January, 2020 - Books we read over the festive season

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







 

 

December 2019: The Best Book You Read This Year!

Kris: The Library Book by Susan Orlean

In 1986 a fire destroyed much of the Los Angeles Public Library. While it was never proved by whom or why the fire was lit, this book explores, through little snippets, the importance of the Library to the community and the many roles it plays. While not a riveting book, it certainly was a ‘lovely read’.

                          

Rosemary: Dignity by Alys Conran

This is the 2^nd novel by this young Welsh writer and it covers both the 20^th century in India at the time of the Raj, and a modern day 21^st century UK town. It sways beautifully between the two, and you have no trouble determining which era you are currently in.

Joan:

To bring an element of coolness to the heat of this summer, Joan shared a poem, The Cremation of Stan McGee, written by Robert M Service.  It was published in 1907 and concerns the cremation of a prospector who freezes to death in Yukon, Canada, as told by the man who cremates him.

Bev: Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Anthony Peardew is the ‘keeper of lost things’. Forty years ago he lost a keepsake of his fiancé, who unexpectedly died later that day. So he began collecting lost things, taking them home and cataloguing them. He had so many he had to get an assistant, Laura. When he died, she has to carry out his last wish, to reunite these objects with their owners. Bev described it as a sweet story.

Jo: Owl be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

This is the 26^th book in the Meg Langslow series, a lighthearted murder mystery set around Christmas. In a snow storm people are worried about getting home in time!

Wendy L: The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

The story concerns three older women who have been friends for 40 years. A fourth member has just died so they go to her beach house to clean it out to get it ready for sale. They explore their friendships, some bubbling tensions arise and secrets are revealed. Beautiful characters in a terrific book.

Lesley: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood

Having seen the TV series, Lesley thought she should read the book. She thought the book was good but glad she had seen the series. She was particularly interested in the notes at the end. Reflecting on these, the comment was that you can’t judge on what has happened in the past.

Connie: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

From the first page she enjoyed it! Jean Perdu buys a barge on the Seine and turns it into a bookshop. As he takes it down the river he advises people what to read to sort out their problems. He meets so many interesting people, and sorts them all out, except himself.

Judy J: The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee

This is her story of growing up in North Korea, a secretive and brutal totalitarian regime. Eager to see what life was like in China, she crosses the border at night. The true story of her survival, not only in China, but eventually in South Korea, is remarkable. It was twelve years before she was able to meet her family again and help them escape to join her.

Julia: Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham

The author has a new protagonist in Cyrus Haven, also a criminal psychologist. Evie Cormac is a girl without a past, found in a secret room after a shocking crime. Julia liked the way the book is written, with one chapter told by Evie, the next by Cyrus. Michael Robothan is recognized as great crime writer.

Ed: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens                

Kya is a young girl who lives in an old shack in the marshes in North Carolina. She is left to look after herself but also learns so much about the gulls and other creatures in the area. Eventually this knowledge changes her life. A very heartwarming story of resilience, survival, hope, love and much more.

Prue: The Digger’s Rest Hotel by Geoffrey McGeachin

This is the first of three ‘Charlie Berlin’ crime novels and won the Ned Kelly award for best fiction in 2011. Charlie Berlin is a Melbourne police detective who served as a WW11 pilot, was shot down and did time as a POW. On his return to the police force he didn’t quite ‘fit in’ so was sent to Wodonga to solve a series of crimes. Prue enjoyed it so much, she is in the process of finishing the remaining books in the series.

Diann: Cesha’s Story by Cesha Glazer

Cesha Glazer’s story is remarkable. Born near Warsaw, Cesha was a blonde young woman who was easily able to pass as a Christian.  She spoke Polish with no trace of an accent.  This, combined with her ingenuity and ability to retain her composure, even in the face of extreme danger, enables her to act as a courier from the Warsaw Ghetto and later to live ‘in plain sight’ in Warsaw. Cesha’s Story is a devastating picture of life in wartime Poland.  But it also shows how individuals were able to rebuild their lives in Australia and to find meaning in their survival by telling their stories in the hope of ensuring that no such horror occurs again.

Charis: Pacifica by Kirsten Simmons

Set in the future when the ice has melted and plastics in the ocean have formed an island. The world is divided into two groups at war with each other, and one of these groups live on the ‘plastic island’.

In this dystopian world, everything we haven't done to save the environment has taken its toll. Global warming went to an extreme; all the icebergs in the world melted; miles and miles of rubbish make the seas almost inhabitable!

Claurene:  Rather his Own Man by Geoffrey Robertson

This is the second part of his memoir, and is absolutely a fun, fascinating, very witty and poignant memoir. Good fun to read and a fantastic book.

Tam: The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

The book has a very different format – in 1958 a young couple meet after she fell off her bike. Three different versions of what could have happened are told. The same people make different decisions in each part. Tam found it quite interesting.

Pat: The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama

Pat found it a really interesting and different book.

Most people associate happiness with things, but it has to come from within you, not material things.

Sheila: The House on the Hill by Susan Duncan

This is the third book of her memoirs. She is at the age where she has decided there is no point sweating on long term ramifications; there aren’t any. She is aging gracefully, building a house, grappling with floods and droughts and sorting out things from her family’s past.

Sheila thought the first two books were better though.

Pamela: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Its not an easy read, with four stories that happen to members of the Compson family, in one day but in different years. Everyone is complicated and with a different point of view. Published in 1929, it was the author’s fourth novel.

January 2020  ~  ‘Santa Sack’

At our first Book Club meeting for the year, we will share books we have received for Christmas and/or read over this holiday period.

NOVEMBER, 2019 -- VARIOUS TITLES BY PETER TEMPLE

PETER TEMPLE was an Australian crime fiction writer, mainly know for his Jack Irish novel series.  He has won many awards.  He was born in South Africa in 1946. He left South Africa because of Apartheid. He moved to Sydney, Australia in 1980 and in 1982 to Melbourne to become the founding editor of Australian Society magazine.  He turned to fiction writing in 1990. He wrote the Jack Irish series and three stand alone novels, An Iron Rose, Shooting Star and In the Evil Day, as well as Broken Shore and it's semi sequel Truth.
It was a very lively and interesting discussion today.

 BAD DEBTS

JUDY J:   This is the first book in the Jack Irish series.  Judy felt it helped to have seen the television series.  The story is set in Melbourne.  It is very Victorian with AFL references and Fitzroy references.  It's a complicated story with lots of things happening.  I probably wouldn't read another one.

ED: She found it quite OK and enjoyed reading this book. 

PRUE:  Once she got into the story, Prue could not put it down. It moved quite seamlessly from one part to the other. It painted Melbourne very well.  It was a bit dark, violent and corrupt but it was how it was at the time.  There were bits of subtle humour.  It was typically Australian.

BLACK TIDE

CLAURENE:  This is the second book in the Jack Irish series. It was interesting.  It gives you information about lots of different things.  The author introduces characters with a few words.  Claurene enjoyed the way he writes.

CHARIS:  She couldn't understand and follow the dialogue and the way he portrayed Melburnians.  When Charis got further in to it she decided to give up.  She didn't enjoy Peter Temple. 

JUDY D:  Judy felt the same as Charis.  She couldn't understand a lot of it but said it was OK.  She normally likes crime thrillers.

DEAD POINT

LESLEY:  This is the third book in the Jack Irish series.  Jack has a messy life and he is unlucky in love.  There are good descriptions of the Melbourne weather and the cafe life.  This story is about a missing person.  It's written in the first person and Lesley found it  hard to follow.  The sentences were complicated.  There are a lot of peripheral characters and Lesley found it confusing and unsatisfactory.

WHITE DOG

ROSEMARY:  She tried but couldn't get into it.

BEV:  Bev said it took a long time to work out who was who.  Half way through a woman got killed in an explosion.  She finished reading it but had no desire to read anymore Peter Temple.

