Karl's Reading List

Published by Penguin Books Limited: Middlesex, England, 1977. First published 1973. This is a book that took a long time to get through, partially because it is quite dense, and partially because it was the book I was reading while we were in the process of moving from my parents' house in Monaco to our new house in central Stoke. When you're busy packing and unpacking boxes, it can get in the way of turning pages... The topic of Cape to Cairo is quite interesting, though. In various sections - based on sections of railway track - it traces the history of the attempt at building a cross-African railroad from Cape Town all the way to Cairo, originally envisioned to show the spread and power of the British Empire. Each section covers a period of time and shows not only the building of the railway, but everything leading up to that point. This adds to the denseness of the book, and - although the book's focus is clear - also means that it can feel a little disjointed at times,...

Published by William Collins Sons & Co Ltd: London, 1982. This is the second Alistair MacLean book I've ever read, and is perhaps a little less thrilling than the first one . Set during WW2, we follow three mysterious Yugoslav nationals, led by Major Peter Petersen, whom are tasked by their German allies with carrying a message into Yugoslavia, as well as escorting some other individuals with them. Being written by a Scottish author, we assume that Petersen and his men probably aren't actually working with the Nazis - simply because that seems unlikely for the protagonists of such a novel - but we don't actually know that this is the case.  In fact, the most effective aspect of the book is the way in which any of the main characters could be working for either side. Are the brother and sister duo who at times try to send secret radio messages working for the Royalists or the resistance? Is the mysterious Italian, Giacomo, supporting the Yugoslavs or simply coming along ...

Published by Fabbri Publishing: Barcelona, Spain, 1991. First published by The Thames Publishing Company, 1857. When I recently reread Lord of the Flies it noted that William Golding wrote that book after having read this one. Apparently he decided that this book was too happy, and that it wasn't realistic, so wrote the far heavier version he is known for. I had a copy of this book on my shelf, so felt it only appropriate to see what I thought, myself. The Coral Island is, as Golding pointed out, a far more positive experience than Lord of the Flies. There are only three boys who end up shipwrecked on the island (with all the adults adrift in a separate boat and possibly ending up elsewhere), and two of them - Ralph and Jack - have had their names repurposed for the main characters in Golding's book. The third book, Peterkin, does not appear in Lord of the Flies, but perhaps his 'P' name inspired the character of Piggy - the third 'lead' of Flies. Whereas Flies...

Published by Harper & Row Jr Books/Evil Eye Music, Inc: New York, NY, 1974. Elise, Ezekiel and I were recently house-sitting for my parents, and I came across it on one of their bookshelves. It is a book I first read when I was five (this particular copy of the book, as well, which has a written dedication to my family in the front from the person who gave it to us), and I loved it, and learned a lot of it by heart. I can still quote numerous poems from it verbatim. I don't read a lot of poetry. By now, anyone who has read my reviews regularly will have picked that up! This book, however, is a favourite of mine. How come I love this so much, when a lot of poetry leaves me cold? Well, Shel Silverstein is a very funny poet, along with being quite witty, and at times, surprisingly deep. So, we get a silly poem like 'The Battle', which in its entirety, reads: "Would you like to hear Of the terrible night When I bravely fought the -  No? Alright." And we recognise ...

Published by Picador/Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited: 2020 (2005). This year, for the first time, I am teaching an 'Academic' Year 12 class. That means I am teaching a book study at Year 12 for the first time, which also means I need to find a book to study at that level as well! Thus, I am looking through some of the books that the English Department has 'earmarked' for Year 12, and this is the first of those.  I have heard of The Book Thief before. I have even seen the movie, which was appropriately moving. I remember that 'Death' was the narrator, although I don't fully remember how much the 'character' of Death came into the story itself. In the book The Book Thief, Death is once again the narrator, and plays an interesting role. He is kind of a character, commenting on proceedings, having a personality of sorts (he cares about some of the characters), even having the ability to take physical objects, in particular, the titular book. Yes, to ...

