Houdini Unbound: mystery, music and flying machines

Melbourne 1910 and the escapologist, Harry Houdini, was in town, set to amaze the citizens with his often 'death-defying' acts. In Houdini Unbound, the work of historical fiction by Alan Attwood, we first meet Houdini as he prepares to jump off a bridge into the waters of the Yarra River. What occurred during this escapade haunts Houdini throughout the novel.

Houdini spent five weeks in Melbourne performing regularly at Rickard's Opera House but he also had plans for a greater endeavour. He planned to be the first person to fly an aeroplane in Australia.

As well as telling of Houdini's Australian adventures the novel provides a picture of a man who is only obsessed with the plans for his next project and is oblivious to the needs of those around him, particularly his wife and those who work closely with him.

Alan Attwood paints a picture of life in Melbourne in 1910. Many of the characters in the novel are based on actual people and events though, being a work of historical fiction, additional characters and events are included. The novel reveals a glimpse into a mainly forgotten interlude in Melbourne's history.

When Houdini came to Melbourne -  Museum of Lost Things

Houdini's Melbourne bridge jump (sans corpse) - Wild about Harry Houdini

Houdini visits Australia - State Library of Victoria

Ancestors: the prehistory of Britain in seven burials

Who were the first people to live in what is now called England? When did they come? Where did they come from? We will probably never know the answers to these questions but archaeology and anthropology can help uncover some information about the past.

Professor Alice Roberts, who first came to our attention in the early days of Time Team, uses the case studies of seven ancient burials dating back thousands of years that have been discovered in England. Many of these discoveries were made hundreds of years ago but re-examining the bones, rereading the accounts of the discoveries and using new scientific methods to analyse the bones can provide new information.

Alice Roberts discusses the story of the discovery of seven ancient burials and what they can tell us. By doing so she provides an insight into the world of archaeologists and anthropologists working in this field. She also discusses changes in burial practices through the centuries.

All the Lonely People

Hubert Bird lived alone in London. His only company was his cat, Puss, who had adopted Hubert some years earlier. He came to London from Jamaica in 1958 - later referred to as the Windrush Generation after one of the ships that transported new settlers looking for work from Jamaica to Britain in the mid 1950s. He did find work and was employed in many occupations, eventually becoming a plumber supervising the work of other plumbers. But life was not easy, especially at a time when the colour of his skin and his accent made him stand out from those born in England. Eventually he met Joyce but, when they married, Joyce's family cut them both out of their lives because of Hubert's race.

Joyce and Hubert had two children, a daughter Rose and a son, David. Rose worked at a university in Australia while David appeared to have given up on life, preferring to exist on alcohol and drugs. When Joyce died Hubert was left alone living in the family home. He rarely left the house except to shop but during his weekly phone calls with Rose he told her about his friends and activities - though they were just stories.

One day there was a knock on the door and Hubert met a young neighbour, Ashleigh, who needed help. Although not really wanting to be involved Hubert and Ashleigh gradually formed a friendship. Then Rose told him that she was planning to come to visit him and looked forward to meeting the friends he always talked about. This threw Hubert into a panic. He needed to find some age appropriate friends, particularly friends named Dottie, Dennis and Harvey.

In All the Lonely People, Mike Gayle examines concepts of being alone and being lonely. Other themes in the book include racism, mixed marriage, drug addiction, friendship and the importance of communities. The story is told in two time frames, from the time that Hubert left Jamaica till the present and Now. Therefore we have the story of present day Hubert and his challenges as well as the gradual revelation of the background to Hubert's life story - why he acts the way he does. 

The importance of not cutting yourself off from family and friends when challenges occur is an important theme of the book. At one stage Hubert forces himself to look for friends and in doing so realises that there are many people who are alone and / or lonely. An attempt is made to rectify this situation in the local community.

Mike Gayle has written a compassionate, human and often amusing novel about a topic that affects many people, particularly today in our busy world.

My Favourite Mistake

My favourite mistake is the seventh book by Irish writer, Marian Keyes, in her Walsh Family series. Anna Walsh has been working in New York for many years but she is beginning to think that it is time for a change. During COVID, her relationship with Angelo had finished and she wanted to return home to Ireland, at least for a visit. She worked in New York as a publicity manager for a cosmetic company but it was now time for a change. When the borders reopened Anna resigned from her job and went home.

Eventually she was offered short time work in a small town where her role was to discover why there was vandalism in regard to a new building project and who was behind the discontent. She then discovered that she would be working with Joey Armstrong. This could become complicated as Anna and Joey had history.

As we follow the story of the events occurring in the town we also gradually learn about past events in the lives of Anna and Joey. They are both damaged individuals who are attempting to reclaim their lives, especially as they are growing older. Members of Anna's family also feature prominently throughout the novel.

The Rise and Fall of Australia: How a great nation lost its way.

British journalist, Nick Bryant, worked in Australia for the BBC for a number of years. Arriving in 2006 he was able to observe the chaos in federal politics with the constant change of leaders and government of the country being largely based on the Polls and perceived Public Opinion rather than on strong government and policy making. The book was published in 2014 but unfortunately the same political disorder continues in 2024.

In his analysis of Australian politics and governance, Bryant describes what is good about our country and culture as well as observing the chaos that is Australian politics in the twenty-first century. He observed how Australia had avoided the recent economic recessions that had impacted on other countries and suggested that countries such as England could have learned much from Australia. He discusses how our political systems developed from the British system, but Australia had led the way in implementing universal suffrage including votes for women, compulsory voting as well as preferential voting in most elections.

In The Rise and Fall of Australia, Nick Bryant observes how Australia has navigated what he calls 'the British century', 'the American century' and now 'the Asian century' as various foreign powers have impacted on our policy making and alliances.  For many years Australia depended on Britain but since the Second World War our alliances have been influenced more by America. 

For much of the book Nick Bryant observes what a great place Australia is to live in, however in many cases Australians are not aware of this. It is acknowledged that Australians generally do well at sport at home and overseas but for many years cultural cringe has influenced the thinking and beliefs of many Australians about our success in other areas. Australians have had success in art, theatre, films and music throughout the world, particularly in England, the USA and in other countries as well.

Generally we live in a country with many opportunities. We just have to elect politicians who will be prepared to govern the country wisely rather than just play politics. It may also help if journalists engaged in reporting the facts rather than just looking for a headline.

The Royal Librarian

Sophie Klein was living with her family in Vienna when Hitler annexed Austria. Sophie had promised her mother that she would take care of her younger sister, Hanna, but where could they go? As her father's family was Jewish, staying in Austria was not an option.

Sophie managed to find a place for Hanna with a group of other young children being shipped to the United States. Sophie had worked in libraries and as she was fluent in German and English she eventually managed to find a position working in a library in England where part of the job description was to translate German documents into English. The library position was at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

In this work of historical fiction by Daisy Wood, we learn of Sophie's life and challenges from 1938 until 1943. The story is also told from the viewpoint of Lacey Jones who lives in Philadelphia in 2022. One day Lacey discovers that her grandmother had been born in Austria and that her grandmother had a sister who had worked in England in the Royal Library. Lacey decides to go to England to try and find out about her great aunt's story and why her grandmother never mentioned her sister.

The Royal Librarian is a work of fiction laced with historical facts but the information about living in the castle during the war is mainly fictional. However the author creates an atmosphere of what living in Austria and England was like during the Second World War, including the fears faced by the citizens of England as they waited for the impending German attack. It is another readable book about the challenges of living in England during the Second World War.

Queen MacBeth

William Shakespeare wrote many 'historical dramas' which used the name of a famous person but usually completely distorted the facts of events when he wrote the plot. No problem except that some people believe that the story in the play must be true - for example the events portrayed by Shakespeare in the play Richard III [written for a Tudor audience], and his description of Richard, were believed to be the truth for centuries.

In the novella Queen Macbeth, Val McDermid sets out to portray the story of Gruoch ingen Boite who married Macbethad mac Findlaích (Macbeth). The story is told in alternate sections - one section is the story of Gruoch's early life and how she met Macbethad while the other section is an account of current events in her life. Much information about Macbeth and his family has disappeared over time but Val McDermid has attempted to include some of the known facts in this work of historical fiction.

A major scene in Shakespeare's play is the death of an elderly Duncan when he visited the castle and was killed by the Macbeths, however Duncan (1001 - 1040) was killed in a battle against Macbeth's men. A number of other well known names - Malcolm and MacDuff - appear in the book though once again events and time frames vary from history.

Queen Macbeth is part of Darkland Tales where a series of Scottish authors rewrite stories from Scotland's history, myths and legends.

Long John Silver:the true and eventful History of My Life of Liberty and Adventure as a Gentleman of Fortune and Enemy to Mankind

As a child, when on holiday on my grandparents' farm in southern Queensland, I discovered a small cupboard of books that once belonged to my mother and her brother. Among the books was a copy of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. One of the memorable characters in the book was the pirate, Long John Silver.

In Long John Silver by Bjorn Larsson (translated by Tom Geddes) we have John Silver's account of his long life at sea. The subtitle of the book - the true and eventful History of My Life of Liberty and Adventure as a Gentleman of Fortune and Enemy to Mankind - indicates that this will be a an account of exciting and dangerous exploits.

As John Silver nears the end of his life he realises that he needs to make his story known in contrast to accounts of his deeds and doings perpetrated by others. He is a wanted man and it is inevitable that although he is presently safe on the island of Madagascar he will eventually be discovered. He has no intention of being taken alive. The account of his sea-going adventures will be enjoyed by readers of the books of Patrick O'Brian. 

Throughout the book references to real people are made including Daniel Defoe who he meets researching a book about pirates and pirateering. John Silver provides him with some information on the condition that Silver's name is not mentioned. When John Silver completes his own account of his life at sea he bequeaths it into the care of Jim Hawkins.

All in all this is the story of a sometimes troubled man recounting and justifying the actions of his life at sea.

Hot Dog! Camping Time

And now for something completely different. My seven year old grand-daughter asked me to borrow Hot Dog 5 Camping Time from the library for her to read. She had read a number of other books in the Hot Dog! series by Anh Do. Together we checked the online library catalogue and found that all the copies were out so I placed a reservation. Several days later I collected a copy from the library for her to read.

Anh Do is well known as a comedian and artist and for writing the best-selling book, The Happiest Refugee. More recently he has written several series of books for younger readers including the Hot Dog! series which currently consists of 16 books. The books in this series are illustrated by Dan McGuiness.

Hot Dog and his friends Lizzie and Kev enjoy a camping adventure on rainbow Island. They have a lot of fun and also learn a number of skills including chopping wood, tying ropes, listening to sounds in the bush and most importantly resilience. These skills were put to good use when they became lost on the return trip and had to find their way home. 

The book is easy to read and full of humour and jokes that young children enjoy.