Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

 

"A sobbing young woman lurched forward as though she'd been resting her forehead on the door and fell straight into Stan's arms, like a daughter."

I was tempted to seek out a copy of Moriarty's latest novel after watching her interview with Annabel Crabb at the Sydney Opera House. It is fantastic to see a local author succeed in such a large way globally and yet I don't think this is her best work.

The story starts out with good pacing and a high degree of suspense that peters out as the plot unwinds. Certain chapters would not have been out of place in a television soapie, with an overdose of cliffhanger at the end of most chapters.

A rather weighty tome that could have benefitted from more editing, if only to keep things a little tighter.

3 out of 5, apples won't keep the doctor away.

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

 

"Wagadhaany wants to leave and get back to her family, but she has no right to say that, to say anything. She is without a voice in this house."

Don't be intimidated by the title in language, this is a fantastic book that brings history to life in an all-encompassing way.  My reviews have been missing in action for quite some time now. Who could have guessed that a pandemic would mean less free time? So if I'm a little rusty it’s because I have a lot to catch up on and am rather out of practice.

Wagadhaany is a captivating character, and the novel draws you into her world where the connection to her family and the unpredictable Murrumbidgee River is palpable. Heiss so clearly illustrates the ridiculousness of living under laws that in no way relate to your world view and yet keep you from achieving your potential and having agency over your life. The ability to decide on where you live, whether you marry, whether you have children...where those decisions are made by people purely because they have a different skin colour ...it’s a hard pill to swallow.

Listening to the traditional owners knowledge about the river could have significantly changed the events of the novel. Perhaps there's a lesson there for us all.

5 out of 5,  love and nature cannot be tamed.

5 out of 5

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 by John Godey

 

“Being dead is an improvement on a lot of things I can think of. Trying to sell mutual funds, for example.”

This is an old school action thriller that holds your interest. I've never seen either the original film or the recent re-make with Denzel and was interested in reading the book first. I now have two movies to catch up on (somehow lockdown makes me crave high-stakes drama - go figure).

Looking through the lens of today there's quite a lot of language that probably wouldn't fly and yet it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. The characters are gritty criminals and hardened subway users. One of the more memorable characters was the prostitute running late for her gross John. Her inner monologue creates a sense of a real human who is just trying to survive, rather than the usual stereotype.

The premise is compelling. A one million dollar ransom for the hijacking of a subway car in New York City. Mayhem ensues.

4 out of 5 , I'm still recovering from the dark tunnels.

The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler

 

"The afternoon heat had set the air above the concrete quivering and Latimer began to wish that he had not come. It was not the weather for visiting corrugated-iron mortuaries."

Perhaps being stuck in Sydney’s lockdown is what is making reading a little difficult for me at the moment. The brain is on high alert for the latest information, preoccupied by statistics and the daily risk analysis that feels completely overwhelming, pared with the ultimate frustrations of conducting business via virtual means. Reading a high stakes thriller seemed to prove an even greater challenge than finishing some other less fraught tomes and yet, dear reader, I persisted, and it was worth it.

Last night, I downed my glass of red with hearty abandon and headed for doona town population 1, accompanied by this old school thriller. While reading in fits and starts had lacked any semblance of excitement, a dedicated hour of reading flung this imprisoned misery guts off into a world of adventure. Detective novelist Latimer unexpectedly finds himself on the trail of a man named Dimitrios, after making the acquaintance of the police inspector Colonel Haki in Istanbul. Haki takes Latimer to the city morgue for a taste of real-life murder mysteries, showing him the body of the mysterious, eponymous, Dimitrios and like any good author, Latimer recognises the opportunity for a great book about the shadowy figure.

Following leads from Istanbul to Sofia, Geneva and Paris, Latimer’s travels are a welcome respite for this shut-in, but chock full of impending dread. Who can be believed? What sort of people is Latimer getting himself mixed up with? White Slavery, espionage, drug trafficking – criminal activity abounds. Will our hapless author survive this adventure and who really was (or is?) Dimitrios? Strap yourself in for a wild ride and enjoy the reading journey this provides. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the 1944 movie version, as the novel lends itself so fantastically to a cinematic outing – think The Man who Knew Too Much or North by Northwest.

5 out of 5 thrilling adventures can befall an unsuspecting author.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

 

“He had learned the worst lesson that life can teach-that it makes no sense. And when that happens the happiness is never spontaneous again.”

Roth's writing is so evocative, drawing out characters from the outside in with such dexterity and skill that it is easy to understand his success. Coming in at a hefty 448 pages, I’ve been looking at this novel in my ‘to be read’ file for quite some time now.

As you may know, I prefer to read a novel before watching any movie adaptations. When I noticed the Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly adaptation was available on streaming, I decided to crack the spine and get reading so that I could enjoy them both in the correct order.

The scope of the novel is both insular and expansive. It begins with a high school reunion where we’re introduced to the “Swede”, the local golden boy whose life took a turn. The narrator had attended the same school and looked up to the local sporting hero who married the beauty queen (former Miss New Jersey), but auspicious beginnings do not necessarily lead to positive outcomes.

Swede Levov’s life is blown to pieces by his young daughter, Merry. Her protest efforts against the Vietnam War culminate in a bombing with tragic results. That doesn’t even touch the sides in terms of what is going on in the novel. There’s the crushing of the American Dream, the loss of innocence of war, racism, the generational torment between teenagers and their parents, just to sprout off a few themes. There is a LOT going on and that’s why the novel is a bit of a door stop. Don’t be put off by the heft, there are many reasons why this novel has had such wide acclaim including winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.

Comparing this to Roth’s earlier work such as Portnoy’s Complaint, is rather interesting. This is more mature and expansive and lacks the cheekiness of the earlier novel. Guilt about the intense sexual drive of youth is replaced by guilt at failure to produce a child that complies with one’s dreams and expectations.

I did get around to watching the film also and it was a little hit and miss. Dakota Fanning as Merry seemed miscast. At her lowest ebb, she still looks too clean and sweet. McGregor is so so, but Connelly is amazing and looks fantastic. Overall it is a valiant effort to cover so much in a tight movie format.

4 out of 5 - Daddy's girl gone wrong.

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

 

"Something had carried away three-quarters of my starboard wing, and messed up the tip of the other."

Perhaps reading an extinction-level event novel during a pandemic is not the best course of action for someone who is prone to panic at the best of times. Nevertheless, I had packed this slim volume in my backpack for a quick flight to Tasmania and was determined to finish it.

First published in 1953, there were aspects of the novel that seemed so familiar, mainly in terms of the way people react to threat. Just as today the world can't seem to agree how to tackle climate change as one world rather than a collection of separate nations, the threat of alien invasion does little to bridge the gap in the novel.

While the ramifications may be horrendous, Wyndham retains a modicum of hope for the human race, even if takes the death of millions to realise it. This isn't my favourite Wyndham novel. I'm more a fan of  The Day of the Triffids, and The Midwich Cuckoos and yet this still makes for a good read.

4 out of 5 squids taste better on the bar-be-que.

Ratking (Aurelio Zen #1) by Michael Dibdin

 

“Fulsome and vapid, laden with insincere warmth and hidden barbs, his speech had nevertheless left no legitimate grounds for complaint."

In a time where COVID is destroying our ability to take exciting European vacations, or let’s face it any overseas travel, the first Aurelio Zen novel is the closest thing. The world lost a great talent in 2007 when Dibdin died at the rather young age of sixty. His ability to recreate the bureaucracy and feeling of living in Italy is almost teleportational. This was definitely the closest I was getting to Italy this year.

Aurelio Zen is not your typical hero. He’s grumpy, jaded, has issues at home and his career is in the toilet. The opportunity to transfer to Perugia from his desk job at the State Police in Rome to work on a kidnapping case is one he jumps at, little suspecting he is merely a pawn in a larger game.

Corruption, intrigue and murder follow. The title refers to (according to Wikipedia)

“a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together by one of several possible mechanisms, such as entangling material like hair or sticky substances like sap or gum or getting tied together. Historically, this alleged phenomenon is particularly associated with Germany. There are several specimens preserved in museums but very few instances of rat kings have been observed in modern times.”

The pictures on that link may turn your stomach (you have been warned dear reader). Weirdly, this phenomenon was reflected in another novel I’ve read recently, The Rats. In any case, I’m done with rats for the year. Here however the title refers to the interconnectedness of all the power players that Zen will have to understand in order to unravel the truth.

I’ve just discovered that the novel was made into a TV series  with the rather attractive Rufus Sewell in the titular role. I imagined someone who had eaten a lot more pasta and was a little more ‘lived in’, but I’m willing to give it a go. Apparently, there were only three episodes made and then it was cancelled, which doesn’t bode well.

As soon as I finished the last page, I ordered the next two novels in the series. I need more Zen in my life clearly and this could be the only way I experience Italy up close for quite some time.

5 out of 5 - get into Zen

Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim

 

"Her father had died at nine o'clock that morning, and it was now twelve."

If you're a fan of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, then I suspect this might be firmly in your wheelhouse. While the introduction, as intimated above, was a little raw for me to read, having recently lost my father, I carried on regardless and was not disappointed.

The author, Elizabeth von Arnim, was born in Kirribilli, NSW in 1866, the cousin of Australian author, Katherine Mansfield and her life story is a book I really want to read!! Actually there’s a new biography coming out in July 2021, and I’m definitely going to secure a copy. 

I really enjoyed The Enchanted April by von Armin and was eager to discover her other works. I’m also currently reading her Mr Skeffington novel which formed the basis of the Bette Davis movie with the same name (it is a fabulous film that I would wholeheartedly recommend). Back to the book...

Lucy is a complete innocent, left unguarded against the machinations of a much older man. A man, Everard Wemyss, who is beholden to the fact that “public opinion was forcing him into retirement and inactivity at the very time when he most needed company and distraction”. 

This need to retire is based upon the recent death of his wife, the eponymous Vera, under rather suspicious circumstances. All the newspapers are a flurry with his story, except for this innocent girl he happens upon.

Lucy’s only protector is her aunt, Miss Entwhistle, and Wemyss works hard to win her confidence, leaning on the fact that everyone assumes that Wemyss is a former friend of Lucy’s father. Neither Lucy or Wemyss is prepared to counter that narrative. He worries that this ‘maiden Aunt’ will take away his companion, a young girl now thoroughly entranced with him and resolves to marry Lucy to ensure she will not go anywhere.

Miss Entwhistle takes on a sort of Miss Marple role, acting as the voice of reason, cautious about Wemyss and particularly of his finances. Things get really interesting once the pair are married.

