I'm certain that i'm very guilty of repeating myself in book and music reviews, using "favourite" phrases and words to help me say what I want about a book/CD. It's only mildly comforting to know that I am not the only one guilty of it.
Read this article in The Telegraph, about cliches that crop up in book reviews. How many of them have you used?
Linked in Read Roger: The poshest bookclub in LA?
"I know we're supposed to be discussing Emma, but I thought we'd try something a bit more me instead."
I found this online and could definitely relate, as will anyone who collects children's books that are mostly out-of-print ...
The Collector’s Nightmare
(Tune: This Old Man)What to choose? Can’t pick one!
Now my nightmares just begun!
There are Blyton, Oxenham,Needham and Jane Shaw,
Fairlie Bruce and many more.Can’t afford to buy two,
Children’s Press will have to do!
‘Cause there’s Compton,
Buckeridge, Streatfield and the rest,
Have to settle for second best.On the shelf I’ve found three,
Which one is the one for me?
I’ve found Bunter, Ballet Shoes,
Biggles and beyond,
Bobbsey Twins and Michael Bond.Catalogues? I’ve had four,
Can’t stop sending off for more.
They’ve got Ransome, pony books,
Forest and Brazil,
Courtney, Johns and Lorna Hill.Tolkein, Famous Five,
Won’t come out of this alive!
All my shelves are full, but I cannot
seem to stop,
I keep buying out the shop!
Children's book titles you'll never see: There are some hilarious ones here, here and here.
And then there's the spoof in The New Yorker, obviously written in response to the recent controvery over the word "scrotum" in Newberry Medal-winner The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron.
In Roger Sutton's blog:
Pluto was a planet.
But now it doesn't pass.
Pluto was a planet.
They say it's lacking mass.
Pluto was a planet.
Pluto was admired.
Pluto was a planet.
Til one day it got fired.
From Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian, to be published by Harcourt in April.
I got this link from the Read Roger blog. You will love it especially if ...
... you are anti-Disney.
... have ever fantasised about doing GBH to any of Disney's princesses.
... ever wondered if any of the said princesses did in fact live "happily ever after" with their respective princes, ex-street urchins etc.
... predicted scenarios that were more Desperate Housewives than Good Wives for the lot.
... ever imagined Snow White living in sin with Grumpy.
... write fiction about the various storybook couples indulging in a little wife-swapping.
In a word, wicked! In two, wickedly good.
Raced through Vampire Beach: Blood Lust (Simon Pulse, 196 pages) by Alex Duvall last night.
It's set in the exclusive world of designer-clad teens a la The Clique, The A-List and Gossip Girl. The only difference is the popular kids here are vampires, which means they are even more terrifyingly perfect than the teens in the other series. Yes, this is the first book in a series.
Check out the tacky cover. It's so ... Miami Vice, or is it The OC? (Malibu Beach is the setting for the story.)
So, how about a series about teenage pontianaks in Sentul Convent? Or hip-hop werewolves in Brickfields? What about zombie mat-rempits in Kajang? I should be cashing in - what the hell's wrong with me?!
The Silly Side of Sherlock Holmes: A Brand New Adventure Using a Bunch of Old Pictures
By Philip Ardagh
This book made me scream with laughter!
Philip Ardagh, of Eddie Dickens fame, strings a lot of original Sherlock Holmes (from The Strand Magazine 1891-1927) illustrations together, sticks in funny captions and comes up with a whole new "mystery" that will have you in fits.
(The version that's available in Malaysia has a different cover - Holmes's famous silhouette.)
Ardagh has also written The Not-So-Very-Nice-Goings-On at Victoria Lodge, which has illustrations from the 1890s's editions of The Girls Own Paper.
I have also received High in the Clouds, his collaboration with Paul McCartney, for review but can't bring myself to read it. It just looks terribly wordy and not too exciting.
Not feeling very well and so not inclined to read anything that doesn't immediately strike my fancy.
Anyway, stay tuned for whether I think Macca is a hack.
Last night I finished reading Absolutely, Positively Not ... by David La Rochelle who also wrote that wonderful picture book The Best Pet of All.
When I posted about Best Pet being my favourite picture book of 2004 (My Reading Year: 2004), David emailed to tell me about Absolutely, his first Young Adult novel. Of course I had to ask for a preview copy and I got it, on Monday!
Suffice to say that, reading it, I nearly fell out of bed laughing.
I'm not sure if the Malaysian censors will pass it as it's about a teenage boy (Steve)trying to come to terms with his sexuality. It wouldn't be a problem if it was about a straight guy wrestling with his hormones, but the fact that Steve thinks he might be gay would be a problem. Still, the cover doesn't give anything away, nor the title. Plus, it's not sexually explicit at all; just warm, funny and honest. And Steve is totally cuckoo, which makes him very endearing. Bravo, David!
I'm hoping Absolutely gets released here. I'm definitely asking the bookstores to bring it in directly even if the distributors don't.
Absolutely Positively Not ... is published this month.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
June 2008: Jenny Wagner (Author) & Ron Brooks (Illustrator): John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat
John Brown is an old English sheep dog. He belongs to Rose, an old widow, and is a deeply devoted companion. Says Rose, "We are all right, John Brown. Just the two of us. You and me." But one night, Rose notices a cat in the garden. A midnight cat. She is fascinated by the cat. John Brown doesn't approve. He tells the cat to leave. But Rose wants the cat. She longs for it. She leaves it milk in a bowl, which John Brown tips over. Finally, Rose takes to her bed and declares that she might stay there forever. John Brown is sad and decides that, because he loves Rose so much, he will put up with the midnight cat. This is a strange picture book - quite gloomy and sombre. The midnight cat is slightly sinister - could it be a symbol of death? When John Brown finally allows the cat into the cottage, is he really accepting Rose's death? Perhaps being a true friend includes being able to let go.
