New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Opening Sentence:I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough.
Synopsis:From WikiAnswers

"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.

It all happened very quickly then.

Edward threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table...

I tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. I felt the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow.

Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm-into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.

Genre:Fantasy
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:563
ISBN:978-1-904233-88-6
Year:2009
Format:Paperback
Comments:New Moon is the second book in the Twilight Saga, and it is just as good as the first. In this novel we get to see a lot more of Jacob Black and Quillute clan. This pleased me, because Jacob is one of my favourites. We also meet the Volturi in this book. Those who have read Twilight will remember that Carlisle spent a bit of time with the Volturi early in his Vampirism, but these guys are as different from Carlisle as bread is from cheese. We don't see half so much of Edward in this book, which is a shame, but it is a great read nonetheless.

Lost Star of Myth and Time by Walter Cruttenden

Opening Sentence:News Flash: German Site Predates Stonehenge
Synopsis:Ancient folklore from around the world rings with two resonating themes: History moves in cycles with alternating Golden and Dark Ages, and the slow movement of the stars across the sky, the Precession of the Equinox, is the cause and timekeeper of these cycles.

For years we have heard that these are only myths, there was no Golden Age and precession is just a wobbling of the Earth's axis. Now Lost Star of Myth and Time shows evidence the Ancients were not just weaving fanciful tales - science is on the verge of an amazing discovery - our Sun has a companion star carrying us through a great cycle of stellar influences. If true, it means the Ancients were right and our views of space and time and the history of civilisation will never be the same. More than that, it would mean we are now at the dawn of a new age in human development and world conditions.
Genre:Ancient History/Science/Spirituality
Rating:@@@
Pages:303
ISBN:o-9767631-1-7
Year:2006
Format:Paperback
Comments:Lost Star of Myth and Time presents the interesting hypothesis that we live in a binary system. Furthermore, it attributes the cycle of ages to our sun's mystery companion. I find this theory interesting and wouldn't mind reading a bit more about it. This book is a bit repetitive, so I found it easier to read other books, coming back and reading bits of this in between. Despite this, there are certainly some interesting historical tit-bits and interesting takes on local folklore. Perhaps a book to flip through rather than reading cover-to-cover.

Haunted Animals by Allan Zullo

Opening Sentence:Some kids claim they have seen ghosts.
Synopsis:A ghostly cat comforts its former owner. A mistreated bulldog returns to haunt its master. A mysterious horse leads a group of rescuers to an injured boy - then disappears.

Could animals really be ghosts? Read these and many more unexplained encounters with the supernatural and decide for yourself. But beware - you may look at animals a bit differently after reading these eerie, haunting tales!
Genre:Tween
Rating:@@@
Pages:128
BCID:xxx-6964739
ISBN:o-439-68058-1
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:Haunted Animals is an interesting collection of true animal ghost stories. Some are about beloved pets continuing to protect us after they die. Others are about revenge for being mis-treated. All are interesting to read. The stories in this book are easy to read and none of them are overly scary, making this a great book for tweens who are just starting out in chapter books.

What's Happening to our Girls? by Maggie Hamilton

Opening Sentence:In a few short decades almost every part of girls' lives has been transformed, bringing freedoms previous generations of girls could only dream of.
Synopsis:Why are girls as young as five years old concerned about their looks and addicted to shopping?

Why are they having sex and binge-drinking so young, responding to chat-room predators, and bullying their peers via email and text messages?

Why are depression, cutting and eating disorders on the rise, and why, with so much choice, do so many just want to marry young and have babies?

In a few short years our girls have become vulnerable - not just teen girls, but also young girls and baby girls. They are being forced to grow up faster than ever before. What a twelve-year-old girl experienced at seven is not what a seven-year-old girl is now struggling with. Many of the guidelines we offer girls no longer apply, or are contradicted by messages from media and advertising telling girls how to look, think, behave and feel.

Over two years Maggie Hamilton interviewed girls, teachers, school counsellors, psychologists, and law enforcement and medical personnel to get an insider's view on what girls are experiencing at present, from birth to the teenage years.

Informed, revealing, compassionate and at times shocking, What's Happening to our Girls? is a book for parents and all those who want to better understand and support girls.
Genre:Non-Fiction
Rating:@@@@
Pages:256
ISBN:978-0-670-07232-3
Year:2008
Format:Paperback
Comments:What's Happening to our Girls? is an interesting and informed study of today's girls and the lives they lead, and it is essential reading for any parent. The facts in this book are very scary. As a mother, I knew before reading this book that my daughters are growing up in a world far different from the one I grew up in. I knew that they are being marketed to. I knew girls are sexually active earlier. I knew that bullying is worse and the forms of bullying changing. I did not know just how bad it has become, or just how ill-informed many girls are as to the hazards of indiscriminate sex and drug-taking. That this is the case is a sad indictment of our society.

