How the Girls are on Fire…

… and why I don’t want to put them out.

Welcome to the era of YA.

Never before have we seen the market explode like this. Twenty years ago, young adult fiction was strictly for a young adult market. Ten years ago saw this end with popularisation of Harry Potter, and not necessarily because it ended up on the big screen. In 1999, schools across the world went quiet as the children all found comfortable corners of their playground and broke the spine of their brand new copy of The Prisoner of Azkaban. It’s true, I was there.

But now we have almost an overflowing market of stories following teen characters. The popularity of books and their movies such as Twilight and The Hunger Games have planted the seeds for many others to follow in their wake: The Maze Runner, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, Percy Jackson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Mortal Instruments, Ender’s Game, Beautiful Creatures, Vampire Academy to name a few.

What makes this extra special is how many of these novels star strong female role models – in the list there, it’s about half. Even if I don’t include the not so strong ones.

There are a number of theories as to why this is the case. One is that we’ve seen an increase in female readership, particularly in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. But those genres have always had female audiences, but a distinct lack of female protagonists. To give you an idea of how thin they were on the ground ten years ago, I remember how much my world changed when I was introduced to Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Universe, where all the series attached held strong female protagonists that I could relate to. They were such a commodity that I still remember how excited I was when I discovered them. Today young women I spoilt for choice.

The other argument is that we owe a great big thank you to Twilight. This is definitely a truth I’m trying to ignore, considering few can call Bella a properly strong female character. But I will acknowledge that Twilight helped open YA fiction to the world because of its following, and the female character in the driver’s seat. I would be far quicker to thank The Hunger Games for Katniss Everdeen, and a protagonist that young girls can look up to.

The women in these books are far from perfect – it’s what makes them truly relatable. They’re neither perfect human beings nor perfect role models. In the Songs of the Lioness series, Alana taught us that a girl can only be respected if she dressed up as a boy. In Fault in Our Stars Hazel becomes a more interesting person because of her relationship with a boy. There are instances of Instalove,

Regardless, it’s a blessing. Congratulations everyone, we now live in a world where our little girls have a wide range of characters to look up to in media, instead of the same damsels in distress we were force feed in our youths, and our boys have examples of what a real woman is – someone who is strong and equal and unashamedly herself, not someone who just waits for the man to save her.

Monday Review: Threshold by Sara Douglass

Threshold by Sara Douglass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My poor, hapless friends have repeatedly had this book thrust under their noses, followed by angry demands that they find this book and read it. This book renewed by affection for the fantasy genre, and for that I am ever grateful. Sara Douglass, you have now been elevated to one of my favourite authors. Congratulations. I absolutely adored this book.

Threshold is a great stone Pyramid erected by the Magi – an order of sorcerers in Ashdod which seek a union with the One, and believe Threshold will act as a bridge to Infinity. As they near the end of its construction, the Magi purchase Tirzah and her father, two glassworkers sold into slavery to pay off debts. Tirzah has a remarkable ability to cage the glass for one so young, a gift that is quickly noticed by the most severe Magi – the Emperor’s nephew, Boaz.

Upon her arrival, Tirzah realises that there is something seriously wrong about Threshold. She can hear the glass scream. But how can she convince the Magi, especially Boaz, that there is something evil waiting in Threshold, and Boaz is the only one who can stop him.

This was not a book I could put down easily. I found Tirzah to be a strong and curious soul, with a kind heart forged from a youth of communing with the Soulenai through the glass. She is intelligent, yet often naive – a mark of a peasant without any education. She is incredibly practical, and effectively aids in pushing the plot forward without being directly central. As the novel progresses, you begin to really see her youth and uncertainty – Isphet and Zabrze in particular begin to play a greater part in her decisions as she walks a dangerous and serious path. Some have critiqued this ‘destruction’ of a strong character, however I felt the shift to be far more purposeful, and gave Tirzah a lot of depth. Perfect characters annoy me – you can only really relate to one with flaws.

However, it was Boaz who I found the most remarkable. His initial development from the severe Magi into the kinder cantomancer is brilliantly subtle, and then dramatically fast at the end when the capping of Threshold forces Boaz to chose between the two very distinctive sides of himself. The relationship between Boaz and Tirzah is a little dark, and sometimes sent a cold shiver down my spine. From Tirzah’s point of view, it is very much developed through Stockholm Syndrome. Boaz may become a great man at the end, but in the earliest stages of his relationship with Tirzah, he is cruel and manipulative, and a character that could almost make Christian Grey blush. However, this did not detract from the story itself. Threshold is at times a very dark novel, full of the touch of destiny and a power beyond any of the character’s control. This relationship mirrored the general arch effectively, and made Tirzah seem more vulnerable and human that she otherwise may have been.

