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[merlinpublishers]

New Year Challenge

by Paul Grech

I’m not a big fan of setting resolutions at the start of a new year. Apart from the feeling of self-loathing that is the somewhat inevitable outcome of any resolution that is broken, I don’t see why we should wait for the start of a new year to do something that might make us a better version of ourselves.

When it comes to reading, however, it’s different. A few years back I realised that I wasn’t reading as much as I used to. This was partly down to lack of time, but also because I was opting for other sources of entertainment, namely television.

That would not have been much of a problem if most of my viewing wasn’t leaving me rather empty. Don’t get me wrong, there are some brilliant television series being produced at the moment with fascinating plots. Yet, there are also those series that lead nowhere and which I was watching simply out of habit of sitting on the sofa with a remote in hand.

I knew, therefore, that I had to set myself a target.

Which is why I came up with a reading challenge. The first time I did it, I set the bar relatively low: 35 books. This has gradually risen and this year I’m aiming to read 75 books. To keep track I’ve set up an excel worksheet (I AM an accountant after all) where I note down each book I read. I know that there are resources online that do this but I enjoy opening my little sheet to jot down another book read. It also tells me how many books I need to read in order to reach my target; how many I still have to read split down per month; and other lovely bits of information like the months where I was most prolific.

It is great fun. 

Ultimately I want to get to a point where I read at least one hundred books in a year. Yet my challenge is evolving in other ways for it now contains a number of other sub-challenges.

For instance I set myself the target to read at least one book every month that I feel would make me a better person.  This includes books on psychology, economics and history, that are not usually my kind of books.

Also, rather than focus exclusively on sci-fi, fantasy and sports books, I’ve been reading more travel writing and books about music. Last year, for example, I read Andrea Camilleri’s The Shape of Water which is the first in the Inspector Montalbano series. As someone with little love for the detective mystery genre, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I don’t think that it will supplant my existing loves but for sure I will be reading more such books.

Having done this challenge for the past couple of years I can say that I’ve read some great books – indeed some have become among my favourites - which I would have barely glanced at otherwise.

Are you up for it too?

Paul Grech is a father-of-three freelance writer and an all round book lover (with a particular soft spot for sport, fantasy and sci-fi genres).

His latest piece of work is a piece of narrative non-fiction about the life of Mrs Henrietta Chevalier, a Maltese woman who lived through World War II in Rome and risked her life to save that of escaped Prisoners of War.  Read the article here.

[merlinpublishers]

Paul’s Christmas shopping (part 2)

by Paul Grech

You realise that the year is coming to an end because newspapers, magazines, and lifestyle programmes will be happily dishing out lists of “best books of the year" articles. I’m not nearly well read enough to try coming up with such a list but I’m more than happy to share some of the finest books that I’ve read this year.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman is one of my favourite authors thanks to his ability to weave together fantasy, brilliant writing and wry storytelling. A television series based on American Gods is due to come out next year and judging by the cast, it promises to be quite good which is a perfect excuse to make sure that you read this great book to know what lies in store for you.

Mhux Nies by Jean Paul Borg

First off a disclaimer: Jean Paul has been my friend for a long number of years so I’m bound to be biased in his regard. Yet you can tell that a book is going to be good when the first thing you read – in the acknowledgements page – is this: għal ommi u missieri, tawni xkaffa kotba ħafna akbar mit-televixin tagħhom.

Lives Moves Pretty Fast by Hadley Freeman

The subtitle of this book is The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies (and Why We Don't Learn Them from Movies Anymore) and, as someone who grew up watching (and re-watching) VHR tapes of eighties movies, I was always going to fall for this one. Turns out that Freeman is even more of an eighties geek than I am and it comes through in this entertaining, yet extremely enlightening book that looks at what made those films unique and so much fun.

Grasshopper by Aleks Farrugia

They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but they’re definitely wrong in this case because this is a totally gorgeous cover that would be an absolute sin to pass up. Fortunately the writing more than does it justice.

Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders by Dylan Thuras, Ella Morton, and Joshua Foer

Atlases have gone the same way as encyclopaedias with both being made pretty much obsolete with the advent of the internet. This, however, is slightly different because it takes a look at more than 700 of the strangest and most curious places in the world. All the information that it holds can be found on the internet, naturally, but that isn’t as fun as randomly opening a page of this book to read about the story behind some weird piece of architecture.