SHEILA:  She loathed it and only read one chapter.

COLLEEN:  She tried a couple of times to get into it but didn't like the the story.

KRIS:  It took a while to get into the story but I had watched a few episodes of Jack Irish and enjoyed it.  The pace was good although some parts were confusing.  I quite enjoyed it until about page 289 when Jack got further into trying to uncover information about two deaths and cover ups and more characters were introduced.  I got fed up with the constant really bad language and I found the exploitation of teenage girls was too depressing so I didn't read anymore.
 

THE BROKEN SHORE (2005)

CONNIE:  Connie said she persevered and read it all.  She thought it would be different.  If there was not so much bad language the book wouldn't have been half as long.  It was set on the south coast of Victoria.  The descriptions were good but she did not like this book.

JOAN:  Joe Cashin, a homicide detective is haunted by his last case.  He has fled Melbourne for the south coast of Victoria while his wounds heal.   In a little country town, a local man is brutally murdered.   Joe has decided to live in this little country town and you get the story of the local man being part of a paedophilia ring.  Joan had nightmares from the story.

JUDY A:  Joe  Cashin's partner was killed in a car accident.  Judy liked the book and said she really likes Peter Temple's writing.

DIANN:  Diann said she really liked it and understood why the detective wanted a new life.  This novel is a whodunit.  It brings in race relations and politics.  It shows a relationship between a man and his dog.  It is an easy flow story. 

TRUTH (2009)
JO:  There were too many different plots and the language was shocking.  The language spoiled it for Jo. She doesn't want to read anymore of Peter Temple books.

PAMELA:   This is the sequel to Broken Shore.  There are unresolved problems in Truth that would have been resolved in the next book.  The setting is Melbourne with a bushfire raging.   The story is about trying to get justice and how difficult it can be and also the elusiveness of trying to find the truth of things. The main character, Steve is a Police Inspector  and a good man who unwittingly gets compromised in a murder and taking money.  It is a difficult book.  There are large groups of people.  The writing is exact, no padding, spare and there is a lot of humour.  Pamela thinks it is a brilliant book but it requires very careful reading.

ANNE:  Inspector Steve Villani is the head of Homicide.  The setting is the Black Saturday Fires in 2009.  Steve has three main cases.  One is a murdered young woman in a penthouse apartment, three men savagely murdered and tortured and a drug dealer corrupting his daughter.  The writing is really good and Anne described it as taut.  There is a lot of sardonic humour.  It is one of her favourite books.

 IRON ROSE

 WENDY:  The story is about an ex Federal cop in a regional community.  Wendy really enjoyed it.  She said it was really well paced with short and pared down dialogue.  It has dry humour. and the author has a sharp eye for detail.  It kept you reading.

 THE RED HAND

PAT B:  This is a book of short stories.  Pat didn't really enjoy his writing but found it interesting that he didn't start writing until he was 50 years old.



Our book for December is the best book we have read this year, excluding any from this year's Bookclub list.

Our book for January will be one we have read over the festive season.

 
 Don't forget our Bookclub meeting will be on the 12th December.  Please bring a wrapped gift of a book you don't want anymore.
Also, please bring your own morning tea as we will be having our celebratory lunch after the meeting at Cornerstone Cafe.
It's your chance to wear something festive.



 Kris






 

OCTOBER ~ Books with the theme of Seafaring

Pamela: The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García Márquez

In 1955 a destroyer left Alabama (USA) heading for Cartagena (Columbia). During a storm 8 sailors were washed overboard. Only 1 survived by floating on a small raft, but without food and water, and eventually swimming 2 km to shore. It was an amazing story of survival, but clouded in controversy regarding the purpose of the ship’s journey, and whether there really was a storm.

Judy De La: Odessa Sea by Clive Cussler

While looking for the wreck of a lost Ottoman Empire ship, Dirk Pitt finds himself in many other emergencies and incidents and dangerous situations.

Described by Judy as a good adventure story, a typical Clive Cussler book.

Jo: The Scavengers by Bill Knox (Webb Carrick Murder Mystery)

When the body of a missing diver is found caught up in fishing nets, The Scottish Coast Guard is called in. Complications occur when his death is linked to the local nuclear power station.

A good story, in fact Jo has read the whole series!

Claurene: Sharks, the Sea and Me by Rodney Fox

This was a terrific book. In the summer of 1963, Rodney Fox survived a brutal shark attack off the coast of South Australia. He was not expected to live.

He returned to the sea making a living as an abalone fisherman, he built the first shark cage, and became involved in films including Jaws.

Claurene really enjoyed the book, there were so many stories!

Connie: Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Connie read a modern edition of the story as she hadn’t read it before.

Written in 1851, it is the story of Ahab, who is now captain of the whaling ship Pequod. He is seeking revenge on the giant white sperm whale named Moby Dick, that on a previous voyage had bitten his leg off. There are storms, fights and plenty of exciting adventures.

Joan: The Catalpa Rescue by Peter FitzSimmons

Joan described this as a fabulous and true story of a daring plan, in 1869, to free six Irish political prisoners from the Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. It not only told of the escape of the prisoners on a boat disguised as a whaler, but included much information about Irish struggles and the back stories of those involved in the rescue. A great story, Joan loved the topic.

Judy J: The Batavia by Peter FitzSimmons

The Batavia was the flag ship of the Dutch East Indies Company built to trade in the very lucrative spice trade. In 1629 on its maiden voyage it ran aground on a reef off the coast of Western Australia.

While the captain and a number of crew set out in the longboat seeking help, the survivors were left on nearby islands with no enough supplies for all of them survive. A reign of terror began, murder, rape, mayhem and mutiny, and mixed in with incredible tales of survival and bravery.

He is a great story teller!

Val I: Lands Beyond the Sea by Tamara McKinley (Ocean Trilogy #1)

The book tells the story of of the early days of the first settlement. Those who survived the dreadful conditions on the boats were then faced with the harsh reality and rough conditions of life in the colonies. Val found it spell-binding and couldn’t put it down. The descriptions of the development of Parramatta and the Hawkesbury were of particular interest.

Colleen: Titanic

On April 14^th 1912, after 4 days at sea, the Titanic sank having hit an iceberg drifting in the south Atlantic. There were lifeboats for less than half the passengers and crew, and no ship responded to their distress signals. Eventually at 7am the next morning the first rescue boats arrived. 705 people survived, while 1523 were lost making it the greatest maritime disaster.

Pat B: Under Full Sail by Rob Mundle

This book tells the story of how the majestic clipper ships shaped Australia by bringing thousands of migrants to our shores. Pat described these stories as fascinating, quirky and very interesting.

Judy A: In the Kingdom of the Ice by Hampton Sides

At the end of the 18^th century, people were obsessed with getting to the North Pole. Some believed there could be a passage through the Pacific and into the Barring Straits. A journey was financed by the wealthy owner of the New York Herald. Two years into the voyage the ship was trapped in ice and eventually sank. The men found themselves a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies

Judy described it as a really engrossing read.

Charis: Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brien (20 novels in the Aubrey-Maturin series)

Jack Aubrey takes control of a ship as the new master. He not only has to deal with the battles in the Napoleonic Wars but his relationship with others on board.

Claris enjoyed the great descriptions of life on board; it was an engaging book but the detail was overwhelming at times.

Wendy also read it, loved it and couldn’t put it down. She thought the characters were very well drawn. “Jane Austen on a warship.”

She also read The Secret Life of James Cook by Graham Ley. This she found very dry in comparison.

Diann: Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Published in 1897, it is the story of a spoilt young boy, who having been kicked out of school is taken to America by his father. When he falls overboard and is picked up by the crew of a fishing boat, his many adventures teach him what life is really about.

Diann thought it a good mentor story for young people.

