Birds and Books

On my ride home from work last night I saw a lot of birds as usual. There is always a big variety of birds too. As I leave work I see doves and starlings and a pair of plovers that have been around for at least 5 years. I ride past a little pond where there are ducks and, if I’m lucky, ibis. It got me thinking about how many books I’ve read that had anything to do with birds. Well, I can’t go past a thought about books of any kind without getting out my little pad and pencil and writing some thoughts. So I pulled over to a lovely little bench on the bike path and made some notes.

My first thoughts were of that silly book (sorry!) Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I know people loved that novella in 1970 and some still hold on to that long distant memory of the beginnings of hippy spirituality so I will not write my thoughts here.

I remembered a book I read in my early teens that absolutely thrilled me – The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski. I couldn’t believe that people could write about sexual deprivation and war in that way. I wouldn’t recommend this book to many. The tie in with birds, if I remember right, was there was a man that the boy travelled with that was a bird catcher who paints the birds he catches. The Painted Bird is considered an important Holocaust book but it is rude and lewd at the same time. You can make your own mind up about this one.

I read Edward the Emu about 300 times in my life. (and I say I don’t like to re-read books!)

How about The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. Everyone either remembers this book or the movie and if you don’t, well, you should.

One of my ‘lusting for’ books is Andrew Zuckerman’s Bird. I’ve drooled over it in book shops for a couple of years now. By the way - if you don't look at links normally, make sure you look at the link for this book. The photos and movies and sounds on this page are worth the trip.

There are a few bird books on my ‘to-read’ list as well – Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes, Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey and Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres (I loved The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and Captain Corelli's Mandolin – the book not the movie (the movie was on my worst movies of all time list!))

The birds I see are many and I am very lucky to have them all on my 20 minute ride home. They are the best entertainment a girl could hope for on a bike ride. Especially since I am too scared to wear my ipod in case I don’t hear the bike trying to pass me or the car coming at me from behind. So, indulge me for a few minutes while I associate my birds with books.

Cockatoos: There is a book on my shelf that I have passed over many a time now called Riding the Black Cockatoo by John Danalis. I got it in the box of books that came in mail from the ABC contest I won last year. I looked it up and I think it sounds great so I will be reading it this year. Stay tuned.

Doves: I had trouble deciding between two that came to mind straight away. But then I realized that I don’t have to decide. It’s my blog! My dad gave me Lonesome Dove when it came out in the mid 80’s. My dad was a big western novel fan and I have most of his Louis L’amore collection. Larry McMurtry writes great books. I moved on to Wallace Stegner and Cormac McCarthy because of Lonesome Dove and am thankful as both of these authors have given me hours of pleasure. Lonesome Dove is an old west love story and a ripping good yarn. And Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. What a joy this book was and is. Erdrich really ‘gets’ writing people, emotions, passions and drama. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Honey Eaters: There are several birds that I have no book to associate them with, and this is a stretch but one of my favourite fiction characters of all time is Honey Barbara in Bliss by Peter Carey. She is a wonderfully realized character that has stayed with me for years. Her classic line in Bliss is “Your alarm clock is your key to freedom”. Get up early enough and you own the world.

Magpies: Debra Magpie Earling wrote a book called Perma Red. I found this book in 2002 when I was reading a lot of Erdrich. Earling has a wonderful voice in a young Native American girl who has much difficulty in her life. The landscape of Montana, the culture of the plains Indians and the depth of the characters make this a most enjoyable book. It is the only book that she has written and I sincerely hope there is another one in her somewhere.

Willie Wagtail: Another stretch but if you haven’t read Charlie and The Chocolate Factory to your kids or your partner (or your neighbour or your nephew) then do it. It is dark and funny and so clever. It has to be read out loud to be appreciated fully in my opinion.

Ducks: Wild Ducks Flying Backwards by Tom Robbins is not one of his best but still worth the effort. I have it if you want to borrow it. But my favourite duck book is Five Little Ducks – I read it several times a day for a month to my grandson and now I sing it to him once a week on Skype. Love it!

Starlings: Who could go past Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. I remember the first time I read Thomas Harris – it was Red Dragon and I got so scared. But I persisted with Silence of the Lambs which, of course, was translated into a brilliant movie. Clarice reappears in Hannibal and does some pretty gross stuff with Hannibal. The movie Hannibal was a complete cop out as far the ending was concerned – spoiler alert – in the book Clarice goes off to live with Lecter in Europe. Much juicier.

Ibis: Amitav Ghosh wrote a book - Sea of Poppies - in which the ship was called the Ibis. She sailed across the Indian Ocean transporting Opium and Asians, and is an essential character is this terrific novel.

Plovers: I remember a character in one of Robin Klein’s books called Plover. I wish I could remember the title of the book.

There are so many other birds I have no book to associate with – Galahs, Wrens, Friar Birds, Wattle Birds, Currawongs, Blackbirds (Ravens yes, but we don’t call them Ravens in Australia, do we?) and Cormorants. I know this is a silly exercise but it has been fun for me. Do you have books that relate, even vaguely, to my missing birds or birds of your own?

