The Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman

This trilogy is composed of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass. The first book has been made into a movie, which was released in December 2007. I made it through the first two and skimmed the third.

I don't know how anyone can compare this set to Narnia or Harry Potter. I should say up front that I don't have any particular issues with an atheist mindset. Your faith or lack of it is between you and God. I have a number of views which my church would probably not support. And I think banning books is silly - children have more sense than they're given credit for.

My problem is that the books are just so badly plotted. The motivations of the characters are confused, at best, especially Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter. The children appear to believe what they're told, without any critical thought whatsoever. I don't like Lyra, the little liar. And the overall result makes no sense - how is it any better to be required to be happy and cheerful and loving to create more "Dust" than to do it because it makes the world a better place (for whatever reason you might want to do so)?

The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge

I have a confession to make. I adore Georgette Heyer. I am consoled by the fact that I'm in very good company.* So I was absolutely delighted to be able to read her biography (at last) and meet the woman herself, so to speak.

I first read The Convenient Marriage when I was raiding my mother's bookshelves at the age of 13. And then I found there were more! I managed to track down almost all of Ms Heyer's romance/historical books over the years. I even found the four early modern romances that she suppressed, thanks to the wonderful Toronto Public Library network.** But I just couldn't justify the hardcover price for this biography by Jane Aiken Hodge ($65.00 at Borders) when I saw it a few years ago. Luckily for me, Eric and I ran across this delightful (and affordable) paperback version just before Christmas last year. Guess what I found under the Christmas tree?

I think it is a mark of a successful biographer to capture the personality of their subject, instead of merely providing dry dates and events. Jane Aiken Hodge succeeds in doing so, bringing out Ms Heyer's strong character and sense of humour through excerpts from her correspondence and anecdotes from friends and family. It was a true privilege to peek into the daily life of one of the most successful authors who has graced the literary landscape, to hear about her fights with the tax man, her dedication to her work, and her strong principles. (It was particularly fascinating to realise that she was related in some sense to the Pullein-Thompsons, whose books filled my childhood with dreams of hoofbeats.) If you are a fan of Ms Heyer's work, this book is clearly worth your time and effort.

* Names of the guilty are available upon application and payment of the application fee.

** The TPL is a fabulous network with 90 (!) libraries in Toronto, Canada. It also had the Great Roxhythe, which I found quite odious.