Writing a prequel for a book written years ago and NAILING IT

I think that blog title pretty much sums up how I felt about The Adventures of Ben Gunn. Firstly, the man wrote the book because he was a massive fan of Treasure Island and he had all of these unanswered questions (and also his kids kept asking him questions about their favorite bedtime story). So his solution was to write the prequel himself. GENIUS! Secondly, he was able to write it in the same style as Robert Louis Stevenson so it didn't have that awkward feel of an imposter trying to step into the author's shoes. It felt seamless and true. The characterization was spot on and getting the backstory on Gunn and his impressions of Long John, Hands, Bones, Flint, and the rest of the crew made Treasure Island even more special in my opinion. I think RLS would have been proud of this work and I think anyone who is a fan of the classic pirate story and always wondered about the events leading up to Gunn's marooning should read The Adventures of Ben Gunn.

I've had a book on my TRL for ages now and it's finally become available at my library so I snatched it up without hesitation. If I gave you a few bullet points about it could you figure it out?

• It was made into a movie.
• There's a character with the last name 'Darcy'.
• It focuses on a year in a single woman's life.

Any guesses?

If you guessed Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding then you were absolutely correct! Here we go!!

The Mysteries of the Amazon Revealed

The title of this post makes it sound like I'm about to write an expose or an article for a major newspaper. :-P

The Lost City of Z focuses on the mystery of Colonel Percy Fawcett's disappearance in 1925 as well as the myth that there was an ancient civilization which he called 'Z' that was as yet undiscovered in the heart of the Amazon. I've talked before about the rhythm of a story that covers multiple time periods. This book handled the jumps extremely well. Grann covered Fawcett's explorations into the Amazon (prior to his last trip) which made him into a world renowned expert on the area and the Indians that inhabited it. He also discussed the various disastrous rescue attempts that were made. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the entire book (for me at least) was the author's journey researching the man and the myth. For anyone interested in the history of exploration and/or the Amazon this book is a must read. (A/N: I have to admit that the ending fell a bit flat for me after the buildup but this isn't enough for me to dissuade you guys from giving it a go.)

You might remember when I reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Well, my next read is a prequel to Treasure Island entitled The Adventures of Ben Gunn by R.F. Delderfield. Did I just blow your minds? Were you unaware that this even existed? I have a dear friend (and frequent reader of the blog) to thank for sending this my way (literally in this case). This is the story of the man named Ben Gunn in his own words (as written in narrative form by Jim Hawkins) as he explains how he came to become a pirate. I don't know about you guys but I bet this is going to be one doozy of a story. Ahoy, mateys! (You know I had to do it.)

Unaccountably lazy

As the title suggests, I've basically become a blob of goo over the course of the holidays which means I've neglected to update as I should. :-( However, I did finish Treasure Island and it was BRILLIANT. Realizing that a lot of "pirate lore" which I had taken for granted was created in this book was a bit of a shock. Also, discovering that a prequel has since been created has intrigued me mightily and it's already been added to the list of books to read in 2014. (That list is crazy long by the way so I hope you're ready for awesome.) First, I should say that if classic literature isn't your thing then you may not find Treasure Island the treat that I did. Second, if you're a fan of adventure novels (and/or pirates) then you might get swept away by the story itself and forget about the writing style of the time. If you like Pirates of the Caribbean you're going to like this book. Long John Silver will look especially familiar. ;-)

For my next selection I've chosen In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall. When I watched a video about her time with the chimps for my Primatology class in college I was hooked. She is such an inspiration for humanitarians, conservationists, scientists, primatologists, women...the list goes on and on! This book is a detailed summation of her time with the chimps in South Africa's country of Tanzania. It details the trials she faced as a young Englishwoman in a field dominated by men who had absolutely no experience in the field...and yet she made profound discoveries about chimpanzee behavior which irrevocably changed the face of primatology. She is a pioneer and a legend. I look forward to bringing you my review of this extraordinary work in 2014.

I hope you all had a wonderful year and I look forward to reading with you for many more years to come!!

Arrrr Adventures Ahoy!

Once I finished The Hobbit (which was even better the second time around) I realized that I had no idea what I wanted to read next. It's difficult after reading something so magnificent and engrossing to decide which world you want to inhabit next...especially if you've experienced an adventure through Middle Earth. However, I think I've come up with just such a book: Treasure Island. If you're looking for a classic adventure then you can't go wrong with this book. Robert Louis Stevenson, who if you recall wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde knows how to deliver a story that will keep you riveted from the first page. In fact, this book is the definitive pirate's tale and has been used as the basis for all of the pirate's stories that have come afterward. Where do you think Capt. Sparrow got the song "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum"? :-D

Yes, this was a really short entry. I've been under the weather and frankly I can't come up with anything more witty than the title above (which isn't my best work admittedly). I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday (just in case I don't update for New Year's) and that you READ READ READ!!