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KarlN

7,257 pts
(5,163 pages read)

  • Taken at the Flood

    By Agatha Christie
    3 stars

    A classic twisty Poirot investigation, with the murder in this one not taking place until almost halfway through the book. A rich widow and her brother, beset by the money-hungry family of the deceased, are approached by a stranger claiming that the widow's first husband is still alive, meaning her claim to the deceased's estate would be void. When the stranger turns up dead the case seems open and shut, but Poirot has his suspicions.... I caught a few of the clues and had some ideas, but the reveal was still satisfying, although the epilogue may be a bit troubling to a modern audience.

  • Huia Come Home

    By J Ruka
    5 stars

    A hard book to define. Part prophetic dream, part revisiting the arrival of missionaries in NZ from a Christian Maori perspective, part the author's exploration of his faith and his Maori identity, part a call to decolonise NZ Christianity. No matter what your perspective on any of these issues are, there will be something in this book to provoke and challenge.

  • The Ghosts of Triton

    By Ken Catran
    4 stars

    A slightly obscure book from the '90s, this is book 2 in the 'Solar Colonies' series, in which Earth has colonized Mars and the asteroids with genetically altered humans, tinted to have green, blue or red skin (depending on their home area). This immediately allows the book to explore issues of racism in a different context. In this book, cadet Dexter (from Earth), while remote mining on Triton (a moon of Neptune) has encountered some strange apparitions that resemble historical figures from Earth. He, along with two red-skinned 'Rockies' from the asteroid belt, and two Martians (one blue skinned, one green skinned), must travel to Triton to figure out what is going on. Prejudices are tested, an almost-romance begins, and the mystery of Triton takes an odd but interesting turn. The book also ends on a slightly melancholic note. Worth checking out.

  • Rediscovering God's Church

    By Derek Prince
    5 stars

    A book of theology (one of my other passions). If you are into theology, this is great. Not likely to be useful in teaching unless you are an RE teacher.

  • Skyward

    By Brandon Sanderson
    5 stars

    The first in a Sci-Fi YA series, Skyward follows Spensa 'Spin' Nightshade as she dreams of becoming a pilot and doing battle against the alien Krell who continuously attack her world. Spensa's father died when she was young and was branded a coward when he did; Spensa seeks to restore her family's honour and prove herself a mighty warrior. Lots of fun - a bit of action, a bit of humour, a bit of mystery, even a touch of romance. Sanderson is good at this sort of thing.

  • The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

    By H G Parry
    5 stars

    A fun mashup of classic characters (particularly Dickensian ones) come to life, set in Wellington. Charley Sutherland can accidentally 'summon' characters from books into the real world. When Charley and his brother Rob are attacked by a hound of the Baskervilles and then Rob realises that his new intern is Uriah Heep, the brothers must figure out who is behind these strange occurrences, before a literary world wipes out the real world, forever! Really enjoyed this.

  • Night Watch

    By Terry Pratchett
    4 stars

    Every Discworld novel is great. This one follows Sam Vimes going back in time and mentoring himself as a younger watchman. If that sounds very strange, maybe this isn't the right novel to begin the series with. However, just like all Discworld novels, this is a great blend of fantasy and biting satire.

  • A Record of the Life of the Great Te Rauparaha

    By Tamihana Te Rauparaha. Translated: Ross Calman
    4 stars

    Very interesting. A manuscript of Te Rauparaha's life written by his son, then transcribed and translated by another descendant, Ross Calman. Calman also includes a biography of both Te Rauparaha and Tamihana, and editorial notes throughout the manuscript, which he presents in both te Reo and his English translation.

  • Women Sleuths

    By Various
    3 stars

    A collection of 4 novellas, each with a female protagonist investigating a mystery. Three are from the 1930s, one is from the 1980s. The investigators include a detective, the elderly mother of a well-known detective, a mystery writer and a librarian. None are revolutionary; some are fun. My favourite was the one starring the librarian, who is generally reluctant to get involved and somewhat exasperated by the failings of the local detectives to take her seriously.

  • Bedtime Yarns

    By Barry Crump
    3 stars

    Some elements are a little dated/offensive by modern standards, but otherwise an interesting selection of short stories and poems by Crump. A lot more genres covered than I expected, including a ghost story (with a punch ending) a few dark semi-thrillers, along with the expected humour and rural slice-of-life helpings Crump was known for.

  • The Late Mrs Willoughby

    By Claudia Gray
    5 stars

    This book is a sequel to 'The Murder of Mr Wickham' and both fall into the growing sub-genre of 'Jane Austen murder mysteries.' Jonathan Darcy (son of FitzWilliam and Elizabeth Darcy from 'Pride and Prejudice') and Juliet Tilney (daughter of Henry and Catherine Tilney from 'Northanger Abbey') must work together to solve the titular murder, this time of Sophia Willoughby (from 'Sense and Sensibility'). Although not quite as good as the first book in the set (I guessed the murderer early on) it is still a well written and very 'Austeny' twist on a classic whodunnit. I recommend the series!

  • Birnam Wood

    By Eleanor Catton
    3 stars

    Entertaining but weird story about eco-activists and a mysterious American billionaire encountering one another in a remote South Island town in NZ. Builds up to a shocking ending. Didn't like the level of language but otherwise interesting.

  • Mr Pip

    By Lloyd Jones
    4 stars

    My thoughts as I went through this book: sweet - happy - nice - interesting - OMGWHATSHAPPENINGMAKEITSTOP!! - epilogue. Quite well written, but... wow, that one part escalates quickly!

  • In a Free State

    By V S Naipaul
    2 stars

    An odd book, containing five different narratives all on the theme of feeling displaced in a different culture and environment. The main one follows two English expats as they road trip south through a progressively more war-torn African nation. Well written, but often unpleasant too.

  • B*stards I Have Met

    By Barry Crump
    4 stars

    I read this looking for some stereotypical examples of 'old-school rural NZers'. An A-Z (plus some) of b*stards that Crump claims to have met. Amusing, occasionally un-PC.

  • Bleak House

    By Charles Dickens
    4 stars

    Dickens needs to be read at a particular pace, but when I get on the right wavelength I love his writing. There is a great mix of comedy, tragedy, light romance and biting satire in this novel, which focuses on a never-ending court case, a mysterious death, uncertain parentage and the ever-lurking figure of Mr Tulkinghorn. Well worth the time.

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