Published by Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press: USA, 2025. Each month on LibraryThing, an 'Early Reviewers' list is posted with books that you can win, in return for reviewing them. I have occasionally won eBooks to review through this format, and although the eBook format is not my favourite, I realise that being in New Zealand means that I'm less likely to win physical books. Indeed, usually physical books that are a part of the 'Early Reviewers' list are simply listed as 'Not Available in Your Country.'  Towards the end of last year, however, I noticed that a physical book was available in my home country! It looked interesting, so I put my name into the draw for it, despite the fact that with only a handful of copies available, over 100 people had registered interest. Lo and behold, I won it! And after waiting about eight weeks (international postage takes time) it finally arrived! And this is that book! Aside from being the first physical book ...

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 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 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...

Published as an audiobook by Dragonsteel, 23-04-2023. Narrated by William DeMeritt. Originally published 2023. This is one of four 'secret project' books that Brandon Sanderson released in 2023, along with Tress of the Emerald Sea , The Frugal Wizard's Guide to Medieval England , and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and is the third I have read. It is also the one of the four that has the strongest connection to Sanderson's 'cosmere' universe, often referencing characters and even events from his Stormlight Archives series, that began with The Way of Kings. If all this sounds like a lot of connective tissue, then brace yourself. The Sunlit Man may take place on a planet that has previously not been visited within the cosmere, but the main character, Nomad, is someone who has in the past been a knight radiant on Roshar (the main setting of the Stormlight Archives ). Not only that, but as the story progresses, it is revealed that he is a specific character from the...

Published by Harpertorch/HarperCollinsPublishers: New York, NY, 2002. Originally published in 1988 as O Alquimista in Portuguese. English translation by Paulo Coelho and Alan R Clarke, 1993. I've had this book recommended to me in the past, and finally got around to reading it. It is not a long book (167 pages) and is an easy read - in fact, I read it in a single sitting. It is also a simple story, told in a style that is allegorical or "parable-ic." The protagonist of the story is a boy introduced on the first page as Santiago, but from then on only referred to as "the boy." He has taken up the life of a shepherd in order to see the world, after having learned reading and writing when his parents desired for him to become a priest. After having a vivid dream, 'the boy' seeks to learn its meaning, firstly from a gypsy fortune-teller, and then by meeting Melchizedek, the king of Salem - a historical figure found in Genesis 14, and often seen as a metaphor...

Published by Page Classics/Page Publications: Location unknown, 1924. First published 1920. This is the first ever detective novel written by Agatha Christie, and also the first to introduce the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, along with his regular associates Hastings (who acts as narrator) and Inspector Japp. It is amazing, knowing how many Poirot books Agatha Christie would write, that the character is already so fully formed in this first entry. It is also interesting to note how well written this entry is, too. The twists and turns are suitably twisty and turny, and still seem to make sense in hindsight, and Poirot is suitably clever enough. As far as set up is concerned: Hastings is visiting with a friend, John Cavendish, at Cavendish's family home, now run by Cavendish's step-mother, who has remarried since Cavendish's father died. A suitable number of suspects is on hand when the step-mother dies, seemingly by poison. Hastings calls Poirot (staying nearby) to inve...

Published by Candlewick Press: Somerville, Massachusetts, 2012. The main character in this book, Daniel, is obsessed with death. Ever since his older brother, Eli, was killed in the Iraq War, Daniel has been keeping a 'book of the dead', writing down the cause of death of various historical figures. Although Daniel doesn't recognise it, this is his way of coping with the grief surrounding his brother's loss. His parents are coping far worse. Although the 'book of the dead' is an important feature of After Eli, the plot doesn't focus on it too much, mostly including facts from the book as epigraphs to open each chapter (and tie into the theme of the chapter slightly). Instead, After Eli is far more reminiscent of something like Bridge to Terabithia : a slightly melancholic story about a young boy falling in love with a girl who draws him out of his shell, even though foreshadowing makes us predict they will not end up together. In After Eli, the girl is quest...

Published by Ferguson Publishing: Nelson, New Zealand, 2024. Once a month, the Nelson Ministers Fraternal meets on a Tuesday morning. I try to attend as often as I can. Last time, another minister had brought this book along with them, and was offering it around for someone to read. I jumped at the chance, especially when I realised it kinda fitted the brief for 'Black History' in my Reading Challenge this year.  I mean, it's about the history of an African man! Neither writer is a professional author - Ross Ferguson is actually a local dentist and retired minister - and that lack of professionalism does show at times - there are random quotation marks at times; some sentences are incomplete; the authorial voice changes from Ross to Custodio and back without warning or reason - and yet the story is an interesting one, if (sadly) similar to others you may have read. Custodio was born in Angola, grew up during a civil war in the country, had both parents die when he was young...

