Review: Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron

I was a bit dubious about reading Cinnamon Rain. Mainly because it centres around a love triangle and I’m very tired of those. But thankfully, Cinnamon Rain has a few things going for it that make it very different from your standard YA love triangle fare:

• It’s a verse novel.
• There’s no insta-love. Far from it – these characters have known each other for years.
• It’s told from the perspectives of all three characters.
• These aren’t your average heroes and heroines. They screw up, act out, hurt themselves and each other – in other words, act like totally real human beings.
• Speaking of which - it’s not paranormal. Yay, contemporary!
• The focus is on their individual lives and journeys as much as (or perhaps more than) the love story. They’re all trying to find their way in the world and figure out who they are and what they want as they leave school and home for the first time.

In other words – don’t let the love triangle put you off. I’m glad it didn’t stop me. I’ve been wanting to read another verse novel since I read and loved Sarah Crossan’s The Weight of Water about a year ago, and I finally got to it with Cinnamon Rain. I have to say it didn’t touch me in quite the same way as The Weight of Water did, but of course it’s a completely different story with different characters and themes. I still enjoyed the verse form; it was sparse but said so much. There were more than a few elegant and beautiful passages I connected with. However, the verse did mean that, for me, the three character voices weren’t as distinct as they could have been otherwise. But it was still great to get inside all of their heads.

The story structure worked really effectively, with Luke’s version of events opening the book, followed by Casey revealing her side of things before Bongo closes out the tale with his harrowing experience.

I appreciated the fact that the main characters were ordinary teenagers, and that this didn’t mean the story was boring. Far from it – because STUFF happens in real life, and STUFF definitely happens in this book. I sympathised with all three characters for the most part, but I especially felt for Bongo. He’s the one who has gone through the most in his life, and the one who by outward appearances seems to be a bit of a deadbeat – when really he has a big heart that has the potential to break just as much as anyone else’s. Perhaps more so. My own heart broke a little for him.

I liked Luke’s story, although it didn't have the same emotional impact as Bongo’s. It was a good starting point for the trio’s tale, and set the foundation for the other characters that we got to know better in their own sections. I hate to say it, but Casey drove me a little nuts. I felt for her at times but didn’t really connect with her character as a whole. Even though a third of the book is told from her point of view, I still felt a bit distant from her character and didn’t understand many of her actions.

The way the three stories intertwined and came together at the end was beautifully done. I thought the ending was great; without being too abrupt, it avoided wrapping everything up in a neat, cheesy little bow. Because life doesn’t work that way - and Cinnamon Rain is achingly true to life.

Rating: 3.5/5

Fine Print
Published: February 2012, Walker Books Australia
Get It: All Books 4 Less

Note
Interestingly, the US edition of this book is called Out of This Place. It probably makes more sense than Cinnamon Rain (which frankly doesn't make a lot of sense at all) - although it's less "poetic".

2011 Challenges Round-up

Yeah. I failed. But it's OK, coz 2012 is going to be epic, and I'm totally going to complete the bajillion challenges I've signed up for (I'm nothing if not optimistic).

In the meantime, here's how I did (or rather, didn't do) in the 2011 challenges I signed up for:

-Books to Movies, created by Two Bibliomaniacs. I aimed for Oscar Buzz, which was to read eight books and watch the movie adaptations. Since starting the challenge, I read/watched a total of... four. These included A Little Princess, The Last Unicorn, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and A Christmas Carol.

-Books I Should Have Read By Now, hosted by Gabriel Reads. My aim was to chip the below off my TBR list:

1. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
2. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
4. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford.
5. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
6. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
8. Dracula by Bram Stoker.
9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
10. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
11. Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
12. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

The bolded/linked books are the ones I actually got to, bringing me to a total of four out of 12. *hangs head*

-Aussie Author Challenge, hosted by Booklover Book Reviews. I aimed for "true blue" status, which meant 12 books from at least nine different Aussie authors. I read I Came to Say Goodbye and Ghost Child by Caroline Overington, Cargo by Jessica Au, Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss and The Nest by Paul Jennings, giving me a total of five books from four different authors. Despite my failure, I've signed up for the challenge once again, coz I really want to read more Aussie books.

-Classic Bribe, created by Quirky Girls Read. The aim was to read at least one classic by September, which I actually did (A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett), however I totally forgot to post about it when the challenge ended, so I kinda failed anyway. Whoops!

