January Holiday Antics....

January holidays can get a tad boring - not at the Dubbo Branch Library though. We had fun creating 'Gock' puppets - Goth sock puppets... Check out the pics.

Death, Duck and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch

A strangely heartwarming story. In Death, Duck and the Tulip, Duck strikes up an unlikely friendship with Death. 'Who are you? Why are you creeping along behind me?' 'Good. You've finally noticed me', said Death. 'I am Death'. Duck is startled, then relieved when, the next day, she wakes up alive...you can't blame her for that. Duck and Death experience life together, swimming in the pond, climbing a tree and keeping company together until one day Duck feels very cold...

This beautifully illustrated picture book can provoke an emotional reaction from readers. Death, Duck and the Tulip is intriguing, haunting and thought- provoking. I recommend this book to teenagers and adults. This book deals with a difficult subject in an elegant, witty and straightforward way.

If you like this book you might like The Life of Riley by Colin Thompson

Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde

Carrying on the supernatural theme, I found Dragon's Bait to be a quick, entertaining read.

Alys, the daughter of a poor, sickly village tinsmith has a date with a dragon. Unfortunately this is a date that is not destined to go well. A group of greedy, corrupt villagers have conspired to have Alys declared a witch - and the punishment for witchcraft in her village is to become a tasty snack for the local dragon. The villagers stake Alys out on a hillside and scurry home to their warm beds. It's late, it's cold and it's raining, and all Alys can think about is revenge. Then the dragon shows up, a dragon that is full of surprises...

If you like this book you may like Eragon by Christopher Paolini and the Pern series of novels by Anne McCaffrey.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Ah, Twilight. I was hoping to be carried away with the romance and forbidden love of Bella and Edward, but unfortunately I was left a little cold.

For those not familiar with this series, Twilight tells the story of Bella, an awkward teenager who leaves sunny Phoenix to live with her father in the perpetually overcast town of Forks, Washington. Bella is an instant hit when she begins school in Forks and is pursued by several of the school's most eligible boys, much to her surprise. Bella is not particularly interested in any of the regular boys and soon becomes smitten by the mysterious Edward, who we soon find out just happens to be a vampire. The attraction is shared by Edward, who finds the scent of Bella's blood strangely compelling. I enjoyed the storyline of Twilight and the cast of characters kept me reading but I couldn't enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.

The problem I encountered was that I really didn't empathise with the character of Bella. I just couldn't find much that I liked about her, and to be honest, found her a little whiny. (Phew - no instant lynch mob!) I realise that a lot of people really like Bella, but I just couldn't warm to her. If you disagree with me, there will be an opportunity to discuss Twilight at the Dubbo Branch Library during the summer holidays and you may be able to convince me otherwise!

'Jinx' by Meg Cabot

Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean)but she loathes her too-appropriate nickname - Jinx - even more. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes—which is why she's thrilled to be moving in with her aunt and uncle in New York City. Maybe when she's halfway across the country, Jinx can finally outrun her bad luck. Or at least escape the havoc she's caused back in her small hometown.
But trouble has definitely followed Jinx to New York. And it's causing big problems for her cousin Tory, who is not happy to have the family black sheep around. Beautiful, glamorous Tory is hiding a dangerous secret—one that she's sure Jinx is going to reveal.
Jinx is beginning to realize it isn't just bad luck she's been running from. It's something far more sinister . . . and the curse Jinx has lived under since the day she was born might just be the only thing that can save her life.

I enjoyed Jinx, it was a good fairly light read and had a satisfactory ending. Loving the supernatural themes at the mo'...

The astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

Fanboy is a skinny, nerdy kid who gets beaten up on a regular basis at school by the popular jocks while members of the opposite sex don't even realize he exists (something he wishes the jocks would catch on to). He carries a bullet around in his pocket, something akin to a safety blanket, and keeps a certain 'List' of people in the back of his mind. You think you know where this is all headed - it is set in America, after all - especially when he meets the similarly bitter and angry Goth Girl, who has a disturbing interest in his step-father's gun collection. But that's where The Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl takes a sharp U-turn, avoiding the easy and well-trodden way out - blazing guns and school hallways littered with dead kids. Fanboy isn't just a nerd. He's smart. He's talented. In between being humiliated at gym class and getting his face slammed into school lockers, Fanboy's is pouring his heart and soul into writing a graphic novel, one he hopes to get published, and one he hopes will be a way out his miserable life and the key to his fame and fortune. Lyga's odd hero gives an interesting voice to the thousands of faceless kids that file through schools around the world each year who manage to live in the face of intense harrasment and bullying, without thought of retaliation - other than showing their classmates up at the school reunion. The ending may be a little optimistic for some, but stranger things have happened... (You find out what his real name is once but I can't seem to find the page again - it's something like Cecil - no wonder he prefers Fanboy.)
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The earth, my butt and other big round things by Carolyn Mackler

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

I don't know why I chose to read this book. The cover looks spooky, the title has 'terror' in it and I've never managed to watch I know what you did last summer the whole way through, despite people telling me it really isn't that scary. In other words, I'm a big chicken! In the end, I'm glad I summoned the courage to read it. It's a collection of ten short and grisly tales, told by the eccentric Uncle Montague to his inquisitive nephew Edgar. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror are stories inspired by various artefacts Edgar notices in the shadows of his uncle's strangely dark house - a gold watch, a gilt frame, a church pew gargoyle. Each story has a chilling end - but Edgar dismisses them as fiction, although his uncle would have him believe otherwise. Witches, ghosts, demons and jinns wreak havoc on the characters - all children - in each story all told in a disturbingly familiar way, as if Uncle Montague was himself the child, which is why Edgar is almost certain they are just stories... well, almost certain... Reading it reminded me of a pyjama party where everyone sits in a circle with torches lighting up and distorting their faces, telling scary stories, until someone freaks out and the lights have to go on and an adult has to come in and calm everyone down.

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The beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson