Mt Roskill Grammar

229,041 pages read and 6,088 team points

Team members

Hwasung Yang

8,236 pts

(7,046 pages read)

Burnt sugar

By Avni Doshi

5 stars

A married daughter looks after her mother, who had wild youth and now suffers from dementia. I was thrilled that this book totally turn down my expectation - it is not a description of troubles, exhaustion, love and family reunion or dismantlement but much beyond. The title "burnt sugar" reveals its meaning at the end and I liked how all the stories and scenes were allocated to head to the highlight of the book. Even small episodes that I thought unnecessary had reasons to be there and leave some clues for the climax of the book. Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.
The library : a fragile history

By Andrew Pettegree & Arthur der Weduwen

4 stars

It took me almost 5 weeks and 1 library renewal to finish this book, not because it is boring or hard to understand (as a written-by-professors book the sentences are straightforward and informative, not literary rhetoric) but each chapter, each page contains lots of information. In one paragraph you can often find several names, several locations and sometimes across time and continents. When I was reading books written by Yuval Harari, Jared Diamond or Mary Beard, I felt that the professor authors list too many evidences repeatedly, describing them in full details, ( probably they say "Look I have these many supporting evidences and you cannot disagree with me!") and I felt the same feeling with this book. I thought "Okay, I understand what you mean.... Hey! You do not need to write every single names that you know!" and sometimes I felt that "I reading a book" changes to "book reading me". No wonder the list of references books is almost 100 pages. Anyhow, this book describes a lot of episodes in the Library History, and should be useful for any creative writers who write about the (mainly Western European) literary society. By the way, New Zealand is also briefly mentioned!
They both die at the end

By Adam Silvera

2 stars

What if I know when I die? I have so long wanted to know when my last would be so I would be better prepared for it and would not spend my last years meaninglessly. In this book people are contacted on the start of their "end day". Two teenagers got the call, struggled with the news, spent their last day together. I could not understand some of what they did, but they are teenagers with no real family under their care, so it was understandable, even though I would not choose their choices. Easy read, but YA novels are not my taste ( so I chose a wrong book) I am a bit surprised that it is for Level 2 book, probably too easy in my opinion.
The refugees

By Viet Thanh Nguyen

3 stars

I read this author's book Sympathizer before so I was anxious before starting this book; what if this book is as hard to read as the previous book? No, this book is straightforward, not confusing nor each sentence multiple lines long as the previous book. This book is even a collection of short stories and describes various lives of Vietnamese boat people and their children in USA that I have not read before. And... that is it. This book is not particularly beautifully written nor taught me something new. Just a good and easy book to read but not a must-read book. I was a bit disappointed that I definitely expected something greater from this Pulitzer Prize winner.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

By Gabrielle Zevin

3 stars

Firstly, this book reads well, very well. After "Story of Obedience" and "Stone yard devotion" the smooth reading is a blessing. And, that is it. It is one of the Whitcoulls top 100 books and I overheard someone says "You HAVE TO read this book." but I am not convinced why this book of young game programmers/manger's book is a must-read. It is an easy holiday novel, but not a literature book to me. By the way, it was good that the main character shares the same culture with me, but it is very unlikely that the young American-born grandson is allowed to call their grandparents by their first names, especially if the grandparents were immigrants to USA.
Little

By Edward Carey

5 stars

I do not understand why this book is not an international bestseller nor won literary awards. The story about a Swiss girl, who makes wax heads (and other parts of human bodies) in pre, during and post French revolution eras, vividly describes the lives, custom and characters. I did not only enjoyed the book but also learned a lot about the time and places described in this book.
The invisible life of Euridice Gusmao

By Martha Btalha

3 stars

I do not know what this book of a woman, who underlived her talent wants to say, but it is funny! This book is not a literature but definitely a funny novel. I liked how the author wrote, funny and cynical. I enjoyed this book from the first to the last page.
Tell me Everything

By Elizabeth Strout

3 stars

First of all, this book is easy to read! After Aue I really needed a pleasure from reading and this book met my needs. Elizabeth Strout is one of favourite writer. I read most of her books and I especially liked Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge books. Then...... well......Until the end of the of book, I was wondering "So, what do you want to say?" There were many characters, all vividly living in the book, but I could not understand why their lives are described here and there. When I was a university student in my early 20s mum and I read Rosamunde Pilcher's The shell seekers. I got the same feeling towards the book but my mum was deeply touched by the book. After mum explained the book, my brain understood but my heart still did not understand what the author wanted to say. Probably it is the same with this book. Most of the main characters are in their 60s+ and probably when I reach the age, I will be able to understand this book. Anyway I still like Elizabeth Strout's sentences.
Aue

By Becky Manawatu

2 stars

The book cover shows that this book has won two literary prizes in 2020 and it has been a Whitcoulls Top 100 books for years, but I do not like this book. The narrative was strong and each character was vividly described at the start, but the book became loose. There were many unnecessary episodes that do not mix well or repeat the same themes again. I wish that the author skimmed it off to two-thirds in lengths. The last 50ish pages were contrived. They have been separated for a long time. How can they all gather so timely at the same place? It was written in plain English but it was hard to continue reading.
After the Tampa

By Abbas Nazari

5 stars

I agree with Helen Clark's review "From child refuge to Fulbright scholar -this story is extraordinary." While reading this book, I thought "Yes, he is reaching the age to make the scholarship, so this book will soon describe his pains and glory. Good on you, man!" But, no, this book is not a self-admiration. I initially decided to give 4 stars, because he described his journey not emotionally but rather objectively, but towards the end, I changed my mind to 5 stars, because of his insightful thoughts about the current affairs in racism, refugee issues, international politics, Afghanistan etc. This is a good book, not because of this young man's endurance and successes but because of his wisdom and insight.
Man Tiger

