JULY 2025 BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR KATE GRENVILLE OR CHARLOTTE WOOD

 

This month we had a choice to read books by either Kate Grenville or Charlotte Wood.

KATE GRENVILLE

Kate Grenville is a prominent Australian author, born in 1950 and well known for her historical fiction set in Australia. Some of her novels have been made into movies and television series.

 

ED:  THE CASE AGAINST FRAGRANCE

Ed found some of it a bit boring, especially the discussion of different chemicals.  She did not finish the book.

JO:  THE SECRET RIVER

Jo said it was interesting.  The Aboriginal people were treated badly.  There were massacres and a lot of people did not know.  She said it was okay, but she found it hard to get through.

JUDY D:   SEARCHING FOR THE SECRET RIVER

Judy said it was interesting how she got the information to write a book.  She didn’t know if she wanted to write a novel or a history book.  Judy found it very dull and boring. 

KERRIE:   UNSETTLED

This was written 20 years after The Secret River. It’s Kate’s personal story on how to go about writing a historical novel. She enjoyed the Secret River but found the information unsettling and disturbing.  20 years later and she’s still unsettled. Even the words used at the time “taking up land” when they were just taking it from the Aboriginals.  Kerry found it a very good book but also found it unsettling.  She felt a connection as her relative was Solomon Wiseman.

JUDY A:   IDEA OF PERFECTION

Judy read it 23 years ago.  It is one of her top 20 books and she said it holds up well.  It’s about two misfits who find each other.  One is a shy engineer who is employed to demolish a dilapidated bridge in a small country town. The other is a plain female museum curator who has come to town to start a heritage museum.  The third character is Felicity, the wife of the local bank manager.  She believes she is a cut above everyone else.  This book celebrates ordinary people.

MARGARET:  She read the same book.  It was a favourite in a family book club. Everyone loved it. Margaret’s father was a building and bridge inspector, so it reminds her of her father.  She would recommend this to anyone as it is a beautiful and funny book.

ONE LIFE – MY MOTHER’S STORY

HELEN:  This is a story by Kate Grenville about her mother Nance.  Her mother was born in 1912.  She was an inspirational mother and teacher.  When she died, she left behind fragments of a memoir.  It was a century of tumult and change.  It also echoes countless lives of women of her times, a time when most women had no ambitions beyond the domestic.  This is a deeply moving homage to her mother.  Kate said her mother was very supportive of her when she began to write.

THE RESTLESS DOLLY MAUNDER

LESLEY:  Dolly was Kate Grenville’s grandmother and Nance’s mother. This story is based on memories and recollections of snippets of country NSW as the 6^th of 7 children.  Life on the land was tough, and her father was tough. Her mother was worn out and subservient. She wasn’t shown love or cuddles.  Dolly wanted to be a teacher, but her father said she just had to help on the farm.  She married an itinerant worker, had three children.  Her husband was easy going.  She had to push him to move Sydney.  With some financial help they started a corner shop and did well. They went into various businesses but during the depression lost it all and decided to go back to the country. Then she moved back to Sydney as she wanted her children to be well educated.   Dolly was a force of nature, driven, restless, frustrated with women’s place in society.  It was a strong line of women, Dolly, Nance and then Kate.  Lesley enjoyed this book.

A ROOM MADE  OF LEAVES

LYN: This is a story about Elizabeth Macarthur, John Macarthur’s wife. John was a wealthy and corrupt early pioneer of the Australian wool industry. Lyn said it was well researched.  Kate Grenville found memoirs of Macarthur’s wife. She weaves fact and fiction well.  Lyn did not read it all but enjoyed what she has read.

THE LIEUTENANT

KELLY:  It’s the story of an English marine who is injured during his duties in the Navy. He becomes an astronomer. He has an opportunity to come to Australia on half pay.  He was asked to go out to look for food because of his knowledge of astronomy.  He was asked could he do something about the assaults on three aboriginal women, but he felt he didn’t have the power to intervene. Kelly said it was a bit boring.

BEV:  She also read this book.  Daniel Dawes is the main character.  He gets a scholarship. Other kids seem to have more money than brains.  He doesn’t fit in.  He is interested in astronomy and is good at maths. He is helped by a professor to go on the 1^st Fleet where he sets up an observatory.   There are copious descriptions that go on and on.  He befriended an aboriginal girl who taught him the language. He had an affinity with the aboriginal people but could not cope with their treatment.  He would retreat to his observatory.  He was sent home in disgrace.  Bev enjoyed the first part but not the second part.

PRUE:  She also read this book.  She loved it as she is very interested in the languages. Daniel Dawes was out of step with the world.  He developed a love of astronomy.  He was sent to Australia on the 1^st Fleet. He was there to observe a comet, but he found the treatment of the aboriginal people difficult. He was torn between his moral duty and his duty as a lieutenant.  In England a lieutenant was hung because of his behaviour.  Prue said Kate Grenville was a beautiful writer, and the book was easy to read.  She will read the third one in the trilogy.

 

CHARLOTTE WOOD is also an acclaimed Australian author. She was born in 1965 and is well known for her original and thought-provoking novels. She is the author of 7 novels and 3 non fiction novels.

THE CHILDREN (Pub 2007)

JOAN:  This story is set in Australian country town in 2006 when a father of the household falls off the roof of his home.  He ends up in intensive care on life support.  His wife is Margaret.  The adult children are called to his bedside for a seven day vigil and it is the family interactions that flow through with a tragic end.  The characters are either bland or grossly annoying.  The storyline is bleak and it seems like childhood is something we never escape from.  Joan did not find it worthwhile to read.

STONEYARD DEVOTION

ROSEMARY:  The narrator is an unmarried, presumably middle aged woman, who abandons her marriage, her career as a conservation specialist, and her life to join the nuns at a convent in rural NSW, the town of her childhood, despite having no religious affinity. She is escaping her life which is overwhelming, as the world deals with the pandemic. She gradually adapts to the far gentler rhythms of monastic life in their own little bubble. She reflects on her life, her family and friends and guilt she feels. Rosemary said it was a slow moving book with no real plot.

EVERYWHERE I LOOK BY HELEN GARNER (PUB 2016)

JUDY J:  This is a collection of essays, diary entries and true stories spanning more than 15 years of the work of one of Australia’s greatest writers. Helen Garner takes us from backstage at the ballet to the trial of a woman for infanticide, from the significance of moving house to the pleasure of re reading Pride and Prejudice.  The collection includes her famous and controversial essay on the insults of age, thoughts on loneliness and dying.  This is her moving tribute to her mother, and the story of her joy in discovering the ukulele.  It is a multifaceted and profound portrait of life.  It glows with insight and wisdom.  There are 28 stories of different lengths.  They are written so beautifully, and you want to keep reading on to the next one.

Kris

AUGUST:   We will be reading one of 2 books from the Library Kits

                 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai or Remarkably                     Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Please email Rosemary to arrange a pick up, if you do not have a book yet and then return to Rosemary at our next book club meeting in August.

JUNE 2025: BOOKS BY AGATHA CHRISTIE OR RAYMOND CHANDLER

 

The works of Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie were up for discussion at our June meeting. There's always plenty of interesting discussions to be had which makes for an enjoyable get together.

ROSEMARY - Some fun and interesting facts about both writers. A.C. published 6 non crime novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. She learned to surf and became one of the 1st Britons to ride a surf board. During WW1 Agatha worked as a dispenser, giving her extensive knowledge of poisons. Hercule Poirot is the only fictional character to receive an Obituary in the New York Times. R.C. didn't publish his 1st novel until he was 50. He worked as a screen writer and worked with Alfred Hitchcock. He often complained how his works were adapted for film. Raymond is credited as transforming the detective genre, making it more realistic, worldly and grittier.  

KRIS - They Came to Baghdad - Agatha Christie. 1951. A superpower summit, the President will attend, an underground organization planning to sabotage the talks, a friend in danger. This situation collides with a young woman, Victoria, bored, looking for excitement and travel arriving in Baghdad. A wounded Agent dies in her room and Victoria needs all her resourcefulness to deal with the situation. Kris enjoyed the fast moving story.

PRU - The Big Sleep - 1939. Raymond Chandler. 1st novel to feature  Philip Marlowe PI. Marlowe is hired by a millionaire to handle a blackmailer. Many complications occur. Marlowe appears as  hard drinking, tough and sharply spoken but underneath is morally upright and a man of honour. He's trying to act ethically and improve the Los Angelese of the 1930's. Racism, sexism and casual violence - a book of its time. Pru thought it was fun to read but prefers the gentle English crime of Agatha Christie.

VAL - The Long Goodbye - Raymond Chandler 1953 .  Many character, beautiful women, lengthy descriptions, thoroughly enjoyable.

PAMELA - Farewell my Lovelies - Raymond Chandler - 1940. Classically educated, Chandler's writing shows great craft and clever use of language. He became the head of the Crime Writers Association.

JUDY De - Death in the Clouds - Agatha Christie. 1935.A death on a plane, many clues including a wasp. Hercule Poirot solves it.

HELEN - Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie. 1930.  First book in the Miss Marple series, set in St Mary's Mead. Reverend narrates, many characters, very good descriptions. Helen enjoyed the language but not the plot - too convoluted.

