plot twist and moment.
Their relationships not only drive Vicky’s attraction to Rory, but also provide
her with a moment of power that she would have been otherwise unable to
achieve. Sisters are wonderful, and irritating, and quite possibly going to
drive us all completely insane. But they are also the people who give us the
most strength. And I think that Vicky’s discovery of her family reflects that
perfectly.
Title: My Favorite Witch Author: Annette Blair Series: Accidental Witch Trilogy #2 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance Dates read: 4th September 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: They made eye contact, sizzling eye contact, if he was any kind of judge.
HE SWORE OFF WOMEN. SHE SWORE OFF MEN…
Jason Pickering Goddard’s career as a playboy hockey star comes to a dramatic halt when he tragically damages his legs in a car accident. Swearing off women, he decides to stand in as Director of Special Events at the Pickering Foundation in the interim – knowing his celebrity status will greatly help the foundation’s foster home for boys.
BUT NEITHER EXPECTED THIS KIND OF MAGIC.
A sexy witch cursed by a cheating ex-fiance, Kira Fitzgerald has closed the book on men. But a new chapter in her life opens when she’s appointed as Jason’s coordinator. The clash of their strong personalities ignites Jason’s competitive streak and sparks an inner fire that threatens to melt the ice around his heart – a slow warm-up that weakens Kira’s own defenses. And there’s not a spell strong enough to save her…
I’ve been waiting for this book to arrive on my doorstep for ages! I just loved The Kitchen Witch so much, and I couldn’t wait to read about one of her friends… I really wasn’t disappointed. So much so that I stayed up all night finishing this. Unable to put it down… I suppose having a good book by your side is one moment in which insomnia can actually work for you…
Kira only makes a brief appearance in The Kitchen Witch, but it’s enough that you are completely drawn in and want only what’s best for her. She has a great vulnerability and innocence covered in this incredibly tough outer layer. The fact that she’s been quite seriously burnt in the past, actually made me think of my own sister, which just made me want to hug her and find her a good man all the more… which of course happens. Because this is a romance. And it’s cute and why would you have a romance without a great, hunky lead to partner with the vulnerable, independent woman?
Normally I want to punch people in romances because of their
incredibly stupid decisions. The vast majority of the time, the reason that
they can’t work is because one of them is just epically dumb. Not so much with
this story, don’t get me wrong, there were some silly decisions made… but they
came from a place that I could completely understand and relate to. So much
less frustrating when you can truly understand the characters’ flaws and
insecurities… even if they’re still a little dumb.
This is one of those perfect books for when you’re feeling a
little overwhelmed, overworked and just plain stressed. It’s not overly
intense, but there is enough happening that you are fascinated by what will
happen next. You know that eventually the leads will end up together, so you’re
not upset by that. But there’s enough concern that you want to make sure this
isn’t the one romance in which there is no happily ever after… my only
actual complaint about this book is that now it’s over and I have to return to
the real world…
Title: Pride Author: Ibi Zoboi Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Retellings, Young adult Dates read: 25th – 26th July 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Balzer + Bray Year: 2018 5th sentence, 74th page: She grabs her ball from beneath the bench and starts passing it between her hands.
Zuri Benitez has pride.
Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and artogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.
But with four wild sistsers pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon – Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape or lose it all.
In this timely update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, critically acclimaed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.
Pride and Prejudice is one of my absolute favourite classics. It’s the classic that I go to again anda gain when I want to reread something soothing. Actually, it’s the book I probably pick up about once a year when I need my fix. So when I found out that there’s a contemporary retelling of this story which features a Dominican-Haitian girl on the cusp of adulthood, applying for colleges… well, I bought it immediately.
It was completely impossible to put this story down. Even though I knew pretty much what was going to happen, I looked forward to finding out how Zoboi was going to adjust the storyline to suit her needs. Particularly when the greater issues of race, identity and the identity of the neighbourhood are all explored alongside a well-loved classic. It meant that I was sucked in as if this was an entirely new storyline – because, for me, an Australian with very few experiences of these issues, it was an entirely new world and story that I was being whisked away to.
I was honestly
expecting a story that explored some of the issues of racism. And, although
this did in a slight way, it was more about pride in identity. Alright, Zuri’s
pride almost gets her in a lot of trouble, but there is also an intense pride
in who she is and where she comes from. Actually, this pride in identity and
awareness of her cultural history inspired a little jealousy. I’ve never really
had any awareness of my own family’s cultural history. Yet, this pride also
bought up issues of first perceptions and stereotypes. The ways in which some
people see a certain cultural way of being and decide that it is “wrong”. And
this worked in both ways – not only towards Zuri, but also in her attitudes
towards the Darcys.
This is the second book I’ve read in under a week that deals
with the very cusp of adulthood. That moment when you are just about to leave high
school and step out on your own for the first time. I loved the open ended-ness
of this. Yes, Zuri and Darius look like they’ll get a happily ever after, but they
are also only teenagers. And there is no moment of everything being set in
stone – rather it is about the hope for the future and an acceptance of each
other in a way that makes you think they might just make it when not many
others do…
Earth and Skye 