The Mystery of the Ghosts - Gabriella Paradis

This is a first time author that has burst onto the scene in a very big way! Even at 8 years old, she has the soul of another Stephen King, and I'm not just saying that because I have known her since she was born.

This is the story of three sisters who, along with their parents move into a house which is reported to be haunted. Despite their parent's assurances that there is no such thing as ghosts, the trio starts to encounter various unexplained events almost immediately after taking up residence in the house.

I thought the characters quite well written, and the author managed to flesh out various aspects of their personalities. I am really hoping the author writes a sequel to this book as I would love to hear where the ghost came from, why it was in that house, and what the relationship is to the three sisters, and why the ghost was so attracted to candles.

I have a feeling that people interested in this book won't find it in their local book shop, but you can easily find it on Amazon's kindle store.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Ok, almost everything I said about the Hunger Games in the previous post can pretty much be applied to this post, in that I saw the movie first, I was listening to an audio book, the characters were already solidified in my mind so there was a bit of a disconnect between the reader's version and what was already in my head. Ok? We're good?

Ok.

So first up, I'm glad I listened to this book, as the beginning, and even a wee bit of the end, was quite a bit different from the movie version.

In Catching Fire, we catch up with Katniss and Peeta and their families, to find that after the last hunger games, things have gotten much worse across many of the districts. There is civil unrest in various districts, and their own district has had its lax Peacekeepers replaced by a seemingly tyrannical new lot. This is all due to the fact that Katniss and Peeta have become a symbol of rebellion since the last Hunger Games.

What I really enjoyed about this book, is that Katniss was very often self reflective about the new and evolving role she would now have to play as she and Peeta were once again conscripted into the third quarter quell of the Hunger Games. She would often find herself arguing internally with her thoughts as she would accept the role, then deny the role, and the justifications of each.

Another thing I really liked about this book, are the hints that were missing from the second movie. The whispers about district 13, the hints about the alliances arranged by Hamish in the games, and many other things that were not in the movie.

I really enjoyed this one, and can't wait until the next book becomes available from the library.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Ok, a couple of things, before I get into the review: First, I saw the movie version of this book a couple years ago, and I loved it! Secondly I didn't actually read this book; I listened to it as an audio book. I don't generally read a lot of fiction as I'm an incredibly slow reader, and if it is going to take me a month or two to read a book, I want to get both enjoyment and increased knowledge out of it. So I decided to get an audio book from our public library.

So now that I got that out of the way, let's get into the book. No, wait, let me just say one more thing. I want to talk about the difference between an audio book and a real book. You know, besides one being print and one being audio...kind of thought that would have been implied. Personally, while I found listening to audio to be a much quicker way to get through a book, I also found that listening to the author's words being read to you by a reader, rather than having the character's voices be imagined in your own mind can deliver quite a different experience.

I found that the reader would read the lines AS the character of the book. So Katniss Everdeen had a particular voice and cadence , and Rue would have a particular voice and lilt, and Hamish would have a particular voice. And I think that is where I had the biggest issue. Now this may be because I had already seen the movie, and the characters were already seeded into my imagination, but I found the voices she used didn't suit the characters. Hamish, played by Woody Harrelson in the movie, was a drunkard and an uncouth, short fused blow hard. But the way Harrelson played him in the movie, is the only way I can envision him now. I thought that the reader tried and failed to capture Hamish's personality. She slurred her words too much when in that character's voice, something I don't think a person with a 25 year drinking problem would have.

...just an opinion there.

Ok, back to the book review itself. No wait, one more thing. I have heard that there were tonnes of critics of the movie who had issues with Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss as she wasn't thin enough, or they had issues with the movie being too different from the book. I won't get into the who Hollywood version of skinny vs reality thing, and I'm glad Jennifer Lawrence didn't bow to the pressures to become like all other actresses. But to that point, the book doesn't really talk about Katniss being this emaciated waif of a girl. Katniss was a skilled outdoorswoman and hunter, who kept her whole family stocked in meat, as well as catching enough game to trade on the black market. I don't picture Kantiss as small or emaciated. I envisioned her as strong, lean, and powerful. Now as for how closely the book and the movie resembled each other, except for a few changes to the ending, I thought the movie pretty much nailed the book!

Ok, now onto the review. Oh wait, we're out of time! Ok, long story short, I really enjoyed the book even though I watched the movie first. I'm currently listening to the second book now. Now if people want to complain about the differences between this book and the movie...well, I'll have to address those concerns after I listen to the book.

Secret River - Kate Grenville

In a nutshell

This is really a settler story with a bit of a twist.  It follows the life of William Thornhill, who was convicted of theft in London and originally sentenced to death.  As luck would have it, he was saved and sent to Australia to serve his time.  The book then explores how he and his family adjust to life in the new land.  In particular, Grenville comes to focus on Thornhill's relationship with the aboriginals.

Did I like it?

M'eh!  I' expected to love it as there had been so many good reviews, but I found the first part of the narrative quite conventional.  It was like I was reading every other book that I'd read about poverty in 19th century Britain.  It wasn't until Thornhill arrived in Australia and Grenville started to explore the intercultural dynamic that things got more interesting.  Thornhill's struggle with accepting versus dominating the local aboriginals was interesting and this is the strength of the Secret River.

Will you like it?

If you enjoy historical novels, Grenville is an excellent writer and it does provide some interesting insight into Australian hisotry, so may be worth picking up.