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The 104-Storey Treehouse (#8) by Andy Griffiths

31 May 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Junior Fiction, Treehouse Series Tags: andy griffiths, four stars, terry denton, Treehouse Series

Published: 10th July 2018
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Join Andy and Terry in their wonderfully wild and wacky 104-storey treehouse. You can throw some refrigerators, make some money with the money-making machine (or honey if you’d prefer-it makes that too), climb the never-ending staircase, have a bunfight, deposit some burps in the burp bank, get totally tangled up in the tangled-up level, or just take some time out and relax in the peaceful sunny meadow full of buttercups, butterflies and bluebirds.

Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!

Andy and Terry are back with another 13 levels and a whole extra set of antics. The first chapter once again introduces us to the new rooms and features in the treehouse such as the tangled up level, the two million dollar shop, the never ending staircase and the stupid hat level to name a few. There is also a small issue of Andy’s sore tooth that needs addressing.

I enjoyed how the story connected really well – they weren’t separate, vaguely connected adventures, instead each chapter was a result of the previous one and each antic came as a cause or solution to another chapter.

Jill’s back too which is wonderful. Jill books are the best books. I liked how Jill’s animal proficiency came in handy once more; her sensible reasoning balancing out the boys and their wild ideas.

One thing I noticed is there seemed to be more structure to this story than others. It may just be I really liked how each chapter connected and was woven into the main storyline but I found every part of this fun and creative.

Overall it was incredibly funny, not too many overly simple jokes for the sake of it, and I say this when there are literally pages of bad jokes and pun at the end of the book but that is a different and a delight on its own.

You can purchase The 104-Storey Treehouse via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden (#9) by M. C. Beaton

19 May 2021 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Agatha Raisin, Audiobook, Mystery Tags: Audiobook, cosy mystery, cozy mystery, four stars, m. c. beaton, mystery, penelope keith

Published: June 15th 2000 (print)/ 1st July 2012 (audio)
Publisher: Minotaur Books/Bolinda Audio
Pages: 196/5 hrs and 58 mins
Narrator: Penelope Keith
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Cosy Mystery
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

There is nothing more depressing for a middle-aged lovelorn woman with bald patches on her head than to find herself in an English seaside resort out of season. Agatha Raisin, her hair falling out after a run-in with a hairdresser-cum-murderess from a previous investigation, travels to an old-fashioned hotel in order to repair the damage away from the neighbours in her all-too-cosy Cotswolds village. Unhappy about the slow results and prompted by the elderly residents of the resort, she consults the local witch for help. Agatha purchases a hair tonic (and a love potion, just in case!) and is soon sprouting hairs and capturing the fancy of the village police inspector. But the quiet town is stunned by the murder of the witch. Which one of the greying guests is capable of such a brutal crime? The brassy yet endearing Agatha won’t stop until she finds the culprit–and, of course, a little love, too.

This was a great story and I loved how Beaton plays with the events of the previous book, Agatha’s vanity and pride, as well as allowing readers to escape Carsley and the usual characters for a bit. Ironically, being away from Carsley has resulted in a decent story. I know in the Terrible Tourist being away from Carsley was its downfall, but this one works. The dynamics between characters is better, and having Agatha stop going on about James quite so much is a saviour. I enjoyed getting to know the new characters and seeing Agatha thrive on her own— she seems more sensible and less nosy than before. Honestly I wanted her to stay there and be free of James, she seemed a lot more contented.

Being away from home means when a murder occurs, as one always seems to do, Agatha is stuck there as a possible suspect until it’s solved. Beaton uses motives like this well because instead of Agatha just butting in, her incentive is to solve the murder so she can get home, meaning it makes slightly more sense.

Because Agatha is stuck we are introduced to the other residents of the resort with more detail. Aside from their peculiarities there is a nice relationship between her and Jimmy that could develop if we’d spent longer than a fortnight with them and rushed the relationship. This could have been a nice new direction for Agatha but Beaton rushes through and instead of being a sweet romance it ends up feeling sad and depressing because it’s so easy to see what could have been if Beaton had written it better.

