This year you'll find my top three reads at the end. Suspense! Again, I made a note of whether my books, 25 in total, were from the library, borrowed, purchased new or given to me for review purposes. An unsurprising 12 were library books, but I also purchased 9 new or second-hand books, an outlay of around $AUS180, in an effort to support other writers. Regrettably, I read a total of 0 books that were published prior to 2000. Tsk tsk. I will have to make up for this in 2015.
Jasper
Jones (2009) Craig Silvey (Purchased
second-hand)
I’d been
wanting to read JJ for some time—expecting to be starry-eyed—and, regretfully,
was disappointed. The positives are that I liked the well-thought out premise. I liked Jeffrey Wu (he has some of the best
lines) and Eliza, and Jasper Jones, and Jasper
Jones is a good, catchy title. However, I was bothered by the women in the
story; they are mostly terrible mothers, but the thing that bugged me most was
the voice of the protagonist. I understood that he was precocious and intelligent
and well-read but, like him, I was a teenager during the Vietnam War, from a
small town, and his voice was just not believable—I kept hearing the author’s
voice feeding him lines. And then there was the alliteration and assonance, a
whole separate issue. I was prepared to let the first couple slide, but after a
while they became so irritating, and ruined the story for me. The cover is attractive
but the main character has glasses and this boy does not, and if he is meant to
be Jasper Jones, that doesn’t work either. Go figure.

Lambs
of God (1997) Marele Day (Borrowed)
A wonderful
book. Beautifully written and imagined. Clever. Intense and sensual. Sexual.
And funny. What more could you ask for?
One reason it isn't one of my top three is because it took me a little
while to get into. I wasn’t immediately hooked. I think the story wasn’t
started at the best place. The other
reason was belief, and I’m not talking about religion. There were some places
where things were taken a little too far. But the writer has a wonderful way
with language. Here’s an example: Things happened to seeds in the
ground. They would stay the same for a while then by and
by something would
break out. A tiny baby, yawning
and stretching its body.
The nuns
communicate mostly by single words: “Game?” “Play” and I found that so well
done. The cover's great.
A Novel in a Year (2007) Louise Doughty (Library)
Okay, I’ll
admit I didn’t read this from cover to cover.
I skipped large bits I was familiar with, and skipped the bits where I
thought, Uh-uh, that’s not how I write.
But on the whole I’d say it’s a great book for someone who’s never
written a novel before. Or for someone
who has writer’s block—because there are exercises to do which will help. The
cover is totally uninspiring.
The
Cuckoo’s Calling (2013) Robert
Galbraith (Library)
This was well-written
and interesting—and you’d expect no less from J K Rowling. The characters are
well-drawn and our private detective carries his fair share of baggage. The
dialogue and plot are good, but here’s the thing: there’s nothing out of the
ordinary or profoundly moving about it. I don’t often read crime, and I enjoyed this,
but I imagine that regular crime-readers will be bored. Staid is the word that
comes to mind. The cover is attractive,
but could have been so much better.
When Mr Dog Bites (2014) Brian
Conaghan (Library)
“Does for Tourette’s Syndrome what The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
did for Asperger’s.”
I am a big
fan of Curious Incident, so when I
saw this quote I knew I had to read WMDB. (Both books have
“dog” in their titles.) Other similarities between the books are that the
protagonists are both boys being raised by single parents in the UK, and it
would be fair to say both are coming of age books, but that’s where it ends.
For one thing, Dylan Mint, the protagonist of WMDB is a lot older than the
protagonist of Curious Incident, and that therefore the things he gets up to
are a lot different. Tourette’s, the neurological syndrome that involves
involuntary tics and swearing, is not as
well known or understood as Asperger’s, so WMDB is an interesting and
illuminating read from that point of
view. It’s also surprisingly funny. And
sad. And heart-warmingly original. The
cover is probably good because I don’t have a better idea.
Letter
to George Clooney (2013) Debra
Adelaide (Given new for review purposes)
On the whole
I was not impressed with this collection of short stories, given how much I
enjoyed the writer’s The Household Guide
To Dying. There was a sameness to them that rendered them pallid and
boring. A couple of stories stood out like shooting stars in a night sky, but two
swallows do not make a summer. I was
puzzled for another reason: the book was on the Stella Prize’s long list. Go
figure. Love the cover.
Eyrie
(2013) Tim
Winton (Library)
This is
another Tim Winton success, although having said that I notice a number of
critics on Goodreads.com who disagree. So this may be a Winton book that
polarises readers, a la Cloudstreet. Eyrie is more of a fascinating than an
enjoyable read. A statement, I think, on the way we live now, and the condition
of society. Not pleasant to behold, or to read about. Doris, mother of Tom
Keely, deserves special mention. As does the character of the boy on the cover,
which, incidentally, is breathtaking.
