Jasper Jones - Craig Silvey

Jasper Jones
Craig Silvey

After three disappointing books in a row, my husband finally shoved 'Jasper Jones' in my hands and simply said

'You will love it'. And I did.

In fact I loved it so much I asked for three copies: one for me, one for my mother-in-law and one for my parents so there will be no fights over who will read it next.

Laura Wishart is missing and only two people know where she is: Jasper Jones and Charlie Bucktin. Charlie Bucktin, a bookish, deep thinking thirteen year old is startled one night by a knock on his window. Outside stood Jasper Jones, an outcast of mixed blood who lived with his drunken, often absent father. Charlie is surprised when Jasper tells him he needs his help and against his better judgement follows Jasper to his secret place by the river. There Charlie discovers something that make his stomach slide and sink like a brick.

After a string of disappointing books (some of which I did not bother to finish) 'Jasper Jones' once again restored my faith in the publishing industry. It is a coming of age story set in a small Australian rural mining town during the Vietnam war which starts closing on itself as fear and suspician takes hold. It is a gem of a story that will both break your heart and uplift your spirits. Despite his young age, Silvey has achieved in 'Jasper Jones' an intelligent, witty and insightful meditation on life and our role in it.life and our role in it.

For me, 'Jasper Jones' was a sheer joy to read.

Sepulchre - Kate Mosse

Sepulchre

Kate Mosse

Could someone please tell me why author's with a brilliant first book feel the need to follow it up with an almost identical one? Don't they know intelligent readers are attracted to not only brilliant writing but also to an original theme - that unique element that is the pulse of the story. Personally, if the author fails to deliver something fresh or something that does not make the me feel my loyalty to the author has been rewarded, then that author risks losing a loyal fan forever!

I loved Mosse's first book 'Labrynth' so much I wanted to name my next baby Alais after it's heroine (Alas I have so far been blessed with boys). In Sepulchre, Mosse repeated the themes that had gelled so well in her first book. The setting is once again in two time frames and locations, bound together by an ancient mystery in the form of sepulchre and a deck of Tarot cards. Similarly the antagonists are increadibly attractive with striking eyes and black, manipulating hearts. The heroines - again one lives in the late last century and the other unlocks the clues in the modern day France - are innocent females with a sharp intellect and the ability to rise against all odds in the face of extreme danger.

Yawn

The two books were so ridiculously similar in format and theme, it made me regret not sticking to my 'One book per author' policy.

I abandoned Sepulchre after persevering with it for 200 pages. Hence I will never know if it managed to redeem itself by the last page.

Pulishers take note. You are selling your audience short.There are far too many great gems waiting for their chance to impress to waist time on a repeat of an already explored theme. As a devoted book reader, I'd rather see author's take their time and come up with something original and fresh rather than feel duped into buying something that has been rushed through to cash in on the author's last brilliant work.

Could someone please tell me why author's with a brilliant book feel the need to follow it up with an almost identical one? Don't they know intelligent readers are attracted to not only to brilliant writing but also to an original theme - that unique element that is the pulse of the story. If the author fails to deliver something fresh or something that does not make the reader feel their loyalty to the author has been rewarded, then that author risks losing a loyal fan forever!



I loved Mosse's first book 'Labrynth' so much I wanted to name my next baby Alais after it's heroine (Alas I have so far only been blessed with boys). In Sepulchre, Mosse repeated the themes that had gelled so well in her first book. The setting is once again in two time frames and locations, bound together by an ancient mystery in the form of sepulchre and a deck of Tarot cards. Similarly the antagonists are increadibly attractive with stricking eyes and black, manipulating hearts. The heroines - again one lives in the late last century and the other unlocks the clues in the modern day France - are innocent females with sharp intellect and the ability to rise against all odds and in the face of extreme danger.



Yawn



The two books were so ridiculously similar in format, it made me regret not sticking to my 'One book per author' policy. I abandoned Sepulchre after persevering with it for 200 pages. Hence I will never know if it managed to redeem itself by the last page.



Pulishers take note. You are selling your audience short.



There are far too many great gems waiting for their chance to impress to waist time on a repeat of an already explored theme.



As a devoted book reader, I'd rather author's took their time and come up with something original and fresh rather than feel duped into buying something that has been rushed through to cash in on the author's last brilliant work.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Jordan Belfort

The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort

The day Jordan Belfort entered the surreal prism of Wall Street his life did a wild u-turn. From that day Belfort lived his life like a fast train set on a high speed collision course. In his own words
'I lived like a king and partied like a rockstar.'

Three chapters in to 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and I was in no doubt why so many 'Kings' and 'Rockstars' end up in rehab.

Written in a sharp, coarse language (enough to make any Granny turn crimson to the tips of their ears), Belfort describes his destructive life as he rose in the ranks of stockbrokers to ultimately own his own stock broking firm, Stratton Oakmont. In Belfort's world Money was the only God. He popped uppers, downers and pain relief tablets like lollies, provided prostitutes as perks to his young employees and manipulated the market right under the nose of the regulators.

'The Wolf of Wall Street' is a testostrone charged tale of an over sexed, pill popping, manipulating stock broker who made it to the top only to realise (on those rare occasions when he was sober) that he did not really like the view! Reading this book I couldn't help thinking that Belfort wrote this book not as a penance but instead to massage his ego with a brag story.