The Other Bridget

Julie Jones decided to name her daughter Bridget after the main character in a book she had been reading. At the time she did not realise how popular the books and subsequent films would become. Therefore Bridget's name was later shortened to Bee. Like her mother, Bee loved reading books and discovered that she had the talent of being able to recommend the right book for someone to read. She therefore became a librarian working in the public library in Freemantle.

Bee is successful in her job and has a close set of friends however this success does not extend to romantic relationships. Then she meets Fabio, the Italian barrister, who works at a local cafe and makes the best coffee. Could this develop into a successful relationship? She also has a new neighbour, Dr Michael Sullivan, who is definitely not friendly and is learning to play the bagpipes.

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns is a romantic comedy exploring Bee's challenges at work and in developing relationships. The book has an interesting range of characters who keep the story moving. The power of books and reading and the importance of libraries as community spaces is emphasised throughout the novel. The book also looks at the effects of childhood cancer on families. 

I don't read many books in the Romance genre but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Sanctuary

Grace met Alan Garrett in an orphanage where they both lived as children. In the home her name was Anita (or Neet) and she and Adam worked together learning how to become efficient burglars. Then Grace started working with Galt, a poor decision it turned out and one that antagonised Adam. Now Grace spent her life moving from one location to another throughout Australia constantly on the lookout for someone who might be following her. 

But Grace became tired of running and wanted to settle down in one place and live a relatively normal life. Then she met Erin Mandel and started working in Erin's antiques shop. Grace enjoyed this new life but still took precautions each day to ensure that she wasn't being followed. Grace and Erin became friends but Erin was also constantly on the lookout for someone from her past who may be following her. It soon became obvious that Erin also had a past and was also hiding her true identity.

Sanctuary by Gary Disher provides the individual stories of a group of people, including Grace and Erin, which then combine by the end of the novel. Initially I found it a little difficult working out who some of the male characters were until I had read time to really concentrate on reading. Admittedly a long power outage when I was reading at night didn't help. Reading with a torch can be a challenge. Next day I tried again and became involved in the suspense and fear created by the author as the two women deal with past events and strive to have a better future.

What You Are Looking For is in the Library

Needless to say when I saw this title I knew that I had to read this book and I was not disappointed. What you are looking for is in the library, written by Michiko Aoyama and translated from Japanese by Alison Watts, tells the story of five people who are at crossroads in their lives and how they make decisions that will impact on their future. Although the five chapters each feature one of the main characters, interactions between characters occur throughout the book to create an interweaving story.

Tomoka sells clothing in a large department store, Ryo is an accountant in a furniture manufacturing firm, Natsuma is a young mother who was a magazine editor before the birth of her child but now reluctantly works in the Information Resources department, Hiroya wants to be an artist but is currently not employed in any work and Masao has recently retired. The common thread is that they all discover the local community centre and the library where they meet librarian, Sayuri Komachi, who not only helps them find the books they are initially seeking but also suggests an entirely different book that in all cases influences the next decisions that they make about plans for their future.

How books and reading can effect a person's view on life is a theme of the book. Another theme is the importance accepting one's involvement in a community.

What all the characters finally learn is that it is OK to look at life differently and decide what they really want in the future, not necessarily what they feel the world expects of them. As the librarian explains to one of the characters - "Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer's intentions, and each reader gains something unique". Some characters changed careers or changed their attitude to the work they were doing. Others discovered how to incorporate new interests or hobbies into their normal lives creating a lifestyle that was more than just work. 

All in all this is an uplifting novel showing the importance of books, libraries and librarians in communities. The novel also encourages readers to consider how books can influence their lives.

Taken

Kate Miles has returned to work in the police force after recovering from a gunshot wound and the birth of her second child. Her husband is not convinced about her returning to work full-time so soon after their daughter's birth, however he is out of work and they need her salary. Then reports appear of the corrupt business dealings of a former parliamentarian with links to her father. Kate therefore has to cope with family pressures as well as the pressures of returning to work where she has the feeling that some of her colleagues are just waiting for her to fail.

Added to these pressures Kate's first case is investigating the disappearance of a baby from her home. The baby's father was away at a conference but when it becomes obvious that there are contradictions in his story he becomes a prime suspect as does the mother's former partner who is renowned for his acts of violence, particularly against women. As the investigation proceeds more is revealed about the lives and relationships of the main characters.

This is a character driven crime novel which focuses on family relationships and family violence as well as attitudes in Kate's work environment regarding the ability of women to lead, particularly women who are not white. Police corruption also features in the book. In Taken, Dinuka McKenzie has written another novel enabling the reader to become immersed in the story and its characters and just want to keep reading. The third book in this series has recently been published.

The Broken Wave

Matthew Ryan Davies has written a novel investigating how memories of events that occurred during childhood can still affect the lives of protagonists thirty years later. The story is set at Queenscliff, a seaside town  on the southern coast of Victoria. When he was twelve Drew, his mother and stepfather moved from America to Australia where his stepfather was to work for two years. There Drew met Tom and the boys developed a firm friendship over the next six months before a tragic event took place and Drew returned to America with his mother.

When Tom dies aboard his blazing boat in the bay, Drew returns to Queenscliff to attend the funeral. There he confronts past events and must reevaluate his life. He also tries to connect with Tom's son, Adam, who is struggling with losing his father. Drew also learns that his latest book has been rejected in its current form by his agent and now has the challenge of rewriting his project. The novel examines themes of friendship, adapting to new environments and facing the challenges of life.

Professional Book Nerds - Chris Hammer interview

In 2021 Australian author, Chris Hammer, was interviewed for the Professional Book Nerds podcast in America. The main book under discussion was Scrublands published in 2018. The location for the book is the western Rivierina. Twelve months previously five people had been killed and a journalist arrives in the town to investigate how the community is coping. He then realises that there is much more to investigate.

Chris Hammer, a journalist, writes novels for his own satisfaction. He doesn't necessarily plot the entire book in advance but may have four or five story-lines which hopefully will evolve into the final book. On one occasion he rewrote the ending of a book twice before he was satisfied with the plot.

Chris says that there are two types of writers of novels - the Plotter and the Pantser (writing by the seat of your pants). He says that his best ideas come when he is doing something else such as exercising. In his writing he concentrates on his characters and how they are being affected by events in the story-line. He enjoys adding some humour and attempts to create an immersive book for the reader. He wants to show how the characters are coping with disruptive events and is not interested in just producing a novel of fact finding. He finds it liberating not to have to continually check facts when he writes but can let his imagination tell the story.

As a journalist, Chris knows how the media works and can therefore add additional colour to the story from previous work experiences. To be a writer you have to love the process of writing. Readers of books read for different experiences. This is why books endure - when they allow people to enjoy the world that they enter when reading a good book.

Professional Book Nerds - Ann Cleeves interview

Ann Cleeves is best known as the author of Vera and Shetland series of crime novels though in an interview on the Professional Book Nerds podcast she admitted to having written many novels before she became known as a famous writer. For years most of the publicity for the books that she wrote was when she visited libraries to publicise her books. Then after twenty years of writing without much commercial success the public discovered Vera.

The book being discussed in the podcast is The Darkest Evening, the ninth book in the Vera series published in 2021. Driving home in a storm Vera discovers an abandoned car by the side of the road. When she investigates she discovers a young child in the back of the car. Needing assistance she takes the child to a large house nearby. The house is known to her as members of her father's family live there. Why is the child in the back of the car alone and what has happened to the child's mother?

In the podcast Ann Cleeves discusses the importance of place in her novels. She especially likes the comparison of people who own land with the people who live on it. In The Darkest Evening the reader learns more about Vera's early life with her father.

For Ann Cleeves family and community are also important in her books. The author likes to play with relationships of both major and minor characters as the story evolves. She likes writing about ordinary people and how they would react in stressful circumstances.  Compassion is important in the Vera novels. Vera is written as a real person. In The Darkest Evening there are themes of kindness and honesty and the importance of keeping family together.

Although when beginning a book there are plot lines, the story evolves as the writing progresses. However when reading a book, each reader will experience it differently.

Also in the podcast the importance of the editing of her books was discussed. She also discussed how in times of trouble such as the Great Depression and the Second World War people tended to turn to books, including crime fiction, to escape. This might help to explain why in the current uncertain times readers are devouring crime fiction.

The Girl who Touched the Stars

Let's paddle around Australia on a surf ski. This is what Bonnie Hancock did in 2022. It took her 254 days including occasional breaks on land to break the record. She also broke the record for covering the greatest distance in 24 hours - 235 km. The Girl Who Touched the Stars is Bonnie Hancock's account of her journey.

In the book Bonnie tells how the expedition came about, discusses the assistance she received from many people to achieve her aim, writes about the loyal teams of people who accompanied her on all or some of the trip, the encouragement that she received during the journey, not just from her team but also people that she met along the way.

Bonnie was not alone on her journey. There was a motor vehicle following her progress on the road. There was a catamaran or other craft close by at all times and there was also a jet ski ridden by members of her team offering her encouragement when conditions allowed. Her husband, Matt, gave up his job to accompany her on the trip and ensure that everything went smoothly. COVID restrictions still existed for part of the trip which presented additional challenges. Other team members who stayed with her for the entire trip included Brad, Jaime and Ben while her coach, Mike, came out for part of the trip. The experiences of the voyage were filmed to be included in a film launched this month.

When writing the book, Bonnie Hancock is very frank about her experiences and thoughts during the trip. There were numerous times when she thought about giving up. When the seas were rough she was constantly seasick. For much of the journey she was paddling into the wind. She was also aware that for part of the journey she was paddling through waters inhabited by sharks, crocodiles and sea snakes. Her back ached and her hands became raw from paddling. The weather was very cold for part of the trip and very hot at other times. However there were also good experiences that she would never forget including real friendship as well as coming in close contact with the natural environment.

This is a book about facing challenges and testing oneself to achieve something that you really want to do. Bonnie had one chance to undertake this challenge and she was determined that despite the odds that she, with the help of her team, would achieve.

