Judging books by the ‘frock’ on the cover.

This post is going to have very little of me talking about what’s inside the books, but just a quick look at what’s on the outside.

It struck me today as I was putting some books away that there are a LOT of books with great frocks on the front cover, so I did a bit of browsing, both the shelves and the world wide web, and it seems to be the very thing to have on the front cover at the moment.

It seems to be the cover of choice for a variety of genres, fantasy, paranormal, historical and romance.  While I haven't read all of the books (and this is just a small selection!), I would pick them up simply because they have great covers. I have admitted already that I am a sucker for a good cover, and I have even read one of the books listed below...because I liked the dress on the cover!

So many books...

I think I probably posted something along these lines last year, as it’s a thought that hits me with some regularity, so here I am, sharing my thoughts on the subject again.

You can see to the left the pile of books that are currently in my reading pile.  It’s a big pile, but some may say that it’s only 29 books, so that’s not too bad, that’s easy enough to get through.  Here’s the thing though…the pile NEVER gets smaller, it may get bigger, but never smaller.  There are times when I don’t even get started on the pile, because a new book comes in and I want to read it straight away…so it skips the pile completely.  

Magpies Magazine

The pile represents the books I most want to read, but it’s not everything I want to read. Hundreds of new titles arrive at the shop each month (and that’s just children’s and teenage fiction).  When I stop and think about it, (and like I said I do actually think about this a lot), there is no way I could possible read everything I might like to read.  It becomes even more depressing when I walk into a general book shop or library and see all of the adult and non fiction titles I will just never get to. 

And then the Magpies magazine lands on my desk...and I can see my reading pile growing by the minute!

So I will try to stop thinking about the books I will never read, and I get started on the reading pile instead.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper

From the back of the book:

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom--the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it...somehow. In this breakthrough story--reminiscent of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"--from multiple Coretta Scott King Award-winner Sharon Draper, readers will come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever how they look at anyone with a disability.

This is a book that has shades of Wonder by RJ Palacio and even a bit of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.  The voice of this inspiring story is Melody, a girl with cerebal palsy.  As a reader we get to be inside Melody’s head and we can see how smart and funny she is, but the rest of the world sees a girl in a wheelchair who can’t talk and dribbles a lot when she eats.

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter

Now I have to tell you that I have had quite a few eye rolls when I show librarians this new series.  The general consensus seems to be that the Bindi books were bad enough, and no one wants poor Robert on the shelves.  These feelings are obviously all about the Irwins, not so much about the books themselves, and while they may not change your life they may be just want certain reluctant readers need.

This new series by Robert Irwin is about…Robert Irwin, and his obsession with dinosaurs.  In the first book he has the opportunity to work on an archaeological dig in about 40km outside the Queensland town of Winton.  While on this fossil finding expedition, Robert finds himself travelling through time, back to prehistoric Australia, where he gets an up close and personal look at the dinosaurs he loves.

This book is perfect for dinosaur loving boys, who won’t read anything but information books about dinosaurs, because basically this book is an information book about dinosaurs.  Yes, there is the story about Robert going back in time, but the bulk of the text is Robert telling us all of the things he knows and then learns about these dinosaurs.  At a glance the other books in the series seem to send Robert all over the world, but I like the fact that the first book starts with an Australian dinosaur.

Ring Through Time by Felicity Pulman

Ring Through Time

When I first read the blurb of this book, I thought it might be a time slip novel, but that is not the case.  The story is told in two parts. One story is told in present day, that of Allie Bennett who has just moved to Norfolk Island with her family and Alice Bennett who lived on Norfolk in the 1840s.

Allie Bennett moves to Norfolk Island knowing that she is the ancestor of an extremely well known commandant who lorded over the island in the 1840s.  It doesn't take too long for her to realise that the ancestors of the convicts still living on the island don't think too highly of John Bennett.  In fact they hate him and therefore they don't think much of Allie either.  Allie plans to find out the truth about John Bennett, and in doing so she finds out about his daughter, who according to recorded history, didn't even exist!

It is Romeo and Juliet,  Australian style set in 1847. This book falls into the genre of 'Fact-ion'. The facts relating to the general history of Norfolk Island are accurate, but the characters in this story are fictional as are the events that take place relating to these characters.

There is the modern day romance between Allie and Noah O'Brien , which doesn't start well and when reading the diary we learn of Alice's romance with a convict... which doesn't end well.

What I really got from this book was a look at a part of Australia's history that I knew nothing about. As often happens to me when I read historical fiction, I found that I wanted to find out more, so here's a few links that you may find interesting.

http://www.discovernorfolkisland.com/norfolk/history.html

http://www.norfolkonlinenews.com/History.html

Caddy's World by Hilary McKay

I am a self confessed Casson Family tragic.  I love them, and after reading Forever Rose, I was actually quite sad that I wouldn't get to visit this crazy lovely family anymore.  Imagine my joy on hearing that a new book was coming out, and while it doesn't carry on from where Forever Rose left off, it does take us right back to the beginning.

If you haven't read the Casson family stories, I cannot recommend them highly enough.  They are funny, quirky and heartfelt, they made me laugh out loud as well as needing to have the tissues on hand to mop up the tears.

The Casson family consists of the Mother: Eve, Father: Bill and children, Caddy, Indigo, Saffy and Rose.  Their family dynamic is quite unique, Bill spends his time in London, he even lives there the majority of the time and Eve is an artist, who spends a lot of time down in her studio at the bottom of the garden and very little time doing 'normal' motherly things.  Each of the books focuses on a particular family member as they make their way in life.

This book takes us back to the very beginning, when Caddy is 12 and Indigo and Saffy are about 8 and 6.  It's the story about how Rose came into the world and turned the family upside down, for once Bill has to be in charge of the household, and it's not quite what he expected!  It's also a time of change for Caddy, and her three best friends Ali, Beth and Ruby.  The girls are all growing up, on the verge of becoming teenagers, and each of them share their different fears, concerns and struggles.  There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in this book, Indigo and Saffy are a hysterical duo, they really do get up to some trouble, and it's these two that Bill finds the most trying. 

What I really like was that this story finishes with a jump to a few years later when Caddy is about to take her very first driving lesson, this is the same time as we first meet the family in Saffy's Angel, with an instructor who ends up being much more than that!

The cover image above is for the new edition published in March 2013, but there was also a hardback edition (see pic to the right) that didn't really seem to appeal to many readers.  Which do you prefer?

Nancy Drew Diaries: Curse of the Arctic Star

Nancy Drew is back with her latest mystery. I will admit to being a big Nancy Drew reader when I was young, so I am always keen to see how the new versions shape up.

This story feels to me like the Nancy Drew of old.  Nancy and her trusted sidekicks Bess and George have been invited on the maiden voyage of the brand new cruise liner the Arctic Star. The cruise has been receiving threats and Nancy and her cousins are there to find out who is behind it.

There's a dead body in the pool (turns out to be a dummy), Nancy nearly gets knocked out by a falling moose head on the mini gold course, and a giant spider gets loose in the buffet! It's all very 'old school' mystery with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.

I liked it a lot, and apart from the introduction of mobile phones and email, I don't think Nancy Drew has changed that much at all, and for me that's a good thing. Two more titles due in May, Strangers On a Train continues Nancy's Alaskan adventure, while the action of Mystery of the Midnight Rider takes place at the River Heights Horse Show.