Hello my preciouseseses! I know, it’s been quite a while. Well, things have been quite busy here in the BookieMonster household, not to mention I have been busy job-hunting and that is, quite frankly, an exhausting undertaking. I have also been helping a friend out with another project (go here to see it, especially if you’re a teacher) plus I have been doing temp work.

All in all, I have just been taking a quiet break from the book blogging business. In fact I’ve been quiet all-round the internet lately. I’ve been an introspective, home-body BookieMonster.

Oh, plus I got me one of these:

Weeeeeeet! That would be a piggie. My guinea piggie, to be exact.

But I thought I should let you all know that I am here, I am still reading and hopefully I am a little closer to a job.

Soooo… whatchoo all been up to?

So, I have questions. Did you see the TV show or read the books first? Do you think it’s better to read the books before you see the adaptation? (Also, we need to talk about The Hunger Games, but I need to finish the series first, so shhh.)

Some people believe that coming to the books from the adaptation taints the experience. Do you agree? Do you think that’s realistic? Is my reading of Game of Throne lesser for having seen the first four episodes of season one before reading the books? Is my reading of Dune coloured by playing the computer game before reading it? Or, did these adaptations lead me into books I never would have read otherwise? Can you really discover an older work without being introduced to it, anyway? (Yes, I found The Dice Man in a second hand book shop and it continues to blow my mind.)

Also, who was your favourite character in Game of Thrones? I liked Sansa, but only from the books, because her character develops, but maybe I identify too much with that princess-in-a-tower shtick. From the TV show I like Jon Snow because mmmmmm.

I declare the thread open! Answer my questions, if you like, or add thoughts of your own. Please say if you’re going to Spoiler, because some people haven’t read the books, like the ending of book four, when it turned out [character] had become a [something] and I was all: NO WAY.

I’d love to hear your thoughts – I’ll be here all Easter to respond!

May the taste of honey linger

Under the bitterest tongue.

The Book Bench: Postscript: Adrienne Rich, 1929-2012 : The New Yorker.

The New Yorker has made seven Adrienne Rich poems available online. Rich died March 28, aged 82.

Runelight
By Joanne Harris (Doubleday, $29.99)
Joanne Harris is far better known for her adult bestsellers like Chocolat but Runelight marks her second book in a Young Adult series that started with Runemarks. And what a series it is – fun, intelligent and innovative storytelling, using the legends of the Norse gods as a character base but building on that with action and a sense of humour. Runelight is a great read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new twist on the YA fantasy genre.

A History of the World in 100 Objects
By Neil MacGregor (Penguin, $45)
Fans of the fantastic BBC radio series and podcast A History of the World in 100 Objects will equally love this accompanying book. A comprehensive immersion in world history, the book (like the podcast) explores history not through people or places but through things; objects created and used by humans. Lavishly illustrated and well produced, this is a feast for the eyes and the mind. MacGregor has an engaging style whilst tackling the big questions of our shared history.

The Half Life of Ryan Davis
By Melinda Szymanik (Pear Jam Books, $19.99 paperback, $8.49 ebook)
Ryan Davis is 15 – the same age his older sister Mallory was when she went missing. She’s still missing and presumed dead but her presence haunts Ryan and his family. An engaging combination of mystery, family drama and coming of age, The Half Life of Ryan Davis is definitely recommended teen reading with a story that twists and turns, and intriguing characters that keep you turning the page.

Tea with Miss Tilly
Written By Justine Payen, Illustrated by Philip Webb (Harper Collins, $19.99)
“Delightful” is an adjective often used when describing picture books – but Tea with Miss Tilly is just that! A wonderful book that little kids will just adore, Tea with Miss Tilly explores the wonder of stories, thanks to the very imaginative Miss Tilly. Every day afternoon tea with Miss Tilly turns into a journey to outer space or Egypt or Loch Ness. The illustrations are gorgeous and warm with lots of little details to point out.

The three titles in the series – Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed – is currently available in ebook and the first book in the trilogy will be available in printed edition on 5 April 2012.

Selina Walker, Publisher of Century and Arrow said, “These truly are the books everyone is talking about – pretty much around the world. They are romantic, liberating, and utterly page-turning, and have sparked more roundthe-table conversation than any books I can remember. We are delighted to be publishing the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy in Arrow, and to be welcoming EL James to our publishing list.”

First published in May 2011 by The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House in Australia, Fifty Shades of Grey follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele. Subsequent novels in the series, Fifty Shades Darker (September 2011) and Fifty Shades Freed (January 2012) explore the couple’s deepening relationship. The trilogy has already sold more than 250,000 copies in ebook and paperback editions.

E L James is a former TV executive, wife, and mother of two based in West London. Since early childhood she dreamed of writing stories that readers would fall in love with but put those dreams on hold to focus on her family and her career. She finally plucked up the courage to put pen to paper with her first novel, Fifty Shades of Grey.

Total Blueprint for World Domination turned out to be a self-help book: it’s a guide to ruling your world, not the world. (But I think we can all agree that this BookieMinion shouldn’t rule the planet, so that’s probably for the best.)

Self help books are kind of a nebulous genre, halfway between misery memoirs and the uplifting babble that is Chicken Soup for the Soul. They have a kind of a stigma attached to them, which I think is ridiculous, because I read somewhere that they can be as effective as therapy – and who doesn’t have at least some problems? (I googled and can’t find that reference: does anyone know what I’m talking about?)

I received Total Blueprint as a PDF ebook, and read it in Google Docs because I am not currently on speaking terms with my Kobo ereader. Total Blueprint was formatted fine for screen, and looked like it would print well too. At about a hundred pages, it’s not so long that the screen will strain your eyes.

As self help books go, Total Blueprint sticks pretty close to the formula. The reader is presumed to have a problem; the author explains that this is a very common problem and can be overcome by following the steps X, Y and Z. You can do it!

In Total Blueprint, the reader is presumed to be a teen, with very average teen-issues: motivation and procrastination. The reader is not presumed to have any family issues, issues with relationships, or illness or grief. Things aren’t bad, exactly, but the reader feels like they’re drifting a little. (An aside: I am suddenly wondering why I was assigned this book to review.) Total Blueprint lays out how to find out what your passion is (hint: it’s probably animals or music), and how to make a plan to make that passion the key focus of your life. (Goal: manage a cat band, sell hits on iTunes, retire on the proceeds, spend rest of life watching cat videos. Now let’s figure out how to achieve that goal!)

The actual advice is often pretty vague, but delivered so forcefully and cheerfully that you start to believe it. Having said that, a couple of points were flat-out terrible. These two stood out for me:

- Afraid of rejection? Start seeing every “no” as one step closer to the inevitable “yes” that’s on its way!

- Hate not fitting in? Know that you are special because you don’t fit in!

The first point squicks me out because I was raised to believe that “no means no”. In the context of Total Blueprint, the tip works fine (get a job, teens! If no one wants to hire you, apply more places!). The second point is just really unhelpful to teens. Sure, not fitting in will make you a more awesome adult, but it can also make your teenage years pretty damn terrible. (Also, maybe you can’t get a job because you’re a werido?)

Having just been all mean and picky, I should say that the main thrust of Total Blueprint’s is very sound: make a list, stick to the list.

The tone is that familiar, upbeat one which is common to the genre. Short, punchy sentences! Lots of repetition of key points! Exclamation points! Bulleted lists and pages left blank to write in notes! This is annoying for a while, but it’s a trope of the genre because it works, damn it. Thirty pages into Total Blueprint, I closed my browser, and started working towards the total domination of my world.

So: the Total Blueprint worked on me. If you need to be told in the nicest possible way to get off your butt and do something with your life, Total Blueprint for World Domination is a good a place as any to start.

Use the comment section below to brainstorm some thoughts about self help books. Will you admit to reading them? Do you have a favourite? Do you follow its advice?

Julian Barnes, Nothing to Be Frightened Of for $13 – Dailyread.

or

A Field Guide to Auckland for $14 – Dailyread.

No extra delivery charges – it’s all included in the price.

Tea with Miss Tilly by Justine Payen, illustrated by Philip Webb, Harper Collins NZ, ISBN 9781869509170, RRP $19.99, Available 9 March 2012.

When you take afternoon tea with Miss Tilly, there’s no knowing where you’ll end up …

In a gorgeous picture book, that’s where! Tea with Miss Tilly is a wonderfully illustrated little tale about tea… with Miss Tilly. It’s not just tea though – Miss Tilly and our unnamed narrator embark on travels to Atlantis, Loch Ness, the pyramids and even further afield. Then they come home for Warm Milo and apricot banana chocolate chip cookies.

Yum!

The story is perfect for little kids, not too wordy and not too dorky, and the illustrations are beautiful. Soft and dreamy with lots of detail (like Miss Tilly’s cat who goes on all the adventures too).

Kids will just adore this and parents will be equally delighted.

A History of the World in 100 Objects from the BBC was one the best podcasts I listened to throughout 2010 (they’ve also been broadcast on Radio NZ) and this accompanying book is the perfect version of those shows in book form.

A bit of background: A History of the World in 100 Objects is a different approach to history. Rather than focus on places and times Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, has chosen 100 objects that live in the museum to explore themes of human history – from pre-historic to the present. This approach turned out to be the perfect way to show how everyday lives of people in cultures around the world and throughout time have interconnected and how everything we do, know and think today has been shaped by the people before us.

The objects he’s chosen aren’t the most famous or necessarily the most groundbreaking either (some, such as the Kilwa pot sherds, were actual rubbish during their own time) but they all have something to tell us.

What can I say? It’s simply gorgeous. Every object is photographed in full colour, often with close ups and each chapter is reasonably short – great for dipping into. It works as well as a stand-alone book, as in conjunction with the BBC show (I couldn’t read it without hearing MacGregor’s particular intonation in my head) and it is as beautiful an object in itself as many of the objects within. Follow?

$45 is reasonably pricey but frankly it’s actually damn good value here. You will learn. You will marvel. You will enjoy!

Mark Orams, Blake: Leader for only $16 – Dailyread.

AJ Jacobs, My Experimental Life for only $13 – Dailyread.