Sky Burial - Xinran
In the interests of honesty I should admit, the only reason I picked up this book to read was the A to Z Challenge, because, well, they’re not that many authors out the whose names start with “X” are there!
It’s not to say I didn’t want to read the book, I’m not going to choose to read a book “just because” it’ll help out with a challenge, there still needs to be that “read me” element in there, somewhere.
I do vaguely remember the book first coming out and receiving decent reviews, so as it looked interesting, and as I say, hey it’s an “X” author, so why not?
This is where these challenge things really come into their own, bringing books into your life that for what ever reason would normally pass you by.
And that is the case with Sky Burial, I read the book over four or five days traveling to work and back, and it was wonderful step out my the modern Western world, to immerse myself in to Tibetan life and Wen’s search for the 20 minutes or so trip takes each way.
The story is a simple one: Shu Wen meets her intelligent, idealistic husband-to-be while they are both training to be doctors. After less than 100 days of marriage, Kejun travels to Tibet as a Chinese army doctor and before long, Shu Wen is notified that he has died in an “incident”. Shu Wen decides to join the army herself, travel to Tibet and find out if he really is dead, and if so, how and why he died.
And then, as if travelling to a closed country like Tibet as a young woman in the 1950s is not difficult enough, Shuwen quickly becomes separated from her unit and, close to death herself, is taken in by a family of Tibetan nomads. Her transformation from Chinese doctor to nomadic Buddhist is a long, painful and at many turns, deeply distressing one.
Beautifully written, you’ll lose all sense of time (just like Wen whose search spans 30 years), this is a story that will worm it’s way under your skin and its magic will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
I suspect that many (okay, many fellow men 
) will be put off by the phrase “love story” in the strapline, which is a shame, because this isn’t really a romance story, it is really is, a love story of the country and people of Tibet and the different lives they lead.
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Buy Sky Burial at Amazon
Other Reviews:
The End of Mr. Y ~ Scarlett Thomas
Okay, I’ll admit it. While the plot did intrigue me. And yes it was on half price offer. I bought this book, for one reason, and one reason only…
The pages had black edges!!!
Yep, I am that shallow!
As for what I thought of the plot, my first reaction and the only 3 words that have been sitting in this review’s draft version for the last week or so, are, ‘Hmm… Not sure…’ and just over a week later, that pretty much, still sums up my thoughts.
When Ariel Manto uncovers a copy of The End of Mr. Y in a second-hand bookshop, she can’t believe her eyes. She knows enough about its author, the outlandish Victorian scientist Thomas Lumas, to know that copies are exceedingly rare. And, some say, cursed. With Mr. Y under her arm, Ariel finds herself thrust into a thrilling adventure of love, sex, death and time-travel.
As the story develops, the book explores theories about, faith, consciousness, and death. It’s a book that will demand all the attention you can give it, and the more you can give it, the more it’ll reward you. This is a book to curl up on a Sunday afternoon with, not read on the beech, or snatched moments at work.
Ultimately, I’m glad I read the book, enjoyed it, mostly, and didn’t particularly dislike any of it. However, because of everything it is trying to be and do, it does have a bit of a confused identity. Personally I think it could have done with fewer philosophy moments, and focused more tightly on the mystery & adventure elements as I feel while necessary they bogged the story down at times. I can however see that others who will read it, will take the entirely opposing point of view! The fact that both camps can happily read the book, anyway is an achievement in itself and for this alone, the author deserves the platitudes she has received.
And I have to say I really enjoyed the book within the book that features in the first third of this tale, as Arial gets to read the ‘real’ “The End of Mr. Y” so do we.
So, saying all that, and taking my original thoughts in to consideration, am I finally able to choose a definitive opinion on the book? Well all I can say is…
I’m not sure…
Rating: 
Buy, The End Of Mr. Y at Amazon.
Boy A ~ Jonathan Trigell
It’s impossible to read this book and not think of the events surrounding the murder of James Bulger, although the crime itself differs, much of the public and press reaction is intentionally, eerily similar.