Pat: Hell Ship by Michael Veitch

The author is the great-great-grandson of the surgeon on the Ticonderoga, a clipper ship which sailed for Australia from Liverpool in 1852. The conditions on board were hellish, with poor ventilation and overcrowding.

By the time the ship reached Port Philip, a quarter of the passengers were dead, many more were ill and the ship was placed in quarantine because a deadly typhus had broken out.

Pat described it as interesting, but not a good read.

Val: Treasure Island by Robert L Stevenson

The book evolved from a treasure map the author had drawn for his son. It has all the ingredients of a good book for boys: a boy hero, pirates, and one incident after another.

She thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tam: The Jason Voyage by Tim Severin

According to Greek mythology, in the 13^th century Jason and his Argonauts set out to find the golden fleece.

In 1985 the author and a specially picked crew set out to row the route and prove that it was possible to do it. While it wasn’t an easy read, following the map was very good and interesting.

Bev: The Devil Flotilla by Edwyn Gray (Nick Hamilton series #2)

During World War 2, the submarine captain is chosen to take on a very dangerous rescue of allied soldiers from the beaches.

He continues on many more of these missions with great success.

Lesley: Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss and Survival at Sea by Tami Oldham Ashcraft

A young couple are sailing a luxury yacht from Tahiti to San Diego. Two weeks into the voyage they are unable to avoid a huge hurricane. When it finally passes, the woman finds herself alone on the boat and in a terrible circumstance. It takes her 41 days to sail back to Hawaii, alone on the boat and with no motor or mast.

The inner strength she showed was quite remarkable. A true story!

Rosemary: Bailey Boat Cat

Bailey lives on board a yacht and observes how humans do what they should do on board. Very amusing.

Kris: A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols

In 1968, nine sailors set off in a race to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe, non-stop. This had never been done before.

Ten months later, only one man would cross the finish line and find fame and fortune.

For the others, it was death, madness and failure.

Kris described the book as riveting: the characters were so interesting, a combination of braveness and madness. But they all had one thing in common, the need to win. It was a great read!

Julia: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe

It was an amazing story, especially when you remember that is a true story and the characters are real.

DECEMBER ~ The best book you've read this year (but not from Book Club)

SEPTEMBER: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

ROSEMARY: Cadence, Travels with Music: - A memoir by Emma Ayres

Emma has told her story of growing up in a broken home in London, and her developing love of music. In 2000 she cycled from England to Hong Kong with her viola, Aurelia strapped to her back. She structures her memoir around musical keys, and writes of her own musical adventures and loves. She meets an amazing range of people, she avoids danger in many risky situations, and she gives impromptu concerts along the roadway to a variety of individuals.

Rosemary found it a very interesting book, although she thought some of the musical references to be too complicated and tedious. She is looking forward to reading the follow-up book.

BEV: Open by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi is today recognized as a very successful tennis player, winning 4 Grand Slams. But he says he hated tennis and describes his career as like 30 years in prison.

His father was determined that he would succeed, and was brutal in his training and expectations. As a teenager, Andre would rebel, fighting, drinking and way-out clothes and hair.

He is now married to former tennis player, Stephi Graff and they both devote much of their time to helping underprivileged children.

An interesting story, but it did get bogged down in results of matches and statistics.

CLAURENE: Able: Gold Medals, Grand Slams and Smashing Glass Ceilings by Dylan Alcott

Dylan is an amazing young man who is currently known as a Wheelchair Tennis Champ. But he previously represented Australia in the Para Olympics in Wheelchair Basketball. He now has great exposure on TV, is a motivational speaker and the recipient of many awards.

JULIA: Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life by Michael Caine

The title comes from one of his best known movies, The Italian Job. The book is full of quotes, anecdotes about meeting interesting and famous people.

Julia loved it and thought it great fun to read.

JUDY J: Jack Charles: A Born Again Blakfella by Jack Charles

Jack Charles has worn many hats throughout his life – actor, cat burglar, musician, heroin addict, drunk, Indigenous activist, potter, a gay man, Senior Victorian of the Year and most proudly, Aboriginal Elder. Much of this is the huge price he paid for being part of the Stolen Generation.

