The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

"I stood there as if my breasts and I were somewhere else"

As a little girl, I always wanted to be Princess Leia. The cool chick that keeps up with the boys and still manages to indulge in a romance. She was forthright, a survivor and even chained up in a metal bikini looked equal parts amazing and sarcastic. What heady stuff, Carrie Fisher wrought on screen.

Like most little girls that grew up watching the strange, and often incestuous, hi-jinks of Star Wars, - okay maybe not like most little girls - I was transfixed that this leader with the strange ear muff hairdo demonstrated you could still be a take charge kind of girl, work with men and fight the evil ones on your own terms. The actress behind one of the few females in space was just, if not more impressive. An amazing actress, novelist and always entertaining interview subject, it is so sad that Carrie Fisher is no longer with us and a rare treat that she left us with some intriguing memoirs over the course of her life.

The Princess Diarist,  was a much welcomed Christmas present for me from my good friend and I was eager to devour it. Upon hearing of its author's untimely demise, this joy was tinged bitter-sweet. What is so captivating here is the young, voice of the inexperienced Carrie, recounted by the more wider lived, older version. The Carrie that is brought forward front and centre is the young, wide-eyed actress from one of my favourite films and her innocence and ability to get swept up in youthful exuberance reminds me so much of myself  from 17 to 20. Granted she looked way better in a metal bikini- but the sentiment remains.

Her much lauded depiction of the love affair with Harrison Ford takes on the importance that early sexual connections do, it is all consuming for the young, innocent party and a strange, if beneficial, burden for the older, more worldly one.

The book commences in the year of my birth, the year Star Wars  was filmed and a plucky young woman, with exceptional showbiz pedigree and a wry, entertaining voice made her mark on all of us. Vale, Carrie Fisher, gone but never to be forgotten, not even in a galaxy far, far away.

5 out of 5 stars burn brightest.

F**k It – Do What You Love by John C Parkin

"Your body knows when you're doing what you love, just as your mind does"

Panic set in at the thought of returning from Christmas holidays to work. Grasping at straws, I bought this book. Who could resist such a delightful title? The egg graphic was equally irresistible. There's nothing particularly new here, but its reassuring to posit the possibility that life could be better than the monotonous drone of a 10 to 14 hour day of misery.

At some point in life you have to take a chance. The best thing you can back is yourself. I probably didn't need a book to confirm that, still the conversationalist tone of this one is like a warm hug married with a good kick up the backside.

4 out of 5, a change is well overdue.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

"Pretense, fakery, but who's to know?"

First, confession time, The Tempest, is not my favourite Shakespearian work and I was a little rusty on the details going in. I’m almost certain I’ve seen a Bell Shakespeare production and recall vague details about an island, a storm and Prospero. Nevertheless I was keen to dive into Atwood’s re-imagining.

This retelling is very much of the play within a play variety which is ultimately rather Shakespearian and intriguing. The prolific Canadian writer takes us on a journey which ultimately leads to prison. Director Felix, mourning the loss of his daughter, seeks to bring her back to life through the magic of the theatre and yet, is unceremoniously ousted from staging his challenging new rendition of The Tempest at the Makeshiweg Festival.

Cast out, much like Prospero, Felix takes a job teaching Shakespeare to prisoners and what better way to cause havoc than to stage the ultimate The Tempest revival? That’s basically the plot, throw in some crazy times in the clink and some crazy times in general and you get the picture.

I wanted to love this so much more. I was distracted and in that pre-Christmas funk. You know the one where you realise that those much needed sane days off work are going to be replaced by family stress, increased alcohol consumption and competitive present buying? I’m sure you do. Now, I return this book to my dear friend, Nicki, fly back to that bookshelf courtesy of Australia Post.

4 out of 5 times meta seems appropriate.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

"I haven't killed anybody for years and don't intend to."

If you seek some relaxing holiday reading, then The Wasp Factory, should probably not be your first port of call. Teenager Frank, is, quite frankly not what he seems except to the extent that he is a nasty piece of work. It’s not often that a protagonist begins his tale with claims of committing the murder of three children before the age of ten.

