Crossing to Safety

I enjoyed Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, a classic American novel first published in 1987 and recently republished.  It involves the strong lifelong friendship between two couples Larry (the narrator) and Sally Morgan (a struggling couple) and Sid and Charity Lang (a wealthy couple).  The story begins in 1971 when Larry and Sally are invited to visit the Langs as Charity has terminal cancer.  Larry then tells the story of their friendship which began in 1938 in flashback chapters.  We meet the characters who are strongly drawn so we learn the sort of people they are, how the couples interact within each marriage and between each other as friends.  Sid and Larry are ambitious academics and over the years their successes and failures are played out.  Charity is the strongest character (bit of a "control freak") and when a tragedy strikes early in their friendship, she takes charge to help pull them through the initial crisis and the ongoing management of it. Charity has organised the details of her own death and ensures that her friends and family do not thwart that process.  Beautiful writing. The "First Tuesday Book Club" did a good review of this book.  See video.  4/5

The Taliban Cricket Club

I very much enjoyed The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari which is set in Afghanistan in 1999 when the Taliban were in power.  The main character, Rukhsana, is a journalist no longer able to write freely for the local newspaper and gets her stories out of the country with a hidden fax machine.  She has reported on some horrific Taliban crimes.  She and her brother, Jahan, are summoned to the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and learn the Minister wants to marry Rukhsana.  At the same time the Minister proposes to show the world Afghanistan is a "civilised" country by applying for associate membership of the ICC.  The Minister announces a cricket competition with the winning team going to Pakistan for further training.  Rukhsana, Jahan and their cousins see this as an opportunity to escape the country.  At college Rukhsana played cricket and she teaches the team, but they must overcome a number of obstacles.  There is a romantic interest for Rukhsana and that is a very dangerous complication.  It is a suspenseful story and provides the reader with an understanding of the fearful life when living under an oppressive regime.  Highly recommended. 5/5

Swan Peak

I enjoyed Swan Peak by James Lee Burke which is set in Montana and features his characters Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel.  While on their holiday Dave and Clete become involved in a horrific homicide which appears to have multiple interconnecting strands.  There is a wealthy neighbour, Wellstone, who has been horribly disfigured in a fire and has a young beautiful wife.  His workers are all unsavoury types and they all seem to have an unhealthy interest in Clete.  There is an escaped convict connected to the Wellstones and there is another unsavoury prison guard hunting him.  Clete is always getting into scrapes.  He and Dave are always on the edge of serious trouble.  A good yarn, really about "what's wrong with America" with its wealthy exploiters of the beautiful landscape and the lengths some will go to escape poverty. 4/5

The Ruins of Us

I enjoyed The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen which is set in Saudi Arabia.  A wealthy Saudi family, husband Abdullah, wife Rosalie (born in America), teenage children Faisal and Mariam, whose lives are greatly changed by a decision made by Abdullah to take a second wife.  Faisal is on the verge of manhood and questions his role in life and what he comes to see as the dilution of the Moslem faith by wealth and corruption.  The adult relationships further test his thinking as he tries to find his true path.  There is a crisis brought about by a violent incident which must be resolved before the characters can move on.  A good story which gives an insight into Arabian and western attitudes towards each other, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11. 4/5

One Good Dog

I very much enjoyed One Good Dog by Susan Wilson which is written in two perspectives - third person about the main character, Adam, and first person by the other main character, the dog Chance.  Adam has a serious breakdown at work resulting in a court case and he loses his job.  From a poor background he became a "self-made man" and very wealthy.  He loses all that and is ordered to do community service in a "soup kitchen" catering to homeless people.  Chance is a pit bull fighting dog who wants a better life.  Adam and Chance eventually meet and their stories make very good reading. 41/2/5

Essays in Love

I enjoyed reading Essays in Love by philosopher Alain de Botton which examines the life cycle of a romance.  The narrator falls in love with Chloe and he describes the process and how it feels to love someone, how the relationship develops, the good and bad, the arguments, the interesting and loving times, meeting the families and friends, and finally how the the relationship ends.  All elements along the way are clinically described and are typical of most relationships, though the minutiae may vary. Anyone who has ever been in love can relate to this story. 4/5

50 Short Cuts

I enjoyed 50 Short Cuts, a collection from Brisbane barber Ross Coco.  Ross is a well-known barber trading as Sweeney Todd, who has many interesting clients and about 50 of them agreed to write a short story for this book about "success" and what that means to them as individuals.  Of course, with more than 50 people there is a diverse range of people, including businessmen, judges, lawyers, journalists and their stories are most enjoyable to read.  Ross is renowned for his fundraising efforts for very worthy causes and this book is to raise funds for prostate cancer research undertaken by the Cancer Council of Queensland.  I hope Ross continues his work as a barber and fundraiser for many years to come. 4/5

October Book Club

 We had a lovely time at book club last night with our hostess providing some delicious treats, including an apple cake and gluten-free muffins which I very much enjoyed.  We had good conversation, company and we'd all read some terrific books.  Our hostess had bought an interesting collection of books for this month and I picked out some books I can't wait to get into.  Two of our group were missing this month as they're overseas.  Will look forward to seeing them next month.

Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic - The Ocean's Greatest Disaster

I liked reading this book Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic - The Ocean's Greatest Disaster edited by Marshall Everett which was published this year (2012) on the 100th anniversary of the disaster.  The text of the book was originally published in 1912 only a few months after the sinking.  They are mainly first-hand accounts from survivors and those aboard the "Carpathia", the boat that rescued them.  There is also an account of the Senate inquiry into the sinking which began almost immediately upon the "Carpathia" arriving in New York.  There are accounts from newspapers at the time.  The main tone of the tragic story is the heroism of the men in persuading the women and children to board the lifeboats, knowing their own lives were in peril.  It is most interesting to read about the disaster so soon after it happened in the "language" of that time.  There was blame attributed to the speed of the ship, when it should have been more cautious, considering its environment.  Also the lack of lifeboats was thought to be a major contributor to the huge loss of life.  Compulsory reading for anyone interested in the "Titanic". 41/2/5

Before I Go To Sleep

I very much enjoyed this thriller Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson which is about a woman with a particular kind of amnesia.  Christine wakes every day and doesn't know who she is, who is in her life (who is that strange man sleeping beside her?).  Each day her patient husband Ben explains that she had an accident 20 years earlier which has caused her unusual amnesia.  He has a scrap book with photographs to remind her who she is and who he is.  He goes off to work each day and leaves her to her own devices.  She begins seeing a new doctor who encourages her to keep a journal (and hides it from her husband).  Each morning her doctor phones her on a mobile phone he's given her to remind her where her journal is.  So she learns anew any information she had learned in the previous days and continues to add to her journal.  Her doctor feels that this process will help in her recovery.  She continues to keep the journal hidden until after some time she proposes to tell her husband about it.  Then the mystery deepens and the reader is gradually aware that all is not what it seems and we come to the climax of the story.  Highly recommended. 5/5