...OK, so I didn't do so great on the challenge front this year, but I had a lot of fun trying - and that's the important thing, right?!

Review: I Came To Say Goodbye By Caroline Overington

When I grow up, I want to be Caroline Overington (or something very like her).

She's an Aussie journalist/author/mother who speaks with such poise and intelligence in interviews, and who uses the same poise and intelligence in her writing. In I Came To Say Goodbye, her second novel, she tells the story of Med Atley, whose wife rides the second wave of feminism right out of their small country town in the '70s, leaving him to raise three kids (including one toddler) on his own. It's the fate of the abandoned toddler, in particular, that the book deals with, revealing how mental illness and grief can tear a family apart.

The story is told primarily from Med's perspective, as he writes a letter to a judge explaining his youngest child's background, in an attempt to persuade him about a matter concerning his family (exactly what, we don't know for a long time). Initially I found this narrative style a bit contrived, doubting whether people actually write letters to judges, let alone one of this length. But that doubt was easy to push aside as I got caught up in Med's voice and Med's story. He's the kind of bloke we all know; an old-school Aussie, rough around the edges, with his beer belly and Ned Kelly beard belying the soft soul and heart of gold dwelling within. He feels very real, and I was completely swept along with all of his emotions... especially his heartbreak. I might not have much in common with an old guy like Med, but oh, how I felt for him. He always tried his best, tried oh-so-hard, and wanted nothing more than to see the kids he loved so dearly, happy. To witness his disappointment time and again was like a punch in the gut.

I completely fell in love with Med's voice, but a smaller section of the book is told from the perspective of one of Med's daughters, Kat, and it's strange that her voice is far less authentic, considering Overington herself would seem to have more in common with a 30-something professional woman than a battler like Med. The main problem for me was Kat's seeming lack of awareness of certain legal proceedings, considering that she's supposed to be a high-powered lawyer. But, like the letter format, this is only a small gripe, far outshone by the suspenseful, emotional and compelling plot, and the beautiful, simple language. Overall, I Came To Say Goodbye is a wonderful Australian story that explores important issues, and breaks your heart at the same time it reveals the strength and power of parental love.

Rating: 4/5

My "Cast"

Alf Stewart Ray Meagher as Med

Saskia Burmeister as Med's favourite child, Donna-Faye (a.k.a. Fat)

Eric Bana, circa his Chopper scumbag look, as Fat's deadshit boyfriend, Paul Haines

Cate Blanchett as Med's eldest daughter, Kat

Michael Sheen as Kat's caring British husband, David

Fine Print
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Published: 2010
Publisher: Random House Australia
Get It: Booktopia

Related
Here's an interesting video of Overington discussing some of the issues raised in the book.

Review: Cargo by Jessica Au

This book is like the ocean; it lures you in with it's beauty and fluidity and knocks you down when you least expect it, leaving you with a raw feeling in your throat.

Set in a small beach town in 1992, Cargo tells three separate but intertwining stories of Gillian, who is vulnerable after losing her leg in an accident; Jacob, who lives in the shadow of his big brother; and Frankie, whose life is not as perfect as it seems. They're all at that awkward teen stage when every experience is fresh and every emotion is extreme. Each one is feeling love (or something like it) for the first time, as well as dealing with changing relationships with their families and confronting their hopes, dreams and expectations for the future.

I picked Cargo up after seeing the glowing review that Nic from Irresistible Reads gave it, and I was not disappointed. Au's prose is lovely, effectively evoking strong emotions and sensations, so that I could almost smell the sea air and feel the salt, sun and sand on my skin. Each sentence is a pleasure to read, the words carrying you along smoothly and dreamily; it's the perfect beach read, not because it's light and frothy but because it's truly relaxing. And, of course, it's set at the beach!

I really enjoyed the three stories, too; and especially appreciated the fact that although they were interconnected, they were still unique. Au weaves them together artfully, highlighting the way people touch each other's lives without even realising they have, as well as the fact that everyone has a story. You pass the same people every day, or recognise them from a distance, without ever knowing what they're going through. On top of this, it was interesting to be in the head of a character for one chapter and become aware of the way they see themselves, and then see them through the eyes of another character in the next chapter. The differing perspectives were never jarring for me; I enjoyed hopping from one head to the next. Overall, it was a simple but elegant read.

Rating: 4/5

Eye Candy

Jordan Rodrigues as Jacob

Adam Saunders as Alex

Charlotte Best as Gillian

Emily Browning as Frankie

Ryan Kwanten as James

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: August 2011
Get It: Booktopia

Challenges: Books to Movies and Books I Should Have Read By Now

Because I totally don't have enough to do (*cough*), I've decided to take on a couple more book challenges! Since I started this blog I've only signed up for the Aussie Author Challenge, which is hosted by Booklover Book Reviews, and I've read three out of 12 Aussie books so far.

There are so many fun challenges listed over at A Novel Challenge, but I was particularly drawn to two - I think because they're both things I'd do on my own, anyway.

The first is the Books to Movie Challange, created by Two Bibliomaniacs. As you can probably tell if you've read this blog before, I'm kinda obsessed with adaptations, and pretty much always watch the movie versions of books and vice versa, so this is the perfect challenge for me. Here are the deets (BTW, I'm aiming for Oscar Buzz):

"The rules are SIMPLE.  Read a book.  Watch the movie.  Both milestones must be completed in order to receive full marks.  There are 4 levels of participation to choose from.
Straight to Video – Read 2 books and view the film adaptations.
Limited Release – Read 4 books and view the film adaptations.
Blockbuster – Read 6 books and view the film adaptations.
Oscar Buzz – Read 8 books and view the film adaptations.
The challenge begins June 1st and will finish December 31st." 

The other challenge I've decided to sign up for is Books I Should Have Read By Now, hosted by Gabriel Reads. Considering my TBR pile of books that I own (not including books I want to read, but don't own) was 112 at last count, and has grown considerably since then, I think I seriously need to get cracking on this challenge. Here are the deets:

"My goal is to read two classic books each month from June 1st to December 31st, 2011. That adds up to twelve classics between now and the end of the year... Now for the fun part: I'm inviting any interested book bloggers to join in on this challenge. The books you choose don't have to be classics, but they do have to be books that you own that you should have read by now. Any of those tomes that are collecting dust on your shelf are free game.There are three levels that you can take on for this challenge:
Casual Reader: At least 1 book a month
Avid Reader: At least 2 books a month
Voracious Reader: At least 3 books a month"

I'm going to try for two books a month for this challenge, sticking to either classics or books that everyone raves about. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
2. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
4. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford.
5. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
6. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
8. Dracula by Bram Stoker.
9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
10. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
11. Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
12. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

Phew, I better get reading!

Updated to add: As Molly from Quirky Girls Read pointed out, quite a few of Books I Should Have Read By Now are classics that can double up towards their Classic Bribe challenge. So I'll be participating in this one, too! It involves reading at least one classic by September 5 - I think I can do that!

Mini Reviews: Ghost Child, Dash and Lily and Jade Green

I only managed to finish two books while I was away (in my downtime in the hotel, I tended to be totally distracted by the trashtasticness that is TLC). I also finished one right before I left for the USA and didn't have time to review it. But because I finished them all couple of weeks ago (I've been slowly reading The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens since then) and I’m still kinda in holiday mode (well, my brain is, at least), I’ve decided not to do full reviews on these ones. Here are some general thoughts, instead!

Ghost Child by Caroline Overington
The gist: Told from multiple perspectives, it follows the fallout of a young boy's death and the effect it has on all involved, from the police who investigated the crime and arrested the boy's mother and her boyfriend; to his siblings, who are rumoured to be less innocent than they seem; to the foster families that take them in after their family falls apart. 
My thoughts: I read this for Aussie Author Month but, as I mentioned, with all the craziness of preparing for my trip/a month off work, I didn't have time to review it. I DID, however, make time to read it, because I literally couldn't put it down (I'm talking book in one hand, trying to pack with the other). I was tempted a few times to read the last page, because I was dying to know what really went down that caused the boy to die, but I'm so glad I didn't. The twists and turns and the varying points of view of the same event - and it's after-effects - were completely compelling. Overington does a remarkable job of creating a unique voice for each character and crafting a suspenseful and intriguing plot. I'd definitely recommend it if you love a good mystery and a character-driven story. 4/5

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The gist: Dash is spending Christmas in self-imposed solitude - until he finds a red notebook on the shelf of his favourite New York bookstore, The Strand, and dares to follow the instructions inside from a mysterious girl, Lily. To Lily's surprise, he leaves a dare of his own, and what ensues is a completely cute epistolary romance that leads both Dash and Lily to discover more about the amazing city of New York, each other, and, of course, themselves (aw)!
My thoughts: This was a really fun read, made doubly so by the fact that I read it during my trip to NYC and could picture, right down to the bookshelf, Dash and Lily on their travels. It totally made me wish I could have a book of dares with someone, though I don't know if I'd be game enough to follow through in real life. I loved Lily - loved that she was quirky but not in an off-putting way, loved that she loved to bake and read, loved that she loved her family, and loved that she LOVED Christmas. Dash took awhile for me to warm to - he was a tad snarky for my liking, and I like snark - but he came good in the end. It was refreshing to read a relatively angst-free, triangle-free teen romance! 4/5

Jade Green: A Ghost Story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The gist: Set in the 1800s (I think, it's never specific), the orphaned Judith is taken in by her uncle on the condition that she doesn't bring anything green into the house. Judith thinks one little green photo frame, with her mother's picture in it, won't do any harm... until she starts hearing and seeing spooky things. She begins to wonder if she's being haunted by her uncle's previous ward, Jade Green, who died by her own hand (or did she?! DUN DUN DUNNNN).
My thoughts: I picked this up randomly at a secondhand bookstore in NYC, because it looked like a quick, easy read and I haven't read a good ghost story in aaaaaaages. Well, it was a quick, easy read - perfect for a holiday - but unfortunately it wasn't very scary. Mainly because it was completely predictable, even if Judith was a bit slow on the uptake (wake up, girl!). Although the year is never explicitly stated, it's implied to be set in "ye olde times", so I found the language and some of the characters' actions to be a bit jarring and inauthentic; for instance, the way everyone addressed everybody else - even people they'd just met, and elders - by their first names just seemed off to me. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't great. 2/5

Review: Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss

This book took waaaaaay too long to read.

It was second in my Aussie Author Month endeavours, and I started in on Thursday, April 7. Like I said, waaaay too long. An easy, light chick-lit read, I thought I'd be finished by the following Sunday and could launch into the rest of my Aussie author list with gusto. But here I am, two weeks later and nearly at the end of Aussie Author month (at least for me - I'm leaving the country on Monday and will be away from the blog), and I've only just finished book two. I'm a bit disappointed, but these things happen. For one, I've been ridonkulously busy in the leadup to my holiday. For another, I kinda struggled with this book.

It was an easy read, don't get me wrong - and quite well-written. Unfortunately, I just couldn't stand the main character. I tried, oh, I tried REALLY hard - she's a history buff, dammit, I should be able to relate! - but she just annoyed me more than anything. See, Alice is a Sydney-sider in her late 20s who loves the single life... until she goes to her high school reunion and is disgusted by all the married women who can't talk about anything but their husbands and babies. So disgusted is she, that she promptly decides she wants to be one of them. Oh, but she'll be better at it than them, of course, and she'll even manage it by her 30th birthday - two years away. What ensues is a looooooooong string of bad blind dates, failed singles events, relationship drama, flirtations with the classifieds and internet dating, attractions to the wrong guys and rudeness to the nice ones.

I think that was my main problem with Alice - to me, she came across as quite rude and judgemental. Sure, it was funny a few times, but it just got very, very grating after awhile. Even at the beginning, she's uber-judgemental of her former classmates; first, she ridicules stay-at-home mums for having no careers, then turns her nose up at a working mum for "abandoning" her kids. And after spending the evening looking down on everyone, she decides she wants what they have?! It's probably not a good thing when the whole premise on which a story is built annoys you. I wanted to like this book, but I guess, like the gazillion men Alice meets, it just wasn't the right one for me.

Rating: 2.5/5

Talking Points

• I don't tend to read many Aussie books (certainly not enough), so it was a novelty to read something that was set in my hometown. I could not only picture the general city easily, but also specific bars, beaches, streets and everything! That was kinda cool.
• It was good to see a heroine who was a strong, powerful, successful Indigenous woman. It's just a shame she was so unlikeable.
• There's a sequel to this book called Avoiding Mr Right, apparently told from the perspective of Alice's friend Peta. I'm kinda curious to read it - I liked Peta as a character. Especially because she seemed to get just as annoyed at Alice sometimes.

Fine Print
Genre: Chick lit
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 2007
Get It: Fishpond

This post is part of Aussie Author Month, which supports the Indigenous Literacy Project.

