Treasure Island

Book 21 of 2018 is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Having read this book over 30 years ago, I thought I'd scan through it since we all know the story so well. The thing with me remembering books is that I recall the peaks and troughs but forget the detail after that long. I'm glad I re-read it.

Like all true classics that define their genre, it isn't perfect or even at the pace I would expect of a swashbuckling adventure but it is true to form. The characters are more complex than I remember them and the classism is cringeworthy but I must keep it mind that it was published in 1883.

This is more than a children's books and less than an adult's book so I am not sure whether to recommend it based on that. I can however recommend it based on it being fun and adventurous.

You can decide if that is for you.

4 Yo-ho-ho, and  bottles of rum out of 5.

Should I read this? Do it. It's a short fun adventurous read.
What did I learn? Rum is not a life for me.

The Quiche of Death

Book 36 of 2017 is The Quiche of Death which is book one from the Agatha Raisin series by M. C. Beaton.

Another free book that has me hooked on a series. This series will take the place of me not getting to watch the BBQ regularly since moving to the US.

It is obviously a modern take on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple but done tongue in cheek through flowing prose.

Like Miss Marple, this all takes place in a sleepy little hamlet with nosey neighbours, helpful police one step behind our heroine and baking competitions of death.

With 27 books in the series, this will give me my Agatha Christie fix at regular intervals between other books.

4 baked goods from ovens other than the ones claimed out of 5.

Should I read this? For Christie fans the world over, yes.
What did I learn? Old habits die hard.

Good Omens

Book 14 of 2016 is Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

If you've heard my Gaiman (or as I know him, Amanda Palmer's husband) rants then you will know that I love him as a person and have read many of his books. I loved Neverwhere but have not enjoyed much since. Yes, I even diss American Gods.

This book was recommended to me by so many people that I had to give in and read it.

I stand corrected. This is brilliant. That may be due to Pratchett though :p

The idea that the world isn't perfect but it is imperfectly wonderful, is one that I truly share. The pop culture references and hilarious British humour won me over within the first couple of chapters.

This is so good that I didn't want to finish. I am sad it is over.

Five cute hounds of hell out of five.

Should I read this? Yes. Even if you don't like Gaiman's other stories.
What did I learn? Good and evil are relative. I knew that but now more so.

The Rook

Book 2 of 2016 is The Rook by Daniel O'Malley.

This is a book that my friend Jan chose for our distant book club. We will be discussing this over Skype when she finishes the read.

Having read The Hanged Man, this followed on quite well. Fantastical historical fiction is my new obsession and I am going to own this genre this year and read so much of it. This isn't the best example but it did introduce some nice ideas.

The reason I would read the rest of the series is because I had no love for any of the characters.

Told in the first person, the only possible sympathetic character is the story teller and seeing inside her mind makes her less-so.

The current to historical context is the most appealing part of this book. I can imagine it happening in almost modern day London but it misses something. It didn't bring me in to the place or the moment. My guess is that this is a British text written for Americans because it is nondescript and only hints of the culture.

What I would have liked was something distinctly English. Something that gave me an insight in to the culture and the moment. But alas, it did not.

3 forgotten moments due to amnesia out of 5.

Should I read this? Only if you like fantastical history novels.
What did I learn? I like this genre and want to find better versions of this.

The Wizard of Oz

Book 20 of 2014 is from the BFI Film Classics series and is a review by Salman Rushdie of the movie The Wizard of Oz. I'd call this an essay, more than a book but my only criteria to satisfy something is a book is if it looks like a book and quacks like a book.

In 69 pages, Salman Rushdie reviews the movie The Wizard of Oz in a way that has changed, ruined and enhanced my view of it.

He does this as the first part of a series of essays commissioned for a project by the National Film and Television Archive in the UK. This was before DVDs and IMDB and was a way of deconstructing and reviewing 360 classic movies by great minds of the time. When Rushdie looked through the list, he chose Oz as one of his favourite places as a child and decided to write about this movie.

Like anything you love that is deconstructed and discussed, some of the magic disappears but Rushdie's passion for the film and shared discovered facts compensate greatly.

The thing I did like the most was finding that this essay inspired Gregory Maguire's Wicked. I love the Oz world and Wicked continued for me, as this essay has extended it for me.

At the end of this essay, the author writes a fantastical story about the futuristic auctioning of the famous and obviously magical Ruby Slippers from the movie. There is a great quote that seems quite apt in this time...

"We, the public, are easily, lethally offended. We have come to think of taking offence as a fundamental right. We value very little more highly than our rage, which gives us, in our opinion, the moral high ground. From this high ground we can shoot down at our enemies and inflict heavy fatalities. We take pride in our short fuses. Our anger elevates, transcends. 

Salman Rushdie. At the auction of the ruby slippers. 
In: East, West. Vintage, 1995."

I give this a brain, a heart and some courage out of 5. Yes, that's a 3.5.

Should I read this? Read this if you love The Wizard of Oz movie. It would mean nothing otherwise.
What did I learn? Toto was female and her name was Terry.