From the start of this thought-provoking tale, you just know it it’s not going to end well. A sense of relentless foreboding emanates from each chapter.
Jack, at the age of 24, has just been released from prison. Found guilty of a heinous crime as a child, and having spent most of the last 15 years serving his time in various institutions, Jack must shed his old identity, that of “Boy A” and make his way and a new life in the outside world.
The story unfolds by telling two stories, that of, Jack, good friend, lover, and work mate, who looks at his new life with wide-eyed wonder, and that of “Boy A” told by slowly dripping fact by fact, the events in his life that lead up to the crime itself. His culpability in the crime is never in question, but as we learn more and more of these events his actual “guilt” is left ambiguous.
You can’t help but like the man, Jack has become, a man who cares deeply for the few people he has in his life, his friends, his girlfriend, his Uncle Terry (who is, in fact his case worker and a man Jack considers to be almost a surrogate father).
However, life isn’t going to let Jack have a happy ending, and when the inevitable happens and Jack’s secret past is revealed, and he is seemingly abandoned by all those around him, Jack is left to make a decision on his own, a decision which can only have a tragic outcome.
Trigell, wanted to write a novel that made the reader consider the surrounding events, more than the crime itself. Society’s response, the effectiveness of the prison system, the effects of the “tabloid” press, and he succeeds brilliantly, this is a novel that will stay with me for quite some time.
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Warning note: There is a quite explicit chapter, which follows Jack’s father set in a Bangkok strip bar, that for me was unnecessary, however it did illustrate very well, the emptiness in this man’s existence, as he too, has had to move away and start anew.
Boy A won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for best debut novel (2005) and the Waverton Good Read Award (2004).
Buy: Boy A at Amazon.
The Uncommon Reader ~ Alan Bennett
“Can there be any great pleasure,” she confided in her neighbour, the Canadian minister for overseas trade, “than to come across an author one enjoys and then to find they have written not just one book or two, but at least a dozen.”
Playwright, Alan Bennett, is part of the fabric of my life growing up, with his TV series Talking Heads and the later plays such as The History Boys, little he touches fails to shine, so I knew I could approach this book with the confidence of knowing this was a master of his art.
A good novella needs to have tight writing with not a word is wasted, and this is certainly true of, The Uncommon Reader, a lightly comic tale following Her Majesty as she’s caught in the fierce grip of a reading bug, late in life.
“…Norman was sulking, behaviour she had seldom come across except in children and the occasional cabinet minister…”
So caught up is she, that it threatens to unravel years of careful work crafting the Royal image, by her equerries and staff. The Queen must evade their increasingly insistent attempts to rein in her new hobby.
Then, the Queen decides, that one, might quite like to take up writing for herself culminating in a final set-to with the Prime-Minister and the rest of the Privy Council, and a cracking last line, where the Queen, quite rightly gets the last word.
Take a leaf out of the Queen’s book and lock yourself out the way for an hour or two and devour this gem of a novella.
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Other Reviews to consider:
Buy, The Uncommon Reader at Amazon.
On Chesil Beach ~ Ian McEwan
It is June, 1962. In a hotel on the Dorset coast, overlooking Chesil Beach, Edward and Florence, who got married that morning, are sitting down to dinner in their room. Neither is entirely able to suppress their anxieties about the wedding night to come …
I’m guessing from the reviews I’ve read, that this is a book you either think is fantastic or wonder what all the hype is about. I think I’m leaning towards the latter.
I’d heard great things about McEwan’s work and the cover reviews and the fact it was Booker Short-Listed last year, suggested that this was as good a good place as any to start.
