Category Archives: Recommended

December 14, 2023 · 3:20 pm

Apeirogon – Colum McCann

Apeirogon – Colum McCann

I decided I needed to know more about Israel and Palestine and this book was on a lot of lists of recommendations. I found a copy at the library.

Here’s the blurb …

Colum McCann’s most ambitious work to date, Apeirogon–named for a shape with a countably infinite number of sides–is a tour de force concerning friendship, love, loss, and belonging.

Bassam Aramin is Palestinian. Rami Elhanan is Israeli. They inhabit a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives, from the roads they are allowed to drive on, to the schools their daughters, Abir and Smadar, each attend, to the checkpoints, both physical and emotional, they must negotiate.

Their worlds shift irreparably after ten-year-old Abir is killed by a rubber bullet and thirteen-year-old Smadar becomes the victim of suicide bombers. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other’s stories, they recognize the loss that connects them and they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace.

McCann crafts Apeirogon out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material. He crosses centuries and continents, stitching together time, art, history, nature, and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate, and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our time.

This novel had an interesting structure. Lots of little, seemingly unrelated facts, mixed in with the stories of the two men (Bassam and Rami). It’s beautifully written – I find it comprehensible that people can go on when their child has died, but both of these men are determined to create a better world (I hope their OK given the current situation).

I feel I know a little bit more about the situation, so I do recommend reading this novel.

A review

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December 10, 2023 · 2:33 pm

The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison – Meredith Jaffe

The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison – Meredith Jaffe

I have this book in Kindle and paper format and in the end I listened to it! I am not sure what caused the delay, because in the end I really enjoyed it.

Here’s the blurb …

Can a wedding dress save a bunch of hardened crims? The Full Monty meets Orange is the New Black in a poignantly comic story about a men’s prison sewing circle.

‘This is a deft and unlikely story in an uncommon setting about an estranged daughter, her jailed father and a very bad idea about a dress. It all makes for a warm, funny union of foes and a lovely encounter with what matters.’ Rosalie Ham

Derek’s daughter, Debbie, is getting married. He’s desperate to be there, but he’s banged up in Yarrandarrah Correctional Centre for embezzling funds from the golf club, and, thanks to his ex-wife, Lorraine, he hasn’t spoken to Debbie in years. He wants to make a grand gesture – to show her how much he loves her. But what?

Inspiration strikes while he’s embroidering a cushion at his weekly prison sewing circle – he’ll make her a wedding dress. His fellow stitchers rally around and soon this motley gang of crims is immersed in a joyous whirl of silks, satins and covered buttons.

But as time runs out and tensions rise both inside and outside the prison, the wedding dress project takes on greater significance. With lives at stake, Derek feels his chance to reconcile with Debbie is slipping through his fingers …

A funny, dark and moving novel about finding humanity, friendship and redemption in unexpected places.

This felt very Australian – perhaps that was just the accent of the narrator, but there was definite Australianisms – Dezza for instance. I really enjoyed all of the references to needlework and how needlework can be calming and provide a useful distraction in tough times.

I have a cushion from Fine Cell work (the UK based charity Connecting Threads is based on)

Here it is blocking

I thought the characters and the dialogue were brilliant.

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December 5, 2023 · 5:31 pm

Graft – Maggie MacKellor

Graft – Maggie MacKellor

I saw this on someone’s Instagram feed and then it popped up on Borrowbox, so I thought why not?

Here’s the blurb …

In my mind I walk over the land. I run my hands through the grass as if it were the hair on my head. I dig my fingers into the dirt as if the soil were the crust of my skin.In Graft, Maggie MacKellar describes a year on a Merino wool farm on the east coast of Tasmania, and all of life – and death – that surrounds her through the cycle of lambing seasons. She gives us the land she knows and loves, the lambs she cares for, the ewes she tries to save, the birds around her, and the dogs and horses she adores.This book is a stunning thanksgiving for a place and a moment in motherhood; and a timely reminder of the inescapable elemental laws of nature.Susan Duncan on When It ‘An unforgettable story of love and courage that inspires even as it breaks your heart.’

This is beautiful, her writing is fabulous. As a mother whose children are beginning to leave the nest, I felt she was putting my feelings into words. And her descriptions of her environment – the birds, the sheep, the lambs (and how the ewes mother their lambs) are lovely. And her descriptions of farming; surviving the drought, lambing, shearing make a non-farmer like me appreciate the hard ships.

This is such a moving, heart felt memoir. Anyone who is a parent, or a farmer, or just interested in people would enjoy this book.

A review

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November 21, 2023 · 3:33 pm

Stone Yard Devotional – Charlotte Wood

Stone Yard Devotional – Charlotte Wood

I read The Natural Way of Things and I wasn’t sure if I would read anything else. However, this one had such interesting reviews that I was intrigued. Plus I booked in to hear her speak at Beaufort St Books, so I thought I should read the novel. She was a fabulous speaker – honest, vulnerable and generous.

Here’s the blurb …

A deeply moving novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be ‘good’, from the award-winning author of The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place of her childhood, holing up in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro.She does not believe in God, doesn’t know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can’t forget.Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation.Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand – then disappeared, presumed murdered.Finally, a troubling visitor to the monastery pulls the narrator further back into her past.With each of these disturbing arrivals, the woman faces some deep questions. Can a person be truly good? What is forgiveness? Is loss of hope a moral failure? And can the business of grief ever really be finished?A meditative and deeply moving novel from one of Australia’s most acclaimed and best loved writers..’Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout.’ THE GUARDIAN UK

For me this book was not really about the plot, but about the voice of the narrator (unnamed). She could be talking about paint drying and I would be fascinated. The book is really an exploration about what it means to be a good person.