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

No one does travel writing like Bryson and this is confirmed each time he travels across his adopted homeland of Britain. There is perhaps more of a critical tone in his voice in this book than in others – perhaps a sign of him getting older and more frustrated with people’s inability to stop harming the environment – but it is still a fantastically enjoyable read.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

This is a pretty quick read but also a book that will stay with you long after you finish it. The theme is a pretty wild one as it centres on a World War II veteran, Billy Pilgrim, and his claimed ability to time travel. Hidden below the surface, however, there are a number of much more serious themes like the futility of war, life, love and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

I have to admit that although I was aware of the Italian television series Inspector Montalbano, I had never actually read any of the books before I picked this up. I’m not usually a fan of detective mysteries, still, this might change all that. I don’t know whether it is the Sicilian landscape, the rich characters, the narration or the actual mystery but I loved every page of this book. One of my personal goals for 2017 is completing the full Montalbano book series.

Suq Għax Dalam by Joe Pace

This is another book that portrays the growing maturity of Maltese literature as it starts to deal with difficult subjects – cancer in this case – in increasingly more original ways. An engrossing and entertaining read, despite the subject.

Angels With Dirty Faces by Jonathan Wilson

You didn’t think that I’d do a list like this without mentioning at least one football themed book, did you? I’m actually cheating a bit here because I haven’t actually read this one yet but Jonathan Wilson is an absolute favourite of mine and I’ve yet to read anything of his that isn’t stellar. Pretty sure that his history of Argentinian football will be just as great.

 If you’re looking for a quick read over the Christmas holidays, check out my own e-books Il Re Calcio: ten stories from Italian football (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N1ZAWHM) and Courage: The Heroic Henrietta Chevalier (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3WK2TP).

[merlinpublishers]

Paul’s Christmas shopping (part 1)

by Paul Grech

Christmas is here and with it the need to buy gifts for our loved ones. If you’re a parent like me, this will involve a fair deal of negotiating with your children over Santa’s list.

I always try to encourage them to write down a number of books on the list, books that will stoke  their love for reading. I’ve been doing some research, so as to ease Santa’s job, and I’d like to share them with you:

Il-Kamra ta’ Jonas by Noel Tanti

Ages: 3 - 7

Maltese literature is gloriously rich when it comes to young childrens’ book and this is another wonderful addition. The time has come for Jonas to go to sleep but he doesn’t want to. It is a story familiar to most parents but this one has a delightful, if touching twist.

Il-Qtates ta’ Max-Xatt by Clare Azzopardi

Ages: 3 – 7

This book features Lisa Falzon’s brilliant illustrations and a wonderfully spun story by Clare Azzopardi. The subject is original: what do the stray cats do when the two elderly people who regularly feed them suddenly don’t show up?

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

Ages: 5 - 10

I am not very comfortable that in most traditional stories princesses always need a man to come in and save them. Yet girls (and some boys) love reading about princesses. This is a happy medium because it talks about a princess that definitely does not rely on others to fix things for her.

Welcome to Dead House by RL Stine

Ages: 9 – 12

Books from the Goosebumps series are a staple in our household and they are all well-loved but this is possibly the best one. Two children move into a house that is haunted and find out that it is much more than that. These books are in many ways ideal for reluctant readers since the cliffhanger at the end of each chapter will keep them turning pages and before they know it they will be in the zone that most readers know as the ‘just on more chapter’!

Irvin Vella Investigatur Virtwali: Il-Każ tas-Serqiet Strambi by John A. Bonello

Ages: 9 – 13

I loved the first Irvin Vella book (Il-Każ Manduca) that introduced us to the rather rotund private eye. Even though it is clearly aimed at children I found that the author pulls off a dialogue which is rather witty and realistic in a very engaging plotengaging. This sequel builds on that as the young detective investigates a series of burglaries that target his favourite snack.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

Ages: 9+

This is something of an obvious choice given how much hype there has been around it. Yet it is an enjoyable story that continues to build and enrich the Potter universe. While we’re at it, make sure that your children get to read the whole Harry Potter series - if anything because there’s scientific research that shows that they help improve one’s empathy. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-everyone-should-read-harry-potter/)

Fittixni by Antoinette Borg

Ages: 11+

As a parent of an eleven year old girl (who is growing up way too fast!) I always struggle to find good enough books in Maltese to engage her. Whilst the tween and young adult market is flooded with brilliant books in English and there are plenty of Maltese language books for younger kids, I feel that there is quite a gap in so far as books in our language that talk to adolescents about themes that also engage their growing maturity. Thankfully it is a gap that is being addressed and Antoinette Borg’s excellent debut ties a detective story with grander themes is one such book.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Ages: 12+

A book in the vein of the Hunger Games in so much as it features a world where teenagers have to kill others. It is not as dystopic – all disease has been wiped out – yet it is still as brutal because it features two teenagers who have been apprenticed to a scythe, a professional reaper whose job is to kill people. And as their friendship grows, so does the shadow of the knowledge that whoever is to win between them has to kill the other.

