Month: June 2019

Obsession or escape?

Linda J

What do you know about dead things? How do they make you feel?

Charlotte (Lottie) seems oddly fixated on dead creatures – collecting them from her local neighbourhood in the hope of preserving them. Her interest extends to anything at school which alludes to preserving life, such as the embalming rituals of the Egyptian culture. Is there a reason for this?

Her Aunt Hilda (who cares for her, and her father, since the death of her mother) struggles to cope with Lottie’s obsession, calling it crazy and unhealthy. Thus she constantly tries to block Lottie’s collection and preservation attempts.

In his own grief, Lottie’s father also struggles. However, as a scientist, he supports her investigations – and encourages her scientific curiosity and interest in taxidermy.

In “The Art of Taxidermy”, death, grief and emotions are both raw and beautiful. Mix in a few elements from the past (an immigrant history) and cultural conflicts of the time (mid 60’s?) and you can understand the turmoil Charlotte/Lottie and her family experience.

As a verse novel, the reading flows easily. (If you haven’t tried a verse novel before, this is a good one to choose.) Australian readers will lap up the vivid and concise descriptions of all that Charlotte finds beautiful – dead or alive e.g.:

The corellas were grazing
with a scatter of galahs.
We sat on a fallen log
and watched them squabble and tussle,
beat their wings and waddle
like hook-nosed old men
with their arms tucked
behind their backs.

What some might struggle with is her fascination with ‘dead things’. But then, that may be the key to understanding the issues of dealing with premature death – from sickness, accidents and war – to intentionally make you uncomfortable. Through all these things, Sharon Kernot explores how we might feel in this wonderful, but heartbreaking verse novel. Don’t hesitate – read it – available from your school library – and in ebook version from other sources too!!

Have you read a verse novel in the past? Did you like it?

Don’t you love Kernot’s descriptions of the Australian countryside? Which part is your favourite?

Why do you think Aunt Hilda is so much against Lottie’s ”obsession”? Is it the right choice?

Note: this book is shortlisted for CBCA honours this year. Will it be a worthy winner?

I’ve finished; now what?

Linda J

So you’ve just finished reading a fantastic book. Once you have let go of the characters which are probably still spinning around in your head, how do you decide what to read next?

Well, apart from browsing the pile of books you may have on hand, you may like to get a bit of help, so here’s a few ideas:

Inside a Dog is a fabulous site for Australian YA readers, not only for recommendations but also to be involved. Find out about new books, enter competitions, submit your own reviews and even publish your own work. Totally relatable, as much of it is written for teens by teens.

So if you want personal accessible recommendations, definitely start here. You can also follow Inside a Dog on Twitter or Instagram for regular updates!

LibraryThing allows you to add the books you read, and then recommendations and other information come to you. Have a look at our LibraryThing (seen on the sidebar below) – click on a book and check the information available to you about it and other similar titles.

Similarly, you could Join GoodReads. This is a community of readers, which works a bit like NetFlix once you have added some titles to your own profile. Recommendations come up based on what you have read, liked or commented on. You can choose to be as private or public as you want – either using it as your own personal catalogue, or commenting and reviewing the books you read and joining in with the conversations of others, including friends and groups. Easily accessible as an app too.

Sites like WhichBook? are good for making you think about what you like in a book, and for generating some title suggestions also (though maybe short on Australian authors). Work your way through the options which matter the most to you, and recommendations are made.

Happy reading – I hope this gives you some great suggestions – but don’t forget that the Library staff at both school and local libraries are always ready with recommendations for you also, so don’t be afraid to ask!!

Popular: a Court of Thorns and Roses

Linda J

I began reading this as students at school showed increasing interest in the works of Sarah Maas. (Not a strong fantasy fan, but I love this “Beauty and the Beast” B&B variation.)

Initially, I connected this with how I felt reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (review here) – writing which appeals to primal senses as the story evolves. Mix in B&B, faeries, and worlds in crisis, and you have an inkling of what ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ is all about.

A strong female lead (like Katniss), romance and a world where things aren’t always as they seem – even when you think you have it figured out. What a great mix!

That said, however, there are elements of the story which readers and their parents may wish to consider. This is not your average faerie world, and certainly not a Disney version of B&B. There is quite horrific violence at times, as well as evil beings and lustful scenes; so not for a young or immature YA reader. Indeed, some of the reviews on Commonsense Media reflect this – the kids love it, parents are cautious about the age group appropriateness: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-book-1

[Note to self: this may make this more appealing to YA readers…]

Beyond that, there is also the consideration of what the next books have to offer – Sarah J. Maas fans love this series! Like Harry Potter, the characters and the issues they face ‘mature’. The development of series: that’s another story (touched upon in the above link).

Fantasy takes us to another world. Should our personal morals apply/judge as we read fantasy? or does fantasy allow us to ‘accept’ things we would otherwise abhor? e.g. violence.

Should our moral filters simply make us choose to read something different, or help to gloss over the ‘bad’ parts?

Dyslexia-friendly books

Linda J

It’s great to see publishers and libraries responding to the needs of the community – currently including in their collection new books catering to readers with dyslexia.

I came across this at my local library recently – a display of books which were published to meet the needs of those who struggle to read due to dyslexia. Using a special font and layout, the books are part of a trial collection of dyslexia-friendly titles.

As seen here, they include some newer Adult Fiction releases, and JF & YA fiction too (e.g. Catching Teller Crow, reviewed here earlier, and one of the CBCA Shortlisted books for 2019). You can view a list of titles on the BMCC catalogue – completing a search for “dyslexia-friendly books” will provide the list.

Do you know anyone who would benefit from this idea? Maybe even try one of these books yourself, if it meets your need?

It is being trialled at the Blue Mountains Council Libraries. Obviously, it would be great for the library to have some feedback – especially so that they can meet any expected demand for these titles! (just be aware that the books are a little thicker than some, due to layout demands, but they still hold some wonderful stories…)

I wonder how many other local libraries are likely to try this out themselves? Maybe ask at your local library if BMCC is not near you? Spread the word!

Note: Blacktown City libraries also have dyslexia-friendly titles, including PRC titles.