I will write a double Wuthering Heights post when I get back. Have a great week folks and I will see you soon.

Challenges - Support Your Library Challenge, Once Upon a Time Challenge and Young Adults challenge.
Published in 2008 by Doubleday.
The snow came down so thickly that it formed fragile snowballs in the air, which rumbled and melted as soon as they landed on the horses lined up along the dock. It was four in the morning and the place was coming alive and Captain Samson had never seen the dock in such a bustle. The cargo was flying out of the ship, literally; the cranes strained in their efforts to get the bales out as quickly as possible. The ship stank of the disinfectant already, stand of the stuff. Every man that came on board was so drenched in it that it dribbled out of his boots. But that wasn't enough; some of them had squelched aboard with big heavy spray cans, which spat an acid-pink fog over everything.
Poor Mau is returning to his home after training to become a man on Boy's Island. As he tries to travel home, a tsunami destroys his island and causes mass devastation. Everyone he has ever known has died and he is left on the island alone. Or so he thinks. When the tsunami hit the island, the huge wave stranded a schooner called the Sweet Judy on the island and only one life is left aboard, a young trouser man girl. The two of them are left on the island to make a future for themselves and try and rebuild the Nation that once was.
Firstly if you are expecting to find Discworld hidden amongst the pages, then be prepared as you won't find it. Pratchett described the setting as a parallel universe similar to the Pacific Ocean set in the 1800's. The book consists of bits of reality mixed in with a good dose of imagination.
For the first few chapters of this book, I felt such a deep sadness. Poor Mau, was so young, yet he managed to send every last soul off to heaven by burying them at sea. He is worried that he hasn't become a man in the tradition of his kin, yet he does more than any man would ever have to in his lifetime and this one action of burying all the islanders he has known all his life, makes him a man.
The book is about overcoming obstacles in order to make life more bearable. Daphne the trouser man girl and Mau manage to over come their language differences and learn to work together to make the island more hospitable to all the new arrivals who have lost their homes. The book also looks at the circle of life and shows how children grow and come to an age of reason and respect.
I truly loved this book. The writing would lead me from tears to laughter as the book progresses and Daphne and Mau try to act as adults with and manage with grace and dignity. Both characters are so strong, that you forget they are actually children. They did remind me of Tiffany Aching from A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith, two books from Pratchett's Discworld series.
This book has a little bit of everything within it. There is romance, there is courage and there are huge doses of humour, hidden amongst the pages too. There were times where I couldn't stop giggling to myself.
It is a book that is beautifully written and needs to be read by all. It is sheer escapism which I couldn't get enough of. I found the first half of the book quite breathtaking, whilst Daphne and Mau are alone on the island, once more people arrived though I felt that something was lost between them and it was no longer their story anymore. I dearly loved both characters and would have loved the book to end differently. I am happy with the ending, but being quite a romantic I would have preferred it if it had ended a different way.
Other reviews of this book
Things Mean Alot
PS. You will have to excuse my review of this book. I am not having the best of days and nearly didn't post, so I apologise if it is pants, but I can't really think straight today. Do you ever get those days when you are trying to review a book and it is just not happening, which for me is a shame, as this book is really beautiful. I feel like I am shortchanging you guys today, so apologies.
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Pages - 327
Challenges - Young Adult
Published by Harper Collins in 2008
The burning arrow thudded into the wall. Fire. The old, dry wood of the meeting house ignited in an instant. Dark, oily smoke filled the air, scratching my lungs and making me choke. Around me, my new friends cried out in shock before grabbing weapons, preparing to fight for their lives.
Bianca has to start a new academy and she already knows that she won't fit in. Her parents are to teach there, a bad start already, and the other students are smarter, sleeker and very territorial. The only light at the end of the tunnel, is Lucas, another new student, who warns Bianca to be careful. As their feelings grow for each other, the dark secrets of Evernight Academy race to tear them apart. Will they ever manage to be together.
The last few Young Adult books dealing with either vampires or angels have left me feeling rather dissatisfied, so I was really pleased when I found I couldn't put this book down. Yes, I know it has vampires in and vampires seem to be taking over the underworld of the Young Adult market, but this one is actually very good. I really was vamped out before reading it, yet this book left me desperate for the sequel.
This book has two major twists in it that although I knew they were there, I had no idea what they would be and both twists blew me away. I am not going to tell you what these twists are because I don't want to spoil it for you, but they shocked me and were totaly unexpected. They had me reading back through the previous pages for clues that I should have picked up. I realised the clues were there, only very subtle.
This is definitely a Romeo and Juliet style book with the star crossed lovers desperate to be together and everyone adamant that they will never be as one. This book has a dark Gothic feel to it, which appeals to my inner Victorian, even though it is set in the modern day. The characters are interesting and I felt involved with the story from the beginning.