JOAN - Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie. 1934. A murder, 12 suspects on a train that is stuck in the snow. 12 stab wounds. Hercule solves the case with 2 options. Visually beautiful,  the plot was OK.

JO - Murder is Easy - Agatha Christie. 1939. 5 dead people, a woman rejected by her lover, many suspects. Jo loved it.

MARGARET - Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie. 1934. The Language, the conversations, the assumptions. So good.

LYN - Crooked House. Agatha Christie. 1949. Another in the nursery rhyme series. Agatha waited until she had plenty of time to write as she wanted to enjoy the process of writing this book.  A large house, members of the family all living together, fabulously wealthy, Grandfather insisted all the family remain on the estate. Grandfather is murdered with barbiturates. Many options for potential suspects. Lyn thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns and the unexpected ending.

PAT - Peril at End House. Agatha Christie. 1932. Hercule on holiday, accidently meets a woman who had already 3 attempts on her life in the previous 3 days. Whilst she was dismissive of the danger she faced, Hercule takes on the case fearful of further murderous attempts. Concluding with the final (6th) murder attempt, many twists and turns, a surprising end, and a very vain Hercule - Pat thought the novel was OK.

BEV - Mrs McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie. 1952. A char lady is killed, a boarder is a suspect and found guilty. Sometime later Hercule thinks differently and solves a cold case.

LESLEY - A Pocket Full of Rye. Agatha Christie. 1953. Another Mother Goose rhyme used to create a crime story. A wealthy, corrupt businessman drops dead after drinking his morning cup of tea. Many suspects, Miss Marple invites herself into the household and ultimately solves the crime. Most of the characters unlikeable and the plot was implausible however Agatha Christie did know how to write an entertaining story.

 

Lesley 

JULY:  Books by Kate Grenville or Charlotte Wood

MAY: The Dressmaker and Lessons in Chemistry

 This month Book Club members had a choice between 2 titles, provided by the Library.

They were The Dressmaker  and Lessons in Chemistry.

What follows are a selection of comments without any names.

 

The Dressmaker is the first novel by the Australian author Rosalie Ham, published in 2000 and set in the 1950’s in a fictional Australian country town of Dungatar. The film version was released in 2015.

Molly returns to her hometown to look after her mother, after a successful career overseas. The people of Dungatar had sent Tilly away at the age of ten because of false accusations of murder, after the death of a fellow student. Having been sent away  as a little girl with no voice, she comes back eventually seeking revenge.

 

Most members enjoyed the book with comments such as loved that it was a Gothic Australian novel, extreme characters set in an extreme environment, recognised the characters and the Australian elements.

Others loved the description of the clothes, materials and dressmaking skills.

 

For those who were more ambivalent, they commented that they enjoyed the film more, too many characters in the book, many of whom were almost caricatures, too exaggerated or extreme. In real life there are many secrets in small towns, but people don’t really care, they accept and absorbed them.

 

The book was written from a modern perspective  of this little town seething with everything going on, things that weren’t talked about. But there was a focus on the women and the men’s stories weren’t important.

 

When Tilly returned, she had experienced many things that nobody else had. The people thought they used her, but she was still in control. Her dressmaking skills became a bargaining tool.

 

Realising that nothing had changed in the town, she sets out to seek her revenge.

Anyone who was different was not accepted, examples being Barney, Emma Almanac and Molly.

The fault was born by the women and blamed on them.

Teddy’s family were the only ones who showed any compassion towards Molly and Tilly. They also were outcasts.

When Tilly and Teddy fell in love and planned to leave the town, again events turned against her.

Teddy was a young man full of hubris who thought he was invincible. 

 

Although Tilly had little interest in revenge when she first returned to Dungatar, by the end of the novel her grief and suffering had pushed her to her limit. She burns the town down  as vengeance for her mother Molly, who had died of a stroke and whose funeral was neglected by the residents of the town, and for Teddy McSwiney. Molly tells the townswomen that Teddy died trying to prove his love was stronger than their hate.

 

Lessons in Chemistry was  Bonnie Garms’ debut novel, written at the age of 65. It was published in 2022 and tells the story of Elizabeth Zott who becomes a beloved cooking show host in the 1960s in Southern California after being fired as a chemist  four years earlier. It has also been adapted as a mini-series for TV.

 

The book is set in the 1950s.The place and role of women as depicted in the book, was normal for the times.

 

When asked whether they liked the book there was a range of responses.

Humorous, well written chick lit. A vey feminist type book.

The beginning was boring, too much science.

It was hard to be a woman in a man’s world.

Everything was too drawn out, too much detail dwelling on the discussions and arguments.

Some couldn’t understand why the recipes were given in scientific formulas.

