Monday 23 March 2020

Mailbox Monday - March 23rd


Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week. 


Happy Monday!


As the country goes into lockdown I find I'm relying more and more on my online friends for support and socialising.  I did manage to get a dinner in with a few friends before the virus hit and we were asked to practice social distancing.

The great toilet paper famine continues however we did mange to obtain a few rolls thanks to our local supermarket initiating a  seniors hour from 7am to 8am. Other than that we are sticking to our normal weekly shop.

Looks like my birthday for this year has been cancelled but I have had enough birthdays to last me a lifetime and there will always be next year's birthday to celebrate.

Books received over the last two weeks.


 Received from the publishers.

Red Dirt Country by Fleur McDonald
Recovering from an undercover case in outback Queensland, Dave Burrows finally returns to Perth, to join his pregnant wife, Melinda, and their small daughter, Bec. Things have been off-kilter between Mel and Dave for some time and nothing he says or does seems to make it right. Once Dave starts waking violently in the dark nights, reliving the horrors of the Queensland job, Mel issues an ultimatum.

But Dave's work, despite its dangers, means everything to him. He's finally achieved his long-held dream and is now a Detective Senior Constable in the stock squad. And as soon as his shoulder wound is declared fully healed, Dave jumps into an investigation of stock theft in the north of Australia. There's a standoff between two stations and a history of disappearances and grief to uncover.


 Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan
Liz Trenchard is an experienced pediatrician with a duty to protect all children admitted to her busy emergency room When Jess Curtis, an affluent, stay-at-home mother, turns up at the ER one night with her baby girl, she immediately prompts suspicion. The ten-month-old has a blow to the head her mother doesn’t seem to have noticed, and Jess has a story that doesn’t stack up.

Meanwhile, Liz is riddled with doubt as she confronts secrets held by her mother, whose neglect not only led to a childhood tragedy involving her brother but raises questions about another baby Liz half-remembers from thirty-five years ago.
 


 The Long Road Home by Fiona McCallum
Alice Hamilton is enjoying her new life in Ballarat with the freedom to explore her future now she's stepped away from the constraints of her upbringing. She's learnt the hard way that knowledge is power, and is looking forward to her legal studies, then making a difference as a lawyer with heart.

But whilst Alice's life is looking up, back in Hope Springs the world of her former husband Rick Peterson is unravelling. After a chance meeting a few months earlier, Rick and Alice have reconnected. And it's fortunate they have, because Rick is about to need Alice's friendship like he's never needed it before.


  Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope
 It’s been 25 years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a vineyard and wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in . . .
But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, can the family ties prove strong enough to keep them together?  

Crack Up by Jules Faber
Max Crack and his best friend Frankie are back with even more quest-ordinary adventures!

Armed with a shiny new quest list, they are on a mission to find a meteorite, make a movie, solve a sisterly feud, eat truckloads of chocolate, set a World Record ...
 







Go Away Glob by Sarah Elliott Smyth 



Go Away Glob encourages children to process and overcome feelings of anxiety, worry and self-doubt, to get back to enjoying the activities that they love.

Searching for Seashells by Kerry Rosser

Searching for Seashells is a comforting and gentle story that empowers families to talk about love, loss and remembering. Sharing in a simple way the many big feelings of grief, it reassures young readers that love and memories continue even after someone is gone.





Ebook from the author

Midwife in the Jungle by Fiona McArthur
Jacinta McLeod met Dr Jonah Armstrong delirious with malaria and, even then, she needed to fight off the urge to know more about this fascinating patient. When the chance came to follow him to the wilds of Papua New Guinea, and into a dangerous medical mission up the Sepik River, she took it, despite Jonah’s absolute ‘no’!




 I would love to hear what you received in the mail lately!

 

Sunday 22 March 2020

Book Review: The Gilded Cage by Camilla Lackberg

The Gilded Cage
by
Camilla Lackberg
Translated from Swedish by Neil Smith


Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Publication date: 23rd March 2020
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Pages: 352
RRP: $35.00 AUD
Format read: uncorrected proof paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading

 

People would kill to have Faye von Essen’s life. She lives in an ultra-swanky apartment in the most exclusive area of Stockholm, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world. Faye’s life is perfect.

So how is it, then, that she now finds herself in a police station?

The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. The truth is that Faye isn’t even her real name. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going to go down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?

 
Reading the Gilded Cage for me was much like coming across a train wreck. There was carnage everywhere and you don’t want to look but you just can’t stop reading.

The main character, Faye, had no redeeming qualities and even though the author revealed Faye’s troubled upbringing and over-bearing husband, it did nothing to endear me to her. She did too many horrendous things to ever be likeable.

The trope is a well used one; a tale of subservience, misogyny, betrayal, obsession and revenge.

The husband, of course, is a total low-life. We are not meant to have any feelings towards him except for maybe deep animosity. However there was one thing he was meant to have done, although predictable in a plot sense, was too unbelievable.

The big twist at the end was predicted half way through the story.

Even though the story included a host of unlikable characters (except best friend Chris) and the plot line was predictable, the story pulled me in and I couldn’t let go until the end.

Content: over use of coarse language & explicit sex scenes.

🌟🌟🌟


My rating  3/5


Camilla Lackberg is a worldwide bestseller renowned for her brilliant contemporary psychological thrillers. her novels have sold over 24.5 million copies in 43 countries with translations into 37 languages.



 

Saturday 21 March 2020

Book Review: The Neighbour by Fiona Cummins

The Neighbour
by
Fiona Cummins



Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Imprint: Macmillan 
Publication date:9th April 2019
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Pages: 416
RRP: $29.99 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

FOR SALE: A lovely family home with good-sized garden and treehouse occupying a plot close to woodland. Quiet, leafy road, good schools, close to the sea and commutable to London. Perfect for kids, fitness enthusiasts, dog walkers . . .

And, it seems, the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer.

On a hot July day, Garrick and Olivia Lockwood and their two children move into 25 The Avenue looking for a fresh start. They arrive in the midst of a media frenzy: they’d heard about the local murders in the press, but Garrick was certain the killer would be caught and it would all be over in no time. Besides, they’d got the house at a steal and he was convinced he could flip it for a fortune.

The neighbours seemed to be the very picture of community spirit. But everyone has secrets, and the residents in The Avenue are no exception.
After six months on the case with no real leads, the most recent murder has turned DC Wildeve Stanton’s life upside down, and now she has her own motive for hunting down the killer – quickly.

 
I almost gave up on this book at about 30 pages. It was dark and chilling, like a horror story and much too creepy for my tastes. After checking out a few reviews and finding they were all glowing 5 stars I decided to give it another 100 pages. Well I was hooked!

The darkness and horror dissipated and was replaced by a compelling mystery full of twists, turns and red herrings. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and they all have their secrets. Each characters story held my interest. I was double guessing all the way through as to who the murderer was and I was suspicious of everyone.

The story gives us multiple characters point of view but they are not telling everything. Everyone is holding something back. The chapters are short which makes for quick reading. I read this over two days!

Smoke, mirrors, secrets and lies makes for a compelling who-dun-it mystery.
And it has a map in the front! I just love seeing maps in books.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   5/5


Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former Daily Mirror showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course. She lives in Essex with her family. The Neighbour is her third novel, following Rattle and The Collector

 





 

Friday 20 March 2020

Book Review: Symphony for the Man by Sarah Brill

Symphony for the Man
by
Sarah Brill




Publisher: Spinifex Press 
Publication date: March 2020
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 256
RRP: $29.95 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher  

1999. Winter. Bondi. Harry’s been on the streets so long he could easily forget what time is. So Harry keeps an eye on it. Every morning. Then he heads to the beach to chat with the gulls. Or he wanders through the streets in search of food, clothes, Jules. When the girl on the bus sees him, lonely and cold in the bus shelter that he calls home, she thinks about how she can help. She decides to write a symphony for him.

So begins a poignant and gritty tale of homelessness and shelter, of the realities of loneliness and hunger, and of the hopes and dreams of those who often go unnoticed on our streets. This is the story of two outcasts – one a young woman struggling to find her place in an alien world, one an older man seeking refuge and solace from a life in tatters. It is also about the transformative power of care and friendship, and the promise of escape that music holds.


 

I’m finding it hard to put my thoughts about this beautiful book into words.
Set in the winter of 1999 when the streets of Sydney were being cleaned up for the coming Olympics.

Symphony for the Man is a beautifully written story about a homeless man, living in a bus shelter in the seaside suburb of Bondi, and a young woman, an introvert, lacking direction in her life.

The woman see harry asleep in the bus shelter and wonders what she can do for him. She wants to do something that no one else has done. She decides to write a symphony for him.

I loved how Brill portrayed Harry’s thoughts. Every word was so real and utterly believable, from Harry’s compulsive clock watching every morning to his interactions with other homeless men and care worker Brian.
I felt more invested in Harry’s story than I did in the unnamed young woman. Although I did enjoy her growth once she had a purpose given to her by Harry, her life changed, she changed.

In this nuanced story Brill gives us the human side to homelessness and shows that there is compassion everywhere in the small acts of kindness that people preform everyday. Like the Vietnamese restaurant that gives Harry food after closing, the librarian that offers shelter and comfort, the cafe worker who without question gives Harry a coffee and Brian the care worker who trolls the streets at night looking out for the homeless never expecting a thanks.

Sparkplug Films have optioned the film rights for the book and I would love to see this on the screen. That closing scene would be amazing! There is plenty to be sad about in this story but there is also so much to take heart from.
If you have every passed a homeless man on the streets and wondered at their circumstances this is the read for you.

*Note: Must be read whilst listening to Beethoven’s Eroica.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   4/5

photo credit: Spinifex Press
Sarah Brill grew up in Perth and began writing at the age of 15. She initially focused on playwrighting but also wrote for film and radio. She attended four National Young Playwrights Workshops before graduating to the National Playwrights Conference in 1994 
Her first novel Glory which dealt with anorexia was published by Spinifex Press in 2002. After the birth of her children Sarah became interested in sustainability and permaculture. In 2017 Sarah completed a Masters of Sustainable Built Environment and currently works in organics diversion. Sarah lives in Sydney with her partner and three sons. Symphony for the Man is her second novel. 





This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 
and the Australian Women Writers challenge