His book tells many of these sad, amusing, embarrassing, and shameful moments of his life and were elaborated on in his recent visit to the Hawkesbury Library.

JUDY De la T: Breaking Bad: How I Worried Myself Sick by Georgie Dent

The author was a top law student who began her career at a prestigious law firm. Within a year she had suffered a crippling nervous breakdown. Judy didn’t find the story uplifting and her impression of the author was as a ‘pampered princess"

VAL A: Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic

The story of another tennis player who was abused mentally and physically by their father. The family had emigrated from Serbia, and it is unbelievable how Jelena’s father treated her. In the book she seems bitter that people knew what was going on (bruises etc) but did nothing about it.

JO: Stationary Ark by Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell is the author of many books about animals. This one tells how he set up a zoo on the Isle of Jersey as a model for a more humane way of treating animals. Unfortunately, the book was very dry and did not contain the humour of his previous ones.

PAT: Born to Run by Cathy Freeman

Cathy was born in far north Queensland and grew up to become the fastest 400m runner in the world.

Her stepfather, who was white, was a great influence on her life and always encouraging to achieve her goals.

An interesting read.

KRIS: Lucky Man, A Memoir by Michael J Fox

Michael J Fox was a successful actor in the 1980s, but in 1998 he stunned the world by announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

The book tells of his childhood and early success as an actor. He also explains that as an actor he had lived a very self indulgent life style. Since his diagnosis he has been forced to change this around to cope with and accept his condition. Hence the title, A Lucky Man.

He now devotes much of his time to raising money for research into the disease.

A very interesting book.

CLAURENE: Ian Frazer: The Man Who Saved a Million Lives by Madonna King

Ian Frazer is a Scottish born immunologist, who along with his co-worker Jian Zou developed and patented the basic technology behind the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer Unfortunately, there was a delay of many years before they could begin producing the vaccine as a claim to its discovery was disputed by American scientists!

JUDY de La T: Carry a Big Stick by Tim Ferguson.

Tim Ferguson was a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars, telling his life story including his diagnosis of MS.

The Unexpected Adventures of Martin Freeman by Neil Daniels

A good actor but a boring book!

PAMELA: BORN TO BE POSTHUMOUS the Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery

Pamela thought it a stupid title, Gorey was very eccentric but achieved a great many things in life. He wrote over 100 books and was a successful illustrator for authors such as T S Elliot, Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll.

CONNIE: My Life by David Jason

His early childhood during war time was spent playing among the bombed out sites in London. Connie enjoyed this part as she had recollections of this as well.

He always wanted to be an actor, but trained as an electrician. While working at this, he became involved in amateur plays which eventually led to professional work. Ronnie Corbett, his great friend and mentor pushed him all the way.

He’s had a good life: happy marriage and family, a successful career.

VAL: How Shall I Tell the Dog? by Miles Kington

Miles Kington was a humorist, who when dying of caner, wrote letters to his friends proposing absurd ideas for books he might write about his illness. It is not an easy read. Val finished it, but still doesn’t know whether he told the dog.

JUDY A: Eggshells Skulls by Bri Lee

Bri completed a law degree and began working as a judge’s associate in the Brisbane District Circuit Court, hearing endless sexual abuse and assault cases. It’s during this time that Bri’s memories are triggered and she remembers an incidence that occurred when she was only primary school aged. This eventually led to her leaving the law and a two-year battle to bring this person to account. A gripping but moving book.

CHARIS: Walking Free by Munjed Al Muderis

In 1999, Munjed Al Muderis was a young surgeon working in Baghdad at the time of the rule of Saddam Hussein. When military police marched into the operating theatre and ordered the doctors to cut the ears off prisoners, the head of the surgical team refused and was shot. Munjed hid, ran away and eventually fled by boat to Australia. Hoping for freedom, he spent 10 months in Curtin Detention Centre in Western Australia, not being freed until late 2000.

