My wife and I had previously discussed the way this kids book makes us feel uncomfortable. The moral of the story seems to be that if you do not giveMy wife and I had previously discussed the way this kids book makes us feel uncomfortable. The moral of the story seems to be that if you do not give away whatever makes you special, you will never have any friends.
So imagine the big goofy grin on my face when I check it out on GoodReads and see several of my GR friends indulging in scandalized rants about the socialist propaganda hidden within these seductive cardboard pages...!
I'm not going to go that far. It's really a very sweet little story, with lush painted images skilfully enhanced with shimmery foil - my little boy is now 3 and he's loved this one for the last year or so he's had it.
But still... something just feels off. Sharing is all well and good, and we encourage our kids to share and play nicely - but that's not what happens here. The little blue fish asks for one of the rainbow fishes shiny scales, and when he refuses to give away his beloved scales, all the other fish ostracise him... and that's OK? If the story was about a rainbow fish who voluntarily decided to donate his scales to enrich the lives of his friends, I'd be well on-board with that. But he only does it to make the other fish like him... and that's not what we want to teach our kids.
So, a 1-star from me dragged up to a 2-star by the boy's enthusiasm for all things rainbow-fishy......more
This is quite a long story for my son (he's only 2 and a 1/2) so we're reading it over a few nights. I just wanted to share a moment from tonight's beThis is quite a long story for my son (he's only 2 and a 1/2) so we're reading it over a few nights. I just wanted to share a moment from tonight's bedtime story.
[After talking about Halloween]So what would you like to dress-up as for Halloween, Fin?
A fireman. And a clock! And a owl. With a gun, and a sword, and a violin. On a horsey!
And when they open the door I will say BOO! And they will be scared and throw sweets to make me GO AWAY!
... you heard it here first. Watch out Cardiff!...more
I've read 3 Bacigalupi books, and they've taken the maximum haul of 15 stars between them.
Why do I love his work so much? It's hard to say. He's bleakI've read 3 Bacigalupi books, and they've taken the maximum haul of 15 stars between them.
Why do I love his work so much? It's hard to say. He's bleak as f#ck - but he's also quite, quite, brilliant.
This is a sequel, but it's a new cast of characters set in the same world as Ship Breaker. It's a dystopian future: civilization in the USA has collapsed. The Chinese were peacekeepers, but even they've left now and the land is a torn-up mess of civil war, genocide and child-soldiers - rape and mutilation is a norm. They say this book is targeted at 'young adults', but I can't think of another y-a novel that pulls so few punches...
It reminded me of films set in African conflicts: Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland, Tsotsi... but also City of God.
It's like Bacigalupi saying to the Western world - "you've seen on the news how f#cked up things can get - now stop taking what you've got for granted, because it's all built on a house of cards, and with one strong wind your whole world could come tumbling down."
It helps his moralising stance that the story itself is an awesome tale of bravery and loyalty, with some great 'real' kids as lead characters, and a kick-ass animal-human-hybrid super-soldier for the sci-fi edge:-) It's the kind of 110% page-turner that you'll want to blitz through in a single sitting and resent the world for interrupting.
My only complaint: the sequel isn't out yet. Give me more!
This got onto my long-list because of these glowing reviews fromJames,NikkiandPaul.
As James says:
There can be few
A quite wonderful little book.
This got onto my long-list because of these glowing reviews fromJames,NikkiandPaul.
As James says:
There can be few better recommendations for any book than that you continuously feel the need to read excepts out to those around you, no matter what they are doing (or what else they are trying to read themselves). "Oh, this one is great."; "Just this one and I'll stop."; "Ah, wait, this one is really good too."
I did the same myself, at length.
Did you know that avocados are testicles? And we're all part of the human gene chicken? And that if you called a Nazi a Nazi they would beat you up? And that the Bluetooth on your phone is a Viking?
I read this on my lunchbreak, devouring the bitesize chapters along with my canteen spam'n'chips... and I couldn't wait to get home and tell my wife the funny little snipped that had stuck in my mind that day.
Each mini-chapter delves into the amusing anecdotes that lay behind everyday words, and end by linking that word on to a new word which will be the focus of the next chapter.
Great idea - flawless execution - five stars from me!...more
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Following the resounding success of myLocus Quest,I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
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Following the resounding success of myLocus Quest,I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into myGIFTS AND GUILTYlist.
Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.
I finished this book because I'm stubborn. What I start, I finish. ...But I wish I had never started. If I could have let myself stop, I'd have thrown it away and burned it a dozen times before the end.
This is without a doubt, the most infuriating book I've ever read. Each page is beautifully written. Each chapter is intricately constructed. But it's all a façade; endless style and no substance.
I often compare books to food (one nourishes the body, the other nourishes the mind) - and this was like a conveyor-belt of delicate hors-d'oeuvres. Each one is wonderful, but they're meant to lead to a main course, you can't just keep mounding them on top of each other and then call the heap dinner.
I should clarify - this is not my normal kind of reading. I love sci-fi/fantasy and have been working my way through every major award winner in those genres since 1980. This was gift (given to me as some sort of karmic punishment for some heinous sin, I'm sure). It's comprised of 5 separate books, which are loosely related - with complex and often conflicting themes. To my mind/heart it was a massive, massive mess. It is not entertaining, it is not stimulating - it did not inspire, or intrigue or move me. At everything I look for in a book - it failed.
And yet... and yet...
Some of the scenes are remarkable. Some of the paragraphs doubly so. There's no doubt that Bolaño is a master wordsmith - the poetry is often intoxicating.
...But I cannot recommend the skill while condemning the purpose it's put to.
Not recommended. A massive waste of time. Read something else....more
The first Matthew Swift novel to get 5-stars from me. It was like Griffin was listening to my gripes with the first two books and answered them compreThe first Matthew Swift novel to get 5-stars from me. It was like Griffin was listening to my gripes with the first two books and answered them comprehensively. Truly excellent - and even more impressive as I wasn't at all convinced it was going to happen!:-)
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Following the resounding success of myLocus Quest,I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
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Following the resounding success of myLocus Quest,I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into myGIFTS AND GUILTYlist.
Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.
POPCORN! Did you hear me?POPCORN!
It's delicious and oh-so-very moreish... as soon as I finished the book I wanted another one! But despite all the zippy-tangy flavour, there's no real substance - I could read a dozen of these things without being made to think for myself once!
You could argue that's not a great compliment... but if you're looking for interesting, accessible, enjoyable, escapism then you need look no further thanStormdancer.
As far as I'm concerned, Kristoff started his novel writing process by making a list of cool stuff:
I love the idea of riding a dragon! But wait... there's been loads of books (and films) about dragon riders. What other mythical flying beasts are there. Pegasus? Na, too horsey, too girly. Griffins are kind of cool! Did you ever see those Schliech toys - Dragon Riders and Griffin Riders? They were cool. But the name, 'Griffin' doesn't have a zing to it. Eagle head, lion body... what if we made it a snow tiger body and called them Thunder-Tigers! I like it... I really like it!
What else is cool? Ninjas and Japanese martial arts. Everyone loves them!
Also - Iron Man. Iron Man's suit is awesome. Did you ever see the steampunk/noir comic they did? That was mega-awesome.
Oh heck - while we've mentioned steampunk, make sure we get some airships and lots of goggles in there! And while I'm linking back into my earlier thought about ninjas... CHAINSAW-KATANAS. Best idea, ever, right?!
Psychic powers! Dr Doolittle styleee. Imagine talking telepathically with your Thunder-tiger! I love myself when I'm in this mood - throw that in the pot!
What else? Think bigger! Drugs. A whole country of drug addicts.
Tattoos are always cool.
Also... we need Corruption (with a capital C) - corrupt government, corrupt/polluted land, fuelled by the blood of innocents! Mwahaha! EVIL! Yes! Now an evil King, Emperor, whatever... so evil he likes to hurt puppies and wants to have sex with his sister... and kills anyone who fails or disagrees or makes his breakfast wrong...
Have we got enough in the mixing pot? The protagonist should be a young, sexy girl (of course!). We've got so many layers of cool here I'm scared to mix the pot - what if the awesomeness reacts with the uber-cool and there's some kind of explosive Zeitgeist-splosion! OK - do it! Do it! Mix the pot!
Oh, holy Japanese stempunk! I've baked aStormdancer!
Damn... it tastes good...
Let's cook-up a sequel:-)
Recommended for fans of Leviathan (and vice-versa). ...more
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