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Captain Jimmy Cook Discovers X Marks the Spot
by Kate and Jol Temple
It’s hard being a famous explorer. What I’m about to write is something important. Maybe more important than the other Captain Cook who discovered the whole world by ship. There is only one person who can’t catch us where we are and that’s Ms. Fennel.
Dad has lost his job and stays home in his PJs all day and doesn’t really do much until he thinks he can do housework (don’t ask what mums thinks of it ekkk). But how am I now to get my special tools out of the house with him home especially mum’s big spoon which I’m needing for my dig.
Well it seems Casper N. couldn’t hold it in, he has told Conrad and of course everyone knows Conrad is not the best secret keeper but on the plus side with him being here he did bring along a full size shovel for us to use.
What is it going to be, this HUGE discovery that Captain Jimmy Cook is about to uncover will it be a Dinosaur that he could name, that no one else has come across, could he call it “Whoppersaurs or Jimmyosaurs”? Find out what is lurking in the ground behind the school toilets? Do you dare to discover?
Reviewed by Jessica from Dinsdale Library
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Honestly Ben
by Bill Konigsberg
Although this is a companion book to Bill Konigsberg’s previous book “Openly straight”, this can also be read in its own right. Based in a private boarding high school, this well written, easy-to-read book follows Ben Carver as he continues working hard at school, playing baseball (he’s recently been made captain of the team), and facing teenage concerns as he struggles to become his own self, and to accept that. This book continues to explore Ben’s own sexuality, emotions and feelings. He’d previously thought himself to be completely straight, but was challenged in that belief when he developed strong romantic feelings for his best male friend in “Openly straight”. Now he meets a girl who he also develops strong feelings for.. It seems everyone wants to put a label on him. Is he straight/gay/bi/or..? This book provides well-developed, genuinely likeable, thought-provoking main characters, with a good supporting cast of families and friends. Ben ultimately reaches the best decision for him – no matter what others think. Reviewed by Jan from St Andrews Library
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Dig if you will the picture : funk, sex, God and genius in the music of Prince
by Ben Greenman
Written in the year that followed the death of music superstar Prince, Dig if you will is a detailed and often personal reflection on the life and work of the enigmatic performer. Written more in the style of short essays rather than a chronological timeline from birth to death, Greenman’s book will definitely appeal to those who are already followers and admirers of Prince’s work. Separated into four sections, the book focusses on Prince’s influences, his religious beliefs, sexuality, attitude to fans and his prolific body of work (over 40 albums). Underlying much of the book are the provocative and often frustrating contradictions of a man whose songs were frequently filled with explicit lyrics and sentiment but also with a strong religious moralisation. Dig if you will is a well written, easy to read and immaculately researched book that is littered with cultural context and anecdotes that delves into the psyche of a controversial but fascinating genius.
Reviewed by Sarah from Chartwell Library
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Moonstone : The Boy Who Never Was: a Novel
by Sjón
Moonstone is the story of a young boy, an outcast, living on the fringes of society. Obsessed with cinema Mani Steinn begins having unusual dreams, bridging the gap between dream and reality. A shadow creeps across the land, the Spanish flu has begun claiming lives - “The angel of death has entered among us with the great epidemic and cast a pall of the deepest despair over many of our homes”
Moonstone is a historic novel as you’ve never seen before. This novel is definitely not for the faint hearted as Sjon explores the darker side of humanity – revealing a cold unfeeling world, filled with turmoil and prejudice. Sjons writing style is deep and poetic, illuminating the art of escapism. Although this novel is fairly short, it is far from a simple work. The depth and complexity Sjon has woven into so few words is truly masterful. Moonstone explores homosexuality in a time of injustice and contains graphic imagery. It blurs the line between life and death, between reality and imagination. This story would suit readers who enjoy confronting themes and poetic language. This novel is one which will keep you thinking and will open your eyes to a new world view as the “Darkness begins to fall once more”.
Reviewed by Lisa H from Hillcrest Library
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The Master and Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov
This underground masterpiece begins with Satan arriving in Moscow under the guise of Professor Woland, a magician with an entourage including a hitman, a witch and vodka-drinking cat. Soon, the setting switches to ancient Palestine where Pontius Pilate has Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus Christ) on trial.
It’s easier to make sense of the weirdness of this book if you understand the context of the times in which it was written. Work began on this novel in the late 1920s when censorship under Bolshevik rule led the author to believe there was no future as a writer in the Soviet Union. Having worked on this novel for two years, Bulgakov burnt his manuscript but began again in 1931 and finished a second draft in 1936. It wasn’t until 1973 that an uncensored version was finally published.
Although this book is not currently available through Hamilton City Libraries, I highly recommend that you hunt down a copy. Be careful which translation you choose though – some are arguably better than others. If you get a choice, go with that of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
An interesting side note – this book was the inspiration for the Rolling Stones’ song ‘Sympathy for the Devil’.
Reviewed by Carter from the Libraries Digital Team
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