TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - 'Are We Nearly There Yet?', Ben Hatch (Summersdale, 2011)

The story of a madcap five-month family trip to write a travel guide—embracing the freedom of the open road with a spirit of discovery and an industrial supply of baby wipes (Synopsis from Goodreads)


A bit of a departure from my current reading habits, this one. I'd noted a fair amount of Twitter buzz surrounding this book, and I'm a sucker for a bit of Twitter buzz (because most of the time, it turns out to be justified). Plus, having two kids that are on the minuscule side myself, I was pretty intrigued by the motivation of a couple who would willingly travel the length and breath of the UK with their offspring over an extended period. I figured a full-frontal lobotomy might occur at some point in the narrative, either that or some bouts of hysteria.

Ok, ok, I exaggerate (slightly). Travelling with kids can, on occasion, be, er, quite pleasant with occasional glimpses of gushing pride at cuteness of offspring, but on the whole, one gargantuan headache.

Ben Hatch and his wife, Dinah, are commisioned to write a guidebook assessing family friendly-hotels and attractions across the country.  Swiftly moving on from each spot, Hatch documents the inevitable disasters, arguments, accidents and humour that you can imagine would stem from the scenario.

This book is EXTREMELY funny. I had preconcieved notion of it being a bit twee but it was anything but. I nearly wet myself twice in mild hysterics (the good kind) - never will I be able to recall my own fond memories of Liverpool without thinking about the 'submarine' in the Albert Dock. Trust me, you will have to be a very cold-hearted curmudgeon not to giggle at this. Kudos to Hatch for his frankness and honesty - nothing, and I repeat NOTHING is glossed over. I'm not quite sure I would like so much graphic detail on the author's bowel movements for every book I pick up, but I can forgive it here, because, again, it made me laugh like a mad-woman.

What is surprising is that the day-to-day goings on are accompanied by a very personal account of Hatch's attempts to come to terms with his father's serious illness. His accounts of his trip are interdispersed with tales of his short visits to  his dad. One side is steeped in humour, the other in sadness but the two never jar and both strands compliment each other perfectly.

Biographies can be a bit hit-and-miss for me. They can often end up being self-indulgent ramblings that mean very little to anyone but the subject. I always like them with a healthy dose of humour and a brisk pace, and this works on both these points.


Even if you don't usually go for travel biographies, I really recommend this one, especially if you have kids. It definitely served to remind me why we only attempt a family holiday, once a year, if that. 


TRAVEL TIPS?


Well, the main here one is never, I repeat, NEVER leave to go on the open road without a mammouth supply of chocolate buttons to use for bribery etc.
Also, another thing I loved about this was that it reminded me how little I have seen of the UK and the colossal amount of cool stuff on my my own doorstep. On the other side of the coin, it did flag up the sheer amount of boring crap to avoid, which is just as useful. And put me off going to the Lake District any time soon.

TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - '13 Little Blue Envelopes', Maureen Johnson (Harper Collins UK EPub Edition, 2010)

When Ginny receives 13 little blue envelopes with instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she's soon on an adventure that will change her in more ways than one. (Synopsis from Goodreads)


I have to admit, this was my first Maureen Johnson. Ok, this isn't strictly true. The woman is a twitter maestro and I have long been addicted to her consistently witty and amusing stream of tweets for a while now. When I decided to commit to a travel themed month, I guess this was the perfect opportunity to give a Maureen classic a whirl.

Right, I really, REALLY wanted to love this, but, for me, I'm afraid it didn't quite hit the mark on a few things. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with dear Ginny. I can completely relate to the shy awkward teenager torn between a desire to come out of her shell and a need to stay cocooned within it. I just felt there was always a barrier between me as the reader and her as the storyteller. Maybe it was the third person narrative, but she really only seemed to come alive for me in the intermittent letters to her friend Miriam, back in New Jersey.

I also had my reservations about Keith. I found his dialogue convincing, and on the whole, I thought he was a valuable and uplifting addition....APART FROM THE FACT HE WAS CALLED KEITH.... KEITH. I'm sorry, but you say Keith, I automatically think Chegwin. Not the image I want conjured up when imagining a romantic lead.

