Book-review post!
It’s been far too long since I did a book-review-y post here, yes indeed. Today we have a delightful mix of poetry, grown-up-ness, kidlit and YA. And another eclectic mix is on its way shortly.
Taylor Mali – The Last Time As We Are
Gorgeous collection of poems from Taylor Mali. Mali’s known for his performance more so than the poems captured on the page, but I really enjoyed reading these (especially ones I’d seen clips of him performing and could hear his voice throughout).
Cathy Kelly – The House on Willow Street
Cathy Kelly’s latest book is a cosy read – a small town shook up by a couple of new arrivals (and returns), a love story or two, warm friendships between women. Not my favourite of hers but a lovely read.
Kerrie O’Brien – Out of the Blueness
And more gorgeous poems, this time from Kerrie O’Brien, who writes about the ordinary and everyday in fresh and sometimes startling ways.
Carol Rifka Brunt – Tell The Wolves I’m Home
This had been recommended all over the place, and while I did enjoy it when reading it, it wasn’t The Best Book Ever for me. It is, however, really beautifully done; set in the eighties, it’s the story of a outsiderish teenage girl and her beautiful older sister and what happens to them after their beloved uncle dies of AIDS. It’s a really interesting read – touches on a lot of different things – and the setting is also handled well. Certainly worth checking out.
Elissa Brent Weissman – Nerd Camp
This is a book about nerd camp (gifted kids doing smart things over the summer while having wacky in-jokes and making new friends – thing of joy!). Of course I was going to love it. The author has taught at CTY, and it shows – even though the camp has a different name and also is more outdoorsy than programmes that take place on college campuses, it still has that certain feel to it. Kids of 9+ with more unusual interests will enjoy it – it’s pretty nerdy at times, but also has Gabe, the main character, getting up to lots of adventures and being a normal kid and trying to impress his future stepbrother (who thinks he’s at a different kind of camp). Really liked it.
Sarah Webb – Ask Amy Green: Dancing Daze
This is the third teen ballet book I’ve read this year, and I was a little worried it would cover what was beginning to feel like familiar territory. And while it certainly does address the inevitable issue of pressure in the ballet world, it is also very much its own story – engaging and engrossing and a little bit wacky whenever Clover is involved. Amy’s best friend’s sister is a ballerina with a company in Budapest; in the lead-up to a Dublin show Amy and Clover discover that there’s something upsetting the young dancer and try to sort things out for her. This problem is neatly woven together with some of Amy’s own issues through the use of diaries, and there’s a nice balance between the dance stuff and the ongoing threads in Amy’s life. I think it’s probably my favourite of the Amy Greens yet (although the last one, with all the Bailey stuff, was a bit heartbreaky and the third one has Paris…). Looking forward to the sixth and final title, out next year.
