Book Review: Sense and Sensibility

From Goodreads: 'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!'
 
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

Thoughts: You can always tell when I'm back at the gym - I start reading Austen again! Dare I say I'm rather starting to enjoy my little Austen sojourns.
So, Sense and Sensibility - this may possibly be my favourite Austen so far. I loved Elinor - so sensible, level headed and together. Marianne's drama gave the book zest and the men as always broke hearts and mended them.
As always there is a character to annoy and frustrate - more than once I wanted to be able to step between the pages and slap Lucy! 
Really, this review from Goodreads sums is up pretty well for me (if you ignore the bit about being a bloke - 'cause obviously I'm not!) It manages to sum up why the book was so good.
The question now is, which Austen next?? I have Persuasion, Northanger Abbey or Mansfield Park to choose from. Recommendations??

Book Review: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

From Goodreads:An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother's exercise in extreme parenting, revealing the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way.
All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. What "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires.
Here are some things Amy Chua would never allow her daughters to do:
? have a playdate
? be in a school play
? complain about not being in a school play
? not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama
? play any instrument other than the piano or violin
? not play the piano or violin
The truth is Lulu and Sophia would never have had time for a playdate. They were too busy practicing their instruments (two to three hours a day and double sessions on the weekend) and perfecting their Mandarin.
Of course no one is perfect, including Chua herself. Witness this scene:
"According to Sophia, here are three things I actually said to her at the piano as I supervised her practicing:
1. Oh my God, you're just getting worse and worse.
2. I'm going to count to three, then I want musicality.
3. If the next time's not PERFECT, I'm going to take all your stuffed animals and burn them!"
But Chua demands as much of herself as she does of her daughters. And in her sacrifices-the exacting attention spent studying her daughters' performances, the office hours lost shuttling the girls to lessons-the depth of her love for her children becomes clear. "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting- and the lessons parents and children everywhere teach one another.
Thoughts: BHOTTM is one of those books I'd heard about but wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. I knew it had the potential to make me angry - throw the book across the room angry - but as I was shelf checking at work one day, I came across it, pulled it off and read the first couple of pages - and then borrowed it.
BHOTTM is a  bit like a train wreck, you want to stop looking but you can't. For me there was a lot of head shaking, incredulous laughing and just plain astonishment. Tiger mother parenting is a lot different from my brand of parenting.
But here's the thing, Amy Chua truly believed she was doing the best for her child. She admits her methods were extreme, but for her, that was what she believed was best. Part of me has to admire a woman who can continually go head to head with a child who clearly does not want to do what she is being made to do. Another part has to admire a woman who keeps going despite all those around her questioning and doubting her methods. I also admire her no apology approach to writing this book. She is not looking for the readers acceptance or validation, she is simply relaying what she did as a parent and her reasons for it. If you don't agree with it, fine, but don't expect her to agree with you either. As to the long lasting effects of her parenting methods on her kids - who knows. None of us know how our parenting will affect our kids until it's too late to undo any supposed damage we do. For me, where I think Chua goes wrong is in thinking what works for one child will work for the other.
So I don't agree with Chua's parenting model, but I don't doubt she loves her kids and did what she considered best for them. What really got my back up in this book is her belief that she is right and her method is the only way. I may have been reading it wrong, but what came across to me was that by not raising my child the "Chinese" way I am guaranteeing my child will not be as happy or successful as her children. My children will be incapable of reaching their full potential because I do believe it's important they have sleepovers, watch TV, play computer games, choose their own extra curricular activities. I don't believe the world ends because they don't get an A or play a musical instrument.
Does Chua love her kids? Yes. Did she do what she believes is best? Yes Are any of us the perfect parent? No. Is her way the only way to raise successful kids? No. Should you read this book? Hmmm, hard to say. If you do, be prepared to be challenged , frustrated and angry.

Book Review: Six Impossible Things

From Goodreads: Fourteen-year-old nerd-boy Dan Cereill is not quite coping with a reversal of family fortune, moving house, new school hell, a mother with a failing wedding cake business, a just-out gay dad, and an impossible crush on the girl next door.
His life is a mess, but for now he's narrowed it down to just six impossible things...

Thoughts: So apparently I read this for the 2011 Children's Book Council Short list for Older Readers and liked it enough to say it should be an honour book. That may go some way to explaining why it sounded kinda familiar! However, I'd forgotten enough to think I'd read the start and not finished or something. Bizarre given that I really quite enjoyed it.
I decided to read it after reading Wildlife for this years short list. The books are linked, but interestingly, by a secondary character in this. Lou does play a larger part in  Wildlife, but both books stand well on their own. Having read this, I now want to go back and check a few things in Wildlife.
I like Dan, the main character in this. He's aware of his faults, but like many teenagers, seems unable to get out of his own way. He bumbles along, thinking it's all up to him without realising there are plenty of people willing to help. I love his mum who keeps talking brides - who come to discuss wedding cakes -  out of  getting married and thus not helping matter at all! 
I do however, have two issues with the book. The first has to do with the age of the characters. The way they behave, their conversations and maturity level I struggle to believe. In truth, they would only have to be 12 months older to make it easier to believe, but Dan is only 14 and while circumstances have forced him to grow up and quickly, I still have a hard time believing he is only 14. My other issue is the neat tidy ending. Without giving anything away, too many issues such as impending poverty and a huge betrayal of trust are resolved way to easily. I most probably could have dealt with one and the hint of the other sorting itself out, but both together just didn't gel for me. Don't let that put you off, though, both books are well worth reading.

