RivReads ....

The Boat

sgolja — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:36:03 +0000

This was a very interesting book of short stories, which delves into some very controversial ideas and issues such as refugees, the atomic bomb and child assassins.

Nam Le is a Vietnamese refugee living in America, and this is his first book. In two of the stories The Boat and Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice, Nam has drawn on his own experiences, and these are the two strongest stories.

I enjoyed most of the stories but found some of the endings unsatisfactory, finding them hard to understand. Unfortunately, I found that this brought the standard of the book down, which was otherwise suburb.

This book leaves the reader thinking about the issues, very relevant in today’s world and will lead to lots of discussion and thinking. This is one of the best aspects of the book. I recommend reading this book if you want something deeper to think about.

The Master Mariner: Book 1 Running Proud

sgolja — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:17:39 +0000

This is an interesting book that charts the famous sea incidents from the Spanish Armada in 1588 to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It tells these stories from the perspective of the humble sailor, the character that played the major role in Naval History.

Matthew Lawe is cursed to live forever when he commits an act of cowardice. Afterwards, he takes part in many different famous incidents through the ages.

This book is highly descriptive of the ships and environments of the periods in which it is set. It is well written and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy Master and Commander and Hornblower series.

Animal Farm

jrjconnolly — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:35:03 +0000

Luckily in Year 10 this novel is a text to be studied for some students but those who aren’t required to read it should most certainly seek it out. When I picked up the book I expected the novel to be similiar to Babe and Charlotte’s Web (it has an image of a pig on the cover) and wondered why it would be a text for Year 10 but when I began reading it, it quickly became apparent that this was not the case.

At the time that it was written it caused a large controversy. For years it’s publication was presented for the reason that England had become an ally of Russia. Essentially the story is of the creation of the communist Soviet Union but it is translated to a British farm which sees the uprising of the animals who drive out the humans and try to live by themselves. What I have described may seem strange, maybe even stupid but it is an incredibly knowledgable and engrossing book. It is short but within it are so many different fascinating themes that can surely provide many discussion points in the near future. The book is definately worth reading.

Tomorrow When the War Began

rpbaudish — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:33:57 +0000

A group of teenagers have gone on a camp in the summer holidays for something to do. Little do they know that their lives will change forever when Australia is invaded. They are forced to go guerilla and stay in ‘Hell’ while they try to undermine the enemy.

This is a great book by John Marsden. It seems much more real because the book is set in Australia and it is modern times. I rated this book with a 3 out of 4. This is the 1st book in the series with the next being The Dead Of Night.

A Streetcar Named Desire

jrjconnolly — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:19:54 +0000

It is a play I know but it is one that must be reviewed. Written by Tenesse Williams it is a play that describes the scene so vividly, the dialogue so rich yet specific that it is easy to create the scene in your head. The play takes place in New Orleans sometime in the 20th century. It’s theme is the clash between modern society and those feeling the tides of progress and time moving ever against them. It centres around three main characters. Blanche who encompesses the side that is trying to cling on to the past and Stanley a character who lives his life in the moment and Stella, Stanley’s wife Stella is the one who essentially is on the side of Stanley but tries to stop the fighting between Blanche and Stanley escalate. The strength in the dialogue and the progression of the story are all fascinating and original. It builds up to a brilliant climax that is both tragic and memorable. Blanche is a character who slowly descends into madness and that journey into madness is completely believable which makes the play all the more interesting.

The Young Hornblower Omnibus

sgolja — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:37:51 +0000

This book of three stories is about Horatio Hornblower, a sailor in the British navy in the Napoleonic Wars between France and England.

This is the first three stories in the Hornblower series, a very famous series of books by R.H. Forester.

It is a great book, a page turner similar to the Master and Commander series of books. If you loved these books then I would highly recommend the Hornblower series.

The book has great description of life in the historic period in which it is set as well as the warfare and ships. Unfortunately, some of the naval jargon can be quite confusing and is not properly explained by the author. However, apart from this, the book is a riveting read and a good story, full of excitement. It is a great historical fiction book.

The shadow thieves

funkyman13 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:36:05 +0000

The shadow thieves was a fantastic book that i got hooked read it if you love Greek mythology

Skulldugery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones

rpbaudish — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:35:17 +0000

The world is never at peace. Teeportors are being killed every2 seconds and only the formidibale duo are up to the job.

The end of the book, what will happen??????????????????

this book is a very excellent read and i hope you read it too.

The Day of the Jackal

sgolja — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:38:09 +0000

The Day of the Jackal is a thriller set in a France still recovering from world war two. It tells the story of an Englishman with no name who is hired to assassinate President De Gaull, the leader of France. The plot follows both his attempt at the assassionation and the attempts of the police out to catch him.

The Day of the Jackal is a great book because it is full of action and has many action-packed twists to its plot. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who liked the Shane Schofield books by Matthew Reilly. It paints a very realistic picture, so realistic even I almost thought it was true. A brilliant book.

Nearly as bad as the first…

jrjconnolly — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:32:20 +0000

Let me spoil something for you…This is evidence of Christopher Paolini’s lack of imagination and originality. His first novel entitled Eragon was a straight rip-off of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Eldest, the second book in the Inheritance Cycle is no exception from this terrible trait. The big spoiler is a twist that comes near the end after the protagonist ‘Eragon’ is injured by the villian. The twist comes in a line of dialogue “Eragon…I am your brother.” I’ve heard that line before, slightly different. In this other story the protagonist is injured by the villain. He is on the verge of death when the twist comes in a line of dialogue. “Luke…I am your father.” That was the final straw for me. I cann’t stand writers who take credits for things that have already been done better. A lot of people believe that Eragon and Eldest are good but none of them believe Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are better. I’m the same even though I hate the Inheritance Cycle because of my enduring love for the classics.

Please, I beg of you reader, please don’t read this. Go watch Star Wars or read Lord of the Rings again.