We all need to stand up and say NO MORE!!! It is time we put our foot down. Refuse to spend your money on inappropriate items, and write to the manufacturers, expressing your displeasure. Companies are only able to market sex at our girls because we allow them to. Remember, the power is in the hand of the consumer - there have been many products withdrawn due to consumer pressure. Additionally, we should overcome our embarrassment and ensure our girls are informed. Teach them to recognise when they are being marketed to. Give them the confidence and support they need to withstand peer pressure and bullying. Allow them to use you as an excuse if they need to. Find someone closer to their own age group to talk to them about drugs and sex - oral sex is not a safe option, as many girls seem to think.

Ensure your daughters have other trusted adults in their lives. We all need someone other than our parents to talk to! Make sure that your daughter knows the difference between intimacy and sexuality. Teach her that a relationship where she suppresses her own sexuality to please her partner is not a healthy one. Be willing to discuss what she wants when she needs to. There can be no taboo subjects if you want to keep your daughter safe. Teach your sons to respect girls, and that they have needs within a relationship as well as boys. Above all, be there there for your children.

Growing up has changed dramatically. The way we parent must evolve to meet the challenge if our girls are to survive.

The Only Girl in the Car by Kathy Dobie

Opening Sentence:In the spring of my fourteenth year, the Earth blossomed with men and boys, staggered under the weight and richness of their profusion.
Synopsis:'Cheesecake', 'Jailbait', 'Sex Kitten' - the words seemed to open doors to a splendid new self. But from the moment she decides to lose her virginity and reels in her prey, a 'full-grown man', fourteen-year-old Kathy is headed for trouble. One cold, raw March night some months later, parked in a car on the the outskirts of town with four boys she thought were her friends, she finds it.

This is the story of a young girl - the oldest daughter in a Catholic family of six children, with a rebellious older brother, an exhausted mother whose attention Kathy craves, and a glamorous father whom she idolises - struggling to find her proper place in the world. In the spring of her fourteenth year suddenly 'the earth blossomed with men and boys...they were everywhere', and Kathy sees her path towards power and freedom. But girls who break rules in small towns like hers are expected to pay a high price for their transgressions, and Kathy soon learns the price. How she stepped out of that car forever altered, but not forever damaged, and how she learned to fight back after being labelled as a slut, insulted and ostracised in her own neighbourhood, is also part of her story. Always aware that her ambitions were bigger and more complicated than the suburbs she grew up in, Kathy was determined to come through and to transform her fate.
Genre:Memoir
Rating:@@@@
Pages:225
ISBN:o-701-16664-9
Year:2003
Format:Hardcover
Comments:Despite the graphic nature of some scenes in this book (let's face it - they see worse in movies), The Only Girl in the Car is essential reading for any teenage girl. In a world where sex is everywhere, and girls are losing their virginity earlier and earlier, this book illustrates the trouble being too free with your body can lead to. Sex can be a beautiful thing, especially when you are just discovering your sexuality, but it can also be very, very ugly. Many parents are reluctant to discuss sexual matters beyond the 'what's happening to me' talk. Yet, without our guidance, how can our girls learn the difference between the beauty and ugliness of sexual encounters? It is our responsibility as parents to move past our embarrassment or conservatism and teach girls how to behave in the world they live in (vastly different from when we grew up). This book is a perfect example of the ugliness that can result if girls do not learn to control their sexuality.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Opening Sentence:I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.
Synopsis:About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him -
and I didn't know how dominant that part might be -
that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.
Genre:Young Adult
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:498
BCID:xxx-6662009
ISBN:o-316-01584-9
Year:2006
Format:Paperback
Comments:I knew this book was really popular amongst teens, but I saw a lot of forum discussions bagging it, so I didn't really have high expectations. Boy, was I surprised! I read this book in one day. I stayed awake until four in the morning because I could not put it down. And now I am desperate to get my hands on New Moon! Falling in love with a vampire - someone who could turn on you at any minute, and who's friends view you as food - adds new meaning to the phrase 'love knows no bounds'. Regardless, this isn't just a love story, but has it's share of thrills as well. I loved this book, and very highly recommend it!

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Opening Sentence:On a very hot day in August of 1994, my wife told me she was going to the Derry Rite Aid to pick up a refill on her sinus medicine prescription - this is stuff you can buy over the counter these days, I believe.
Synopsis:When Mike Noonan's wife dies unexpectedly, the bestselling author suffers from a desperate writer's block. Until he is drawn to their summer home, Sara Laughs, the beautiful Maine lakeside retreat which has recently been haunting his nightmares.