Today he is one of the world's leading osseointegration surgeons, transforming the lives of amputees (including victims in war zones) with a pioneering technique that allows them to walk again,

A poignant read which gives a good account of the lives of refugees and what they had to endure to get to Australia.

WENDY L: Becoming by Michelle Obama

The book has 3 parts – becoming me ~ about her childhood, becoming us ~ about meeting Barak and thirdly, becoming more ~ their political life together.

They are two very different people, she very organized and he more laid back.

She is a very intelligent woman, coming from a family who valued education.

But all the way through the book, was the recurring theme of “am I good enough?”.

CLAURENE also read it. She thought it was a wonderful book and admired Michelle for admitting her faults.

COLLEEN: Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

Born without arms and legs, this amazing and gutsy man has lived his life by learning to accept what he could not control, only what he can. His zest for life is unbelievably infectious.

DIANN F: This is Gail by Juliette O’Brien

After the death of her husband, the surgeon Chris O’Brien, followed a short time later by the death of their son, Gail returns to work as a physio and later became very involved in the setting up and running of the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse cancer centre.

It is a moving and emotional story about a woman finding her place in life and she is always in the forefront of the book.

TAM: True Spirit by Jessica Watson

In 2009 Jessica became the first girl to complete a southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation at the age of 16. Her family has always been involved in sailing, but she still showed amazing maturity to do what she did.

She tells her story interspersed with entries from her diary giving you insights into her day to day activities.

She is inspiring to all ages to get out and do something.

JUDY de LA T: Jennifer Saunders

The best biography she’s read!

OCTOBER BOOK CLUB ~ Seafaring

Choose your own titles and come along!

 

AUGUST, 2019 -- VARIOUS TITLES IN THE SHETLAND SERIES BY ANNE CLEAVES

Anne Cleeves is an English crime writer.  In 2006 she won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the richest crime writing prize in the world, for her novel Raven Black.  She was born in Herefordshire.  She studied English at University of Sussex but dropped out and took various jobs, including a probation officer.  The television series Shetland and Vera are based on her book series of the same name.

DEAD WATER:

 Prue:
This is the fifth book in the Shetland series.  It's very long.  Prue enjoyed it very much even though she is not so keen on the Shetland television series.  She found the characters were very much like the television series.  Perez, the inspector was portrayed well and the bouts of depression he suffered.  Some of the local terminology was a bit difficult.  The descriptions of Shetland were beautiful.   The geography and the culture of the people was well described.  The story flowed well and there were no flat spots.  The culprit wasn't revealed until the end.  Prue enjoyed it and would read more.

 Anne:
She enjoyed it but didn't find it as exciting.

 Diane:
She had never heard of Anne Cleeves before but she really enjoyed this book.  It was a pleasure to read, a real "whodunit".  She didn't pick the killer.  It was a "can't put down book".  Diane felt that female crime writers go more into the characters as well as the crime.

Connie: 
She didn't really enjoy the television series but she enjoyed this book.  It was realistic.  It had a map  so she knew where all the places were.  Connie enjoys maps in a book.  It made Shetland more real for her. 

Sheila:
She really likes Anne Cleeve's books but cannot bear the cold and damp weather.  She agrees with what everyone else has said.  It was a good book and she thinks Anne Cleeves is a reasonable writer.

Pat:
She half read it.  She agrees with everyone else about the book and would read more as she really enjoyed it.  She also agreed that female writers seem to get you more involved in the characters.

COLD EARTH:

Judy J:
Anne Cleeves was only going to write one book about the Shetlands.  She had made a few trips to Shetland.  Raven Black did so well that the publisher wanted more. She wrote four in each of the seasons and four about different elements, 9 in total in the Shetland series. Cold Earth is the 7th book and begins in mid winter.  Torrential rain causes a landslide.  The magistrate is being buried.  A female body is found after the landslide and a murder investigation begins.  Judy enjoyed it and has read quite a few of her books.

