MAY 2022: VARIOUS BOOKS BY ANN PATCHETT

Ann Patchett is an American author born in 1963.  She has written 7 novels and is the recipients of numerous awards and fellowships.

THE DUTCH HOUSE

The Dutch House is a 2019 novel that tells the story of a brother and sister who grow up in a mansion known as the Dutch House.  It spans five decades of their lives and has been described as a dark fairy tale.

VAL:  The sentences were convoluted.  The characters were unpleasant and always wanting revenge.  Val read it all but didn't really enjoy it.  It wasn't her sort of novel.

JULIA:  She agreed with Val.  She started to read it but didn't enjoy it.

JO:  At first she thought it was boring but then she said she couldn't put it down.  Some characters seem awful.  Jo said "what sort of mother leaves her kids to go to India".  Eventually she was drawn in and couldn't put the book down.

COMMONWEALTH 

JOAN:  She didn't like the Dutch House very much but decided to give Ann Patchett another try and read Commonwealth.  Joan didn't like it and felt the same as Val felt about The Dutch House.  Joan didn't like the characters.  There was a bad husband, a good husband, a floozy wife, divorces and six children.  She found it morbid.

SHEILA:  After the first page Sheila decided she didn't like it but read the whole first chapter.  She found it awful.  Everything degenerated.  The characters were awful drunken people.

JUDY D:  She didn't like  the story going back and forth.  You are in one place one minute and then back in the past.  Judy agrees with all the other comments and she didn't like the characters.

CONNIE:  The novel was set in Virginia.  Connie was glad she read it because she learnt why Virginia was a Commonwealth. During the American Revolution, the title "Commonwealth of Virginia was used in the new state's constitution.  Unlike the word "state" which can also mean a country, democratic or not, the term "commonwealth" emphasized that Virginia was founded to serve the common good of it's people.

BEV:   She felt the same as Sheila.  She didn't like it.  She only read the first and last chapter and found it awful.

JUDY J:  This family saga spans five decades.   It's about divorces, neglected kids and blended families.  The people are awful. Judy agrees with all that has been said before.

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS

JUDY A:   She had read four Ann Patchett novels so decided to read two of her books of essays.  This is the Story of a Happy Marriage published in 2013 and These Precious Days published last year.  She thoroughly enjoyed both these books, especially the one from last year.  They cover a huge range of topics from her life and you feel like you are actually having a conversation with her.   These Precious Days starts with an essay called Three Fathers.  Her mother was married three times and divorced twice and Patchett explores the virtues and failures of her relationship with each of the men.  

The title essay These Precious Days is about her friendship with Tom Hanks' personal assistant.  Her name was Sooki Raphael.  She had pancreatic cancer at the beginning of Covid and came to stay with Ann and her husband to have a new chemo treatment.  It was about their time together in lockdown. She has such an easy way of writing.  Judy really enjoyed it and gave it  4/5.

LESLEY:  She also loved the essays.  The author, Ann Patchett didn't feel she could write a novel during covid so instead wrote essays.  She is passionate about what she does.  She is deeply reflective, observant of human nature.  The essays are very well written.

 BEL CANTO:

KRIS:  The story begins in a third world South American country's vice president's house in honour of Katsumi Hosokawa, the chairman of a large Japanese company.   Mr Hosokawa loves opera and is an avid fan of the opera diva, Roxane Coss who is a beautiful soprano.  It is hoped that her attendance at the party will encourage him to invest in their country.   People from various  parts of the world come together for this occasion.  Near the end of the party a group of terrorists break into the house to take the president hostage but the president fails to attend and they are forced to reassess the situation.  The gun wielding terrorists are made up of a group of men, all generals and a group of young people, two of which are young women.   Initially they all live in fear but as the weeks pass, they all settle into a comfortable routine. I found it difficult to get started but once I got a bit further into the story, I had to keep reading.  The lines between captor and captive become blurred as friendships and romance develop.  It's well worth a read.

DIANN:  She tried to page 30 but really didn't like it. 

PAMELA:   The theme is Opera.  The terrorists are actually a bit incompetent.  Initially everyone is terrified thinking they will get shot but then people relax.  The Generals eventually let the people go outside.  Everyone gets along.  One of the generals has shingles and is in a lot of pain.  They're all friendly and the characters are quite interesting.  There is a young male interpreter who travels with Mr. Hosokawa.  As so many languages are spoken, he becomes very important to the household.  All the characters are very interesting.

