Nora Ephron is responsible for for feel-good movies such as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail. This is a collection of essays, many about the amusing lengths women go to in the attempt to reverse the effects of aging. There is also political musing, cooking, the joy of reading, and New York City looms large. I didn’t relate to all of it, there’s a huge amount of privilege here (even in comparison to my own significant level), but there is enough variety, along with sharp wit, to make it compulsively readable.
Month: February 2020
Ghosts of the past by Tony Park
Another great African/Australian adventure from Tony Park, this time with an historical element. An Australian man is approached by a South African journalist about one of his ancestor’s time in South Africa, and German South West Africa, now Namibia, around the time of the Anglo-Boer War. He becomes involved in a dangerous mystery, and both the modern and historical storylines are full of action, intrigue, historical detail, and romance. Fast paced, with twists and turns, and a lot of fun.
A place called Winter by Patrick Gale
The story begins with Harry in a santitorium and we are then taken on a journey of his life and how he ended up there. And what a journey it is for Harry – from being a person of privilege in Edwardian London to emigrating to Canada to farm in the wilderness. Harry is a gentle person with great inner strength. Meeting Troels Munck, both attractive and repulsive, on the journey over to Canda has deep ramifications for Harry. I enjoyed this story of love and hardship, of Harry trying to make his mark on the world – it was both horrifying and hopeful.
The last pulse by Anson Cameron
This is a great fiction companion to Chris Hammer’s The River. Through greed, climate change, and long-term mismanagement, Australia’s river system is stuffed, in real life. The Last Pulse is about a man from a small town in South Australia that has been devastated by the long drought and the government’s mismanagement of water. He takes his young daughter to Queensland, where he blows up the dam that has robbed everyone downstream of their livelihood, and rides the flood he created all the way down the country. It’s a black comedy about a truly tragic environmental situation. There are endearing characters, dastardly villains (Queenslanders!), and a joyful, if not particularly hopeful, journey.
No friend but the mountains by Behrouz Boochani
This is a really hard book to read; largely because it is a relentlessly bleak situation, and also because it is both academic and poetic. Behrouz Boochani survived two frightening, and dangerous boat journeys to reach Australia for asylum, but was sent straight to Manus Island, where he and the other prisoners were treated abominably. It is a shameful situation for Australia, there is no doubt of that, and while the book itself is mostly without hope, yesterday we learned that Behrouz is in New Zealand. I hope he has freedom, peace, and rest.
Find in Library
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
I love Michael Ondaatje’s style of writing, it is somehow old fashioned but reads so well and carries you along through atmospheric landscapes meeting characters you can easily picture in your mind’s eye. He is most famous for writing The English Patient which was made into a film starring Ralph Fiennes.
His first novel in seven years, Warlight is set in London immediately after the war when 14 year old Nathanial’s parents announce that they are leaving to live and work in Singapore and Nathaniel and his sister Rachel will be cared for by the lodger, who they name The Moth and suspect of being a thief.
The story is narrated by an adult Nathaniel and recounts the life they lived with a household full of characters , some of whom are associates of their parents and some who appear to be petty criminals on the make. The fact that their parents up and left them with strangers is odd but the children accept it, perhaps not easily but maybe because the relationship with their parents was sometimes distant and formal.
As the story moves on and Nathaniel grows up he is recruited by British Intelligence to review war time files where he uncovers events of the past that help him understand his mother and explains the cast of characters he knew as family through his adolescence.
It’s a twisty tale told beautifully with wonderful characters and unexpected turns.
The buried ark by James Bradley
This is the second book in The Changed trilogy, and picks up right where The Silent Invasion finished. Callie discovers that before he was Changed, her father had made scientific advances that may have a huge impact on the future. This is another action packed, YA, dystopian novel, with a subtle environmental message, and a thrilling cliff-hanger ending. No word on book three yet, so hold off if you need instant closure.
The scholar by Dervla McTiernan
This is the second book in the Cormac Rilly series and has proven to be as good as the first. I enjoyed the interactions of Cormac within the police department as he begins to develop a team arround him. The mystery was interesting and had the added complication of involving Emma, Cormac’s partner. Now to wait for book 3…
The amber spyglass by Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass is the final book in the trilogy, and not my favourite. The first is the strongest, with the most imaginative world building, and classic battle between good and evil. By the third book, I still love the characters, and gain some satisfaction from the conclusion of the battle, though exactly what is being fought about becomes so unclear. I am not sure what each side is about, or even if there are real sides. The fantastic is mixed so confusingly with real life details, and the author’s opinions so strident, but don’t always sit well in the the context of the story. This is not to say that I did not enjoy it; I very much enjoy Lyra’s world, and some of their adventures were very moving.
The rise and fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson
In 1851 magic was extinguished , but now a Harvard linguistics expert, and mysterious, military agent make a discovery that could bring it back. Science, time travel, and magic, with lots of humour, this book is a great deal of fun. I think I have found another book to suggest to fans of The Rook and Stiletto.
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