Set in a strange desolate, Scottish Island, the novel reeks of death, the unknown and a sense that the world has just all gone wrong. Perfect reading for this miserable age, perhaps that’s why I finished it towards the end of 2016. I know my reviews are a little behind.

Frank’s older brother, Eric, is another frightful character who escaped from a mental institution after having lost the plot, quite understandingly, when he tries to feed a brain damaged baby, missing a skull cap, whose brain is being attacked by maggots. Oh Sorry, that should have come with a “don’t read this line before lunch” warning.

I don’t want to give the game away as to what actually transpires at the end, other than it was unexpected and enhanced my perception of the novel as a whole. The author reflected on his work as a way of publishing his writing and passion for Science Fiction by considering the Scotland of his youth as a jumping off point.

“In the end I went for something that kept me closer to my by-then comfort zone: a first-person narrative set on a remote Scottish nearly-island told by a normality-challenged teenager with severe violence issues allowed me to treat my story as something resembling SF” 

Particularly of interest was his commentary that the book was -

“supposed to be a pro-feminist, antimilitarist work, satirising religion and commenting on the way we're shaped by our surroundings and upbringing and the usually skewed information we're presented with by those in power”

which makes it firm fodder for a post-Trump world where fake news is part of the daily narrative.

The novel’s extreme violence within the constraints of childhood makes for confronting reading and yet anyone who has been bullied at school knows how evil other children can be. Banks further posited that he 

“was also trying to make the point that childhood innocence isn't - and wasn't - as most people seem to imagine it; children probably harbour quite as many violent thoughts as adults, they just don't usually possess a sophisticated moral framework within which to place them”.

I’m not sure the sophisticated moral framework helps that much, as I read the news sometimes I think we are living on that island populated by crazy kids with guns, trying to be something they’re not and wreaking havoc on the planet. On that dire note I think I need a lie down. 

4 out of 5 ways to put a dampener on your holiday cheer.

Leonard by William Shatner with David Fisher

"It actually took me some time to fully understand Leonard's total commitment Spock, and that led to our first real fight."

Don't tell Dad, but I read this quickly before I wrapped it up for him for Christmas. Star Trek  always makes me think of quality time spent with my Dad as a kid, and the same goes for Star Wars. I think Dad fancied himself as a bit of a James T Kirk and yet I was always transfixed by the strange otherness of the alien, Spock. With Leonard Nimoy's death comes this memoir from his co-star written with assistance.

It makes for an easy read, although doesn't really provide too much insight. As one might imagine from the strange pauses of William Shatner, the ebb and flow is a little off. The first half of the book is very much about Shatner and what aspects of his youth he might have had in common with Nimoy.

That being said, there is some real warmth here and its always nice to look back at Spock with that sense of child like wonder, and discover his alter-ego was a hard worker who had his demons, but overcame them.

3 out of 5 star ships have greater ethnic diversity than the tv shows of today.

First Test by Tamora Pierce

"The butt of Joren's staff caught the big muscle in her left thigh"

This follows on from the Song of the Lioness  quartet and a new female warrior is coming to the fore. Kel is taking advantage of the hard fought freedom for females to train for knighthood and as such, the tale of Book 1 of the Protector of the Small  quartet begins.

While i wasn't quite as on board with this one as the Alanna series, I'm sure that has more to do with this being part 1 and very much the beginning of a longer story.

4 out of 5 beginnings are just the start.

World Mythology in Bite Sized Chunks by Mark Daniels

"The name Wacah Chan means 'erect serpent', and it  describes the bright,straight line of the Milky Way as it emerged from the horizon at certain times of the year"

I love fairytales and mythology and this little offering, as the title suggests, shines a little light on intriguing myths from around the world. The book is somewhat like crib notes for the world's mythical beasties. Is Global Warming, aptly described by Ragnarok?

Actually, the norse gods are particularly entertaining, take Odin swapping an eye for a drink.

There's even a Wiley Coyote courtesy of the ancient American Indian tribe of the Lakota. If only there was a little more detail provided on some of these engaging tales.

3 out of 5 creation stories feature feuding parents.