Bel Canto is Italian for beautiful singing, a style of operatic singing that demands acrobatic vocal flourishes especially from sopranos. The epigraph couldn't be more perfect.  The statement by Tamino from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" is that he wants friendship and love even if it costs him his life.  This is very relevant to what happens in the book.

STATE OF WONDER

LYN: This is the first book by Ann Patchett Lyn has read. She thoroughly enjoyed it.   It was a real page turner and she enjoyed the medical themes. The very complex characters were all interwoven and there was only one romance.  Marina Singh is a 42 yr old medical scientist and researcher working in a pharmaceutical lab in Minnesota.  She is romantically involved with her boss, Mr. Fox, 18 years her senior. They have kept the relationship quiet from the other employees.

 Dr Swenson a research scientist who has been funded by the pharmaceutical company, has been working deep in the Amazon forest. A telegram is received from Dr Swenson reporting the death of Dr Eckman, her laboratory colleague, but his wife and family are convinced he isn't dead. Mr. Fox sends Marina out to Brazil to locate Dr Swenson and ascertain more about Dr Eckman's death, but when the plane loses Marina's luggage and special phone, the situation becomes very difficult and complex.  Lynn felt she just had to keep reading.

Kris 

   Our book for the month of JUNE will be any book by the author Thomas Keneally 

AUSSIE APRIL

 A wide variety of authors were read during Aussie April. They come from many different times in Australia’s literary history.

 

Lesley:   Candice Fox

Candice Fox is a successful and internationally recognized author from Sydney. She has collaborated with James Patterson, won many awards including a “Ned Kelly” and her 2017 novel Crimson Lake has recently been made into a television series. 

The story is set around Cairns with the wetlands, crocodile infested rivers and the heat of the tropics being the perfect place for a couple of misfits to try and hide.

Ted Conkaffey moves there thinking he can escape the past. He meets Amanda Pharrell, recently released from jail. They team up to solve a local crime as well as investigating each other’s ‘crimes’ to prove each innocent.

A gritty story showing the seedier side of life.

 

Judy A: Elizabeth Harrower

Elizabeth Harrower died in 2020 aged 92. She wrote 4 novels in the fifties and sixties that were critically acclaimed and then one written in the early 70s had a lukewarm reception from her publisher. She decided not to publish that one and gave up writing altogether and her novels languished and went out of print.

Her best-known book The Watch Tower was republished around 2011 and so she’s had a resurgence of popularity.

The Long Prospect is the story of a young girl, Emily who comes to live with her awful grandmother in Newcastle after her parents have abandoned her.

Down in the City is about Esther Prescott, a wealthy but naïve woman living in Double Bay,who suddenly marries Stan Peterson, whom she soon finds to be moody, manipulative, cruel and resentful of her privileged background.

Not happy books, but her writing is amazing.

 

Prue: Cat Sparks

Cat Sparks is a multi-award-winning author, artist and editor. She is also well known for her photography, graphic design and as a literary speaker!

Her debut novel, Lotus Blue, is set in the far future after a world-wide apocalyptic war. A 13-caravan train of nomadic travellers navigate their way along the Sand Road through the Dead Red Heart, a war ravaged landscape plagued by surviving rogue weaponry and semi sentient machinery of the war that are still ‘alive’.

When a relic-Angel satellite unexpectedly crashes to Earth all their futures are endangered.

The first 100 pages set the scene, the devastation, the characters, human and machine and then the real story begins.

 

Judy: J  Trent Dalton

Trent Dalton has spent most of his working life as a very successful journalist. He published his first novel Boy Swallows Universe in 2018 winning many awards, followed by All Our Shimmering Skies in 2020.

His first non-fiction book, Love Stories, was published in 2021.

In late 2020 he inherited an old Olivetti typewriter from his best friend’s mother. To honour her, he wanted to use it for something special. This book of short stories came from asking people on the streets of Brisbane ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ The result is a collection of funny, moving, poignant and macabre stories of people falling in love, out of love, reminiscing about lost or missed love and so much more. A beautiful collection of stories.

 

Rosemary: Adrian Hyland

Adrian Hyland spent many years in the Northern Territory living and working among indigenous people, but he now lives back in Melbourne. He is a writer of non-fiction and crime fiction.

His first 2 novels featured an indigenous woman who is an amateur detective but moves on to become an Aboriginal community police officer.

In 2011 he wrote Kinglake 350, an account of the experiences of a local police officer during the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.

His next novel, Canticle Creek was not published until 2021!

