It's my turn for Book Club this month, so I had the best fun buying the new books for the month. I'd collected several clippings over the last year of books that had excellent reviews and made up a "long list" of those I wanted to buy. Firstly, I headed for Big W, where they have the best prices, then to Myer where they have 35% off their top books. The rest I bought where I could. The following made it to my "short list". They are all novels except for Somme Mud. For more information on each book, click on the book title link.
Somme Mud by E.F.P. Lynch was written by the author when he returned from WWI in 20 school exercise books, now published for the first time. The book captures the horror of WWI from the perspective of an ordinary soldier. The editor, Will Davies, has written a follow up In the Footsteps of Private Lynch, telling of his life after he returned from the War. This is one of the "Books Alive 2008" books and came with a free book - see below.
Bombproof by Michael Robotham came free with the Books Alive promotion and published this year. Sami Macbeth has just been released from prison and when his train blows up, he's carrying a rucksak through London's West End, turning himself into the most wanted terrorist in the country.
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a charming story about the German occupation of the island told through letters from the island's "characters" to newspaper columnist, Juliet Ashton, in 1946. Juliet then visits the island to "meet them properly-- and unwittingly turns her life upside down." Sadly the author died earlier this year before her book was published so "what a shame it is that we won't have any more delights from this author's pen."
Radiance by Shaena Lambert is the story of 18-year old Hiroshima survivor, Keiko, who in 1952 is sent to the USA to have treatment for her radiation scars. This is "a mesmerising novel about guilt and intimacy."
The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer is set in 1950s San Francisco when Pearlie, a dutiful housewife cares for her husband and son. Her world changes when a stranger appears on her doorstep. The story "portrays three people trapped by the confines of their era, and the desperate measures they are prepared to take to escape it."
The Seance by John Harwood is a "gripping tale" set in Victorian England - "a world of apparitions, disappearances, unnatural phenomona, betrayal, blackmail and murder." In an effort to comfort her mother, grieving for a younger sibling, Constance Langton takes her to a seance, with tragic consequences. The story is "chilling, page-turning and unforgettable."
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith is set in the Soviet Union of 1953. Officer Leo Demidov investigates the apparent murder of a boy, which the State is trying to cover up. At risk to himself and his family Demidov pursues his investigation of the "horrifying and gruesome killer."
Fractured by Karin Slaughter finds Abigail Campano returning home unexpectedly to find her teenage daughter dead, and the killer standing over her. "The struggle which follows changes Abigail's life forever."
Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky is another gem from this author who died so tragically in a Nazi concentration camp. The manuscript was discovered with her editors where it had been placed for safekeeping. The story is narrated by an old man as he recalls the passions of his early years.
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor has been likened to James Herriot's books as a young doctor begins his practice in an Irish village where there are plenty of "characters".
How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Sasa Stanisic is set in Bosnia of the 1990s when Serb soldiers force a young Bosnian refugee named Aleksandar Krsmanovic to flee with his family to Germany. As Aleksandar remembers the terrible times, he must try and make sense of it all to live a normal life.
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff is set in late 19th century USA in a Mormon community where Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. This is the story of a family’s polygamous history, including how a young woman became a plural wife. The story is intertwined with a modern day murder mystery, as a young man, Jordan, who was thrown out of his family years earlier, fights to return to discover the truth about his father's death. "As Ann Eliza's narrative intertwines with that of Jordan's search, readers are pulled deeper into the the mysteries of love and faith."
