Reviews
Plenty of drama behind the scenes
4 December 2008|
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Who killed channel 9?: The death of Kerry Packer’s mighty TV dream machine is a behind the scenes exposé into the cutthroat world of the television industry, as written by Gerald Stone, founding executive producer of 60 Minutes and one of the most prominent figures in Australian television and journalism. He gives the reader enough of an insight into the late Kerry Packer to quantify his reputation as Australia’s most powerful and feared businessman. For three decades Channel 9 dominated Australian TV as a consistent ratings winner, but within a few short years, with the declining health and subsequent death of Packer, the network took a sharp nosedive with what seems to be a series of decision makers who didn’t really understand the television industry but shafted those that did in order to get ahead themselves. Personally, I don’t think of the media industry to be particularly interesting but found this to be quite a fascinating read nevertheless. Author: Gerald Stone Reviewed by: Kim |
A series that’ll become a companion
25 November 2008
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I had run out of books to read and didn’t feel like starting something new, so I reached for some old favourites in the bookcase. The Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey is one of my all time favourites with characters that you can identify and sympathise with (not to mention the thrill of the action and magic). You can follow the characters as they develop in each trilogy (some set in different time periods to others). The first trilogy (Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, Magic’s Price) was written about 20 years ago and Mercedes had the guts to make her leading character gay (or saych as she calls it in the book) and has made it work. You’ve got a powerful Herald who thinks people shy away from him because he’s gay and then one of his friends says "It’s not because you’re saych it’s because you have enough power to level the palace, hell to level the city at that…" and so you come away thinking that being gay doesn’t define him it’s just a part of the whole sum of things that makes him. A very strong statement given the time the book was written. Well worth the read (or re-read in my case). |
As Sweet as Honey
29 September 2008|
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The Secret Life of Bees is narrated by the main character Lily Owens, a 14 year old girl who is seen by her teacher as being intelligent enough to amount to many things other than beauty school. The reader is exposed to her intelligence through many of her insightful thoughts although at times she tends to hold a little too much depth for a 14 year old. The year is 1964 in South Carolina and the Civil Rights Act has just been passed. On her way to register to vote, Lily’s African American nanny/stand in mother Rosaleen, is the victim of a racial assault. This event is the key to Lily and Rosaleen fleeing their hometown and her distant and cruel father to head for Tiburon, a place where Lily believes holds significance to her dead mother. In Tiburon she finds the trio of beekeeping calendar sisters who take them in and it is here where Lily discovers the truth about her mother and where her life, among other things, becomes immersed in the secret life of keeping bees. I liked this book a lot as it is simple but well written using descriptive and vibrant language. It is full of wonderfully engaging characters and a story that grabbed me from the beginning and held my interest right through. Author: Sue Monk Kidd Reviewed by: Kim |
Territory
25 August 2008|
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To be honest, I was a bit dubious about reading a novel by Judy Nunn - Home and Away soapie star - but quickly changed my prejudiced view once I had begun reading a few pages. Judy Nunn’s Territory could be described as a fascinating history lesson about Australia’s northernmost capital city, and the Dutch East Indies treasure ship, the Batavia, which struck a reef off the coast of Western Australia in 1629. The research she has undertaken is evident in this saga about the station owning Galloway family throughout the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese during World War II, to the devastation of Cyclone Tracy on Christmas day in 1974. The Galloway story unfolds in alternating chapters with that of a young Dutch noblewoman, Lucretia van den Mylen who sets sail on the Batavia’s maiden voyage to join her loved one in the East Indies. In her possession is a priceless locket which later becomes a symbol of strength for her as she struggles to survive the disastrous wreck of the Batavia and endure the terrifying events that follow. The two stories from two very different times in history are woven together by the course of this locket in what could be described as a breathtaking story of courage, disaster and passion and Australia’s “greatest frontier” town. Author: Judy Dunn Reviewed by: Kim |
Topics: Judy Dunn
Not smart enough
25 August 2008 |
The long awaited continuation of everyone favourtie anti-hero - Artemis Fowl - has hit the shelves (in store at least). What I expected was the usual action packed convaluted plans of the child genius who manages to save the day in the last instant. What I got was a lead up to the next book. Oh it has a few nailbiters and oh my gasp moments but on a whole I was three quaters through the book and felt that nothing exciting had happened. It was still a good read and the twists and turns (and best of all for any Trekkie fan) the time paradox made for some good fun but I hope the next one Eoin Colffer gets back to the James Bond sort of Artemis we all loved. Author: Eoin Colfer Reviewed by: Jamie Treble |
Topics: Eoin Colfer