 

For Elizabeth, Chemistry seemed to be the right choice. She was slightly on the spectrum and hard to love, although some did.

Some thought she was heroic, she could shut out everything and work on her passion for chemistry. Everything  she turned her hand to, she did with great energy and intent.

Others thought she should have been stronger, people stole from her and took advantage.

 

Her career choice appealed to her and was unusual for the times, but it helped her make sense of the world.

She saw cooking as a chemistry and used her dead pan humour to get her message across. She wasn’t really trying to be funny.

 

Her unusual upbringing and violent relationship with her parents impacted her relationship with other people. She wasn’t close to her  mother but knew what she wanted for her own her child.

Her family was damaged, but you make your own family growing up, being true to herself.

 

 

The dog called 6.30 was a rarified character and gave a third point of view, commentating on interactions and life. He was with Elizabeth all the time, always very practical about everything.

 

Another  character was Calvin, and together they unexpectedly found love.   After his death, Elizabeth realised she was pregnant. Motherhood surprised her, not having wanted it, but she loved her child.

Grieving over Calvin, the child is his gift to her. She names her Madeline, referred to as ‘Mad’.

 

Harriet was a favourite character. She gave Harriet a life. It was Harriet who helped her raise Mad and provided the type of family life she had never enjoyed.

 

Walter was the Producer of the programme. Their relationship grew as the show went on.

Elizabeth hosted the cooking show as she needed the money. It was successful because she spoke to the women as adults. It was slotted into that critical time in the afternoon, when ‘mothers’ could relax.

 

Some found parts of the ending a little far-fetched. What will happen to Elizabeth is unknown, but it seems that the role of women at the Research Institute will be changed forever.

JUNE: Please choose any book written by Agatha Christie or Raymond Chandler

 

 

APRIL, 2025 - AUSSIE APRIL - BOOKS BY AUSTRALIAN AUTHORS

 

ROSEMARY:  THE BEEKEEPERS SECRET BY JOSEPHINE MOON

Rosemary said this was an easy read despite the background story of the Royal Commission looking into the abuse of children by the Catholic Church.  It is set on the Sunshine Coast of Qld. The story is about Maria and Tansy. Maria, a former nun is leading a very reclusive life at Honeybee Haven, making honey and honey products to support a Cambodian orphanage. Tansy is the daughter of Maria’s sister with whom she has been estranged for many years.  Tansy has never met Maria before, but she is hoping to reunite broken family ties. Throughout the book are some wonderful and fascinating facts about the world of bees.  The author has written a book that is very Australian in the setting, including the beaches, the café culture, the bushland and the mountains behind the Sunshine coast. It’s a story of family secrets, the give and take in marriage with the life of bees thrown in the mix.

PAT: SECRETS OF MIDWIVES by SALLY HEPWORTH

Pat said she enjoyed reading this book.  The story got you in from the first page with a twist at the end.  She thanked Judy, one of our book club members, for recommending this author to her.  Pat said she will definitely read more of her books.

ED:  THE TILT BY CHRIS HAMMER (2022)

Nell Buchanan is a fairly new homicide detective who is annoyed that she has been assigned an old “cold case” in her hometown. It’s set in the NSW/Victoria border. The bones of a body have been found.  This is not just an ordinary cold case, and the discovery of this body sets off a chain of events. Eventually, another body is found.  Ed said it was a gripping story, and she enjoyed reading it.

JUDY J: GUNNAWAH BY RONNIE SALT (2025)

This is set in 1974 in the Australian Riverina, the weather is hot but the body in the Murray River is stone cold.  This crime thriller has all the characters straight from the 1970’s and lots of action. There are many interesting characters.  Most who have come to the town are hiding a past and wanting a new start.  As well as all the local folk, Gough and Margaret Whitlam pay a visit. Al Grassby is the local politician, Billy McMahon is a joke and Donald McKay, the anti-drugs campaigner, has just started to speak out. A young journalist is looking into corruption by politicians in the acquisition of land in the area.  Judy said it’s an easy and enjoyable read, fairly predictable, but thankfully it has a bit of a twist at the end.  The strength of this book is the depiction of this innocent lifestyle in a country town in the 1970’s and how it was upended when the truth of what was really happening under their noses, was exposed.

JUDY D:  FOUR FIRES BY BRYCE COURTENAY

This is a family saga spanning the years 1955 to 1999.  It felt as if the author was sitting there telling the story of an Irish family.  There were five children with different fathers.  They couldn’t be accepted by the Catholic schools.  It was long and involved.  You couldn’t just skim through.  Judy enjoyed the read.

LYN:  RANSOM BY DAVID MALOUF

This was published in 2009. Lyn said it was her first David Malouf book and felt certain it would not be her last.  