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Here I go again. I am going to tell you about another writer of whom I am a huge fan. I have read all of her books. Now, before you get your pen and paper out to write down her name or skip on over to Book Depository – she is a children’s writer (and young adult, I guess). I have said before that I usually get just as much value out of a good (stress good) kids book as I do a book written for adults. The story lines are just as complicated and the morals and values of the characters are just as much in question as in any ‘adult’ book. Funke writes fantasy books and usually I am not a fantasy reader but I will read her books.

Cornelia Funke wrote the Ink Heart Series and Dragon Rider. Her best as far as I am concerned was The Thief Lord. Reckless is great. There are a few gaps in the narrative and bits of time just pass by without a mention or explanation. It was a little confusing at times but I can forgive that – it might have been in the translation.

It is fast paced, romantic without the ‘gooshy stuff’, ticks all the fantasy/magic boxes and has a hero most people can identify with. The story is original and unpredictable. The characters are well drawn and easy to imagine.

Chicken House is her publisher. I love Chicken House. Their web site is www.doublecluck.com (how cute is that?). They publish Blue Balliett and Trenton Lee Stewart just to mention two. If you want to find a decent book for your child (or you) to read next just go to their web site.

My only problem with Reckless is that it reads like a movie script. I still enjoyed it but why not just write a movie script? Why turn it into a novel? If I am wrong, I am sorry, but it even felt like those blank spaces I mentioned before were scene changes – fade outs and ins.

With special effects so good these days Reckless will make a great movie – up there with Avatar if they do it right. Maybe this is the way with YA fiction. It needs to read like a movie to keep a kid’s attention. The visual is so much more, not important, but prevalent, today. Anyone can make a little animated flick and stick it on YouTube. Special effects software is easy to buy. (We used to draw 20 successive pictures on the edges of a book and flip them to make a stick running man and think we were very clever!). Movies from popular books are almost a given today. Popularity of comic books and graphic novels is on the rise. You don’t believe me? Go into any comic book store. They are as busy, or more, as any Borders!

On my internal movie screen I can just see the stone skin of the Goyl – beautiful, the butterflies of the witches – stunning, the morphing of Fox, the palace, the wedding, the unicorn grave yard – it’s all right there. Right now I wish I was a movie maker. Someone call Peter Jackson!

Preincarnate by Shaun Micallef

I finished this book over two weeks ago and I haven't been able to write about it. I'm not a professional writer and I don't know any 'tricks' to start the writing process. AND I don't really know how to describe Preincarnate by Shaun Micallef.

It is clever (Shaun is clever - we all know this), it is funny (Shaun is funny too), it is quirky (Shaun is - well, quirky). But lots of books are clever, funny and quirky. There is something that sets this book apart and makes it work. What is it?

Micallef gets all the elements right. He is a master alluder - HG Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle and Tom Cruise are all in the book. He has used literary figures that are out of copyright - all except for Cruise (watch out Mr Micallef). There is time travel, cloning, space ships and the Loch Ness Monster. The characters have all the qualities the book has - they are clever, funny and quirky.

I have a friend - Jane (not her real name but, hey, I don't have her permission to write about her) - who makes jokes a lot. She is funny and sarcastic and silly. She is also genuine, caring, compassionate and generous. She is real in every sense of word. The funniest thing about Jane is that she cracks herself up. It is most funny to watch her laugh at herself. And when she gets together with someone on her own particular humour wavelength it always turns into a gut busting laugh-a-thon. You know the kind of night when you laugh so hard that your cheeks hurt the next morning. But really, for Jane, it doesn't really matter if you thought she was funny or not. She just loves to laugh and amuse herself.

I reckon Jane and Shaun would get along great.

I think (I don't know for sure 'cause I haven't actually asked him) that Micallef doesn't really care if we read this book or not. I'm sure that he would be delighted that we think the book is clever, funny and quirky, but, I don't think it matters that much to him. His brain had this book in it and he had to cough it up like the proverbial fur ball. And I think this is what appeals to me most. He didn't write this book so I would read it. There is nothing gratuitous about it. It is a look into a God-blessed hilarious brain. Micallef is pure and simply telling us a story from his convoluted mind. He is making it up as he goes. I love him for it. I love this book.

OK
if you like a linear story - pick up another book.

if you love Tom Cruise - pick up another book.

if you don't believe in life after death - well, you can still read this book but beware.

if you are a strong believer in the principals of Christianity - run away now.

if you love roller coasters and fast rides of all kinds - read this book.

if you like laughing along the way - read this book.

if you like spitting in the face of tradition - read this book.

if you want to giggle for a while in this world of natural disasters and human tragedy - read this book twice at least.

I may not understand Micallef's inner workings but I want to thank him for sharing this little part of them as a book. And please, Shaun, if you have another literary fur ball, cough it up and write another one.

Oh, and P.S. - Read the Chapter Headings carefully as you read the book - it will make a little more sense.

P.P.S (or is it P.S.S.?) - the Recommended Reading at the end of the book is hillarious and almost worth the price of the book by itself.