Friday, 16 August 2024

Book Review: The Youngest Son by John Byrnes

 The Youngest Son

by

John Byrnes

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 30th July 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 400
RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: The Youngest Son

The Youngest Son is an epic tale that follows the lives of three siblings growing up during the great depression and spans the years 1929 to 1943 encompassing events of WWII in Tobruk and New Guinea.
 
John Byrnes has brought the streets of 1930's Sydney to life. The Leach family lived in Ultimo (The Mo) where most people were poor and desperately trying to keep a roof over their head. Evictions were rife and the common man was fighting back with picketing and riots. Prostitution, street fighting, illegal gambling, drugs and crime were an everyday part of life.
 
John, the eldest Leach sibling, had visions of attending University and then joining the priesthood. He had great empathy for the underdog and felt he had his life plan in order.
Maureen wanted more out of life than what her mother had settled for. Maureen had stars in her eyes and wanted the glamorous life of the women she read about in magazines. 
Bob, the youngest Leach, learnt early on that his fists talked louder than words. Him and his friends start out as petty criminals but soon find themselves mixing with the big boys of crime in Sydney's shady underbelly.
 
The Youngest Son is rich in flawed characters. I had great empathy for the Leach siblings, they were all very naive, made bad decisions, couldn't control their emotions and when things went wrong they seemed to always react in a detrimental way. 

I loved the Australian vernacular, the language and imagery of Sydney and surrounding suburbs was spot on. I was actually thinking at one point "yes, I know exactly where that factory is."

This is a gritty story which includes murder, scenes of war, drug use, sex scenes (these are more to add humour than spice) and profanities. 

The Youngest Son is a captivating story of power, revenge, betrayal and family. A real page turner, once I started I didn't want the story to end.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plus that extra star for a character named Veronica 🌟


 

Wednesday, 7 August 2024

Book Review: Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me by Andra Putnis

 Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me

by

Andra Putnis

Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 2nd July 2024
Genre: Non Fiction / Biography
Pages: 304
RRP: AU$34.99 (paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me

I often wonder with biographies if we are really getting the full story or just the watered down version of the person's life. The nice bits.
 
I can honestly say that Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me comes across as a 'warts and all' telling. The grandmothers reveal long held secrets and even air, what might be considered to them to be, their dirty washing.
 
I loved Andra Putnis' grandmothers for their honesty. Nothing is held back in this sincere biography.
 
Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a heartfelt story on a grand scale. I have read much about the lives of ordinary people displaced by World War II and the measures they went to to escape persecution; however I have never come across anything on the war in Latvia and the people who were forced to flee their homeland.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a book that champions the courage and resilience of these remarkable women. It opened my eyes and my heart to these women.
 
Andra retells conversations with her grandmothers, Milda and Aline, and also other members of the family and people from the Latvian Community in Australia. The story goes beyond the war and escaping Russian rule to venture into life in Australia and trying to adapt to a new country whilst also trying to hold onto their own heritage.
 
Thank you Andra Putris for sharing your family's story with me and also your treasured family photos which were truly an honour to pore over.
 
Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is an emotional story, filled to the brim with love.
Do yourself a favour and read this remarkable book!
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday, 4 August 2024

Book Review: The Fists of the Father by Daniel Tamone

 The Fists of the Father

by

Daniel Tamone

Publisher: Echo Publishing
Publication date: 2nd July 2024
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 320
RRP: AU$32.99
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: The Fists of the Father

I want to start this review by saying, you don't need to be a fan of boxing to enjoy and be moved by The Fists of the Father.
 
The Fists of the Father is a heartfelt story of generational trauma. A story of men using their fists to vent their anger and one young man trying to find the courage to walk away.
 
Ted's father was a world champion boxer, as was his father before him. It was only natural that Ted would go into this field.
 
The Fists of the Father is a story of men bringing up men. Doing their best but mostly failing. 
Tamone delves into father/son relationships. Rocky relationships that rely on tough talk and actions to display emotions.
The boxing scenes are well written. I could feel that surge of anticipation before each fight.
I felt real empathy for Ted. He was manipulated and used by management to conform to their wishes.
 
Additional narration through newspaper articles and boxing commentary give an insight into the harassment boxers receive from the media.
 
There is a lot to unpack in this book; mental health issues, anger, breaking the mold, forgiveness, PTSD, generational trauma and head trauma through sport.
 
The Fists of the Father is a passionate debut. I'm looking forward to seeing what Daniel Tamone delivers next.
 
My rating 5/ 5  🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊

Wednesday, 31 July 2024

Winners of my Winter 2024 Giveaway Announced!!

 


 

 A huge thank you to everyone who entered my latest giveaway.  The giveaway closed on the 31st July 2024 and all names were entered into a randomized generator, using wheelofnames.com, and the winners are:

Pack 1

 
 
Pack 2
 

 

The winners have been notified and have seven days to provide a mailing address. I hope you enjoy your books.
 
 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways!

 

Friday, 26 July 2024

Book Review: Oblivion by Patrick Holland

 Oblivion 

by

Patrick Holland

Publisher: Transit Lounge Publishing
Publication date: 1st July 2024
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 256
RRP: AU$32.99 (hardback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media 
 

Review: Oblivion

 Patrick Holland's writing is poetic, poignant and visceral.
Holland's delivery of short, sharp sentences paint a beautiful picture of the setting whilst at the same time rendering an acute portrayal of the unnamed narrator's dismal life.
 
Our multi-lingual narrator works for a trade council however spends his days doing dodgy real estate deals and his nights with expensive whiskey and call girls.
He moves between airports and chance liaisons. each one much like the last. Each deal brings him closer to his dream of a penthouse in Saigon where he will spend his days with elite call girls, whiskey, opium and oblivion. Our narrator is a broken man, despondent and cynical, making money by insider deals, yet quotes from the bible.
I found him complex and nuanced, one action and thought quite often contradicting a previous one, yet he had a certain charisma about him.
 
Oblivion is a story of the transformative power of love.
 
This is a novel where the narrator's journey becomes the story. The only reason I'm holding back that fifth star is because sometimes I needed a little more explanation to understand what the author wanted me to see. 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author
 
Patrick Holland is a novelist and short story writer. He is the author of seven books, most notably The Mary Smokes Boys (2010), which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and is currently being made into a feature film.
 
 

Thursday, 25 July 2024

Book Giveaway: Winter 2024 Giveaway

 I have two fabulous book packs to giveaway to celebrate my blog receiving over a 1/4 million page views.

The books are listed below. Enter for the pack that interests you or both packs if you wish.
 
Entry is via the form below. 
 
Pack 1

Wallaby Lane by Maya Linnell
From interviewing local flower growers to receiving blue ribbons for her show baking, Lauren Bickford's genuine love for her hometown is almost as strong as her ambition to become a radio presenter. But is it enough to outweigh the series of on-air stuff-ups that have plagued her career?

No stranger to this small winegrowing region in South Australia's Limestone Coast, Jack Crossley is the new cop in town. He's traded his city beat for a slower pace, and as a former local, knows only too well that mischief can lurk around every quiet corner.

For Jack and Lauren, the course of true love is not running smoothly. Can he restore order in the town before the neighbourhood watch vigilantes take justice into their own hands? Or are Jack's biggest worries much closer to home? Can Lauren's reporting remain impartial as her attraction to Jack grows? Or will her family's advice lead her completely astray?
 
Among the Grey Gums by Paula J. Beavan
1842, Hunter Lucy Stewart's life turns chaotic when she finds herself caught up in a murder investigation in order to save her brother-in-law, Joe, from the hangman's noose. Constable Sam Donovan believes the accusations levelled at Joe Stewart are suspicious at best and feels compelled to work with Lucy to find the real killer. Getting to know this fiercely independent woman in the process is a bonus.

Their pursuit brings them to the attention of the notorious Smokey Gang, and when Lucy is ambushed on a deserted bush track and threatened, they realise they must be getting close to finding out what is really going on in the Valley.

Life has taught Lucy the hard way not to rely on anyone, but Lucy needs Sam's sleuthing skills. However, she has secrets in her past, the kind that once revealed change everything, and the only way she can find out if she can place her confidence in him, is to trust him. And that's the hard part...
 
Spring Clean for the Peach Queen by Sasha Wasley
Twelve years had passed since the last Harvest Ball.

I was just eighteen when my hometown crowned me their Peach Queen with a blossom coronet. And I was eighteen when I left.

One tanked career, one badly timed glamour shoot and one dead boyfriend later, thirty-year-old Lottie Bentz is finally going home.

Back in the orchard town of Bonnievale, Lottie embarks on a radical declutter of her life, Marie Kondo-style. She casts out everything that got her into trouble: her phone, socials, make-up and a tendency to tell little white lies – to herself and others. But home has its own issues, not least Lottie’s staunchly feminist mother, who is furious with her.

When Lottie lands herself a place to stay in exchange for helping kindly Mrs Brooker try out the Kondo method, it seems like the perfect farm escape. That’s until Angus, Lottie’s former Peach King and heir to the Brooker orchards, makes it clear she’s not welcome – especially when Lottie’s declutter begins to stir up long buried memories and half-truths.

As Lottie finds her way back to herself, can she use her talents to coax Bonnievale and the Brookers out of the past? After all, everyone deserves to feel love, hope and the occasional spark of joy.
 
Love & Rome by Jenna Lo Bianco
With a one-way ticket home, artist Stella is running out of time and money. She is desperate to find stable work in the art world to keep afloat, or she will have to leave her beloved Eternal City behind. The last thing she needs right now is distractions . . .