There is a sweet storyline around Agatha and a cat and with the disaster of her hair as a focus there were a lot of smaller moments to engage with rather just a blanket overall plot. The small details filled the story a lot better and made it memorable and weaving each character organically into Agatha’s storyline was a great way to get to know everyone better.

You can purchase Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

17 May 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Fiction, Historical Tags: 1970s, four stars, historical fiction, music, rock and roll, taylor jenkins reid

Published: 4th February 4th 2020
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six: The band’s album Aurora came to define the rock ‘n’ roll era of the late seventies, and an entire generation of girls wanted to grow up to be Daisy. But no one knows the reason behind the group’s split on the night of their final concert at Chicago Stadium on July 12, 1979 . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ‘n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

I was caught up in the story from the beginning as it moves from introducing these famous rock figures years after their initial success to their lives in the band and the highs and lows of the music lifestyle. The use of the interview format was not only clever, but it is streamlined so succinctly and seamlessly I could see these characters sitting down being interviewed which Reid should be commended for. It really goes beyond an interview transcript – I could see this playing out before me in my mind.

There are twists and surprises and it felt like a rock and roll story. The pain and anguish these characters go through feels real and through the whole thing you were connected to their lives. Every experience, triumph and downfall comes through with Reid’s amazing storytelling. This is a fictional account of a fictional band (but based on a real band) but I have never wanted a fake band to be so real. The way the characters discuss music and lyrics, the creation and reaction to songs I wanted to hear them, I wanted to listen to the final edits. There are lyrics included at the end of the book which was a great surprise and a great chance to see how all that talk of words and meanings came together in the end. Though, I feel this would also ruing the magic a bit. Actually hearing the music probably would take away how I imagine is playing and how Reid has masterfully described it being played.

The change of view between band members, producers, managers and others shows how the same event is experienced differently from person to person, and how someone might perceive themselves isn’t how the world is actually seeing them. Reid’s creation of these characters make them own people and they are fully fledged and formed, but when you look at it as a fictional account based off a real band then it’s even more captivating because while so much is manufactured, there are true elements as jumping off points and it’s what makes this such a great read.

This is a story that takes place in the 1970s rock and roll scene so there are characters drinking and doing a lot of drugs. This topic is dealt with in a few ways with excess and abuse but also attempts at redemption and getting clean. There is a lot more to this story than the rock and roll lifestyle. Through the interviews we hear about the character’s hopes and dreams, their pain and their joys that are deep, personal and bittersweet.

Every time I picked this book up I was drawn back into these musicians and their lives and with each new chapter, each reveal, twist and surprise I became more invested. Even if this had no basis on any real band this reads like a real account of real lives and the power Reid has in her words to create such a response from a reader and world creation is impressive.

You can purchase Daisy Jones & The Six via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Green Lizards and Red Rectangles and the Blue Ball by Steve Antony

14 May 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, four stars, steve antony

Published: 02 Mar 2021
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Illustrator: Steve Antony
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

The green lizards and the red rectangles have finally learned to live in harmony together … but what happens when a blue ball appears from nowhere?

A timely story about celebrating diversity and learning to get along, told with style and simplicity.

Antony shows us the world is greater than red rectangles and green lizards with the arrival of a blue ball to the now peaceful society. The blue ball is an outsider to the harmonious society created by the red rectangles and green lizards and therefore is an enemy and must be banished. A literal wall is built to keep it out – once again raising questions about the red rectangles sentience – separating the blue ball from the others.

I love Antony’s use of colours because they are bright and bold, and solid so there is only red, green and blue to work with. Also making the objects and animals sentient they are “alive” and can tell a story and have a message without needing a complex world or storyline behind them.

