Christmas treats for myself

I have been saving hard this month thinking I had seriously overspent, but apparently I’ve done better than I thought, so I decided to celebrate by buying some books I have had my eye on for a little while.  I picked two books each from two booksellers, fairly restrained of me I thought!

From the Folio Society Christmas catalogue I bought one of my favourite ghostly childhood reads, and an intriguing sounding crime novel.  The current Folio offer is a free 2015 diary, toward which I have blog related intentions.

 

I also bought the first offerings from new Publisher on the block Fox, Finch and Tepper. This is the new publishing company established by Mr B’s, bookseller extraordinaire.  You can read more about the launch and the naming of the company here.

 

It’s not quite their first foray into publishing, they've had a hand in a couple of special editions of favoured books before, one of which is The Howling Miller by Aarto Paasilinna read and reviewed by me in early 2013.  However, it is their first release completely under their own steam.  To launch the new publishing house they've chosen the two books whose covers you can see below.  I usually love their recommendations, and if they think these two new books are good enough to launch their new publishing house, then how can I possibly resist?  I did recently finish a spa recommendation - Tim Gautreaux’s The Missing, which was fantastic, so I’m fairly eager to read more of his work.  I also love reading about Australia, it brings back wonderful memories.

As I’m not spending Christmas at home, but I will have my own tree in the build-up, I thought I’d wrap these books up and put them under the tree as my Christmas treat to myself.

As for the excellent progress I was making through my TBR shelves?  There’s always next year!

Still on my wishlist – from the Mr B’s Christmas Catalogue:  The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman.  A reimagined Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

What to do, what to do?

The Folio Society have just emailed details of their Christmas collection and in it is one of my favourite books from childhood - The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively.  The artwork looks wonderful and a new introduction by it's author all makes for a tempting proposition.

It's been years since I last saw my own copy of this book, heaven only knows what has happened to it.  So, of course I am in dire need of a new copy...

Funds are limited, and it's not cheap, so...............

Oh heck, who am I kidding?  I don't need to go out next week... I could be sat inside reading a ghost story in the cold and dark.

Review: The Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

My November challenge to catch up with posting my reviews has now started, and here is the first of many (well, quite a few) to come this month…

Publisher: The Folio Society

The Greenwitch is the third book in the Dark is Rising sequence, and sees the welcome return of Simon, Jane and Barney who originally featured in the first book Over Sea Under Stone.  In this story the children are joined by their Uncle Merry again, along with Will Stanton from the second book ‘The Dark is Rising’.  Will appears to have grown into his role as an Old One, and it’s good to see all our heroes allied in the continuing battle between Light and Dark.

The Greenwitch of the title is a large humanoid sculpture woven in wood, built by the women of the village, to take part in an ancient local tradition.  It was built to be thrown into the sea as an offering to ensure the safety of the fisherman of the village.  It represents the oldest of magic, a neutral magic not concerned with either light or dark.  The story is at last a chance for the women of the town, and particularly Jane, to shine.

It feels like a continuation of the first story, with Will Stanton as an added extra, and it picks up where the last left off.  In the first book during the search for the grail an important piece was lost to the sea, and this story concerns itself with the recovery of the lost piece of the puzzle.  The piece is being guarded by the Greenwitch who does not want to lose her prize.

For me this was the weakest of the books so far.  It was still well written, there was some sense of threat at times, but I felt that it didn’t have the thrill of the first book, or the depth of the second.  Well worth reading nonetheless!  I have heard really good things about the rest of the series, and they are on the shelf ready to go.

Book Review: The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper.

Publisher:  The Folio Society
ISBN: not available for this edition
Format:  Quarter-bound in buckram with Modigliani paper sides, illustrated by Laura Carlin.

Well, after Over Sea, Under Stone there was nothing else to do with myself but grab the second book with both hands.  I wasn't disappointed, man that woman can write!!  You may have seen the film and thought it was OK, as I did, or that it wasn't OK and you won't bother with the book.  You'd be wrong on both counts.  When compared to the book the film is pretty dire and there are some pretty major differences in the story.

Will Stanton is the seventh son of a seventh son, and is the last of the Old Ones, a special group of people destined to fight for the side of the Light in the eternal battle between the forces of light (good) and dark (evil).  On the eve of his Eleventh birthday Will starts to experience strange phenomenon that others don't see or experience.  Guided by various characters like Merriman Lyon (Uncle Gumery from Over Sea, Under Stone), Will's task is to gather the six Things of Power and strengthen the power of the light against The Rider and other characters who've come to the fight.

Though there were eight years between the first and second books Cooper doesn't fail to deliver and her panache at storytelling is ever present. This is a brilliant book, though I think having seen the film I was spending a fair amount of time trying to recall the film and how it compares to the book.  Had I not seen the film first I think I would have had a similar reaction to Over Sea, Under Stone.  When you see a film first and then read the book the film version can help your mind process the familiar images, but when the book and the film deviate from each other so much it becomes a distraction rather than an aid.

At the time of writing this review I am reading the third book in the series, though will probably have finished it by the time this review gets published.  What I've read so far just goes to show Cooper has staying power when it comes to these books.

What I liked most:  Excellent sense of threat, the swarming rooks were quite disturbing.  There were also terribly sad moments with Hawkin and Merriman Lyon.

What I liked least:  The film was a constant source of comparison in the back of my mind, and not in a good way.  

Book Review: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.

Publisher:  The Folio Society
ISBN:  not available for this edition
Format:  Quarter-bound in buckram with Modigliani paper sides, 9" × 6¼"
Illustrated by Laura Carlin (7 illustrations)

Like my earlier review of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief I first came across the Dark Is Rising sequence as the result of seeing a film.  Fellow book club members recommended the books, and the sequence was added to our suggestions list.  There are five books in the sequence, of which this is the first.  I would definitely read them in order, now that I am half way through book three I can see how important it is to have read them in sequence.

As I have mentioned on the blog before I joined the Folio Society recently, and I chose the first four books in the sequence as my obligatory four book purchase this year.  I just have to get the fifth book now, before they run out of stock!!  When I saw them on the FS list I thought if the FS thinks they're good enough to publish then I should definitely give them a try.  I could wax lyrical about the wonderful special editions the FS have produced, but any edition will do.

Short Synopsis:  A young family are travelling for a family holiday to Cornwall, land of Arthurian legend.  They're on their way to meet their strange Uncle Gumery, and little do they know it but their also about to take part in the eternal battle between the forces of light (good) and dark (evil).

The style of language used is very of it's time (written in the 60's), something Susan Cooper mentions herself in the preface to the special edition.  A few too many 'Gosh's' for a modern audience, but though I have found this a distraction in other books, here it just feels utterly charming.  The thing that makes this truly an outstanding story for me is the way that Cooper is able to make the story seem so real.  The characters of Simon, Jane and Barney are so well drawn that the whole book feels incredibly believable.  In the very best tradition of the very best books you really do lose the words on the page as your imagination takes over and paints the story in images for you.  You lose yourself and become Simon or Jane or Barney.  That's me, a nearly 40 year old woman feeling like a young boy running for my life across the hills of Cornwall.  I swear my heart was racing.  When the children are in danger you really feel it yourself.

What I liked most: Everything!  But mostly that I haven't been this engrossed in a book in possibly ever!

What I liked least:  Nothing.  Really.  I loved the whole thing.  This is probably in my top three books.  The only reason it might not make the top spot is because it didn't make me cry.