But Mike finds the once familiar town now in the tyrannical grip of millionaire Max Devore. Devore is hell-bent on getting custody of his deceased son's child and is twisting the fabric of the community to this purpose.

Three-year-old Kyra and her young mother turn to Mike for help. Increasingly besotted with them, Mike is powerless to resist.

But there are other sinister forces at Sara Laughs determined to stand in their way...and Kyra can feel them too.
Genre:Horror
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:660
BCID:xxx-5170582
ISBN:o-340-71820-x
Year:1999
Format:Paperback
Comments:I love Stephen King and this is one of his better novels. There is an ominous feel to most of it, as well a a few scary parts. I should warn you, there is one scene, where the reader finds out just what happened to Sara, that some readers might find disturbing. Otherwise, the thrills are mostly psychological. This is not a book to go reading at night - every little noise will keep you awake. I definitely recommend reading this book.

Balsamic Dreams by Joe Queenan

Opening Sentence:Several years ago, I asked my mother, born in 1920, when she realized that the world she knew was slipping away from her.
Synopsis:How did a generation that started out at Woodstock and Monterey end up at Crate & Barrel? How did a generation that promised to 'teach its children well' end up with progeny so evil they could give that kid from The Omen a run for his money? And just what is so fascinating about porcini mushrooms? From the bestselling author of Red Lobster, White Trash and the Blue Lagoon and Queenan Country comes a vintage Queenan tirade chronicling the evolution of the Baby Boomer generation.
Genre:Humour
Rating:@@@@
Pages:202
ISBN:978-0-330-49157-0
Year:2007
Format:Paperback
Comments:Whether you agree with Queenan's observations or not (and most non Baby Boomers would), this book is an absolutely hilarious read. Wall Street Journal describes Balsamic Dreams as 'Clever and rarely wrong'. I would have to agree with this statement. Despite Joe Queenan's Baby Boomer status, or perhaps because of it, Balsamic Dreams chronicles just about every aspect of the Baby Boomer generation that drives the rest of us insane - and he does it with a wit and style that will keep you laughing from beginning to end. An essential read for anyone who has ever rolled their eyes and sighed 'Baby Boomers'.

The Eccentric Mr Wienholt by Rosamond Siemon

Opening Sentence:Empire was Arnold's lodestar.
Synopsis:Arnold Wienolt – MP, lion hunter and intelligence agent – was a larger-than-life action hero whose eccentricities were legendary. He once hired a circus tent when campaigning for parliament and offered to box all-comers in the ring. On his first hunting expedition to Africa he recklessly pursued a wounded lion and ended up scarred for life.

Schooled at Eton and on his family’s vast holdings in Queensland, Wienholt fought for Empire during the Boer War and was an early exponent of guerrilla warfare. Decorated for bravery in the First World War, he died in mysterious circumstances spying behind the lines in northern Africa in 1940.Ros Siemon’s engrossing tale has to read about to be believed.
Genre:Biography
Rating:@@@@
Pages:311
BCID:xxx-6572725
ISBN:o-7022-3498-2
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:This was a very interesting biography about a very interesting character in Australian history. From his role in the squattocracy to serving in Queensland's Parliament; from hunting lions in Africa to serving in three wars (Boer War, WWI & WWII) and spying behind enemy lines; Arnold Wienholt certainly led a full and colourful life of adventure. Most of us are not brave enough to stand by our convictions in the face of almost total opposition and ridicule. Most of us are not brave enough to 'walk the talk'. Most of us crave adventure from home but are not brave enough to pursue it. Arnold Wienholt did all of these things and more - he faced down his enemies with the courage and dignity he felt became a member of the Empire. Despite never having heard of Arnold Wienholt before, this book was an absolutely riveting read.

Away by Michael Gow

Opening Sentence:A school performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream is coming to a close.
Synopsis:Away opens with a school performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the great Shakespearean themes of suffering, regeneration and reconciliation persist. It's Christmas 1967 and time to re-enact the rituals of the summer holiday. Three Australian families set out separately but are driven together by a storm. At times funny and yet painfully truthful, Away exposes the comedy and tragedy of their lives.
Genre:Theatre
Rating:@@@@
Pages:57
BCID:xxx-6017334
ISBN:o-86819-211-2
Year:1990
Format:Paperback
Comments: There's not a lot I can add to the Synopsis except to say that Away is a fine example of Australian theatre and I really enjoyed reading it. Despite being set on holidays, this play is actually about coming home. Coral's illness, Tom's knowledge of his fate, Gwen's attitude to life - all are things which set these characters apart from their peers and loved ones. Yet at the end we see all come together in a spirit of cooperation and enjoyment bringing closure or the sense of 'coming home' mentioned earlier. I would very much like to see this play performed.