A review

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October 30, 2023 · 12:58 pm

Weyward – Emilia Hart

Weyward – Emilia Hart

I can’t remember where I first heard about this novel. I reserved the audible version from the library – it took a while to be available, so it must be popular.

Here’s the blurb …

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

I enjoyed listening to this, it was narrated by three different actresses, portraying Altha, Violet and Kate. I enjoyed all of their stories. The settings and characters were well-written; particularly all of the nature (and insect) descriptions. I particularly enjoyed Violet’s revenge. It’s historical fiction with a bit of magical realism mixed in.

A review

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October 29, 2023 · 2:36 pm

The Offing – Benjamin Myers

The Offing – Benjamin Myers

I have heard quite a bit about Cuddy, but this was the only novel my library stocked.

Here’s the blurb …

After all, there are only a few things truly worth fighting for: freedom, of course, and all that it brings with it. Poetry, perhaps, and a good glass of wine. A nice meal. Nature. Love, if you’re lucky.

One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea.

Staying with Dulcie, Robert’s life opens into one of rich food, sea-swimming, sunburn and poetry. The two come from different worlds, yet as the summer months pass, they form an unlikely friendship that will profoundly alter their futures.

From the Walter Scott Prize-winning author of The Gallows Pole comes a powerful new novel about an unlikely friendship between a young man and an older woman, set in the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay in the aftermath of the Second World War.

This was lovely and it had beautiful descriptions of nature and food. It is a quiet story about human connection, coming of age, surviving (and thriving) after terrible loss and reading (and how reading can set you free).

A review

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October 15, 2023 · 12:51 pm

So Late in the Day – Clare Keegan

So Late in the Day – Claire Keegan

As I really enjoyed Small Things Like These, I was keen to read more of her work. I would say this is a short story or a short novella – it only took me an hour or so to read.

Here’s the blurb …

After an uneventful Friday at the Dublin office, Cathal faces into the long weekend and takes the bus home. There, his mind agitates over a woman named Sabrine, with whom he could have spent his life, had he acted differently. All evening, with only the television and a bottle of champagne for company, thoughts of this woman and others intrude – and the true significance of this particular date is revealed.

From one of the finest writes working today, Keegan’s new story asks if a lack of generosity might ruin what could be between man and women.

Once again, the writing is beautiful. Cathal’s personality and views are slowly revealed (how he doesn’t want to spend money, how his mother was treated).

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October 3, 2023 · 12:30 pm

Once Upon A River – Dianne Setterfield

Once Upon a River – Dianne Setterfield

I have a kindle version of this novel, but in the end I listened to the Audible version (narrated by Juliet Stevens). I have read The Thirteenth Tale, which I really enjoyed, but I think this one might be my favourite.

Here’s the blurb …

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.

I was very invested in all of the characters (maybe not Victor Nash), but all of the other characters; Rita and Mr Daunt, Mr Armstrong and Bess, Margo and Joe (and the little Margos), Helena, etc. The writing is lovely, the characters are generous and kind (most of them). It has the feel of a folk tale with Quietly punting on the river, the child that died and then lived, the magic lantern show and Robert Armstrong talking to his animals.

This is one of my favourite reads of the year.

A review

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October 2, 2023 · 8:38 pm

One Illumined Thread – Sally Colin-James

One Illumined Thread – Sally Colin-James

I listened to an interview on the Book Show (or the Book Shelf) with Sally Colin-James, Geraldine Brooks and Pip Williams, which made me super keen to read all three of their new novels (I have The Bookbinder of Jericho in my TBR.

Here’s the blurb …

In Judea, under the brutal rule of King Herod, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing, a creative act she believes will keep her dream of motherhood alive. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful husband, and struggles to find a way to support herself and her young son. And in contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by loss, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.

A stunning, sweeping historical novel spanning two thousand years, One Illumined Thread celebrates the power and creative spirit of the female heart, as each woman finds freedom through an extraordinary connection.

I really enjoyed this novel; particularly the references to glass blowing, making paint and embroidering (or conserving embroidery). It is beautifully written, clearly a lot of care and attention went into the research and the writing.

I would have liked more of the contemporary story (perhaps that would have made the novel too long?).

It’s about women finding ways to do things in a patriarchal (and brutal) society, and it’s about mothers and daughters, female friendships, mothers and sons, female independence, and pursuing a craft or skill.

A review.

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September 21, 2023 · 5:43 pm

A Year of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks

A Year of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks

I read this years ago – probably when it was first released – and I know I enjoyed it and I consider it to be my favourite Geraldine Brooks novel. When I saw it as an audio book (read by the author) on Borrowbox, I had to re-visit it.

Here’s the blurb …

An unforgettable tale, set  in 17th century England,  of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord  and of March , winner of the Pulitzer Prize 

When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna’s eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a “year of wonders.”

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England,  Year of Wonders  is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing “an inspiring heroine” ( The Wall Street Journal ), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.

It’s extraordinary how little of this novel I remembered. It is also very interesting to read this in a Covid (post-covid) world. This village isolates itself so as not to spread the plague, they move church services to outside and stand at a distance from each other – that’s all very familiar.

It’s beautifully written with lots of lovely period detail (but blended into the story). I particularly enjoyed all of the domestic details and the herb remedies. There is also a lot of death (from the plague and otherwise), religion ( was the plague god’s judgement for their sins), selfishness and superstitions.

A review

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