 The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Ages: 13/14+

I’m not one to make prediction but I don’t think that it is foolhardy to forecast that this will be quite a BIG THING very soon. It is a love story but it is told in a very different manner than what is usually done. More significantly it feels very real especially as one of the characters is facing deportation from America.  Read it and then give it to your child because (a) you’ll love it (b) you can gauge whether they are ready to handle the story and (c) you can boast that you read it before it was mega-famous.

Paul Grech is a father-of-three freelance writer and an all round book lover (with a particular soft spot for sport, fantasy and sci-fi genres).

His latest piece of work is a piece of narrative non-fiction about the life of Mrs Henrietta Chevalier, a Maltese woman who lived through World War II in Rome and risked her life to save that of escaped Prisoners of War.  Read the article here.

[merlinpublishers]

Book lovers’ festival

Guest blogger Paul Grech looks forward to this week’s Book Festival

For book lovers, the Malta Book Festival is heaven. So many books and so many other people who love books to talk to; it is easy to lose yourself rummaging, discussing and buying books. Whatever you’re looking for – or even if you’re not looking for anything in particular – you are guaranteed to go away with an amazing serendipity.

The festival is also the space for local publishers to present their key titles to the Maltese book-buying public, so in a sense it is a veritable showcase of new titles.  

That is what ultimately should be at the heart of such a festival: people getting to know about new books, meeting with authors and engaging in discussions about the stories. 

Yet, not everyone thinks of it that way. Many still have a different mindset and their motivation for visiting is to buy books on the cheap.

Perhaps in the past – when bookshops where not so plentiful and book sales were even more uncommon – it made sense. Now however, the internet has changed the game completely and anyone can buy discounted books from specialised websites; there is no longer the need to go to the Book Festival for that. 

As an outsider, I can tell that the organisers are aware of all this. There has been a conscious and visible effort to promote the Malta Book Festival on a number of media outlets. There has also been a shift in the festival structure, so that it is more on the lines of similar festivals overseas, particularly with the increasing presence of foreign authors.

All of this is worthwhile, indeed admirable. Whether it will help to attract more people to the Book Festival, remains to be seen. Does it generate the enthusiasm that is required for people to commute to the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta? I honestly don’t think so – but hopefully I’ll be proved wrong.

Of course, I will be going. What I’m most looking forward to is to see what new books there will be on the market. I’ve had a sneak peek into Merlin Publishers’ new trove, and I cannot wait to flick open the actual pages. I’m sure other publishers will have interesting titles too.

Moreover, I will time my visit to coincide with the workshop on how comics can help storytellers. As a self-confessed geek, the rise in popularity of comics in Malta is incredibly exciting. It is fantastic to see that the complex story-building of comics is being lauded.  

Let’s hope that the myriad of other events being held during this edition of the Malta Book Festival will attract a host of bookworms, as that is what ultimately will determine the festival’s success.

Paul Grech is a father-of-three freelance writer and an all round book lover (with a particular soft spot for sport, fantasy and sci-fi genres).

His latest piece of work is a piece of narrative non-fiction about the life of Mrs Henrietta Chevalier, a Maltese woman who lived through World War II in Rome and risked her life to save that of escaped Prisoners of War.  Read the article here.

[merlinpublishers]

A different kind of magic

Guest blogger Paul Grech is in Potter-heaven. Let’s catch up with him.

Potterheads are in heaven. After five years of waiting, in November, there will be a cinematic return to the world created by JK Rowling. Her Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the booklet detailing the magical creatures in the Harry Potter world published in aid of Comic Relief charity, will be turned into a trilogy of new movies.

Given how little by way of narrative there was in the original booklet, it will be interesting to see how Warner Bros will manage to spin that one. Still, the trailer is quite intriguing and those who have been yearning for some more Harry Potter will love it. The movie won’t feature Potter himself.

For that, fans have a West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child co-written by Rowling herself. However, getting a ticket might require a bit of magic as the show is totally sold out till 2017.

The best bet, therefore, is to get a copy of the script of the play which has been published word-for-word. Despite the unusual format, the script has broken all kinds of book sale records proving that there’s nothing cursed about Rowling’s creation.

