Julia: Lost Light by Michael Connelly
Harry Bosch has quit the Los Angeles Police Department. He takes a file with him to find out why a young woman was murdered 4 years ago. Julia really enjoyed this book. She also read Cat O' Nine Tales by Jeffrey Archer. Julia loves cats and thought it was very good. It's a collection of short stories. Julia said the drawings were great.
Rosemarie: The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
This is the first book in the Two Rivers series from the author who wrote Vera and Shetland. It is set in North Devon. A new detective, Matthew Venn is introduced. He lacks confidence and is not as strong a character as Vera. He is gay, but married. This brings up issues with the family and church community. There is a murder of a man at the beach. There are secrets in the community. Rosemarie thoroughly enjoyed this book. She also read Silver by Chris Hammer. He is the author of Scrublands. Rosemarie enjoyed this book which is quite long at 550 pages.
Bev: This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
This book is non fiction. It's a series of diary entries of a junior doctor as he progresses through the ranks. It showed all the mistakes that doctors make. It was an easy read. She didn't love or hate it. Although it was just something you read bits of at a time, it was very interesting.
Judy D also read This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. She agreed with Stephen Fry's comment that it was painfully funny.
Tam: Heart of the Dreaming by Di Morrissey
The main character is Queenie. She loved and lived for the family sheep property. Queenie marries a gambler and loses everything. She also has a very jealous brother. Queenie goes to the city and becomes a great real estate agent and makes a lot of money to be able to get the farm back. It was a bit too much. Her character was too perfect and brilliant and a bit unbelievable.
Prue: Resistance by Owen Sheers
This is an alternative history novel by a Fijian/Welsh poet and writer. It is set in the Black Mountains of Wales. It is set in 1944-1945 and Germany has occupied England. There are five villages in the valley and they become isolated. All the men disappear. The women carry on but they refuse to collaborate with the Germans until there is a very bad winter. The characters were beautifully developed and Prue said it was really well done.
Wendy: Field of Poppies by Carmel Bird
This is Carmel Bird's latest book and her 10th novel. It is a mystery. It's very descriptive but a strangely constructed book. Terrible things are happening in the world such as child slavery. William, a doctor and his wife, Marsali decide to escape the city to a (fictional) country town. They are lovable and well meaning but eventually they realise strange things are happening in the country town as well.
Judy A: Bowraville by Dan Box
This is a true story. Between the years 1990 to 1991 three aboriginal children were murdered. No one was ever convicted of the crime. Journalist, Dan Box heard about the case from Dan Jubelin, a homicide detective who worked on it. He was angry and sad at the state of justice in Australia and felt justice was not the same for everyone. It was meticulously researched.
Judy also read Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout. I's the sequel to Olive Kitteridge, the story of a an older crotchety high school Maths teacher in a town in America. Judy loves the Olive Kitteridge books.
Colleen: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
It's a novel about building a Cathedral in the middle ages. The men and women who built it were poor. They slept on floor but they created the most beautiful buildings. Colleen enjoyed it.
Diann: The Daughters of Mars by Tom Keneally
This novel is 589 pages. It's set in 1915. Two sisters joined the war effort as nurses. They share a secret from the dairy farm where they grew up. It gives the female perspective to WW1. It's well researched. Diann said it was a really great novel and it was a very good read.
Judy J: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
This book was published in 2008 and won the Pulitzer prize. It's 13 stories and Olive is the connection between all the stories. It moves throughout her life. It's realistically drawn with an emotional depth and Judy enjoyed this book.
Jo: Deadly Intent by Lynda La Plante
A ruthless drug dealer has disappeared. He has plastic surgery to change his face in Mexico. He is unrecognizable when he returns to England. He tries to put a fatal drug on the market. The female detective Anna Travis is called in to work on the case. Jo said it was brilliant.
Claurene: Me by Elton John
This is Elton John's official autobiography. After 50 pages, Claurene wasn't sure about it but she said it got better. She also read Tall Tales and Wee Stories: The Best of Billy Connolly by Billy Connolly. It's not a biography but a compilation of all the skits he has done. Claurene didn't like it. She said it was not good.
Connie: The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker by Joanna Nell
Evelyn trained as a nurse in England. She sailed from England to Australia in 1953 in the hope of an adventure. She fell in love and married the ship's doctor. As the doctor's wife she lived on board. The story goes ahead to when she is elderly and losing her memory. She loses her husband and walks all over the ship looking for him. It was very amusing as well as very sad in parts. Connie really enjoyed this book.
Joan: The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple.
The author is an historian who lives in India most of the time. This is the story of the relentless rise of the East India Company. It's London, 1599 and auditor and financier Thomas Smythe invests in a trading company seeking fortunes in the spice trade. The Dutch are ahead of the game so they focused on Bengal. In 1765 The East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and forced him to hand Bengal over to the company. The ships and private army of the company were double the size of the British army. The British government made a lot of money from the company. It's hardcore history and Joan said it was so absorbing.
Val: Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori
Each chapter deals with a different tree. The illustrations are beautiful. Val said it was a fascinating book.
Sheila: Sharpe's Company by Bernard Cornwell
Sheila has read the series which consists of 21 books. It is set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The protagonist, Richard Sharpe is working his way up in the English Army. The descriptions are very apt. Although it is historical fiction, Sheila said it was historically accurate. She said it was well worth reading, a great holiday read.
Pamela: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The story starts slowly. It is divided into five sections. The time is 1922 after the bolshevik revolution. It is set in Moscow's Hotel Metropol for most of the story. The main character, Count Alexander Rostov was sentenced to be a former person because he wrote a poem for political change. He has to vacate his rooms in the hotel to live in the attic. It turns into a thriller. Pamela said the writing was beautiful and it was uplifting to read. It was a book she couldn't put down.
Kris: Room for a Stranger by Melanie Cheng
The main character Meg, a 75 year old woman, is living alone with her African grey parrot called Atticus for company. Since her sister Helen died, Meg has been very lonely. She becomes involved in a scheme where a younger person is given accommodation in return for a few duties. Andy
Chan is the Chines second year university student who comes to live with her. He is struggling financially and with his studies. It's beautifully written. The characters are flawed and vulnerable. It's also an insightful look at multicultural Australia. It was thoroughly enjoyable.
Kris
FEBRUARY, 2020: Any title by KATE MORTON
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