Don't forget we are also on twitter

Follow us for news from library staff.
http://www.twitter.com/wingecarribee

Thursday, July 3, 2008

In my skin: a memoir by Kate Holden

The first words in the prologue are "What do I remember of being a prostitute?". The last ones are "The smile that I give when I talk about it now is, I can feel, nostalgic, provocative. A brightness comes into my eyes. And, I'm told, a hard look."
In my skin explores all the "in-between" of the life of Kate Holden, born in the 1970's, in a "nice" suburb of Melbourne. It is the story of a young girls fall into drugs and prostitution, her family's torment, and her eventual recovery.
A very frank, honest and sometimes shocking real life account of how peer pressure and the desire to "fit in" nearly destroyed a life. Kate came from a normal, loving home, had a good job and a bright future, but her boyfriend's drug use eventually bought on the "I'll just try it once" line. After getting fired from her job for theft to support her new found "habit, she turns to prostitution. Eventually she survives, turns her life around and wrote this amazing story.
This book takes you to a place many of us really don't want to visit. It is certainly not a "light-hearted" leisure read, but it DOES leave you, hopefully, with a new perspective on your own life and the life and glamour?? of an inner-city brothel.
Even though, at times, I found this poignant "adventure" a bit slow and "colourful", it is still a fantastic first-hand insight into a world most know little about.
Tracie

The memory keeper's daugter by Kim Edwards

This is one of the best books that I have read. It kept me interested right from the start and I found the storyline very realistic.
The story begins in 1964, and on one fateful night Dr David Henry makes a split-second decision that will impact upon the rest of his life.
Dr Henry’s wife goes into labor and he delivers his own twins, however he becomes distraught when he realises that one of his children is born with Down syndrome.
The decision to tell his wife that the child was stillborn and ask his nurse to take the baby away to an institution will have consequences that will change numerous lives forever.
This book makes you think about many different things, especially about the consequences of your actions and how secrets can have a devastating impact on the ones you love.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed ‘My Sisters Keeper’ by Jodi Picoult.
Kim.

The senator's wife by Sue Miller

This book focuses on US Senator’s wife Delia Naughton and her various relationships. The relationship with her husband Senator Tom Naughton, her three children, Nancy, Evan and Brad, and most importantly with her new young neighbours Meri and Nathan.
Meri and Delia are complete opposites and strike up an unlikely friendship. Delia is a private, elegant and poised older lady, while Meri is a tomboy, a modern new wife and expectant first time mother.
This is a love story but it focuses on the issues of infidelity and betrayed trust. It is a book about consequences and what keeps people together, through good times and bad.
I liked this book as I felt it dealt with real life situations and showed that things may not always be as perfect as they first appear.
Cathy.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Street Kid by Judy Westwater

Street Kid is a moving and heartfelt recount of a girls’ struggle throughout her childhood. From suffering sexual assault and eating off the street to even being abducted by her own father and taken to Africa. This inspirational book has allowed readers to fulfill their dreams, just as Judy did by becoming “…one of the Australian Air Aces.” Furthermore, this recount makes us come to the realisation of some of the various crimes which go unheard …until now.
Sara

Our horses in Egypt by Rosalind Belben

Not long after World War 1 has ended, Griselda Romney, the widow of a British Naval Commander, gets the news that her beloved horse Philomena may still be alive. The horse had been requisitioned along with thousands of others and sent to the Middle East to serve as cavalry horses. After the war ended, the horses were left behind.
Griselda leaves her young son in the care of relatives and sets off with her daughter and nanny in tow to Egypt to find her horse and bring it back to England.
The novel is well researched and is so accurate it almost feels as though you are reading a biography or non-fiction, and in some ways you are. The chapters alternate between the present and Griselda’s search for her horse, and then into the past when you see the horrors of war through the eyes of Philomena and the men she serves. The story is written in such a way that it makes history come alive, and makes it more personal. The only criticism I would have is that the story sometimes overstepped the mark by becoming a little too bogged down in facts and detail but it was a great read nevertheless.
Chris

Blog Archive