~ True Stories Told Live ~

Last weekend, I went to our local annual writer’s festival. Each year, the festival offers a diverse range of inspiring events, rare opportunities to hear from the best writers in New Zealand and the world. This year, 200 writers converged, coming from Aotearoa, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Asia. With my writing group, the Fabulatores, we attended three out of the six days of events. The trusty notebook I’ve kept notes in since 2008 has gained ten more pages of entries! The first session we attended was the opening gala night, Thursday 18 May. ‘True Stories Told Live.’ Designed to celebrate the first fully in-person festival since 2020’s cancellation because of lockdown restrictions and the ensuing years’ reliance on Zoom for the international quotient. My friends and I found our way to the vertiginous seats in the balcony, and we were amazed by the way the Kiri te Kanawa Theatre filled. Without any doubt, the festival is gaining in popularity every year, with over 40,000 tickets sold and organizers reporting that nearly 20% of the audience were there for the first time. You could feel the electricity of excitement in the air, the joy of being in the same room as these highly talented people, and an audience of appreciative like-minded peers.

After a beautiful Maori welcome and song, Kathleen Drum, the chief executive, gave the opening address. She confessed her son had suggested she compose her speech with the help of a chatbot. But, while the resulting AI speech options had been adequate they were also ponderous, awkward, and lacked the unique touch of human perspective. Kathleen chose to write her own speech instead. Huzzah!
After another opening address or two by the organizers, we moved on to the main event. Eight bestselling/prizewinning authors were invited to stand up and tell stories, without props or script, inspired by a prompt. What was the prompt? They didn’t tell us. However, one friend from my writing group figured it must have had something to do with power as most speakers alluded to it in some way.

Dr. Hinemoa Elder set the tone, beginning with, “Words might be small but they have a vast back story. Our ears tune into the vibration of words.” “A thrust from a weapon can be parried but a verbal tirade cannot. What I bear witness to is the malignant power of online words.” And she shared the work she is doing to introduce laws to protect people from trolling/online bullying.
Joshua Whitehead spoke of his Native American Indian belief in relatedness. “We talk about being in relation to the rocks, trees, water, the animals. Our language says to be in relation to all things, all at once.”
Graci Kim confessed she’d always believed she’d die at 27. After experiencing coming close to death at that age, when a concrete truck hit and killed the two people walking behind her, she changed her life. She realized it ‘wasn’t about doing everything you can, but about meaning.’ She left her diplomatic career and started writing children’s fiction.
Bernadine Evaristo revealed the way she had to give up her old habits of ignoring any man she fancied, in order to build a relationship with the man she liked. The power of vulnerability led to a great relationship and marriage.
Dr. Que Mai Nguyen Phan said, “Along with vegetables, (her parents) fed mythology, songs, and literature to build me up, to teach me to dream.”
William Sitwell told a number of hilarious stories about his days as “a young scribbler” (journalist), incl. having to impersonate Dame Barbara Cartland in public and making the front page of the national newspaper in drag.

Kiwi filmmaker, Gaylene Preston, said when she was four she was a ‘terrible liar.’ One day she visited their neighbours, the Bones, from whose house came the smell of fresh pikelets. ‘”I told them, Simon is over.” Mrs. Bones said, “Simon from the radio? What does he look like?” I said, “He’s got freckles and red hair.” I wasn’t used to the attention. She told her husband, Jack, to come and listen. I embellished the story. I got two pikelets. I was thrilled. I’d found the power of the audience.”
And lastly, Anthony Joseph, the 2023 winner of the TS Eliot Prize, spoke of the power of love. “I tell my students, you have to love what you do. If you love it enough it’ll give up its secrets.”
We listened, learned, and laughed. It was so much fun and a great start to the weekend. Over the coming weeks, I’ll share more of the content of the writers’ festival and do my best to impart some of the flavor, though it has to be said, nothing beats being there.
Have you been to any conferences or festivals lately? What did you think?

Talk to you later.
Keep creating!
Yvette Carol

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“Everyone went to school and I was left with all these women doing housework. Of course, I had to make things up.” Gaylene Preston

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~ A Book Review: The Hunting of the Last Dragon, Sherryl Jordan ~

I have finished reading my eighth novel for 2023, The Hunting of the Last Dragon, by Sherryl Jordan. I’m proud to say that Jordan is a Kiwi author and this influenced my decision to buy the book. As a technically proficient author, I knew there would be no need to worry about scene setting, or characters, or storyline. I could relax and enjoy the ride. And, I did.
First published in 2002, The Hunting of the Last Dragon is written in a unique way. Our protagonist, Jude, is an illiterate young man living in 13th-century England. Staying at a monastery, Jude narrates the story to a monk, who is writing his story along with everything else he’s saying, which adds some great humour. It starts with ‘The tale of Jude of Doran. As told to Brother Benedict at the Monastery of St. Edmund at Minstan, who recorded it faithfully, making this a true and correct record of the hunting of the last dragon and of the events that happened at Alfric’s Cove.’

