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. 

The Glass House

The Glass House by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion is the first book in the Menzies Mental Health series. Recently I read The General Hospital which is the third book in the series. The books can be read individually as stand-alone titles but if you plan to read the series it is best to start with the first volume to fully follow the development of the characters of the hospital staff and their work with the patients, many of whom appear in more than one book including Chloe, Junjie and Max.

Doctor Hannah Wright is a trainee psychiatrist at The Menzies Hospital. Although she has previously worked in General Emergency she encounters even more challenges in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. With other registrars in the department Hannah encounters a range of patients and medical conditions. The young doctors hold regular meetings to share their experiences with the patients and medical staff. Hannah is also facing traumas from her past with which she must come to terms.

The Glass House by Annie Buist and Graeme Simsion takes the reader into the world of a busy hospital and the daily challenges faced. The novel also introduces us to a range of sometimes complex characters as they attempt to counter the challenges of daily life. However, although there are dark issues at times, the thread of humanity is at the forefront along with humour. 

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women's Health at the University of Melbourne. With her husband, Graeme Simsion, she has written three novels in the Menzies Mental Health series. Graeme Simsion is best known for The Rosie Project and other books in that series.

The Detective

Reading fiction can lead you to investigate information mentioned in the book. The Detective is one such novel. 

Slavery is the theme in Matthew Reilly's latest crime thriller set in Louisiana and Texas. Seven years earlier, private investigator, Sam Speedman, unsuccessfully investigated the disappearance of a young woman who had vanished with three other prostitutes. When the body of a baby, enclosed in a doll, is found in a river, DNA tests link the child to Sam's missing person. Sam is now back on the case.

The Detective by Matthew Reilly leads the reader on a dangerous journey through swamps and rivers infested by alligators plus car chases along highways pursued by men hired to ensue that Sam does not find the truth. Sam has discovered links to six similar disappearances occurring in 1877, 1905, 1930, 1958 1988 and 2018. In each case the men investigating the case also disappeared. Sam does not want to join them.

Once you start reading The Detective you will discover that, despite entering at times a dark world, it is a book that is difficult to put down. The book is also laced with humour as Sam and his colleagues investigate the case.

Not living in America I always thought that slavery in the southern states of the USA ceased in 1865 with the end of the American Civil War. The Thirteenth Amendment stated that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The exception in the amendment led to the creation of Convict Leasing in the southern states which allowed prisoners to be used as unpaid labour. With the official abolishment of slavery, plantation owners needed another way to obtain cheap labour. This system officially continued into the twentieth century to be replaced by chain gangs in some states.

Convict Leasing - Equal Justice Initiative 

Convict Leasing System - Library of Congress 

Convict Lease System -New Georgia Encyclopedia 

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.

The Last Mandarin

Having read and enjoyed all of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries I was not sure about reading a different style of book where she is joint author with Melissa Fung, but I am glad that I did. Melissa Fung is a political journalist who has worked in various parts of the world and is particularly interested in human rights. 

The Last Mandarin is a fast paced thriller set in the USA and China. Life changed dramatically when every alarm suddenly sounded causing confusion, fear and accidents throughout the world. Then they stopped. What was happening? How had someone gained control of so many devices simultaneously? What would happen next?

When Alice Li receives a message from Liam, a fellow food blogger currently in Hong Kong, she realises that the message does not make sense. Then she learns that Liam has died. What is going on? Alice also learns that her mother, Vivien, is very different from the person she thought she knew as they team up on a frantic adventure travelling through parts of America, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China in a race against time to prevent further disaster that they know is planned. But who can they really trust?

As well as being a page turning adventure this is a novel about relationships, particularly the relationship between mother and daughter. Part of the back ground story refers to the legacy of the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang who created the Terracotta Warriors to guard him in the afterlife. The novel also looks at the ways governments throughout the world may react to impending disaster.

If you are looking for an exciting, tense, crime thriller to read, The Last Mandarin could be the answer. 

What you need to know about China's terracotta warriors and the first Qin emperor - Smithsonian Magazine 19 April  2024

The General Hospital

Dr Hannah Wright has returned to the Menzies General Hospital where she began her practical studies as a medical student. As a Psychiatry Registrar she spends her day gaining experience working in a variety of departments in the hospital. Hannah is part of the Consultation Liaison  team which she discovers, on arrival, initially in the basement of the hospital. Not that it really matters as the doctors spend most of their time working in the hospital wards.

The General Hospital by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion explores the busy life and challenges of a group of hospital staff and their patients. Cases that Hannah works with include Nova who was injured in a car accident where her husband and daughter died, Gareth who is diagnosed with a brain tumor, Max who is bi-polar and suffers from kidney failure, Junjie who suffered an injury that could destroy his aim of being a diver, Ishani who is suffering from burns to part of her body and lives in a controlling family environment, Chloe who has an eating disorder,  Meredith who has a terminal illness and Christina who is upset that the doctor who delivered her baby would not look at her birth plan before the child was born. Hannah's role is to discover the links between physical and mental health.

But Hannah's challenges are not just with the patients. She also has to contend with complicated family relationships and has also entered into a relationship with fellow Psychiatry Registrar, Alex, who has his own issues to work through.

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women's Health at the University of Melbourne. With her husband, Graeme Simsion, she has written three novels in the Menzies Mental Health series. Graeme Simsion is best known for The Rosie Project and other books in that series. Together, in The General Hospital, they have written a compassionate and often amusing account of hospital life assisting patients with mental as well as physical issues. I will now have to read the first three books in the series - The Glass House and The Oasis.

The River: a journey through the Murray - Darling Basin

In March I read a copy of Chris Hammer's non-fiction book, The Coast, where he wrote about locations on the eastern coast of Australia. In The River: a journey through the Murray - Darling Basin Chris Hammer records journeys he made in the summer of 2008-2009 to parts of the Australia's important river system. 

As well as the two main rivers there are many tributaries and river basins that cover a wide area of eastern Australia including southern Queensland, much of New South Wales, northern Victoria and part of South Australia. The importance of the rivers, and water in general, to people living in and working the land in those areas is one of the themes discussed, especially with the controversy about the implementation of irrigation systems in some regions.

As the author's discovery tours took place towards the end of a long drought that affected much of Australia resulting in the implementation of severe water restrictions, the important topics of water supply and water management feature throughout the book. During Chris Hammer's travels we also learn about the history of the regions he visits and how many of the regions have had to adapt or are changing. He interviewed a variety of local residents, each with a view of what was wrong with the rivers and water supply making it obvious that one solution will not please everyone.

As with The Coast, many of the regions visited are places I have visited and also where family members have lived on properties in the past. However this is a book that any Australian should read for an overview of an important part of our country and the country's river systems as a whole. The fragility of water supply in much of Australia, environmental issues and climate change are topics discussed as well as an overview of the history of local areas visited.

Additional information: 

Millennium Drought (River Murray 2002-2010) -  Dept for Environment and Water

The Drought That Changed Us - ABC