The Captain's Daughter

I enjoyed The Captain's Daughter by Leah Fleming which begins with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  Two survivors, May and Celeste, are from very different backgrounds yet sharing this experience has made them firm and loyal friends.  May loses her family but gains a "daughter" and keeps her secret for many years.  Celeste has endured an abusive marriage and becomes a stronger person for having survived the sinking.  The story stretches over their lives and succeeding generations. 4/5. 

New books for June 2013

This year I went through my newspaper cuttings to produce a "long list" of 25 which was drastically reduced to six as I bought my books from Dymocks at Indooroopilly.  I hope you will enjoy them.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion was described as the "must read" for 2013.   Don Tillman has given up on love. Until a chance encounter gives him an idea. He will design a questionnaire—a sixteen-page, scientifically researched questionnaire—to uncover the perfect partner.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini is the latest from this talented author.  We've enjoyed his previous books The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns and I'm very pleased to have his latest novel.  The story begins in 1952 Afghanistan as a family struggles to deal with poverty and the events of their lives over generations.

Mrs Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn tells the whimsical story of a monarch tired of her life who sets out on an adventure, escaping from those around her, causing consternation.  A charming witty novel.

The Storyteller's Daughter by Maria Goodin is about the relationship between a mother and daughter.  A heartwarming novel of relationships and secrets. 

A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks is a novel which spans continents and time exploring love and grief and the ways experiences echo through history.

Phantom by Jo Nesbo is the latest in the Harry Hole series in which he investigates the death of a junkie.  Harry is no longer a policeman and does not know whom he can trust.  He has a special reason for investigating this murder.

Taking a Chance

I enjoyed Taking a Chance by Deborah Burrows which is set in wartime Perth.  Reporter Nell Fitzgerald attends the sentencing of a woman convicted of murdering her lover.  Nell meets an American serviceman , Johnny Horvath from the American Press Corps who wants to prove the innocence of the murderess.  Nell and Johnny inevitably have a heavy romance while at the same time re-investigating the murder and tracking down young female runaways. Story told in first person, bit corny and predictable, but a good "light and fluffy" read. 31/2/5

The End of Your Life Book Club

I enjoyed this beautiful book The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe which is the author's story of a "book club" he has with his mother Mary Anne who is dying from pancreatic cancer.  The story begins with Mary Anne's diagnosis and as they attend her treatments, she and Will meet to discuss and swap books they've enjoyed.  Mary Anne had a remarkably full life and always put others first.  She was passionate about the plight of refugees and as she was dying, her project was to establish a library in Afghanistan.  Mary Anne is blessed with a large loving family and Will tells the reader some of the stories of her life and their lives together.  Each chapter introduces a different book and their discussion is shared with the reader.  Mary Anne's life is extended with the help of chemotherapy and other treatments beyond what was originally expected and for that she is grateful.  Even for the reader it is difficult to say goodbye to her as we learn how her "beautiful smile" would light up a room.  I was pleased that I had read a number of the books in their "club" and for the convenience of readers, a list is at the end of the book.  A joy to read. 5/5

The Drop

I very much enjoyed The DROP by Michael Connelly which has Harry Bosch working past retirement under the Deferred Retirement Option Plan in the cold case unit.  DNA belonging to a serial sex offender is found when an old case of murder is reopened.  However, the offender would have been a child at the time so an explanation needs to be found.  Bosch is sidetracked by the death of the son of an old adversary, Irvin Irving, a local politician, who insists that Bosch investigate the death which he thinks is suspicious.  Bosch is then investigating two cases and there are tensions with his offsider David Chu as newspapers are getting inside information.  Bosch meets with the sex offender who tells him about his childhood and the person he blames for making him the way he is.  Finally Bosch is able to resolve both crimes, one with shocking results.  It is a good suspenseful ride. 4/5

May Book Club

We had a very enjoyable evening on Monday evening with our generous hostess providing a delicious supper of home-baked goodies on her beautiful china.  She had bought a great selection of books to pick from and we'll enjoy getting in to those and the others books available.  We had a few absences

with a couple of ladies not well, one visiting her daughter interstate, and one working unexpectedly.  One lady who used to be a member before moving overseas
for a while visited.  She is looking forward to being a grandmother soon. Two ladies had celebrated their 60th birthday on the same day during April and very much enjoyed the day.  Next month it is my turn to host and that means I've got ALL the "leftover" books, so it's like being a kid in a candy store with some wonderful books to choose from. 

Lovers & Newcomers

I quite enjoyed Lovers & Newcomers by Rosie Thomas which was set in the English countryside.  A middle-aged widow, Miranda, invites her friends from her university days to live out their retirement on her property to keep each other company.  There are two couples who have been together for 30 years and a single male friend.  One couple has bought part of Miranda's property to build a modern home but during the initial excavation a discovery is made which will affect all their lives.  There are many other characters introduced to the story but it is mainly about friends in their sixties trying to deal with the fact they are getting older.  31/2/5

Brookfield Stories

I enjoyed reading Brookfield Stories edited by Joy Stacey which is a collection of oral histories of people who lived in the Brookfield area. Brookfield Stories was an oral history project begun by Brendan Ryan (the first president of the historical society) 10 years ago and has continued since then by other society members.  Joy Stacey took on the task of editing the transcripts of the recordings to form them in to this book for the Society’s 10^th anniversary.  These recordings of “ordinary” people of Brookfield tell the story of its growth and a way of life now long past.  It is a wonderful example of how oral history can be used to tell the story of a community.  The book is on sale in the Brookfield General Store, the hairdressers and the Brookfield Produce Store as well as the Museum on market mornings.  You may also order it by emailing Joy Stacey joy.stacey@bigpond.com ($25.00 plus postage). 4/5