Note on back of book: “From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches the body of his son, Hector, being dragged behind Achilles’ chariot in the Greek camp, day after day. Maddened by grief at the death of his friend. Patroclus, Achilles refuses to give up Hector’s body.  King Priam is convinced there must be a way of reclaiming his body – of pitting compromise against heroics, new ways against the old, and of forcing the hand of fate. This fable enlarges on a section of the Iliad, with God’s being able to be seen and the seemingly impossible trip to the Greek camp and the result.”

SHEILA:  BREATH BY TIM WINTON

This story is about a 12 year old boy and his mate who are outsiders at school.  They mess about in the bush and then decide to take up surfing.   There are amazing descriptions of surfing.  The boys are pushing boundaries.  A fellow takes them under his wing and shows them how to surf in dangerous conditions.  It’s an interesting book about two boys between 12 and 15 growing up and learning about sex.  Sheila said it was well worth the read if you like the beach. It’s set in Western Australia.  She did enjoy it.

HELEN:  SMOKE BY MICHAEL BRISSENDEN

A brutal wildfire tears through the town of Jasper in the Californian sierras.  A body is discovered in a shed.  It looks like an open and shut case of accidental death – until further investigation reveals the victim was locked in from the outside. Helen said it was well written. It’s about California’s wildfires, police corruption and misogyny, the main character’s back story and return to her hometown. It took a while to get into the book, a slow burn crime novel.  The book did not engage Helen, but she persisted.  The impressive review did not match her experience of the book.

JOAN:  CAPRICORNIA BY XAVIER HERBERT (1938)

This is an epic classic, a book of fiction, 604 pages long.   The themes are colonization of the far north and race relations.  The story centres around the Shillingsworth brothers. Oscar and Mark.  They arrive around 1904 in serge suits and bowler hats to work as clerks in Government Services. It’s set in mythical Capricornia, northern Western Australia.  Oscar prospers and takes his place as a gentleman and property owner but Mark is restless, takes up in bad company, becomes an alcoholic and with an Aboriginal woman produces a half caste son, Norman.  It’s this family story the book spans for several generations.

JO:  THE SURVIVORS BY JANE HARPER

This story is set in a Tasmanian coastal town.  Guilt still haunts the protagonist Kieran Elliott about an accident that happened 12 years ago. He returns to the town he called home, to help his parents.  A body is discovered in the area. Jo said it was a very good book.

VAL:  STASILAND BY ANNA FUNDER

A tremendous amount of research was done for this book. Both sides got in contact with her.  So much of the research, the Stasi did not want her to write.  They tried to bring her around to Communism. The Stasi were the secret police in East Germany from 1950 to 1990.  Some of their behaviour was absurd, such as a 16yr old girl being arrested and deprived of sleep for many days for having an anti-communism banner.  It was all about control. There were thousands of informants.

LESLEY:  AUSTRALIAN GOSPEL: A FAMILY SAGA BY LECH BLAINE

It’s a wild madcap, tragic/funny fact filled story of the life of Lech Blaine.  It’s set mainly in Queensland. His eccentric parents, Tom and Lenore Blaine, publicans, were loud but very loving.  His actual birth parents were Michael and Mary Shelley who were fanatical, foul-mouthed Christians who had three children, all taken away due to neglect. The extreme beliefs of the parents suggested they could be in danger.  The children were raised by Tom and Lenore Blaine, who had to move frequently, experienced kidnaps, assaults and tirades.   It was a tragedy and reflects poorly on the child welfare system, but it is written with dry humour.  It is hard to believe the lives the Blaine family led were true. Lesley enjoyed the read.

PRUE:  MR EINSTEIN’S SECRETARY BY MATTHEW O’REILLY

Prue thought he wrote exciting, brilliant books but then she went off him.  This one is a bit different.  A young girl is the daughter of a physicist.  Her father raised Hannah and her twin sister after their mother died.  The father was involved in the Treaty of Versailles.  Einstein rescued Hannah. She became Einstein’s secretary.

She went to Germany and became a spy during the Nazi regime.  Prue thoroughly enjoyed the read.  She said Matthew O’Reilly was no literary genius, but he wrote very exciting books.

KERRY: THE THINNING BY INGAR SIMPSON

The Thinning is the idea that the water, land and space are very thin layers that connect.

Kerry loves the way she writes.  She is an activist for the environment.  This is a dystopian thriller set in the not too distant future.  There are no koalas, and the Barrier Reef has disappeared.  There are children being born with large eyes and brains made for screens.  It is an adaptation, and they are called Incompletes.  Terry is an incomplete.  He has mind reading ability as well.  Finn is a girl brought up in the Warrumbungles.  She builds things and fights the people destroying the Earth. They join forces.  Kerry said she writes beautifully about the Australian wildlife.  She enjoyed the read.

JUDY A:  THE BURROW BY MELANIE CHENG

This story is about the Lee family.  The father, Jin is a doctor in the emergency department of a local hospital. The mother, Amy, is a published author, but struggling to put pen to paper. Then there is their ten year old introverted and bookish daughter Lucie. Amy’s mother, Pauline who has come to stay with them after breaking her wrist. The hospital social worker deems her to be needing assistance for a period.  Missing is the daughter Ruby who, four years earlier, at the age of around eight months, died in a horrible home accident. The grandmother’s presence sets up tension because of how Ruby died.  The family are struggling separately with their grief but are forced to confront the circumstances around Ruby’s death.  It's a short, moving, beautifully written book.

BEV:  THE VALLEY BY CHRIS HAMMER

Bev read the first one in the series and really enjoyed it.  There is a new detective based in Dubbo investigating a murder on the south coast. He and another detective go to the Valley, a tiny hamlet in Bega/Bateman’s Bay area. The local police and detective from Queanbeyan can’t understand why these two interlopers from Dubbo are involved.  A fellow was found face down in the river.  He was a good man.  The story goes back and forth twenty years.  Bev didn’t like that.  She said there were too many people and too many things going on, making it hard to work out.  It was not a patch on the first book.

TAM:  COME RAIN OR SHINE BY PATRICIA STRINGER

This book shows all the difficulties of living on the land.  Tam said it was a good read.  It is a warm hearted rural romance.  A year into Paula's marriage with farmer Dan, she falls pregnant. When she moved to the country, she knew it would be tough.  Life is busy but good.  Her husband, Dan, who promised to always tell her the truth, is increasingly tired and distant and seems to be hiding something. Paula gets some shocking news.  The story is set in South Australia.  Tam said she would read another of her books.

Kris

MAY:  We will be reading one of two books from the Library Kit

          Lessons in Chemistry or The Dressmaker

March: 行進 Japanese Authors 日本の作家

 🎌 Kris: Before we Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This is the fifth novel in the internationally best selling ‘Before the Coffee gets Cold’ series. They are set in a Tokyo café which is visited by people who want to travel back in time.

To go back in time there is a strict set of rules to be adhered to  and the coffee must be finished before it gets cold. If not, they will not be able to return. Most people want to set things right with someone. They cannot change anything that happens in the future.

There are four unique stories with each person wanting to be able to move on with their lives. 

Quite easy to read stories mixed with a bit of fantasy.

 

🎌 Rosemary: The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

This is a collection of seven stories about the relationship between the cats and their owners but told from the perspectives of the cats and their families with humour and love.

The stories vary in length and cover such themes as love, loyalty, companionship, family and grief.

Rosemary described the book as a lovely, nice read.

 

🎌 Tam: Klara and the Sun by Kazuro Ishiguro

Klara is a robot and the story is told through her eyes. She has been bought by  a teenager Rosie as an AF (artificial friend) . Rosies mother decides to clone Rosie, maybe as a replacement for a daughter who had died. So the robot is being processed to copy the little girl’s movements. 

Other themes covered are pollution and contrived social situations.

Tam quite enjoyed the interesting themes but noted it is scary the way things are going with AI.

 

🎌 Kerrie also read Klara and the Sun.

For her the book was about loneliness and artificial friends. Klara and her like are created to fill the gap of loneliness in the world. 

 In this dystopian world these children have been genetically altered to be the leaders but have no communication skills.

Klara, the robot is a little bit special, she learns from the others. She understands all this cloning and is almost the most human these.

 

🎌 Judy A:  Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse 

First published in 1965, this novel is based on the historical records of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and from the diaries of people who escaped the blast but later died from radiation sickness.

Ibuse builds the novel around Mr Shizuma, his wife and his niece Yatsuko. It’s almost a year after the bomb and so he is trying to find a suitable husband for her, but it’s rumoured she has the ‘sickness’ from the bomb and so her chances are slim.

The book alternates long pieces from Mr Shizuma’s diary on the day of the bomb and the period just after with the descriptions of their day-to-day life as they try to get on with living.

His descriptions are quite vivid, but the story is told in a very unsentimental way.

Very typically Japanese.

 

🎌 Rosemary W: Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami

Although written in the early 1970’s it was only recently published in English.

There is no single straightforward story line. It is semi-autobiographical, more philosophy, fantasy, cats, language, communication and stories about sexual relationships.

You either love it or hate it! Rosemary loved it.

 

🎌 Ed: The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

This short novel tells of a boy who goes to the public library because he was wondering about the Ottoman tax collection system. This was the advice of his mother.

He knows the place well but this time he is sent to a reading room, via an enormous underground labyrinth, escorted by a sinister old man. Many strange happenings along the way, is he in a real or magical world, will he live or die?

 

🎌 Pat: Men without Women by Haruki Murakami

The book is a collection of stories about despairing men and loneliness. The men have lost women in their own lives usually to other men or death. They now have affairs or one-night stands. Cats are involved and all the women tended to be unattractive.

In the first story, an aging actor is now unable to drive so hires a young woman to drive him to the theatre.

In the beginning he practises his lines but as time went on, they become more familiar with each other. As their friendship evolved, they confide in each other about the sadness that has been in their lives.

 

🎌 Judy de la T: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Judy had read several titles by Japanese authors, commenting that their style was infectious, and she would continue to read more.

Her favourite was Kafka on the Shore which she described as an allegory for so many things including eating, cats and sex.

 

🎌 Lesley: The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami

The book is told from the perspective of each of the women Mr Nishino has fallen in love with. He is a cool womaniser with great charm.

Ten women quite randomly come into his life, work colleagues, friend of a friend, friend of latest partner etc. The women’s stories are not linear so the reflections from each of the women are not in chronological order.

He loves them all deeply, but he is complicated man who struggles with long term commitment. He fears the term ‘forever’.

Each of the chapters is about one of his loves. The focus is really on the women, their emotions and reactions to him. The women were far more interesting than Mr Nishino.

The writing has a calmness about it, very Japanese.

 

🎌 Jo: The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita

A young boy, Tomura, hears the sound of a piano being tuned in his school and from that moment he is determined to discover more.

All the while that he is learning, he doubts himself that he has what it takes.

He has a long apprenticeship before he is able to even talk to clients, but his determination and perseverance win through.

Jo found it very interesting.

 

🎌 Joan:  Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi 

The only woman in the office is expected to do all the menial tasks until one day she ‘snaps’. She announces that she can longer be expected to carry on as usual as she is pregnant.

She can now rest at home, attend aerobics class etc and this last for 9 months .A pesky co-worker watches over her because he and his wife don’t have children. 

The author is a young woman and is highlighting the gender imbalance in the Japanese workplace with the ending open to different interpretations.

Joan thought it was well written, funny and a page turner and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

🎌 Theresa: Malice by Keigo Higashino

A thrilling detective story featuring Detective Kaga. When a successful author is found murdered, his struggling fellow author is in the same house. The detective soon solves the crime when the murderer confesses.

The majority of the book is devoted to what had led to this situation and uncovers many things in the past of these two men and the meticulous work of the detective.

Theresa was surprised at how much she enjoyed the book.

 

🎌 Val:  An Artist in the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

Having first read the book many years ago,  Val didn’t enjoy rereading it now. She found the excessive politeness of the Japanese to be annoying.

It is set in the city in the 1950’s after World War 11 when the Japanese are trying to bring themselves up after their humiliating surrender.

He is drinking with friends and musing about the life he misses,  the American influence is becoming more obvious and things are more westernised.

He misses his old life and reflects on mistakes he has made.

But he eventually comes to terms with himself and hopefully the future of Japan. 

The writing is very concise, not an unnecessary word.

 

🎌 Lyn: The Blanket Cat by Kiyoshi Shigematsu

There are seven stories about seven different cats. They come from a peculiar pet shop in Tokyo which offers the customers the opportunity to ‘rent or hire’ a cat. 

Each customer is hoping that a temporary feline companion will help them work through their particular anxiety or concerns. These could range from infertility, a woman on the run from the police or families in different circumstances.

There are very strict rules: cats must be returned in three days, eat only food provided  and sleep on the provided blanket.

An example of Japanese cat healing fiction!

 

🎌 Judy: J Issun Boshi

This is a very old Japanese folktale, and it has many slightly different versions.

It also has elements from folk tales from other countries and eras.

An old childless couple pray for a child and are blessed with a baby boy. They name him Issun Boshi, Inch Boy because he is only one inch tall.

He grows up in a loving family but wants to go to the big city.

Still only one inch tall his mother gives him a needle as a sword and his father a rice cup for a boat.

Along the way he encounters an ogre, fights him off, falls in love with a beautiful girl and through the power of the magic hammer, he returns to normal size.

The moral is that even the smallest person can be brave and resourceful, and self-confidence is important.

A fun way to finish a very interesting and different morning.

Judy

 

 

Next month is AUSSIE APRIL

Choose a book by any Aussie author.

 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY 2025 - BOOKS ABOUT MUSIC

 

FEBRUARY BOOKS.

February Book Club saw us happily welcoming new members. Our topic was 'music' and a varied selection of reading material and music was very well presented.   

ED - MUSIC AND HOW IT WORKS. The book covered all aspects of music, instruments, styles etc. Ed enjoyed it.

JUDY D - SOUND BITES - Edited by La Brock.

ROSEMARY S - THE MUSIC SHOP - Rachel Joyce.  - A quirky book with quirky characters, an eccentric mother dies and donates her estate to the Cats Society. She has a boot full of vinyl records so her son Frank saves them. Frank, a loner, has amazing knowledge of music and knows what people want to listen to. He opens a shop, is successful and into the shop comes a mysterious women named Isla. Life is about 2nd chances. A good read.

ROSEMARY W - THESE ARE THE DAYS - MICK THOMAS. An Australian songwriter and performer. Folk/Rock. Melbourne based, the book tells many stories of the band, the social issues of the times, the environment and the outback.  What was happening in the 1980's.

JO - THE SEEKERS - DVD - Jo loved the DVD.

KRIS - MUSIC AND SILENCE - ROSE TREMAIN. 1999. Historical novel. 1629 an English lute player joins the Royal Orchestra of the King of Denmark. The country is going through tough economic times, the King's wife is having an affair, there is unrest in the court. Music soothes his jangled nerves. The lute player is unhappy in the conditions in the court but further complications arise when he falls in love with the lover of the Kings wife. Kris loved the book, many twists and turns, a good mystery but she had to race through the final chapters to finish it.

PAMELA - Discussed a piece of music. Australian composer Nigel Westlake suffered great loss when his son was killed. He couldn't write, couldn't function due to the grief. Then he heard an ancient Hebrew hymn that speaks of compassion and leads to a sense of freedom. For Nigel it started the healing process. Nigel was able to create a orchestral backing for the hymn. He won an ARIA in 2013 for COMPASSION.

VAL - PIANO SHOP ON THE LEFT BANK - T.E.Carhart. Memoir of himself, an American living on the left bank in Paris. He meets Luke, a man with many piano's in his shop. Luke not only knows a great deal about piano's, he matches his piano's to the buyers. He finds a special piano for the author, T. E. Carhart. The book has a lovely feel, a glimpse into the Parisian way of life.

JOAN - DANCING QUEEN, THE REAL STORY OF ABBA. Carl Magnus PALM. Definitive biography of the amazing Pop group ABBA. All 4 members had previous musical careers but after winning Euro 1974 they skyrocketed to fame. 1976 they visited Australia to screaming fans, became a hit in the disco era and have a musical - Mumma Mia - to secure their popularity.

PAT - MAESTRO - Peter Goldsworthy. 1967. Living in Darwin, father a doctor, son Paul a talented pianist, he is expected to always be the best with this talent, but he's careless. He has an Austrian music teach, unorthodox style, never compliments or shows joy with Paul's playing. Enters a comp and comes 3rd - great disgrace, a humiliation. Life then changes, a wake up moment, studies law and is a success but always keeps in touch with his Austrian piano teacher from his past.

KERRY - BERNIE TAUPIN - SCATTERSHOT.  An autobiography. Non linear so moves around in time, Bernie had a French mother, lived a rural/hippie/Spartan  life but - was a wordsmith. Hated school.  So very talented. He was always a writer and observer of the world however Kirry was disappointed with the book.

MARGARET - THE ANGRY WOMEN'S CHOIR. Meg Bignell. 2022. A group of women realise they can achieve many things if they are incensed enough to act. The enjoyable book looks at issues covering the environment, social justice, positive affirmation and the joy of singing together.

PRUE - GURRUMUL. Robert Hillman. ABC. 2013. - Coffee table book, glossy, great pictures, with CD. Includes words to the songs in both Indigenous language and English. Relationship between the land and culture, descriptive and insightful, the writing is descriptive and emotional. Born blind, with family ties to Yothu Yindi, a remarkable man. The book was well worth reading.

LYN - TELL ME WHY? Archie Roach. 2019. Part of the Stolen Generation, Archie was 2yo when taken from his family. He was a talented musician but an alcoholic. He managed to overcome this and developed into a wonderful song writer.  

JUDY A. - A SONG OF THE LARK - Willa Cathar. 1915.  

An Autobiography of a  young woman growing up in small town in USA and her musical awakening, eventually becoming an opera singer. Insights into how the creative process develops and the many challenges she faced in her journey to the world stage.  

KELLY - To Kelly music is reading

LESLEY - RIVERSONG - Di Morrissey. 2024. With themes of friendship, small town life, environmental issues, heritage questions and many of life's challenges the book covers so much of contemporary Australia. Likeable characters, and a easy read. The talented Percy Grainger, (born in Melbourne 1882) and his eccentric  life, compositions and quirkiness are also woven into the narrative.

 Lesley

In March we will be reading books by Japanese authors