The Secret Society of Librarians

After completing their library studies in 1936, Jo, Joyce, Grace, Beth, Evelyn, Clara, Annie and Dorotha decided to form the Secret Society of Librarians (SSL) and produce a newsletter Libertatem per Lectio.  Most of the women worked in libraries in various parts of England while Dorotha returned to her home country, Poland. Then in 1939 Hitler's army invaded Poland and England was at war with Germany. The last that the SSL hear from Dorotha is a letter Joyce receives requesting that the SSL assist Adela, her young sister, when she escapes Poland to travel to England. Adela initially works with a family that has left London for a house in the country.

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson tells the story of life in England during the Blitz and in a Jewish ghetto in occupied Poland through the eyes of Joyce in London and Dorotha in Poland. Members of the Secret Society of Librarians resolve that if people cannot come to their libraries then the role of the librarians is to get the books to the people. Many of the libraries are bombed along with homes, shops and factories. However the women strive, when possible, to make reading material available to those who need to read books as a distraction from the devastation occurring around them.

In some cases parts of libraries can still be used but library staff carry books to people who cannot visit a library. Joyce makes it her mission to establish a mobile library. Libraries are also established in underground shelters. Library staff also conduct reading sessions for young children.

The story is revealed via Joyce's life in London during the Blitz and Dorotha's struggle for survival in Poland, especially when family members disappear. In London Joyce takes responsibility for looking after Adela who helps her with the library projects. When the war ends the SSL hear no news from Dorotha.

Once again Kate Thompson has written an important account of the effects of war on ordinary people and the resilience of people in their attempts to survive. The novel is also about the importance of books and reading in the lives of ordinary people, particularly in times of stress, and how libraries and librarians are an important part of communities.

At the end of the novel the author includes extensive historical notes relevant to events in the story plus excerpts of oral histories from people who experienced the Blitz in London. 

This Book Made Me Think of You

It is 2 January and when Matilda (Tilly) Nightingale receives a phone call from Book Lane bookshop asking her to come and collect a book that was ordered for her she is mystified as she knows that she does not have any outstanding orders. When she goes to the bookshop she is greeted by the shop owner, Alfie, who tells her that before he died, her husband, Joe, had asked Alfie to have a new book ready for Tilly to collect at the beginning of each month for twelve months.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page traces twelve months of Tilly's life as she gradually comes to terms with the loss of her husband, helped by reading the books that he had selected for her. Although one theme of the book is dealing with grief, the novel also deals with the value of friendship and the forming of new relationships. Tilly gradually learns that other people are also grieving the loss of a loved one and not everyone knows how to be there for someone who is grieving. This does not mean that they are not thinking of their friend or family member who is attempting to readjust to a different life.

At the beginning of each chapter the author provides a list of the titles of four books on a particular theme. Titles of books are also often referred to throughout the novel as much of the action revolves around the bookshop, the value of reading and the enjoyment of reading books, plus a slice of romance. If you enjoy books and reading you should enjoy reading this book.

Other People's Words

In 2001, Other People's Words:the life and times of an accidental publisher by Hiliary McPhee was published. Twenty-five years later the story of the author's experiences in the world of publishing has been republished with some additional material.

After working in publishing for a number of years, in 1975 Hiliary McPhee and Dianna Gribble decided to form their own publishing company, McPhee and Gribble. Other People's Words tells of the experiences and challenges faced by the two women as they tried to make their way in the male dominated world of publishing. Another major problem was trying to break into overseas markets which, especially in Britain, were not interested in Australian authors and books.

The first project was publishing a series of non-fiction books for children. Gradually they were able to attract authors of adult fiction and non-fiction to publish their books. Hiliary McPhee spent much of her time convincing overseas publishers to work with them promoting Australian publications and authors overseas.

Other People's Words describes the work involved in editing a book and gaining the confidence of some authors especially when changes needed to be made. McPhee and Gribble had partnerships with other publishes until 1989 when they decided to try working on their own. However the timing was not good due to the economic downturn resulting in the business being sold to Penguin Books. For two years the McPhee Gribble logo still appeared on the books with the Penguin logo. 

The new chapter at the back of the book warns of the changes AI is making to the publishing industry.

Great Writers & the Cats Who Owned Them

Australian writer, Susannah Fullerton, has compiled a book about seventeen authors whose lives have been ruled by cats and / or have included cats in their books. 

The authors include: Dr Johnson and his cat Hodge, Horace Walpole and his cat Selima, Robert Southey and the cat Rumpelstilzchen, Andre Dumas and his cat Mysouff I, Eward Lear and Foss, Charles Dickens and Bob, Mark Twain and Bambino, Collette and La Chatte, L M Montgomery and Daffy, Sir Winston Churchill and his cat Nelson, Ernest Hemingway and Boise, Margaret Mitchell and Old Timer, Dorothy L Sayers and Blitz, Paul Gallico and Sambo, Dame Muriel Sparks and Bluebell, Doris Less and Magnifico, plus Dame Lynley Dodd and her cat Wooskit. The authors often owned many cats but the book concentrates on one special cat for each writer.

At the end of most chapters there is a section called Paws For Thought with information about other cats and their owners. The chapters in Great Writers & the Cats Who Owned Them contain illustrations of cats by Susie Foster. Great Writers & the Cats Who Owned Them is a book for cat lovers as well as for lovers of literature.

The Cat Who Saved Books

Rintaro Natsuki became the new owner of the second-hand bookshop, Natsuki Books, after the death  of his grandfather. The original plan was that he would go and live with an aunt but that plan changed after he met Tiger, a talking cat. The cat was on a mission and needed help to save books that were being destroyed. This led to Rintaro, Tiger and later Sayo to journey through four labyrinths to save books.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa explores the importance of books in the lives of individuals and how reading can open up new worlds for us to explore. As Rintaro travels on the expeditions he comes to understand himself better and what his future should be. He also learns more about the importance of books.

Statements about books and reading (pages 195-197) include:

Books have tremendous power.

Books can give us knowledge, wisdom, values, a view of the world ... the joy of learning something you didn't know before and seeing things in a whole new light. Books teach us how to care about others.

Books are filled with human thoughts and feelings ... we learn about the hearts and minds of other people besides ourselves.

Human beings don't live alone, and a book is a way to show that. 

Empathy - that's the power of books. 

The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming read about the love of books and literature. Once I started reading this book I just had to keep reading until the final page.

 Sosuke Natsukawa has also written The Cat Who Saved the Library.

ABC Top 100 Books of the 21st Century 71-100

Last weekend ABC Radio National announced the top 100 books enjoyed so far by readers in the 21st century.

Of the books that rated from 71-80, I have read five of the titles. My order (number 1 to 5) for the books listed in the top 71-80 would be:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 

by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray 

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do 

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku 

Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox (excellent children's picture book)

Of the books that rated from 81-90, I have read two of the titles. My order (number 1 to 2) for the books listed in the top 81-90 would be:

 Chai Time at the Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandren

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood 

Of the books that rated from 81-90, I have read three of the titles. My order (number 1 to 3) for the books listed in the top 81-90 would be:

The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams

 True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

I have read forty-seven titles from this list of 100 titles. Some of the books in the list I read before I started this blog and I will eventually add posts for these titles.

This has been an interesting exercise looking at the titles that respondents to the survey voted for. There are many other titles that I would have included in such as list but we all have different tastes in reading. The list, however has provided some interesting titles for my To Be Read list.

ABC Top 100 Books of the 21st Century 41-70

Last weekend ABC Radio National announced the top 100 books enjoyed so far by readers in the 21st century.

Of the books that rated from 41-50, I have read four of the titles. My order (number 1 to 4) for the books listed in the top 41-50 would be:

 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

All That I Am by Anna Funder 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling 

Of the books that rated from 51-60, I have read three of the titles. My order (number 1 to 3) for the books listed in the top 51-60 would be:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander MaCall Smith

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 

 

Of the books that rated from 61-70, I have read only two of the titles. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan 

ABC Top 100 Books of the 21st Century 11-40

Last weekend ABC Radio National announced the top 100 books enjoyed so far by readers in the 21st century.

