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.

On Not Climbing Mountains

An Australian woman travels to Switzerland to visit the country where her father, who has recently died, was born. She explores the country by train following suggestions from a copy of an old Baedeker guide and during her travels reflects on lives and works of a variety of authors, playwrights, actors, artists, explorers and others associated with Switzerland over the years. The daughter also remembers an exhibition that she once saw of a series of paintings by Jean-Frédéric Schnyder (JFS) of railway station waiting rooms  throughout Switzerland. She describes the paintings relevant to the railway stations as her journey progresses.

On Not Climbing Mountains by Clair Thomas does not really have a plot though the daughter's reminiscences develop into a pattern during the journey allowing the reader to gradually learn about the daughter's memories and relationship with her father. Once I became used to the style of the writing I enjoyed reading about the lives of  people involved with Switzerland in different ways as well as the experience and thoughts of the daughter as her journey progressed until she returned home.

Swiss Baedeker guides - Hidden Europe 

Art of Jean-Frédéric Schnyder (part VI Waiting Rooms for the Eyes) - On Schnyderian Art

 Jean-Frédéric Schnyder Waiting Room exhibition  - Mamco art exhibition

On Not Climbing Mountains - The Guardian 27 February 2026. 

A Man Called Ove

In 2014 A Man Called Ove by Swedish author, Fredrik Backman, was published in English (translated by Henning Koch from the 2012 Swedish  original). It was a very popular title in the public library where I worked but I did not have the opportunity to read the book until this month. In 2015 the film of the novel was released in Switzerland. In 2022 there was an American remake of the film with the title now A Man Called Otto and names of many of the characters changed - no comment!

Ove is a lonely man whose wife had recently died and then he learned that he no longer had a job. Ove had a reputation for being difficult to live with and a determination that things had to be done in a certain way. He had had numerous battles with officials (men in white shirts) but if anything needed to be fixed in the local community, it was to Ove that people turned.

Ove regularly visited his wife's grave, planted new flowers and spoke to her of his problems. He was determined to join her but before he could carry out his plans Ove was always interrupted by neighbours requesting his help. Then he was adopted by a cat. When a family with young children moved next door Ove gradually found new reasons for existing. He also needed to support an elderly neighbour who council officers wanted to remove to a home.

A Man called Ove is a study of grief, loyalty, friendship and community spirit. It is also a book written with humour as Ove learns to accept his present life as well as the life he once had.

The Protected

Hannah is struggling with life. At fifteen she has had to live with extreme bullying for a protracted time at school and then her older sister died in a car crash. Hannah's father was seriously injured and her mother rarely leaves her room since her elder daughter died. After Katie's death the bullying stopped but Hannah constantly feels isolated and insecure. 

Her father cannot remember what happened when the car collided with a truck and one year on the police are still trying to put together what happened. An investigation is to be held and Hannah's testimony will be crucial to the case. A school councillor works with Hannah to help her come to grips with the changes and challenges in her life. Hannah also has to cope with the growing tension between her parents at home.

When she meets Josh, a new student at her school, Hannah is reluctant to accept his attempts at friendship however, over time, she realises that she needs to learn to trust people.

The Protected by Claire Zorn has many themes. A major one is the complicated relationship that existed between the two very different sisters, Katie and Hannah. It is also a story about grief and how family members cope, or don't cope, in extremely difficult situations. Hannah's grandparents and the next door neighbour, Mrs Van, try to help the family, especially as the anniversary of the accident approaches but people react to grief in different ways. Another theme is the effect of school yard bullying, not just on the main victim but the pressure on former friends to join the dominant group.

The story is revealed in different time frames. As well as life in the present we learn of life before the accident. At times in present situations Hannah is aware of her sister's voice commenting in the background. It is only towards the end of the book that we learn what happened on the day of the accident and the grief and guilt that followed. It takes time for the family to realise that life goes on and they need to gradually move on though they will never forget what happened on that fateful day.

The Protected is a novel being studied this year in year 10 at the school my grand-daughter attends. The novel contains many opportunities for discussion.

The Protected won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers in 2015. It also won the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction, 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction Prize and was shortlisted in the 2015 Inky Awards. 

Online reviews:

BookReview by Lisa Fleetwood 

Book review by The Hermit Librarian 

TeachersNotes – University of Queensland Press 

 Liz McShane review

 Children’sBooks Daily

Good Reads reviews