The Marmalade Files

I enjoyed The Marmalade Files by Steve Lewis and Chris Uhlmann, both political journalists so they have a good insight into what goes on in Canberra political circles.  Their main character is a journalist, Harry Dunkley, who is given a mysterious old photo in mysterious circumstances which seems to compromise the current Defence minister.  Harry chases the story to its conclusion and along the way the reader meets a number of political characters, one of which bears a striking resemblance to someone very high in the political game.  There are lots of amusing "over the top" scenarios which carry the story along. 4/5

And Then Life Happens

I very much enjoyed this memoir And Then Life Happens by Auma Obama, Barack Obama's sister.  Auma was born in Kenya.  Her father, Barack Obama, fathered her older brother and her before going to study in Hawaii where he met and married Barack junior's mother.  Barack then studied at Harvard where he met his third wife, before returning to Kenya.  Auma had a troubled and confused childhood with her household changing after her father left and returned.  Life was made more difficult when Barack's third wife, Ruth, left the family with her two sons to return to the USA.  Auma studied German at school and then university before winning a scholarship to study at a German university.  This book was originally published in German.  Her strong character shines through in this memoir as she overcomes many adversities.  She does not meet her brother Barack until he is in his early twenties, but they become very close.  Auma has a very interesting story to tell and not just because she has a famous brother. 4/5

Bush Nurses

I very much enjoyed Bush Nurses, a collection of short stories, edited by Annabelle Brayley.  The collection comprises stories told by nurses working in remote regions of Australia from the early 20th century to the present.  The resilience and bravery of these nurses in taking on the challenges of nursing in these places is truly remarkable and they deserve credit for doing so.  For them it is more than just a "job", they become involved in the community and have a caring and compassionate nature which sees them through happy times and some sad incidents.  In most cases they work with limited resources and often have to "make do" to get the job done.  Some have a "romantic" idea about working in the outback, but that is soon dispelled by the reality of what they often have to deal with.  They experience joy and sadness and develop a rapport with the community with whom they work.  These women and men deserve our greatest admiration and respect. 4/5

July Book Club

We had a very pleasant evening for our Book Club this week and a rare occasion as all members were present.  Kathy our hostess provided some delicious home baked treats for supper.  We had lots to talk about besides the books and everyone had had a good month.  

There are some fantastic books in the club at the moment and our members recommended many of them as we discussed them.  Kathy bought some great new books which I'll look forward to getting in to.  I only borrowed one book myself as I have a couple of birthday books to finish and I'm going overseas in a few weeks so won't need so many books.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

I very much enjoyed Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green (note - in some markets published under name Matthew Dicks) where Max's imaginary friend Budo tells about his life.  Max is a "special" little boy who has autism and finds it difficult to relate to his family and his peers but he tells Budo everything.  They are practically inseparable.  Budo especially enjoys going to school with Max and seeing his favourite teacher.  One day Budo notices Max acting unusually and then discovers he has been kidnapped.  Budo then sets out to find a way to rescue Max.  A delightfully charming story. 4/5

The Next Best Thing

I enjoyed The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner which is about a young woman, Ruth, who goes with her grandmother to California so Ruth can pursue her dream to write a successful television comedy show.  Ruth was brought up by her grandmother after her parents died in a car accident which left Ruth seriously injured.  Her grandmother helped her through surgeries and rehabilitation but Ruth is self-conscious about an "ugly" scar on her face.  Ruth's dream becomes a reality but not as she'd planned.  She discovers obstacles from many quarters as everyone has a say. She is also looking for love and fears rejection.  It is a pleasant story, a little slow at first but worth reading. 31/2/5

Promise

I read Promise by Tony Cavanaugh who has written a number of Australian screenplays.  This is his first novel which is about a former Melbourne homicide detective Darian Richards who "escapes" to Noosa for a quiet life.  However, it is not long before he is caught up in the hunt for a particularly gruesome serial killer who stalks his mainly girl victims before snatching them and subjecting them to horrific acts.  Darian is determined to track down the murderer and ensure he will never kill again.  He has some help from a female detective working at the local police station and also from a computer geek able to hack into systems to expedite the investigation.  The story is told in the first person by both Richards and the murderer.  The first time the reader "meets" the murderer is a surprise and then as we get to know more about his psyche and his motivation, it becomes very creepy.  A well-written but awfully disturbing story.  Haunting. 3/5