“Marriage, Lucy found, was different from what she had supposed; Everard was different; everything was different.”

 The comparisons to Rebecca are enlivened here, young girl marries guy, guy changes immediately. Left alone after the honeymoon, Wemyss shows his true narcissistic spots, incensed that his wife dare to be ill and unable to accompany him to London. Wemyss’ expectations of marrying a young innocent is that she will bend to his every whim and not dare to have a thought of her own. Needless to say the marriage isn’t a good one

“But now, after her experiences to-day, she had a fear of him more separate, more definite, distinct from love. Strange to be afraid of him and love him at the same time. Perhaps if she didn't love him she wouldn't be afraid of him. No, she didn't think she would then, because then nothing that he said would reach her heart. Only she couldn't imagine that. He was her heart.”

Weymss is such a creepy man, brilliantly described by von Arnim, a villain who reminds me of the hideous ex (marriage to him would be horrendous). He epitomises everything I hate about self-centered chauvinist pigs and his plotting is nefarious in the extreme. That being said, he makes a great literary character and the pages will just fly by!!

5 out of 5 - needs a trigger warning.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

 

“A woman doesn't always have a choice, not in a meaningful way. Sometimes there is a debt that must be paid, a comfort that she is obliged to provide, a safe passage that must be secured. Everyone of us has lain down for a reason that was not love.”

I read this novel quite some time ago and haven’t gotten around to reviewing it until now. My recollections are overwhelmingly emotional, rather than detail focused. This was a reading experience that toyed with so many different feelings and I suspect that each reader would have a very different response to it. The overarching response that they might share would undoubtedly be a sense of marvel at how fantastic Tayari Jones is as a writer. Her prose is captivating, easy to read and extremely emotive. In case you can’t tell, I think the novel is fabulous!

Before embarking on the novel you’ll no doubt glance at the blurb and think whoa “An explosive love story about a marriage interrupted”, is this going to hold my interest? Well that was my response and it did more than hold my interest. I absolutely devoured the pages.

Newly married couple Roy and Celestial have the world at their feet until Roy is arrested for a rape that he did not participate in. Unfairly incarcerated, Roy spends twelve years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, clinging desperately to the hope of returning to his loving wife on the outside, while dealing with other startling revelations about his family while in prison.

Outside, Celestial lives a very different existence and seeks comfort from her friend from childhood and the best man at their wedding, Andre. Circumstances conspire so that every party suffers and the sense of guilt and abandonment and betrayal ooze from the pages as pungently as the need for love and solace. Each character’s emotional journey draws you further in and things become even more complicated once Roy’s conviction is overturned after five years.

This is a novel that says so much about an unfair system, about families about feelings and about life while narrowing in on the stories of the central characters with an immediacy that makes your hairs stand on end.




5 out of 5 - Oprah and Barrack Obama were right, this is an amazing book.

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

"Bleach will disinfect, but it's not great for cleaning residue, so I use it only after I have first scrubbed the bathroom of all traces of life and death"

I vividly recall seeing this title years ago at the Sydney Writer's Festival and being immediately intrigued. I’ve often wondered why the serial killer narrative draws me in with such regularity. Perhaps because, as Dr Scott Brown (author of Why We Love Serial Killers: The Curious Appeal of the World’s Most Savage Murderers) explains in this interview, because they are “exotic, rare and deadly” and for more see this fascinating article by the same author: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/wicked-deeds/202103/why-we-are-drawn-monsters-and-serial-killers. 

Now, as they say, back to the Show.
What Braithwaite delivers is an entertaining insight to what it might be like to have a serial killer in the family, while also representing the lengths we sometimes go to protect our own, often at our own expense. It highlights how much more you can get away with when you’re beautiful and the notion that beauty is harmless. A notion that is quickly dissuaded by studying real serial killers, some of whom were so successful because of their looks (i.e. Ted Bundy).

The book, set in Nigeria, begins with the introduction of nurse Korede, who has a rather difficult younger sister. Korede is the workhorse, the sensible one, the one always coming to the aid of her beautiful, younger sister, Ayoola.

Ayoola’s appeal to men is intoxicating, she seems to draw them in, enchant them and then…kill them. Her handiwork with a knife is starting to become a real problem for her sister who is always called in for ‘wet work’ – to dispose of the bodies. Korede’s only confidante is a coma patient and when it looks like her only potential love interest is about to be beguiled by Ayoola, life can get very complicated.

There’s a depth to this story that plays out in the girl’s shared history of a violent, unhappy childhood and one can’t help but wonder if Ayoola’s habits would differ had her father not tried to sell her off as a child to an older man. There is also the very familiar, destructive self-talk of Korede, where she compares herself to her beautiful sister and can’t believe that she is worthy of love because “love is only for the beautiful’. A lie that is consistently marketed to women, so we’ll buy more beauty products.

In essence, it is this lack of self-belief that is as dangerous to Korede as her sister is to men, because it convinces her to participate in her sister’s crimes and by the end of the novel you wonder who is the more troubled individual.

The novel was my book club’s selection for June / July, and it seems we might not be able to meet in person to discuss it thanks to a lockdown across New South Wales. I usually wait until after the event to post, but I’ve got a few spare moments and thought I’d profit from them. If you enjoy dark humour and good cleaning tips, then this might just be the novel for you.