The genre is the popular rural crime and is shaped by his experiences as a rural firefighter in the NT and from living in a small town.

During the long hot summer in country Victoria, 2 bodies are found. Jesse Redpath, a police officer who previously worked the NT becomes involved. As she investigates, many in the town have secrets to hide.  

The soaring temperatures, baked ground and the threat of fire add to the tension and suspense and provide a rather unexpected final twist.

 

Kris: Julie Janson

Julie Jansen is a Burruberongal woman of the Darug people.

Her book, Benevolent, is historical fiction based on oral histories of the Darug elders and archival snippets of the author’s own great, great grandmother.

Muraging, the protagonist, is abandoned by her father and handed over to the Native Institution. This benevolent institution tries to provide a Christian education to Aboriginal children. Muraging, who becomes known as Mary, was born in the 1800s in the Hawkesbury River area of NSW. She spends her formative years in the Institution and then as a young adult she leaves to search for her father.

Her travels take her from Parramatta to Penrith, to the mountains and all around the Hawkesbury.

It’s a very hard life but she needed to reconnect with her land and culture.

A very interesting read.

 

Pamela: Elizabeth Jolly

Elizabeth Jolly was an English-born Australian writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s. She was 53 when her first book was published, and she went on to publish fifteen novels, four short story collections and three non-fiction books, publishing well into her 70s and achieving significant critical acclaim.

The Newspaper of Claremont Street. 

‘The Weekly Newspaper‘ is the nickname of Margot Morris, an uneducated, elderly woman  who is the cleaner of most of the houses in the street. After a long day working, the café at the end of the street is the place is where people come to share and swap the gossip. Although she knows things about everyone, she is a very private person herself. She lives frugally and has grand plans to buy a small piece of land. When she achieves this, things don’t work out as she had planned. 

Easy to read, a funny, sad and ambiguous black comedy with a very unusual ending.

 

Sheila: Ethel Turner

Born in England in 1870, Ethel Turner came to Australia with her mother and sisters when she was 10 years old. Her first book, Seven Little Australians was published in 1894. Since then it has sold over 2 million copies in the English language, been translated into ten other languages, made into a stage play, a film and more recently a television production. 

The seven children of an Army Captain and their 20-year-old stepmother live in Sydney. The children are mischievous, unruly and wreak havoc where possible with the pranks they play.

Not an in-depth story, but a delight to read.

 

Judy De la T: David Hunt

David Hunt is an unusually tall and handsome man who likes writing his own bios for all the books he has written.

Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia and True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia, Vol 2

Hilarious history of Australia. A fun way to write about the characters, the colonies and much, much more.

 

Pat: Sally Morgan

Sally Morgan is an Australian Aboriginal author, dramatist and artist who lives in Perth.

My Place is her autobiography written in 1987. Growing up, her family had denied their aboriginality. Instead, the children were told they were of Indian descent. Her grandmother and mother had been so badly mistreated that they had refused to talk about the past.

Through interviews with members of her family, Sally discovers they were part of the Stolen Generation.

 

Claurene: Gerald Stone

Gerald Stone was an American-born Australian television and radio journalist and producer. He later returned to his career as an author and in 2003 wrote Singo: The John Singleton Story.

John Singleton has had a successful career in advertising, counts the rich and famous among his close friends, married six times and has a colourful and charismatic personality. 

A fascinating read.

 

Diann: Garry Linnell

Garry Linnell is a well-known and successful journalist, editor of several publications and news networks, radio host and author of four sport’s themed books. He currently lives in Victoria.

Raelene: sometimes beaten, never conquered was written by Raelene Boyle and Garry Linnell and published in 2004.

Raelene was a former Olympic sprinter who although coming from a working-class background, through her determination, she became an elite athlete. She also suffered and survived several bouts of cancer.

The book was her way of thanking those who supported her through difficult times.

 

Connie: Ruth Park

Born in New Zealand, Ruth Park came to Australia in 1942 to continue her career as a journalist. She married the writer D’Arcy Niland and travelled with him through the north-west of New South Wales before settling in Sydney to become a full-time writer.

Her first novel, The Harp in the South, was published in 1948 and tells the story of Catholic Irish family living in Surry Hills, which in that time was an inner-city slum. It was a hard life; the father drank too much and spent all their money. But despite this, their lives were filled with love.

 

Julia: Mary Grant Bruce

Linton family on Billabong Station in Victoria and in England and Ireland during World War 1.

Mary Grant Bruce (1878-1958) was an Australian author and journalist. While all her thirty-seven books enjoyed popular success not only in Australia but overseas as well, she was most famous for the Billabong series. These focussed on the adventures of the Linton family on Billabong Station in Victoria.

The Mates at Billabong, published in 1913, was the 2^nd of 15 books in the series.

Nora, Jim and Wally are mates and do their best to put up with Cecil, 19, a cousin who stays for the holidays.

 

Jo: Judy Nunn

Judy Nunn has been an actor and a writer all her life. She has appeared in and written scripts for many television series and published books for children but is best known for her historically based fiction.

Sanctuary, published in 2017 tells the story of a small boat load of refugees from the Middle East who are wrecked on a small island off the coast of Western Australia and struggle to survive. When they are discovered by fishermen from a small town on the coast, they are unsure whether they will help them.

                                  May Book Club ~ Ann Patchett

BOOKS BY THE AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR GARRY DISHER

Garry Disher is an Australian author of crime fiction and children's literature.  He was born in 1949 and grew up on his parents' farm in South Australia. He gained post graduate degrees from Adelaide and Melbourne universities. He travelled widely overseas and became a full time writer in 1988 after he had returned to Australia.  He has published over fifty tiles across multiple genres.  He has also won many awards and has a growing international reputation for his best selling crime novels.

BLOOD MOON 

CONNIE said "as a detective story it was okay but it didn't really get me as involved as I would have liked."  She found it too bitty - too many lesser crimes going on amongst the teenagers.  She didn't warm to the characters and didn't like some of the language.  There was too much emphasis on the detective's sex life.  In her estimation it didn't live up to the praises of the press.

PLAY ABANDONED

DIANN found this book gave no direction and did not give her the interest to pursue it further.  She didn't like the characters and the story line went nowhere.

THE HEAT

 JULIA read this book in two days.  She enjoyed it.  Wyatt is a clever man in what he does.  The double cross is supposed to end with him getting killed but you'll have to read the book to find out if he was killed.

JUDY D also enjoyed reading The Heat.

ROSEMARIE also read this book.  She had already read 6 of his novels which included books from both the Challis collection and Hirsch collection where the main characters and plot revolve around the local constabulary solving crimes and dealing with their own personal issues.  

This was very different.  It is the 9th from the Wyatt series and it is an unusual scenario, basing the plot around the criminal, but it most definitely works.  The tension is high and the pace is fast.  The protagonist is a criminal and his quest is to steal a painting and supposedly return it to it's rightful owner.  The plot is original and there are enough twists and turns.  Rosemary thoroughly enjoyed the read.

PEACE

BEV really enjoyed this book.   Constable Paul Hirsch runs a one man police station in the dry farming country south of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.  He is new to the town but participating in community activities and it is starting to pay off.  It's Christmas.  There's a grass fire, two boys steal a ute and Brenda drives her car into the front bar of the pub.  Life has been peaceful before this and now Hirsch is asked to check out a family living in an isolated spot where he discovers a murder.  Life is not so peaceful after that.

JOAN also read this book.  It is the 2nd in the Hirsch Detective series, published in 2019.  Constable Hirsch is sent to the Flinders Ranges, South Australia as a demotion for whistle blowing on his crook cop colleagues.  

Tensions mount when a crazy drunk drives into the Pub, wayward teenagers start stealing cars and there is a case of animal cruelty but the plot thickens when a child is released from a hot, locked car.  The one cop town becomes front and centre of a deeper complicated plot.  Character definition is realistic but plot tension is rather exhausting and overall too complicated and long. You may find it an absorbing read if you have been following Constable Hirsch and wish to stay with him for the 3rd in this series.

THE WAY IT IS NOW

JUDY A said this is a stand alone crime novel.  Detective Charlie Deravin is on suspension from his job at the sex crimes unit in Melbourne.  He's staying at the family's beach shack.  Charlie is using the time to look further into the disappearance of his mother from there 20 years ago.  His father has long been one of the main suspects in her disappearance - they were going through a divorce at the time.  The narrative swings between the past and the present and explores issues of toxic masculinity, homophobia, police old boys' culture and the abuse of power.

THE SUNKEN ROAD

PAMELA said "I didn't like the book since I couldn't relate to the characters and I found the style somewhat irritating.  I didn't read past page 61."

The setting is in wheat and sheep country in the mid north of South Australia.  It's the story of an area, a town, the people and also the story of Anna nee Tolley (D.O.B. 1949). The story starts during the depression when a young mother is taken by a shark at Henley Beach,  The widower, with his young son, goes north to the South Australian town of Pandowie. That son's daughter is Anna.  It is written in the 3rd person with no paragraphs.  It's not in chronological order and there are shifting time references, even in mid sentence.  It forms a sort of impressionistic tapestry.

THE DRAGON MAN

LYN said this is the first in the Hal Challis series.  He is the detective for the Mornington Peninsula police force in  Victoria.   A serial killer is on the loose in a small coastal town near Melbourne.  Challis must apprehend him before he strikes again.  He also has to contend with the local newspaper undermining his investigation and his wife's constant phone calls from the sanatorium she was committed to eight years ago. Of course, the murderer strikes again.  The murders are eventually solved and the murderer caught.  Lyn was expecting to enjoy this book but sadly she did not, although she did enjoy the descriptions of the Mornington Peninsula, having been there before.

BITTER WASH ROAD (HELL TO PAY)

PRUE: This is  the first in the trilogy known as the Paul Hirschhausen novels.  It was published in the US as "Hell to Pay".  It is described as a modern western.  Hirsch, a whistleblower who reported on corrupt colleagues has been demoted and exiled to Tiverton, a small South Australian town in wheat country. It's very Australian. The author is considered a master wordsmith.

In the opening chapter , when he's called out to investigate gunshots on the isolated Bitter Wash Road, Hirsch realises he's completely exposed.  If anyone is going to kill hm, this is the perfect place to set up an ambush.  Could it be his colleagues or the pair of fugitive killers heading for Longreach in a distinctive black Chrysler. He discovers the body of a teenage girl in a ditch by the side of the road. A hit and run?  Getting answers proves difficult. Hirsch is a good, honest police officer who had a promising career.  The book was called Hell to Pay because he won't back down and it will cause problems for many people.

 Kris

 

APRIL:       We will be reading a book by any Australian author 

 

FEBRUARY, 2022 BOOKS ABOUT AIR TRAVEL

 

Our February focus looked at air travel. As usual there was plenty of variety, things learnt and friendly discussions.

BEV - AIRFRAME by MICHAEL CRICHTON. 1996.

As a plane is coming in to land the pilot sends an emergency call - there has been an accident or turbulence during the flight and ambulances are needed. There are 40 patients requiring urgent help! The story delves into what happened which was interesting, but was too heavy on the technical details of the aircraft and too much jargon.

JULIA - THE LIFE OF AMELIA EARHART by LIBBY ROMERO.

Amelia always loved and was fascinated by flight. After an unhappy childhood she went on to become the 1st woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. A trail blazer and adventurer who, mysteriously, disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. An interesting read.

JUDY D - QF by RICHARD de CRESPIGNY.

The Captain's account of the extraordinary events that, by landing his plane at Singapore's Changi airport after an explosion shattered an engine, saved many lives. A massive crisis averted by his amazing skill in navigating his craft to safety. 

Judy also read THE HUNT FOR MH 370 by EARL HIGGINS - both were good reads.

KRIS - MY GOD IT'S A WOMAN by NANCY BIRD WALTON. 2002.

Autobiography by Nancy Bird, born into poor beginnings, she was determined  to fly. The book traces the early stages of male dominated aviation in Australia and how Nancy was a pupil of Charles Kingsford Smith. She overcame many obstacles to pursue her dream and took to barnstorming. This allowed her to fly, earn respect and earn a living. She became known as the 'Angel of the Outback'. Really enjoyable.

 PAMELA - NO MOON TONIGHT by DON CHARLWOOD.

Memoir of Australian navigator Don Charlwood who enlisted in WW2 like many who signed up to support the 'old country'. He trained in Canada and was in camps in northern UK. Navigation systems were very simple in those days and risks were very high. The life expectancy of air crew in WW2  was 23 years of age. Fog, difficult navigation circumstances, simple early aircraft, flying through flak, high risk night time raids etc reveal the pressures and intensity of the times. Well written but a bit depressing, the glossary was useful as a number of characters were described.

SHEILA - THE LONG FLIGHT HOME. by LAINIE ANDERSON.

A true story, told by the wife of the subject, to the author of the book. Wally Shiers was a WW1 Veteran who, before returning to Australia to marry his sweetheart, was asked to compete in an historic aviator race from England to Australia. Wally, an aviator mechanic, joined and so the story unfolds including all the hazards experienced during early days of aviation. Simply written and with many Australian idioms it is an easy read.

JOAN - OUT OF AFRICA by KAREN BLIXEN. 1937

A memoir - Karen married her cousin and moved to Kenya to help run a coffee plantation. The marriage was not a success however Karen stayed on, and continued to run the farm. Her close association with a neighbour and pilot saw Karen take to the sky. She beautifully describes the vistas, light changes, clouds, storms etc. Beautiful imagery, highly descriptive.

JO - FLY GIRLS by KEITH O'BRIEN.

Many girls learnt to fly between WW1 and WW2 but there was much discrimination against female pilots. The book covers the many issues women aviators faced - very few airports, highly dangerous planes made from wood,  little or no navigation tools, having to rely on landmarks (difficult to see in poor weather), not allowed to join air shows or air races.  Interesting.

DIANN - THE PILOT'S WIFE by ANITA SHREVE.

A husband is killed in a plane crash. Investigators arrive at the family home seeking a reason for the crash. A number of troublesome issues arise - an affair, IRA involvement, the investigators seem to want to lay blame on the husband/pilot, heartache for the family. The story was slow moving, with the plot confusing as it jumped around with different characters. Not recommended.

CONNIE - THE FLYING KANGAROO - GREAT UNTOLD STORIES OF QANTAS

by JIM EAMES.

Stories about the early times of Qantas where risk and rewards were high and barnstorming a way to earn money and gain recognition. Qantas involved in WW2 and Vietnam troop movements, disaster help especially after Cyclone Tracey, Bali tragedy - never given recognition for their support and involvement. Movie Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman referred to Qantas. Stories also include issues of mergers, privatisation, budgets, many humorous stories about what they've carried (whales, trees, pets) and their involvement in the 75th anniversary of ANZAC when they planned and supported a number of elderly  WW1 diggers return to Anzac Cove for the commemorations of the event. Enjoyable.

JUDY A - THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY - the Oral History of 9/11

by GARRET GRAFF.

Over 500 people told what they witnessed and experienced on that day. It brought to life the day of 9/11.

FALLING by T.J.NEWMAN. A pilot called in on his day off is about to begin his shift when he learns his family has been kidnapped and now held for ransom. A good thriller.

WENDY - FLYING TOO HIGH by KERRY GREENWOOD.

Phryne Fisher, detective, flies in to solve a murder. A good read.

ROSEMARY - THE AVIATOR'S WIFE by MELANIE BENJAMIN.

Anne Lindbergh, wife of Charles Lindbergh, was wealthy, adventurous, independent and strong. She became the 1st female licensed pilot in USA. Anne and her husband travelled extensively, discovered new flight routes but she was always in his shadow. A power couple of their times. Tragedy struck when their son was kidnapped and murdered. Historical fiction/bio. Good.

CLAURENE - BORN TO FLY by RYAN CAMPBELL.

As a 6 year old Ryan fell in love with flight, his family owned small planes. By 15 he was the youngest pilot in Australia. At 19 he flew solo around the world in a single engine plane. He landed 31 times in 15 countries and travelled 24000 nautical miles. The book gives a view from above of our world. Interesting and enjoyable.

Lesley

 

 March:   We will be reading books by Garry Disher e.g Signal Loss, Blood Moon, The Heat, Play Abandoned, Bitter Wash Road

January 2022: Santa Sack The favourite book read over the holidays.

 

Lyn: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Lyn loved this mystery novel, as well as the story there was also information about the marshes and the animal life that lived there. The plot centres around Kya, a wild and unkempt girl, but many of the townspeople had a part to play in the plot.

Lyn found it a haunting and complex book which made it hard to put down.

 

Judy A:  The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

This was a good psychological thriller. Jake is a once promising novelist, but now teaching creative writing classes. A brash young participant tells him of the plot he wants to write. Several years later, Jake learns he has died and so reworks the plot as his own and the book becomes very successful.

Then one day Jake gets an anonymous email – YOU ARE A THIEF.

Judy’s final comment: This was really well written not only for the building suspense but the insights into the world of publishing.

 

Joan: The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins by Peter Fitzsimons

Hubert Wilkins seemed to be an amazing bloke who led an incredible life. But Joan was disappointed with the book as she felt she didn’t get any sense of the character from the writing.

 

Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption and Vengeance in Today’s China by Desmond Shum

The title says it all. The author’s wife was a successful businesswoman with connections to party officials. It seems that some of their dealings were with corrupt officials. The book investigates her disappearance off a street in Beijing.

Joan: A very interesting read about the political set up and how things are done in China.

 

Claurene: This Much is True by Miriam Margolyes

She usually loves biographies but was very disappointed in this one, so much so that she couldn’t finish it. In her opinion it seems to be limited to the author’s relationships, she wanted more from it.

 

Connie: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn (written in 1939)

Connie knew the story from having watched the movie previously but enjoyed the book so much more.

The story is narrated by Huw Adams, the younger son in the family, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. Life in the coal mining area is very hard and the slags represent an ever-present danger.

Although the ending is very sad, Connie explained that life is not like that in these areas anymore.

The slags have been removed and living standards are much better now.

 

Judy D: The Nazis Knew My Name: by Magda Helinger and Maya Lee

Like many Polish women, the author was moved to Auschwitz Concentration Camp during the war. Here she was given positions of responsibility which eventually allowed her to save many lives.

The book is based on the author’s first-hand accounts and extensive research by her daughter.

Although it is an amazing story, Judy thought it very typical of numerous books that have come out recently telling of lives in the camps, but from different perspectives.

 

Kris: Devotion by Hannah Kent

Fleeing religious persecution, the villagers of Kay make the journey on a disease-ridden ship from German Prussia to the new colony of South Australia. They establish a settlement in what is now known as Hanhdorf. Although God and society prevent them from being together, the devotion of Hanne and Thea, two young women villagers, to each other, is the main theme of the book.

All 3 of Hannah Kent’s novels centre on women on the margins of society. Kris thought it was a wonderful book, beautifully written, but she didn’t enjoy as much as the previous two. This is possibly because she had an expectation of much more about life in the settlement of Hanhdorf.

 

Sheila: The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan

A very interesting book published in 2019, tells the story of an old man who promises his wealth to a young woman the family has never heard of. The story begins in the 1930s and is told from the two sides of this divided family. As well as the family saga there is good factual history of the war.

The book comes highly recommended by Sheila.

 

Judy J: The Judge’s List by John Grisham

A very good legal thriller. A young woman whose father had been murdered many years ago, determines to find the killer. As she investigates, she finds connections to other cases which all seem to link back to the Judge. He is very well respected and successful in his legal career but leads another life, separate and very secretive, as he avoids detection.

With no real evidence it is difficult to get the police or other authorities to investigate.

John Grisham is a very successful writer and Judy enjoys his variety of characters and settings in his story lines.

 

Julia: Secret Smile by Nicci French

Julia described this as a very good and most compelling novel. Miranda’s sister, Kerri has a new boyfriend. But is he really the person he claims to be?

Julia thoroughly recommends this book as well as Beneath the Skin by the same author Nicci French.

Interestingly this is the pseudonym for husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrad and Sean French.

 

Lesley: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 

Described by Leslie as a delightful, easy read, humorous and witty. Set in a luxurious Retirement Village in the English countryside, 4 residents meet each week to try to solve ‘cold cases’ looking for missed clues.

When there is an actual murder on site, the residents launch their own investigation even though the police come to investigate. The residents are all nice people, and their back stories make interesting reading. Thoroughly recommended.

 

Bev: The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter

The book carries a warning that it includes ‘dismemberment’ and it is certainly part of this juicy novel.

Forty years ago, 4 guys are responsible for a murder and thought they had got away with it.

But on his death bed, one of them confesses to the crime and the family of the victim decides to take revenge.

So begins a series of murders each with its own gory message.

Although she finished the book, Bev is not sure she would read another by this author.

 

 

 

February Book Club:

We will be reading books on the topic of ‘Air Travel’ and they can be from any genre

All welcome.

DECEMBER 2021 OUR FAVOURITE BOOK IN LOCKDOWN

SHEILA: MARRIED TO BHUTAN by LINDA LEAMING

Bhutan is a tiny land locked country at the Eastern end of the Himalayas.  It is very remote and the people are happy with very few possessions.  Linda, an American woman lived there for a time.  She learned the language, customs and religion.  Instead of GDP, the country measures the happiness levels of it's people.  Sheila really enjoyed this book.

 

JOAN: THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE

 This book is non fiction.  It is about Elizabeth Packard born 1816 and died 1879.  She lived in Illinois and was a mother of 6  who was married to a Minister of Religion.  The women's rights convention was held in 1848.  Elizabeth, who was a highly intelligent woman, was inspired and started to challenge her husband on political issues.  He then started a campaign to have her committed.  When  she was there she met other women in the same situation who were sent there because they were strong willed or had annoying behaviour.  Elizabeth worked on rights to free these women.

