2010 Territory Read NT Book of the Year

Congratulations to those shortlisted for the 2010 Territory Read NT Book of the Year.

Cassie - Barry Jonsberg (A&U)
Every Secret Thing - Marie Munkara (UQP)
Listen Deeply, Let These Stories In - Kathleen Kemarre Wallace & Judy Lovell (IAD Press)
My Private Pectus - Shane Thamm (Ford St Publishing)
The Devil you Know - Leonie Norrington (A&U)
The Red Highway - Nicolas Rothwell (Black Inc.).

The winner will be announced on 12th February.

2009 Aurealis Awards

Congratulations to the 2009 Aurealis Award winners.

best science fiction novel - Andrew McGahan, Wonders of a Godless World (A&U)
best science fiction short story - Peter M. Ball, ‘Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens’ (Apex Magazine May 2009)
best fantasy novel - Trudi Canavan, Magician's Apprentice (Orbit)
best fantasy short story - Joint winners - Christopher Green, ‘Father’s Kill’, Beneath Ceaseless Skies #24 & Ian McHugh, 'Once a Month, On a Sunday’, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #40, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative Ltd
best horror novel - Honey Brown, Red Queen (Penguin Australia)
best horror short story - Joint winners - Paul Haines, 'Wives' (6, Coeur de Lion Publishing) & Paul Haines, 'Slice of Life - A Spot of Liver' (Slice of Life, The Mayne Press)
best anthology - Jonathan Strahan (editor), Eclipse 3 (Night Shade Books)
best collection - Greg Egan, Oceanic, Gollancz (nb: The author declined to accept)
best illustated book/graphic novel - Nathan Jurevicius, Scarygirl (A&U)
best young adult novel - Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan Trilogy: Book One (Penguin)
best young adult short story - Cat Sparks, ‘Seventeen’ (Masques, CSFG)
best children’s (8-12 years) novel - Gabrielle Wang, A Ghost in My Suitcase (Puffin Books)
best children’s (8-12 years) short fiction/illustrated work/picture book - Pamela Freeman (author), Kim Gamble (illustrator), Victor's Challenge (Walker Books Australia)

A Ghost in my Suitcase

by Gabrielle Wang

Puffin Books (a subsidiary of Penguin). Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

When twelve-year-old Celeste travels to China to visit her grandmother, she carries her mother’s ashes. A feeling of expectation hovers. Is the ghost in the title of this story Celeste’s mother? Each turn of the page gives new information, but leaves me wanting to find out more. Nothing is as it seems, not even the fish in the pond.

Por Por, Celeste’s grandmother, seems like any other nice old lady. Ting Ting, a girl about Celeste’s age lives with Por Por, but their relationship is unusual. Ting Ting wanders the busy streets of Shanghai alone and travels long distances without support.

Ting Ting and Por Por’s lives are entwined with Celeste’s in ways none of them fully understand. Por Por’s past holds tragic secrets that have more to do with ghosts than anyone expects. Can terrible wrongs be made right? Ting Ting seems determined to make Celeste feel unwelcome, but that will have to change. Ting Ting and Celeste must work together if the three are to survive. There is no other way.

Gabrielle Wang lets me taste Por Por’s delicate homemade dishes, and feel the mist on a poorly lit Shanghai street. I hear the thumps and bangs of unseen foes, and delight at open umbrellas in the old bus when it rains. Gently flowing, easy-to-read prose sets me floating down the river in a water taxi, yet the pulse beats faster as dangers are revealed.

My questions are answered, but I’m not sure I want to read on. I can’t hide behind Por Por when things get complicated. What will happen if Por Por’s powers aren’t enough? Can Celeste save the day with her newly found gifts? You’ll have to read this treasure yourself if you want to find out.

http://www.gabriellewang.com/

BrainJack:

The Next War Starts in Cyberspace


by Brian Falkner

Walker Books. Science Fiction. Paperback rrp $18.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

Do you know anyone whose life revolves around computers? This book is for them. The Author’s note states: This is not intended as a manual for hackers. You could have fooled me. I was surfing through the network controller of an international telecommunications company and ducking when security spider tendrils probed too close. Hacking into the White House was really just part of the introduction.

Brian Falkner’s tale reads like a fast-paced movie. I felt the building shake and ducked splintering glass, then things got complicated. Distinguishing between the good and bad guys was a mind-bender in this cyber espionage thriller. Internet access for entire countries was shutdown at the flick of a code, but could wars really be caused (and run) by computers?

Although neuro-headsets are a device of the future, they open the way to enormous power and even greater fear in Brainjack. The idea of working hands-free (no more keyboard or mouse) is one thing, but directly connecting your brain to the internet would have side effects, wouldn’t it?

Brainjack is definitely for computer geeks and gamers, but even without understanding the computer lingo, I couldn’t put it down. Some parts freaked me out, but I still couldn’t stop reading. I bet the end takes you by surprise too.

http://www.brianfalkner.co.nz/

60 Classic Australian Poems for Children

edited by Chris Cheng and Illustrated by Gregory Rogers

Random House. Australian, Junior, Young Readers. Hardback rrp $19.95


Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

In this well-selected and entertaining collection of poetry for young readers, we visit our historical heritage through the eyes and hearts of our earlier wordsmiths who documented life with great humour, lots of nostalgia and many times with tears on their words.

The ballad entries tell of ant explorers, bellbirds, and brumbies charging wildly across the plains. There are bush Christmases and christenings, circuses, Clancy of the Overflow and Cobb & Co. We hear about the harshness of life for prisoners and gold miners, and learn of the pain of exile. Emus and lots of outback animals are drawn with words in galloping rhyme and through varying styles of verse.

There are salutes to cricket, odes to the sheepdog and to the skills of Aborigines. Mr Smith the cat from Tallabung and his walkabout ways give us a laugh, as does Mulga Bill. The subject mix also includes a typewriter and a platypus, the travels of a night train, and two odes to pioneers - one by Frank Hudson and another by Banjo Patterson. Then there are references to churches, poets, campfires, bankers and Santa Claus in the bush.

Women of the bush are acknowledged in Women of the West and The Shearer’s Wife. People were also Waiting for the Rain back in 1936 when John Neilson wrote this poem which accompanies references to the swagman, to bullock teams, The Travelling Post Office, dingoes and pelicans; all immortalised in these moving portraits of Australian life in the early days.

There are Poet Biographies included at the end along with Book References, an Index of First Lines and an Index of Poets, plus a list of poems and a reference to each one regarding the date of its first publication, and the publication it was in. There is also information on the editor and the illustrator.

Book of Souls

by Glenn Cooper

Random House. Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction. Paperback rrp $32.95

The Book of Souls is the follow up to Library of the Dead with a third book in the series, Tenth Chamber, due out in March 2010.

What do you think you will be doing on 9 February 2027? According to Glenn Cooper you might be one of the BTH (beyond the horizon) group.

It is October 2010 when a book arrives at a London auction house, sparking the curiosity of a number of people worldwide. The only words on the cover are the year: 1527. Inside is a list of names beside what appears to be birth and death dates. A town’s registry perhaps? But what town in 1527 comprised of people with names from all over the world?

The book is part of a vast ancient library kept hidden underneath the Nevada desert by a US secret agency, Area 51. Will Piper is ex-FBI and once worked at Area 51. Henry Spence was also a member.

Henry wants the book to answer questions about his family and employs Will to collect the book after he has won the auction by phone bidding. Will and Henry soon discover that the book has a sonnet hidden within the bindings. Will travels to London to solve the puzzle, embarking on a journey that could change the history of the world.

The only problem is that both Will and Henry don’t realise the Watchers are keeping a close eye on them. The Watchers will do anything to keep the library’s secret and as Will gets closer to the truth, he and his family could be in danger.

If you think the Da Vinci Code raised disconcerting questions, then the Book of Souls will throw you in even deeper. I loved it. I raved about it to anyone who would listen. I wondered if there actually is a Library somewhere and would I be BTH. In the mean time I will just have to wait for the next instalment.

http://www.glenncooperbooks.com/

Uncle Eddie Adventures

Uncle Eddie and the Hippos
Uncle Eddie and the Croc

by Lucy Farmer, illustrated by Kevin Burgermeestre

black dog books. Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $14.99

Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

Uncle Eddie is the caretaker of a national park. He lives by the shores of Lake Wakka Wakka in South Africa, in a tiny hut he’s built from poles, mud and grasses. Eddie reads by lantern light and gets his water from the lake. He frequently spends his evenings sitting outside in front of the fire, watching the flames and the shadows from the fire’s light as he listens to the whispering of nature. Although his life is completely self-sufficient there are times when he seeks advice from others.

The grass is growing too long around Eddie’s hut. He’s concerned that something might be hiding there when he goes to get water. He tries to cut the grass with a scythe but cuts his finger instead, and abandons the job.

Usually the hippos come and eat the grass but they are staying away for some reason. Eddie scatters sausage fruit around to entice them without results. He decides to visit the village chief for advice and good manners demand he take a gift. He carries with him a hard- boiled egg as an offering. He is enlightened by the chief as to why the hippos don’t come. They are afraid of his nightly camp fire and Eddie finds a smart way to solve his dilemma.

In Uncle Eddie and the Croc, Eddie discovers a three metre croc sunning itself by the edge of the lake. He can’t get rid of it no matter what he does. This happens day after day. Eddie’s expecting visitors therefore he decides to seek advice from a more knowledgeable person.

He goes to the local chief, observing the protocols of visiting an important person by taking the biggest pumpkin he owns as a gift. The wise chief offers up an ingenious solution to Uncle Eddie’s problem.

These stories teach younger readers about the natural world of South Africa; its animals, the environment, the habits of the villagers, customs that need to be observed, and the way the native people live. All the stories are depicted in vibrant detailed illustrations which complement the text perfectly.

The Jewel Box

by Anna Davis

Random House. Romance, Adult Other. Paperback rrp $24.95

Diamond Sharp is an enigma. She writes a weekly column for a London newspaper about her life - the late nights, the parties, the men, the dances, the fashion and the places to be seen or not. Most women want to be like her. Most men want her.

It is the Roaring Twenties in London and a single woman writing about her outrageous life keeps readers glued to the page. Who is Miss Sharp? Does she actually exist?

Only Grace Rutherford knows. Grace works as a copy writer during the day, the only female employee in a very old established male company. She lives with her mother and widowed younger sister and two children. Grace loves her family and provides and protects them after the death of her brother-in-law. But when the sun goes down, Grace turns into Diamond Sharp. She has all the latest tips and tricks on how to be fashionable in London and gets invitations to all the right places.

But then Grace and Diamond’s worlds collide. Grace meets a man. Diamond also meets a man. Which man is the right one for this one woman? Secrets unravel. The one person who Grace doesn’t want to hurt is her sister but her sister has her eye on one of the men. The two men know each other but are sworn enemies.

A fun and exciting book that captures the past perfectly. I could envisage everything happening and sometimes woke from my daydream thinking I was Diamond. The twists and turns on every page will keep the reader mesmerised right to the end. Yes, I loved it.

http://www.annadavis.co.uk/

f2m - Book Launch

by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy

You are invited to the launch of f2m

When: 2pm for 2:30pm, Sunday 14 February

Where: Richmond Library, 415 Church Street, Richmond, Vic

Queries: Lindy Dadd on (03) 9426 5688

or Paul Collins: (03) 9481 1120

RSVP by 10 February: info@fordstreetpublishing.com

http://www.fordstreetpublishing.com/

Free?

Stories Celebrating Human Rights

Authors - Various

Walker Books. Junior, Young Adult, Anthology. Paperback rrp $17.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

‘It’s not fair!’ The familiar catch cry echoes in western schools and homes. However, some situations are a little more unfair than others. Teenagers today can be unaware of the international perspective. Those who have never faced real danger struggle to imagine what it’s like to have their lives under constant threat.

After the atrocities committed in World War 2, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written in an attempt to uphold basic human rights. However, such documents are not readily available to the average teenager.

Free? aims to bridge the gap between everyday life in a relatively safe world and places where human rights are ignored or forgotten. Stories set in suburbia highlight how we can trespass on the rights of others. Other tales are set in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, in London with an attempted theft of the Crown Jewels and at the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Issues covered span from that of human trafficking to the idea that we all have a right to our own thoughts and ideas.

Short stories and verse by a number of well-known international authors (including Margaret Mahy, Michael Morpurgo and Ursula Dubosarsky) help explain the contents of the Declaration of Human Rights. Some pieces are funny, while others are tragic. They all touch the heart in some way.

This anthology is a must for any classroom studying justice and individual rights. Apart from the educational content, I kept reading simply because I enjoyed the stories, especially those with a twist.

This book is a first in its attempt to provide youth with an easy-to-read way of comprehending the implications of an international legal document. I hope it is the first of many. It rocks.

The Amanda Project

Invisible I

by Stella Lennon (Melissa Kantor)

Harper Collins. Mystery, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.99

I read the press releases, the back cover and I was hooked. Only problem, so was my teenage daughter. The best thing to do was pass it to her first and then she could review it for me. Perfect – a review by a teenager of a book for teenagers.

For weeks I watched her read The Amanda Project (she isn’t a fast reader but she was engrossed). I would ask casually how it was going: “Great” was the reply. “What’s it about?” “I can’t tell you.”

So I waited expectantly. With the school holidays arriving I was sure to get my review. Yes, she finished it. Yes she thought it was fantastic. But unfortunately, No, she couldn’t give me a review as it is too hard to describe. I think there was more to it. I once again read the press release and had a look at the online information. It’s a mystery and I think one that my daughter wants to solve without telling me.

Dilemma!

The media release states “Amanda Valentino is missing. Will you help us find her? Read the book. Join the website. Create a character. Help us tell the story. This is the first interactive and collaborative mystery for girls!

Amanda Valentino is the most mysterious, the most magnetic girl you’ll never meet. But if you join The Amanda Project, you might just find out what happened to her…”

So there you have it. My daughter is hooked and she is not an easy catch for any storyline. No more to say. If you have a teenage daughter, niece or grandchild, head for the book store to get a good interactive mystery. And it doesn’t stop there. Go to http://www.theamandaproject.com/ to continue.

Stillwater Creek

by Alison Booth

Random House Australia. Australian, Adult Other. Paperback rrp $32.95

Ilona and Zidra Talivadis (mother and 9-year-old daughter) have moved to Jingera, south of Sydney, after the death of Ilona’s husband and Zidra’s father. Ilona has survived many tragedies – the death camp in Latvia; the refugee camp in the UK and then the move to a better life in Australia; the unexpected death of her husband. But will she find peace for herself and Zidra in Jingera? Does this beachside village hold happiness for the lonely but lovely refugee who travels with a piano?

It is 1957. The war has long ended but there are still many things that trouble Ilona – the communists coming into power in Russia; the language and pronunciation barrier between her, her daughter and their community and being a single and independent young woman in a tiny town.

Ilona soon learns the harsh realities of life in a small coastal town in Australia - prejudice, the narrow mindset of the people, the intense summer heat and bush fires.

But there is also the casual and relaxed lifestyle of Jingera and the different personalities such as Peter Vincent, a former prisoner-of-war and local farmer and Cherry Bates, the publican’s wife who becomes one of Ilona’s pupil. Finally Ilona feels she and Zidra are safe and allows herself to enjoy life in the sleepy village. But something dark is brooding amongst the inhabitants. Jingera offers a false sense of security and the town’s folk will be shocked by actions of some of the people they know.