Published by Fontana Books: London & Glasgow, 1969 (1962). First published 1941. Over the school holidays we spent a weekend at my aunt's bach in Pohara with my parents. It was a lovely location and a great time over all (though Ezekiel slept pretty poorly on the first night, and so Elise and I also slept poorly as a result).  Of course, a trip away is also a chance to browse a bookshelf, and this one jumped out to me mostly because it was relatively short, and I know Agatha Christie books are pretty quick to read. I still had to bring it home to finish it, but since it's my aunt's bach I know I'll be able to get it back to her. N or M? surprised me in a few ways. Firstly, it is not (primarily) about a murder. Death does occur within the story, but the plot is actually about uncovering a German spy living in England (it is written and set during the Second World War). Secondly, N or M? surprised me by being a Tommy and Tuppence book! I've only read one Tommy and...

Published by Gollancz/The Orion Publishing Group Ltd: London, 2024. Book 5 of 'The Stormlight Archive.' Preceded by ' Rhythm of War. ' As of writing this post, Wind and Truth is the most recent book in Brandon Sanderson's epic Stormlight Archive series, although he has planned to write ten books all up. This book also finishes the first "arc" of the series; apparently there will be a time jump afterwards. Wind and Truth also takes place within the 'cosmere', Sanderson's larger universe in which many of his series take place. Without spoiling anything, by the end of Wind and Truth he has also begun to link some of these series together in far more open ways than he has previously done - it will be interesting to see how this changes the future of the cosmere going forward. Focussing in on the plot: at the end of Rhythm of War a contest had been planned between a champion of the evil god Odium and the champion of Dalinar Kholin, to bring about ...

Published by Golden Press: Auckland, Christchurch, Sydney, 1975. First published 1845. This abridged edition (by Joan Stevens) first published 1955. This book is part of the New Zealand Classics series, which I have several of. It also has the distinction of forming the basis for a recent historical novel, Jerningham, which creates a fictionalised version of the author's life.  As the title suggests, Adventure in New Zealand tells the story of Edward Jerningham Wakefield's adventures in New Zealand. Jerningham was the son of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and nephew to both William Wakefield and Arthur Wakefield, the former of whom was one of the founders of Wellington, and the latter of whom was notably killed during the Wairau Affray.  All of the Wakefields were involved in the New Zealand Company, an organisation that today is viewed with much suspicion. Jerningham, of course, paints a much rosier picture of the NZ Company's dealings, putting any fault over land-sale controver...

Published by Scholastic Children's Books: London, 2007. The title is a pun! I didn't pick up on it right away, but it totally is! Here Lies Arthur is a retelling of the Arthur legends of ancient Britain, from the perspective of Gwyna, a young girl who becomes the assistant of Myrddin (Merlin). But rather than tell the stories in a 'straight-forward' way, Here Lies Arthur creates whole new versions: deconstructed, demythologised, and with Arthur nowhere near as heroic or noble. In fact, the Arthur of legend is shown to be a creation of Myrddin, who tells tales of Arthur's exploits to build him up and make him seem more heroic, hoping to unite all of England behind him to drive out the Saxon invaders. The 'real life' Arthur of the book doesn't deserve this praise; he is violent, stubborn, set in his ways and only out for his own rewards.  Other characters too are reimagined. Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) is a 'pale heron' of a woman, whom Arthur never rea...

Published by Noisy Crow Ltd: Crosby Row, London, 2021. Having finished Scavenger: Zoid too quickly to use in the Reading Challenge, I needed another book featuring AI or robots, and got this one from the school library, knowing nothing about it except what I saw on the cover. In a lot of ways, Adam-2 is similar to Scavenger: Zoid. It is set in the distant future, in a world where robots have turned on humanity and now pockets of humans try to resist against them. Like in Scavenger: Zoid, a more sophisticated robot is introduced who starts trying to help the humans. That robot develops a friendship with a main human, while other main humans remain suspicious. The difference here is that the robot - the titular Adam-2 - is the main character, whereas the robot in Scavenger: Zoid was a supporting character. Having the story be told primarily from Adam's viewpoint is an interesting touch, particularly as Adam learns about both sides in the conflict and begins to have doubts about the ...