By framing the story this way, Jordan can write it in a conversational way. Jude starts by remembering the high point of facing down the dragon, speaking in the first person, then addressing the monk, “I saw the way you rolled your eyes just then, Brother Benedict…” Then Jude sets his mind to rewind, telling the monk (and the reader) that he must start at the beginning. Yes, we all cry, that is where we want a story to start! Already, we are warming to this framework and style of narration. It’s a nifty literary trick, one I immediately admired/envied as a writer.
In this way, Jude relates his terrible tale. Although the populace of the countryside in medieval England believed there were no more dragons, when Jude returns to his village, he finds Doran is little more than smoking ruins. All the village people and his family have been burnt to cinders. With nowhere to go and the growing suspicion that the culprit is a dragon, Jude flees to join the circus (a freak and acrobat show). Jude has to take care of the prize “freak” of the show, a young Chinese woman with bound feet called Lizzie or Jing-Wei.

The friendship that develops between Jude and Jing-Wei is not forced. It unfolds naturally as the story evolves. One thing leads to another and Jude releases her from her cage. After a perilous escape, the pair overcome the language barrier and learn about each other. They reach the home of a woman believed to be a witch, but Old Lan is a Chinese wise woman. She heals Jing-Wei’s feet so that she can walk again. While staying at her house, the dragon flies down and steals their bread. It has attacked more villages and killed more people. Though Jude is a reticent hero who is afraid to tackle the problem, luckily Old Lan and Jing-Wei are not. Lan reveals she has a secret weapon from the old country (gunpowder) that will kill the dragon, and with the women’s help, Jude finds the courage to do the deed. I must admit I felt a bit sorry for the dragon because it dies a pretty horrible death.
At the end of the book, Jude and Jing-Wei realize they have feelings for each other and marry. I had thought they would never get together. I was pleased with the organic way their romance unfolded and seemed utterly plausible. The Hunting of the Last Dragon was a satisfying read, though the book felt a little short. I was left wishing for a bit more.

Sherryl Jordan was born in Hawera, New Zealand, in 1949. She started by writing picture books before moving on to fantasy for teens and YA. She received a 1993 fellowship to the prestigious writing program at the University of Iowa, which established her as a writer. Her book, A Time of Darkness, published in the USA, gained her a fan following. Now, with 32 titles to her name, Sherryl Jordan is quoted as saying in the St. James Guide to Children’s Writers, “All my young adult novels have been gifts. I don’t think them up. They hit me over the head when I least expect them; overwhelm me with impressions, sights, and sounds of their new worlds; enchant me with their characters; and dare me to write them.”
Love that!
My rating: Three stars

Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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“Remember, Jude, the worst dragons are the ones in your mind.” ~ from The Hunting of the Last Dragon

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~ A Book Review: The Dragon Prince, BOOK ONE: THE MOON, Aaron Ehasz & Melanie McGanney Ehasz ~

I have finished reading my seventh novel for 2023, The Dragon Prince, BOOK ONE: THE MOON, by Aaron Ehasz & Melanie McGanney Ehasz. This is one of those books picked up on a whim purely by the title and the look of the cover. Didn’t read the back cover, not the first page, nothing. The story premise is that the criminal act of humans trespassing into the fantasy land of Xadia, and destroying the only egg of the Dragon King and Queen, resulted in the 1000-year war between the 5 Human Kingdoms and the Xadian Elves. Our female protagonist, Kayla, is a Moonshadow elf assassin passionately pursuing her first self-created mission: to kill the human king Harrow and the young prince Ezran.

Before she can fulfill her quest, determined Rayla witnesses Ezran and his brother, Callum, make an astonishing discovery: the dragon egg the world thought was destroyed is intact. There is a delightful shift in focus for Rayla from revenge killing to uniting with the humans in an exciting bid to save the egg and bring peace. The goal becomes big enough for us to care about. I think that’s what I liked most about the story. It’s refreshing for a character to change trajectory completely, and I enjoyed that. What I didn’t like so much, the book never seemed to flesh out the characters quite enough to satisfy, despite the book being over 260 pages. If it was a shorter book aimed at a younger audience then the simple structure would fit.

Not having heard of the title before, I’ve got to be honest, I finished this book thinking, what am I missing? Then, I checked the book by reading the back cover and researching online. That was when the penny dropped. BOOK ONE: MOON is a canon novel based on the latest Netflix original series, The Dragon Prince. The books have been written for a specific purpose, to serve an established fan base, to embellish upon a world and characters already known to the audience.
Once I knew this, I felt I understood BOOK ONE: MOON, and from there, I could appreciate it as a decent companion novel. The story premise is decent, and the characters are endearing. I would probably happily read the whole series. However, it goes without saying that the ideal scenario would be to watch the Netflix series before reading the books.