4 out of 5,  Sisters can be lethal.

A Light in the Dark: A History of Movie Directors by David Thomson

 

“We were strangers there in the dark, but fellow pilgrims, and the cinema was a palace for our wondering.”

A departure from my fiction reading, this tale of directors past had a rather unique and interesting format. It feels like a casual conversation with an avid cinephile and that is always something that appeals to me.

Enjoy the journey through one hundred years of cinema through the lens of its leading Directors.

Conversational in tone, yet informative, this one is a nice shorthand for the history of the silver screen.

I particularly enjoyed the way each decade's leaders influence the one to come. 

Thomson may describe Bunuel's films as "some of the hardest to write about" but perhaps that demonstrates the power of the flickering image, poetry in motion.

4 out of 5 - a Director is just the Ringmaster of the Circus

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

 

"I have suspected Mum and Lyle are drug dealers since I found a five-hundred-gram brick of Golden Triangle heroin stowed in the mower catcher in our backyard shed five days ago."

Perhaps if you'd just crawled out from under a rock after having been stuck there for many years you would have not heard the intense praise for Trent Dalton's book. Otherwise, like me, you might have experienced that sense of missing out on something that is so beloved by so many readers, if you hadn't scored yourself a copy.

The other day I was reading my copy as I waited for the skin doctor to come in and do a skin cancer check (all good). The dermatologist was an absolute star and on seeing the cover he yelled ' I know what you're reading!" and went on to ask me if I was enjoying it. He hadn't been able to finish it and was surprised by all the acclaim. I was midway through and totally understood his reaction, I was struggling with the grim, gritty, content.

Something shifted in my appreciation of the novel as I neared the end. The never-ending hopelessness gave way a little at a time, altering my previously negative responses. While the writing is more of the style that would appeal to my mother, much as the Editor that Eli approaches describes his writing as a 'colour writer', and 'You paint pretty pictures', Dalton shares a particularly detailed style which slowed my reading and was at times just a little too much for my taste.

All in all, an impressive debut and it is fantastic to see an Australian author kicking goals.

4 out of 5  - dark places with a hint of light.

brat: an '80s story by Andrew McCarthy

 

"I was making my first tentative steps out onto the hollow ground where fame resides."

As a youngster, I admit to having quite the crush on Andrew McCarthy. I absolutely adored the movie, Mannequin, in which a young, pre-Sex in the City, Kim Cattrall plays a store dummy who comes to life.

It is quite surprising to discover the clean cut star of such films as Class, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, and Weekend at Bernie’s spent an inordinate amount of time with a serious drinking problem. Equally surprising is the distance he experienced from the so called ‘rat pack’ with whom he was so closely associated.


McCarthy has an endearing narrative voice and draws on his experience as a travel writer, taking the reader on a journey through his origins from New York to Hollywood. There’s a sense of wonder and confusion that colours the success of his youth and the book feels relatively unguarded in exploring McCarthy’s memories which survive among the fog of drug and alcohol abuse.


I was moved to buy the book after listening to the author’s talk with Wil Anderson on the Wilosophy podcast. For someone who had experienced intense fame at a formative age, McCarthy appears to have exited the bubble as an interesting, decent human that you just want to hear more from.

5 out of 5 - preppy star grows to be pretty impressive.

Summer by Ali Smith

 

"

"I have a  vision that the modern sense of being a hero is like shining a bright light on things that need to be seen."

 

The final instalment of Smith’s seasonal series does not instil the usual joy that the thought of summer normally invokes. Set slap bang in a COVID-19 world, this was not the escapism I needed to ease my mind and yet it boasts the lyrical prose so deftly wielded by Smith in its predecessors.


Commencing with the ramifications of BREXIT in the UK and encompassing political upheaval, environmental disasters (including Australia’s bushfires) and the previously mentioned pandemic, the book leaps over recent (and current) events in a way that I, as a reader, found harder to engage with. Call it misery overload; or perhaps my usual desire to escape anything too real or tragic (because sometimes the world outside can be a little too confronting), my recollections of the novel are scant. The contemporary issues could not be contained in my little brain in much the same way as I deal with the twenty-four-hour news cycle.


So, I’m overjoyed that I got through the full ‘year’ of the books and yet sad that this one didn’t leave as an indelible impression as some of the others. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a fantastic read, more that my reviewing has gotten way behind and I read it a couple of months ago. I apologise that this review is a little light on the ground.

5 out of 5 – sometimes this crazy world is hard to focus on.

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

 

"We got on well. I enjoyed his money and he enjoyed how easily impressed I was by it"

Dear reader, don’t be fooled by the title, these are somewhat less than ‘exciting times’, nevertheless it will draw your attention. There’s something rather annoying about the protagonist, Ava, mainly her indecision and subservience. She seems almost transparent and only made real by the decisions of her love interests.

 Her job is barely a means to an end and she appears to lack ambition running away from the demands of family, only to submit to the demands of her lovers. There’s a sense that she thinks she is above everything, while hopelessly flailing.

 Will she end up with a rich, cold, banker who provides free housing or an attentive woman who loves her? Guess you’ll have to read it to find out.

4/5 - employs an impressive turn of phrase.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

 

"So I had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Just a giant metal spider locked onto my skull, about to interface with my brain."