NOT ROMANTIC

Anyway, I digress. I just never really got any chemistry between him and Ginny. I know, opposites attract and all, but I just didn't really get why they were attracted to each other. Just too much of a jarring clash of personalities for me.
And also, for a romantic subplot, it was a bit light on the, well, romance. I got a bit excited when they had a cheeky snog in the graveyard, but then, that was it. Short-changed!

There were too many supporting characters that seemed to drift in and out of the story, having very little impact on Ginny as the protagonist and me as the reader. OK, this is true to life, especially when on the road, but just not what I wanted from a gripping read.

However, the biggest reason why I think I was left feeling a little 'meh' was the fact that I was missing one humongous chunk of back story. For someone with Ginny's personality, surely being left such a task by her aunt would leave her agonising over whether to go, but she just gets the envelopes then up sticks. And what about her parents? She's only seventeen, which, for even those most liberal of 'rents, is a bit of push, but her overprotective mum, is, apparently, quite happy to let her daughter zip across the Atlantic solo with no promise of contact. Really? REALLY?

BUT, it was funny, and the author made great use of her varied location, despite the canvas being a little wide and varied. And what I loved best was the fact that we have a main character who doesn't necessarily get swept away with wanderlust. It's becomes a bit predictable when every book about travel involves someone 'finding themselves'. Ginny, even though she learns some life lessons along the way, is sometimes baffled by her experiences, is homesick, is fed up with her aunt's strange requests (don't even get me started on Aunt Peg, or I'll be here for hours...*shakes fist*) and this made me love her a little bit more. It was refreshing to have her dig her heels in and do things her own way occasionally.

I will say that I want to read the sequel. Am I right on this one? Is it better? Worse? I don't like leaving a story unfinished, I just hope the conclusion is a satisfying one.

TRAVEL TIPS?

Like I said before, Maureen Johnson uses the locations well. I've always wanted to go to Paris, and reading this just made me wonder why I've I still haven't been. Also, I really, really, really, want to go to Copenhagen. Right now. I want to live on a boat surrounded by folk art, sipping my coffee and nibbling on a Danish pastry. However, I fear I may not be trendy enough for such a lifestyle. Oh well, a girl can dream...

TRAVELLING TALES MONTH STARTS HERE!

Yes, I'm cutting it a bit fine here peeps...

I now declare April to be Travelling Tales Month at Anna Scott Jots!

So, I usually blog about YA. Well, this isn't going to change TOO much this month. I'll have a fair sprinkling of travel-themed YA reviews to keep you YA loving folk happy. But, sticking to just this mini-genre does seem to be limiting myself somewhat, and not really in the spirit of the whole TRAVELLING, CROSSING BORDERS, EXPANDING HORIZONS thing I've got going on here. Sooooooo, I'm going to be reviewing some travel biographies, some good old fashioned travel fiction, some old classics, basically, anything that I can link to the words TRAVEL and BOOK that isn't a Lonely Planet guide, might well be here.

In addition to some soul-enriching book reviews, I'll be throwing in some guest posts (oooh, 'citing!) and some little posts by me about my travel experiences and how they've had a bit of influence on myself. I promise I won't bore you senseless. Oh, and I may throw in a few literary-themed travel guides too. From Brighton to Bangkok and beyond...

So why a month about travel? Well, it was originally supposed to be in February - my idea was to liven up a traditionally rather gloomy period of the year (well, if you're in the northern hemisphere, anyway), but, well, I'm a bit disorganised (SHOCKER), and I've had to postpone it for several months to coincide with the not-so-gloomy month of April. Oh well.

So dig out your backpack, strap on that fetching money belt and try and to unsuccessfully blend in with the locals. And if in doubt, follow that group of Swedish exchange students who look like they know where they're going...

Oh, and it's my first theme month, so be nice!

My YA Confessions #1 - I've never read The Hunger Games

Yes, contain that shriek. I'm afraid it's time to 'fess up folks. With all the pandemonium surrounding the film everywhere I turn, I feel it is necessary to admit that I, Anna Scott, have never read The Hunger Games. Phew, I feel much better now. *wipes brow*

Yes, I'm sure there are many YA must-reads out there that many of us have never gotten around to picking up. Actually, I've just thought of ANOTHER major series that I haven't read that I won't mention here (although I have no desire to read the unmentionable one, as opposed to the overwhelming desire I have to read The Hunger Games).

Well the question I'm pondering now is WHEN to read it. Many a film viewing experience has been tarnished for me by reading the book beforehand. Sometimes it's the natural course of things (Harry Potter), but with the case of Submarine, the reading of the excellent source material did just slightly ruin my watching of the really-rather-good-but-nowhere-near-as-great-as-the-book adaptation.

Chances are I'm not going to get to see Hunger Games on the big screen (children, time, children blah blah blah), so I have a bit of time before a potential viewing opportunity materialises.

So, what do you reckon, read first or watch first?

Also, I'm think of making My YA Confessions a regular feature, as I find I have much I want to confess. Why not join me? You know you want to...

REVIEW - 'The Lover's Dictionary', David Levithan (Fourth Estate, 2011)

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time. (Synopsis from Goodreads)


I love a new storytelling device. As long as it works, mind. As long as it actually succeeds in telling the story effectively and is not just used so a writer can show off - 'LOOK AT MY TOP WRITING SKILLS, FOLKS. AMAZE'. And thankfully, this book falls into the former catagory. 'A love story in 185 definitions'. Well, that's it really, in a nutshell.


This is a quick read. Most of you should be able to breeze through this in a few hours - most pages only contain one short paragraph, some only one sentence. (For a number of reasons, my reading is moving at a bit of a snail's pace at the moment, but I am the exception, I think). There are some downsides to this method - for every profound entry, there is one that comes across as an obvious filler. Yes, all books have sections that meander somewhat, but when an author has opted for such a sparse technique, every word, every sentence is exposed, ripe for analysis and this makes the little faults here and there all the more obvious.


But when he gets it right, my word does he GET IT RIGHT. I have a tendency, like many, to dog-ear pages with my favourite quotes etc. on them. Well, I pity the poor bugger who gets my mangled copy of this library book once I have handed it in with my head hanging sheepishly low. I swear at one point, for about ten pages in a row, there were countless moments of genius.


Our apartment didn't have any good doors to slam. If you wanted to slam a door, you would either end up in the hallway or trapped in the bathroom. Those were the only options.


This book confused me a lot. I wasn't too sure how we' re supposed to feel about the 'lovers'. Is this the picture of a obviously doomed love affair? Or is this just holding a mirror up to every relationship and we're all teetering on the brink most of the time? And maybe that's the point. Love is a messy business. End of. 


This book got me a-pondering. Which is always the sign of a great book. When I started writing this review, I thought I didn't have a huge amount to say about it. But what the hell do I know?

Writing Workshops That Work For Me

I came to this creative writing business/madness quite late in the day. I never really had the confidence to put pen to paper, fingertip to keyboard until I hit thirty and had a proper good old think about want I wanted to achieve with the rest of my days. I had that image of me as a bitter old granny spitting out regret about what I could have done if I'd had the gumption. I then I realised it didn't matter if I failed, I just didn't want to be the bitter old trout that never tried in the first place.

Anyway, I digress slightly. When I started exploring the old childhood writing dream, it occurred to me on more than one occasion that I would love to complete an MA in Creative Writing. It also occurred to me on just as many occasions that I neither had the money or the time to set aside to undertake such an enormous task. I was aware I needed help and guidance but not quite sure where else to look for it.

When searching online for creative writing courses, many struck me as being a bit on the pricey side. If I had the dosh, I would be more than happy to fork our the funds for a post-graduate qualification, but $600 for a six week online beginners course with minimal contact from anybody who had the slightest inkling about what they're harping on about? *muffled cough* RIP OFF!