By Eka Kurniawan

5 stars

I liked this longlisted-for-the-Booker-Prize book from the beginning to the last sentence. It is full of life, each character is vividly described, and the consistent strength unfolds the story to the end.
Study for Obedience

By Sarah Bernstein

1 stars

Yes, it is shortlisted for 2023 Booker Prize, but I did not like it. While reading the book, I thought "Is it teaching me how to obey itself?", because sentences were long with endless commas, one paragraph goes more than a few pages, used outdated terms- repast? behove? It is only 192 pages long with a relatively big font but the reading was never easy. I understood what the main character was facing in the village after reading almost two thirds of the book, and I almost gave up on reading but painstakingly finished it, because readers' reviews wrote "The ending is so obscure." "I do not know what the author wants to say." so I could not just read someone else's review to find how it ends. Many critics praised this book as one of the masterpiece in 2023, but well, if I am not high-skilled reader and could not understand the profound metaphor of the book, I admit it and that this book was certainly beyond my capability.
The Lighthouse

By Alison Moore

5 stars

Another Booker Prize shortlisted book. There is no big event throughout the book, but I liked the calm and dry sentences that depict the characters. The main characters have their lighthouses and it is interesting what/how the lighthouses meant and worked to them. A short but fully symbolic work.
Charlotte Wood

By Stone yard devotional

1 stars

Another Booker Prize shortlisted book. It is also shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award in Australia, but I had a very high expectation. However...... I felt that the author touched many topics, but they proceeded to their own directions and did not converge to one main theme. Many reviews praised this book, but I agreed with few reviews that expressed boredom and disappointment. Well...... shortlisted for the major literary awards and loved by many readers, but not mine.
The Safekeep

By Yael van der Wouden

5 stars

First of all, this book reads well. To me, a English second language reader, it is a big matter to decide if I continue enjoying reading the book or endure reading the book. I experienced, as a ESOL reader, a good book has the power to make itself resonate inside the reader, regardless of the language barrier. This book was one of the powerful books. I enjoyed the calmness and neatness of the sentences, and even though I felt uncomfortable in the middle of the book, because it did not proceed within my boundary of understanding and the description was too detailed, I still wanted to continue reading, because I was convinced by the power of the book. It is shortlisted for the Booker Prize and makes me want to read the winning book. "If this book failed to win it, how good is the winning book?"
Why the Germans Do it Better? Notes from a Grown-Up Country

By John Kampfner

5 stars

When I got the book, I thought the it would be about Germany's well-known successes like Oktoberfest, Siemens and Mercedes, as the book illustration suggests. This book is, however, about post Nazi to Merkel, and briefly to post-Merkel Germany, mostly in politics. How many 20th Germany books are NOT about the Third Reich? I found this book after two Third Reich books in the Germany section in the library. ( and the rest of the books are about German language books) This book is interesting, because it was about how Germany proliferated after the Nazi era - how it has overcome the devastation and returned back to the leadership role in Europe and the world in politics and economy. This book "worships" the German society with occasional criticism but with evidences. Some people, therefore, may think it is too much, but I obviously learned a lot.
Amsterdam

By Ian McEwan

3 stars

To me it is four men's morality. He won a Booker Prize with this book, but I was not convinced by what he wrote that the confrontation was so serious to make the ending. It is my 4th McEwan book and I have not given 5 stars to him, even though he is one of the greatest contemporary English novelist. Probably I do not understand his world.
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime

By Trevor Noah

5 stars

It thought that it was about a poor boy trapped in poverty and becoming a criminal from the name, but it was about a life as mixed boy with white father and black mother in South Africa in post-apartheid era. Overall it is sad but not tragic, because this famous comedian knows how to write. Several times I laughed. I highly recommend this book and wish all of our students to read it.
The Underdog

By Markus Zusak

3 stars

This book describes a boy who has low self-esteem and juvenile angst. If I had read it when I was a teenager, I would have been unable to understand what the main characters do, but now as an adult and teacher, I understand that the author describes how a confused and uncertain boy grows up. I, however, expected more than this from the author wrote "The Book Thief"
I am autistic

By Chanelle Moriah

4 stars

This autistic author writes various symptoms of features of autistic people, including what neurodivergent people need and do not need/want from neurotypical people and the general society. All the messages are hand-written (at least used the hand-written font) so not as easy as print-font books. Good guide for MRGS teachers who teach Macleans Centre students.
Everything is beautiful and everything hurts

By Josie Shapiro

4 stars

I liked this book, partly because the story did not go as I expected. It gave me time to think what success is; if someone is academically successful, is the person's life success? If someone is a slow learner, is her life less successful? Also, what is success in life? It made me think about my students and wonder if I have been fair to them.
True or False

By Cindy L. Otis

5 stars

In 1274 BCE, Ramses II's Egypt was invaded by the Hittites. He transformed into a god and defeated the Hittites...... at least it is how he said to his people. But the letters between the Hittites' Hattusili III and Ramses II say different stories. Hattusili asked "Dude, why do you keep lying?" Yes, there have been fake news for millennia in human history. This book shows fake news from ancient history to current politics (including Trump) and how to detect fake news. I found the second half of the book rather boring, but the history was very interesting.
The Mars Room

By Rachel Kushner

5 stars

I have always admired authors, who write the world that they have not experienced/ not been from. I do not think that this Berkeley and Columbia University graduate experienced prisons nor committed crimes but she describes the lives in prison, making each character vividly and convincingly alive. Shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize.

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Mt Roskill Grammar

229,041 pages read and 6,088 team points

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