Stillwater Creek is a story of Ilona’s struggle to survive against both man and nature. Her strong determination and the love for her daughter keep her going.

This is a wonderful read and with a sequel in the works I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

The Magician’s Elephant

by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

Candlewick Press. Junior. Hardback rrp $24.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

This lyrical tale is full of dreams, yet grounded in reality. Peter Augustus Duchene is a young orphan, living with a sick and elderly soldier. Peter longs to know what happened when his mother died in childbirth. Despite declarations that his little sister died with her mother, Peter continues to wonder.

When a fortune teller states that he must follow the elephant to find his baby sister, Peter’s world splinters. All that he thought was true is now false, or is the fortune teller the one who lies? When a magician conjures an elephant instead of a bunch of lilies in the Opera House, Peter begins to believe. Maybe his sister really is alive. It’s not every day that an elephant breaks through the roof of the Opera House.

Yoko Tanaka’s full-page illustrations, inserted at intervals in this short chapter book, add depth to characters and their plight. Large eyes and every imaginable shade of grey demonstrate heartfelt despair, while wistful smiles speak of hope that never dies.

The Magician’s Elephant is a tale of tragic realities and suffering, but it is also a story of promises and possibilities - for those who are brave enough.

‘Magic is always impossible…That is why it is magic.’ So says the one who would know: the magician.
Has everyone gone mad? Perhaps that is the case, as Peter seeks what cannot be. It seems as if anything could happen. Anything at all, when you believe.
http://www.themagicianselephant.com/

Surf for your life

by Mick Fanning and Tim Baker

Random House. Australian, Biographical. Paperback rrp $34.95

Over the Christmas period I have heard a lot of comments from friends about their teenage sons and the lack of reading. I too had this problem until I found that if you want your child to read you need to give them something that they WANT to read. Not something you want them to read.

Like Surf for your life. “Hey did you know Mick Fanning was born where you were?” “I’m just going to go for a surf where Mick used to surf.” “Did you know Mick Fanning surfed at The Point?” My 17 year-old was actually conversing with me about a book!

But getting the review was easier said than done. I begged. I asked questions … “Did you like the book?” “Yeah.” “What’s it about?” “Mick Fanning!” “Anything interesting about his life?” “Yeah. He won his first surfing competition at Sandon Point (my son’s local surf spot) and won $21,000 and it was on the day his brother, who had died, would have turned 21! How incredible is that?”

Well that about sums it up. I can’t get a review from my son but at least I can get him to happily read a book. My son thoroughly enjoyed it and going to Kirra for Christmas to the relative’s place made it a little bit more special now that he knows he might bump into Mick Fanning!

Tim Baker’s High Surf was reviewed by The Reading Stack.

http://www.bytimbaker.com/

My Nine Lives

by Diane Cilento

Penguin Books. Australian, Biographical, Adult Non-Fiction. Softcover rrp $26.95

Diane Cilento is a wellknown Australian actress of the 1950s and 1960s. She married Sean Connery before he became famous as James Bond. Then left it all to move to Far North Queensland (or FNQ as she calls it) where she built the Karnak Playhouse, a centre for the arts.

The book, My Nine Lives, is about her fascinating life - all nine of them! She was brought up in Queensland, the daughter of two famous doctors, travelled at the age of 15 to London to study ballet but ended up taking acting classes. She married an Italian actor , performed in many plays in London and Broadway, and gave birth to a baby girl. She later married Sean Connery and had a son. After leaving Sean, she moved around England. Eventually to Queensland. She settled in Mossman, north of Cairns, where she built her own outdoor theatre — named "Karnak" — in the rainforest. The venture allowed her to participate in experimental drama and music. Around this time she married the playwright, Anthony Shaffer.

During her many lives Diane searched for her spiritual fulfilment, finally studying under the British mystic and spiritual teacher John G Bennett. From Gurdjieff to Sufism, Diane's journey has been deep, long and amazing.

Diane Cilento is one of those rare people who has followed her heart, in love, in her profession, and in her spiritual life. The journey has led her ever forward into new territory, even to Mecca as a Sufi pilgrim.

I expected to read about an actress who had married a famous actor and lived a glamorous life but I found much more - learning about mysticism and ultimately seeing inside myself.

http://www.karnakplayhouse.com.au/Home.11.0.html

Princess Masako

by Ben Hills

Random House. Australian, Biographical, Adult Non-Fiction. Paperback rrp $34.95



Princess Masako is the fascinating story of the Japanese Royal family, in particular Crown Princess Masako and her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito. It’s a love story but also a tragedy.

Masako Owada was a Harvard educated diplomat, a successful career woman in the competitive world of Japanese government bureaucracy. Marrying the Crown Prince meant sacrificing her career for a life of strict palace protocol - with no real role other than to bear an heir.

For seven years Masako avoided the Prince’s proposal. Deeply in love, Naruhito persisted until they were married in 1993. But this is no fairy tale. The Prince and Princess were prisoners of the Kunaicho bureacrats and the conventions of Japanese royalty. According to the author’s sources, after conversing with Clinton in English and Gorbachev in Russian at a state dinner, Masako was reprimanded and reminded her role was to ‘smile nicely’.

The pressure to bear a son was an enormous strain on the Princess. The 2600-year-old dynasty was in danger of perishing. Although her health was failing Masako eventually bore a daughter. Japan began to consider changing the law of male succession until Nurahito’s sister-in-law fell unexpectedly pregnant at 39, and bore a son.

Today Masako participates in few public duties and is under constant medical care. Officially ailing from ‘adjustment disorder’, she is widely believed to be suffering depression. The one thing that no-one is disputing is Prince Nurahito’s ongoing love for his wife.

Author Ben Hills is a Wakely award winning journalist and a foreign correspondent with over thirty years experience. Having spent three years reporting in Japan, he is an authoritative voice on a taboo subject. The book raises many issues closed to discussion in Japan. Did Masako have IVF? Is she suffering from a mental illness? Are the Kunaicho, ‘the men in black’, to blame for her illness? Although not published in Japan, this ‘unauthorised’ biography generated much controversy. You can read about this ‘second story’ on the author’s web site http://www.benhills.com/.

Thirty-Three Teeth

by Colin Cotterill

Text Publishing. Australian, Mystery, Crime. Paperback rrp $32.95

Dr Siri Paiboun is an unusual man. To begin with, he has thirty three teeth. The average person has only thirty two.

In his early seventies, Dr Siri has been recently appointed the Laotian National Coroner. He is a man of contradictions. The grieving widow of a passionate communist activist, he finds much amusement and frustration with the new regime he now works for. A student of science and deduction, he is also the physical host of an ancient spirit and is visited by many others, including a newly dead elephant.

In Dr Siri’s life and occupation, crossing the line between the real and spirit world is a regular occurrence. This is a man as equally comfortable discussing his cases with dead royalty and possessed puppets, as he is with the local law enforcement and government officials.

When a series of mutilated bodies are brought to the Vientiane morgue, Dr Siri and his enigmatic assistant, Nurse Dtui, are puzzled. Is the killer a man or beast? The more they investigate, the stranger the case becomes. How many teeth does the murderer have? Suspects range from an escaped circus bear to a newly released prison inmate who believes he is inhabited by the spirit of a weretiger.

This is a story of gruesome findings, shaman ceremonies and political intrigue. It is quirky and surreal, sinister and macabre. And it’s a great mystery. Can you imagine a Laotian Hercule Pierot? After reading Thirty Three Teeth, I can. Readers of crime and mystery, particularly those looking for something a little different, will thoroughly enjoy this book. I was pleased to find another adventure of Dr Siri already exists. The Coroner’s Lunch was the first in what I hope will be a long running series.

Author Colin Cotterill, is an Australian citizen whose real life experience led him to smuggle children’s books to Laos and later establish the charity, Books for Laos. You can read about this and more at http://www.colincotterill.com/.