The Dragon Prince series was created and developed by Aaron Gabriel Ehasz (born June 16, 1973), an American screenwriter. Ehasz was the head writer for AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER.” Also a television producer, he is co-creator of the Netflix series The Dragon Prince. Ehasz wrote the paperback series with his wife, Melanie McGanney. Melanie is a New York native with a master’s in English literature. The novels, BOOK ONE: MOON, followed by BOOK TWO: SKY and BOOK THREE: SUN were lapped up by fans. The word on the street is that hopes are high for further installments in the future.
This is a tricky book to rate, considering the genre. But I’ll do it anyway.
My rating: Two stars

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Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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But we have to take whatever beauty we can get, however, we can get it. ~ George Saunders

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~ A Book Review: Dark Alchemy, incl. Garth Nix, Eoin Golfer, Neil Gaiman ~

I have finished reading my sixth novel for 2023, Dark Alchemy, Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy, incl. Garth Nix, Eoin Colfer, and Neil Gaiman. Dark stories and horror are not my normal fare. But, I was hooked by the list of acclaimed authors contributing. A bit of a scaredy-cat, I read the first story, The Witch’s Headstone, by Neil Gaiman, clutching my bedcovers tight. The story read like a classic fairytale. Rather than being scared out of my wits, I relaxed into being charmed by the experience. You felt reassured that this was a well-told story, a little dark, and in just the right amounts. So I let go of the sides and enjoyed the ride. It was a fine tale that made me keen to read more. There are too many to review each one separately, eighteen in all, including stories by Garth Nix, Mary Rosenblum, Kage Baker, Eoin Colfer, one of my favourites, Jane Yolen, Orsen Scott Card, Patricia A McKillip, Elizabeth Hand, Andy Duncan, Peter S Beagle, Nancy Kress, Tanith Lee, Terry Bilson, Terry Dowling, and Gene Wolfe.

By the time I’d finished reading the second dark tale, Holly and Iron, by Garth Nix, I had confirmed my original hope that these horror stories were not going to scar me for life, and therefore, from the third story, Color Vision, by Mary Rosenblum, I read with unbridled enthusiasm. I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Alchemy. I thought each author brought their “A” game, and there is nuance to the twists and the surprises that delight. I’ve read many anthologies. This one, Dark Alchemy, definitely makes the top ten list.
‘From dark graveyards to great halls, with witches and wizards and lonely souls, these startling and original stories weave a magic all of their own.’ Released by Bloomsbury in 2007, Dark Alchemy: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy promised brand-new fiction from great modern fantasy authors. Who could resist? Add to that, the trio of top liners appearing on the cover, Garth Nix, Eoin Colfer, and Neil Gaiman, who are all at the height of their game.

Garth Richard Nix, 19 July 1963, is an Australian fantasy writer specializing in children’s and young adult fantasy novels. His books have received acclaim, especially the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower, and Keys to the Kingdom series. Nix also writes articles for the role-playing field, including those for Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. He will occasionally write case studies, articles, and news items in the information technology field, publishing in Computerworld and PCWorld. Nix currently lives in Sydney with his family.

Eoin Colfer, 14 May 1965, is an author of children’s books. Born in Wexford, Ireland. He graduated from Dublin University with a bachelor’s degree in Education. After a short stint as a primary school teacher, he turned to write full-time. He was formerly best known for the Artemis Fowl series. However, this fame was eclipsed in September 2008, when Colfer was commissioned to write the sixth installment of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, titled And Another Thing …, published in October 2009. In October 2016, with the blessing of Marvel Comics, he released Iron Man: The Gauntlet. Colfer’s books have reached the New York Times list. He has also received many awards, including the British Children’s Book of the Year, The Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year, and The German Children’s Book of the Year.

Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman, 10 November 1960, is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and films. The first author to win the Newbery and Carnegie medals for the same work – The Graveyard Book – Gaiman has so far authored classics in each of the genres he’s interested in, primarily fantasy, horror, and science fiction. For example, the comic book series The Sandman was one of the first graphic novels ever to be on the New York Times Best Seller list. In addition, several of Gaiman’s novels – such as Stardust, American Gods, and Coraline – have been adapted into successful movies or TV series.
‘Prepare to be mesmerized by this spellbinding collection,’ says the marketing material, and for once, the marketing material is right. This anthology makes a stellar read.
My rating: Nearly four stars

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Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” – James Dean

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~ A Book Review: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders ~

I have finished reading my fifth novel for 2023, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (in which Four Dead Russians Give us a Master Class on Writing and Life) by George Saunders. A birthday gift from the eldest sister, a person who always puts a lot of thought into her gifts, I looked forward to reading it. From the first lines, I was hooked. An esteemed Man Booker Prize-winning author, George Saunders has been teaching a Russian short story class at Syracuse University since 1997. The idea behind this book is to give us an idea of what he teaches about the short story. While the rest of us probably won’t ever make it into the class, (of the 6-700 applicants each year, they pick 6), we can get an insight into Saunders’ course through A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. It is written in the way of sharing short stories by Russian masters one at a time, then Saunders shows us step-by-step how the story is constructed, what the authors did, and why. We learn through the examples of the greats. What a cool concept.

George Saunders, astutely and with great humour (I guffawed aloud numerous times), proceeds to dissect each story written by Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gogol, and Turgenev and to look in depth at how they work. Saunders writes, “The aim of this book is mainly diagnostic: If a story drew us in, kept us reading, made us feel respected, how did it do that?” It ticks an automatic “like” from me because – being a mostly self-taught writer – I’m always hungry for more, seeking new information and learning. However, I am sure A Swim in a Pond in the Rain would provide a captivating insight into the world of fiction for anyone, writer or not.
George Saunders (born in 1958, in Amarillo, Texas) is an American writer. He received a B.S. from the Colorado School of Mines in 1981 and an M.F.A. from Syracuse University in 1988. Married with two children, he wrote his first book, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, a collection of dystopian stories published in 1996. More short-story collections followed, however, he is best known for his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. The book became a bestseller and was awarded the Booker Prize in 2017. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a series of essays by Saunders on 19th-century Russian writers, published in 2021. Saunders’ Liberation Day is a collection of short stories he released in 2022.

I think there are some books where you can tell from the first few words that it is the “right fit” for you, and an eagerness is born within. I warmed to the innate optimism immediately in A Swim in a Pond. “There’s a vast underground network for goodness at work in the world,” Saunders writes. “A web of people who’ve put reading at the center of their lives because they know from experience that reading makes them more expansive, generous people.” My sentiments exactly.
There were things I learned about writing through the course of reading this novel. And there were many things I confirmed through reading it. For instance, Saunders echoed my understanding that writing a story doesn’t happen through planning but is created from almost dead words through the alchemy of editing. “The actual process, in my experience, is much more mysterious and beautiful and more of a pain in the ass to discuss truthfully.”
Parul Sehgal of the New York Times, in his piece, George Saunders Conducts a Cheery Class on Fiction’s Possibilities, said, “He offers one of the most accurate and beautiful depictions of what it is like to be inside the mind of the writer that I’ve ever read — that state of heightened alertness, lightning-quick decisions.” Yes. I couldn’t agree more.

It was a master class, as promised. We learned about the need for efficiency, velocity, specificity, and escalation. “That’s all a story is, really: a continual system of escalation,” explains Saunders. “A swath of prose earns its place in the story to the extent that it contributes to our sense that the story is (still) escalating.”
There was a lot to praise. And I loved the idea of listening “to the wisdom of the novel” when editing, which Saunders describes thus, “Every true novelist listens for that suprapersonal wisdom, which explains why great novels are always a little more intelligent than their authors. That’s what craft is: a way to open ourselves up to the suprapersonal wisdom within us.” Woohoo. What more could we need? A smart author putting into words some of the essences of the mystery that is fiction writing. Bliss.
The only question I have left is, will there be a second Master Class book?
My rating: (A totally rare) Five stars

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Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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‘A person can hardly read even a few lines of Tolstoy without feeling her interest in life renewed.’ ~ George Saunders

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~ A Book Review: The Dragonslayer’s Apprentice, by David Calder ~

I have finished reading my fourth novel for 2023, The Dragonslayer’s Apprentice, by David Calder. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this slim novel which I picked up for a dollar at a local book fair, apart from expecting a few dragons. It turned out to be a story about Jackie, a fifteen-year-old female dragonslayer’s apprentice, though written from the point of view of the Dragonslayer. The story is set in medieval times and follows the fortunes of the Dragonslayer as he and his team attend various towns in need of their services. Jackie is not the male apprentice her master had wanted. The Dragonslayer, (who remains unnamed throughout) thinks he must be “stark-staring, raving mad” to take on young Jackie. Naturally, we expect the story will prove that he was right to take a chance on a female apprentice, and with a few adventures along the way, that is what happens.

One of the first things that struck me about this novel was the tone. It was tongue-in-cheek. The Dragonslayer noticed that it took each of the latter about ten minutes to say, in effect, that they had nothing to say. Why don’t they have a meeting with the beast and just bore it to death, he thought. From the get-go, we realize this book is not taking itself seriously, which is fun for the child reader. The enigmatic assistant, Ron, says ‘two words a day’, and his gestures and grunts are interpreted by the Dragonslayer in regular comedic installments. He translates a nod as, “I’ve unpacked the equipment, checked it, sharpened everything, made repairs where necessary, oiled everything, laid it out in order, and locked it up safely.” LOL.
First published by Scholastic New Zealand Ltd, in 1997, with the tagline, “She’s smarter than Xena, funnier than Guinevere, and spunkier than Catherine (a.k.a. Birdy). She’s Jackie, Dragonslayer-in-training, and she’s moving through the land to kick some major tail!” I like that. These days girl power is trending. I suspect that back in the 90s, the idea was new and exciting. Kudos to Calder. The problem was, despite the official backing of a traditional publisher, the book failed to launch, which is a shame because the characters are there and it’s a decent story.

No one can really ever say how another person’s story should be written. Art is art. However, in my opinion, there is not enough structure. I prefer the structure nailed down. The plot arc pertains to Jackie being a female in a “traditionally” male role. She faces sexism throughout, with most folks being surprised by her gender and then dumbfounded when she dispatches the monsters. Toward the end of the book, the Dragonslayer realizes Jackie is a worthy apprentice, and the guild of dragonslayers welcomes Jackie to the guild. We discover she is a princess who had feared the royal family would disapprove of her apprenticeship to the Dragonslayer. The king and queen, who are in attendance, accept her back into the family fold. I feel it would develop that connection and tension for us readers if the fact that Jackie was a runaway princess had been introduced in the beginning. Then by her endeavours, and her adventures, if she had built the courage to triumph, face her parents, and get welcomed into the guild, we could engage with her on a deeper level. But Jackie’s feelings about her parents and her royal heritage do not appear until the last four pages of the book. It could have proved the emotional heart of the story. And, unfortunately, from the point of view of character arcs, Jackie starts smart and sassy and ends up more or less the same way, too, which is a lost writing opportunity.
A great story is about cause and effect. The reader endures the building tension to see if the characters will get through/win the day, know the answers to the story questions, and rise through the arc of their journey. With The Dragonslayer’s Apprentice, the small band accompanies the Dragonslayer traveling from one town to another to defeat various beasts. Surprisingly there is only one dragon. There is a giant kitten (?), a pair of monstrous killer birds, and a woman claiming to be a witch. Jackie gradually proves herself a worthy apprentice. It is a good enough story in itself. But, it could have been so much better if the chapters had been better connected to build the tension necessary to keep us turning pages. When you reach the end of the book, there is not enough emotional payoff. No cause and effect; no payoff.

When I realized the author was a New Zealander, I looked up David Calder to learn more. He is a Kiwi-American author of two novels who cites his influences as F Scott Fitzgerald, Wilbur Smith, and Bernard Cornwell. Calder has a fascinating backstory. He was a soldier during the Vietnam era and had two engineering careers in the US, in automotive and software businesses, before transitioning to full-time writing. These days, Calder divides his time between a small horse farm in the Waitakere Ranges north of Auckland in New Zealand, as well as his base in Long Beach, Southern California. He is working on a follow-up to Redemption Cove, set in southern France, and another Israeli terrorism novel.

My rating: One and a half stars

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Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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“Act I — Get your character up a tree; Act II — throw rocks at him; Act III — get him down again.” ~ Anne R. Allen

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~ A Book Review: The Secret Island, by Enid Blyton ~

I have finished reading my third novel for 2023, The Secret Island, by Enid Blyton. I know, I’ve reviewed books by this British author before. But, considering Blyton authored 600 books in her career, they are bound to pop up now and then. The Secret Island was first in The Secret Stories series, which follows the adventures of four spunky kids, Peggy, Mike, Nora, and Jack. As a child, I remember loving The Secret Seven and The Famous Five because capable, resourceful, brave kids solved the mysteries. They were great child-led stories.

The central premise of The Secret Island is that ill-treated children run away to an island and manage to live there without anyone discovering them until someone does. Captured my imagination straight away the idea of the kids escaping from their terrible lives by being clever and figuring out how they could live on an island, and then doing it. The idea was novel, and the various ways the kids figured out how to feed and shelter themselves and structure their days on the island seemed well thought out. A kid would love this.
Our story begins with Mike, Peggy, and Nora Arnold shipped off to live with relatives after their parents are killed in a plane crash. Their aunt and uncle make the siblings work like slaves and mistreat them. Likewise, an orphan living next door called Jack is being neglected and ill-treated by his grandfather. Jack tells the Arnold children about a secret island. The children long to escape, so when their friend Jack takes them to visit the deserted island, they dream of living there.

From that moment on, the children plan their escape meticulously, thinking about what they will need to take to survive in isolation. Then, they slowly – frankly – nick it all. Once they have gathered enough supplies, they make a daring dash for freedom. It’s exciting, and – spoiler alert – they make it. The four kids organize themselves and make a dreamy life on the island. They build a house out of willow, make wonderfully comfortable beds of heather and bracken, and grow their vegetables.
It’s satisfying for the reader to see the kids succeed despite the difficulties. It’s interesting to note that whenever the kids run out of necessities, they sneak back onto the mainland and steal things from the cruel Aunt, Uncle, and Grandfather! Over these thefts, the children have no qualms. They raid both gardens on several occasions. And Jack even nicks his cow, Daisy, and some hens, sneaking them back to the island for fresh milk and eggs! The children are doing so well as cultivators and “borrowers” they’re stretching the seams of their clothes and are happier than they’ve ever been. It’s morally questionable, yet, they are never “taught a lesson” about these misdemeanours, the way they probably would be in modern literature.

I would say The Secret Island is one of my all-time favourite Enid Blyton stories. An island where kids rule? C’mon.
Apart from the day, the invaders come to the secret island at the end, the bulk of the story belongs to the minutiae of the kids’ idyllic life there. These formerly abused children don’t have to go to school. They don’t have to work. Every day, they attend to simple needs: creating food, maintaining their shelter, swimming to bathe then drying off in the sun, and so on. Enchanting and delightful.
Of course, they get found out in the end. Intruders arrive and interrupt their happy idyll and bring the kids back to the real world. I was disappointed the gang had to leave their sanctuary. It was sad when they said goodbye, and also a little odd that they abandoned the cow. LOL. Not sure if Enid dropped the ball there or what, but we won’t hold it against her. Overall, this is a charming story and a lovely lil trip down memory lane.

The Secret Island was first published on January 1, 1938, by Basil Blackwell. It was illustrated by E.H. Davie. Enid Mary Blyton, (1897—1968), was an up-and-coming author in high demand. She had abandoned her studies in music to train as a schoolteacher and had worked as a teacher and governess, but her stories and poems brought her to the attention of the public. She switched to full-time writing in 1924, becoming a tremendously popular author of stories, poems, plays, and educational books for children.
During her career, Blyton came under some criticism for using the same typical adventure template for her stories, for having stereotyped characters and a simplistic viewpoint. However, fans continued to love her unreservedly, and new editions of her stories continue to appear today. By the early 21st century, Enid Blyton’s books had sold some 400 million copies and been translated into at least 90 languages. The readers are always the final arbiters of good stories, and that’s the way it should be.
This book is what my sister-in-law would call cool beans.
My rating: Two and a half stars

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Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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Reading is dreaming with your eyes open. ~ Anon

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~ A Book Review: Nancy Drew, The Secret in the Old Lace, by Carolyn Keene ~

I have finished reading my second novel for 2023, a Nancy Drew mystery, The Secret in the Old Lace, by Carolyn Keene. I have fond memories of reading Nancy Drew mysteries as a young girl and was curious to take a peek back into my past. It is interesting, is it not, to read material that fascinated us when we were children and gain that window to our more innocent, younger selves.

The first part of the mystery is the cold case of a famous Belgian aristocrat, Francois Lefevre, who vanished in the 1700s. A magazine runs a contest where people can write the “solution” and win a prize. Needless to say, our ‘attractive titian-haired girl’ Nancy Drew enters the contest with her story solution. Bess’ mom has asked Nancy and the girls to solve the mystery of Madame Chambray, a friend of hers in Bruges, who has found a fancy cross and wants Nancy’s help finding the owner. Add to this a side plot where the bad guys, having heard about the cross, try to sidetrack Nancy by stealing her story and submitting a copy of it before her entry arrives. Then Nancy gets accused of plagiarism.

*Spoiler alert* (I’m going to tell you what happens).
The intrepid sleuth leaves her father to sort out the accusation of plagiarism, while she jets off to Belgium with her pals. While staying with Madame Chambray, the girls learn of another mystery involving the home. Somewhere on the grounds, the famous Belgian aristocrat who vanished has a hidden treasure. The girls meet the great-grandson of the aristocrat, and they discover the hiding place of his lace cuffs and the fortune, which turns out to be jewelry. Nancy has solved the century-old mystery. Hurrah!

It was a company called the Stratemeyer Syndicate that created the Nancy Drew series. The author’s name, “Carolyn Keene,” was a pseudonym used by many people – both men and women – over the years. But the original writer of the first 23 novels was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt). Also contributing to Nancy Drew’s catalogue of titles were Walter Karig, Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf. Notably, Harriet Stratemeyer, the daughter of Edward Stratemeyer, also wrote a number of novels.

