Category Archives: Book Reviews

Review: Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey – Cheaper by the Dozen

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Cheaper by the Dozen
Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Let’s preface this by saying that I wouldn’t normally have time for this novel, unless it came super super recommended and with a free copy. But! My girlfriend read me this novel as my bedtime story. I couldn’t have hoped for a better one!

99406This novel documents the best parts of Frank Gilbreth’s life with his 12 children. His saying was always that children were ‘cheaper by the dozen’.That being said, he did end up having less than that.

I really enjoyed the discussions of what life was like back then, and it was presented in a positive, casual way which made it very accessible.

Frank practiced efficiency in every part of his life – at work and at home. He’s best know for beginning the crazy of ‘motion study’ and he and his wife Lillian were responsible for a lot of management improvements.

I wasn’t really sure whether to categorise this as fiction or non-fiction. It was so enjoyable that I didn’t know what to rate it either. My recent trending towards not starring non-fiction is going to remain true for this novel. Even if you don’t have someone to read it aloud to you, it’s worth a read if you like to see into real people’s lives, and have a bit of humour on the way.

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Review: Ann Walmsley – The Prison Book Club

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The Prison Book Club
Ann Walmsley

This non-fiction grabber reads like a fictional book. Who could imagine going into a prison in order to read literature with inmates convicted of murder, drug dealing and robbery. That’s what Ann did, somehow getting over her fear of tattooed men who might want to hurt her.

24876660I’ve never really thought about prison settings, not since my review of Peacock Blue, and of course that isn’t a Western prison. This prison is harsh, and grimy, and that’s what makes the transformation of the men within the book club surrounds more profound. They have high, intelligent thinking, despite what they might have done on the outside.

I wished I knew more, or perhaps less, about the affluent book club that Ann is part of in the outside world. I couldn’t imagine the fancy cheeses or anything else being attractive to me. Ann’s standing in the world wasn’t clear to me at all – did she have a day job? Does that actually matter?

I’ve sort of wanted to join a book club, but I think in general I read the wrong genres of novels. I’m not really a high literature or even mostly adult fiction reader. This didn’t go to prove me wrong, but maybe since I am reading more adult fantasy at the moment (Brandon Sanderson, drool), I could get into that. But then again, I have so many other good novels to read…

More could have been made of the benefits of the book club. There were some places for statistics that wouldn’t have gone astray for me. I did like how Ann followed the men outside prison after their release, and how it made her feel more comfortable in her own skin. Insights into her own life were welcome too.

I requested this novel. I was looking for something a bit more ‘meaty’ to read, and this was it. Non-fiction is not usually my thing, but this novel was really great. I’d put it on a book club reading list any day!

Review: Mimi Sinclair – Ginger Bread Wonderland

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Ginger Bread Wonderland
Mimi Sinclair

I’m not sure what I expected from this non-fiction recipe book! Mm, but the cover makes me drool. I’m a fan of both sweet gingerbread (think the gingerbread men you can buy from bakeries) and spicy gingerbread (more like a biscuit).

gingerbread-wonderland

What I liked most about this was that it was easy to make the base recipes, but you could fancy it up if you liked – there a templates for producing all kinds of cool houses. Sinclair explains why the timing in the oven is important and other such baking tips – which are so important for a beginning baker feeling like they can succeed.

Despite making a couple of really simple gingerbread men, I don’t really have time to do all of the recipes – and I think you’d be best saving your favourite ones, because I’m not sure how long you’d want to keep this book. The varieties are good, but it’s not an exhaustive source of cookies.

I’ll be giving this as a Christmas gift to a close family member. They love baking, and have young kids that will really benefit from the cute gingerbread houses.

 

Review: Angelia Kinston – 1+2= What School Never Taught Me ABOUT MONEY

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1+2= What School Never Taught Me ABOUT MONEY
Angelia Kinston

I really enjoyed the tone of this book. It took me very little time to read this non-fiction, and I think other people would find it just as accessible. It’s certainly not appropriate for well-established adults, but is going to be of great benefit to teenagers and college students.

27302447I’m not quite sure what I expected out of this book. I guess I was hoping for some general money rules that could apply globally. There are some here, but don’t be mistaken – this is a very American based set of suggestions.

The question here shoudl be – did I learn anything from this book? Nope, not really. Do I think other people could benefit? For sure. Not everyone has had parents like mine that drilled into me about responsible money handling, and so other people can get a lot more out of this.

And remember – don’t try keep up with the Jones! Tread your own path.

 

Review: Alyssa Palombo – The Violinist of Venice

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The Violinist of Venice
Alyssa Palombo

Adriana has been tortured away from music by her bitter father after her opera mother’s death. Still the longing to make music holds strong in her, and she decides to make her way to Vivaldi’s home in order to nurture her talent as a violinist. What happens next is a romance that is both tender and heartbreaking.

23848300This novel opens with a storm, and only gets better from there. I was convinced I was in the same time as the characters, roaming the streets of Venice. There were vivid pictures painted for me of the characters’ costumes and the places where they interacted the most. The pathways between places were a bit hazy for me, but at those points I was too engrossed in the characters to notice.

The little intricacies underlying the main plot line (Adriana and Toni’s affair) are fascinating. You can’t really think about how the different points will happen or twine together, but they do. What I liked about this was that a ‘happy ending’ wasn’t necessarily assured. There are so many things at stake, not just Adriana’s life.

You don’t need to know anything about music to enjoy this novel. If you’re more of a classic romance person, this is going to suit you as well. And you might even be engaged enough to go and youtube the music so that you can hear it in concert (haha) with reading the novel.

This is also available as an ebook, and I’d certainly suggest borrowing from your library if it is available ( I can only imagine how nice Adriana’s voice should sound). I’m not sure on the rereadability of this one. I’ve got a reader in mind for it right now, and I’m certain that she will also like it (being a musical person herself).

4star

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for my free review copy.

Review: Jenny Downham – Unbecoming

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unbecoming
Jenny Downham

Katie’s grandmother has unexpectedly come to stay. Katie’s life has been fragmenting since her parents split up, and this new addition to an already dysfunctional family could be the end of it. In coming to care for her eccentric grandmother, Katie comes to realise that family is complicated – but that doesn’t mean it is inherently bad.

9780545907170_xlgThis novel touches on a number of important topics – sexuality, family history and degenerating health conditions. The family history here is convoluted and lovely, and exposed sneakily by Katie’s perspective, and also from Mary’s memory. Mary’s memory loss is extreme, and is getting worse, but she is still trying to work out what has gotten lost, and why it is important.

Dementia can be a tricky subject to portray in a manner that is convincing, but it is done so brilliantly here. The mentions of Jack being present for Mary could have been jarring, but instead they were comfortingly woven into the text, where they could be either past memories or imaginings from Mary.

What I liked about Katie and Jamie/Simona’s relationship was that it was less ‘typical’ or predictable than relationships in other novels, where being in love doesn’t solve all problems. Something I always struggle with, both in novels and in real life, is that any gay characters are automatically expected to like each other! I mean, the saying is that ‘there are plenty more fish in the ocean’ for straight people, and I think that needs to be different for gay or alternative relationships – it’s more like an overcrowded pond with plenty of random fish that are forced to be friendly because they share the same space. Is that too much of an analogy?

The ending was a little neat for my now-refined taste, but there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that. This is the second novel I have read recently that doesn’t offer easy answers, or a linear, unimaginative plot. Not being able to predict characters based on past novels you have read (and I have read a lot) is beginning to be a sign of brilliance of authors I read.

This is a valuable contribution to YA literature. Highly recommended reading.

4star

Thanks to Scholastic for providing me with a complimentary copy.

 

Review: Snowflake Seashell Star (colouring book)

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Snowflake Seashell Star
Colouring Adventures in Numberland
Alex Bellos with Edmund Harriss

You’d think it might get a bit samey with so many adult colouring books out there (I’ve reviewed some here, here and here), but this one offers something different again for me.

27075080You get some freedom here, and I think this book is designed for bright colours. Not all of the images are right there for you to colour – you might need to draw lines, or decide on a numbered colour scheme. Others are the traditional different coloured animals fitted into each other which you shade from one side to the other.

If I was to take a guess, if you have a somewhat arty mathematician in your family, this could be a good gift. I’m thinking scientific people of any kind here (just to generalise this 😉 ). Or keep it for yourself. It’s so pretty!

Review: Attitude is Everything (colouring book)

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Attitude is Everything
Samantha Snyder

This is another adult colouring book, and personally I think it would be well suited for teenagers. It’s filled with encouraging sayings and lovely doodling artwork.

25860542The pages are nice and thick, so you might be able to get away with texta on it. Personally I’m a pencil person, so I didn’t test this. I wasn’t going to waste a page with a medium I don’t like!

For someone who is drawing-challenged like me, this has enough detail that I can feel like I can really make something pretty, without trying too hard! The majority of backgrounds to the words are really detailed and can be lovely – pick bright colours or muted for making different effects.

Again, no star ratings from me. If you need to get a teenager a present and have no idea what to get them, this is going to be a good choice.

Review: Brandon Sanderson – Skin Deep

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Skin Deep
Brandon Sanderson

Stephen Leeds has multiple personalities, and has trouble keeping them all straight. While other people can’t see them, they are as real to Stephen as the girls he gets set up with. With another mystery to solve, Stephen is going to need them to help him sort the case out, but they’re starting to get out of hand.

20886354Another Brandon Sanderson novella, another disappointment. But it’s not the story I’m disappointed with, it’s the length! I can never get enough of Sanderson’s work. I do so wish he would make these into novels, but I guess with everything else that he has been doing (finishing that stupid series… Wheel of Time I think it is?) he doesn’t have time. I can continue to hope.

As usual, I’m not really sure what to say about a short story. The characters (although they are sort of imaginary) really do come together as whole entities in their own right. The scenery? Eh, it’s not the focus. The storyline? Engaging, surprising and twisting, just as I would want it!

There are veiled references to some of the things that happened in the first novella, but you don’t have to necessarily read that one first. I am tempted to go back and read that one again to get my fix of Brandon Sanderson. My copy of Steelheart is on loan right now, or else I’d be reading it!

5 stars from me. And thanks to my partner for buying it for me! I love surprises.

5star

Review: D.E. Wyatt – No Good Deed

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No Good Deed
D.E. Wyatt

Elsabeth and Hieronymus are always getting into trouble, yet always manage to scrape out by the skin of their teeth. When Elzabeth forgoes a warning in favour of sex, things get a little more heated that she intended.

18710486This novel reminded me a bit of Robin Hood, except that the two main characters couldn’t have cared less about anyone else. But you know what? I don’t actually have a problem with that! It’s nice to have protagonists that aren’t ‘nice’ for a change. Scoundrels can get away with a lot more fun things.

Elsabeth is great at everything she does – swordfighting, sex and scams. But she’s just not very good at thinking. Compared to the other protagonist, Brother Hieronymus, she does more thinking, but damn, they’re both stupid! Why do you not get that you are being led on the whole time?

In this novel I felt like I was being spoon fed too many details. I didn’t need to think for myself at all. I was told, not shown, most of the excitement. There could have been more immediacy to the whole thing.

I received this novel from the author quite a while ago *cough cough, 2013??* but never got around to reading it because the front cover just didn’t fill me with glee. I’m giving it 3 stars now, but that’s being generous. I could put it down and pick it up far too easily.

3star