The Frock Shop

Set in Mossman, a suburb of Sydney overlooking the harbour, The Frock Shop by Sophie Green is a novel about friendship as a group of women sort out challenges faced in their daily lives. The time frame of the book is from September 1991 to early 1992. 

Daphne, now in her 70s has worked in different versions of the shop which she currently manages as a charity clothing store. She encourages her friend Adelaide who has recently returned from a career in music in Europe to volunteer in the shop. When an actress, Christina, returns from America, she also agrees to help. Margot is a regular visitor to the shop who Daphne realises needs help as does school-girl, Lucy, who is interested in fashion and enjoys exploring the items in the store.

It was a while before I became involved in reading the book as the first chapters, that focused on introducing the characters and providing part of the back-story, were a little slow. However once the main plot began I enjoyed following the interaction between the women as they faced a variety of challenges in their lives. 

Throughout the book there are also a number of pages devoted to describing the story of an item of clothing that may now be located in the shop as well as what happens to that clothing item when purchased by a new owner. The Frock Shop will be enjoyed by those who enjoy reading about the friendship formed between a group of women from different backgrounds and experiences except they they form a common interest in clothes and fashion.

When the Forest Breathes: renewal and resiliance in the natural world

Suzanne Simard's life revolves around the health and continuation of forests, particularly in British Columbia where logging is an important industry. As Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia she is particularly interested in studying the impact of tree connectivity and communication on the health and diversity of forests. This book is a study of the Mother Tree Project which is conducted in selected areas of forest by Professor Simard and her team of researchers, including family members. An important part of this study is working with First Nation's People utilising their knowledge and experience as well as information collected by studies undertaken by Professor Simard and her team.

The Mother Tree Project obtained finance to study to undertake investigations in selected areas of forest in partnership with the logging industry. In the study the researchers were particularly interested in the relationships formed between well established trees and new growth, especially in a time of climate change and forest fires. However not all the loggers agreed with the arrangements and many of the older trees vital for the study in some areas were cut down. It was therefore necessary to find other ways to obtain the required results.

The forest is a living organism with organised cycles of birth and growth, death and rebirth. It is important that we are aware of how nature works to protect the current challenges to our environment. The studies undertaken in the Mother Tree Project and their findings are relevant not only to forests in British Columbia but in other parts of the world too including Australia.

Mother Tree Project - UBC  

The Correspondent

Sybil Van Antwerp likes writing letters. When the novel starts in 2012 Sybil has turned 73 and we learn about Sybil and her life in the correspondence exchanged over the next seven years. Sybil lives alone. She is divorced and her husband returned to live in Belgium where he remarries. Sybil's brother lives with his partner in France. Sybil has little communication with her daughter who now lives in England. She occasionally sees her son and his family. Sybil has a good neighbour, Theodore, who looks out for her needs plus another man from Texas who is trying to get her attention. She also has a good friend Rosie, who regularly writes to her, plus a few other friends.

Sybil has kept copies of all of her correspondence received and friends such as Rosie have kept Sybil's letters. As well as writing to her brother and Rosie, Sybil writes to authors who have written novels that she enjoys, contacts a lecturer at the university about being able to attend occasional lectures and regularly exchanges letters with the young son of a friend who is having a difficult time.

In The Correspondent by Virginia Evans we learn of the sorrows experienced by Sybil in the past as she attempts to survive in a world where her eye-sight will be limited and she must adapt and learn to accept the friendship and help of others. This novel is told through Sybil's correspondence.

Probable Caws

Probable Caws is the 39th book in the Meg Langslow mystery series by Donna Andrews. The first book in the series was Murder With Peacocks published in 1999. Each title in the series has a bird, or something to with birds, in the title. There are lots of birds in Probable Caws, including crows and swans, and also lots of horses.

Meg is asked to go to Rangar Ragnarsen's gothic castle to assist when almost fifty horses are removed from a farm to Rangar's property until new accommodation can be found for them. As these are rescued horses, many of them are in ill-health and a team of volunteers, plus vets, has been called in to assist with the relocation of the animals. Some of the volunteers, including Meg, stay at the property overnight to ensure that the animals settle into their new environment. Then a body is found in the barn.

As with the other books in the series a number of members of Meg's family also provide their expertise in looking after the animals and, of course, solving the crime. However in this title much of the emphasis is on the animals, many of whom have distinct characteristics and quirks. Donna Andrews has provided another enjoyable book for readers of cosy crime to enjoy.

Titles in Meg Langslow mysteries - Fantastic fiction  

Turing Hopper Books

Turing Hopper is an artificial intelligence personality living inside a corporate computer system who uses her digital access and human friends to solve crimes. The four books in this cozy crime series by Donna Andrews are You've Got Murder (2002), Click Here For Murder (2003), Access Denied (2004) and Delete All Suspects (2005). Being sentient, Turing Hopper is aware when things go wrong and uses her powers to help solve crimes.

I enjoyed reading this series of books many years ago, long before Artificial Intelligence became an issue.

Donna Andrews then became well known for writing the Meg Langslow books. 

We Chase Shadows

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman is the second book in the We Solve Murders series. This is another amusing crime novel following the adventures of Steve, a retired policeman, Amy his daughter-in-law who has worked as a security guard and Rosie, an author of crime novels, who have set up an agency to solve murders. This book covers their first official case.

In Italy, when a security guard is murdered, a threatening note is found in his pocket. Steve, Amy and Rosie are employed to discover who committed the murder and the intention of the note. When investigating they discover a world for selling cosmetic products, vitamins and 'health' products to customers online. Six people set up the scheme and one by one they are being murdered. 

The investigation takes Steve, Amy and Rosie to locations around the world including Spain, Palm Springs and Italy as well the village where Steve lives in England. During the investigation they discover that they are following shadows as suspects appear to have multiple back stories and may not be who they say they are.

We Chase Shadows is another entertaining crime book by Richard Osman.

The Forever War: America's unending conflict with itself

This book is largely a study of the extent of extremism and division in the United States of America and how it affects politics and daily living in that country. It is also a study showing that this situation is not new. In fact conflict has been rife in the USA for the past 250 years and the situation, unfortunately, is unlikely to change. In The Forever War: America's unending conflict with itself Nick Brant has written a history of issues which have always affected and divided American politics in the past and will probably continue to do so in the future.

The Forever War begins with a brief account of the events of 6 January 2020 when Donald Trump tried to over-rule the results of the election. Joe Biden was now the President and Trump had returned to Florida but would politics be the same again? 

Nick Bryant dispels myths that the confusion and mayhem occurring around Donald Trump and his followers was a new development. In this book he outlines the many events that have occurred in America involving assassinations and attempted assassinations, American gun laws, treatment and marginalization of people of colour and immigrants, slavery, women's rights particularly the right to abortion, the power of the Supreme Court, presidential electoral system, to name a few. 

The author examines the original documents on which American law is based and demonstrates weaknesses in the original documents which are interpreted in a different way from what was intended by those who wrote them. America has changed dramatically in 250 years and the founding fathers could never have foreseen how the original documents have been interpreted over time and certainly not in this century.

History and politics are intertwined and perhaps the world would benefit if more people examined past events in order to avoid continuing making the same mistakes. This particularly applies to the United States of America but also to the world in general. 

Nick Bryant is a British journalist who worked in the USA for many years but has now relocated with his family to Australia. In the final chapter of the book he describes this change in his career and the decision to now watch American politics from afar.