The
Night Guest (2013) Fiona McFarlane (Library)
This tale
was slow to engage me, partly due to its passiveness and to useless sentences
like “Ruth was happy and clumsy after her bath”. Then it took off. It might
have been when I thought to myself why do we have a Richard Porter in a story
about a tiger; what is the author trying to tell me? (See Life of Pi by Yann Martel: the tiger is called Richard
Parker.) An empathetic story about old
age and trust, with some magic realism thrown in. A worthy contender for the
Stella Prize.
The cover is
a little too modern for my taste, but I do appreciate its colourfulness.
The
Visitors (2014) Rebecca
Mascull (Library)
Reviewing a
book, it is sometimes hard to find the words to adequately express an opinion. The Visitors is one of those narratives,
perhaps because there are one too many themes jostling for space. The story is
a coming-of-age one, about a little deaf-blind girl in England in the late
1800s, but it takes a turn about halfway and we find ourselves in South Africa,
embroiled in the Boer War. It’s true the author’s voice is confident and
assured, that I was moved to tears on more than one occasion, captivated almost
all the time, interested and compelled to keep reading – and as a debut novel these
traits are all the more remarkable - but it might be that the number of themes (disability,
friendship, love, ghosts, adventure and war) impeded the story from reaching
the heights and depths it might otherwise have done. The cover is abysmally
boring, flat and dull. An injustice to the novel. What were they thinking?
A
History of Silence (2013) Lloyd
Jones (Purchased new)
If you’re
looking for a book to read quickly this is not it. This is a rambling tale, to
be dipped into every few days and savoured. In the hands of a lesser talent,
this might have been a book where I didn’t progress beyond the first few pages
but Lloyd Jones writes beautifully. He drifts effortlessly from one thing to
another - instability being a theme.
I have lived in Wellington and I loved the naming of the streets and
landmarks; I felt at home. But I did
forget from time to time who was related to who and why, particularly since the
names of some family members are similar – May, Maud, Maggie. A family tree
would have been useful reference. The cover’s great: mysterious and dark - more
themes.
Shadow Mountain : A Memoir of Wolves, a woman, and the Wild (2004) Renée
Askins (Library)
This was a fascinating read.
Well-written, sad, and touching. I remember crying more than once. I
probably loved it because I love nature and dogs and I love the thought of
wolves. (I do not know a wolf, so regrettably I can’t say I love wolves as if I
had one in my backyard.) Occasionally,
the author got bogged down in details about conferences, which I skimmed. The
cover is stunning.
The Maze Runner (2009) James
Dashner (Library)
This is marketed as Young Adult Fiction, but adults will find it enthralling. Dystopian totally engaging, it has an plot/premise that blew me away...But I couldn't ignore the bad
writing. Plenty of reviewers before me have pointed this out. It's clunky and
wordy. Young adult readers deserve better. Having said that, Dashner
is a talent to watch. He can only get better. Good, that. Love the cover. And the title.
The
Rosie Project (2013)
Graeme
Simsion (Library)
So much has
been said about The Rosie Project I don’t feel I can add anything new. I will just say that, for me, the standout
feature was the voice. The cover may be bright, but it's bland.
Lost
and Found (2014) Brooke
Davis (Purchased new)
This is a
quirky, delightful book. I admit I struggled to get into it—I’m not accustomed
to the style, which has been described as Roald Dahl’ish (and which says
something about me, I suppose)—but once I was in, like Karl the Touch Typist, I
was in love. I was lucky enough to be at the Brisbane launch of Lost & Found, and what struck me is
how similar Brooke Davis is to her narrative—she’s natural and generous and
warm-hearted and, yes, a little quirky herself.
And very composed for someone who bears the weight of grief on her young
shoulders. The standout feature? For me,
it’s her love for elderly people shining through the narrative. The cover? I wasn’t so sure about it to start
with, but having read the book, it’s perfect.
What I talk about when I talk about Running (2008)
Haruki Murakami (Library)
I’ve only
read one other Murakami book, Norwegian
Wood, and was not prepared for being captivated by a memoir about
running. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been
a runner and can empathise. Perhaps it’s because Murakami compares marathon
running to writing a novel, and I know what that’s like too. They both require
talent, focus and endurance, he says, and I couldn’t agree more. Murakami
writes in an easy, relaxed way and reading this book every night in bed was
like spending some time with a friend, a friend who was telling me all sorts of
interesting things about himself and about running and just a little about
writing. He says he’s not an easy person to get along with, or to like, but I
have to disagree. And now that I am finished WITAWITAR I am inclined to want to
read more of his work. And isn’t that what the aim of a novelist is? The cover
is bland but very Japanese in its starkness.
Nest (2014) Inga Simpson (Purchased
new and signed by the author!)
There have
been some wonderful reviews of Inga Simpson’s latest novel so, sigh, I think
it’s just me. I did not enjoy this nearly as much as Mr Wigg. It felt like much of this had already been said in that
novel. The cover has grown on me.