On its release, in fact, thousands of people camped outside bookshops or queued up to get their hands on the book at the stroke of midnight. I have to say that am not THAT much of a Potter die-hard and planned on waiting until my to-read pile had shrunk a bit (does it ever?) before I purchase it.

Fate, however, deemed otherwise and a friend’s mistaken order of two copies meant that I was the lucky recipient of the extra copy (thanks Sara!) meaning that I got to read it whilst the hype was still high. And admittedly I enjoyed this book more than I expected. New characters are introduced skilfully and there is a clever plot twist that we don’t really see coming (even though we ought to, as it follows the same patterns of all the previous books).

Yet huge chunks of the story itself are hardy original. For someone like me who watched the first two instalments of the Back to the Future movies back in the 1990s, large parts of the Cursed Child are extremely familiar.

But the popularity of Harry Potter was never down to the stories themselves. Other books with equally interesting plotlines have never enjoyed a similar cult following. Instead, what makes Rowling's books so good is how she goes about the underlying themes of good against evil; of courage and friendship.

Those themes resurface once again in the Cursed Child with the added plus – for me at least – that it includes insights on fatherhood and the difficulties of raising children. It is this challenge which is at the core of this book and the debate is extremely well played out.  There isn't an easy resolution - just as there often isn't in real life - and by the end you get a feeling that things are improving but are not fully resolved.

It was equally satisfying to see Dumbledore's role as Harry's father figure getting criticised – I always felt that the burdened Harry with too much responsibility in the initial storyline. I wouldn't go as far as saying that this is a manual for parents - that would be quite presumptuous - but there certainly are a couple of thought strands that can really set one thinking.

Which is precisely why I love sci-fi and fantasy genres. I meet a lot of people who dismiss these kind of books because they cannot stand their unreal set-up.  But feel they’re missing out! Good fantasy and good sci-fi do not just deal with magic and robots; those are just the pretext for discussing the various foibles of humanity.

That is what made the Harry Potter books so enjoyable and why the Cursed Child, for all its faults, is an equally impactful read.

PS – If you’re still craving magical worlds after the dose of Harry Potter, try out Lev Grossman’s The Magicians or Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. A word of warning, though: neither is meant for a young audience and both need a certain level of maturity.  

Oh, and there’s some brilliant stuff in Maltese too: don’t forget John Bonello’s Il-Logħba tal-Allat trilogy or his lastest Jien, wieħed minnhom, the sequel to Merlin Publishers’ bestselling sci-fi and fantasy novel Fil-Mergħat tal-Impossibbli.

Paul Grech is a father-of-three freelance writer and an all round book lover (with a particular soft spot for sport, fantasy and sci-fi genres). He is also the creator of www.snapshotsofmalta.com

[merlinpublishers]

Book Festival 2013: top-selling authors and titles

It's time for our customary round-up of the Book Fair - this year renamed the Book Festival - with our look at the Merlin top-selling authors and titles.

Top-selling authors:

1. Trevor Żahra (once again, there's no beating Żahra whose extensive and perennially bestselling backlist puts him - comfortably - in the top spot year after year)

2. Clare Azzopardi (now firmly established as the most-loved children's author among the new generations of writers, her De Molizz and Jake Cassar series are hot favourites, not to mention the huge overnight success of her just-published trio of "Nora" picture books)

3. Ġużè Stagno (his What Happens in Brussels Stays in Brussels was the runaway hit of this Festival - see below - but his backlist continues to sell in unrivalled numbers)

Top-selling titles:

1. What Happens in Brussels Stays in Brussels (Stagno's comeback is comfortably in the lead, our shelves having had to be restocked with it daily, crowning it as the undisputed book of the Festival)

2. Fil-Mergħat tal-Impossibbli (John A. Bonello's newest fantasy/sci-fi novel - launched on the stand on Thursday evening - enjoyed a considerable success on its first outing)

3. Nora trio of books (Il-praspar ta' Nora, Nora tagħlaq sninha, Is-sinna ta' Nora, counted as one title for the purposes of this list - Clare Azzopardi's Maltese adaptation were an instant hit, easily making them our bestselling children's titles at the Festival. The free Nora t-shirts were a must-have … until they lasted)

4. L-Aħħar 13 (also debuting at the Festival, Ivan De Battista's first title for Merlin is a dramatic, high-emotions novella that seems to have piqued readers' interest)

5. Is-Sriep Reġgħu Saru Velenużi (a year after its launch, Alex Vella Gera's tome retained its hit status. It's very unusual for a year-old Maltese book to make it into the Top 5; kudos to Sriep and Vella Gera for that)