Jamie and Claire again!

Diana Gabaldon created quite a stir in the 1990s with the publication of the first volumes of the Outlander series, which blended time travel, historical fiction and romance – so much so that what had been originally planned to be a trilogy has grown to a 7-volume series, with at least one more book to come.

The first 3 books (Outlander/Cross Stitch, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager), which were mostly set in Scotland in the period prior to and after the Battle of Culloden, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s dreams of capturing the British throne were thwarted, were undeniably the most popular.

An Echo in the Bone

However, while some readers fell by the wayside with the shift of scene from Scotland to America, many New Zealanders remain faithful to the books’ hero and heroine, Jamie and Claire Fraser, if the number of holds on the latest book in the series, An Echo in the Bone, is anything to go by (I started out at number 147 and am now number 98). In fact the book is currently number 2 in the NZ Bestseller lists, just behind Dan Brown’s latest offering.

If you are one of the people who has already managed to get their hands on the book, I’d love to hear what you think about it – is it worth me waiting for my hold?

If you are still waiting, or have already read all of the books by Diana Gabaldon and want more reading material along similar lines, you might want to try the suggestions on our If you like Diana Gabaldon page or on the Author Read-alikes on Novelist Plus.

And if you are really keen, why not go see Diana Gabaldon herself at her talk here in Christchurch on 4th November?

Villafication – Why you should own a villa

Recently I moved into a classic villa with a symmetrical front like a child’s drawing – door in the middle and windows either side. The windows are original and as expected, the sash cords are non existent – I need to use wood offcuts as props in order to keep them open. The central hall is a delight. I can spread my arms out wide and touch each side with my fingertips – a luxury of space. It lends a formal air to what is essentially a working class cottage, and entices you on to the rest of the house. Each room is probably quite small, but the lofty ceiling height creates a sense of scale. When people visit, the first thing they do is look up – I can understand now why ceiling roses and cornices were used to add another layer of decoration. The kitchen and bathroom are quite tragic, but the wonderful thing about villas are their adaptability – they are quite simple boxes that can accommodate endless makeovers.

Christchurch City Libraries have a new book in their collection called Villa by Patrick Reynolds (photography) and Jeremy Hansen/Jeremy Salmond (text). It is a coffee table book that could almost serve as a table in its own right. Often I’ll skim over the introduction in these type of photo heavy books in order to get to the pretty pictures quicker, but this one is definately worth reading. It explains simply why people have a fascination with and fondness for these old houses. It has home truths (yes, they’re old and cold and don’t usually get a lot of sun), but also exhalts in their simple beauty and the reasons why they continue to be loved (they are usually close to the city centre, are of enduring construction that can be brought back from the brink of death, remind us of simpler times). Most of all, the book reinforced my instinct upon first viewing my property – it looked and felt like a home not a house, and what could be better than that to retreat to at the end of a working day?

Modern masterpiece turns 25

It’s a day to remember one of the most successful writers that Christchurch has ever produced – Keri Hulme. Her novel The Bone People was first published 25 years ago today in 1984, winning the New Zealand Book Award for fiction in that year and The Booker Prize in 1985.

Not bad for a former tobacco picker, who quite literally dreamed her material up. I’d encourage you to revisit this book, or read it if you haven’t. It’s a challenging book in many respects, but also a piece of writing that is quite stunning in its scope. And if reading it is challenging, imagine what it was like to wrestle with in your head while you were writing it.

So happy birthday to The Bone People, and thanks Keri Hulme – hope the whitebait season’s been kind to you.

• Read more about Keri Hulme
• Search our catalogue for items by Keri Hulme
• Search our catalogue for items about Keri Hulme
• Keri Hulme’s work at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre

Big Bargains at Book Sale

It starts today! The famous big book sale takes place at the Pioneer Leisure Centre: easy access, plenty of parking and it’s on the Orbiter Bus route

• Friday 30th October 2009, 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Saturday 31st October 2009, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Book sales can unearth some real gems, my favourite find was Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of feminine evil in fin-de-siecle culture by Bram Djikstra. Score!

What goodies have you found at the library book sale??

Elephants cannot dance

People often don’t realise the value of “Into reading’ as a collection in the library. This section offers great books for the beginner reader. The books normally have large, clear text and lots of illustrations. They offer a first reading experience for children and encourage them to play with language.

Titles in this collection are used by beginner readers, younger reluctant readers and parents and children sharing books together.

Two examples of wonderful titles to be found in the Into reading collection are:

Elephants cannot dance by Mo Willems. Elephant is trying to learn to dance. Frustrated by his lack of success he throws a major tantrum. This is then adopted by squirrels as “the elephant dance”. This title is one that appeals to adults as well as children which makes for a good reading experience for both child and parent. It has very simple illustrations and text.

Hooray for Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold. Buzz’s football team is short of players and his friend Fly Guy steps in to help. The story of how a fly can play football is humorous and imaginative. This title also appeals to different ages.