Despite the strength of the characters in this novel, it was the storyline which drew me in. The sorcery of the Magi contrasted with the magic of the Soulenai, the awful demon Nzame, the sense of helplessness as his influence powered across the city, the sense of foreboding as you waited in Threshold. Everything combined into a heart-pounding ride, full of suspense and intrigue. Physically, it is a light read, emotionally it may feel much harder. Whether you love fantasy, or just want a break from reading Game of Thrones, this is something I would suggest for everyone.

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Monday Review: Last Chance to See by Mark Cawardine and Douglass Adams

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It shall be noted that this is by Douglass Adams and Mark Carwardine.

As I read this book, I came across a short interview of Mark Carwardine done by the BBC. The title was “Douglass Adams and Stephen Fry are remarkably similar.” In the article, Carwardine states that he is seen as the other guy beside such well known and intelligent figures. Because of this, I wanted to briefly pay tribute to all the work that he did for this series and for his work in conservation. While reading this book, you very quickly begin to understand that Douglass Adams was really just along for the ride as Carwardine dragged him across continents, pointing out random birds there, fascinating lizards there. It is clear that he is really the brains of the operation.

And that is perfectly understandable. Adams is a science-fiction/comedy writer, Carwardine is a zoologist. Now a rather famous one at that. This is his element. So then, why wasn’t he the one to write the book? Why even bring Adams along?

Well, I’m sure one very large reason is publicity. When the Last Chance to See book and radio series were released, Carwardine was relatively unknown to the public, whereas Adams had already achieved fame with The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. This wouldn’t have gathered the same momentum without the famous face to sell.

But the second reason is that there is something enchanting and endearing in the way Adams tells a story. To most it is far more relatable to be the person pushed and cajoled and dragged up the hill to maybe see a lemur, or to complain a little when they’re stuck in a horrid wardens hut for three days. One other extract that I really enjoyed was Adams description of Carwardine during their tea in the garden of the wardens house in Little Barrier Island, New Zealand. As Adams stood and chatted and drank tea, Carwardine stood in the middle of the lawn, looking up at a tree in an absolute trance. Adams, not quite having the enthusiasm for avian as Carwardine, didn’t really understand what the fuss was about, and continued to drink his tea.

(To be honest, in that situation I would be far more like Carwardine. I was born in New Zealand countryside, and yet I still get excited every time I see one of our native birds. But hey, everyone has their passions.)

The characters and scenery cannot escape Adams’ remarkable wit and creative phrase. Everyone he meets is painted with such colour and cheeky description, that it feels like you’re meeting them too. The setting is always seen in a unique light – in a way that I’m certain no one else has ever seen it before.

Mostly it will make you laugh. Sometimes it will pull on your heartstrings, especially when you remember that about five years ago the last Douglass Adams became extinct, and there will never be another one again.

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Monday Review: What if by Randall Munroe

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A genius is both intelligent and creative. They can not only think outside the box, they envision whole worlds. Often they achieve something ground-breaking, or work to change the views of the world. Randall Munroe’s incredible intelligence and gift entertains millions of people across the world, and most importantly, teaches us dummies about science.

From the writer of the popular webcomic xkcd comes ‘What if’, an answer to real people’s questions. If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive? How dangerous is it, really, in a pool in a thunderstorm? If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce? Using maths, physics and Lord of the Rings, Randall Munroe leaves no stone unturned.

With his quick humour and endearing stick-figure art-style, he answers the questions of a layman without pandering to you. Instead he offers scenarios you can relate to using maths and science to explain life, and people. If you have read his cartoons, you will know his writing well, and he tackles these questions with the same easy and light style that almost has you forgetting that you’re learning something.

The questions cover a range of topics, across all realms of science. His strength is in physics, but his research is detailed and creative, embracing the strange. But given the answer to these hypothetical scenarios, I am certainly glad we live in the world we live in, not one slowly expanding, or covered in moles.

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Monday Review: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Chocolat by Joanne Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Drenched in decadence and sinful enjoyment, a dash of love and overcoming prejudice, and finished with a heaping spoonful of magic, to be served with plenty of chocolate. This is my kind of book.

A chocolate shop opens in the little village of Lansquenet, bringing with it delights and pleasures the locals haven’t experienced in years. They did not expect the impact that owner Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk would have on them, and little did Vianne know how much an impact they would have on her.

A story full of magic and life and overcoming adversity, Chocolat is enchanting and full of temptation. The struggle between decadence and moderation is one we all understand as we decide how we wish to live our lives and what is most important to us. Exaggerated in the form of a catholic priest, Father Reynaud, and the pagan delights Vianne offers, we see that not everything that’s good for our body is also good for our soul.

The language is just as decadent as the story, the descriptions rising and falling, detailing the food until your mouth waters, coupling Vianne’s thoughts with creative and magical metaphors. It all rushes around you like the wind, pushing you forward. Joanne Harris has a gift of making even the mundane seem remarkable.

And this is all rounded off in the wonderfully colourful characters and their simple troubles and interactions with each other. From the roguish Armaund, to the hardened Roux, the troubled Josephine, and the kind Guilliame. Each of them has their own small story, and a life that has turned for the better simply because of the small chocolate shop that opened down the road. Despite their original prejudice and small-minded ways, you quickly connect to the townsfolk of Lansquenet.

An old favourite of mine, and one I know I will return to whenever I need minding of what it’s like to truly live life.

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Monday Review: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The subject of the Holocaust is difficult to tackle in only 215 pages, but Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader makes a far attempt. A 15 year old German teenager has a chance meeting with an older woman leading to a clandestine romance full of secrets and non-disclosure. Years later she is before a judge facing humanitarian crimes as Michael watches as a law student. But even these crimes are not enough for Hanna to reveal an even darker secret.

After thoroughly enjoying the movie, I found a copy of this book on the shelf of a second-hand store and felt compelled to pick it up. Given the performances in the film, I was expecting something grand and remarkable, and was therefore incredibly disappointed when I realised that this wasn’t going to happen. Despite the gravitas of the subject, the writing is simple and direct, allowing me to devour this novel in only a couple of days. It’s certainly a summer read, if you tire of trivial romance. Because of the direct style of the storytelling, Michael can often seem shallow and flippant. He isn’t very relatable, showing very few displays of compassion to anyone except Hanna. The depth of Hanna’s secrets gives her a much more curious dimension, and often make up for Michael’s failings, but when she is no longer the focus, I began to grow exceptionally bored. Fortunately, it’s quite short.

The storyline itself was what drew me in. It’s tragic and daring, and will have you questioning your own morality, and the morality of those involved in the second world war. Hanna’s question, what would you have done, echoes in the pages. If the writing had the depth the plot deserved, those words would likely haunt you.

It was a story of potential, but didn’t deliver the way I hoped. Perhaps a good read for those who enjoy Holocaust stories and have yet to see the film. Nevertheless, it does have a substance, and a subtlety that does make think. A pity that it doesn’t have the depth to make the story feel real.

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How it was inevitable that I would become a reader…

… and why I had the best mother in the world.

Most of the strongest memories of my childhood involved reading. Both my father and my mother were avid readers, and as I grew older I learnt that their extensive reading list is impressively expansive. It was that one treat that mum would readily give us – a new book. My brother and I were read to every night – everything from the Little Yellow Digger to Beatrix Potter. I was really doomed from the start.

Now all my friends are having babies, and being the nerdy auntie, I see this as an excuse to revisit my childhood and corrupt their young minds with beautiful words. Here are five of my favourites to gift – but really this list could go on forever.

1. Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd

If you are New Zealand born, you grew up reading these wonderfully illustrated picture-books. Most starred dogs or cats and they were always in a rhythmic rhyme. Hairy McLeary was the most popular and most written about, but my personal favourite was always Slinky Malinki, the black moggy who kept pinching the neighbours stuff.

“Slinky Malinki was blacker than black
A stalking and lurking adventuring cat
He had bright yellow eyes, and a warbling wail
And a kink at the end of his very long tail.”

2. My Cat Maisie by Pamella Allen

As you may have gathered by now, I sort of liked cats. Especially stories that really personified them. See, cats were cool way before the internet. A cute story about a boy who had no friends, until Maisie arrives.

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A  famous children’s book that deserves its fame. As you can imagine it is about a very hungry and very beautifully illustrated caterpillar who goes in search of food. But never really seems satisfied.

At this point you realise how poignant children’s books really are.

4. My Brown Bear Barney by Dorothy Butler

About a little girl who wouldn’t go anywhere without her Brown Bear Barney.

My brother had a Brown Bear Barney.  I didn’t. My stuffed bear was called Bessie Bear. She was soft and brown with legs that splayed out so she always lay on her belly to look at me. I think she was a sun-bear because she had the crescent moon on her chest.

5. Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Thought I’d end on a classic. I pity any child who’s mother didn’t read them Beatrix Potter. Nothing quite compares. Peter Rabbit is probably the go to, but I also quite like Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Jemima Puddle-Duck.

What have I left off the list. What did you guys love? Comment below!

How I read smut…

… but why that’s ok.

There were many things wrong with Fifty Shades of Grey.

Aside from the unhealthy relationship, the awful characters, the removal of woman’s rights, the mass-production of decidedly average writing, the not-so-accurate bondage scene and it’s connection to twilight…

It was really bad smut.

Suddenly, one of my favourite genres was put on under the firing line. If Fifty Shades had been mixed into the large circuit of other smut stories, it wouldn’t receive half the hype and controversy. Because it is just that – bad smut. Bad erotica.  There is nothing particularly wicked about it, nothing salacious or forbidden. It is incredibly unrealistic, and I have read many books and stories that have done a far better job at creating the fantasy world of rich guy-poor girl. Think Pretty Woman. But with more sex.

Now I almost feel guilty for this small pleasure. I feel like I’m walking the dark and dangerous places of the internet when I read erotic fan-fiction. I feel like all eyes are upon me when I glance over the romance section in a bookshop. But past all the Myles & Boon. I want something with a bit more substance than that thank you. But now I feel like everyone knows what I doing – that they know exactly the kind of books I read, and that I should be ashamed for reading them. I’d love to turn to that snob who looked at me with an up-turned nose before perusing the latest Jodi Picoult and shout – I AM A BOOK REVIEWER. I HAVE MORE TASTE IN MY LITERATURE THAN YOU HAVE IN YOUR MOUTH.

But then I would be meeting her expectations. Crazy cat woman who sits on the couch and reads erotica all day. (Actually, that doesn’t sound like an awful life…)

Now, my little guilty pleasure is solely read on my Kindle, or in the dark corners of the internet. If fact, the internet is perhaps the best place to start if you are curious about this genre. The world of fan-fiction is a wonderful place, and has been completely overrun with sex. To a fault. Now you do have to sift through the garbage to reach the gems, but there are plenty out there. It’s a great way for talented writers to stretch their fingers and reach out to readers with minimum effort. I’ve done it.

Otherwise, you have to reach past those terrible (and let’s face it, they are always terrible) covers and sift through review after review to find something that has been basically lorded about. If you find a novel that is classed as erotica or romance, but is celebrated for its storyline, you have likely hit the jackpot. Because context is important. There are only so may times one can read about sex before it all sounds the same. He put the thing in the thing, and they banged and it happened and blah blah blah…

But one of your best port of calls is the Vaginal Fantasy Book Club, hosted by Felicia Day, Veronica Belmont, Kiala Kazebee and Bonnie Burton. Every month these four girls sit down and talk about a book or two and drink. They suggest two books a month for you to read so you can follow the conversation to. It’s a great way to pick up new books, and you can take in suggestions from their goodreads forums.

Then once you do, curl up on your couch with a cup of tea and enjoy. Or you can enjoy in the coffee shop, or on the train home. Sometimes reading the extra saucy erotica in a public place feels more forbidden than the actual content. However, you do get very good at a dead-pan expression when, right in the thick of it, someone you know walks up to say hello and asks you what you’re reading.

“Oh, nothing.”

How it is the Last Chance to See…

… and why we should care.

A review of the Last Chance to See book by Douglass Adams and Mark Carwardine, and the TV series of the same name by Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine.

My favourite episode of the TV series is when they go to New Zealand.

It’s probably because I take one look at the beautiful landscape and immediately think ‘home’. Although I have never been in the official Fiordland National Park where most of those spectacular helicopter aerial shots are taken for the ads, I’ve walked through many tracks of bush that look similar. Some are not far from where I live.

But the other reason is because I am completely enamoured with the kakapo. It used to be a life goal to work with them in the wild. Until I became a lawyer. I’m really smitten with 90% of New Zealand’s native bird species – the fantail or piwakawaka being my all-time favourite. When I was a kid, a keeper at the local zoo took me into see a baby kiwi when I asked for some information I could use for a school project. He probably knew that he was about to brainwash a young child to a life dedicated to environment work. Cheeky bastard.

Therefore, I love watching a show where we seem to be doing some good. Even though Stephen Fry pronounces it in away which makes me eyes cross. The a is longer – like in the word car. Not short like in cat. At least he didn’t call the kiwi a ‘kiwi bird’, which I overheard from one American tourist.

Douglass Adams’ experience makes me laugh even more. One extract that I really enjoyed was Adams description of Carwardine during their tea in the garden of the wardens house in Little Barrier Island, New Zealand. As Adams stood and chatted and drank tea, Carwardine stood in the middle of the lawn, looking up at a tree in an absolute trance. Adams, not quite having the enthusiasm for avian as Carwardine, didn’t really understand what the fuss was about, and continued to drink his tea. But I knew exactly what Carwardine saw. Although the bird-life of New Zealand doesn’t surpass say the extravagance of Bird of Paradise, they are still truly spectacular. And a native forest carries with it one of most beautiful sounds you will ever hear in your life.

In both the original book by Douglass Adams, and in the television series hosted by Stephen Fry, you are taken to see some of the most endangered species on the planet. They both contain stories that are uplifting and heartening, remarkable and inspiring, and others that make your stomach turn, and leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth and guilt for being part of that vial, murderous race of humanity.

Because in the decades between both tellings, one species has been classified  as extinct – the Yangtzee River Dolphin – and another only has three left in captivity with the rest becoming extinct in the wild – the Northern White Rhino. For many others, their future still is not certain, such as the Aye-Aye and Amazonian Manatee. It is rare to hear of success.

But they happen, and they happen because of the people looking after these animals. The sort of people who wear sandals. And the sorts of people like Stephen, Mark and Douglass who spent the time and money travelling to see them, and to show the world that they are in trouble. It’s like sending the message to your mother while you’re travelling – “Stuck in Tibet. Send Money.”

And Douglass and Stephen are able to express this in equally endearing ways, with their wonderful wit and polite English sense of humour and expression. Mostly, you’ll laugh, often you’ll aw, and every so often your heartstrings will be pulled. Particularly when you are reminded that almost ten years ago, Douglass Adams himself became extinct. And there will never be another man quite like him on this earth.

How Silhara of Neith floats my boat…

… and why this is a must-read for any fantasy-romance enthusiast.

A review of Master of Crows by Grace Draven

This is one of the romance novels I randomly decided to pick up through the Vaginal Fantasy Book Club. Chiefly, because it only cost $2.99 on amazon.com. It was a whim, a book purchased with little expectation. Therefore, the experience was entirely unexpected.

The plot itself mirrors a very common romance template. Weaker woman is apprenticed to some sexy bad-ass and it’s discovered that she’s not as weak as she thought. Hardly genius, and not something I would generally go for. It’s hard to empathise with an unconfident heroine when you’re as awesome as me.

…I swear that’s a joke…

However, Grace Draven executes this simple plot brilliantly. Martise of Asher, a slave to the mage-priests of the Conclave, enters a bargain for her freedom. She will act as an apprentice to the Master of Crows, Silhara of Neith, while spying on his endeavours to unveil the treachery the Conclave suspect him of. Given the power of Silhara of Neith, it’s a risky venture. Far more when Martise falls in love with him. However, Silhara is not nearly the evil, villainous character the Conclave considers him to be. He stands against a God – The Corruption – a being who tempts him with unlimited power if he acts as the vassal. But all he wants is to be left in peace, and live his quiet life in Neith.

So there is far more to this plot than the simple romance element, although it is the principle driver. The world created around Silhara and Martise is intelligent, well thought, and incredibly detailed. There is no room for things to be happening ‘just coz’. The magic of the world meets the perfect balance between enigma and explanation, the setting itself is interesting and well described. And then, there are the characters.

Silhara and Martise are both well-rounded characters, with imagination, personal goals and realistic expectations. And Martise has a backbone. It would have been really easy to simply turn Martise into a damsel character, given her role in the story, but instead she has energy, a sly wit and some intriguing quirks to her personality. She regards herself as plain, and yet has the most alluring voice. However, when she sings she makes dogs bark. This doesn’t add anything to the plot, and yet provides the character with another level of development.

And it’s difficult not to love Silhara – rough around the edges, started from nothing, intelligent, good-looking, immensely powerful but all very human. He hates the taste of oranges, but makes himself eat one a day. He isn’t very good with mornings. He’s intensely loyal to his few friends and lives a life of poverty for its peace and quiet. Oh, and he’s gorgeous. Tall, dark featured, olive skinned, rather delicious. Easy to imagine him in a white shirt, under the oranges. Mmm.