September Book Group: All things Japanese

This September (Wednesday 12 September at 6pm) the book group will be looking at books that reveal Japanese culture. A special list of books held by Manly Library has been prepared and is available is the library, or you can email fran.inkster[at]manly.nsw.gov.au for an electronic version. This booklist tries to give an insight into Japanese culture, through fiction and non-fiction works. The emphasis is on current Japanese culture, with a look at some of the elements that have made the Japanese what they are today. Items relating to World War 2 have not been included. Some items illustrating the Japanese influence, or the Japanese in other countries have been included.

Suggested items (with Manly Library call numbers) include:

Non-fiction ;
Addiss, Stephen, 1935-
A Haiku menagerie : living creatures in poems and prints
New York : Weatherhill, 1992.
895.6104/ADD

Addiss, Stephen, 1935-
How to look at Japanese art / Stephen Addiss ; with a chapter on gardens by Audrey Yoshiko Seo.
New York : Abrams, 1996.
709.52/ADD

Bringing home the sushi : an inside look at Japanese business through Japanese comics.
Atlanta, Ga. : Mangajin, 1995.
658.8/BRI

Buisson, Dominique.
Japan unveiled : understanding Japanese body culture
London : Hachette Illustrated, 2003.
391.0952/BUI

Chambers, Veronica.
Kickboxing geishas : how modern Japanese women are changing their nation
New York : Free Press, 2007.
305.40952/CHA

For fiction try these authors:
Eisler, Barry.
Endo, Shusaku.
Fast, Howard, 1914-
Guterson, David.
Hoyt, Richard 1941-
Kawabata, Yasunari, 1899-1972
Kikuchi, Hideyuki.
Lockwood, Cara.
Massey, Sujata.
Mori, Kyoko.
Murakami, Haruki, 1949-
Otsuka, Julie, 1962-
Suzuki, Koji.
Tanizaki, Junichiro, 1886-1965
Trobaugh, Augusta.
Yamada, Taichi.
Yoshikawa, Mako.
Yoshimoto, Banana, 1964-
Yoshimura, Akira, 1927-
Yu, Miri, 1968-

Before I die

By Jenny Downham. David Fickling Books, 2007.

A great read – beautifully written. Not one for the person who is seeking a happy ending – you’ll need the tissues!

Blurb from the back:

“Everyone has to die. We all know it. With only a few months of life
left, sixteen-year-old Tess knows it better than most. She’s made a list
of ten things she wants to do before she dies. But getting what you want
isn’t easy. And getting what you want doesn’t always give you what you
need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.
Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous – this extraordinary novel celebrates what it
is it be alive by confronting what it’s really like to die”.

Book group wrap up: Medieval Mysteries

Recently we discussed Medieval Mysteries at our bookgroup. Members had read a variety of titles from this genre, and many had read more than one. Surprisingly it was not well liked. I believe they kept reading more in the hope that the next book would be better. Selected titles were easy to read, so did not take long to read, but also did not provide a lot of intellectual stimulation.

The main complaint was that authors spent too much effort detailing medieval life and not developing characters. It didn’t matter how good the background was, if the characters and plot were not up to scratch, the book was no good. Margaret Fraser was singled out for her atrocious language. Her dialogue was very contrived and did not reflect the language used at the time, and in the opinion of the reviewer, was not even a good parody of the language which would have been anglo-saxon, not English.

One author to get the best reviews, was Felicity Pulman, (spelt with one ‘l’) who writes for young adults. Her books had been read by at least three of the group and rated well, taking into account the audience they were written for. Quite by accident, the week after the discussion group, I spoke to Felicity Pulman, who was eager to hear what the group had to say about medieval mysteries. She took all comments very seriously and will keep them in mind when writing her next book – keep developing characters, make sure you have a worthy plot, the background is important, but keep it in the background and keep the language real as you are still writing for a modern audience.

I asked Felicity about her research. She has done extensive work into Arthurian legend, and the medieval era. She was very disappointed as she had recently broken her foot, which meant she had to delay a trip to England. She was keen to see the countryside in autumn, and wanted to walk in forests and other places she puts her characters. You may like to check out Felicity’s website at http://www.felicitypulman.com.au/ . She covers information about her books (which are published by Random house), biography, as well as about her research, medieval mumbo-jumbo and also provides links to writing sites and other authors of her ilk. Felicity has written the Shalott series, Guinevere Jones books and episodes for the television series in conjunction with Sophie Masson, and her most recent works the Janna Mysteries – all medieval based.




-Fran

Looking for a quick read?

http://www.lazyreaders.com/

This site is for those who want to read but are perhaps time poor – so short books are the answer – you can even sort them by pages so you can read the shortest first.

What book got you hooked?

Is an initiative of an American Organisation called First Book; a non-profit whose aim is to provide books for children in need. For what book got you hooked they asked celebrities to name the first book that really got them into reading. They also conducted an online poll and the top 50 books are listed on the site. The top five were:

1. Nancy Drew series; Carolyn Keene
2. Green Eggs and Ham; Dr. Seuss
3. Little House on the Prairie; Laura Ingalls Wilder
4. Little Women; Louisa May Alcott
5. The Cat in the Hat; Dr. Seuss

What is the what

By Dave Eggers. Penguin Books, 2007.

Eggers is best-known for his autobiographical memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, but this book is startlingly different. It tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, a young Sudanese refugee, and although it purports to be a novel, Eggers has used as the basis for the story the real-life experiences of Deng and other refugees, known collectively as the ‘Lost Boys’ of Sudan, who, in the 1990s were forced to flee their homes following attacks from hostile Government-backed militias.
Deng’s story is one of great bravery and appalling misfortune. The group of boys he met up with made their way from southern Sudan to Ethiopia looking for sanctuary. They were attacked by lions, crocodiles, and mosquitoes, and suffered thirst and starvation. Safety in Ethopia was short-lived, a massacre ensued, and the boys had to flee again. In Kenya they found a haven in a refugee camp in the wilderness. Deng realised the way out was through education, and made himself essential to the aid-workers running the camp. Grown to a young man, he was offered sponsorship to the USA, but even here there were human predators in wait.

The author finds a convincing and authentic-sounding voice to tell this moving story. It is a terrific achievement, and one of the best novels I have read in years.

- John

Love is a mix tape

By Rob Sheffield. Random House, 2007.

This is the first book I’ve been really excited about in a while so had to share it! Written by music journo Rob Sheffield, this is memoir told with the aid of mix tapes. If I was being corny I would say: ‘the soundtrack to his life’. Having many shoeboxes full of mix tapes myself, this concept really ‘struck a chord’ with me. And for me, like Rob, listening to the tapes is like dredging up whole parts of your life, and this is what Rob does with the book.

Each chapter starts with the track listing of a tape and the rest of the chapter expands on where Rob was in his life when the tape was important to him. The music is mostly nineties alternative – a genre I really love, and I was introduced to some great music I had never heard through the book, including Pavement (where was I?). Mostly the book is a sad but joyful elegy to Rob’s wife Renee, who died tragically young. But I was laughing in parts as well as crying. Yes, crying. Not something I do often with books, but this one was worth it.

Here’s the official website for the book. It can be found at NFPB/BIOGRAPHY in Manly Library.

- Anne

Children's Book of the Year winners

The CBCA Children's Book of the Year award winners for 2007 have been announced! The official page can be found here, or there is an easy to print PDF. Here's the list of winners, including Manly Library call numbers:

Book of the Year - Older Readers: Red spikes, Margo Lanagan (YA /LANA)
Book of the Year - Younger Readers: Being Bee, Catherine Bateson (JF /BATE)
Book of the Year - Early Childhood: Amy & Louis, Libby Gleeson (EA /GLEE)
Picture Book of the Year: The Arrival, Shaun Tan (QJF /TAN)
Eve Pownall Award for Information Books: The penguin book: birds in suits, Mark Norman (J 598.47/NOR)

You can check the availability of these titles and place holds via our online catalogue.

Longlist for the Man Booker Prize announced

They are:

Darkmans by Nicola Barker
Self Help by Edward Docx
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn
Consolation by Michael Redhill
Animal's People by Indra Sinha
Winnie & Wolf by A N Wilson

More details at the Man Booker website.