This is a great easy read, if you want to lighten the load, after reading lots of more in depth books. It is a bit like a carton of Haagan Daz icecream after a week of healthy bran muffins. Sometimes you have to indulge in a little of what you fancy!
Definitely one of the better vampire YA books around at the moment. It ends on a cliffhanger, so if you don't want to get stuck in a series, then maybe this one isn't for you.
Other reviews
Melissa's Bookshelf
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Challenges - Every Month is a Holiday
Published by Abacus in 2001
My colleagues came and went in the clouds. Banks of cumulus drifted across the peaks of the Andes, enveloping us in a cool fog that made it impossible to see anything but the gray rubble on which we stood. Perched at 14,000 feet on a cone of volcanic debris in southwestern Colombia, we were checking the vital signs of Galeras - gases, gravity, anything that would tells us whether the volcanon might erupt.
As I mentioned in Sunday's post, I picked this book up before the volcano erupted in Iceland and it is purely coincidental. I had nothing to do with the volcano erupting and causing mayhem around the world. Honest!
I actually read it to coincide with Earth week which is this week. For those of you who are unaware of Earth Week, it is a week-long celebration of the Earth and the environment, in order to get environmental sustainability into the hearts and minds of the world. What better way to promote it than reading about one of Earth's most powerful attributes.This book is a non fiction account of a volcanic eruption that occurred on Galeras, a Colombian volcano in 1993. Stanley Williams was standing on top of the volcano when it erupted and witnesses several of his colleagues incinarated instantly. Williams did all that he could to escape the mountain, whilst it pelted him with white hot stones, which were faster than bullets and nearly broke his ankle off completely. He could not move and lay helplessly there whilst the volcano continued to spit rock at him. If it wasn't for the courage of two very brave women who mounted a rescue party to save him and his colleagues, he would not be with us today.
I had certain expectations of this book before I read it based purely on the blurb at the back and not because I love a good disaster, because I am not that kind of person. I can't even watch any type of disasters, real or fantasy on the TV. Normally I will bury my head in the sand or put my fingers in my ears if disasters are shown, because they scare the hell out of me.
However, I had assumed that Williams was the only one to be rescued and perhaps the only survivor, yet it was clear as I read the book that that wasn't the case. In fact, I became aware that the other volcanologists who were rescued were a little bit peeved at Williams ten minutes of fame as the only survivor when they too managed to live to tell the tale. In the book, Williams who was head of the team that was carrying out research on the mountain that day, was blamed for taking the limelight, as well as putting his team in danger in the first place, by not realising the mountain was about to erupt. Williams freely admits to taking his moment in history as a soul survivor and does apologise for it, however, he makes no claims to being responsible for taking the team up there in the first place. As far as he was concerned, the rest of the team had the same knowledge that he had and all went willingly.
Another assumption I had about this book, was that the eruption was a huge one that shattered the surrounding towns around it. Fortunately, it never affected the villages below and some of the residents had not realised until the news told them that it had in fact erupted. I am quite thankful to think that the villagers did not suffer as if the eruption had been bigger, whole villages could have been wiped out. The fact that lives were lost, is upsetting, however, I am not sure that they died in vain, as a lot was learnt from this eruption, which allowed them to realise when a volcano is basically plugging itself up and quietening down as it is preparing itself for eruption.
My last assumption was that the rescue of Williams was a long and drawn out one, similar to scenes from the Pierce Brosnan film, Dante's Peak. For his sake and the other survivors, I am so glad it wasn't. I had imagined them struggling to get him down from the mountain, where in actual fact, he was rescued within a couple of hours of the volcano going off.
I am not saying that this book isn't heroic and very traumatic, because it most definitely is, I just think I was expecting the content to be different, in accordance with the blurb on the back. My highly active imagination got slightly carried away, and in truth I am pleased for the survivors that they did not have to suffer more than they did. I am upset that anyone had to perish at all. I almost feel that the publishers misled the audience about the content of the book.
Once I came to terms with my assumptions being totally wrong, I have to say I found this book extremely fascinating in parts and heartwrenching in others. There was lots more to it, than just the account of the volcano exploding. A lot of extremely talented volcanologists lost there lives on that volcano and you cannot help but wonder, if they didn't know it was going to go off, with all their years of studying volcanoes, what chance do the rest of civilization have. Especially as so many people actually live very close to or on active volcanoes. Did you know that if Mount Vesuvius erupted in the near future, it would wipe out Naples.
Before reading this book, I wasn't aware how many volcanoes were actually active. America has had 67 volcanoes active over the last several thousand years, 52 of which are in Alaska alone. I never really thought about the affects they would have on the Earth, but when you think about the fact that they believe the last big eruption of the Iceland volcano led to the Irish potato famine, due to the sun being blocked out for such long period of time. It is a little scary. I am beginning to wonder if I was better off, when I didn't know so much about volcanoes, especially under the present circumstances!
