On the shelf

Laugh

2012-02-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying that laughter is the best medicine, so to ensure we all stay in optimum health, enabling us to read more, this month’s theme is laugh. Did you know that laughter stimulates five different parts of the brain, so reading something humorous can actually help keep your brain from aging? (another good reason to read something fun!). We can be laughing with humour, joy, embarrassment, or even nervous laughter.

What kind of reading makes you laugh?
Do you like black humour, comedy, joke books, satire or parody?
Are you giggling, chuckling, snuffling a laugh or laughing out loud?
Whatever makes you laugh, we are sure we have plenty to tempt you on our shelves. When you find one, tell us about it so we can join you in laughing.

#nyr12

2012-01-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

We spent last year thinking about it and planning for it and now it’s here. So Happy New Year to all our readers and welcome to the National Year of Reading 2012. Are you planning to challenge yourself this year? A new genre perhaps, or new authors? Maybe re-visiting favourite childrens’ reading with precious grandchildren? How about the e-reader you received for Christmas, have you worked out the downloads yet?
In the library and at the love2read2012 blog we are preparing for a sensational 12 months - and some serious reading. Books, in print or electronic, for reading and listening, games to play, research to be done and of course, plenty to tweet about.
If you haven’t tweeted before, don’t be shy this year. It’s really easy and we’d love your input. You can always follow us one month to see how it’s done. It’s a wonderful way to obtain new suggestions for reading (I know because I asked and now have so much on my TBR list).
Remember, reading means something different to everyone, but without it, we are without well, everything libraries, love2read2012.wordpress.com and the National Year of Reading hope to promote, month by month.
So here’s the start, January is the Amazing read – what’s yours?
Join us. Tell us your favourites. We all love2read, we like to know what’s out there so we don’t miss out – on anything.
Helen

December is #Summerreads

2011-12-01T19:27:00.001-08:00

Summer – the season of sunshine, holidays, relaxation. Long evenings to languish with a good book. That’s what they’d like you to think. In reality, summer can means frantically running around organising that last Christmas present, food shopping, cleaning the house, mothering children etc. ect. That is until… Boxing Day. Then my summer of reading begins.
I have a list.
A long list.
Hot reading, all of them.

I have something for everyone on the list. How-to guides, a couple of biographies and some wicked crime fiction for the menfolk. Plenty of picture books, Where’s Wally and I spy to keep the little ones amused. For school age children, join the Summer Reading Club? This year’s theme is “The Amazing Read”. Find some gruesome facts in the Ripley’s “Believe it or not” series, catch up on Zac Power’s, the Beastie Boys’ and Geronimo Stilton’s latest escapades and read about the latest fairy from Daisy Meadows. Seen the movie? Now read the books - try Harry Potter and Diary of a wimpy kid. For teenagers I’m thinking vampires, steampunk and graphic novels.
Now if you haven’t planned a holiday recently, summertime is exactly the time to start. Lonely Planet, Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness travel will have you travelling through exotic landscapes or testing your strength climbing mountains. I’m looking forward to some new cookbooks (reading not necessarily cooking), some light romantic fiction… so what about you?

What will be your hot reads this summer? Maybe they’ll be cool reads?
Whatever they are, make plenty of time for them.
Join us for our last Twitter Reading Group discussion in 2011, on Tuesday December 13th, 8pm AEST. Use hash tags #summerreads #readit2011

Helen

Reading Mo (ments) in Movember

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Movember" is the month when it becomes fashionable for the male species to sprout and shape facial hair between their top lip and their nose. All for a good cause though...promoting men's health. Now, as our libraries are presently an all female affair, we were a bit stuck as to who could represent us for Movember... until our light bulb moment... Yes, you, all our male readers.
This is what we'd like you to do -
Grow and shape (or not) your mo
Come into the library and have your photo taken with your mo and one of your favourite books or,
Email your own photo to us at libweb@nsw.gov.au
You may also like to register at http://au.movember and collect a few sponsors
Now, this is all about having some fun and being part of the library community so...if you aren't hairy and don't want to grow a mo... get creative! We'll take drawn on mos, stuck on mos, hand held mos, we'll even have some props in the library to help so you can be included in our Reading Mo (ments)display.
We'll take photos until the last day of Movember so you've got 30 days to grow that mo!
Ad while your mo is growing, this month our New Books selection is just for guys, a great selection of male authors for you to borrow. Check out the library webpage and catalogue and reserve a few today.
Helen

October is #egoreads

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Biographies, memoirs, lives. October is #egoreads.
I've been on a journey.
I love to explore.
I've stayed at home.
I've scored goals in stadiums.
I've scored chicks in stadiums.
I think that's funny.
I think you are funny.
I live amongst old people.
I ahve suffered.
I cry for my ilfe.
I wish his life had not been taken.
Oh, what a debonair life I have had.
And darling, what a grand life I have had.
And sadly, what a short life I have had.
For this life is one of many
I discover
I explore
I plunder
I abhor
I love
I adore
It's all about me, me me.

The Alice behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester

2011-09-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

On a summer's day in 1858 Charles Dodgson photographed six year old Alice Liddell, the daughter of the college dean.
Simon Winchester deftly uses the resulting image as the vehicle for a brief excursion behind the lens, a focal point on the origins of a classic work of English literature. Dodgson's love of photography framed his view of the world and was partly responsible for transforming a shy and half-deaf mathematician into one of the world's best loved observers of childhood. Using Dodgson's published writings, private diaries and of course his photographic portraits, Winchester gently exposes the development of Lewis Carroll and the making of his Alice.

What a beautiful little book. Well written. I loved the emphasis on Lewis Carrol and his life, so informative.
This is a lovely book to read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Mr Kevin Gallagher

Until Tuesday by Louis Carlos Montalvan

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is a very unique Golden Retriever. He started his training from only 4 days old at the Service Dogs training facility. He then moved to the Puppies Behind Bars Program being looked after by various prisoners which left him feeling unloved, unsettled and in need of retraining. He then moved to a home for troubled youth so they could learn responsibility and help socialize the dogs. He then went back to the Service Dog training facility for his final training. As bright as he was, he had trouble coping with being moved around and not having his one special person to bond with. One day that would all change when he was matched up with his forever person.
Captain Luis Montalvan had trouble adjusting back into civilian life after his first tour of duty in Iraq and his marriage failed. He decided to sign up for a second tour of duty. He eventually came back to the United States in 2003 a highly decorated soldier, but he also came back a very damaged man, both physically and mentally. He had been stabbed, suffered brain damage and broke three vertebrae in his spine. He received an “Honorable Discharge” from the Army after writing a critical review of the war in the New York Times. Getting back to “normal” life after witnessing the horrors of the Gulf War was almost too much for him to handle. He suffered PTSD, agoraphobia and was in acute physical pain. He even contemplated suicide on a few occasions. He was just managing to make it through the day, fuelled by alcohol and pain killers, somehow even managing to go back to University part time to get his Masters Degree. Through all this he had to fight with the Government to get proper medical treatment. He was trying to get back to being a human being as best as he could. One day, he received an email that would change his life forever. Through a group that helps returned soldiers he learned of an organisation that matches disabled veterans with Service Dogs to help the soldiers have companionship, be able to live more independently, and to help them ease the anxieties of everyday living
On a day that was meant to be Tuesday the dog meets Luis the Veteran. A dog found a forever person and a wounded soldier found the help that he needed to get back to living a better life.
Together they campaign for better treatment of veterans and a better understanding about the role of Service Dogs and their role in helping people. Together they try to educate the community about the legal rights people with Service dogs have and try to end discrimination that is aimed at them.
No matter what your politics are about wars and government you will still find this book truly inspiring. When it comes right down to it, it’s a story about a dog that helps a man, and a man who helps a dog.
Chris.

#whodoneit

2011-07-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's crime and mystery month.
With fiction sub-geners like detective, legal, historical, psychological, forensic, cosy corner, comic capers, spy and suspense, there is a never-ending supply of reading material and far too many authors to list. However, here's a few of my favourites at this moment...Louise Penny, Fred Vargas, Adrian Magson, Gerard O'Donovan, Martin Walker and David Hewson. I'm always looking for more authors, let me know your favourites.
Who really "done it"? Does the ultimate punishment fit the crime? Are the perpetrators even caught?
Non-fiction more your style? There's no shortage of material to read here either. seedy, cruel, heartbreaking, lawbreaking, fascinating, and often all at once.
Now if you aren't usually a fan of crime, you may be surprised to find crime and mystery in the likes of The name of the rose by Umberto Eco; The daughter of time by Josephine Tey; Do no harm by Carol Topolski. Let's not forget Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the spy series or Enid Blyton's characters. Crime and mystery are everywhere. Even the picture books are into it...what did happen to Harry's sweater in No roses for Harry?
So join us this month in our suspenseful reading, send me a post to put on the blog, add tags to Trove, Library Thing, and tweet using the #whodoneit hashtag. Let others know what you are reading.
Helen

The humans who went extinct by Clive Finlayson

2011-05-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is a fascinating text that gives a deep insight to the evolution and survival of early man, it also serves as a warning of the dangers of climate change to our own species. Far from being the dull-witted monkey-men we imagine Neanderthals to have been, they were intelligent, worthy proto-humans who were in the wrong palce at the wrong time and became extinct due to climate change. Their technology was equal to that of contemporary proto-humans, our species could just as logically possess equal social and technological skills as today, if Neanderthals had been our anccestors. The cover photo on the book is enlightening, a facial conmstruction of an Neanderthal skull - and without a doubt possessing "human" characteristics.
Stephanie

The holy thief by William Ryan

2011-05-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

This books begins with a fairly gruesome killing, but the storyline follows in a pacey style which is very readable. Set in Moscow in 1937, Stalin is in power and all is not so good in the state of Soviet Russia, corruption and social inequality are prevalent in the egalitarian society. Our polite detective seems to have an impossible crime to solve, as well as risking his own life in the investigation. William Ryan weaves the threads of his own story very skillfully, he portrays the bleak atmosphere of 1930s Moscow and the depressing deprivations that the populace endure, as well as creating sympathetic adn very human characters.
Stephanie

Book reviews from the ROADS

2011-05-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

One of our regular ROADS borrowers, Mrs Yvonne Hayes, has sent us the following three reviews:
Lunch with the stationmaster by Derek Hansen
The stationmaster is a Hungarian Jewish father of two boys, who he tries to protect as the Second World War rolls over Hungary. An engrossing tale of different Hungarians during WWII and the Hungarian Revolution as told by one of the group of men who meet each month for lunch, in an Australian city and tell the story of his choice.
Sole survivor by Derek HansenA story about a small group of solitary people who find each other on a small island in New Zealand. People whose lives has lost meaning then find meaning with each other but in a realistic way.
Both books are a great read, very believable characters and the story lives in your mind for days after finishing the book.
The courier's tale by Peter Walker
An engrossing tale about King Henry VIII and his long running anger at the English Cardinal Reginald Pole. The courier is Michael Throckmorton who moves between England and Italy as messenger and bodyguard to Cardinal Pole. Also King Henry's Lord Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, another main character, in this story of powerful people surviving in turbulent times. The story moves into Queen Mary I's reign and the destruction of many lives. The story is well told across many different regions of Europe and England, about people who lived during the fearful times. A great read for people who enjoy historical dramas from an earlier age.

The happiest refugee/ Anh Do #oznzreads2011

2011-05-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. He and his family nearly lost their lives as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in a very creaky, overcrowded boat. Pirates, hunger, disease and thirst didn’t stop them from trying to get to Australia and a better life. Unfortunately, their new life in Australia was not always the dream they hoped it would be. With parents who worked every hour of the day and night to provide for the basics, Anh and his brother and sister lived a far from normal childhood, in sometimes less than ideal circumstances. The one thing that was always constant was the love of his close family and all the extended family that came in and out of their lives. Anh, his sister Tram and brother Khoa always managed to keep optimistic and find the good, even in the darkest of times. When his father left the family it hurt all of them very deeply. It also placed a large burden on his mother to support the family as a single parent. Her perseverance and ability to never give in was Anh’s inspiration to work hard to help the family out and to not lose sight of the dream of making a good life for himself and his family. He graduated from high school, went on to do a law degree and then gave it all up to pursue a career in comedy, all the time putting the happiness and survival of his family above all else. Through every stumbling block and heartbreak he had to endure Anh came out smiling and keeps true to his undying belief that anything is possible
The Happiest Refugee is a truly inspiring story of one of my favourite people. Even though the story is full of tragedy and heartache it is counterbalanced with a huge dose of optimism and determination. Anh never lost sight of what his father told him as a young boy, “There’s today, and there’s too late” and Anh never stops making everyday count for the better.
Chris

DOG: The definitive book for dog lovers/ Bruce Fogle

2011-05-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dog is a book that is not just a list of do’s and don’t’s or a set of instructions – it is an actual families experiences. The good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the ups and the downs. Everyone can relate to the text and stories. It is written with wit and wisdom and emotion. This book will change your attitude to dogs and their training in a very positive way so that you both will have long and happy lives.
The chapters start with the history of dogs and classification and finish with the older dog and a dignified end. Every aspect of having a dog is covered – birthing, choosing, infancy, puppyhood, adolescence, adulthood and everything in between.
This is a book that you could turn to every time your dog surprises you, worries you, needs you or if you are just absolutely desperate for an answer.
Beautifully illustrated and written, you can tell this book is a real labour of love. Dog will always have a place on my book shelves.
Tracie

#oznzreads

2011-04-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Australia and New Zealand share many things. Sport, food, farming culture, travel destinations, to name a few. There's also at times, a fierce rivalry amongst the same things, even the origin of the pavlova isn't safe! So be the first to read and tweet your favourite Australian New Zealand read this month.

Fantasy fiction

2011-03-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Fantasy fiction - what does it mean to write fantasy fiction? We were lucky enough to hear Brent Weekes speak via skype from his home in USA last week. As he put it when you write fantasy, you can use the whole playground and the writer makes the rules!
If you haven't tried a fantasy author yet, this is the month to do it. Here's a very short list to start:
Joe Abercrombie
Peter V Brett
Terry Brooks
Tom Holt
Stephen Leather
Ursula Le Guin
George R R Martin
Elizabeth Moon
Robert Rankin
Brent Weekes

Junior and Young Adult readers may like the following
Holly Black
Isabel Carmody
Suzanne Collins
Becca Fitzpatrick
Charlie Hickson
Garth Nix
Terry Pratchett
If you have other authors to suggest, send me a list and a book review.
Happy reading, Helen

Lessons in letting go: confessions of a hoarder/Corinne Grant

2011-01-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

This book was really easy to read and if you are a hoarder, it may help you to understand why you do it and give you the motivation to de-clutter.
Corinne Grant is a comedian so the book is quite funny at times. It is written in five parts:

Where it started
Where it became unsteady
Where it collapsed
Where it was rebuilt
When it was done

Corinne talks about funny, moving and memorable times from her past and present, as she has realisations as to why she has accumulated so much junk. It took her a year to work through and let go of her clutter, both emotionally and physically. An enjoyable and relatable read.
Cathy.

Not without you by Alan and Irene Brogan

2011-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is a true story of an unbreakable bond formed between two children aged 7 and 9. The couple’s love story began in 1959 when they were placed at the same children’s home in Sunderland, England after the deaths of their mothers. Their fathers struggled to keep their families together which in turn led the children to live in care where cruel punishments were dealt by the carers for any small misdemeanour.
From the moment they met, they were inseparable. They became each others family forming a deep and loving bond but boy-girl friendships in any form were frowned upon in the home. When their friendship was discovered Alan was sent away without any explanation and no goodbye. Although they were forcibly parted their bond was never broken and so started an incredible journey to find each other again.
Despite painful memories of lonely childhoods, cruelty, and desperate attempts to escape the system, this is an astonishing story that will leave you feeling sad, angry and wondering how any child could survive the horrors of the child care system of the 50’s and 60’s.
A wonderful and inspiring read.
Debra

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

2010-11-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

I don't usually enjoy vampire stories and I think that the idea of the Presidents of the USA having their own vampire is scary... but if you believe there are others out there who may be capable of inflicting worse terrorism on our world than already exists, a 600yr old vampire could come in handy. Team him up with a young staffer in trouble for taking liberties with the President's daughter, an untrustworthy Vice President, lots of action and violence and you have a story that is part "Men in Black" but also witty and immensely readable. I could get to like this vampire, but maybe only because he's the quintessential "unavailable" male?
Helen

Dog Boy by Eva Hornung

2010-11-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Dog Boy, by Eva Hornung, is set amidst the chaos and poverty that is late 20th century Moscow. This often confronting novel explores the timeless story of a human child raised by animals, but this telling is one of vivid and sometimes violent realism.
Abandoned by his mother, uncle and the system he is left to perish alone in a derelict apartment building in the slums of Moscow. Four year old Romochka, driven by cold and hunger wanders lost and starving until he follows a feral dog, Mamochka, to her lair in the cellar of an abandoned church. Mamochka is the leader of a clan of dogs and there she raises Ramochka as one of her own puppies. Ramochka learns the complex language and behaviour of dogs and comes to identify himself as more canine than human until fascination with the human world draws him to venture there.
Dog Boy has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. I highly recommend this gritty novel that is both an engaging and thought provoking read.
Roxanne

The ghost at the wedding by Shirley Walker

2010-08-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Three generations, two wars and one family… Shirley Walker’s beautifully written memoir of one Australian family’s experience of two world wars is at once tragic and life affirming.

Set in the cane fields of northern NSW’s Clarence River, Gallipoli, The Western Front and the Kokoda trail, The Ghost at the Wedding chronicles the loss and grief of Jessie Walker’s family as sons, brothers and husbands are lost or forever changed in battles beyond Australian shores. It portrays in poignant detail the lives of those at home who wait for news of their men and the dogged resilience they show as they cope as best they can with their fates.

The Ghost at the Wedding has been shortlisted for the 2010 Prime Ministers Literary Awards non-fiction category.

A window into a traumatic period in ordinary Australian’s lives, The Ghost at the Wedding is a must read for its beautiful language, historical insight and the strength of spirit of its characters.

Roxanne

Wanted! Your reviews!

2010-08-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

What are you reading? Do you love it? Tell us about it! See yourself in print. Send me a review, but don't give away the ending!
Helen

The hand that first held mine/ Maggie O'Farrell

2010-08-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Motherhood. Family. Memories. Lexie Sinclair is happy to leave her family and memories behind as she heads into the 1950s and bohemian London to create an exciting life for herself. When fate intervenes with the love of her life, Lexie recreates her life... and motherhood, though not planned, is fully embraced in her usually creative, independent and unconventional way.
In the same location, fifty years on, Elina is struggling to recover from traumatic childbirth to navigate first time parenthood. As her partner Ted becomes increasingly alarmed by memories he cannot place, but feels are connected in some way to his family and the birth of his son, Elina and Ted wonder how life can, in seemingly an instant, be so changed. As Ted searches for answers, we find the connection and ... Motherhood. Family. Memories ... you can never leave them behind. They make us who we are.
Helen

A life on Pittwater by Susan Duncan

2010-06-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

I chose to read this beautiful book because the Pittwater area is where I grew up and I wanted to rekindle some memories. Well, it did more than that. It made me feel so much part of this lovely little passionate community again that I had to smile each time I picked it up and I was tinged with sadness each time I had to put it down.
It is written by the author who wrote Salvation Creek (which is also about this area and her life there). In the early 1980’s Susan Duncan left a busy life as journalist in New York to return to Australia. She moved to Pittwater and still lives there with her husband. She said this place changed her life forever! Her book helps you share how much she really loves her beloved Pittwater and its people.
The photographs are just absolutely breathtaking of the bush, the people, the characters, the dogs and chickens, the bay, the water, the boats on the water (tinnies, ferries), the boatsheds, the wildlife. This book and the photography have captured the feel of the close community of artists, actors, writers, shipwrights, cooks, everyone and anyone really, that is united by a love of life by the water.
In her own words “There is not a single day that I do not say a silent thank you for the privilege of living here. Each day feels like a gift. Perhaps because it is”.
After reading this book I also feel that privilege. Don’t get me wrong though, this book will appeal to everyone. You also be drawn into the life of this magical place where the only way home is by boat.
Tracie

Library and Information Week 24-30 May 2010

2010-05-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

In May every year, libraries and information services throughout Australia celebrate Library and Information Week and highligfht the vital role and value of libraries. Visit us this week as we invite you to come into any of our branches and discover everything the library can offer you.
Check us out on Twitter... http://twitter.com/wingecarribee ...Follow us for news, views and book reviews from library staff.
Find out how to efficiently search our library catalogue for that elusive book you'd like to read.
Have a look at the fabulous National Library website www.trove.nla.gov.au
Bring your little one to National Simultaneous Storytime in Bowral Library on Wednesday at 11am and find out why "Little white dogs can't jump"!
Just call in for a chat and tell us what you're reading now.
See you during the week,
Helen

Ransom by David Malouf

2010-04-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

David Malouf's Ransom is a lyrical meditation on the role of chance in our lives. Malouf's adaptation of the ransom of Hector's body from Homer's epic, The Iliad, humanises Homer's characters.
At times deeply moving, Malouf recognises the importance of respect between enemies even in times of war. A rewarding and cathartic easy-to-read novel from one of Australia's finest authors. Try something new with Ransom!
Stephanie

Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore. Seven Kingdom series

2010-04-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

I was in desperate need for a new book to read and discovered this author after doing a search on NoveList to find a similar author to Garth Nix (whom I also recommend as a good author). Only two of the trilogy have been published, Graceling and Fire. I read Graceling first.
I was instantly entranced and captured by the novel. The story follows the journey of Katsa, a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme and often feared skilled. Her ability is to kill. As the niece of the king, she is fortunately not shunned away like other Gracelings, but is forced to use her power to persuade his enemies. Along her journey, she teams up with a young fighter, Po, to save their land from corrupt king and discover a secret that could change their world forever. Dum dum dum!!!
Katsa is quite a powerful character whose strength, honour and power make her a very captivating heroine.
Similarly, Fire is also a very impressive character. Like her father, Fire is the last of the human monsters. Her beauty is irresistible, especially to the men around her. She has also been given the ability to control the minds of those around her, which she uses cautiously. She has been summoned by the King to use her abilities to help against those that appose him. Will she throw caution to the wind and obey?
I’m not one for romantic fiction, finding it’s gets in the way of a good story. But, I didn’t mind the hint romance within each of these novels. Its subtle presence did not impede on the story line.
Although both books were written within the same kingdom, they can be read out of order, which I had inadvertently done. I would highly recommend these books to anyone wanting to read a fantasy novel in which the main character is not male, but a strong woman who can surpass anyone of the opposite sex. Looking forward to the final novel.
Amy

The Italian matchmaker by Santa Montefiore

2009-10-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Incantellaria... images of warmth, magic and mystery. The latest Montefiore novel set on the southern Italian coast novel ticks all the boxes for a romance; a restored palazza with a dark secret, unrequited love, sunshine and water, flower scents on evening breezes, food and wine, ghostly visions and of course a disillusioned millionaire and a heartbroken mother. Primarily though, it is a story of friendship, family and acceptance.
If you haven't read any Santa Montefiore novels, start now. Check the library catalogue and request some. If you are waiting for this one, you will enjoy it as much as as her previous stories.
Helen

Libary renovations

2009-06-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

As you will all be aware we are about to embark on renovations at Bowral Library. Our library is now 10 years old and it's time for an update. We will be closed from the 1st of July and will re-open on Friday the 10th July. During this time requests for items from Bowral Library made online via the library website between Monday 29th July and Friday 10th July cannot be processed. Please do not place any requests during this time. Moss Vale and Mittagong Libraries will be open for business as usual.
We look forward to seeing again after the 10th.
Helen

Listen by Kate Veitch

2009-06-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

“Daphne. That smell is the loveliest thing … and if you’ve got a good bush growing, you never want to shift it, you know that don’t you darl?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that “ Olivia said. “Daphne doesn’t like to be moved”.
“Too right,” Alex said. “I made that mistake once, you know. I made that mistake with a young lady. I moved her and I thought she was in the right spot, I thought she was happy, but no. She just couldn’t adjust to the new place. Roots just didn’t take.”
That’s the only time Alex spoke of his former wife, Rosemarie, the mother of his four children, who did the unspeakable and left them all… on Christmas Eve in 1967. Forty years later the children, all coping with her disappearance in different ways, are adults when they find out she is still alive.
Set in Australia, this novel explores families and their secrets, life’s challenges and the undeniable love that holds everything together.
I laughed, I cried, and being a child of this era, I understood. This is a great read.
Helen

Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

2009-06-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

Being a fantasy enthusiast, I saw this series, consisting of Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath, and became impelled to delve into the lives of Meggie and her father Mo who have the extraordinary gift of being able to read characters and/or objects out of books, which is a gift some of us would love to have. But, it comes with a price, what comes out must go in. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Meggie’s mother, Resa, when Mo read Inkheart to her. She went into the story while the cruel and heartless villain, Capricorn, and the soft hearted fire-eater, Dustfinger, came out.
The series follows Meggie and Mo’s search to rescue Resa and their adventures in and out of the book. Along the way, they have the aide and support of The Black Prince, Farid (a character read from ‘One Thousand and One Nights), Fenoglio (author of Inkheart), Doria, Roxanne, Great-aunt Elinor and many more exciting characters within the Strolling Players. But, with every friend and ally, there are an equal number of unscrupulous and evil characters, such as Milksop, Adderhead, Orpheus, Mortola, The Piper, and Sootbird.
I thoroughly enjoyed these series of books. They captivated me with their story of mystery, fantasy and adventure, and found it hard to put them down. Although, I did find the final book of the series was quite drawn out as I was eager to find out the fate of the characters, but was pleasantly surprised by the end.
Amy

All together now by Monica McInerney

2009-04-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is a collection of eight fictional short stories written by Monica McInerney. The titles of the stories are:
Hippy Hippy Shake
Spellbound
Just Desserts
Sweet Charity
The Long Way Home
The Role Model
Wedding Fever
Odd One Out
It is a very easy book to read and I would recommend it to Monica McInerney fans, although sometimes I felt a bit disappointed that the stories had ended so soon. The shortest of the stories is only four pages long and the longest story, Odd One Out, is 139 pages long. A good read if you don’t want to think too much before going to bed.
Cathy.

The forgotten garden by Kate Morton. Allen & Unwin 2008

2009-04-08T00:02:00.001-07:00

On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her but has disappeared. A kindly family adopt “Nell” and it is not until her twenty-first birthday that she learns the circumstances of her arrival in Australia. Decades later Nell embarks upon a search for the truth which leads her to Cornwell. On her death Nell’s granddaughter continues the search which will finally uncover the truth about the family and solve the mystery of the little girl lost.
Spanning several generations the author Kate Morton skillfully interweaves the different periods in which the novel is set.
The forgotten garden is an historical saga with mystery, passion and tragedy.
SC

My sister's keeper by Jodi Picoult

2009-04-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

This book is about a young girl who was brought into this world for the purpose to help save the life of her terminally ill sister. This book raises many issues and certainly makes you think. It has everything a great book should have, drama, humour, despair, hope and tragedy. This book keeps you interested throughout and has a number of twists and turns.
Kim

The horse in Australia by Fiona Carruthers

2009-03-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

This absolutely wonderful, informative book starts when the First Fleet arrived in 1788 with a collection of pony-sized horses and ends with the disastrous impact of Equine Influenza in late 2007. It covers such things as horse racing and turf legends, brumbies, Light Horse Brigade, Pony Clubs, bush polo, campdrafting, the evolution of the iconic Australian Stock Horse and even touches on Buz Luhrmanns film “Australia”.
As a matter of local interest – this brilliant book also mentions Bong Bong Races, Burradoo Polocrosse Club and of course, the legendary Throsby Family.
Every significant horsey name is covered, from John and Elizabeth Macarthur to Violet and William Murrell, the Roycroft family, Marjory and Edward Hirst, Banjo Paterson, General Sir Harry Chauvel, Bart Cummings, Gai Waterhouse, John Singleton, Brian Hancock, RM Williams, Kerry packer – just to name a few.
Every significant favourite horse from Phar Lap, Makybe Diva, Garryowen, Picasso, Our Solo, Peppermint Grove is covered as well.
Whether you have that “addiction” to horses and horse riding, or just have a quiet interest in the history and want to know more, then this book is for you. Included in this comprehensive coverage is trivia, websites, facts and statistics, which makes this a great read or just a beautiful book to have on the coffee table to pick up whenever you want to be transported into another world – that is, the world of “The Horse in Australia”.
Tracie

Lucky for me by Frank Robson

2009-02-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

At the tender age of 18 months a 5 kg little pocket rocket terrier who was to be named Lucky was abandoned at a Queensland vet clinic. He was suffering badly from tick paralysis and pneumonia. After lots of TLC and veterinary care he managed to pull through. Unable to be found a home he was to be put down within the week. Fortunately, into his life came a couple called Frank and Leisa who adopted him. From then on life would be one big adventure for the 3 of them. Frank and Leisa were both journalists, whose great passion in life was sailing. So Lucky learned to be a part time land lubber and a seadog in the literal sense. He also learned very quickly how to rule the roost and show that even if you don’t have a voice 12 distinctive snorts can still make your feelings very known to whomever you should meet – human, dog, puffer fish, parrot or cat.
The book is really funny and has lots of great stories about what it’s like to love a dog, and what sort of joy a dog can bring to your life. It also shows that sometimes being allowed to be an individual and a free spirit can make life a lot more fun, if you’re a dog or a human.
This was a great read full of laughs. Even if you’re not a dog person you can still appreciate the funny side of life which is talked about quite a lot in this book.
Chris

Dear Fatty by Dawn French

2009-02-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

This autobiography by Dawn French is written in the form of a series of letters. The letters are mostly written to her family and friends. Many are addressed to her Dad, who died when she was 19, her Mum, her Brother, her Husband and Daughter, her B.F (Best Friend) and to Dear Fatty, who I think is Jennifer Saunders.
I say I think Dear Fatty is Jennifer Saunders because throughout the book I was confused a number of times as to whether Saunders was the B.F or Dear Fatty. At the end of the book Dawn French thanks a number of people, she includes the B.F but not Jennifer Saunders, who has been such a huge and substantial part of her life.
Anyway, I think true Dawn French fans will like this book, I had some laugh out loud moments, some teary moments and it provided a lot of insightful information about Dawn French that I did not know. I also found some of the book a bit silly, such as her letters to Madonna. All in all I can recommend it is a good read if you’re looking for something a bit different.
Cathy.

Misconceptions by Sophie Townsend

2009-01-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is a story of two women Ruth and Mim who have been best friends since they were twelve years old. Mim lives with Ruth and her husband Simon at their home in Glebe. They have been through a lot together over the course of their twenty year friendship including the tragic death of Ruth’s mother.
Ruth and Simon have been trying for a baby for the two years that Mim has lived with them and when Ruth finally conceives, they ask Mim to move out. This causes Mim to feel unwanted and abandoned, and she moves in with the teenage brother of a work colleague out of feelings of desperation and loneliness. When things go wrong at Mim’s work she decides to relocate to Broken Hill where her mother grew up.
This story deals with the issues of loss and grief and how relationships can inevitably be saved or be broken beyond repair.

Cathy.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

2009-01-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

I first encountered this series when the movie was released and other library staff members had began to read the books. After hearing their praise for them, I became quite intrigued by the story.
The series consists of four books, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. It follows the story of Isabella Swan and her encounters with the mythical creatures – vampires and werewolves. She does the unthinkable and falls in love with a vampire and becomes the best friend of a werewolf which causes much upset between the worlds of the mortal and immortal. Her love for Edward is tested many times throughout the series and it must endure many trials and tribulation. Her friendship for Jacob also causes many problems between the eternal enemies. Can they all live harmoniously, or must she choose between her soul mate and best friend? Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn capture the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires.
What can I say about this series? It was unbelievably thrilling and captivating! It’s been awhile since I’ve picked up a book that I couldn’t put down let alone an entire series! I surprised myself by completing the entire collection in just 4 nights. They were all passionate, exciting, unpredictable, enticing, seductive and heartrending. Stephenie Meyer should be applauded for brilliant writing. The way in which the characters and events are described draws you into their remarkable world. I would highly recommend these books to people who like a beautiful romance, a bit of suspense, a little mystery and the chance to escape into another world.
Amy

Gathering Storm by Rosie Dub

2008-12-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Artist Storm Cizekova was told her mother died in childbirth so she grew up with her grandmother and great-grandparents in England. Amongst the snow and a family of secrets, half-answered questions and gypsy lore, Storm always felt the death was her fault, but when her last surviving relative, her grandmother, dies suddenly, Storm finds a photo of herself and her mother. She must have been about two years old. When she reads her mother’s diary she decides to travel back to Australia to retrace the journey she and her mother had taken twenty five years previously, trying to piece together some answers about her past so she can move into her future. Will that future still include her partner Max? Storm’s journey through Australia’s stark outback is moving, confronting and challenging. What she discovers is heartbreaking and inspiring. I had to give up listening to the CDs and read the book when I found myself sitting in the car in the garage in the dark. This is a great read!
Helen

I married a pirate by Samantha David

2008-12-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

I married a pirate is not your run-of-the-mill type of book. Imagine this, you are a woman in your 30’s with 2 kids - twins in fact, you have no money, nowhere to live and your best friends are practically in the same kind of boat as you. It is then that you start talking on the internet chat rooms and meet a man… a pirate to be more precise. He is witty, fun and makes you feel good without him being chummy.
“The Pirate” (of which you always refer to him) lives on the Caribbean and offers you a free holiday to visit him and his pirate ship. You always worry about the money but he assures you that he is rich (very rich in fact) and will cater for all your needs (and the flights too of course).
The thought of beautiful beaches, sun and great food seems like a great idea and quite frankly, irresistible…until you realise that he takes your passport away, keeps you as his prisoner and deems you as his “treasure” as opposed to his (eventual and persuaded) wife. It is this kind of humour, romance and great descriptions that keeps the reader intrigued. I applaud the work of Samantha David!
Sara

Summer affair by Elin Hilderbrand

2008-11-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Claire Danner Crispin is a renowned Glassblower, who lives on the Island of Nantucket with her husband and four young children. Claire hasn’t worked in over a year, since the premature birth of her youngest son, but Lock Dixon, a wealthy and influential man, asks her to help organise a charity gala and to create a museum worthy piece of glass to donate to the cause. Out of a sense of guilt Claire obliges. Another reason Claire was asked to co-chair the summer gala is her link to rock star Max West. Max and Claire were High School sweethearts and it is hoped Claire will be able to influence Max to play at the gala. Over the course of a year working on her piece and organising the gala, Claire and Lock Dixon spend a lot of time working closely together, an attraction grows and they embark on an affair, and what will happen when her old love Max West comes back to Nantucket? I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a holiday read, or something light before going to bed.
Cathy.

Busy woman seeks wife by Annie Sanders

2008-10-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

This particular book is not normally the type of novel I like to read, but the title grabbed my attention and I was intrigued to find out what it was all about. I was quite surprised. I am able to somewhat sympathise a little with the main character of the book. I know what it’s like to be a busy woman in this day and age and never seem to find the time to get things done, especially when it comes to household chores.
The story follows the life of Alex, a marketing executive for a global sportswear company who never seems to find time to manage her sky rocketing career with the day-to-day necessities of life, such as cleaning her house, grocery shopping, cooking, and looking after her aging and retired actress of a mother. This is where her best friend Saffron comes up with the idea of seeking out a wife to help her out. They place an advertisement in the local paper to find the perfect person for the position. But, not everything goes according to plan. This opened up the opportunity for quite a few hilarious situations that kept you absorbed in to the end.
You’ll enjoy this light hearted novel that is a great satisfying read. It is insightful, moving, uplifting, and funny all in one book.
Amy

Addition by Toni Jordan

2008-10-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Grace Lisa Vandenburg is a powerful, 35 year old woman, but in her own world. Unfortunately what she sees as the norm, others do not. Through leading her life via the counting of numbers, her change in lifestyle has evolved into a déjà vu-like regime.
At one stage, Grace was a well respected teacher of mathematics. That is, until she continuously kept on “totting up the number of children, rather than teaching [them].” Unfortunately, this led her to unemployment and a day-to-day boring scheme of counting and dividing her muffins into respectful pieces to the amount of poppy seeds on her food.
This book addresses so many more themes then just the authority of judging people into categories such as “normal people” and it is this that intrigues the reader into reading more…and more…and more of the book. In saying this, I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone, not just young or old etc, but to someone who just wants a good read. To make this piece of narrative more appealing, it was advertised in the “50 Books You Can’t Put Down” and Sigrid Thorton herself said this book was ‘A stylish, witty and moving love story.’
Sara

Great working horse stories by Angela Goode

2008-10-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

For all horse lovers and lovers of Australian history this CD is for you. It will make you laugh, cry, ponder and reflect. The 150 true short stories and poems range from colonial days to the Olympic opening ceremony.
Stories from another era, like these, are so important. We have to remember that soon there will be no-one who remembers. The horse was once “king”, a subject for conversation everywhere that men gathered. Everybody had a story to tell. They were very much a part of peoples lives.
These CD’s are so easy to listen to and incredibly informative. They let you into the lives of the people who rode, ploughed, hauled and drove this nation to its feet.
Tracie

Firefight by Chris Ryan

2008-10-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just suppose you’re out shopping one day with your wife and daughter looking for Christmas presents. You tell you them to go on ahead so you can sneak back and buy your daughter the present she desperately wants for Christmas. In the space of 2 minutes your life is changed forever. Your wife and daughter have been killed by a bomb that has ripped through the department store. Fast forward 2 years, and Will Jackson is no longer in the SAS. He is living in a grungy Council Flat near the cemetery where his family is buried. The pain of losing his family has turned him into a hard drinking recluse.
One day he is out walking when he is “kidnapped” and taken to London, where he is made an offer he can’t refuse. The powers that be want him back on the job. There has been intelligence that in the next 3 weeks a terrorist bomb will rip through the heart of London. MI5 believe that Will might be the only person who can help them track down the terrorist and also help them find out who the mole is in the intelligence world who is feeding information to the enemy. Wanting to turn his back on this world forever, he refuses to have any part of the operation. MI5 then plays their trump card – the terrorist they are after is the one responsible for killing Will’s wife and child. From that moment on Will becomes a man on a very dangerous mission that he is hell bent on seeing through to the end, damn the consequences.
This novel gives the reader a no-hold barred behind the scenes look at terrorism, the intelligence community and the ways wars are fought and not always won. Throughout the story you also get a background history lesson into how the war on terror got started, which not only helps you understand the story better, but also helps you understand the current world political situation.
Frighteningly real in parts and very explicit in the description of how information is obtained and whether or not the end justifies the means. I think this is Chris Ryan’s best book to date. He is writing about the world he used to inhabit and he does so with such graphic detail that you wonder if this is just fiction or something he really experienced when he was in the SAS. I read this book in one afternoon because it pulled me in so hard I just couldn’t put it down.
Chris

4 ingredients by Kim McCosker and Rachael Birmingham

2008-09-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

"Over 340 quick, easy and delicious recipes using 4 or less ingredients"
This is absolutely correct!.
I can't believe at last there is a cookbook for the "cook" that REALLY DOES have simple and delicious recipes that can be made from ingredients that usually are already in the "basic" kitchen pantry.
At last! A cookbook for the person that loves to eat but does not wish to use 20 ingredients, need a dictionary to look up cooking terms, have a professional state-of -the-art kitchen, 10 different pots, pans and other utensils, a research librarian to find out where the ingredients can be located, and has NO TIME TO COOK. You also don't need to spend a fortune.
This is a brilliant find.
Bring on "4 Ingredients 2" PLEASE.
Tracie

LIfe isn't all ha ha hee hee by Meera Syal

2008-09-15T21:10:00.002-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with Meera Syal - she is an award winning author, scriptwriter, comedian and actress. Among the roles she is most well known for is the SBS comedy show – “Goodness Gracious Me” and also for playing the Grandma on the ABC TV Show – The Kumars at No. 42.
Being born and raised in Britain in an Indian family, she is quite well placed to show how
two cultures can sometimes intersect or sometimes collide. “Life isn’t all Ha Ha Hee Hee”, takes place in modern day Britain and centers on a trio of girls – Chila, Sunni and Tania, all friends from childhood, who are now in their 30s, living life, getting married, having careers and raising children, not always in the way they would have liked. Many of their personal problems, which is the central theme of the book, stem from the identity crisis they all experience, in trying to work out if they are Indian women living in London, British women living in London, Modern women, Traditional Women or a combination of all four.
Because the narration of the book is told through the eyes of the three women, you get a better understanding of each of the characters. As much as this book is fiction, you get the feeling that what you’re reading about comes from the heart, and that Meera Syal is putting some of her own cross cultural life experiences into the story.
Sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, sometimes very enlightening, it’s well worth a read if you want to see into someone else’s world.
Chris

Swallow the air by Tara June Winch

2008-09-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

I was first introduced to Tara June Winch through an article about the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Australian Novelists Award, printed in Spectrum, June 2-3, 2007. Tara was one of those winners.
Tara has been awarded the 2003 Queensland Young Writers Award runner up and encouragement award, the 2004 David Unaipon Award, the 2006 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous writing, the 2007 Dobbie Award for a woman’s first book and the 2007 UTS Award for New Writing in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
I followed up my interest by reading one of her stories published in ‘The Best Australian Stories 2005’, - Cloud Bursting.
The title alone was full of imagery, the story even more so and the quality of writing, for me, was an absolute joy.
‘Cloud Bursting’ was taken from the ‘novel’ ‘Swallow the Air’.
Although not a recently published book, (2006), ‘Swallow the Air’, introduces a vibrant talent into Australian literature, one, I feel strongly deserving of the awards and recognition bestowed upon her.
I was interested to read indigenous literature for the first time, to grasp her perspective on life and her interpretation of language.
Read as a novel or a collection of short stories, ‘Swallow the Air’, has the advantage of interpretation on both levels. Tara’s talent shows through in her vivid use of language and her first hand knowledge of the Aboriginal experience brought to life through settings eg Redfern and the interaction of characters in a white landscape.
From the opening sentences ‘I remember the day I found out my mother was head sick. She wore worry on her wrists as she tied the remaining piece of elastic to the base of the old ice-cream container.’ to the closing ‘An excavator starts its smothering engine over the torrent of each barrel. Over the sun. Over the blue. And I wonder, if we stand here, if we stay, if they stop digging up Aunty’s backyard, stop digging up mother’s memory, stop digging up our people, maybe then, we’ll all stop crying.’, May’s story of loss and longing is told with honesty and passion.
May Gibson, the protagonist of ‘Swallow the Air’, is 15 when her mother commits suicide and she and her brother Billy are taken in by their Aunty. They struggle to make sense of their loss, Billy’s anger at life and injustice, fuelled by alcohol and drugs flares, and he leaves May, to search in her own way for her unsure identity. May wanders the lonely path of mental solitude. Alone, she meets people who try to drag her down or draw her in but May’s strength lies in her longing to find her father, to find her people, to belong somewhere, where her life will matter. Her journey takes her from Australia’s east coast to Waterloo and Redfern’s Block, Lake Cowal and the Lachlan River in central NSW, and a mission in Eubalong.
Her physical journey is overshadowed by the people she meets and it is these people, who teach her what it is to belong, the robust, endearing and caring character of Aunty – strong, yet vulnerable, the good-natured Block resident Joyce who tells May ‘You gotta go, May, you got sumthin to find, fire in the belly that ya gotta know’, and the amiable, helpful Pete, the truckie, heading for Darwin, who gives May a lift and has compassion for her situation.
May Gibson is an endearing character, not easily forgotten. Her vulnerable portrayal as a misfit 15 year old, develops confidence and pride in her roots as she ‘thinks’ her way through the novel and Tara’s engaging use of language, describes vividly what she thinks and feels and what makes up place. I look forward to reading more of Tara’s work as she continues to explore and develop her poetic prose.
Alison.

Brida by Paul Coehlo

2008-09-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

As a non-spiritualist person, I must say I did enjoy this book in a non-relative way. This story starts off in August, with a setting of a 1983 Ireland, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
The story unfolds around a young lady named Brida. Her quest is to find her soul mate “...knowing that [he] would come one day...”through the understanding of the tradition of the moon, and the tradition of the sun.
Her journey leads to two important people, The Magus and Wicca. The Magus is a mysterious person who lives in the forest by himself while Wicca is a woman of such extensive knowledge and mystery. Collectivity, these two important characters give great guidance to a naive Brida.
From the author of ‘The Alchemist”, Coelho makes a wonderful description of how a what-could-be real person experiences throughout her spiritual path. However, there are so many more twists and turns to this novel which wants me to tell you but I must prevent myself from doing so. I highly recommend “Brida” to anyone and in hoping that you do, I anticipate that you enjoy it as much as I have!!
Sara

Something borrowed by Emily Giffin

2008-09-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

I think this is a book that people will either love or hate. When I first read the description of this book, I was put off; I could never like the story of a girl that steals her best friend's fiancé. But Giffin does a fantastic job at seeing the “other side of the story”.
Rachel and Darcy have been friends since primary school, but their friendship is based on Darcy always being better than Rachel. On the night of Rachel’s 30th birthday, too much alcohol leads to Rachel sleeping with Darcy’s fiancé Dex, a guy that Rachel went to law school with. Rachel wakes up horrified, determined to put it behind her, unfortunately throughout the course of the novel discovers her feelings for Dex are real.
I definitely recommend this book, its chick lit with depth! The characters are flawed, real people who you can relate to. Like them or hate them the characters make you feel real feelings.
Bec

Crime seen by Jenny Pausacker.

2008-08-21T18:22:00.001-07:00

As a fan of both children’s/young adult and crime fiction, and the parent of a son very interested in policing and forensic science, I found Jenny Pausacker’s novel both plausible and well-paced. I was initially intrigued by the title ‘Crime Seen’ and the possibilities of the interpretation of this title. Did the story revolve around the Forensics Unit or had Harris ‘seen’ a crime committed or been involved in one? This thought drew my interest, one I needed to explore.
The novel centres on Harris Johnston, a 15 year old undertaking a week of work experience at the city’s Forensics Unit. Harris has been interested in forensic pathology for a long time, (much to his mother’s disapproval) and is excited and keen at the prospect of meeting, joining and helping ‘real people’ in this challenging profession. ‘Crime Seen’ deals with Harris’s day by day activities in all the different departments , from the Coroner’s Court and lecture lab, to the quiet, reserved staff in the Pathology Lab and (what one would not expect), the bubbly, chatty female staff, of the Grief Counselling Unit. Gia Agnelli, Harris’s supervisor, sums them up well ‘You don’t say much, do you, Harris?’ she observed. You’ll fit in well here. They’re mostly the silent type, except for my mob in the Grief Counselling Unit, of course.’
Harris slots in straight away, feels accepted by the friendly girls, and is given tasks and responsibility. He feels instantly mature and brags to his mate Seb, who is undertaking his work experience at the Water and Sewerage Services, keeping him informed throughout the novel by text messages. Their friendship is shown through their communication and meetings and the added interesting SMS ‘speak’ of teenagers which was fun to decipher.
The plot involves Harris’s direct and indirect involvement in the disappearance and death of Tansy, a girl he met when he was 5, the daughter of the chief pathologist, Jim Dimitropoulos, who is married to Harris’s uncle Melvin’s ex-wife Rina. Jim becomes a mentor, Harris becomes involved on both a ‘professional’ and personal level as he gets caught up in the mystery surrounding both Tansy’s death and the young, pretty reporter Lara, who seems intent on a story no matter what the cost. But Harris is astute, he won’t be sucked in by Lara’s manipulating and we see the adult side of Harris shine through.
His mind shifts focus suddenly and haphazardly as any 15 year olds would. What does Harris see? What does he think? What does he deduce from his interaction with the staff, personalities he meets and the facts at his disposal?
Harris leads us into the world of Forensic Science seen through his eyes and thoughts. He grabs eagerly at the possibility of solving a murder with the exuberance of his 15 years, but realises he is getting ahead of himself. He wants to ‘help the dead’ and clues to help and hinder are found throughout the novel.
I enjoyed the novel very much; it had for me much more than a peek into forensics and crime solving. It draws a clear, realistic picture of Harris’s other life – home, his relationship with his younger brother, his uncle and his complex relationship with his ex-wife and importantly for character developing, his relationship with his mother. Her reluctance to allow Harris to continue on at the Forensics Unit has roots in hurt from the past and through disclosure, their relationship is strengthened, her attitude is changed and Harris realises what he really wants from life.
Alison.

Destroyed by Jane Sterne

2008-08-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

“Jackie was not the sort of game any child would have wanted to play.” These are the words of Jayne Sterne. Now a woman, Jayne had suffered many frightful events including aggravated sexual assault, endured and witnessed violence, peer pressure, and bullying as both a child and as a young adult.
At about the age of nine, Jayne and her family had moved locations to live with a man, Graham. Little to one’s acknowledgement, he was the devil in disguise. Late one night, Graham sneaked into Jayne’s room and sexually assaulted her. It was only a few weeks after this non-repetitive incident that Jayne’s family had moved, yet once again, to another house. It was here where the full extent of Graham’s abuse had taken place.
Unfortunately, this is not the only thing that Jayne had encountered. She battled against abuse from her first partner, John, who beat her so badly that she“...fell on the floor choking on [her] own blood.” While her older brother, Stuart, was coming to grips with his past anger issues, thus becoming intolerable to his future wives; leading to a shock ending!
“Destroyed” is an incredible recount of an amazing girl’s journey throughout her early to mid life. And although I would like to suggest this book to anybody who enjoys a good read, I understand that it is not everybody’s ‘cup of tea’. Furthermore, I must make note that there are so many more themes, twists and turns and although I have discussed bits and pieces, this does not give justice to the style of writing Jayne Sterne has conceded. In saying this, as a conclusion, you must read the book to feel the full extent of awe that I had experienced once in completion of reading the novel. Furthermore, the way in which this novel has been written leaves one with such images that it comes to grips with you, and makes you realise exactly what type of lives some people are leading.
Sara

Death of a gentle lady by M. C. Beaton

2008-08-21T01:08:00.003-07:00

For those of you familiar with the Hamish Macbeth TV series, you’ll find that the names of the characters are changed and indeed some of the characters are totally different to some in the books but nonetheless the books are still well worth reading.
This is the current book in the “Hamish Macbeth” mystery series. In the sleepy village of Lochdubh, lives Mrs Gentle, who, according to all the townsfolk but one, is supposed to be gentle by name and gentle by nature. Local PC Hamish Macbeth, who feels he is a very good judge of character knows that beneath that gentle exterior is a very wicked, malicious woman. The locals all think Hamish is just too cranky and crotchety, maybe he needs a good holiday or the love of a good woman to get him back in a better mood. Lo and behold, Hamish turns out to be right and that supposedly very gentle woman gets murdered in a very less than gentle way. Throw in a few more murders, an unexpected marriage, lots of village gossip, quite a few red herrings, an amateur production of Macbeth, people trying to do away with Hamish and a big assortment of quirky characters and pets and you get a very amusing laugh out loud murder mystery.
By Chris

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

2008-08-21T01:08:00.002-07:00

This book is written by the author of “The Devil wears Prada”. It is the story of three best friends who live in New York and are about to turn thirty.
Emmy has always been in a long term relationship but suddenly finds herself single, Leigh has the perfect boyfriend, job and apartment, and Adriana is a gorgeous man-eating party girl.
Over drinks one night the girls decide to make a pact to change their lives for the better. Emmy resolves to have a wild fling on every continent, Adriana vows she’ll get a five carat Harry Winston engagement ring and settle down, and Leigh knows that she wants to change - but isn’t quite sure how. Could her confused feelings have anything to do with Jesse Chapman, the new author she is editing?
This book is perfect reading for any fans of Sex and the City.
Cathy.

The forgotten garden by Kate Morton. Allen & Unwin 2008

2008-08-21T01:08:00.001-07:00

Maximum ride series by James Patterson

2008-08-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

Maximum Ride is a series of 4 science fiction books beginning with ‘The Angel Experiment’, ‘Schools Out Forever’, ‘Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports’, and ‘The Final Warning’. It follows the journey of 6 extraordinary children, aged 6 to 14 years, who have the unique gift of flying. The children were put through some horrible experiment that integrated avian DNA into their genes giving them wings, and other interesting abilities. Maximum Ride is the leader of the ‘flock’ and must help the others to avoid being captured by the scientists at all costs. The scientists also altered the genes of other children with wolf DNA to develop creatures called “Erasers”. The scientists use the Erasers to track down the flock to test their survival abilities. They encounter many dangerous situations and adventures throughout the series including traveling to new countries, sleeping in subway tunnels, scavenging for food, finding their parents, encountering ‘normal’ people and some pretty awesome fighting scenarios against the Erasers and other adversaries. Their ability to choose whom to trust and make the right decisions is tested to find out whether they have the ability and determination to save the world.
There is also an underlying moral that really gets you thinking about the impact the humans are having on the world today, and when to realise that we’ve reached a point of no return.
I found this series of books very compelling, extremely addictive and very hard to put down. The only disappointment was that there were no other books to continue the story. They were very well written and easy to follow. I would highly recommend these books to the young adult reader or anyone who enjoys an action packed adventure story.
Amy

In my skin: a memoir by Kate Holden

2008-07-03T22:17:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-03T19:50:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Street Kid by Judy Westwater

2008-07-02T22:31:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

I am a self-confessed lover of technology, loving it as an externalisation and extension of the brilliance that is the human mind. I came across Neal Stephenson's name in an information science related discussion list. The book was Snowcrash, referring to the way computer screens would white out as they crashed. My beloved library didn't have Snowcrash but it did have the tome-like and hard to pronounce Cryptonomicon.
Cryptonomicon is an Indiana Jones epic for technology and cryptography junkies. Two threads, one set during WWII highlighting codes and their breaking, looted Nazi and Japanese gold, and one set in present day around the development of an uncrackable data haven free from government or commercial interference (A Swiss banking system for data if you will). The two central characters in the present are the grandchildren of two significant characters in the WWII time. And of course, the stories and lives converge to a suitable and satisfying climax.
Like all my favourite authors, Stephenson blurs fact and fiction, and historical characters are deliberately painted larger than life. Blending Alan Turing (one of the fathers of modern computing) with a genius US Navy code breaker and Douglas Macarthur, General of the US Army, hated by US Marines, but fearless in the face of combat with a Marine hero responsible for a "black ops" group whose role was to ensure the Germans and Japanese did not suspect their transmission codes had been cracked. And that is just one of the threads.
As much a vision into an intelligent, lucid and creative American mind, Cryptonomicon is an expose of the world of codes, their makers and breakers, the consequences of broken and unbroken codes during times of war and the possibility that in today's World Wide Web world security of data will be of greater value than gold.
I did need to renew the book two times (isn't online renewal great) to cover the 900+ pages. And my eyes did glaze at some of the explanation of some of the codes and statistical methods for code hiding and breaking.
But the writing style was crisp and wry, the storyline intriguing. Language and concepts make the book more suitable for open minded adults, rather than children or people locked in patriotic or unexamined views of reality.
Andy Carnahan

2008-06-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon. Weidenfeld & Nicolson , 2007

The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon is an engrossing historical novel which juxtaposes London’s comfortable middle class world of the 1850s and the horror and suffering of the Russian battlefields of the Crimean War.

Mariella Lingwood is an accomplished young middle class woman who wants nothing more than to marry her fiancé Henry, who is a respected London surgeon and public health expert, and to spend her married life in pursuits acceptable to her social circle.
Mariella’s conventional and comfortable world is turned upside down when in the winter of 1854 Henry leaves for the bloody battlefields of Balaclava and Sebastopol to tend the injured, sick and dying of the Crimean war.
Henry is followed soon after by Mariella’s headstrong and unconventional cousin, Rosa who, unlike Mariella, wants more from life than Victorian convention allows women. Rosa travels to the Crimea determined, despite the appalling conditions, to nurse and save as many sick and injured as possible.

As she waits patiently at home, the war for Mariella is contained within the pages of her scrapbook, in her London sewing circle, and in the letters she receives from Henry. This all changes when the news that Henry is gravely ill with typhoid fever reaches her.
Accompanied by her maid, she hurries to Henry’s sickbed in Italy and there she discovers Henry is no longer the man she thought she knew and that Rosa has gone missing.
Mariella is driven to find Rosa so sets off to the carnage which were the battlefields of the Crimean war to search for her. Rosa’s possible whereabouts are surrounded by mystery and hearsay and in her quest Mariella ends up discovering more than she ever thought she would.
This novel is compelling and recommended reading for those who love romance and historical fiction with an edge. The description of battle and disease is not for the squeamish but for anyone interested in the world and society of England in the 1850’s it conveys that world in telling detail.
Roxanne

Killer heat

2008-03-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Killer Heat is the tenth book in Linda Fairstein's series about New York Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper.
Success can never be guaranteed in every case Alexandra Cooper prosecutes, but for once the odds are with her for putting away a serial rapist for a crime he committed over twenty years previously.Outside the courtroom, though, another predator is at large. His first victim was a call-girl, a cat-o-nine-tails discovered near her body, and it seems as though Detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace need to look amongst her clients for the killer, but the discovery of other corpses, the modus operandi remarkably similar to the first, turns the investigation into a hunt for a random and viciously sadistic murderer. A part of his signature is that in the humid heat of summer he leaves his victims' remains in some of the least populated parts of New York - a derelict office building, an abandoned fort on an island below Manhattan. Alex fears it may be another twenty years before they can identify this monster, each day bringing the dread of news of another killing, then she, Chapman and Mercer get lucky and are able to give a name to their target. But that's not the same as putting him safely behind bars: to do that they are going to have to get close to him, much too close for Alex's own safety ...
It seems the central characters , Alex Cooper, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace need little or no sleep as they search for this killer. However, the story is believable, enthralling and as usual includes a history lesson about New York.
Helen

The conjuror's bird

2008-03-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

The back of this book says:
The Conjuror's bird is a dazzling debut novel, spanning three centuries of secrets and surprises.
It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, with his work on extinct species about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct. Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks. It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated - and dangerous - than the search for a stuffed bird. To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved - a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting.

This is the intriguing debut fiction writing by Englishman Martin Davies. He details history without being boring and describes their environments beautifully. His characters are absolutely human, weak and strong.

If you liked Kate Grenville's The secret river, read this.
Helen

The draining lake

2008-03-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

The book I’m reading now is a murder/thriller called “The Draining Lake” which is part 4 of a series of books by Arnaldur Indridason, which are all set in Iceland. The novels certainly don’t fit the norm of your average whodunit and to me, this is their great appeal.
“The Draining Lake” happens in Iceland just after an earthquake. One of the country’s main lakes has dramatically lowered and a skeleton is discovered, which had been weighed down by an old radio bearing Russian Script – herein lays the start of the investigation which goes back and forth between present day and Cold War East Germany.
The central character in all of Indridason’s novels is a police inspector called Erlendur Sveinsson, who is always addressed by his first name, because as I discovered, everyone in Iceland is addressed by their first name, which is one the many quirky things I learned as I read the books. I was also introduced to a culture which throws open a whole new view into how people live their daily lives in a climate and a world so different from my own.
The novels are not just about solving a murder, they are way more. They move from the present day to the past and back again many times and you learn what lead people to that fateful day of the crime - your past, is going to affect your present, especially when you least expect it. They also have a main character who is not a super cop detective who can solve everything, but a real person who brings his life to the job and the job to his life. If you like your novels with character and depth then Arnaldur Indridason is an experience not to be missed.
Chris