Nancy Drew still has fans all around the world. However, the stories don’t stand up too well to modern scrutiny. Casual sexism and outdated attitudes rankle. In 1959, a concerted effort was made by the publishers to rewrite the earlier books, removing racial stereotyping and attempting to update the language. But 1959 was a long time ago, and there is still a lot left to raise an eyebrow. Nancy’s boyfriend Ned is mentioned multiple times as a potential hero to rescue the girls if needed. Nancy says at one point that she would not be able to stop the bad guy herself but would need a man to do it. Also, the non-P.C. element of constantly mentioning Bess’ weight would not fly these days, and we are told: “calories are bad.” Nekminit, George grabs a kid and shakes them. The P.C. police would have a field day!
Reading a book like this is an invitation to consider how much things have changed in our modern era. Nancy Drew is the sort of light reading that reminds us of simpler times. The child reader I was fifty years ago did not think to question stereotypes or gender bias. I read for the love of reading alone. That’s a lovely state to remember. These classic stories are a bit of naive fun. Having said that, I doubt I’d bother reading another Nancy Drew novel anytime soon. There is insufficient specificity, zero character development, no depth, and no real challenge to the mystery. Perhaps some books are best left to our fond childhood memories.
My rating: One star

Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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“For me, euphoria is simply the act of waking up, making my coffee, and sitting down with a book and being able to read.” Elliot Page

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~ A Book Review: The Grimm Conclusion, by Adam Gidwitz ~

In 2020, I challenged myself to get back into reading. That year I set the bar high by completing twelve novels. A big step up from 0. Then I went further by reading a total of eighteen books in 2021. But, somehow, last year, I fell back to thirteen. As a person who sets high standards for herself, this came as quite a blow. A fellow blogger said she had read 166 books and that the standard number read by most Americans is thirteen or fourteen. The goal for this Kiwi in 2023 is to read more than thirteen! The challenge is on! And I’m proud to say I have already finished reading my first novel for 2023, The Grimm Conclusion, A Tale Dark & Grimm #3 by Adam Gidwitz.

I bought this book while cruising around the secondhand bookstores at Christmas. I thought anything to do with the Brothers Grimm would be interesting. Boy, it did not disappoint. The Grimm Conclusion is the final book in Gidwitz’s acclaimed series, A Tale Dark & Grimm, preceded by A Tale Dark and Grimm and In a Glass Grimmly. Gidwitz did the brilliant thing of retelling the famous Grimm fairytales with a stroke of genius, adhering more closely to their original gruesome forms. Blood, gore, and death abound. So horrifying are these tales that the Middle-Grade reading age is sometimes questioned. Are these children’s stories?
But, I was entertained from the first minute of reading because I have read a number of the original fairytales. I remember vividly reading an early version of Cinderella. There was a scene where the ugly sisters were so desperate to fit their feet into the glass slipper they cut off their toes and stuffed their feet into the shoe, blood dripping everywhere. I could not believe a modern author would have the audacity to retell these stories. And let’s face it, that’s where the richness, the weight, and the true meaning of the stories lie.

As an adult reader, the opening line amused me. “Once upon a time, fairy tales were grim.” Surprise after surprise followed. When one considers the 8 -12-year-olds reading this book. Raised on the diluted fodder of today, I imagine the child reader would immediately devour the book whole. The narrator is hilarious in a dark, daring, dangerous way. On the first page, he talks directly to the reader – which drags you in, like being sucked into Jumanji (you can’t resist). He wants to tell us the story of Ashputtle. “‘Cinderella’ is the name of the cute version of the story, the one that makes little girls want to dress up like pretty princesses. That story makes me want to hit myself in the head with a sledgehammer, also.”

We then shift perspective and hear the tale of twins Joringel and Jorinda. The pair are conceived magically by infertile parents from the blood of their mother after cutting her finger and making a wish. Joringel and Jorinda grow up, but where we would expect the twins would have the best childhood ever with a family made whole at last, they become afflicted in every way. Straight away, their father is so happy he dies the night they are born. Their neglectful mother remarries, giving them an evil stepfather. The cruelty shown to the twins by their parents is disturbing. And the twins, rather than growing into wonderful human beings, become twisted people.
Our gleefully unapologetic narrator leads us through the world of Grimm-inspired fairy tales, like The Juniper Tree, Cinderella, and Rumpelstiltskin telling us their story. Our emotionally crippled protagonists proceed to make terrible mistakes and then try to make reparation for them. Somewhere along the way, the author brings the characters to the classroom where the narrator (author/teacher?) is reading this story to his students. Things get very confusing. Yet, always, the story has a pulsing heart of truth that is its salvation. Gidwitz deals with the fall-out of abuse in a way that we never feel preached to. Kudos to the author for an ambitious project.