Here is a passage from the book that really grabbed my attention.
When and where will the next volcanic disaster strike? We don't really know, but there are some things we can say with certainty. First 1,500 active volcanoes worldwide potentially threaten about 500 million people. Second, rapid population growth in the developing world has put far more people near volcanoes than ever before. Third, in any given year, about 50 volcanoes erupt worldwide. Fourth, every decade the world experiences an eruption the size of that at Mount Helens, every century we see an eruption the size of Pinatubo's and every 500 to 1,00years we can expect a blast as massive as Tambora's. Fifth, the Earth has been shaped by eruptions far larger than these, and at some time in the coming millennia- perhaps in 2,000 years, perhaps in 50,000- we are likely to see an apocalyptic blast that could kill millions of people and seriously alter the earth's climate.
Food for thought, I feel. Such a cheerful post for everyone today. If you are interested in how volcanoes work and the history of eruptions, then this is definitely a book worth reading. Happy Earth Week!
I suppose by reading about volcanoes, it has made me more knowledgeable,as now I actually know what they are talking about when they mention things like 'pyroclastic flows' and 'magma'. I have to admit being glued to the television when reports about the eruption are aired, I can't help but find the whole process of how a volcano erupts fascinating. Anyway I hope to finish Surviving the Volcano later today as I plan to review it this week to help celebrate Earth Week which starts tomorrow. I was a bit naughty yesterday, as usually I only read two books at a time, but something made me pick up The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint and now I can't put it down.
Pages - 118
Republished by BN Publishing in 2008
Who can I blame for the purchase : Ana from Things Mean Alot
The education given to Flora Poste by her parents had been too expensive, too full of team sports, and too long. So when they died of a sudden illness within a few weeks of each other, during her twentieth year, Flora was discovered to possess every skill except that of earning enough to live on.
Flora, orphaned unexpectedly at 19 and left with little inheritance and no suitable skills for finding a career, decides to write to all her existing relatives to see if anyone will take her in. She is determined to find a strain of her family that needs her to supervise them and change their lifestyle.
Flora receives a cryptic letter from Judith Starkadder, who has expected to hear from Flora for years. A great wrong happened to her father years ago and now Judith feels that they should put it right by taking his daughter in to live with them.
Flora arrives at Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex and begins to alter the lives of the rather eccentric characters living there. Within weeks she has turned the household round and set them all free from the aunt who controls everyone in the household from high up in her locked room.
Oh how I loved this book and I have to say a big thank you to Ana for bringing it to my attention last December. I was enthralled by this book from page one, it was such a delightful read.
Flora is a fantastic lead character within the book and she came across as a cross between Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee as she carefully evaluates what each family member needs in order to turn their lives around. I can almost see Flora with a magic wand in her hand, waving it over each character, like a fairy godmother and solving each of their problems with ease.
To get a better picture of Flora, here is a quote that describes the way she thinks.
'On the whole, I dislike my fellow-beings; I find them so difficult to understand. But I have a tidy mind, and untidy lives irritate me. Also, they are uncivilized.'
Aunt Ada Doom is a blast. She has convinced the whole family that she is mad and they are too frightened to go against her. She rules the house and every one's finances from her ivory tower and only graces them with her presence once in a blue moon. Her whole madness revolves around one small event in time, 'when she saw something nasty in the woodshed.' Yet Flora soon takes her to hand and even manages to change Aunt Ada's life for the better too.
This wonderful book is a book of parodies, basically sending up a collection of our most classical fiction. Wuthering Heights is the book that it sends up the most, with the sister of the household Elfine resembling Cathy on the lonely moors. Although this is difficult for me to actually see at the moment, as I am only up to chapter six in Wuthering Heights. Also I believe that Aunt Ada Doom is a bit of a take off of a Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Two followup books were written about Cold Comfort Farm. The first one 'Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm' is a set of short stories which prequel the arrival of Flora at Cold Comfort Farm. The second book 'Conference at Cold Comfort Farm' is a sequel to the book I read and occurs sixteen years after the first one.
In Ana's review over at Things Mean Alot, she mentioned that someone had suggested to her that Cold Comfort Farm held similarities to I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith. I could understand the connection, as I could feel a similar magical quality to both books. It is hard to explain, but each one has an air of fairytale to it and I would describe both as magical books to read.
This is a fabulous book full of hilarity and magic. It is a relatively short read and a definite must for anyone who loves a happy ending.
Other reviews of this book.
(You can read Ana's review, if you click on her name above)
There are some memorable lines from the book which I feel I need to share with you too.
'The story of Montgomery is the story of 50,000 Negroes who were willing to substitute tired feet for tired souls and walk the streets of Montgomery until the walls of segregation were finally battered by the forces of justice.' This was a line taken from Martin Luther King's book Strive Toward Freedom.
