Karl's Reading List

Published by Scholastic Australia Pty Limited: Gosford, NSW, 2025. Subtitled A Hunger Games Novel, Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel to the main series - the second Suzanne Collins has written in recent years, actually. I have yet to read The Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds, which tells the story of a young President Snow, but I spotted this one - telling the story of a young Haymitch - at the library, and got it on a whim. Fans of the original Hunger Games series, particularly the first book , will remember that Haymitch was introduced as a perpetually drunk, cynical, checked-out past winner of the Hunger Games, who doesn't see any point in training Katniss or Peeta because they are not going to win anyway! Throughout the book - and the series as a whole - we see him regain his spark of life, and eventually become a true protagonist, working to bring about the downfall of the corrupt Capitol and its evil President. And of course, if you are looking for a subject to write a spin-o...

Published in an omnibus edition by Penguin Classics: London, England, 1998. First published individually 1865. 'The Centenary Edition' includes 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' with commentary and short stories. You know, I've never read Alice in Wonderland before!  The closest I've come is a memory I have of a relief teacher in primary school reading out an excerpt from the chapter 'A Mad Tea Party', including the unanswerable riddle about a raven and a writing desk, a clock that tells you what day it is, and a story about sisters in a treacle well who draw treacle. It is very odd, but I remember thinking that the puns were clever, and thus, my impression of the Alice stories have been - from childhood - just that: odd, but clever. Maybe I had built it up too much in my imagination. This first Alice story is certainly odd! But clever...? Maybe...? The edition I read has many endnotes, many of which try to ti...

Published by Picador/Pan Macmillan: London, 2019. Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, 2019. Originally published in Japanese as  Coffee Ga Samenai Uchini,  2015. For the second time this year , I have been lent a book by a student to read (though a different student), and once again it is a book originally written in Japanese! The similarities end there, however. Where No Longer Human was bleak and depressing, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is wistful, whimsical, melancholic and also somewhat sweet. It is also science fiction, with a hint of fantasy thrown in (there is a ghost, who can curse people; its not a big deal). Author Kawaguchi has adapted the storyline of the book from a play that he wrote, and at times that previous format shows through. Characters speak their feelings out in order to give us context, even when the narration has already told us the relevant information, or will go on to do so. The book also keeps its one setting very strongly, although the set up helps...

Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd/Armada: London, 1962 (1938). Book 14 in the 'Biggles' series. Preceded by 'Biggles Flies South.' Followed by 'The Rescue Flight.' I have never read a Biggles book before now, but having received this one for free, I decided to check it out. Yes, it is book 14 in the series, but I get the feeling that they are fairly stand-alone stories, and certainly didn't have trouble picking up the general plot in this one, anyhow. James 'Biggles' Bigglesworth is a British pilot, having flown in battle in the past. Along with his friend Algenon 'Algy' Lacey and the somewhat-less-experienced trainee Ginger Hebblethwaite, Biggles is approached by the ambassador to Maltovia to help develop an airforce. At first, Biggles declines, not wanting to get involved in a foreign conflict, but soon after the Maltovian ambassdor has departed, Biggles is threatened by the ambassador of Lovitzna (the enemy of Maltovia) not t...

Published by Knight Books/Brockhampton Press Ltd: England, 1971.  First published 1963. Book 6 in the 'Adventure' series. Preceded by ' Whale Adventure. ' Followed by 'Elephant Adventure.' In this book, Hal and Roger are reunited with their father in Africa, once again with the purpose of collecting live animals for various zoos and circuses. Of course, with the book's main focus being the brothers and not their father, the older Hunt is quickly side-lined. As with the earliest entries in the 'Adventure' series (particularly  Amazon Adventure ), the role that the Hunt family have is the part that feels the most dated; a family of giraffes is destined for a zoo, a mother and child baboon are destined for a circus. And once again, if the reader can cope with that type of job, the storyline is informative (about the habits of animals), mildly exciting, and fairly straightforward.  These books have clear villains and problems to overcome, and the brother...

Published by The Text Publishing Company: Melbourne, Australia, 2023. Book 1 in 'The Hierarchy.' Followed by 'The Strength of the Few.' Recently, I came across some "Book-Tok" style videos on YouTube, and this book was one that I began seeing reviewed favourably. I kept an eye out for it, wondering if I could borrow it from the local library, but finding it consistently on loan (perhaps others had been watching the same videos).  Then, one Saturday morning, I went to get coffees for Elise and myself, and on the book-swap shelf of that particular cafe, this book was proudly displayed. So, I took it. Hooray! And, now having read it... ...I can see what the fuss is about. This is a well-written high fantasy book set in a Roman-Empire-style society called Caten. The Catenan Empire has conquered the known world, with the help of their 'Will-infused' magic system/social hierarchy. Lower ranked individuals 'cede' half of their available 'will'...

Published by Hyperion/Disney Book Group: New York, 2013 (2012). When I was training to be a teacher, this book was recommended by a particular vlog post we were directed to during one lesson. I hunted out a copy, read it, loved it, and started recommending it to others.  That was before I started my book list, so was at least nine years ago. Having finally picked it back up, I think I spent about the right amount of time between reads, because although I could remember some of the main beats, I was able to discover the specifics afresh and once again enjoy the process of discovery. The premise of Code Name Verity is quite sad: our Scottish (don't call her English!) protagonist (whom we eventually learn is named Julie), has been captured in Nazi-occupied France during World War 2, and is now being tortured and interrogated as a spy. In order to avoid further torture, as well as hopefully delay her execution, Julie has begun revealing secrets from her time with the Allies, starting w...