My sheer unadulterated delight upon discovering the joyous world of Ready Player One, was almost matched by the announcement of a sequel in the works, so naturally I pre-ordered a copy with rabid enthusiasm. Life, as it is want to do, got in the way of my reading this as soon as it arrived and so I savoured the possibility of a few clear hours to immerse myself once more in the OASIS.

Ignore the detractors. Whilst this may not reach the soaring heights of the first novel, and I think that’s mainly because we’re now familiar with its world and characters, it still makes for a great read.

The band of misfits who supported Wade in his initial endeavours have virtually disbanded. He’s fallen out with the love of his life and only the only contact he has with her and his friends is a series of virtual board meetings necessary to run the GSS. His discover of an Easter Egg leads to a revelation surrounding new technology, the ONI headsets which permit users to literally log-in ( somewhat Neuromancer style) to the OASIS. This amazingly effective tool comes with a potentially lethal drawback, the user can only be online for 12 hours at a time without risking brain damage or worse. The endless possibilities of the new tech allow users to record and share feelings and experiences in a previously unimaginable way.

The appearance of a new riddle challenges Wade to discover seven shards to ‘restore the Siren’s soul’ and once again the adventure begins. This time, however, the appearance of Anorak, an AI copy of inventor, James Halliday, is about to provide some truly high stakes danger, not only for our hero, but for the entire human race.

I fear I’ve perhaps said too much on the topic of plot, so I’ll just leave it there and hope you grab yourselves a copy, so that we can chat about it in detail.

5 out of 5 - Geeks rock!!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 

"A wedding day is a neat little parcel of time in which I can create something whole and perfect to be cherished for a lifetime, a pearl from a broken necklace."

An easy read that is well paced. The format takes a little getting used to. Each wedding guest / participant gets their own narrative voice with duelling chapters. A picture perfect Irish island wedding provides an intriguing setting for a modern murder mystery.

Ignore the Agatha Christie references on the blurb, this one has a lot more adult content than Christie would envisage. It is chock full of unlikeable characters with horrible secrets and basically anyone could be the murderer.

Not the best murder mystery I've ever read, but entertaining, this one would make for a good holiday, beachside read. All families are a bit crazy.

4/5 - Weddings sometimes bring out the worst in people

The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine

 

“In a close-up, choose just one eye of the actor you’re playing opposite, don’t skip between the eyes or you will just look shifty”

Michael Caine is not just a fantastic actor, but an amazing raconteur. This autobiography is one of many that he has penned and begins at the beginning and goes through to prior to the commencement of filming of The Dark Knight Rises.



Are you keen for some name dropping and tantalising behind the scenes stories? Then this my friend is for you! It was recommended to me by my brother who thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version with Caine’s voice narrating. Frank Sinatra, Sean Connery, Sydney Poitier, the pages are a literal who’s who of Hollywood and the entertainment industry in an entertaining and enlightening memoir. There is the sense that you’d like to corner Caine and get just a little bit more out of each story, the details that legal probably wouldn’t clear. Nonetheless, this is a delight.




5 out of 5, I just love Michael Caine.

Room At The Top by John Braine

 "Susan was a princess and I was the equivalent of a swineherd."

I read this what seems an age ago and am ridiculously behind in consolidating my thoughts about novels read to date. My chief takeaway from this book, that I selected due to its inclusion in the David Bowie list, was something along the lines of 'really well written' but ' this protagonist is a dickhead'.

Joe is everything I hate. He reminds me of my womanising Uncle (who might just share the same name). Not particularly bright, ruled by his pants and over-inflated sense of self, gets away with appalling behaviour.

The blurb describes it as the tale of the "original angry young man", clearly I am over that kind of voice. Joe Lampton is the kind of guy that makes you wonder why you aren't a lesbian, he is two-faced, untrustworthy and unlikeable. The strength of the writing is in the fact that these aspects are felt so keenly.

4 out of 5 - young, dumb and full of....

Home Stretch by Graham Norton

 

"No one was at home to answer the knock at the door when it came."

It is quite astounding to me that a man who effuses such joy in his public persona, can deliver such deeply moving trials in his fiction. That speaks to the talent of Graham Norton, the loveable TV host and exquisite author.

His latest offering is chock full of alienation and shame in a way that is moving, while feeling essentially truthful. One can't help but imagine some of the inspiration for Connor's experiences away from Ireland are drawn from Norton's experiences.

My writing at the moment is a little perfunctory and that is the polar opposite of Norton's. He appears to be growing in strength as an author with each novel and this one, in particular, is so effective. The story arc embraces so many deep feelings that will taunt your emotions and yet leave you feeling like you've had a short, meaningful stay with a long lost branch of your family.

5/5 - Norton is a treasure.

Because of You by Dawn French

 

 "It was fairly exhausting to be a constant smokescreen for his blatant idiocy, but she persisted. It was an exercise in damage limitation in which she failed to realize that she herself was the most damaged. The relationship was broken, but they were both clinging to the wreckage."

This is one of those occasions that warrants buying up a few extra boxes of tissues because you are going to need them. The subject matter somewhat surprised me.Not having had children, I was shocked at how visceral a reaction I had to the stillbirth and the almost instinctive understanding of Hope's actions.

French is unrelenting in her depiction of the toxic relationship between Anna and her husband, to the extent that it should come with a trigger warning — or perhaps that's just me.

Ultimately, this story is a journey that celebrates the love and beauty that can come of despair and it is at its best when exploring relationships between women, and more specifically mothers.

5/5— nature or nurture, or both.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

 

"Soon, I’m sitting on my butt-tube. Not the most comfortable sensation, but when is a tube up your butt ever comfortable?"

Is it possible to convey my unbridled joy at having read this latest book from the author of The Martian?  Probably not. I'm almost certain I fist-bumped the air in triumph upon completing my reading, this is so good!!! Weir puts the science in science-fiction, while evoking emotions and challenges beyond the purely cerebral.

 While the title might have given away a little of the plot — a hail Mary pass being a desperate attempt to score a goal in the dying minutes of a football game— this tale had my undivided attention from the get-go. Each page was devoured with the voracity of a dieter tempted by a dessert buffet. Over 400 pages and the pace never faltered.

Hopefully without giving away too many spoilers, the sense of desperate alienation Ryland Grace experiences out in space is so spectacularly mirrored by the lifeform he encounters that the reader experiences a complete emotional rollercoaster. At the same time, the reader can’t help but feel a sense of relief and connection with both characters. Weir delivers a reassuring universe with connection at its centre.

5 out of 5 - Science can be beautiful.

Interior Chinatown by Charles You

 

“This is it. The root of it all. The real history of yellow people in America. Two hundred years of being perpetual foreigners.”

A fantastically novel approach to the novel which is equal parts entertaining and disturbing. The use of stereotypes and the movie script format effectively communicates the barriers that Willis Wu experiences in his life.

When the best role you can expect is Asian Action Man, and you'll never be the romantic lead, what does that say about the opportunities available to you in life. Everyone needs a mother who encourages them to 'be more' and to dream bigger. A great novel takes you beyond sympathy, beyond empathy, and conveys real, emotional experiences and this one did it for me.

A well-deserved winner of the 2020 National Book Award, a unique approach to storytelling.

 5 out of 5 - defy expectations, the world is your oyster.

The writing is utterly enchanting and

The Rats by James Herbert

 

"As he stood he felt tiny feet running up the length of his body."

This was recommended to me by a friend, and I really had to question what his basis for that decision was after I had read it. It was clearly written by a man from a by-gone (or at least I’d like to think it is) age. His depictions of women are frankly appalling, but that was not the real reason my stomach was in knots.

Graphic horror bleeds across every page. Killer Rats is a hideous premise that will haunt my nightmares from this day forth. Make no mistake, Herbert is a master of gore and suspense, even if the writing can be a little patchy at times.

I recall reading the paperback (which I note had a forward by the always amazing Neil Gaiman) at a medical centre, and positively squirming in my chair at the thought that someone in the waiting room might be able to read the gruesome depictions of half-eaten humans over my shoulder.

4/5 - Buying rat traps at Bunnings asap!

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

 

“It is a fact that it takes experience before one can realize what is a catastrophe and what is not. Children have little faculty of distinguishing between disaster and the ordinary course of their lives.”

 

It is quite rare lately that a book stays with me. I’ll remember key aspects — whether I enjoyed or disliked it— and yet most memories are fleeting. A High Wind in Jamaica, provided a vastly different reading experience. I’d expected a children’s swashbuckling pirate adventure and had not banked on the horrors that would unfold.

Written in 1929, perhaps the first thing that jars the modern reader is the liberal use of racist epithets including the ‘n’ word, when depicting life on a plantation in Jamaica in the 1830s. John, Emily, Edward, Rachel and Laura are sent home to England by boat when a massive hurricane destroys their Jamaican home. On board the Clorinda they meet two other children, Margaret and Harry, also bound for England.

When pirates seize the ship, things take a dark turn and the children are moved onto the pirates’ schooner. Captain Marpole (captain of the Clorinda), writes to inform the children’s parents of their death by pirates, not knowing that they have been kidnapped instead. Left to the care of the rough pirates the children become wild and even greater trials lay ahead.

A death, suggested sexual assault, and all-round trauma ensue before the children finally return to England and a PTSD laden denouement.

When I first completed the novel, I found myself re-reading it immediately after to see whether I had missed certain aspects. Menace and violence occur swiftly, at a ‘blink and you’d miss it’ pace, while the ramifications of those actions brew slowly. The children’s English stoicism hiding, in the most part, the trauma beneath. Their loss of innocence has grave repercussions leading to an unexpected end.

4 out of 5 - leaves a deep chill that won't thaw easily.

The Enchiridion By Epictetus

"Does anyone bathe in a mighty little time? Don't say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don't say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great quantity. For, unless you perfectly understand the principle from which anyone acts, how should you know if he acts ill? Thus you will not run the hazard of assenting to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend."

This tasty little treat of philosophy written in 135 A.C.E. provides a quick commentary on Roman Stoicism and yet many of its tenets make for helpful mantras today. In essence many of his instructions translate to 'don't sweat the stuff you can't change', which is an often reassuring thought.

You've only got control of yourself so act in a way that is true to yourself and don't pay any attention to the boasts of others. Don't be swayed by appearances and basically, just stay chill and don't believe the hype. All in all some effective takeaways.

“These reasonings are unconnected: “I am richer than you, therefore I am better”; “I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better.” The connection is rather this: “I am richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours;” “I am more eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours.” But you, after all, are neither property nor style.”



“If you ever happen to turn your attention to externals, so as to wish to please anyone, be assured that you have ruined your scheme of life.”




5 out of 5 and a super quick read.

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

 

"Like a jazz musician improvising, or a surfer looking for a wave, or a bird riding a current of air, you'll be rewarded by moments where everything comes together."

I've wanted to read this for quite some time now and was definitely not disappointed. Gloria Steinem is my spirit animal - someone that can't sit still and understands both the appeal and rewards of travel, apart from all the other amazing work she has done. Ms Steinem is the kind of woman that makes me think 'what the hell am I doing with my life', as I would have to never sleep again to attain her level of accolades and yet she gives us the gift of this book that talks about the importance of listening intently and acting where possible, of finding out what the big, wild, world has to offer and cherishing its lessons.

A love story to the road, to women and to a full life. Its hard not to feel charged up after reading this delightful read, as delighted as you'll be by a torrent of anecdotes, there's an underlying impetus to continue the journey in your own fashion, at the very least so you'll have interesting tales to spin in old age.

5 out of 5 - grab yourself a copy for your next trip out there in the big unknown.

Luster by Raven Leilani

"To be unemployed and wearing his wife's jeans is concrete."

Is 2021 the year of Millennial Soft Porn? Okay, I'm kind of joking here, nevertheless this debut novel is chock full of awkwardly unemotional sex and sexual commerce. A young black artist, Edie,  living in squalor ( well actually cockroaches are everywhere) dates an older man who takes her to Disneyland on their first date - hello red flag. Things get stranger and stranger as she meets the man's wife and becomes  a fixture of the couple's life. The white couple had adopted a young black girl and the wife is perplexed as to how to deal with her 'otherness', next thing Edie has moved in and things just get rather strained. All of these situations combined make for some truly problematic circumstances and part of the appeal of the novel is to find out where the hell this ride is heading.

As a debut novel, it is impressive, even if it feels that all the characters are rather unlikeable and troubled, perhaps that is part of the appeal...trying to make sense of a crazy world.

4 out of 5 - everyone just needs a decent hug.

 

Milk Fed by Melissa Border

 

"I could never tell if other people genuinely believed their own bullshit or not."

Milk Fed was an unusual book club read and raised some delighted banter about frozen yoghurt. Melissa Border has an amazing way with words and the novel begins strongly appealing to the constant battle most women face with counting calories and trying to appease our mothers - or maybe that's just me?

Rachel has a healthy fantasy life which seems a lot healthier than her dietary obsessions. Broder's inner depictions of her heroine's fantasies practically drip off the pages. Rachel genuinely seems lost but constantly seeking reassurance and love in all the wrong places. Her chief desire is the one frozen yoghurt treat she permits herself per week, however her control will be tested when she meets Miriam, who represents freedom from calorie counting, but is herself restricted by religious customs. Rachel's attempts to fit into Miriam's Jewish Orthodox family are painfully awkward. One senses that Miriam is just like a calorie-laden dessert, an overwhelming desire, that once sated quickly loses its appeal.

A speedy and enjoyable read, that perhaps lost my undivided attention about three-quarters through. That's not to say it isn't great, just that it failed to resonate quite so strongly as the plot played out. Ultimately, I wanted more for Rachel than ephemeral lust, but then again, maybe she just epitomises the state of confusion so many of us find ourselves in today - looking for everything in one person, when the statistics suggest that is entirely unlikely.

In any case this book made me equal parts excited and hungry - never a good combination!!

4 out of 5 - get this girl some frozen yoghurt stat!!

4 out of 5

The Fashion of Film: Fashion Design Inspired by Cinema by Amber Jane Butchart

 

"The desire to shock, scare and thrill by depicting the supernatural is as old as the moving picture itself."

What a fabulous coffee book, combining twin passions of fashion and cinema. From the gorgeous cover featuring the amazing Jane Fonda, to the contemporary catwalk interpretations of classic cinema this is a feast for the eyes.

If you've lusted over Catherine Deneuve's YSL in Belle de Jour or felt a pressing need to buy multiple cheongsams after watching the unforgettable In the Mood for Love, then this book should take pride of place on your display cabinet and will end up particularly well thumbed.

Fantasy and desire are enveloped in visual escapism personified by the silver screen and Butchart's book will give the uninitiated a quick course in cinematic looks. Interestingly there are a few films referenced that even this devoted cinephile has yet to experience and that adds an extra flourish.

4 out of 5 - I long to be as fabulous as Michael Caine's sunglasses in The Italian Job.

The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1)by Richard Osman

 

“At least I have discovered that online dating is not for me. You can have too much choice in this world. And when everyone has too much choice, it is also much harder to get chosen. And we all want to be chosen.”

Richard Osman is probably best known as a comedian with appearances on various UK panel shows and probably the least likely candidate to be the next Agatha Christie, but sometimes the most unlikely person can really deliver.

When I read the premise about a group of pensioner sleuths I was in, I mean one has to have some aspirations for retirement! This novel was chosen for my bookclub and it perhaps wasn't the best choice for that format because there's not a lot to discuss. Its more one of those enjoyable reads that don't require much discussion, just comfortable enjoyment.

Possibly the perfect Mother's Day present, but equally appealing to all ages. Sign up for the Thursday Murder Club, not since Jessica Fletcher have the more mature sleuths out there had such intriguing exemplars.

5 out of 5 retirement homes wish they were this exciting.

Themes and Variations by David Sedaris

 

“If you think I’m putting my bra back on for this bullshit, you are so sorely mistaken.”

David Sedaris is an uncommonly good writer. He captures the crazy minutiae of the everyday in a way that is hysterically funny and consistently compelling. I was introduced to him by a guy who I used to be friends with. So, even friendships that end leave a positive residue - in this case familiarity with a fantastic writer.

I had the pleasure of meeting David Sedaris at two book signings with said ex-friend. His quips at those meetings and the adorable message he wrote in my book affirmed my undying love for Mr Sedaris. If you ever get the chance to see him live, do it!!

This rather brief essay is the antidote for the misery on your television screen. Turn off the news and hook into this.

5 out of 5 - definitely worth putting your bra on for.

Dead Man Switch(Book #1 A Billie Walker Mystery) by Tara Moss

 

“It wasn't a fancy space. It didn't need to be. Clients didn't come to her for interior decorating tips.”

I was torn on this one initially. Getting into the novel took a little time because I was distracted by the length of prose dedicated to dresses and earrings. Another aspect that jarred was the overtly film noir stereotypes. I'm a big fan of Tara Moss and think she's an excellent human from what I've seen of her, so my expectations were very high.

The mystery of the novel certainly dragged me in once I got over my initial concerns. I love noir, I love a mystery, this should have totally won me over. Part of its charm was the Australian setting which I found endearing at times, and jarring at others. Whenever any character said or did something that seemed quintessentially noir, but not particularly local to Australia; I was taken out of the tale.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this trip back in time and while my praise seems less than effusive, that perhaps links closely to the expectations I had. Confusingly there are two versions of the title and I stupidly bought the paperback and the kindle, such was my enthusiasm for the premise. This broken reader who has avoided dating since breaking up with Voldermort wanted some romance for the protagonist. At least one of us should be having more excitement in that area.

Perhaps that was what was lacking and maybe that will be developed as the series progresses. Reading about another workaholic is not the escapism I need right now. Putting that aside, the novel certainly held my attention and the tale was interesting.

4 out of 5 Sydney, back in the day, also had some seedy characters

Challenge Accepted! by Celeste Barber

 "Have you noticed that most hot people you see in the street look confused?"

Celebrity books can be a little hit and miss, so I was somewhat sceptical about this one.Clearly I shouldn't have been concerned, Celeste is just as delightful as her instagram posts. Her enthusiastic, self-deprecatory voice shines through and draws you in from the get-go. 

The unexpected gem here is the author's life story, something lacking from the hilarious visuals online.From struggles with schooling to the vagaries of life as a would-be actress and the challenges of childbirth, the book meanders in a distinctly non-linear way and I think that adds to its charm. 

Barber comes across as unfiltered and honest, which merely adds to her tremendous appeal. Even when she name drops it is done in a way that you forgive, because its just like a close friend is explaining an unbelievable encounter to you over a sneaky glass of something fizzy.

5 out of 5 - Who wouldn't want to hang out with Celeste and her hot husband?

The Accountant: A novel by Barry Smith and some wine

 

“Hi, my name is Fiona Jones. I work for legal aid ($54,000).”

From the cover page’s attribution to wine, on to the hilarious blurb, lies a rather unusual, often hilarious crime novel penned by one of my workmates – the eponymous accountant, Barry Smith.

Barry is often a source of mirth and marvel in the office thanks to his penchant for puns and magic tricks, both of which inform his writing. The structure is unique with each character introducing themselves in a way that breaks out of the story and becomes almost theatrical. Even the victim has a voice. I enjoyed the way he characterised them by their earnings which really added to the accountancy flavour.

I had my suspicions about ‘whodunnit’ a good way into the novel and yet was always sceptical. The cast are a veritable rogues gallery, and with lots of money involved, things can often get messy.

Murder, schemes, swiss bank accounts, this one has the lot. If you feel like an enjoyable and giggle ridden mystery with a dash of book-keeping, then you too can discover Barry’s oeuvre on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Accountant-novel-Barry-Smith-some/dp/1521443629

 

4/5  - Dodgy accountants have even dodgier associates.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 “Perhaps that is what it is like being with other people. Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not. Perhaps that is what Raphael means.”

 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a Venetian artist and architect,  lived in 1700s Italy and is famous for his Caceri or Prisons series of prints that depict strange, impossible, labyrinthine structures.

I've done a little bit of internet research and discovered this great video that epitomises his work.

Piranesi Carceri d'Invenzione from Grégoire Dupond on Vimeo.

Much like the eponymous artist, Piranesi is a fantastically puzzling tale that twists and turns through a strange world before its secrets are revealed. I have to admit it took a long time to acclimatise with the world building of the novel and my confusion and sense of displacement was mirrored by the protagonist in a novel and impressively rendered manner.

Patience they say is a virtue... so hold on tight, keep your mind open and keep reading.This one is definitely a slow build, but worth it. Unlike the absolutely weighty tome that was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norris by the same author, Piranesi is a relatively quick read at under three hundred pages. The rather large gap between novels attributed to the author's ill health according to this interview I tracked down online. I sincerely hope her health improves and we can enjoy more wonderful works in the future.

5 out of 5, disappear into another world.