Sarah was born and raised in the Southern Highlands were she served her apprenticeship with a chain bookseller in the quiet, leafy town of Bowral. Since starting university in Sydney she has become a star bookseller at BRTD and keeps repeating the phrase, "it's so different here".
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
by Mark Haddon
May 2004 PB $23.95
Haddon's first book is wonderfully narrated through the eyes of Christopher Boone, a fifteen year old boy affected by Asperger's Syndrome. Christopher finds comfort in numbers and logic in a world which he sees as increasingly confusing. He doesn't understand human emotion and is constantly frustrated by the ambiguity of life.
Christopher is shocked and confused when he finds his neighbour's dog, Wellington dead one night with a pitchfork through his middle. Confusedand upset by the incident, Christopher decides to solve the murder the only way he knows how; through the use of precise logic in much the same way his hero Sherlock Holmes would. His unique view of the world makes him a detective like no other with his own personal challenges to overcome and fears to conquer.
I loved this book from the first page. I knew very little about Asperger's Syndrome when I began to read and it certainly opened my eyes to the affects of the syndrome on individuals and their families. Haddon has thought of everything to make the narration of this book authentic, even down to numbering the chapters in such a way that would make sense to Christopher (ascending by prime numbers only). The beautiful, innocent voice of Christopher carried through the story will have you laughing on one page and crying on the next.
Mao's Last Dancer
by Li Cunxin
September 2003
PB $32.95
This brilliant autobiography follows the life of world-renowned ballet dancer Li Cunxin who emerged from the poverty of provincial China to shine in the bright lights of the competitive international ballet scene. Born into the poverty-stricken rural community of Qingdao, China Cunxin's only prospect for life was to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brothers; working very hard with very little reward. The cycle of poverty gripping his family seemed to be unbreakable until, at age 11 he was plucked out of his school house and chosen to dance in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy. The story which follows is an inspiring example of making the most out of every rare opportunity in life.
Cunxin's writing expresses a unique perspective of Chinese culture. With the hopes of his entire family and community on his shoulders, young Cunxin was determined to work hard to achieve his dreams and live up to their expectations. His dancing led him to America where his eyes were dramatically opened to the propaganda of the communist Chinese government and the freedom of the western world.
I loved Cunxin's down-to-earth writing style. His descriptions of the 5am starts and 12 hour training sessions are so real they make your muscles ache in sympathy. He has an amazing story to tell and tells it very, very well. This book is impossible to put down. I suggest finding 2 free days before you begin reading this one. Once you start, you will not move until you finish it.
Dead Famous
by Ben Elton
July 2002
PB $19.95
One house. Ten contestants. Thirty cameras. Forty microphones. One Survivor' Sound familiar? House Arrest is Elton's extreme version of the popular reality TV show, Big Brother which is thrown into chaos on Day 27 when one of the contestants is murdered live on television. The cunning murderer remains unknown, despite the murder being captured quite clearly on camera. Chief Inspector Coleridge is assigned to the mammoth task of trawling through hours of footage from the House to establish a motive and ultimately uncover the murderer. Spending his days watching 10 'unremarkable people' talk about themselves has Coleridge questioning society's obsession with this type of 'reality entertainment.
Throughout his investigation Coleridge discovers the extent to which producer, Geraldine Hennessy and her bitter editor-in-chief Bob Fogarty manipulate the 'plot' of House Arrest, blurring the once distinct line between fiction and reality. This is an interesting aspect of the novel considering the similarities between House Arrest and its real-life prototype. It makes you ask the question, how much of what we see on television today is fiction being disguised as reality?
Although, at times, House Arrest and its eccentric contestants become too ludicrous to be believable, Elton's sarcastic wit keeps the pages turning. This is a very light read and Elton's observations of our society are so accurate, it's scary.
Contact Zero
by David Woolstencroft
June 2007
PB $19.95
This novel was my introduction to both Wolstoncroft's writing and the whole genre of spy-thriller fiction and I fell in love with both. I was completely hooked from the first page when we are thrown into the crazy, dangerous world of secret service. Although obviously aware of the risks involved in his profession, young spy Ben Sinclair becomes suspicious of a greater conspiracy when he discovers that many of his talented secret service friends have been killed in quick succession. After being ambushed and attacked himself, Ben is sure that someone is trying to get rid of him and the remainder of his friends. In a last desperate attempt to flee from danger, Ben pairs up with the other survivors, Lucy and Nat for one final mission. They begin the toughest job of their short careers, the search for Contact Zero. A legend in the international spy-world, Contact Zero is a haven where spies who are hiding from other spies can flee as a last glimmer of hope. There is only one catch; no one knows where it is.
Ben, Lucy and Nat not only have to keep one step ahead of the bad-guys, they have to keep two steps ahead of each other. The result is an action-packed race around the world with twists will keep you guessing until the end. The pace of the novel is great and the writing is easy to read. As a kid I used to pretend to be a spy. This novel showed me the world a tiny piece of me has always wanted to be a part of.
Chinese Cinderella - The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
Adelene Yen Mah
PB $17.95
This is still one of my favourite books even though I first read it about 7 years ago. It is the true story of Adelene Yen Mah's tragic childhood which is clouded by the death of her mother during childbirth. Because of the tragic circumstances of her mother's death, Adelene is outcast from her family. She becomes increasingly emotionally abused by her older siblings and new step-mother. The extent of the neglect from her family becomes heartbreakingly apparent when her own father forgets how to spell her name.
Despite the darkness of her family situation, Adelene is a determined child who eventually discovers the endless possibilities of literature. She is able to escape to whole new worlds and begins to see that it may just be through literature that she is able to escape the grip of her family for good. Chinese Cinderella was written for a teenage audience, however Adelene has also written another autobiography, Falling Leaves which is targeted to an adult audience. Her story is written very similarly in both however Falling Leaves contains more of a focus on Chinese culture, tradition and the structure of the language. I have read both and definitely preferred Chinese Cinderella as a think Falling Leaves becomes a bit bogged down with the additional material. Chinese Cinderella contains such raw emotion that even when I reread this book now, years after I first picked it up, I am still amazed at her admirable character. I still cry and I still feel proud of her once she escapes the strangle-hold of her wicked step-mother.
Definitely a worthwhile read for everyone! Suitable for 12+
My favourite book
Are You Dave Gorman?
By Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace.
This is by far the funniest book I have ever read. After boasting about how many people in the world share his name, comedian Dave Gorman is challenged into finding them all (or, at least, quite a few of them) by his flatmate Danny. Both boys are too proud to be proven wrong and the search for Dave's namesakes is a hilarious journey around the world.
Unfortunately, this book has now gone out of print but if you ever stumble across a copy it is definitely worth a read. This isn't a book that will change your life, it certainly didn't change mine. But, I knew I was onto a good thing when I only stopped reading when I could no longer see the words through the tears of laughter.
My favourite author
Jodi Picoult
I absolutely love Jodi's writing style. It is great to be able to sit down with one of her books and not stop reading until you have finished it. The issues she deals with are really confronting and range from teen suicide (in The Pact) to a school shooting (in Nineteen Minutes). However, because of the character perspectives she develops, she keeps the issue in reality.
She always develops the moral and social aspects of the issue really well which expands the issues to levels I had never thought of. I hope Jodi keeps producing such a high quality of writing for many years to come.
What's beside the bed
- The Life of Pi by Yann Martell
- No Logo by Naomi Klein
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami