JUDY J: THE DRY BY JANE HARPER
Judy said it was slow moving, had readable chapters and a hook at the end. The author writes well about small Australian country towns in drought. The main character comes back to his hometown to find his friend had committed suicide and killed his family, probably due to the drought and debt. It's a murder mystery with twists and turns. Judy liked it. She said it was a very good story and well written.
WENDY L: THE CHOICE BY SOPHIE LAGUNA
This is Sophie Laguna's third novel written for adults. It is sent in Echuca, Victoria near the narrow part of the river. A ten year old girl is living with her grandfather who has no idea how to look after her. She has dyslexia. The whole family is totally dysfunctional. It is a family of flawed and violent people. Wendy loved it and could not put it down. The fact that the young girl was quite tough and loved the river made it an uplifting story.
ED: THE THORNWOOD HOUSE BY ANNA ROMER
The main character, Audrey inherits an abandoned homestead in rural Queensland. She finds a photo of a handsome World War I medic in Thornwood House and becomes obsessed. After digging into the past she finds out he was a murderer. She suspects he is still alive and tries to solve the crime.
PAT: THE TOYMAKER BY LIAM PIPER
Pat really enjoyed this book. There is a real twist at the end. It is a family saga about a wealthy family. The story goes back in time to the grandfather and a secret he holds from his time during the war and in a concentration camp. It is not what you expect.
ANNE: LOVE SONG BY QUEENIE HENNESSY BY RACHEL JOYCE
Anne didn't finish reading "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry". This book follows on from that and is about Queenie and her unrequited love for Harold. At first Anne didn't think much of it but it got better. She enjoyed the characters in the nursing home with Queenie. Although Anne hasn't finished it yet she said Rachel Joyce writes beautifully.
JUDY D: CHILD 44 BY TOM ROB SMITH
It is the gripping story of Leo Demidov, a former agent. It is set in 1953 in the dying days of Stalinist Russia in and around Moscow, where Leo is forced to make a moral decision whether to denounce his beloved wife, Raisa as a spy. He is also confronted by the death of a neighbour's child who, it is claimed, was brutally assaulted before he was placed on the railway tracks. This is the first book of a trilogy and Judy had to read on to find out what happened to the characters and also read the second book The Secret Speech as well. She would thoroughly recommend this author.
CLAURENE: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME BY MARK HADDON
This is Mark Haddon's first book.. It's the story of a fifteen year old boy, Christopher who is suffering from mild Autism. He lives with his father and attends a special school where he is sitting for an A level Maths exam so he will be able to go to University. He relates well to animals but not with humans. He writes a story which is a mystery. It starts with the neighbour's poodle being found impaled on a garden fork. He decides he will track down the killer of the dog. He cannot understand emotion so the mixture of comedy, mystery and his opinions of the people in the neighbourhood make this a most unusual book. Judy thoroughly enjoyed the book.
CHARIS: MINDING FRANKIE BY MAEVE BINCHY
She said it wasn't her best book but it had a nice feeling. There were plots and sub plots. The story is about an American woman visiting relatives in Ireland. A woman who was dying, gave birth to a baby. Before she dies, she told a man he was the father and would have to look after the child. The family and community pulled together and everything was resolved. Charis enjoyed the book.
BEV: MURDER IN THE SKY BY ELIZABETH PETERS
This is book No. 12 in the series and they need to be read in order, otherwise it is too confusing. It is a mystery and family saga. Bev really enjoyed it. It is set in Egypt in 1914 where Anne and Emerson Peabody are back for an archaeological excavation.
JO: TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD BY ELIZABETH PETERS
Jo loves the series and has most of the books. This story is set in Egypt in1922. Anne and Emerson are hunting for the tomb of Tutankhamun. It is 500 pages long so you need a lot of patience to read this book. Jo loved this book.
WENDY J: RIVER OF DESTINY BY BARBARA ERSKINE
The story is set in present day England. It is about Zoe and her husband Ken. Their marriage is a little bit rocky and so they move to the country hoping this will help. They move into the Old Barn, one of three old buildings that have been converted into modern dwelling. In the second dwelling, the Old Forge, lives a man who has been disfigured in an accident and in the third dwelling, the Threshing Barn, is a family with numerous children. They only use it during school holidays. The lives of these people get entwined. Ken likes to sail on the nearby river and Zoe goes along for her husband's sake. They start seeing ghosts, the first a Viking ship and then a man who has been hanged. A corresponding story is told which is set in the past about the time of the Viking raids of the coast towns of England. Eventually this story explains why the ghosts appear in the present day. Wendy liked it and found it interesting. There are a few twists and turns.
TAM: A MOTHER'S DESTINY BY ROSIE BATTY
Tam said it was a good read but a bit depressing. It was a horrible topic. In 2014 Rosie was a single mum. Her world changed forever when Luke, her son was killed by his father at a cricket match. They had experienced years of family violence.
ROSEMARIE: EUGENIE BY MARK TEDESCHI
The story is set in the 1900's in New Zealand where Eugenie was born. She had a difficult upbringing. Eugenie was transgender and she joined the Navy as a man but the captain discovered she was a woman. She was raped and became pregnant. She spent 22 years as a male and married twice. His first wife was murdered and he/she was charged. This is a true crime. It's not Rosemarie's favourite book but she found it very interesting.
NATALIA: OUTLANDER BY DIANA GABALDON
This is a series of books and Natalia is up to Book 6. She enjoys them. It is the story of Claire Randall who is a nurse in the present day. She also has an interest in herbs. She goes on a second honeymoon and goes through an ancient stone circle back to 1743 Scotland where she eventually falls in love with a handsome Scotsman
JOAN: A STREET CAT NAMED BOB BY JAMES BOWEN
Joan said it was a beautiful and uplifting story. It is about the unlikely friendship between a homeless man who is a recovering addict and a ginger cat that helped saved his life. It is a true story set in London.
She also read A CATHOLIC DISSIDENT - MARTIN LUTHER BY PETER STANFORD.
Joan said Martin Luther had huge moral courage. It was a very good book.
CONNIE: THE RAILWAY MAN'S WIFE BY ASHLEY HAY
Connie said this book affected her. it is set in Thirroul near Wollongong. A fellow comes back from
World War 11 and goes out west to find a job. He falls in love and gets married. They move back to Thirroul and have a daughter and he gets a job on the Railway. After ten years of marriage he has an accident. She becomes a Librarian of the Library at Thirroul railway station. She becomes friends with a friend of her husband from the war who is a war poet. The telling of the story is sympathetic to the characters and Connie said the book stayed with her.
KRIS: BIRDSONG BY SEBASTIAN FAULKS
This book is set before and during World War I. The story begins in France in 1910. Stephen, a young Englishman, gets a job in France and moves in with the family of his employer. He falls madly in love with the man's wife, Isabelle and they have a passionate affair that tears the family apart. They leave together but Isabelle suffers guilt and returns home. Stephen is devastated. As war has broken out Stephen joins the British army and as an officer goes to the trenches of No Man's Land in France. It is a very poignant book of the trials these men suffered. What comes across is the futility of war. The characters are so well defined. Kris loved this book.
JULIA: EARTHLY REMAINS BY DONNA LEON
There are 26 in this series. They are set in Venice. Julia loves them. The main character is Inspector Brunetti who deals with crime around Venice. This book is quite different to his usual books. He is on leave and finds a mystery.
LESLEY: PRIMROSE PATH BY REBECCA GRIFFITHS
This is the author's first book. Lesley really enjoyed the book. It is a psychological thriller set in a small village in South Wales. It's very authentic. It's a story of a woman who witnessed a dreadful murder. She is kidnapped by the murderer but she escaped. The murderer went to gaol for 17 years. The woman starts a new life in a little village. Lesley said it is very clever. There were many strands to it and she enjoyed the writing.
SHEILA: APRIL FOOL'S DAY BY BRYCE COURTENAY
Sheila had never read any of Bryce Courtenay's books before. This book was 666 pages long and she could not put it down. She felt bereft for the family. It is the story of Damon, the third son of Bryce and his wife. He is a haemophiliac who needed many blood transfusions. At the time transfusions were not screened and Damon became HIV positive and developed Aids. The book traced his story until his death. It is beautiful, funny, educational and full of love. It is well worth reading.
PAMELA: IN THE SKIN OF A LION BY MICHAEL ONDAATJE
Pamela said it was an intricate and brilliant book about change. The setting is Toronto between 1910 and 1939. It is about poor immigrants needing work and what they do and how they try to become Canadians. They do different types of work and there are no health and safety regulations. It is about how these people develop strength through their experiences and their interactions with other people. There are bits of humour as well. The author also wrote the English Patient. Pamela would recommend this book.
JUDY A: WATCHTOWER BY ELIZABETH HARROWER
Judy said "this book is in my list of top reads of all time!" It is set in Sydney just before WWII. Sisters Claire and Laura are happy at boarding school when their father dies suddenly and their lives change forever. Laura, who is a promising student is sent to secretarial college and then finds a job at a factory owned by Felix Shaw. When her selfish and self centred mother decides to return to England, Laura feels she has no option but to take up Felix's offer of marriage in order to keep Claire at school. Felix is not the quiet, unassuming man he appears to be but rather a very controlling and cruel man. Laura is so worn down by his psychological and verbal abuse she becomes co-dependent but Claire strives to maintain her independent spirit. Judy said it was one of the most powerful books she has ever read!
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and look forward to getting together in the New Year to talk about a book we read in the holiday break.
Kris
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