Review: The Nest by Paul Jennings

Reading this book was like catching up with a childhood friend.

Paul Jennings was one of my favourite authors when I was a kid, so it was wonderful to return to his writing with The Nest, his first book for older readers (it's aimed at the late teens). From page one I recognised his distinctive style, and it gave me a feeling of, "Oh, so there you are". Now I want to go dig up and reread my old Jennings collection, even though I'm waaay out of their target demographic.

But let's talk about The Nest. It tells the story of Robin, a troubled teen living in the Victorian Alps with his cruel father. His mother disappeared from his life when he was young, something that still profoundly affects him. He's plagued by worrying thoughts, and while he's trying to get a grip of them and deal with his dad, he's also navigating the tricky territory of first love (and first lust).

This book is a lot darker than most of Jennings' other work (hence the older audience), but it still bears his trademark humour, straightforward storytelling and, of course, an incredible twist. The snowy setting was unusual for an Australian story (definitely not the typical beach or outback environment), but the stormy weather added to the growing sense of turmoil in Robin's world. A writer himself, the plot is spliced with the stories Robin writes, which themselves reveal small hints of what's to come. I also enjoyed them because they reminded me even more of Jennings' own short stories (nostalgia points!).

I loved this book. Even without the nostalgia, it would be a great read. The story is simply told, but powerful. I read in an interview with Jennings that he wanted to write this story to let teens, who might be going through a similar experience to Robin, know that they're not alone. And he's done a brilliant job - I really connected with Robin and felt his pain. There were quite a few times that I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him that he wasn't alone, and that everything would be OK.

Rating: 4/5

Talking Points (Spoiler Alert!)

• I loved the way everything was connected, especially the way Robin's stories were interwoven with the plot. The only one I didn't quite get the significance of was the champagne bottles - I saw the connection with Robin's images of champagne corks popping, but I was expecting that to play a more significant part in the end, and when it didn't, I wondered what the point was.
• The final lines were amazing, and really summed up the whole book for me: "And he must walk in the night for a while, for without the dark there is no day, nor star to see, nor tale to tell... to show the way."
• Jennings stated in an interview that Robin has OCD (exactly what his problem is is never mentioned in the book), but I didn't pick up on that at all. Maybe I just don't know enough about it, but I thought Robin was depressed, or perhaps even schizophrenic. But I guess that's a minor point, because either way, the portrayal of Robin's feelings of hopelessness and his inability to control his own thoughts was really powerful and effective.

Eye Candy
Probably because I've recently seen him in I Am Number Four, Callan McAuliffe was Robin for me. He's got the right dorky/cute look:

 
Robin repeatedly describes his friend/crush, the compassionate "greenie" Charlie, as beautiful. For some reason Ashleigh Brewer, a.k.a. Kate Ramsay on Neighbours, kept popping into my head. I don't know why - I don't even watch the show. But she is very pretty:

Sophie Lowe really pulled off the creepy/selfish/temptress vibe in Beautiful Kate, so I thought she was the perfect fit for Verushka:

Fine print
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
First published: 2009
Best deal: Book Depository

This post is part of Aussie Author Month, which supports the Indigenous Literacy Project.

Aussie Author Month

I can't believe we're in April already! This year is going so fast. But one good thing about it being April is that it's Aussie Author Month. Organised by Book Thingo, Fangbooks, and a Writer Goes on a Journey, it's all about supporting and promoting Aussie authors, as well as raising money for the Indigenous Literacy Project.

I've decided to take part because it sounds super-fun, and I've realised that I definitely don't read enough local authors. Unfortunately I didn't finish Stefan's Diaries in time to start with an Aussie book straight away (I've been mega-busy this week), but as soon as I'm done with that - hopefully this weekend - I'll be focusing on reading and reviewing only Aussie authors for the rest of the month. Here are the options I have lined up:

• The Nest by Paul Jennings.
• Ghost Child by Caroline Overington.
• Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
• Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss.
• On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
• My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin.

I don't know if I'll manage to squeeze them all into the month, but I'm going to give it a go. I've also decided to join the Aussie Author Challenge run by Booklover Book Reviews - the deadline for this is not until the end of the year, so whatever I don't read during the month I'll definitely get to at a later stage - and then some! I'm aiming for "True Blue" status - you have to read and review at least 12 Aussie books (from at least nine different authors) by the end of the year. I'm really excited about this - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! (Sorry, that's the bogan in me coming out).