Hons and rebels by Jessica Mitford

I read Mary S. Lovell’s fascinating biography of the Mitford girls, and a few of Nancy’s novels, loving them, too, so finally got round to reading Jessica’s first memoir. The whole family remains utterly enthralling, and I was surprised to discover how much Decca, the communist, loved Unity, obsessed with Hitler. She talks mainly of her eccentric, and oppressive, upbringing, and how she came to form and act on her political views. Surprisingly dispassionate, it is a funny, clever, and engrossing look into the lives of this aristocratic and bizarre family before WWII, and Jessica and Esmond’s life in England and the US.

Glory girl by Peter Yeldham

Daniel receives a telegram from Sarah – In big trouble. Can you help? We are then taken back in time to 1927 and the dawn of aviation. What follows is a story of adventure, love, scandal, success and failure. An easy, enjoyable historical novel. It was only at the end that I discovered the story began in fact.

Reasons to be cheerful by Nina Stibbe

I do love Nina Stibbe’s fictional account of growing up in an eccentric family in the 70s and early 80s. Reasons to be Cheerful takes us right up to the point of her non-fiction book, Love, Nina. Lizzie Vogel, now 18, gets a job with a dentist, and moves out on her own, into the flat upstairs. She learns a scary amout about dentistry, tries very hard to have a boyfriend and get her driving licence. It is quirky and funny, as they all have been, though I did find this one a little slower.

In the clearing by J.P. Pomare

This story was both disturbing and compelling. The issue of life in a cult (including child abuse) was at times hard to read, but the story held the tension throughout and made me want to keep reading. The ending was unexpected and chilling. Will definitely read more from this author.

The strays by Emily Bitto

In 1930s Melbourne, Lily meets Eva at school and begins an intense friendship. Lily falls in love with Eva, her sisters, and the glamorous, bohemian lifestyle at Eva’s, where the parents are trying to create an artistic refuge from conservative society. Too much freedom isn’t a good thing, and it is the daughters who suffer. Covering two time periods, this is an evocative, dream-like story with a well-developed sense of place. It’s about art, friendship, the desire to be different, mental health, and belonging.

The Nickel boys by Colson Whitehead

Elwood Curtis is a bright young African-American, living with his strict grandmother, in Florida in the 1960s. Full of promise and dreams of college, Elwood is literally in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is sent to the Nickel Academy, a reform school and dream workplace for cruel and racist people. Shifting back and forth from the 60s to the present, it is based on true stories, and is about the shocking suffering of the boys at the school, the bonds of friendship, the fight for freedom and what is right, and the lasting impact of abuse and racism. It is powerful, moving, and clever, and the audiobook is very well done.

Purple roads by Fleur McDonald

When fertilizer is stolen, it’s the last straw, and Matt and Anna have to sell the farm. As the marriage falls apart Matt has to find out wo was behind the theft. This was a well paced romantic suspense story that also explores rural hardships, Vietnam veterans, friendships and marriage breakdown.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

So, something really major happens which makes it so the earth is going to become uninhabitable in the near future, and the powers that be scrabble to conceive of a way to give humanity a future. This is hard science fiction; so much scientific detail and explanation, and I am surprised that I was more than fine with that. The first two thirds of the book take place around the time of the disaster, and the final third is set 5,000 years in the future. It is a tour de force with engaging characters in a fascinating and believable scenario, with twists and emotional punch, followed by an imaginative speculation on a possible future. I listened to the audio, which was a significant time commitment (almost 33 hours), and while sometimes the accents almost hurt, it was very well done all things considered.

Charlotte Pass by Lee Christine

A wonderful Australian story set in the Snowy Mountains. It had mystery, suspense and romance, just perfect for a weekend read.

Extremely loud & incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Oskar Schell lives in New York City with his mother, across the road from his grandmother, and they are coming to terms with the loss of his father in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Oskar finds a key and starts a quest across the city to find what it unlocks, hoping for a special message from his father. It is very much a New York novel, with a quirky child narrator, and is about life, love, and hope, and the importance of connection in the face of tragedy. It is sweet, funny, and moving.