King John and the road to the Magna Carta

John (1166-1216), the youngest son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was not expected to become king. When King Henry II divided his lands in Britain and France among his sons, John was very young and not included. This caused him to be given the nickname, Lackland, by family members. For much of his life John lived in the shadow of other family members, especially his brother, Richard the Lionheart.

Shortly after John's brother, Richard became king, King Richard I took part in the Third Crusade (1190-1192). John eventually ruled England, especially when money was needed to pay the ransom after Richard was captured on the way home from the Crusade. Richard returned to England for a few months before spending the rest of his life in Normandy until his death in 1199. John then officially became King John of England and his family's lands in France.

John faced many challenges during his reign especially the opposition he faced from many of the barons, from the Church hierarchy, including the Pope, and from the people who objected to the increased taxes imposed to fund his attempts to win back his French lands lost in France. The French king was also threatening to invade England and there were problems in other territories, especially, Ireland, Wales and with the Scots.

Unfortunately John strongly believed in the tradition of sovereign power which he found impossible to sustain in a time of unrest and demands for change. After losing the French possessions, the subsequent First Barons' War (1215-1217) divided the country and several months later Prince Louis of France arrived on the southern coast of England and with the assistance of some of the barons took over London. Eventually King John and the barons met to create a document that became known as the Magna Carta.  

In  King John and the Road to the Magna Carta, Stephen Church provides a detailed study of the events that led to a change in the power of the monarchy plus the prelude to the eventual creation of a parliament. Detailed notes and bibliography can be found at the end of the book.

The Rip

The Rip is another intense, character driven, book written by Australian author, Mark Brandi. The story is told from the perspective of a young woman who is living on the streets of Melbourne with a friend, Anton. Life is not easy but they are surviving. Then they meet Steve, an acquaintance of Anton from his past. 

Steve offers them a bed at the unit where he lives, telling them that the girl who lives there is spending time in an asylum. Staying in the unit for a time provides them with more security, however it is soon obvious that Steve has plans which involve them. They begin to realise that they were safer living in the gardens than with Steve.

At one stage Anton explains their life to her as it's like walking out into the sea, and  you think everything's fine and the water's warm, but when you turn back you're suddenly miles from shore. ... Like, being caught in a current or something. A rip. The problem is that if this happens, how do you escape?

Throughout the book there is an impending feeling of oncoming doom but towards the end there is hope as the young woman finally accepts that there are people who want to help her escape from the evergrowing predicament in which she finds herself.

The White Crow

Philomena McCarthy is a police officer in London. She is also the daughter of a crime boss in London. Consequently she faces much conflict in her life.

One evening Philomena discovers a five year old girl wandering by the road. Taking the child home she discovers that the child's mother has been murdered. The police soon learn that the family business has also been robbed and police find the husband tied to a chair in the family jewellery store. The police immediately suspect that Philomena's family is involved.

Meanwhile her father's business interests are threatened by someone who wants to take over the firm. Members of her family are in danger and Philomena's father is determined to protect them and his business interests.

In The White Crow Michael Robotham has written another fast paced crime novel with lots of action as well as questions about the importance of family.This is the second book in the Philomena McCarthy series and I suspect that it will not be the last.

Wimmera

Set in a small town in western Victoria, this novel starts by telling of the friendship at primary school between two young boys, Ben and Fab. In their spare time they enjoyed playing cricket and going yabbying but they both were aware that Fab's father was often cruel to his son. Then the young girl who lived next door to Ben committed suicide. When a new neighbour moves into the house next door to Ben the boys keep watch on him and soon realise that this man could be dangerous.

The years pass and Fab is still in the town looking for a stable job. Ben had gone to a different secondary school and the boys had lost touch with each other. Fab was having trouble settling down. He drank too much and would also take drugs from time to time. He had befriended a fellow worker, Afriki, who had plans to go and find a job in Melbourne. Fab had decided to go with him when, one day, a policeman tapped him on the shoulder and wanted to talk to him.

Wimmera by Mark Brandi explores the the dark world of child abuse and the difficulties faced by the victims in trying to lead a 'normal' life when they are unable to tell anyone about what they encountered.

The Correspondent

The Correspondent by Australian journalist, Peter Greste, was originally published in 2017 with the title, The First Casualty. This revised edition was published to coincide with the film, The Correspondent, released in 2024. 

On 28 December 2013, Peter Greste and other journalists were arrested in Egypt on charges of being terrorists. He was finally freed from prison on 1 February 2015. Despite there being no evidence that the journalists had any connections to terrorist organisations and were just reporting on the political situation in Egypt, Greste spent 400 days in Egyptian prisons before he was allowed to return to Australia.

The book provides a graphic account of the challenges faced by journalists working in overseas countries, especially where there is political unrest. In alternate chapters the author describes his experiences of working in Afghanistan and the challenges journalists face in countries including Somalia and Syria. 

There is also a chapter on the deterioration of the the concept of Freedom of the Press in the USA. No doubt this chapter would be expanded if rewritten today considering the actions of the current American president in regard to the media. Another chapter examines changes that the author had noticed regarding the press in Australia.

As well as describing challenges facing journalists in reporting news events, especially overseas, The Correspondent provides a commentary on changes affecting how we think and live our lives in the twenty-first century.  

The Correspondent was the book selected for the Dervla McTiernan Book club that isn't a book club book for August 2025.

For Duck's Sake

Meg had retreated to her brother's house as her home had been invaded by people and dogs preparing for the Mutt March Parade to be held in Caerphilly at the weekend. However peace was short lived. When Rob and Delaney had arranged for a duck pond to be constructed in their garden, they did not envisage a skeleton being uncovered while the hole for the pond was being dug. Meg finds herself in the middle of an investigation to discover the identity of someone who had died thirty or forty years previously.

 For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews is number 37 in the Meg Langslow Series which takes the reader on another often amusing adventure as Meg assists the police in solving the identity of the skeleton and why it was buried in her brother's garden. The family's involvement in the organisation of the Mutt March Parade is another theme in the book as well as the hunt for an elderly neighbour who has disappeared.

Sit back and enjoy another installment in the busy life of Meg Langslow and her family and friends as she investigates yet another mystery.

It Should Have Been You

It all starts with a post on social media. Susan copies the post with her comments and sends the message to her sisters. Except she inadvertently posts the message to the local community WhatsApp group. Then the comments begin!  It Should Have Been You by Irish author, Andrea Mara, is a fast moving account of events that occur in a small community as people react to the content - or part of the content - of Susan's message. 

Susan has a new baby and is slowly adapting to motherhood. The avalanche of events, including death threats, that occur after posting the message cause her to doubt her relationships with family and friends. Her world appears to be collapsing around her especially when a woman with the same street address as her home, but in another town with the same name, is murdered. The story is revealed in two time frames by a variety of characters. It is a story of misunderstandings, betrayal, teenage angst, insecurity of new mothers in their ability to be a good mother as well as family dynamics.

The novel contains a large number of characters involved with the events in the plot or with opinions as to what is happening and who is at fault. It is not long before it is discovered that in this quiet town there are many undercurrents just waiting to erupt.

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman is the sequel to The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. Continuing the story that began in the first book, Lady Augusta and Lady Julia  endeavour to protect Lady Hester and Miss Grant from the clutches of Lady Hester's brother. They are assisted by a number of friends including Lord Evan, who is a fugitive trying to prove his innocence, and Mr Kent who is a Bow Street Runner.

The ladies encounter much danger as they travel around the country trying to find a place of safety away from Mr Mulholland and his associates as well as from Hester's brother. This is a fast paced adventure with the main characters travelling from one point of danger to another. Along the way they are assisted by George Beau Brummell and Lord Alvanley but there will be a price to pay which will be fully revealed in their next adventure.

This novel is purely fiction but incorporates a number of real characters and events as Gus and Julia continue on their quest to assist ladies who have been ill-treated by men and society in the time of Regency England.

Jane Austen: Writer in the World

Written to commemorate two hundred years since the death of Jane Austen in 1817, Jane Austen: writer in the world edited by Kathryn Sutherland, discusses the status of Jane Austen's writing during that time. The book consists of a series of chapters by different writers who evaluate aspects of Jane Austen's life and work based on artifacts held in special collections and museums.

The first section concerns life in Georgian England and has chapters discussing Jane Austen's early, unpublished work, the importance of music in Georgian society, costume - including a pelisse-coat once owned by Jane Austen, plus the art of letter writing and the importance of correspondence in telling Jane's story. Section two, the Novelist in the World, has chapters on women writing during the time of war (particularly the Napoleonic wars), how Jane Austen wrote her books and a study of novels in 1817. Jane Austen Imagined investigates the few possible portraits of Jane Austen while the last chapter looks at the significance of Jane Austen's legacy after two hundred years, not just in England but throughout the world.

Jane Austen: writer in the world provides interesting background material for those interested in the novels of Jane Austen and life in Regency England. Each chapter contains photographs and illustrations of objects and artwork relating to the content. There area detailed notes for each chapter plus a list of other relevant books and an index.

Eden

Tom Blackburn has been released from prison after serving a nine year sentence. The challenge is now to make a life for himself on the outside. His first stop is to find somewhere to stay while he looks for work. The hostel is not inviting but it provides a roof over his head. There he meets Len who advises Tom on the best way to survive when he decides to leave the hostel. Eventually he finds himself at Melbourne General Cemetery where he meets Cyril who allows him to sleep in the shed and earn a wage for gardening and helping to dig graves. But Tom soon discovers new dangers that threaten his plans and puts his life in danger.

Eden by Mark Brandi is a book about secrets that are gradually revealed as Tom is forced to remember past events in order to learn to live in a new environment where the secrets of others threaten his future. Is there anywhere where he will finally be safe?

Jane Austen's Bookshelf: the women writers who shaped a legend

American rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney, provides an insight into the work of female authors whose books were probably read by Jane Austen (1775-1817). Jane Austen is celebrated as an author of novels set in Regency England but there were a number of other female authors who were respected writers for a time. Why did Jane Austen become even more popular over time while the work of other female authors has largely been forgotten?

 In Jane Austen's Bookshelf, Rebecca Romney looks at the work of female authors who are mentioned in the work of Jane Austen or in Jane Austen's correspondence or who may have written books read by Jane Austen. These authors are Frances Burney (1752-1840), Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), Charlotte Lennox (c1729-1804), Hannah More (1745-1833), Charlotte Smith (1749-1806), Elizabeth Inchbald (1753-1821), Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (1741-1821) and Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849).

This book provides an overview of fiction written by female authors during the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The author provides an overview of the struggles faced by women to have their work published and read by the general public. Jane Austen was known to be an avid reader and would have read the works of fellow female authors. Careful reading of Jane Austen's work at time shows where she has been influenced by writers of fiction popular at the time.

Rebecca Romney set out to recreate a library of books that Jane Austen would have read. She not only collected fiction titles of the time but also works that discuss individual writers and their works. An appendix contains detailed descriptions of some of the works mentioned in this book. There is also a bibliography and detailed list of notes. There is some repetition in this work but overall  it provides an informative and important insight into the development and influence of the work of female authors.