Review - Skellig by David Almond

Skellig by David Almond
published 9/00
208 pages

Synopsis from publisher:

Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage. . . . What is this thing beneath the spiderwebs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never before seen? The only person Michael can confide in is his new friend, Mina. Together they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael’s world changes forever. . . .

My thoughts:

This was a lovely little book. Almond captured the innocence and wonder of Michael and Mina beautifully, as they discovered their friendship with each other, and the strange and beautiful Skellig. Michael's uncertainty about his sister, his belief that he could do something to help her, his feelings of helplessness in the face of his parents' worry - all wonderfully expressed.

I think what I liked most about the novel is that Almond didn't answer every question he posed - most specifically, what is Skellig? I think sometimes books give us too much - they answer questions we didn't even know we had, and the mystery and wonder is just a bit lost. In this novel, we never really learn everything - we are left to ponder, with Michael and Mina, just what this amazing creature is, where it came from, and what it's purpose really was.

"The garage creaked. Dust fell. His breathing was hoarse, uneven. His body shuddered. He whimpered with pain. At the door he closed his eyes, turned his head away from the intensifying light. Then he turned again and faced the daylight. Through narrowed veiny eyes he looked out through the door. Mina and I gazed at his face, so pale and plaster dry. His skin was cracked and crazed. His black hair was a tangle of knots. Dust, cobwebs, bluebottles, spiders, beetles clung to him and fell from him. We saw for the first time that he wasn't old. He seemed like a young man. Mina whispered it: 'You're beautiful!' "

I highly recommend this book. I found it to be a refreshing change from the glut of vampire-werewolf-fairy-etc. YA novels currently available, yet with just enough of a supernatural touch to feel otherworldly and mysterious. I loved it, and will be finding a copy to keep in my permanent collection.

Finished: 6/14/09
Source: Franklin Avenue library
Rating: 9/10

Don't just take my word for it! Here's what some other fabulous bloggers had to say:

Things mean a lot
Valentina's Room


Challenges this counts toward:

TSS - Reviews - Sunday shorts

My thoughts on a selection of books that, for one reason or another, didn't inspire me to write full reviews.






Exodus by Julie Bertagna
published 2002
343 pages


Synopsis:

Less than a hundred years from now, the world as we know it no longer exists. Cities have disappeared beneath the sea, technology no longer functions, and human civilization has reverted to a much more primitive state.

On Wing, an isolated northern island, the people are trying to hold onto their way of life—even as the sea continues to claim precious acres and threatens to claim their very lives.

Only fifteen-year-old Mara has the vision and the will to lead her people in search of a new beginning in this harsh, unfamiliar world.

This compelling first book in a powerful new trilogy set in the near future will hit home with teens, especially those who are ever more aware of the increasingly troubling climate crisis we face in our world today.

My thoughts:

I found the story to be quite entertaining, and I liked Mara, the heroine. My problem with the book was that I felt like I was getting whacked over the head with the "message". The author would have a paragraph about the ice caps melting, and the reasons for it, and I would think, "Oh, I get it - it's all due to something the earth's occupants did 100 years ago." And then she would have Mara say, "Our ancestors killed our future", or something like that - whack. Another time, she had Mara walking through an old university, noticing that all the people featured were men, and I thought, "Huh. Interesting that there aren't any women." And then Mara would say, "Why aren't there any women? Surely there were some smart women!" - whack. I guess I just felt like I was getting the point without the extra commentary. However, it was entertaining enough that I will probably read the second book in the trilogy.

Finished: 7/5/09
Source: Franklin Avenue library
Rating: 7/10

Trap by Un-Tied Artists
published 2008
347 pages

Synopsis:

Why is Paris burning? For money, a lot of it, more than you can possibly imagine. A serial arsonist killer is loose and American Interpol agent Nicki Foster fights to stop him. Hideous arsons are murdering fire crews and Nicki finds there's a dark logic behind the crimes. To stay alive, Nicki and Fire Captain Paul Denis race to solve a puzzle leading to an immense fortune. Lose the race and a flashover fire will burn them alive, leaving only an x-ray of them behind.

My thoughts:

This was an entertaining suspense thriller, neither the best nor the worst I've read in the genre. There were a few sections where I thought the narrative became a little clunky - but I think that was more the fault of editing than the story itself. There was nothing terrible surprising or innovative, but it was a fun read, and kept my attention throughout.

The reason I specifically wanted to highlight this novel is because its publisher, Un-Tied Artists, donates a portion of each book sold to Doctors Without Borders - every book purchased equals a month's worth of anti-malaria medication. Now, that's seriously cool. It's not this blog's purpose to tell you how to spend your money, but I can't help but suggest that you give a book from this publisher a try. They have a fairly wide variety, though somewhat small inventory, and even have books available for download on the Kindle.

Here's a quote to give you an idea of what to expect:

“The sun rose as I drove, brightening rooftops but turning streets into dark canyons where long shadows played over the sidewalks, sliding across streets and up storefronts. I fell in line with early commuters rolling down Montmartre’s hills. Paris unfolded below me in a carpet of twinkling buildings and streaking headlights. I took a moment to fall in love with the city all over again. Paris is a mood that touches everyone who stops at a sidewalk cafe and experiences how intimate each little nook of a huge, anonymous city can feel. Every block is its own world, with shops and restaurants that are tiny by American standards, barely larger than a bedroom. There’s always a bistro anchoring the end of the block. Seven generations bought their tobacco here because their parents did. They lean their elbows on the same zinc bar to drink a beer at day’s end, before climbing flights of stairs to a small flat they call home. The city is a paradox of tradition and energy where you always feel something unexpected is going to happen. For me, the unexpected was about to happen, and I wouldn’t like it. What came next wasn’t a dream but a nightmare. A slide into hell was starting and soon I’d be scrambling for a way out, fighting for my life.”

Finished: 7/9/09
Source: Un-Tied Artists
Rating: 7/10

ComfortFood by Kate Jacobs
published 2008
373 pa ges

Synopsis:

Shortly before turning 50, TV cooking show personality Augusta “Gus” Simpson discovers that the network wants to boost her ratings by teaming her with a beautiful, young new co-host. But Gus isn’t going without a fight—whether it’s off-set with her two demanding daughters, on-camera with the ambitious new diva herself, or after-hours with Oliver, the new culinary producer who’s raising Gus’s temperature beyond the comfort zone. Now, in pursuit of higher rating s and culinary delights, Gus might be able to rejuvenate more than just her career.

My thoughts:

This novel was a lot of fun! It was a review book for IJustFinished.com, so I can't publish my "official" review here, but I really did enjoy it. The characters sparkled, and the story itself was a great read. If you are looking for a tasty summer read, this will fit the bill. I will definitely look for more by this author!

Finished: 7/10/09
Source: IJustFinished.com
Rating: 8/10

Poe Fridays (on Saturday)

So, The Gold Bug. The unnamed narrator's friend, William Legrand, is bitten by what he believes to be a solid gold beetle. Legrand becomes obsessed with searching for treasure, making his friend, the narrator, believe he might be going crazy. Some time later, Legrand's servant, Jupiter, returns to the narrator and asks him to come to Sullivan's Island to help his master. Legrand is convinced he can find the treasure, and has a cryptogram to help him. After an unusual search, they do find the treasure, buried by Captain Kidd.

I think this story proves why Poe is the master of the SHORT story, not the longish-short story. This just felt too long - I didn't care for any of the characters, and portions of the story drug on. The character of Jupiter would probably be considered racist in today's literature - modern writers would be excoriated for writing a character like that.

However, I found the cryptology section to be fascinating. It was not fast reading - I really had to concentrate - but the method of solving the mystery of where the treasure could be found was something quite special. After the initial publication of the story, interest in cryptology exploded, and I can understand why.

Next week we try another short story, The Devil in the Belfry. Poe Fridays is hosted by Kristen at WeBeReading.

451 Fridays

451 Fridays is based on an idea from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, a group of people (Bradbury calls them Book People) are trying to keep the ideas found in books alive. Instead of actually saving the books, the Book People each "become" a book - memorizing it, word for word, and passing it down to the next generation.

451 Fridays asks what books you feel passionate about. What book do you think is so important that you would be willing to take on the challenge of "becoming"?


Today, I am excited to introduce you to my friend Emily. Well, sort of. Emily is an In Real Life friend, who doesn't have a blog or a Facebook page or a Twitter account or anything. I know, weird, right? She generally prefers to keep her private life private, so I've agreed to her request not to post her picture with this post - apparently, not everyone needs the whole world knowing their business. =) Emily is a nurse, wife, and mom, and one smart cookie. I've know her for about 5 years, spent lots of hours talking books, and I've finally badgered her into joining us here. Welcome, Emily, and thanks for agreeing to enter the cyber-world for the day.

What 5 books do you believe are important enough to be saved, and why?

1. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - I am an evangelist for this novel. I think everyone should read this story of a priest trying to find redemption. Themes of sin and atonement and virtue and vice run throughout, making this novel a thought-provoking read.

"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."

"And when we love our sin then we are damned indeed."

2. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch - I thought this was a sweet little kids book, and then I had my own kids. Now it makes me weepy every time I read it to my girls. Every kid should have someone to love them forever.


"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as you're living
My baby you'll be."

3. The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro - sometimes, a short story is all the time a mom of two small kids has time to read. This collection is wonderful - frankly, any collection by Alice Munro is wonderful, but this is the one I've read most recently.

"For we did make up. But we didn't forgive each other. And we didn't take steps. And it got to be too late and we saw that each of us had invested too much in being in the right and we walked away and it was a relief."

4. The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey - this is the first book Elizabeth and I really had a bonding moment over - if you need to escape for a while to a different world, I can't think of a better one than Pern. I can't count the number of hours I've spent engrossed in these novels, but I haven't regretted a single one.

"I prefer to cope with my disasters one at a time."

"Dragons always fly when thread is in the sky."

5. The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra - weird choice? Well, maybe, but I'm a nurse, so ancient herbal remedies have always been interesting to me. And trust me, when we're in a post-apocalyptic world, sitting around our campfire roasting our hunt for dinner, someone is going to be happy that I know what plants can cure a burn!

(sorry, no quotes)

Of those 5, which book would you choose to "become"?

Love You Forever. Partly because I already have it memorized. (Yep, I'm a cheater.) Mostly because, in a world that is sure to be scary and uncertain, we will need to be able to remind ourselves that some things really are forever.



Emily, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to share YOUR list of books which must be saved. Bloggers, if you have a non-blogging friend you think would like to join in the 451 fun, send me an email! I'd love to include them!

By the Chapter, day 3 - Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson

Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson

originally published 1975, as Bid Time Return
316 pages

Synopsis:

Like What Dreams May Come, which inspired the movie starring Robin Williams, Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.

Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. Somewhere in Time won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1979 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic.


By the Chapter is a week-long event in which Marcia and I pick a book to read together, and then discuss it. You can read Marcia's first post about this novel, as well as my first post. Be sure to stop by The Printed Page today, where Marcia will be sharing her final thoughts about Somewhere in Time.

My final thoughts:

I'm happy to say that part 2 of Somewhere in Time was immensely better, for me, than part 1. Almost as soon as Richard manages to find his way back to 1896, the story picks up. The narration becomes much smoother, and things actually start to HAPPEN, which is a nice addition to any story. I'm not sure I was ever completely drawn in to the story - something about it didn't engage me emotionally. I was anticipating a real tear-jerker, so perhaps I had created too high an expectation in my mind, but it never quite reached that level for me.

I found each of the central aspects of the novel - the time travel story, and the love story - to be interesting in their own way. The idea of time travel by hypnosis - for that is essentially what Richard does - was quite interesting. It's certainly a way to get around building a machine or some other such contraption. I'm a little bit fascinated with the idea of time travel, so I always find new author's conceptions of the phenomenon interesting, and this novel was no exception.