Once again the illustrations help raise the story as the blue ball’s imposing size on the red rectangles and green lizards shows difference and fear of the unknown. Another strong point is there are no reasoning behind the prejudice. It isn’t mentioned that the ball’s size, shape or colour are what make it exiled, it’s just different so it must go. This simplifies the story to its main points and brings the message home that it isn’t one reason that the rectangles and lizards object to.

Like in the previous book, Antony shows us that it sometimes only takes a couple of individuals to make a stand and change things for the better – the loudest voices of hate can be drowned out by the majority of people standing up for what’s right. This is a great story about how different isn’t always bad and how growing and accepting can be beneficial for everyone.

You can purchase Green Lizards and Red Rectangles and the Blue Ball via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He

11 May 2021 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Young Adult Tags: dystopia, four stars, joan he, science fiction, young adult

Published: 4th May 2021
Publisher: Text Publishing
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Two sisters. An unputdownable story.

Cee woke up on the shores of an abandoned island three years ago with no idea how she got there. Now eighteen, she lives in a shack with an ageing android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and she has to escape to find her.

From the safety of the eco-city floating above Earth, now decimated by natural disasters, sixteen-year-old Kasey mourns Cee whom she’s sure is dead. She too wants to escape: the eco-city is meant to be a sanctuary for people who want to save the planet, but its inhabitants are willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Is Kasey ready to use technology to help Earth, even though it failed her sister?

Cee and Kasey think that what they know about each other and their world is true. Both are wrong. If you loved We Were Liars or Black Mirror, you’ll love The Ones We’re Meant to Find, a clever, inspirational scifi thriller with a dash of Studio Ghibli.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher

Having not seen Black Mirror my only hint about this story going in was We Were Liars which I loved so I entered this knowing it was dystopian and there will be The Unexpected. I’m pleased to say He delivered on both fronts. Even the Studio Ghibli reference made sense in the end, I’d even throw in a little Wall-E. The story told is one about love, hope, technology, and humanity – both its failures and its hopefulness.

The futuristic dystopian world is well constructed; it is rich and detailed and despite there being a lot to process and uncover it makes sense and there is depth and history that gets explored through the plot. As we follow Kasey we gain an understanding of the past, the present and the system and failures that led humanity to their current lives.

The story is full of surprises and suspense, and there is a great mystery throughout that branches out into so many other plot points and I loved how He brought this all together. The alternating chapters offers two side by side storylines that reveal so much and so little. The tiny revelations throughout add more to the mystery but as we start to piece it all together He stops us in our tracks by throwing to a different POV and forcing us to interact with another experience and delay finding answer to cliff hangers and huge revelations. It is masterfully well done and beautifully frustrating.

Kasey’s life of trying to recover from her sister’s disappearance and also bear witness to the destruction of humanity is a powerful perspective to read. Through her eyes we experience the present and how society is full of technologies that help day to day life, but at the same time the literal world crumbles around them or poisons them if they aren’t privy to the securities other have. The merit based class system was an interesting concept and it was fascinating to see how humanity shifted from rising sea levels to a city in the sky and the different rights people are afforded.

Cee on the other hand, is trapped on her island with no memory and only one thought of finding her sister. I loved her chapters because while Kasey’s gave us the wider story, Cee’s experiences were individual and her challenges and growth was enough to capture my curiosity and set my mind working about what was happening and where she was. As the story goes on, Cee offers more in way of plot but the stark contrast between a dying world and a tranquil deserted island was amazing and watching them blend together was fascinating.

The two different points of view are superb contrasts and the tiny details and minor references have huge meaning behind them. It’s through these that you try and piece together this world He has created. The little details could mean something or nothing, my own theories ran through my head trying to conjure up scenarios for What It All Means.

Overall this is a fantastic story. It’s complicated and important, and it has a message but manages to not be preachy about it. The creativity and the intricacies of the story are divine and He has told a beautiful story about human capabilities and the lengths they’ll go to with the right motivation.

You can purchase The Ones We’re Meant to Find via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust