Cheryl Strayed weaves aspects of her own life into her novels in a compelling fashion.
by Cheryl Strayed (Atlantic)
In her memoir, Wild, US writer Cheryl Strayed recounted how she found herself while on a solo trek along the rugged Pacific Crest Trail.
That book was a bestseller and has been made into a movie to be released later in the year starring Reese Witherspoon. Piggybacking on its success, her publishers have rereleased Strayed's 2005 novel, Torch. This is an intensely autobiographical story as anyone familiar with Wild will instantly spot. While Strayed was still at college her mother died very suddenly from cancer. Her overwhelming grief and the Minnesota landscape where she suffered it are the very fabric of this story. She has embellished it with fictional elements and revealed it from points of view other than her own but, still, the reason this novel of sorrow and loss rings with truthfulness is precisely because it is mostly true. Teresa Rae Wood goes to the doctor complaining that her back is killing her and discovers that it actually is. Tumours are growing like wildfire along her spine. Teresa is a waitress, a local radio show host, a loving partner and mother. She has a life left to live, she can't die, and yet she does. Unflinchingly, Strayed shows us the struggles of those she has left behind as they mourn, take missteps in their own lives and try to find the right way to go on without her. Torch is raw and confronting, hardly a comfortable read but a hugely worthwhile one, nonetheless.
by David Levithan (Text)
All the angst of the high school years is brought vividly to life in this collection of monologues that New York author David Levithan has formed into free verse and song then strung together loosely into a novel. It is aimed at young adults but anyone who remembers the exquisiteness of first love, the complications of teenage friendship or the pain of rejection will find something to relate to in this series of perfectly formed stories about feelings. They cover a group of teenagers who each, in their own distinctive voice, shares what's going on in their lives. There are same-sex relationships, hopeless crushes and devastating break-ups. There's a boy whose girlfriend is in love with Holden Caulfield (the protagonist in the J.D. Salinger classic The Catcher in the Rye) and a girl who finds herself scrawling aphorisms all over the school walls and desks although she has no idea why You Are Foolish in Your Unhappiness, You Wear Too Many Masks Some pieces are humorous, some sad, and others, like The Patron Saint of Stoners, manage to be both. The Realm of Possibility is not a novel in the ordinary sense of the word. But then it's not ordinary on any level at all.
I Spy a Great Reader, by Jackie French
by Jackie French (Angus & Robertson)
The word passionate is over-used but there's no other way to describe Australian Children's Laureate Jackie French, who was quite dazzling at the recent Word Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival. French's great passion is the power of books and literacy. In I Spy a Great Reader she shares her blueprint to getting your children into reading, developing their concentration and writing skills, and increasing their intelligence. Since French is dyslexic she is particularly interesting on learning difficulties and the different ways we learn. A great advocate of reading aloud to kids, she describes how your approach should change as a child grows up. Also included are ideas for practical projects, advice on how and when to start teaching reading skills, handwriting and spelling, through to literacy issues in the teenage years.
This is a treasure trove of interesting insights and ideas, clearly communicated in French's approachable style. I Spy a Great Reader will be as useful for teachers as it is inspiring for parents.
By Coral Atkinson (Dancing Tuatara)
Passing Through is a moving and engaging story of four characters in post-World War I Christchurch and Lyttelton. Each deals with loss and trauma in very different ways, which make for a highly readable human drama. Their intersecting lives reveal the reach of the effects of the Great War. Atkinson tackles spiritualism, love, shellshock and class differences with warmth and affection for her characters, and her descriptions of New Zealand landscapes make this a story with heart and a strong sense of place and time.
Review by Ngaire Atmore Pattison who blogs about books at bookiemonster.co.nz
Lucky Us, but Amy Bloom.
by Amy Bloom (Granta)
I loved Amy Bloom's earlier novel, Away, and, indeed, felt lucky to delve into this glorious new one. A tough and tender tale of two half-sisters with no mothers and a feckless father, it is vast in scope yet succinct in structure. Set in 1940s America, it explores loyalty, big dreams, dispossession and family. With vivid characters created with an unflinching eye, yet great compassion, this is a powerful and affecting read.
Review by Carole Beu of Auckland's The Women's Bookshop; womensbookshop.co.nz
by Constance and Mathilde Lorenzi (Murdoch Books)
Parisian sisters Constance and Mathilde Lorenzi gave up their day jobs to start It Mylk, a frozen yoghurt shop on the Left Bank in the cafe-heavy sixth arondissement. Frozen Yoghurt is a collection of their favourite recipes. There are gourmet flavours I'd never dreamed of, such as frozen Salidou (a caramel paste) and churros (a Spanish doughnut), as well as cakes, desserts and drinks made with yoghurt, such as cheesecake or pomegranate-banana lassi. Also there are recipes for toppings, flavoured sugars and sauces, plus savoury yoghurt recipes, such as cucumber yoghurt.
Review by Danielle Wright, creator of award-winning children's books and the news site newsmummy.com