Professional Book Nerds - Denzil Meyrick interview

My local library now has a series of podcasts available featuring 30 minute interviews with a variety of authors under the title - Professional Book Nerds. There are 425 of these podcasts currently available via the library catalogue. Being American podcasts, most of the interviews are with American authors however I did find a selection of podcasts with writers of books that I have read.

The first podcast that I listened to was with Scottish author Denzil Meyrick who just happens to be one of my favourite authors of crime novels. In this podcast he is asked about the writing of Whiskey in Small Glasses, the first novel in the DCI Daley series set in Kinloch. Denzil Meyrick explained that Kinloch is based on the small town of Campbeltown in Scotland. 

His writing of the DCI Daley series is based on his background in the police force providing him with an understanding of how policing really works in Scotland. He has also worked as a journalist. The variety of characters in his books play an important part in telling the story. DCI Daley is an important character in the books but other characters including Sergeant Scott and many of the residents of Kinloch are important to the telling of the story. Sense of community is a focal point making Kinloch also one of the main characters of the books.

Denzil Meyrick was then asked about the importance of libraries and he stressed that libraries are the centres of a community.  He expressed his concern about how libraries are being neglected in some parts of Britain and how they need to be protected as a valuable source for all the community.

Books of Denzil Meyrick.

More than a glass and a half: a history of Cadbury in Australia

Last Sunday the grandchildren had fun looking for Cadbury Easter eggs in our back garden. The family then shared a variety of other chocolates and sweets. It therefore seemed an appropriate time to read Robert Crawford's book, More than a glass and a half: a history of Cadbury in Australia.

The author looks at how the popularity of chocolate products grew in England, Australia and other countries throughout the world but the emphasis in this study is the Cadbury empire in England, Australia and New Zealand. The Cadbury chocolate factory was established in Birmingham, England, in 1824. In the 1860s and 1870s newspapers in Australia announced the arrival of shipments of Cadbury products from England. In the early 1880s Cadbury Brothers opened an office in Melbourne and gradually extra staff were sent to sell and promote the company products throughout the colonies. Other firms selling chocolate products were McKenzie's Cocoa Mills, Bates, and MacRobertson's Steam Confectionery Works.

Eventually it was decided to manufacture Cadbury chocolate in Australia and land at Claremont in Tasmania was chosen. The factory began operations in 1921. A small number of staff came out to Tasmania from England to train local staff. By the time the new factory opened, Cadbury had combined with two other confectionery companies to form Cadbury-Fry-Pascall. Products from the other two companies continued to be manufactured at Cadbury factories.

More than a glass and a half provides a study of how the new branch of the company was established on the other side of the world. This includes describing the philosophy of the Cadbury family who were Quakers and their attitude to providing suitable working and living conditions for their staff. As well as the factory, housing for some staff was provided as well as facilities for recreation including sport. 

Much of the book describes the promotion and advertising of the products as social and economic conditions varied and new media became available to promote products. The range of products varied throughout the years but the staple chocolate is still Cadbury dairy milk. 

There have been a number of mergers and take-overs over the years. Red Tulip chocolates came under the Cadbury banner in 1987. Twenty years earlier, MacRobertson's became part of Cadbury bringing popular products such as Freddo Frog and Cherry Ripe under the Cadbury banner. A Cadbury factory in Ringwood, Victoria, was established at this time. Cadbury had also been involved with other mergers and name changes over the years including being Cadbury Schweppes for a time. Then Kraft purchased the Cadbury company and the name of the section controlling Cadbury is Mondelez International. However the chocolate company still trades as Cadbury and that is all the lovers of chocolate need to know.

The book of full of coloured illustrations showing how Cadbury products have been promoted through the years. These may stir up memories of past enjoyment of Cadbury products. Notes and index are at the back of the book.

Corners of Melbourne

Robyn Annear has written a number of books relating to the history of Melbourne. She is an avid user of Trove and this book results from searching records about Melbourne up to 1899 with the limiter 'at the corner'. This produced a range of incidents within a series of broad themes, many of which appear in this book of anecdotes. The subtitle for the book, Corners of Melbourne, is The great Orange-peel panic and other stories from the streets. Most of the stories revolve around corner locations in the city of Melbourne as well as suburbs such as Collingwood, Fitzroy, Carlton and West Melbourne.

Themes covered in this book include accidents that occurred when people slipped on discarded orange and other fruit skins on the flagstones recently laid in Melbourne, accidents that occurred with horses in overcrowded streets, drinking taps and horse troughs, public urinals rather than small lanes used as toilets, street stalls, speakers on a range of topics on street corners, pick pockets, 'entertainers', card readers etc., hoardings with advertising signs and a variety of entertainment set up on land near street corners. 

One chapter covers larrikins, a term first used in the press in 1870 to describe groups of young men (sometimes women) who congregated together in the streets at night and caused havoc. Some would go on the rampage and damage private and public property. The limited police force had difficulty handing the situation. Reading this chapter made me think that not much has changed considering the behavior of some young people today.

Robyn Annear has written an interesting account of lesser known aspects of life in Melbourne in the nineteenth century.