The arrival of the full moon brings both the sweet owner of the new local bar and a handsome new flatmate. The promise of a new job and new love suddenly beckon Stella, but she quickly finds herself repeating patterns she once vowed not to.

In a journey stretching to enchanting Florence and across the ancient cobblestones of Rome, Stella must free herself from the mess she's in. But is it too late? Will it be arrivederci to 'Rome Sweet Home'?

 
 
Pack 2 
Liars by James O'Loghlin
 Everyone is guilty of something.

Handywoman Barb Young has lived in the sleepy coastal town of Bullford Point for over fifty years - and frankly, in that time, not much has happened, unless you count that business where a bush turkey managed to board the ferry a couple of years ago.

When Joe Griffiths returns from Sydney after six years of drug addiction, jail and, eventually, rehab, Barb offers him a job, hoping to help him turn his life around. However, when another new resident of Bullford Point is murdered, Joe becomes the prime suspect.

Barb thinks the police have got it wrong, but the more she tries to find the truth and clear Joe's name, the more confusing things become. Is the murder connected to the developers circling the waterfront home Joe inherited from his parents? Or to the true crime podcast he has been making about the death of his ex-girlfriend, seven years previously? And what was the information the murdered woman had been trying to horse-trade with police?

As her off-the-books investigation continues, Barb discovers that drowsy Bullford Point is actually a town full of secrets - and that even though she's known everyone in the close-knit community for years ... everybody lies.
 
Mystery Book
Recently released crime thriller that has thousands of 5 star reviews

 

 
 
 




Outrider by Mark Wales
A violent civil war. An unstoppable enemy. One road to freedom.

In the wake of a global conflict, foreign forces occupy part of Australia, quashing all but a few pockets of local resistance. The tense stalemate ends in 2034, when Jack Dunne reignites the war.

Dunne is an Outrider, one of the last elite special operations soldiers in the Resistance. As the enemy prepare to eliminate the freedom fighters once and for all, he is tasked with his final mission.

If Dunne and his eleven-year-old son achieve the impossible, and survive, they'll secure their future across the border in Free Australia.

But the road to victory will be bloody.

A cinematic action-thriller from bestselling author and veteran Mark Wales. Explosive and exhilarating, Outrider is a heartfelt father-and-son story of survival, resistance and hope.
 
Mawson in Antarctica by Joanna Grochowicz
Antarctica. Winter 1912.

Hunkering down in the windiest place on earth, eighteen young Australians eagerly await a chance to prove themselves as polar explorers and scientists. The spring sledging season will bring adventure, danger, and the discovery of new lands under the command of Douglas Mawson. But tragedy also lies in wait.

Douglas Mawson's tale is legendary, an epic struggle between one man's self-belief and the worst conditions the hostile polar environment can throw at him. His journey represents not only a feat of physical endurance but also a triumph of the human spirit's ability to conjure hope when luck has all but run out.
 
 This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced here: 

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Book Review: Outrider by Mark Wales

 Outrider

by

Mark Wales

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 25th June 2024
Genre: Thriller / Military / Dystopian
Pages: 368
RRP: $34.99AU (paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: Outrider

Australia has a new hero! Jack Dunne - Soldier, Father, Survivor.
 
I will start this review with a little insight into the author, Mark Wales. Mark is a former troop commander with the SAS and 2 x survivor contestant and 1 x winner of Survivor Australia. Great credentials to be writing a book that entails warfare and the fight to survive.

Outrider is a highly imaginative and gripping story featuring a dystopian Australia. It's 2034, Victoria and parts of SA, NT & WA have been invaded by the Chinese Communist Party. Jack Dunne is an Outrider, one of three highly trained operatives, and the Resistance's only hope of curtailing the Chinese invasion of the Hill. The Hill is an outposting in Victoria with Resistance fighters warding off the CCP's further invasion into Australia.

I found Outrider to be a powerful and haunting tale of a future Australia where a civil war has broken out between the resistance and those supporting the CCP.

The fighting scenes are quite graphic, so not for the squeamish. Wales' writing is very technical,  he knows his weapons, and there are lots of initials, acronyms and armory details which may be a bit confusing if you haven't read military thrillers before.

Wales pulls on his experience as a former troop commander with the SAS to deliver a tense and atmospheric thriller rich in strategic military scenarios and weapons beyond my comprehension.

I raced through the last third of the book - that's what I want - fast paced and tense - edge of your seat stuff.
I would have liked more on what the Chinese were doing in Australia and how they breached our defenses.

An underlying theme of a loving father / son relationship was a nice sideline to the blood and gore.
After reading Mark's fictional debut 'Outrider' I am keen to read his memoir 'Survivor: life in the SAS published in 2021.

Recommended for readers of Tom Clancy.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