American author, Adam Gidwitz, was a teacher for eight years before deciding to write, which (according to his bio) ‘means he writes a couple of hours a day and lies on his couch staring at the ceiling the rest of the time.’ Since producing the first book in the Grimm series in 2010, Gidwitz hit the New York Times Bestseller list. The idea was unique and well-written. It was fresh, different, and shocking. I admired the author’s willingness to break the 4th wall, too. Always a risky move.
I think where it fell short for me was when the story shifted from the realm of a fictional story being told to students to the protagonist characters somehow crossing into the ‘real world,’ meeting the narrator, and so on. Whoa, it gave me vertigo. It was hard to keep clear on what was happening. However, kudos to Gidwitz that he kept me reading despite this setback.
The Grimm Conclusion bravely tackles life, death, and the intense emotions in between. It’s an impressive undertaking.
My rating: Three stars

Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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“Because, you see, every triumph begins with failure.”—The Grimm Conclusion

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~ Timeless Tales ~

This is another report from the local writers’ festival I attended in August. My apologies that it’s taken me so long to report on it. The session was called Timeless Tales, with Hereaka & Jones. After this, I have one more session to review and hope to get on to writing it up soon.

I enjoy the live interviews or “conversations”. You get to see authors at the top of their games speaking about their books and answering thought-provoking questions. The theme of traditions of fable and myth drew me in to witness Timeless Tales, storytelling forms I find compelling and endeavour to utilize in my work.

Delayed leaving the house, unfortunately, I arrived at the event late. Bah humbug! It started everything off on the wrong note. I had missed the introduction and the opening questions, and I had to disturb others to find an empty seat. But, that hitch aside, I sat with my trusty pad and pen in my lap taking notes throughout.

Let me tell you, ‘contemporary writers at the height of their powers’ make fascinating conversation. Commonwealth Prize winner and Man Booker-shortlisted Lloyd Jones and 2022 Ockham NZ Book Awards Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize Fiction winner Whiti Hereaka spoke about their books, The Fish, and Kurangaituku, respectively. They were interviewed by Claire Mabey with a focus on the power of mythology and why each chose them for their stories.

Lloyd Jones put it this way. “The whole of literature is a rewrite. You can find threads in contemporary stories that go back to the beginning of time.” He was making the point that even when we don’t intend to write about mythology, we are inherently familiar with the old storytelling forms and resort to them unconsciously. “Stories are malleable from one generation to the next when they are told and told again.”
I agree with that 100%. That’s part of why I love to draw upon mythology because the stories are ours, and we’re allowed to retell them.
It reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s interview at last year’s writers’ festival. Gaiman said that writers who think their prose all comes from within them are not being honest. He likened it to there being a giant pot of stew bubbling. And we all take bits out and “along the way we get to add a potato or two to the stew pot or a bit of gristle.”

Neil Gaiman said, “I don’t think it’s always dishonesty by the authors. In a lot of cases, you write what comes to you and you do not realize that you are pulling archetypes and story tropes from a treasure trove of shared ancestral memories.” That explains why legends are always the first things to hand in whenever I start a new story. Jones said when he sits to write, he never knows what he’s going to write, but these time-honoured story templates come up readily because we already have the story forms within us.
Whiti Hereaka concurred and spoke about growing up with myths. They “had always been there” so were a natural resource. In her book, Kurangaituku, she is retelling the Māori myth of Hatupatu and the bird-woman Kurangaituku. “In the original story, Hatupatu is captured and finds the strength within him to trick the bird woman and escape from the clutches of Kurangaituku.”

Hereaka found the writing of her mythological story so profound, that she even began to feel taken over by her main character, who was talking to her and telling her the story all the time. Hereaka said she learned “to say a karakia (prayer) to create the space to write and then again to close it and step away” to separate herself from the character. Even so, she was driven to right the balance of male-centric mythology and present a female voice.
Lloyd Jones added, “Fables are at their core an imaginative risk.” And, he elaborated, “You gather stories just in living, and one day you use them. It becomes lodged in you and you never know when they’re going to bubble to the surface.”
What is it about ancient stories that hold us transfixed? I know for myself, that the older the story, the more I pay attention.
“There’s truthiness in fiction because of the lies,” Hereaka said, “There’s an emotional truth that holds us. We are creatures who need a story to figure ourselves out.”

You can say that again. It was a riveting afternoon, guys. Thanks for the brain food.

It’s a fact we all use these fables instinctively. Do you? Do you notice the echoes of mythology everywhere?

Talk to you later.
Keep creating!
Yvette Carol

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“Someone said once when a person is being read to they inhale it and when they exhale it, they have made it their own.’ ~ Lloyd Jones

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