Book Review: Divergent

From Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Thoughts: It appears that dystopian fiction is the current YA trend. I find it fascinating to watch as a book for one genre takes off and then suddenly it's all you can find on the YA shelves. Invariably the pickings for quality become slim as the rush to ride the most recent wave takes over. Having loved Hunger Games, and then been disappointed with a few recent YA reads, I was reluctant to jump on this bandwagon. Then a friend said it was worth reading, reviews were generally good, so I put in on hold and waited to reach the top of a very long list.
I'm glad I read it, it was a good solid read and I will be reading the rest of the series.I'm glad YA is developing good, strong female characters who can look after themselves and don't go to pieces because someone sparkles at them. Sure, they like a bit of romance, who doesn't, but it's not the centre of their world. Instead, the centre of Tris' world is working out how to survive, how to be who she wants to be and how to protect those she holds dear. I loved her struggle between who she feels is her true self - dauntless - and the self everyone else sees her as - abnegation. I love that she gets knocked down and gets back up again and again and again. I love that she can think for herself. I love that it took her time to fall for the guy and it wasn't one single thundebolt moment that immediately sent her into a tailspin. 
If I have a criticism of the book it's the premise it is built on. As another review I read said, you can see how the world portrayed in the Hunger Games would come about, it's a bit harder to stretch to a Divergent world. However, if you can manage to look past that and just accept this is the way things are, you are in for a good YA read.

Book Review: The Incredible Here and Now

From Goodreads: Michael’s older brother dies at the beginning of the summer he turns 15, but as its title suggests The Incredible Here and Now is a tale of wonder, not of tragedy. Presented as a series of vignettes, in the tradition of Sandra Cisneros’ Young Adult classic The House on Mango Street, it tells of Michael’s coming of age in a year which brings him grief and romance; and of the place he lives in Western Sydney where ‘those who don’t know any better drive through the neighbourhood and lock their car doors’, and those who do, flourish in its mix of cultures. Through his perceptions, the reader becomes familiar with Michael’s community and its surroundings, the unsettled life of his family, the girl he meets at the local pool, the friends that gather in the McDonalds parking lot at night, the white Pontiac Trans Am that lights up his life like a magical talisman.

Thoughts: The fifth of the Children's Book Council Older Readers books. I swear the more of these I read, the harder the choice is.
This book is quintessentially Western Sydney suburbs. The melting pot of cultures, the pride of those who live there and misconceptions of those who don't. Michael is dealing with the loss of his beloved older brother, Dom. Dom the boy who could charm anyone with a smile. However, the book is not infused with grief. It does express the confusion and almost detachment that comes with having to deal with this level of grief. Learning to move on, but hanging onto the past events.
Told in snippets, The Incredible Here and Now leaves the reader constantly wanting more, needing to delve a little further into the lives of these beautiful, well executed characters and their suburb.

Book Review: The Slippery Slope

From Goodreads: Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without.
 
Thoughts: Book the 10th! Book 9 left us on a bit of a cliff hanger with the Baudelaire's separated by Count Olaf's dastardly deeds.
A few things happen in this book. Sunny is acknowledged as no longer being a baby. New friends are made, old villains retire and some questions are answered. As these things go, more questions are asked! It is obvious however, that we are starting to draw near the end. The books are no longer just about Count Olaf's quest for the Baudelaire fortune, but are about finding the truth - not only about the death of the Baudelaire parents, but the truth about their lives as well.
The kids I am pleased to say are just as eager for each new book as the old finishes as they have been the whole series. That alone tells me how good the series is. If you are able to keep the attention of children for over a year as the story evolves you are obviously doing something right. We only have three books to go - hopefully we knock it off before the end of the school year!

The Aussie WIP Wednesday

Today I thought I would play along with Little White Dove's WIP Wednesday if for no other reason than I actually have a work in progress to share! If you want to play along too, head on over and link up!

 This is a quilt top I am working on for my niece who turns 21 this year. In fact I have 2 nieces turning 21 this year and hopefully they will both end up with quilts! This will be a queen size top that I will then get professionally quilted. It still needs a border of rainbow squares followed by another border of white. I really enjoyed watching the pinwheels come together - they are so easy to chain piece! With any luck I will get a chance to work on this a bit more over the next couple of days. the 3.5" squares for the rainbow border are cut, just got to piece them now!