"That has to be the secret practicality of traveling thorough time. If Ambrose Bierce, Judge Crater, and all such disappearing people actually moved back in time, they would, by now, have no remembrance whatsoever of where they came from. Nature protects her workings. If a rule is broken or an accident occurs in the order of existence, compensation must be made, the scales brought back to level by some counterweight. In this way, the flow of historical incidence is never altered more than temporarily by anyone who circumvents time. The reason, then, no traveler has ever returned from this bourn is that it is, of natural necessity, a one-way trip."

And then there is the love story. The Greatest Love Story of Our Time. (or so they say.) I never found myself swept up in the grand romance, but rather interested in the concept Matheson explores of love being a means by which one can express their true self. I'm not sure I totally agree with the idea, but I do believe that learning to be completely honest and open with someone allows you to learn things about yourself you may not have known before. I feel like this idea might have been a new one in literature when the book was published, and I would have liked to see it explored further - unfortunately, Matheson's novel ended before that could take place.

"She began to cry. I welcomed it; I knew it meant release. She held herself against me tightly, sobbing, breathing in torturous gasps. I felt it coming all the years of harsh confinement ending. She was, at long last, unlocking the door of that subterranean dungeon in which she had kept her nature imprisoned. I could have wept along with her, so deeply overjoyed was I by her release."

I thought Somewhere in Time was a good book. I don't think it will be on my list of favorite stories of all time, but I did ultimately enjoy reading it, and found some of its ideas quite interesting. I'm looking forward to watching the movie, to see how the two compare.

Finished: 7/8/09
Source: Franklin Avenue library
Rating: 7/10


This book counts toward:

Relative Reads Review - A Good House by Bonnie Burnard

I was given the great fortune of growing up in a family of readers. Both of my parents read, and so do the majority of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. In fact, my Great-Grandma had cataract surgery in her 90's, because she couldn't bear to not be able to read. I thought it would be interesting to read some of the books THEY have discovered and enjoyed over the years, so I asked them to send me some recommendations, and the fun began! I have a list of the titles various family members have suggested on the side of the blog, so if you want to see what will be coming up you can take a peek.

A Good House by Bonnie Burnard (recommended by Aunt Rhoda)
published 1999
309 pages

Synopsis from publisher:

A Good House begins in 1949 in Stonebrook, Ontario, home to the Chambers family. The postwar boom and hope for the future color every facet of life: the possibilities seem limitless for Bill, his wife Sylvia, and their three children.

In the fifty years that follow, the possibilities narrow. Sylvia’s untimely death marks her family indelibly but in ways only time will reveal. Paul’s perfect marriage yields an imperfect child. Daphne unabashedly follows an unconventional path, while Patrick discovers that his happiness requires a series of compromises. Bill confronts the onset of old age less gracefully than anticipated, and throughout, his second wife, Margaret, remains, surprisingly, the family anchor.

This extraordinarily moving and beautifully crafted first novel was a number one bestseller in Canada where it won one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards, the Giller Prize, in 1999.

My thoughts:

This is a very quiet book. It tells the story of the Chambers family from 1949, when Bill and Sylvia are a newly married couple, to 1997, when Bill and his second wife, Margaret, are grandparents, watching their grandchildren marry. It's not really a story about any one particular thing - just the lives of this family, as they love and win and lose over the years. But, because of that, it's about nearly everything - family, and love, and loss, and winning, and defeat, and all the tiny, mundane things that hold a family together, no matter what, through all the years.

The first chapters of the novel are involved more intimately with the characters' lives - there are just a few, Bill and Sylvia and their children, and so Burnard gives the reader a chance to delve more deeply into their stories. As the years pass, the family grows larger, and Burnard must skim over much more of what happens to each particular character - suddenly, children are born and grown, spouses come and go, making the individuals seem more distant. For readers (like me), who really enjoy connecting with specific characters, this distance can make the second half of the novel less rewarding than the first. I found it to be an interesting parallel to a real family - the more we multiply, the less we are able to know each other intimately.

I especially enjoyed the sections about the children growing up in their small town. There were moments when something in the story made me recall an exact moment of my own childhood so clearly - specifically, the chapter where the kids put on a circus. I can remember my sister and I, and some neighborhood kids, putting on "shows" at my grandma's house, complete with costumes and batons. We'd make the adults sit and watch us - it was really pretty pitiful, I'm sure. But these paragraphs really resonated with me, and I felt like I understood these characters' lives:

"There were tough kids and kids not nearly tough enough, but most of them were assumed to be somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. If there were quarrels or fights, and occasionally there were, these were not reported back to parents because parents never did anything anyway. Parents couldn't save you. When kids came home muddy and soaking wet or bleeding from an unusual wound or cranky or worried or defeated, there was no great fuss. A dish of ice cream, a bowl of cereal, a joke, a bath, a bandage, a good night's sleep, these were the solutions."

Burnard has written short story collections, and in a way, this novel was similar to a collection - each chapter had its own beginning and end, and didn't really carry over into the next. Things happened, and then we move on, and something else happens, and then we move on - the only thing really tying each section together was the constant desire of the family to hold itself together, no matter what was going on around it.

I was also interested in her portrayal of the family as a group - a very clearly defined, members-only type group, with their own set of rules and expectations. Whenever a new person was introduced, THEY were required to conform to the group. There was never any question of the group changing to meet them. And if someone inside the group varied from their unspoken rules, there were swift consequences - the rules were set, no deviation tolerated. It's interesting to think of a family in this way. I tend to believe my own family is much more tolerant of new people and ideas, but I've never had to try to experience it as an outsider. I wonder how true that assumption is.


I don't think this novel will be for everyone - it's thin character development and slow moving narration will likely be frustrating for some readers. I ultimately liked the novel. It felt comforting to me, like a warm blanket to curl up under. I was interested in Burnard's examination of the family, and how its members respond to each other and to outsiders over the years. It's a novel about nothing, and everything, and well worth the time I spent inside its covers.

Finished: 7/4/09
Source: Franklin Avenue library
Rating: 7/10

This book counts toward:

By the Chapter, day 2 - Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson

By the Chapter is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. This week, I am cohosting with her, and we are reading and discussing Somewhere in Time.

Synopsis:

Like What Dreams May Come, which inspired the movie starring Robin Williams, Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.

Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. Somewhere in Time won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1979 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic.

My thoughts:

I'm just over 1/3 of the way through the novel, and I think things are starting to get interesting. In Marcia's first post, she noted that she is struggling with the narrative style, and is finding the story a bit slow-going. So far I haven't had a problem with the narration - it's first person, from the perspective of Richard, who has booked a room in a hotel in 1971, seen a picture of a woman from 1896, and decided he's in love with her and must go back in time to be with her. The book is styled to be his recollection of the events, so it's as if we are reading his notes from that time, as they happen, in a stream-of-consciousness style. I tend to like first person narratives, and enjoy a bit of an unreliable narrator, so I'm finding Richard's voice to be engaging so far.

As far as the story goes, however, I'm with Marcia - it's definitely a bit slow. In 100+ pages we've only managed to progress 5 days....so apparently, we get to read every detail of his day, as it occurs. Some of it is interesting, but it seems to be a lot of the same thing over and over - he's obsessed with the woman, wants to find out everything he can about her, reads a bunch, repeat. Right now, it's my anticipation of the great story to come that is keeping me reading. And ***spoiler alert*** I've just now gotten to the part where he manages to break through into 1896, so things should start to get good now, if they're going to. YAY!

So, I'm not overly impressed so far, but I'm still holding out hope. I mean, it can't have won a World Fantasy Prize for nothing, right? (Although, honestly, isn't time travel more sci-fi??) Anyway, I have also just realized that I can use this story for the Book-to-Movie comparison portion of the Take a Chance challenge, so you can probably look forward to a movie review at some point in the near future, as well.

Be sure to stop by here AND The Printed Page on Friday - Marcia and I will both have our final thoughts on the novel posted. Will it get better? Will we both want to chuck it against the wall? Stay tuned...