A
Girl is a Half-formed Thing (2014) Eimear McBride (Purchased new)
I picked
this up in a bookstore to read on a long international flight home. It is interesting and different and the
writing is something else, and I enjoyed these things about it. However—there always has to be an however to ruin things, doesn’t there?—the
plot was so cheerless and depressing that by the time I was halfway through I
was ready to rip open the door and spring out of the plane mid-flight. Anything
to get away from the dismal dreariness dragging me down, down, down. You get
the idea? I like the cover. It is deceptive enough to give the reader no clue
what he or she is in for.
Incendiary
(2005) Chris Cleave
(Borrowed)
I began
reading this on the recommendation of a friend who said she’d loved it. The
first couple of chapters were fascinating, and then I began to tire of the
narrator’s voice and her constant need to tell you how much she was suffering,
and her bad grammar. And while I
understand the bad grammar was part of her voice, it was still annoying. The entire novel is a letter to Osama Bin
Laden, but I found the occasional Dear
Osama irritating, pulling me out of the story and reminding me that I was
reading a letter. I am afraid I did not really finish it, not in the true sense
of the word. The cover is dead boring,
no pun intended.
The
Narrow Road to the Deep North (2013) Richard Flanagan (Purchased new)
My father
was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and one of the first officers
to arrive at Changi Prison, Singapore, to free POWs. He would have been nineteen at the time. This
book has helped me to understand him a little bit better. It was not an enjoyable read, but I am glad I
have read it. Lest we forget. The cover is colourful and
sets the book apart, but I don’t get its relevance.
Night
Train to Lisbon (2004) Pascal
Mercier (Purchased second-hand)
I bought
this because I saw the movie with Jeremy Irons, and loved it. However, and alas, alack, I did not feel the
same way about the book. It started off
promisingly but got bogged down in detail and incidents that failed to engage
my attention. Like Incendiary, I skipped and skimmed through to the end, but I
couldn’t tell you what happened. Unlike
Incendiary, however, the cover is really lovely.Eye-catching and enticing.
My Top Reads for 2014. Surprise! I have five. They are:
Gap
(2014) Rebecca
Jessen (Purchased new and signed by the author!)
Wonderful
debut verse novel from a young and powerful voice. I forced myself to read Gap slowly and over
two days, savouring the words. The things I loved (and there were many) were the
glimpses of the ‘Gabba neighbourhood, the unresolved ending, the author’s voice
shining through, the sparseness of the prose, and the cover.
All
the Birds, Singing (2013) Evie
Wyld (Library)
I read
somewhere that this was an impressive read and I wasn’t disappointed. Two stories are told in turn, one from the
narrator’s early life and one from her life now. The twist is that the early life is told
backwards, which is quite a feat, and one which the author manages to hold
together. The other thing that’s obvious is a feel for the ugly things in life,
and a talent for describing them without flinching. The descriptions of Australia, and of the
bleak cold place where the narrator breeds sheep in England, are lyrical and beautiful.
This book was on the long list for the Stella Prize. In my opinion, it should
have made the short list. The cover is beautiful. Haunting.
Boy,
Lost (2013) Kristina
Olsson (Given new for review purposes)
Kristina
Olsson was one of my tutors at QUT for much of 2011. Occasionally, she shared
the heartache she was going through in writing this memoir, and that heartache is
crystal clear in the writing. A beautifully crafted memoir of what must have
been an emotionally distressing and difficult tale to tell when the author is
so close to it all. Olsson says as much:
“The only safe way in was as a
journalist, objective, writing in
the third person. I’d been doing that for years. But outcomes in writing are never neat or predictable, I should have known that.”
Boy, Lost is worthy of every prize that
comes its way, and there should be many. The cover is stunning, haunting (that word again), but doesn’t do justice
to the story’s overreaching and aching sadness.
The
Sea (2005) John
Banville (Purchased second-hand)
This is not
a book that you read hurriedly. For one thing it’s not written hurriedly. It is
languid and it languishes. For another, it is strewn with pearls. It is also,
of course, a Booker prize winner. When I was about halfway through I couldn’t
see why—I felt Ancient Light had been
so much more wonderful—but shortly after that the light went on and there was
nothing ancient about it. There are too many luminous things about The Sea to attempt to review here but,
for me, the language is a standout. Banville likes to scour the dictionary for
words you’ve not heard of, but he also constructs sentences which are like
poetry. Consider this: “I…went softly past the silent and unseeing house and
walked down Station Road in the polished pewter light of the emptied
afternoon.” The twist at the end made me
gasp. I did not see that coming. But I think that is also the way I read—I go
along for the journey, I never think about the destination. The cover is okay, but could have been so
much better. (I said that about some other book as well. Come on, cover
designers, lift your game!)

The
Dog Stars (2012) Peter
Heller (Library)
I'm not
going to add a long review to the vast numbers of reviews already posted by others. I'm
just quietly giving this book five stars. It is life-affirming. Different. I
laughed, and I wept. I also went out and bought my own copy, so I can dip into
it again. And again. Hello Peter Heller, I think I love you. The image alongside doesn't really do justice to the cover, which is beautiful.