'Martin Luther King,JR., didn't start the American civil rights movement, but early on his brilliance made him its polestar, and when that guiding light was blotted out in April 1968, those who had looked to it seemed to lose their way in the darkness his death left behind. '
This book not only gives you the life story of Rosa Parks, but it also gives you the historical background and the people involved with the American Civil Rights movement. I had alway presumed that Martin Luther King was the front runner in this race, yet he came into the campaign as an after thought and there were many other fine people who led the way before him.
Rosa Parks was an inspirational woman, yet she came across to everyone who knew her as humble and down to earth. She never revelled in the fame her actions brought her, yet as time passed a lot of people involved in the civil rights movement, began to shun her out of jealousy of her fame. From that point on, she moved away as she could not cope with such ill feeling. She was cast aside for many years and her story was often not included in the accounts of the birth of the American Civil Rights, yet over the past twenty odd years, her story has begun to shine through and she has taken her place next to the other inspirational women of the twentieth century.
Nelson Mandela's visit to America following his release from prison after twenty seven years says it all. Rosa had been missed off the guest list to meet him, yet after pulling a few strings she got the opportunity to be there. When he arrived, Nelson started to chant Rosa's name, tears filling his eyes as he finally met the legend that was Rosa Parks.
I would highly recommend reading this book as it definitely opened my eyes to the history of the American Civil Rights movement. I feel so much better for reading this book, as I realise that in our lifetime there will always be difficulties, there will always be difficulties to overcome, yet with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of positivity, we can achieve the unachievable. Life is there for us to take and grab with both hands and bring about the things our hearts most truly desire.
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Challenges - Support Your Local Library Challenge, Young Adult Challenge and Once Upon a Time Challenge
Published in 2008 by Macmillan Children's Books.
In an unremarkable room, in a nondescript building, a man sat working on very non-descript theories.
The man was surrounded by bright chemicals in bottles and flasks, charts and gauges, and piles of books like battlements around him. He propped them open on each other. He cross-referred them, seeming to read several at the same time; he pondered, made notes, crossed the notes, went hunting for facts of history , chemistry and geography.
Un Lun Dun is a young adult fantasy set in an alternate London. The book begins with two young girls called Zanna and Deena noticing a change in their normal reality. Things seem to be watching them and following them. They cannot control their curiosity any more and they follow a spying broken umbrella down into a basement, where they find an entrance to Un Lun Dun. Un Lun Dun is an unusual mirror image of London, but with some very strange inhabitants and buildings. Zanna discovers that she is supposed to be the chosen one to help save Un Lun Dun from the Smog, an evil cloud of pollution based on the real smog of the 1950's. However, Zanna's role as the chosen one is short lived and Deena steps forward to help to save Un Lun Dun from the evil Smog.For some reason and I have absolutely no idea why, this book seemed to take forever to read. It wasn't boring or full of difficult passages that needed to be thought over. It wasn't even an adult book. I think the reason it took so long, was because the book basically took London, turned it upside down, shook it around a bit and made the impossible possible. Thus taking longer to absorb as I tried to make out and visualise London's alter ego, Un Lun Dun. The book concentrated so much on the setting, that I felt quite lost as to what was going on in the beginning. At over 500 pages, it took the first 100 to set the scenery and character descriptions straight in my head, before I then hungrily devoured the story. After that I really loved it, but it did take a long time to read.
Some of the characters were just so unbelievable that they were believable. My favourite were the binja's, which were ninja bins. I want one as a bodyguard. It was almost as if Mieville let his imagination get carried away and wrote down everything that came to mind and put it all in the book. I got confused at the beginning as the story seemed to be following Zanna as the main character, only to find a quarter way through that Deeba was actually the main character and Zanna no longer even featured in the book.
Deeba is a very strong main character and doesn't seem to lose her nerve or suffer from fear or disillusionment. A lot of the other characters appeared to be nondescript and I found I had no feeling for them. The only ones I liked were the cute Utterlings, who came into being by the sound of a voice.
The descriptions of Un Lun Dun were amazing and rather hilarious. They would definitely make good visuals in a film production of the book. The book has rather a dark storyline and I found a couple of bits in it quite sad when innocent creatures died - I really am a woose. It reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland,as the story is full of nonsensical characters and settings and I have to admit that this type of book would not normally attract my interest.
This book has been compared to the J.K Rowling books, but I really couldn't see the connection. A friend of mine mentioned that it sounded similar to Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere', but as I haven't read it, I can't comment. I understand Mieville to be a great adult fiction writer, so I will definitely look out for more of his books.I thoroughly enjoyed this book once I got into it, so I would recommend it highly and advise you persevere through the first hundred or so pages until Deena goes back to Un Lun Dun, then the story really takes off. The first part with Zanna in the role of Chosen One did leave me feeling like it was a false start, but after that I loved it.
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