The Book of Flying - Keith Miller

Described in one review that I read as unexpectedly lovely, The Book of Flying is exactly that. In search of the Book is Pico, a gentle, lonely librarian and poet who falls in love with a flying girl. In his city, those who fly keep themselves apart from those bound to the earth. To win his love, Pico embarks on a quest to a fabled Morning Town in order to find the titular book and earn his wings.

Along his journey, Pico encounters an array of interesting characters, a robber queen, a minotaur, a cannibal, and an immortal beauty. Pico must face the beauty and horror of his world and his most unexpected challenge, coming face to face with himself.

This book is truly beautiful. Pico is such a gentle soul, facing challenges and situations he could never have dreamed of from his sheltered library. His choices along the road are difficult ones. But to attain his goal and earn his wings, Pico may have to pay the ultimate price.

For a debut novel, Miller's writing is truly astounding. He has created a touching poetic story, with the most loveable of characters. Pico is sweet, kind and naive, yet capable of such strength of will and character...a true fantasy hero. I cannot recommend this book enough, and owe Chris my heartfelt thanks for his review leading me to read it!

Other reviews:
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
The Written World
The Zen Leaf

Christmas Booty!

As requested by Susan...a photo of my christmas booty!

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith
Slam - Nick Hornby
Tamsin - Peter S Beagle
Dry Store No 1 - Richard Fortey
The Fire Gospel - Michel Faber
The Love We Share Without Knowing - Christopher Barzak
Seeing Further: the story of science and the royal society
Nigel Slater's Tender Volume 1 and Volume 2

P.S. 31-Jan-11: Somehow I forgot to mention my favourite book that I received this xmas!!

Review of 2010

Photo credit

Another relatively poor year of reading - definitely need to get my head into the game ;) Most challenges were completed, though I still owe Rhinoa a read of Lolita. Picking favourite reads is always difficult for me, but I can say that my most enjoyed reads of 2010 include: A Fine and Private Place, The Book of Flying, Monsters of Men, Lonely Werewolf Girl, The Vintner's Luck, Clockwork Angel and Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles.

As for 2011...I was gifted an awful lot of books over the holidays, so will be endeavouring to read the reams stashed in my house before buying any more!

Happy New Year folks...and happy reading in 2011.

Books Read:
The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
A Fine and Private Place - Peter S Beagle
Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve
The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell
Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwell
Excalibur - Bernard Cornwell
A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K.Rowling (audiobook read by Stephen Fry)
Red Spikes - Margo Lanagan
Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
Witch Hill - Marcus Sedgwick
The Foreshadowing - Marcus Sedgwick
Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon
The Vintner's Luck - Elizabeth Knox
The Book of Flying - Keith Miller
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
Harp of the Grey Rose - Charles de Lint
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Collector - John Fowles
White Crow - Marcus Sedgwick
Lonely Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar
Curse of the Wolf Girl - Martin Millar
The City and The City - China Mieville
Revolver - Marcus Sedgwick
Psyche in a Dress - Francesca Lia Block
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

Challenges Completed:
Arthurian Challenge
Isolde: Queen of the Western Isle - Rosalind Miles
Isolde: The Maiden of White Hands - Rosalind Miles
Isolde: The Lady of the Sea - Rosalind Miles
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Simon Armitage
The Winter King - Bernard Cornwall
Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwall
Excalibur - Bernard Cornwall
Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Guenevere: Queen of the Summer Country - Rosalind Miles
Le Morte D'Arthur - Sir Thomas Malory
Idylls of the King - Alfred Tennyson
I am Morgan le Fay - Nancy Springer
Here Lies Arthur - Phillip Reeve

A Tournament of Reading
1. Here Lies Arthur - Phillip Reeve
2. The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell
3. Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwell
4. Excalibur - Bernard Cornwell
5. Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon

Our Mutual Read
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The Woman in Black - Susan Hill

RIP V
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The Collector - John Fowles
3. White Crow - Marcus Sedgwick
4. Lonely Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar
5. Curse of the Wolf Girl - Martin Millar

Much Ado About Shakespeare Challenge
1. Hamlet (film)
2. The Tempest (stage)
3. Macbeth (stage)
4. The Taming of the Shrew (stage)
5. Henry V (stage)
6. Hamlet (stage)

Challenge with Rhinoa
The Happy Prince - Oscar Wilde
Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
Piece by Piece - Tori Amos
The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle

Steam, brass and clockwork

While perusing the blog over at Finding Wonderland, I heard that next week several websites will be participating in Steampunk/Alternate History Week, so I thought this would be the perfect time to declare my newfound love for all things steampunk.

My new favourite tv show is Sanctuary, a Canadian sci-fi fantasy series that originally started as a series of webisodes. With heavy steampunk leanings, Sanctuary is the story of Dr Helen Magnus, on a 150 year old British doctor, played by Amanda Tapping, who works to maintain the fragile balance between humans and sentient "abnormals". Magnus worked in Victorian England where she and several colleagues experimented with untainted vampire blood, with some unexpected results. A fun filled scifi steampunk romp with characters including Dr James Watson, the Invisible Man and, my personal favourite, the fabulously dastardly Nikola Tesla. Highly highly recommended! The creators of Sanctuary have started a new steampunk web series...Riese: Kingdom Falling - I for one will certainly be tuning in.

I also came home recently with quite a horde of new steampunk fiction and after finishing the first, I am well and truly hooked!

The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Court of the Air - Stephen Hunt
Soulless - Gail Carriger

My love for steampunk doesn't rest at books and tv though - check out these recent purchases ;)

What do you love about steampunk?

RIP V Challenge

Stupidly busy again so I haven't had the chance to finish my reviews, but here is my brief round up of Carl's fabulous RIP V Challenge.

I managed to get through more books than I hoped, but didn't get round to reading Dracula...maybe next year.

Books read:
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Lonely Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar
Curse of the Wolf Girf - Martin Millar
White Crow - Marcus Sedgewick
The Collector - John Fowles

Looking forward to RIP VI!

White Crow - Marcus Sedgwick

Read for: RIP V Challenge, my love for Marcus Sedgwick!

Somehow I didn't even realise this had been published until reading Rhinoa's 5-star review. I ordered it immediately from my local library and was not disappointed. White Crow is a teen gothic fantasy, written by the incomparable Marcus Sedgwick.

Rebecca and her father move to the small countryside village of Winterfold, taking her away from a busy and far more exciting life in London. There, bitter at her father for the move, Rebecca wanders around the village, where she meets the strange, elfin girl, Ferelith. The two girls explore the history of the village and slowly uncover the terrifying secrets about experiments conducted by a mysterious seventeenth century doctor.

White Crow is a slow burn, gently introducing details about our two main characters, and the secrets and lies then uncover. The story slowly edges towards its creepy conclusion, as Rebecca's life unravels and the truth of her presence in Winterfold is revealed. Ferelith is indeed a strange creature. Her mannerisms and attitude to Rebecca is unsettling to say the least. And the unanswered question...what really lies beyond death.

Although aimed at teens, this is certainly more adult material. The atmosphere is deftly crafted, the uncomfortably hot summer against the chilly tale.

Fantastic stuff.

Other blog reviews:
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Books and other thoughts

The Collector - John Fowles

Read for: RIP V Challenge

Far ahead of his time, John Fowles wrote this dark classic in 1963, when I can only imagine it shocked readers as much as it can today. This is the disturbing tale of Frederick, a butterfly collector, who decides to 'collect' the object of his fantasies, a beautiful art student, Miranda.

After winning a large sum of money, Frederick meticulously plans the kidnapping, buying a house deep in the country with an outside basement, building a place to keep the captive Miranda. The plan goes flawlessly, and Frederick spends his days in the hope that Miranda will fall in love with him.

The Frederick we see is not a monster, but a lonely man, hopelessly in love with an otherwise unobtainable woman. Miranda sees this in him, and part of her understands this and even begins to sympathise with him. However, Miranda soon learns that she has underestimated Frederick and what he is capable of, as the story takes an even darker turn.

With the first half of this tale revolving around Frederick and the unfolding of his plan, I found myself enjoying the second half more, as we journey Miranda's experiences in the basement through reading her diary. There is also a thread of Shakespeare's The Tempest running through the novel, with Frederick identifying with Ferdinand and his love for Miranda, however she refers to him as Caliban throughout her diary.

Though perhaps a little overly long, I thoroughly enjoyed (and was creeped out by) this trip into the minds of an obsessive collector, and the object of his desire.