Miserable, Not Romantic: The Happy Ever After of Marrying a Scoundrel Explored in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

imageThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë is a book about what happens if you actually marry Mr Rochester or Mr Willoughby. Helen marries a careless but charismatic man and finds that her influence quickly wanes after their marriage. Anne’s rendering of his deterioration (both moral and physical) is painfully based on her experiences with her brother Branwell. Powerful in its working through of difficult themes; bearable because Helen holds firm to her faith in God. Anne is my favourite Brontë!!!

Posted in British, Classic, Diarial, General adult audience, Novel, Pastoral novel, Realism, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

imageRules of Summer by Shaun Tan is a book about… well it took me a while to decide. The first time I read it I thought it was about the experience of a child living in a world of seemingly arbitrary rules. But I read it again and noticed the dedication, ‘For the little and the big’. After my second reading I was pretty convinced that it’s actually about having a bossy older sibling making arbitrary rules! As a bossy older sibling I recognized the symptoms! The rules include ‘never leave a red sock on a clothesline’, ‘never give your keys to a stranger’ and the rather sad ‘never wait for an apology’. As I’ve come to expect from a Shaun Tan book, the illustrations are beautiful, whimsical and emotive, conveying a story that goes much deeper than the simple words they illustrate.

Posted in Australian, Contemporary Children's, Picture Books, Under 7 years | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

imageThe Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is one of my favourite books. It’s a book about the Christian life written in the form of letters from a senior to a junior devil, who is tasked with sabotaging the spiritual life of a newly Christian man. Good is bad and bad is good but there are some beautiful insights into the trials, temptations and dangers of walking with God (and it’s a lot lighter reading that Mere Christianity!).

Posted in 20th Century Classics, British, Christian, Christian Living, Christian Non-fiction, Classic, Comedy, Epistolary Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, General adult audience, Novel, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

imageFive Children and It, written by E. Nesbit and first published in 1902, is about a strange-looking Psammead (also known as a sand fairy) who grumpily grants one wish a day. But somehow the wishes always seem to go wrong for Cyril, Anthea, Jane, Robert and their baby brother, ‘The Lamb’, and they have some very narrow escapes. I remember loving a mini-series of this when I was in primary school but only just read the book. It was very enjoyable as an adult – E. Nesbit’s ironic tone and gentle humour creates an additional level of enjoyment over the more concrete events that I enjoyed when I saw the mini-series during childhood.

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, British, Children's Classic, Children's Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Novel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

imageWhere is the Green Sheep? written by Australian author Mem Fox and illustrated by Judy Horacek is a board book full of contrasting concepts, rhymes and, most of all, sheep. There are blue sheep and bath sheep and clown sheep and rain sheep but also the constant refrain: where is the green sheep? A great book with fun pictures that preschoolers will quickly memorize and kindy kids will quickly read.

Posted in 20th Century Children's, Australian, Children's, Picture Books, Under 5 years | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hornblower by C. S. Forester

HornblowerThe Hornblower novels by C.S. Forester are a terrific blend of plot and characterisation. Set during the Napoleonic wars, they are action packed and fast moving but this action also serves to develop the complex character of Horatio Hornblower. Even the historical details about ships don’t get in the way of 10.5 amazing stories (Forester was part way through Hornblower and the Crisis when he died). I now purchase handbags based on whether they have capacity for a Hornblower Omnibus after a handbag died transporting The Young Hornblower. Hardcover omnibus editions are lovely but individual editions and eBooks are more portable! Mr Midshipman Hornblower is the first in the series.

Posted in 20th Century Classics, British, Episodic Novel, Fiction, General adult audience, Historical Fiction, Novel, War Story, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Void by Georges Perec (trans. Gilbert Adair)

A VoidWhat to say about this book? A lipogram writ by a Parisian of Oulipo’s school, using all but our fifth, most significant sign. Now (amazing!) put in words for a Briton or Australian too. A cast looks for a missing man, Anton Vowl. A string of gory downfalls follow. Any who approach too nigh on truth – any about to broadcast a thing ubiquitous for its truancy – turns into a horrific casualty! Word plays abound. Slow going but most worth a look.

Posted in 20th Century Classics, Classic, Fiction, French, General adult audience, Mystery, Novel, Parody | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Magician's NephewThe Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis is the first (chronologically) in the Narnia series. If you’ve never read Narnia then start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but make sure you come back to the prequel. It’s a story about the founding of Narnia and the need to protect it from the evil witch who is accidentally brought into it on Narnia’s first day. The Narnia books are also wonderful read out loud. I’ve been re-reading this one with some college friends in the evenings (‘Story Time’). It’s both serious and funny, beautiful and sad. And includes such delightful exclamations as, “My hat, what a picnic,” which we intend to now use in moments of unintended chaos!

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, Allegory, British, Children's Classic, Christian, Fantasy, Fiction, Novel, Speculative Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I Capture the CastleI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith begins “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink” and is the delightful story of an impoverished family living in a crumbling castle in the early 20th century. It has a delightful cast of characters, Cassandra (the narrator), her gold-digger sister Rose, her author father who hasn’t been able to write since being sent to jail for an incident with a cake knife, communing-with-nature-step-mother Topaz and various other charming characters.

Posted in 13 years and up, 20th Century YA, Comedy, Coming of Age/Rites of Passage, Diarial, Fiction, Light Fiction, Novel, Romance, YA Classic, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Warden by Anthony Trollope

CelloThe Warden by Anthony Trollope is the first of the Barchester Novels and is Amusing, Character-Driven and Short. Characters have names like Septimus Harding and Sir Abraham Haphazard!

Clergyman, Mr Harding is accused of being Paid Too Much for his cushy job. He subsequently has a Crisis of Conscience (and plays an invisible cello when particularly moved or distressed – hence the picture). Pretty much every character is appealing or very funny.

I was reminded of this book by a recent church history lecture on the church in pre-Reformation England. Although this novel is Victorian it illustrates what our lecturer said repeatedly: it takes a long time to reform abuses when powerful people have a vested interest in maintaining them…

Posted in 18th Century, Classic, Comedy, General adult audience, Novel, Novel of Manners, Pastoral novel, Serial Novel, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment