In 1999 Nora Roberts wrote the first book in the Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy - Jewels of the Sun. This was followed by Tears of the Moon and Heart of the Sea. I came across Tears of the Moon by accident as I was really looking for a book with the same title by Di Morrissey. Having reserved the Nora Roberts title in error I decided to read it anyway, even though I am not really a fan of Romance novels.
The books are set in Ireland and throughout the three volumes runs the story of a Faerie Prince who has waited three hundred years to remove a curse preventing him from being with the woman he loved. Each of the volumes centres on a member of the Gallagher family as they choose life partners.The main characters are aware of this local story as well as of the ghost who inhabits a cottage owned by the family.
In Tears of the Moon the main characters are musician and co-owner of Gallaghers' pub, Shaun Gallagher, and Brenna O'Toole, a childhood friend who runs a business with her father building and repairing buildings and cars. The story revolves around the development of this unlikely relationship as the characteres eventually realise what they really want from life, often via intervention from the fantasy thread of the story. I would not rule out eventually reading the other volumes in the series - one day.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
The Diary of a Bookseller
Shaun Bythell purchased The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, in November 2001. From February 2014 the author decided to keep a diary for the year about life working in a second-hand bookshop. At the beginning of each month Shaun Bythell includes a line or paragraph from Bookshop Memories written by George Orwell in 1936. He then elaborates on Orwell's comments relating them to experiences in The Bookshop.
Shaun Bythell comments (makes observations) about his staff, customers, people wanting to get rid of book collections and Kindle which he dislikes intensely. Throughout the book there are interesting observations about the current state of publishing, viability of bookshops such as his and the inroads being made via the digitisation of books. He is definitely not impressed with people who spend time in the shop examining his stock then leave without purchasing any items. He is well aware that they are going to look for a similar item online. On one occasion he also make an 'observation' about librarians.
Wigtown is renowned for its bookshops. Currently there are 14 bookshops in this small town and the owners work together as the Association of Wigtown Booksellers. The Wigtown Book Festival is held in September each year and Shaun Bythell describes his involvement in this annual event.The Wigtown Spring Festival is also held in May. Having just read the novel, The Red Coast, where many of the characters are involved in organising the Broom Literary Festival, it was interesting to read about the work involved in organising an actual book festival.
The author is not always polite about some of the characters who enter the shop but he defends himself by saying that he is just 'making observations'. Many of the observations are amusing and this work does provide a description of the state of the book trade today. For those interested in physical books, this work is well worth reading.
Bookshop Memories in Collected Essays volume 3 by George Orwell (Adelaide University ebooks).
[Librarians will recognise and sympathise with some of Orwell's observations.]
Wigtown Book Town
The Bookshop also has a page on Facebook
Shaun Bythell comments (makes observations) about his staff, customers, people wanting to get rid of book collections and Kindle which he dislikes intensely. Throughout the book there are interesting observations about the current state of publishing, viability of bookshops such as his and the inroads being made via the digitisation of books. He is definitely not impressed with people who spend time in the shop examining his stock then leave without purchasing any items. He is well aware that they are going to look for a similar item online. On one occasion he also make an 'observation' about librarians.
Wigtown is renowned for its bookshops. Currently there are 14 bookshops in this small town and the owners work together as the Association of Wigtown Booksellers. The Wigtown Book Festival is held in September each year and Shaun Bythell describes his involvement in this annual event.The Wigtown Spring Festival is also held in May. Having just read the novel, The Red Coast, where many of the characters are involved in organising the Broom Literary Festival, it was interesting to read about the work involved in organising an actual book festival.
The author is not always polite about some of the characters who enter the shop but he defends himself by saying that he is just 'making observations'. Many of the observations are amusing and this work does provide a description of the state of the book trade today. For those interested in physical books, this work is well worth reading.
Bookshop Memories in Collected Essays volume 3 by George Orwell (Adelaide University ebooks).
[Librarians will recognise and sympathise with some of Orwell's observations.]
Wigtown Book Town
The Bookshop also has a page on Facebook
Monday, January 8, 2018
The Red Coast
In August 2006 we spent time in Broome, Cape Leveque as well as Lake Argyle and surrounding areas. We returned to Melbourne knowing that the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a special place.
This is the third book set in the Kimberley by Di Morrissey. The other two are Tears of the Moon (1995) and Kimberley Sun (2002). When I saw that a third book set in the Kimberley was published last year I just had to read it. I was not disappointed.
Jacqui Bouchard owns the bookshop in Broome, Red Coast Books. Although she has only lived in Broome for a few years she has made many good friends and has become part of the community. She also loves Broome and the surrounding region. Jacqui is an organiser of the Broome Literary Festival and much of her time and energy, along with the efforts of other committee members, is devoted to seeing that the festival is a success including ordering extra copies of books to be sold at the event.
When Jacqui's son, Jean Luc, visits her from France for his annual school holidays in Australia, Jacqui's friends help entertain Jean Luc and introduce him to Australian life and culture, including indigenous culture. Meanwhile Jacqui meets Cameron, a childhood friend who is secretive about why he has appeared in the region, and Damien, who is shooting a documentary film about the area.
The calm of living in Broome is broken when it is discovered that an off shore gas mining project is planned 60 km from the town. This creates division among friends and family as some support the project as it may provide economic opportunities while others are concerned about damage to the land, including indigenous sacred sites.
Di Morrissey obviously has enjoyed visiting this special part of Australia and in her novel weaves a story of love for country as well as love of individuals. Jacqui faces many dilemmas as the story unfolds as she tries to understand how she really wants her life to be.
A book worth reading. I am now going to reread the other two books by Di Morissey relating to Broome.
NB: A Google search produces links to a number of articles relating to offshore gas mining in the region near Broome. Two are listed below:
Broome and the gas hub - a town divided
Proposed Kimberley offshore gas base could 'gut' Broome economy
This is the third book set in the Kimberley by Di Morrissey. The other two are Tears of the Moon (1995) and Kimberley Sun (2002). When I saw that a third book set in the Kimberley was published last year I just had to read it. I was not disappointed.
Jacqui Bouchard owns the bookshop in Broome, Red Coast Books. Although she has only lived in Broome for a few years she has made many good friends and has become part of the community. She also loves Broome and the surrounding region. Jacqui is an organiser of the Broome Literary Festival and much of her time and energy, along with the efforts of other committee members, is devoted to seeing that the festival is a success including ordering extra copies of books to be sold at the event.
When Jacqui's son, Jean Luc, visits her from France for his annual school holidays in Australia, Jacqui's friends help entertain Jean Luc and introduce him to Australian life and culture, including indigenous culture. Meanwhile Jacqui meets Cameron, a childhood friend who is secretive about why he has appeared in the region, and Damien, who is shooting a documentary film about the area.
The calm of living in Broome is broken when it is discovered that an off shore gas mining project is planned 60 km from the town. This creates division among friends and family as some support the project as it may provide economic opportunities while others are concerned about damage to the land, including indigenous sacred sites.
Di Morrissey obviously has enjoyed visiting this special part of Australia and in her novel weaves a story of love for country as well as love of individuals. Jacqui faces many dilemmas as the story unfolds as she tries to understand how she really wants her life to be.
A book worth reading. I am now going to reread the other two books by Di Morissey relating to Broome.
NB: A Google search produces links to a number of articles relating to offshore gas mining in the region near Broome. Two are listed below:
Broome and the gas hub - a town divided
Proposed Kimberley offshore gas base could 'gut' Broome economy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)