The Unknown ANZACs

I've read The Unknown ANZACs by Michael Caulfield which was very well written.  Caulfield has used diary entries and letters to sit a human story within the historical context of the war in which Australian and New Zealand troops were involved.  He began with the stories of the newly minted soldiers as they left their homeland aboard the ships that would take them to Egypt, leading up to the Gallipoli campaign.  The nurses who attended the wounded soldiers are also included in the story.  It was hard to read some of the letters sent home to loved ones knowing there was the possibility of imminent death.  This was the case with many of the letters, with a short addition by Caulfield to say the letter-writer had died shortly thereafter.  The letters were mostly cheerful so as not to expose their loved ones to the real horror of their circumstances.  The staggering death toll at Gallipoli and the Western Front is hard to imagine from a country of only 5 million people.  The author blended the soldiers' own words seamlessly with the historical record. I have read many books about World War I and this one was easy to read though the subject matter was heartbreaking. If you read only one book about this terrible War, read this one. 5/5

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

I very much enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan which is set in an English village in 1940.  The men have gone to War, so the ladies form their own choir to help them get through those terrible times.  The story is well told with each main character contributing to the story in their own way - letters, journal, or diary.  There is not really a lot of singing happening, however, there is a lot going on in the village which makes an interesting story.  There is an upper-class bully who will stop at nothing to have a son and heir.  There is an officer billeted with a widow whose son is in the RAF.  The two daughters of the upper-class bully sing in the choir and they are very important to the story, particularly the elder daughter Venetia.  This was a great read. 5/5

The Late Show

I enjoyed The Late Show by Michael Connelly which is the story of a female detective Renée Ballard working the night shift for the Los Angeles police.  A trans-gender woman is found, left for dead, and taken to hospital.  Also that night there is a multiple murder in a nightclub which is likely related to the underworld.  Ballard is kept busy investigating these cases. 4/5

The Great Alone

I've read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah which is set in Alaska from 1974.  A Vietnam veteran, Ernt, his wife Cora and 12-year-old daughter Leni move to Alaska to start a new life.  Ernt believes he will overcome his PTSD living in the wilds of Alaska.  It is a very hard life for all of them and becomes more difficult when Ernt cannot leave his demons behind.  Leni falls in love with the son of a wealthy landowner and this causes some friction.  The book then becomes the love story of Leni and Matthew.  An interesting look at the conditions of life in this wild place at that time. 31/2/5

The Chalk Man

I very much enjoyed The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor which is set in a village in England in two time periods - 1986 and 2016.  The narrator is Eddie (Ed).  In 1986 he's 12 and hanging out with his mates, one of whom received coloured chalks for his birthday.  One day they discover the dismembered body of a young woman and there are chalk drawings leading them to the body parts.  There is a lot of speculation about why and who murdered her.  In 2016 Ed is still in the same village teaching at the local school.  The story of the murder is "dug up" again when one of his childhood friends visits and says he knows who did it and he's going to write a book about it.  Ed is unmarried and has a young woman lodger who has a mysterious past.  This is a suspenseful story with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter where we travel back and forward in time to find a murderer. 5/5

April Book Club

We had an enjoyable Book Club on Monday evening despite half our members away. Some are travelling, one is volunteering at the Commonwealth Games, one isn't well.  Our host bought some wonderful new books which I'm look forward to reading.  She provided a delicious supper - note the  gorgeous tea cosy. Thanks to all for a wonderful evening.

Love, Lies & Linguine

I've read Love, Lies & Linguine by Hilary Spiers which is set in a village in England and also in Italy.  Two sisters, Hester and Harriet go on a holiday in Italy and leave their house empty.  A young man, Ben, is supposed to look after it but one of his mates thinks it would be a great idea to hold a "Facebook party".  The consequences of this are inevitable.  Meanwhile in Italy Hester meets a man in her Italian cooking class.  Harriet gets involved with other guests at their hotel.  I thought the whole thing was a bit silly.  As I hadn't read the first book, I had some trouble working out which sister was which.  Even the author (and her editor and proofreader) must have been the same when the incorrect sister is named (p.305 - Lionel says 'I do love driving.' "The freedom of the open road," Harriet smiles back.)  Of course, it is Hester not Harriet who is with Lionel in the car. A good "holiday" read.  3/5