Also being only 166 pages this is novella territory so at least I wouldn’t be stuck for long if I didn’t enjoy it, but having read it, it’s not really whether or not I enjoyed it, but what the point was…
It’s not the lack of a happy ending, for I am partial to a bit of angst every now and again, or that the writing is clumsy, because it is not. But I never cared about the characters, there wasn’t really a “journey” to be told as such either. So when we hit the denouement on Chesil Beach itself, my reaction was along the lines of, Meh… So what…
The final page and a bit, when in later life, Edward, looks back and considers, what if? Are probably the most meaningful pages in the book, and do hint at what maybe McEwan was trying to achieve in this book, but for the other 164 pages it missed me completely. I’m thinking if I’d read this bit first, then I’d have got much more from the book.
I’m going to give it 3 stars rather than 2, because whatever I didn’t “get” about the book, I was compelled at least, to finish the thing.
I have got Saturday in my TBR pile, and I really do hope it captures my imagination more that this one did.
Rating:
Buy:On Chesil Beach at Amazon.
Other Reviews to Consider:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret ~ Brian Selznick
ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together…in “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”.
Every so often, along comes a book that is - you know - just an absolute joy to own, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret is certainly that.
Part novel, part flip book, part graphic novel, this is a unique and captivating book that is gorgeously presented. Backed by a solid and interesting tale, it’s the illustrations and film stills that really make this book something special, each one lovingly detailed and driving the narrative on as successfully as any page of text could do.
Selznick, hasn’t just relied on his artistic talent though, he’s also crafted a smart, tight, and satisfying mystery story filled with wonderful characters, and when you turn the last page it is with a sense of pleasure of an hour or two well spent, and a disappointment that you can’t discover it again for the first time.
Whatever you do, DON’T lend this out, you’ll never get it back! But, whatever you need to do, to cajole everyone you know who has the slightest interest in books, to get their own copy, then do it!
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I realise that this is a bit of a gushing review, so don’t just take my word for it, check out what these guys think as well!
Before I Die ~ Jenny Downham
Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.
Been meaning to read this book ever since it first appeared on the shelves of my local Waterstones last year (which incidentally I challenge you to find a better looking bookshop, anywhere!). Something about it said it was a book I’d probably enjoy, but for whatever reason it was one that never got bought. Slip forward a year and I get an email from bookmooch announcing an available copy, so getting in before anyone else did, I quickly mooched it!
It was well worth the wait, this is one of those young adult books that would not only be enjoyed by adults who happened to read it, it would also sit quite happily in the adult section of it’s own accord.
Books of this ilk tread a fine line of capturing the emotions without becoming self-indulgent or overly sentimental, while all the while remaining moving, and thankfully Jenny Downham manages to tell Tessa’s story in first person, with some style and originality.
This is helped in part by the fact that, Tessa, isn’t always the most likable person to know (just like anybody else on the planet!) her faults are there to see and aren’t glossed over just because she is about to die. This is all the more rewarding as the story develops (and her time nears) you do begin to really like her and her attitude towards her final few weeks.
A really nice - effect I suppose you’d call it - is when in the final few chapters the formatting and punctuation starts to fragment as Tessa endeavors to continue to tell her story. Sentences and paragraphs just stop, and then start again halfway down the page, capitalisation isn’t always used. It works really well and adds a bit of punch to the emotional ending.
Highly reccomended
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Adept ~ Robert Finn
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They know enough to put them in the worst danger of their lives. Will it also be enough to save them?
Comparisons with The Da Vinci Code are unfair (and the cover does make mention both both this and The Rule of Four - which I’ve not read so I can’t comment on that one) Adept, bears little resemblance to the ‘Da Vinci Code’, it’s a better book and doesn’t rely on as many hard-to-swallow twists and coincidences for a start.
Don’t get me wrong, Adept, does have it’s faults, the main character, David Braun, is supposedly painted as an ‘every man’ who is perhaps just a little too inquisitive in his work - but otherwise a perfectly bloke (who goes to the pub and everything) during the main bulk of the story, however in the first few chapters, his work as an insurance investigator (and the insurance company he works for) alludes to be a lot more shadowy and not necessarily his ‘day job’ than it actually is. Considering the themes of the book, it’s not an unreasonable assumption to make, and yet it plays no further part in the plot.
Yet, Finn, has written a perfectly enjoyable romp of a thriller, as long as you don’t look too deeply with no other pretensions than to be a thrilling book to read.
David Braun, star investigator for an exclusive insurance firm, discovers the truth that the crime was intended to conceal. Behind it all, is a ruthless thief, who is intent on acquiring a priceless antique - an antique with a bloody history its owners would prefer to keep hidden.
Susan Milton, an expert in exotic antiques, must unearth the object’s past to make sense of the present. When she takes on the project she has no idea that her research will put her life in danger. As David and Susan learn to work together the pieces begin to fall into place, but the more they find out, the less they believe.
Caught between powerful enemies and being hunted by a killer the police cannot catch, their only hope is to stay one step ahead. They know enough to put them in the worst danger of their lives. Will it also be enough to save them?
I’ve seen some criticism of the characters and dialogue in reviews elsewhere, but I enjoyed and liked all the main ‘good guys’ and their interactions with each other, and it was nice to see the hero get his girl (or the heroine get her man - for that matter) and not leap in to bed with each other, for anything other than some much needed sleep! And the development of their relationship and the changes they need to make to accommodate each other, showed real development, and both brought them closer together and was actually needed for the plot denouement.
So, whilst Adept is not without it’s faults, it is perfectly enjoyable nonetheless.
Tomorrow, When the War Began {Audiobook - Unabridged} - John Marsden
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Narrator: Suzi Dougherty
Audio Length: 7 hours and 21 min. Unabridged.
Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight.
When Ellie and six of her friends return home from a camping trip deep in the bush, they find things hideously wrong - their families gone, houses empty and abandoned, pets and stock dead.
Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in the town has been taken prisoner. (And my only very minor nit-pic with the story is, that they possibly reach this conclusion a little too quickly , with the few clues they are given, but then the pace of the story is just beginning to pick up at this point and too much WTF? wouldn’t be ideal either.)
As the horrible reality of the situation becomes evident they have to make a life-and-death decision: to run back into the bush and hide, to give themselves up to be with their families, or to stay and try to fight.
I reviewed the paperback version of this book a couple of weeks ago, and really enjoyed it, so decided to download it as this months Audible download.
Suzi Dougherty’s narration is excellent, and really draws you into the story, as a Brit I natuarally tended to inflict a British accent on the characters when reading the paperback, apart from the really obvious Aussie-ism’s 
it was really nice to hear it with an appropriate voice for all the characters!
Suzi Dougherty really seems to capture Ellie’s character, and combined with John Marsden’s fantastic writing you can really lose yourself and believe that it is Ellie telling you the story.
I can heartily recommend both the book and this audio version.
Click Here to Download Audiobook
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
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As winter turns to spring across the red earth, acacia trees and slow green rivers of Botswana, all is not quite as it should be on Zebra Drive, home to Mma Ramotswe and her beloved husband Mr J. L. B. Matekoni.
All is not well at the No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency! There are the usual mix of cases to be solved, from catching a thief at Teenie Magama’s printing works, to a series of suspicious deaths at the Mochudi hospital. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, wanting to proove himself a ‘good husband’ tries his hand at being a detective… and Mma Makuti feeling the pressure of her impending marriage decides to move on, and leave the agency.
Things aren’t going any smoother at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr Matekoni’s apprentice - and ladies man - Charlie, leaves to start his own business as a taxi driver specialising as a safe and secure option for women wanting transport, with his well know roving eye, disaster is surely only around the corner for all concerned.
As ever with the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series, it’s not really the plot or whodunits, we care about. They are simply there to give the characters something to do (and talk about over numerous cups of Bush tea!) The enjoyment of these perfect lazy Sunday afternoon books, comes from people watching, immersing yourself in their lives, and watching them all interact with each other none-the-least-of-which, is Botswana itself.
I don’t think this is the best in the series, but that is hardly a criticism in books of this quality, grab yourself a cup of tea (red bush of course!) a bit of peace and quiet and lose yourself in the pages for an hour or so, you surely won’t regret it!
And congrats on...