Our latest recommended reads include some great fiction, non-fiction and a young adult novel.

 

Fiction

 

The Marmalade Files by Steve Lewis and Chris Uhlman

"This fast paced political thriller, is written with contemporary politics front and central, the current political bastardry in the labour party is exploited to make this plot almost believable, with very little separating fact from fiction. I read this during the week when another round of deep divisions were exposed, in another aborted attempt for Rudd to regain power, making this book all the more thrilling to read". Stephanie, Pharmacist.

 

"Described as "an imaginative romp through the dark underbelly of politics" this book is both a thriller and a comment on the compromises which have to be made by minority governments. There are hilarious caricatures of thinly disguised figures; one is a female foreign affairs minister, former prime minister, who is verbose but on life support machines. Characters include a brilliant, tall ASIO transvestite, an investigative journalist, powerbrokers, heads of departments, unionists and Chinese femme fatales. The Marmalade Files do exist, whatever their official title. There are hundreds of "carefully bound and numbered" secret intelligence files known only to a few and the current Foreign Minister. An entertaining read". Marie, Retired.

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The Long Prospect by Elizabeth Harrower

" I enjoyed this book very much, the central character twelve year old Emily, is transformed by a relationship with an older man and begins to develop feelings that are hard to come to terms with. She becomes the object of derision by her boarding house "family", the story is familiar, a girl coming of age, misunderstandings and small town judgements. The writing is captivating and the story very moving and thought provoking". Stephanie, Pharmacist.

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Dissonance by Stephen Orr

"I thoroughly enjoyed Dissonance. I have read all but one of Stephen Orr's books. His latest novel is quite different to his others. As the media release says, it is a "re-imaging " of the life of the Australian-born pianist Percy Grainger and his mother Rose. The story starts in the Barossa Valley and then moves to Hamburg at the time of the Second World War.

I found this a compelling read. I particularly thought it interesting the way the character of Madge and her need to control her son, occurs in parallel with Hitler's increasing control.

Orr is an Adelaide writer who writes about the weirdness of Adelaide so I have been following his writing. He tells stories of our particular history. I know it is a "re-imaging", but he offers an explanation for the in-explicable. This book is quite different to his earlier books. I did think Times Long Ruin was his best, but now I think Dissonance might be. I quickly became involved with the characters, be they good, bad or weak". Jodie.

 

"In Dissonance, Stephen Orr has crafted a compelling story that weaves Erwin's coming-of-age with history, war, love and tragedy, linking the Barossa Valley, South Australia, and Hamburg, Germany. It is a powerful cycle-of-life story that I loved and highly recommend.
For South Australians, especially those with a German heritage, the Adelaide and Barossa settings add familiarity and social insight to the 1930s.

Readers follow Madge/Magda, Jo, Erwin, Luise, baby Frans, their families and communities through Erwin's experiences as a Barossa schoolboy, universty student in Hamburg and finally in the German Order Police. A satisfying revelation comes at the end". Judy, Cataloguer ALS Library Services.

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Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman

"A high school drama, a dangerous who done it, it got me in right from the first page and had me guessing as to the identity of MP the prankster, the story is menacing and luckily by the end all is resolved satisfactorily, but only just. The main character seems to take ridiculous risks that lost my interest at times but overall a good enough read". Stephanie, Pharmacist.

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The Midnight Promise by Zane Lovitt

"The Midnight Promise is a series of ten short stories loosely connected by the central character, an out of luck Private Investigator, John Dorn, who followed in his Father's footsteps as it were.Mostly set in Melbourne, Dorn works from a tiny, run-down office, but he moves around a lot as you would expect, and becomes equally involved in both the highs and lows of society.

I found it, at times, a little confusing, however, it's realistic, very Australian and very readable which is what I enjoyed about it. For a debut novel I think Lovitt has done very well!" Nadine, Bookseller.

 

"... The Midnight Promise isn't the first book to feature a burned-out private investigator whose world is crumbling around him (in fact, it might already have crumbled) but it's certainly one of the best I've read in a long time. ...

Lovitt is interested in the mechanics of crime and the unravellings of the human mind when stresses become too great. In this way he has given us a sort of gumshoe philosopher, a man not given to theory but to lacerating observation. This helps make The Midnight Promise an often brutal, yet brutally reflective, examination of the human condition". Venero Armanno, The Weekend Australian.

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The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie

"A romance set in Regency London with class structures clearly described and characters well drawn. This best selling Australian author who has won the National Reader's Choice Award in the USA engages the reader with an entertaining plot, descriptions of lavish costumes and grand buildings. A must for lovers of historical romances". Marie, Retired.

 

"The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie is a light and enjoyable historical romance. It is an easy read, full of romance, humour and passion. Four young women who are facing destitution, find refuge in the mansion of Lady Beatrice. They in turn, are her salvation. The love interest is provided by Lady Beatrice's handsome nephew. Pure escapism". Jodie.

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Griffith Review 38: Annual fiction edition, the novella project by Julianne Schultz

"Introducing the selection of six novellas -'longer and more complex than a short story but shorter than a novel' -- is a short discussion about this story telling form, from its 14th century invention in the medieval tales of The Decameron, to its 20th century successors such as Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Old Man and the Sea. The settings are diverse: Melbourne in the 1920s, Greece and Sydney, 1940s Japan, East Timor, and Brisbane. Four of the six stories are monologues, and most are character studies. I liked the way Jim Hearn could get this reader on side with the young drug-addicted cook in River Street. On a larger canvas, Christine Kearney's in A Minor Loss of Fidelity gives a convincing description of life in East Timor as an expat, while touching on the idea of nemesis, superstition and fairystories in an environment where people habitually commit crimes with apparent impunity and children can die of dengue fever". Barbara James, Reviewer.

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The Conversation by David Brooks

"A middle aged Australian male electrical engineer encounters a beautiful young female linguist in a café in Trieste, Italy, and they have a fascinating conversation over a long meal. They talk of their lives and discuss the meaning of words like "tenderness", "intimacy", and "passion". "A wonderful, memorial evening" he says as he prepares to leave and this reader agrees". Marie, Retired.

 

"An older man and a young woman meet while at a restaurant in Trieste, and decide to share a table. They embark on a series of conversations about life, love and passion. The issues raised are discussed from the point of the two different generations and genders. I particularly found the discussions of God and compassion, to be particularly fascinating". Jodie.

 

"Brooks's novella is a work of limpid stillness and restrained, pellucid style, a modern Platonic dialogue, both literally and figuratively, on the subject of love. An older Australian engineer, long resident in France, spends an evening in Trieste. About to dine at an exclusive restaurant he is joined through a minor misadventure, by a much younger Italian woman who is pondering a problem of the heart. As strangers who never need meet again both feel a freedom to share feelings and experiences they would hesitate to reveal to those closest to them. Their exchanged confidences are counterpointed by a wonderful slow-paced meal.

The night ends with a literally magical walk beside the harbour and lift to the man's hotel - the book with a twist the sends the reader swiftly back to interrogate those little frissons in the last few pages, briefly felt and passed over under the impetus of the characters' shared stories, the luminous night, the gracious and sensuous meal". Katharine England, The Advertiser.

 

"Brooks's novella is a work of limpid stillness and restrained, pellucid style, a modern Platonic dialogue, both literally and figuratively, on the subject of love. An older Australian engineer, long resident in France, spends an evening in Trieste. About to dine at an exclusive restaurant he is joined through a minor misadventure, by a much younger Italian woman who is pondering a problem of the heart. As strangers who never need meet again both feel a freedom to share feelings and experiences they would hesitate to reveal to those closest to them. Their exchanged confidences are counterpointed by a wonderful slow-paced meal.

The night ends with a literally magical walk beside the harbour and lift to the man's hotel - the book with a twist the sends the reader swiftly back to interrogate those little frissons in the last few pages, briefly felt and passed over under the impetus of the characters' shared stories, the luminous night, the gracious and sensuous meal". Katharine England, The Advertiser.

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Non-fiction

 

Ethics 101: Conversations to have with your kids/parents by Michael Parker

"I have spent some time reading Ethics 101: Conversations to have with your kids by Michael Parker, with my 14 year old son. All in all, I'd say this is a winner. My son is the type of person who says "but what if?" so this is perfect for him. It asks ethical questions ranging from " Is it ever Ok to lie?", "Should we cage animals?" and "Is stealing ever Ok?" This has lead to some interesting conversations between us. It's the sort of book that we could read on a rainy afternoon, instead of playing Monopoly, so, obviously, it's gold". Jodie

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Forged with Flames by Ann Fogarty & Anne Crawford

"Opening the back door of her house in Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria, on February 16, 1983 Ann Fogarty knew it was going to be a stinker. Before the day was through the English mother of girls, 4 and 6, was caught in a fireball, shielding them in a neighbour's pool. With 85% burns, she became the most badly burned victim of the Ash Wednesday bushfires to survive.

Most people would wonder how Ann - a slightly built, shy former kindergarten assistant - found the strength to live. What did help, apart from good medical care, were her spiritual near-death experiences, of which she had more than most people could imagine. Going into cardiac arrest several times, being treated for her burns, developing septicaemia and undergoing a long and painful rehabilitation were just the beginning of the bad experiences thrown at her. She then had to cope with being deserted by her husband, having to deal with people's reactions to her burn scars, being unable to work, and then developing cancer. Let alone her lasting fears of heatwaves and bush fire warnings, later diagnosed as post traumatic stress disorder.

After launching into the first chapter, 'Ash Wednesday', the book starts with Ann's Lancastrian upbringing, described in detail, but underscoring how normal Ann's life had been before the bushfires. Later, the hospital scenes are very evocative, and her descriptions of her return to 'normality' stirring.
Ann's story has been covered in Victorian newspapers over the years, but she would not be so well known in other states. Anyone affected by the Ash Wednesday bushfires - which I was as a burns unit nurse- will find this book engrossing, but I also appreciated that this was the voice of a person that is not so often heard, a good person who never asked for a lot but for the love of friends and family". Barbara James, Reviewer.

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At the Very Heart: 100 Years in Remote Australia by Storry Walton

"Read the pictures, and stories, in At the very heart for a revealing 100 year history of remote Australia. At the very heart is also a photographic tribute to the service, work and legacy of John Flynn over those 100 years. Storry Walton has compiled an extensive array of private and Australian Inland Mission archive photographs, diaries and stories to make a substantial picture-history cum reference book of Australia's outback. It's insightful, beautifully produced, down-to-earth and highly recommended". Judy, Cataloguer, ALS Library Services.

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Young adult

 

I Made Lattes for a Love God by Wendy Harmer

"I found this book funny. I think it had a good message - people may not be what they seem. I liked the main character's personality and her take on life eg making her life into TV shows". Emily 12.

"I really enjoyed Wendy Harmer's humour and writing. The presence and place was very well illustrated. The importance of friends and family was evident as was the importance of getting to know people - not always judging 'a book by its cover'!" Fiona, Administration Officer, TBBC.

"Funny: I laughed out loud. A fast and entertaining read and an enjoyable and convincing perspective on an Australian family". Neil, IT Consultant.

"Elly Pickering has a secret. At 15, she also has a boyfriend, a frazzled mother, an irritating older sister and a best friend who has moved interstate.
How will she hold everything together when Hollywood heart-throb Jake Blake comes to town...? Wendy Harmer's deft hand takes us on a ride with Elly through her summer holidays, in a romp that is fun to read for teens and parents of teens alike". Maggie, Paediatrician/Mother.

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