So, more searching required then...

At the time I was living in sunny Brisbane, Australia. After wasting a lot of time on the internet, I stumbled across a magnificent organisation right on my doorstep (or a short bus ride away). The Queensland Writers Centre helps develop and connect writers across the state. It is also the publisher of The Australian Writers' Marketplace (similar to The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook), so is therefore rather fantastic and brilliant and vital. I attended a number of courses here - they were all excellent and informative, and very importantly, from my perspective, bloody good value for money (ie. much cheaper than rip-off central mentioned above). An example of the quality of advice on offer - I attended a young adult workshop run by YA queen, Melina Marchetta. There you go.

When moving back to the UK, I searched for a similar organisation in London and found Spread The Word.  They provide workshops, networking and mentoring for writers of all levels, schools and community groups. I attended my first workshop them last week, a day focusing on first novels, run by newly-published author, the excellent Katy Darby. It was a mine of useful information and thoroughly entertaining. And, rather amazingly, it only cost me £20. And even more amazingly, it offers subsidies to those on lower incomes or benefits.

It is so wonderful to find these places that aim to provide access to expert tuition to everybody. Maybe one day I'll undertake that MA. But it's reassuring to know that support and encouragement is there, even if I don't.

Does anyone else know of any similar groups or organisations? I know there are other fantastic Australian ones in different states, but I would be interested to find other UK-based ones. Let me know below...it might be interesting to start up a database of good-value for money writing courses out there...

REVIEW - 'Swim The Fly', Don Calame (Templar, 2011)

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Can I just say, before I begin, if you're not a fan of American Pie, The Inbetweeners, toilet humour and knob jokes, then maybe this book might not be for you. If, like me, you're a big appreciator of all of the above, then I'm pretty sure that you'll get many a chuckle from Swim The Fly.

This is a book that boys will probably love. I say probably because I have never been a teenage boy, but it's a pretty safe assumption. The American Pie comparison tells you most of what you need to know about this  - it doesn't cut as close to the bone as this film, but the central premise, protagonist and comedy are very similar, and they both share very funny set pieces about loose bowels. I won't go into further detail.

What I loved the most about this was the glorious prose - so natural and with such a ring of truth about it. The whole effect is so effortless, which probably indicates the exact opposite - it takes a supreme skill to be able to pull off prose this good. Since I've started to read YA on a regular basis, I've come across so many stories where the author has attempted to find a convincing teenage voice, but has, instead managed to create something forced and slightly cringy. These characters bounce off each other and create snappy exchanges. The relationships here are just spot on  - 

'Sometimes I hate my brother. Like real, deep down, wish-I-could-beat-the-snot-out-of-him hate. It'll pass. It always does. He'll do something out-of-the-blue nice and all will be forgiven. But right now I want to push him down the stairs.'

Now, anyone who has a sibling can testify to the fact that this IS FACT. The man is a genius.

A key part to my enjoyment of this was Matt. He's a great narrator - likable, self-depricating, shy, funny, a bit of a doofus. Something there that most can identify with. Most of the (male) supporting characters are just as well-developed and believable. However, the two main female characters, object-of-affection, Kelly and her best friend, Valerie are a touch one-dimensional. Valerie is just, well, nice. And that's about it. There was never enough there for me to decide whether I liked her or not. Matt's Grandpa had to be my favourite though. Think George Constanza's Dad from Seinfeld. Pure comedy.

A couple of things stopped me from completely adoring this - maybe because so much of the prose had an authentic ring to it, many of the slightly contrived set-pieces stuck out for the wrong reasons - would three boys really think they could get away with cross-dressing to get into a girls changing room? Would this idea even occur to them? Again, I've never been a teenage boy, so I could be wrong.

Also, it could have done with being a bit shorter. The pace that was set in the first few chapters started to drag in the final third and once it was clear where Matt's story was going, the plot seemed to just drift towards it's natural conclusion with slightly less spark than it started out with.

Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this. But only if the phrase 'that's what she said' makes you chortle.