Of the books that rated from 11-20, I have read five of the titles. My order (number 1 to 5) for the books listed in the top 11-20 would be:

The Secret River by Kate Grenville

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

 Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

 

Of the books that rated from 21-30, I have read six of the titles. My order (number 1 to 6) for the books listed in the top 21-30 would be:

The Dry by Jane Harper

Atonement by Ian McEwan

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Honey Bee by Craig Silvey

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey 

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton 

Of the books that rated from 31-40, I have read six of the titles. My order (number 1 to 6) for the books listed in the top 31-40 would be:

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Dirt Music by Tim Winton

Breath By Tim Winton

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas 

Normal People by Sally Rooney 

ABC Top 100 Books of the 21st Century 1-10

Last weekend ABC Radio National announced the top 100 books enjoyed so far by readers in the 21st century.

Of the books that made the top 10, I have now read nine of the titles. My order (number 1 to 9) for the books listed in the top 10 would be:

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

I will add to the list when I have read the other books listed in this group. 

 

The full list of ABC Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. 

 

My Top 10 books selected from the ABC Top 100 List would be: 

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 

The Secret River by Kate Grenville

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 

by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 

 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton 

 Honey Bee by Craig Silvey

Still Life by Sarah Winman 

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.

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.

Inconvenient Women: Australian radical writers 1900-1970

Inconvenient Women by Jacqueline Kent is largely a study of radical political groups in Australia in the first part of the twentieth century. This was the time of the rise of fascism in Europe as well the development of communism, particularly in Russia. Jacqueline Kent looks at the involvement of Australian writers, particularly female writers, in these movements and the effect that the political groups had on Australian life as well as literature.

 Some of the authors discussed in the book include Katharine Susannah Prichard, Eleanor Dark, Jean Devanny, Faith Bandler, Kath Walker, Nettie Palmer, Mary Gilmour, Marjorie Barnard, Christina Stead, P L Travers, Ruth Park, Flora Eldershaw, Miles Franklin, Thea Astley, Dymphna Cussack and Dorothy Hewitt to name a few. The book looks at major issues of the time that became incorporated into their  writing. It also looks at censorship of books that was prominent at the time plus the role of book awards, especially at a time when women were struggling to have their voice heard. 

Reading Magic

Reading Magic: how your child can learn to read before school - and other read aloud miracles by Australian children's author, Mem Fox, outlines the importance of reading to your children from a very young age and how this can help your child enjoy reading. The copy of the book that I read was published in 2005 and added two additional chapters to the first edition.

As the author discusses the advantages of reading aloud to children she provides lots of examples of how many parents doing this have found it successful. Mem Fox stresses that both parents should be involved with reading to children, not just Mum. She provides lots of practical advice on how to make reading an entertaining experience for all the family.

Young children often like listening to and 'reading' one book over and over again. Keeping a collection of children's favourite books in the house encourages most children to pick up their favourite book to 'read' or ask an adult to read to them. 

Introducing reading to children from an early age means that by the time they start school they are used to books and other printed material, they are familiar and confident with language and have begun to develop good general knowledge. 

Mem Fox also stresses the important of singing to children and teaching them rhymes as a means of helping them gain confidence in acquiring language skills. Rereading books is a major way that many children learn to read before going to school. Mem Fox also includes chapters on various teaching processes used to teach children to read.

The Enchanted Hour

Reading has been an important part of our family life. I always read to our boys from when they were babies and have continued the reading with our grandchildren. When our sons and the two grandchildren that we looked after regularly started reading I listened to them read and then read to them from a book written for an older age group. Over the years we have read a great variety of books and enjoyed many adventures through books. My grandson and I still read together when he visits us after school. We share the reading - he enjoys reading the dialogue - but recently he will take over the book and read it to me if it is one that really appeals to him.

 Consequently I looked forward to reading Meghan Cox Gurdon's book about the joys of reading out loud, The Enchanted Hour: the miraculous power of reading aloud in the age of distraction.. 

In this book the author stresses the importance of reading aloud to children from a young age. Information from research projects showing the advantages of reading to children from an early age compared with children who do not have books read to them is used to back up her theories. Reading aloud is particularly important in houses where family members are immersed with media on screens. The author also discusses the advantages of reading aloud to older people, either in a group or individually.

The Enchanted Hour is an interesting study of the history and science showing the importance of reading aloud. 

This book was one of three books selected as a possible title for the Monash Alumni Book Club in May-June 2025.

Papyrus: the invention of books in the Ancient World

Spanish Author, Irene Vallejo, has written a detailed account of the importance of reading over thousands of years in the ancient world. Although the book is divided primarily into the study of the importance of books in the Greek and Roman empires it also covers the importance of reading to other communities.

Papyrus: the invention of books in the ancient world looks at the development of libraries whether the collections consisted of clay tablets, papyrus or vellum documents. One of the first libraries was the Library of Alexandria.

During the work the author also discusses the importance of some of the early writers and their works, some of which remain today. Some of the authors discussed include Homer, Socrates and Euripides. She also looks at the small amount that has survived of works written by women at that time as well as works such as Medea by Euripides which feature women. 

This is an informative work about the development and importance of literature and libraries in our history - something we take for granted in our country today.

The Bookover's Library

One of the advantages of reading novels is often discovering aspects of history. On visits to  England we had been aware of Boots the Chemist stores. However, through reading The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin, I know now that Boots the Chemist also housed circulating libraries in their shops from the late 1800s. This historical fiction novel also provides information about living in England during the Second World War. 

Emma Taylor lives in Nottingham. She is a widow with a young daughter and is trying to find a job to help pay the bills. However this is a time when women were required to leave work when they married. Emma's luck changes when she is employed at the Booklover's Library at the local Boots the Chemist store on the condition that people do not know that she is married. 

Mixing work with being a mother is not easy and Emma faces many challenges but is assisted by a friendly landlady who offers to look after Olivia after school. But then World War Two arrives with the threat of German air attacks and Emma realises that Olivia would be safer living with a family in the country.

This is a story about community, understanding difficult people and, of course, the value of books and reading in providing support to individuals. The knack of choosing the right book for a person is a special skill that Emma has. It is also a book about the effects of the Second World War on families and the efforts of communities to work together. It is also about how danger and challenges can create opportunities for people to work together and sometimes form new friendships and relationships.

Book-lovers Library - Gold Star Guides

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: true stories of the magic of reading

American author James Patterson has collected stories from booksellers and librarians, throughout North America, describing why they enjoy providing books for people to read. Finding the right book for someone to read is a challenge enjoyed by most librarians and booksellers. However recommending books to read is not a one way street. When I worked in libraries library patrons would often also recommend authors or titles to me. Reading can and should be a shared experience. 

The book is divided into five sections:

• To be a bookseller, you have to play detective
• I could talk about books forever
• I can't imagine what people do without books in their lives
• It doesn't matter what you like to read, as long as you love to read
•  Just one more chapter, please, just one more chapter
  

Stories in the book include a number of discussions on choosing books for people of different ages, interests and needs at a particular time. Promoting collections is also an important part of running a bookshop or working in a library and a range of promotional and outreach projects are described as well as arranging author talks. COVID-19 provided challenges for those operating bookshops and libraries. Censorship of collections and campaigns to ban books is also discussed. Libraries and bookshops (especially independent bookshops) are increasingly becoming community hubs. Research indicates that readers continue to enjoy reading physical books.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians is a book that the reader can dip into at leisure to enjoy reading the observations of people who love books and reading. 

As an aside, some of the accounts refer in passing to books by Patterson while there is a long list of books he has written or co-written at the end of the book.

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.

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.

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.