 

DIANN:  A RIVER TOWN BY THOMAS KENEALLY

This is an historical fiction novel.  It is set in summer in a country town bonded by discrimination.  A young Irishman and his family settle there. They had hoped to get away from those attitudes.  There are lots of twists and turns and Diann really enjoyed it.  She said it was a good read.

 

CONNIE:  THERE IS ONLY ONE RAFFLES BY ILSA SHARP

Connie was fascinated as she was there for the 100th anniversary.  Raffles is an iconic hotel in Singapore.  A lot of  famous people have stayed there.  Connie thoroughly enjoyed it but wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you were interested in the history of the hotel.

JO: GONE GIRL BY GILLIAN FLYNN

On a married couple's 5th wedding anniversary the wife disappears.  It's a thriller with lots of twists and turns.  Jo said it was a good book, a real page turner and there was a good finish.

 

PAMELA:  I SHOT THE DEVIL BY RUTH McIVER

Pamela said it was a strange book.  Five people went into the woods and only two came back.  The setting is a fictional town in Long Island where two boys are killed sixteen years earlier.  Pamela thought she would not have read this book but the writing was so good.  It was a thrilling and riveting read until about half way through.  It then became absurdly complicated and unbelievable.

 

KRIS:  ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE BY ANTHONY DOERR

This is a story told in alternating chapters  One is set in an orphanage in Germany where a white haired young boy and his sister are in care.  The other story is about a six year old girl who is blind and living in Paris with her father. The story is mostly set during World  War II and weaves back and forth from Germany to Paris as we follow the lives of the two children.  It tackles the question of survival and moral obligation.  It's a beautiful novel.

 

JUDY D:  THE LAST HOURS BY MINETTE WALTERS

This is historical fiction.  It is a story about the plague in England.  Judy said the author is a good writer and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

ROSEMARIE:  THE FAMILY DOCTOR BY DEBORAH OSWALD

Deborah Oswald is an Australian author.  It's set in Marrickville where Paula is the family doctor.  The story is about family violence.  A female friend and her children were staying with Paula to escape family violence but Paula could not protect them. There are lots of twists and turns. Rosemarie said it makes you wonder what would you do in the same circumstances.

 

JUDY J:  RED ZONE, CHINA'S CHALLENGE AND AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE by PETER HARTCHER 

Peter Hartcher writes for the Sydney Morning Herald.  Drawing on interviews with politicians and other key policymakers this book is a gripping look at China's power and Australia's future.  There are a lot of little incidents and Judy said it was quite scary.  She said the book was very interesting.

 

JULIA:  WHEN YOU ARE MINE BY MICHAEL ROBOTHAM     

This was published in 2021 and it is a stand alone book.  There is no blood.  It was a different type of book to his usual.  Julia said she really enjoyed it and it was good for a change.

 

BEV:  NELLIE'S VOW BY LEONIE BINGE 

This is a true story set during the depression.  It's about an Australian family who who live on a rich property in Nyngan but are plunged into poverty when the husband dies.  His wife sells the property and remarries but the husband is abusive to the daughters.  Two daughters go to a Narellan orphanage.  The eldest girl wants to get the family back together.  Bev was very interested because she is related to them on her father's side.

 

PRUE:  THE SHADOW CAMPAIGNS BY DJANGO WEXLER

This is a series of four books, 1000 pages each.  They are fantasy novels. The Queen is ill and the magicians try to cure her.  It means she will never die.  Prue said it was excellent and she could not stop reading it.  The characters are well defined and it moves quickly.  It is also quirky.

 

JUDY A:  THE PROMISE BY DAMAN GALGUT

The story is set in South Africa.It's about a rich white dysfunctional family.  They have a ten year old daughter Amor.  She overhears her dying mother saying to their long time black servant,Salome that she wants to leave a house and some land to her.  It becomes a broken promise.  It's an allegory of the broken promises to the black people of South Africa.  Daman Galgut is a very good writer.

CLAURENE:  THE SATURDAY BOOK

They were an annual published from 1941 to 1973  This was the 11th one published in England.  There are lots of photos of the time as well as snippets of information.  Claurene said it was a fascinating book which she really enjoyed reading. She also read a few fascinating autobiographies and biographies of politicians.

Kris

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  We'll be back together on the third Thursday in January, 2022 to discuss one of the books we got for Christmas. Stay safe and stay well.