Lesley:
She agrees with what everyone has said.  The weather plays a huge part in the story as well as the murder.  There is a scar caused by the landslide.  The people of the island live with this dreadful weather. You can almost feel the weather.  Lesley enjoys the community feel. When there is a murder it involves everyone.  Jimmy Perez, the inspector, feels human. She would read more of her books.

Pamela:
She really enjoyed it until near the end.  Pamela felt she was a dishonest writer as the author wasn't honest about revealing information.  Two murders occur  in the book. There is a woman found first and a man later.  She found it annoying as a detective story and very badly written. You are not given the information until right near the end  She found the reasons for the murder unconvincing.

WHITE NIGHTS

Diann:
This is the second book  in the Shetland series."Who dunit" is a good description.  Who killed the man with the clown mask at the art gallery?  Jimmy Perez is visiting the island with Fran who is exhibiting at the art gallery.  It is their first date.  There is also another artist, Bella Sinclair.  The writing draws you into the book.  Diann felt the author was astute.  There were good descriptions of the surroundings and you could visualize the scenery. Diann is not normally a crime reader.

Bev:
She is a fan of Ann Cleeves.  This story is set in the summertime.  Bev didn't think Fran played too important a part.  It was realised that a missing person was actually dead.  The killer was  a surprise.
It was a good story and Bev enjoyed it.

Colleen:
She enjoyed White Knights.  She had not seen the Shetland television series.

THIN AIR

Rosemarie:
This is the 6th book in the Shetland series. There were two murders.  Four university friends from London were on the island for a wedding and one of them disappeared. There were common factors throughout the book. Rosemarie got a map to look at the different places.  She enjoyed the story and would read more.

Jo:
She didn't like it as much as one of the other books.  She liked the atmosphere and going from one island to the other.  She said it was good and she thought Anne Cleeves was a good author.  She loved Jimmy Perez, the inspector.

WILD FIRE

Kris:
This is the 8th and last book in the Shetland series.  Jimmy Perez is the detective inspector.  An English family move to the island to make a better life for their autistic son.  The islanders are suspicious and resentful of the newcomers. The previous owner of their house had hanged himself in the barn and now the body of a young woman is found hanging in the barn by their son, Christopher.  Rumours spread like wild fire.  The author paints a wonderful picture of the lonely and wild Shetland islands and how interconnected people are in such small communities.  Her characters are well developed. Loved it and couldn't put it down.

Judy De La T:
She agreed with all that was said. She also loved this book and couldn't put it down.

Julia:
She really enjoyed this book and hadn't read any of the Shetland series before.  It was a really good read and hard to pick the murderer. She likes her writing. Julia wanted to know if Jimmy Perez ended up with Willow.  She said it was easy to read and would read more.

Charis:
It was a good read.  Charis hadn't read any of the series before.  There was a lot of focus on the adults and the way she brought the teenagers in as well.  She would have liked more emphasis on the teenagers as well.

BLUE LIGHTNING

Joan:
 This book is the 4th book in the Shetland series and was published in 2010.  Joan is late to the television series Shetland.  She followed it and really liked it.  Sandy and Perez from the television series are in the book but not Tosh.  Perez is taking Fran to Fair Isle where he grew up and to meet his mother and father.  On day one there is a murder.  Fran has to be sidekick as they are on holidays.  There are a lot of birdwatchers are on the island including a horrible female PHD in her thirties. All the men are attracted to her. There were investigations and then a bit of a lull and then another murder.  It was complex.  The environment was harsh and desolate.

HIDDEN DEPTHS

Pat (2):
She loved the Shetland series but this book is from the Vera series. It's Pat's first Vera book and she loved the characterization of Vera, the dowdy and difficult detective. She also found the Northumberland accent interesting. She would recommend the Vera series.

Kris

We would like to welcome two new members to our
Bookclub:  Val and Colleen


Next month:   Biographies or Autobiographies

October:         Seafaring Books