The Proving Ground

Increasingly we hear of the possible effects of AI on people's lives. 

In  Michael Connelly's new novel, The Proving Ground, the plot evolves around the death of a teenage girl when her former boyfriend may have been encouraged by his AI friend to kill her. Mickey Haller, now working as a lawyer in the Civil Court, has taken on the case to prove that the company creating the AI chatbot had produced a program with many flaws. The murdered girl's mother wants the firm to publicly admit that their program was responsible for the death of her daughter.

The novel follows the challenges faced by Mickey Haller and his team as they collect the evidence and witnesses to present their case to court, despite obstruction from those opposing the case. The second part of the novel follows the trial. Michael Connelly has produced a crime novel relevant to changes currently occurring in society. It is also a great book to read.

Uproar!: Satire, scandal and printmakers in Georgian England

Alice Loxton has the knack of choosing an aspect of life to describe a particular time frame in British history. In Uproar! the author investigates the lives and works of artists and satirists, particularly Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827), James Gillray (1756-1815), and Issac Cruikshank (1764-1811), who recorded aspects of British history in satirical caricatures. 

During the long reign of George III (1760-1820) artists created caricatures of people and events which were displayed in print shops to view and purchase. Some were compiled into books. Artists such as Rowlandson, Gillray and Cruikshank had the ability to quickly sketch a likeness of a person who was then portrayed in a satirical image. The images were then engraved on plates to be quickly printed, displayed and sold. 

This was the time of the American Revolution, the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, William Pitt the younger as prime minister dealing with a raucous opposition led by James Fox, the Gordon riots, industrial revolution, British abolition of the slave trade and the Regency period when the king was unable to rule. Plenty of material for the satirists to work with. However, by the Victorian period, attitudes had changed and the demand for the work of caricaturists had diminished. Eventually cartoons appeared in newspapers and magazines such as Punch and feature in daily newspapers today.

Uproar! provides a detailed account of the lives of the three main caricaturists in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Copies of many of their caricatures appear throughout the book. Through telling the story of the lives of the artists, the author also provides an overview of life in Britain at the time including events in other parts of the world impacting on life in Britain. Detailed notes, a bibliography and index are at the back of the book. 

Question 7

In Question 7 Richard Flanagan weaves biography, history, memoir and historical fiction in one book. Some of the topics covered include the experiences of the author's father as a prisoner of war in Japan, Leo Szilard and the bombing of Hiroshima, relationship between H G Wells and Rebecca West, a look at the little known futuristic books by H G Wells including one on an atomic bomb, treatment of Indigenous peoples in Tasmania, rivers and near death experiences - snippets of his family story and observations on world events and life are all interwoven in one short book.

The title of the book, Question 7, is based on a question asked by Anton Chekhov in his story, Questions Posed by a Mad Mathematician.

This title was one of the books considered for possible discussion by the Monash Alumni Book Club in March 2026. 

Richard Flanagan Question 7 - Whispering Gums March 2024

Question 7 - ANZ LitLovers Lit Blog January 2024

Question 7 review - The Guardian November 2023

The atomic bomb and a near death experience ... - The Conversation November 2023

In the Time of Five Pumpkins

In the Time of Five Pumpkins is the 26th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Over the years I have enjoyed reading many titles in this series. My mother also enjoyed reading about the activities of Precious Ramotswe and her friends as they investigated activities that occurred in their neighbourhood.

A husband asks the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to prove that his wife is cheating on him. Life then becomes complicated for the agency when the wife employs Precious to prove that her husband has been cheating on her. Precious' husband has an unwanted adventure when he goes fishing in a boat on a local dam. The locals are concerned as to when the rains will finally come and hopefully Mma Potokwani's pumpkins will grow. 

These are some of the concerns that feature in the latest installment in the series. Another pleasant, relaxing read about a small community in Botswana. 

Code of Silence: How Australian women helped win the war

A number of books have been written about the importance of codebreaking to win the Second World War. In Code of Silence Diana Thorp has written an informative account of the importance of Australian women during World War II who carried out top secret work for the military in the efforts to defeat the Japanese advance towards our country.

The book is based on interviews and written accounts by women who secretly worked in many locations throughout the country. The women were involved in collecting and deciphering messages intercepted from the enemy and passing them on to authorities. Some worked in intelligence, others worked in logistics or various supporting roles. They were all aware of the importance of secrecy and were careful to never discuss their work, including with family.

The book also provides background information about the effect of war on Australia as well as on the lives of some of the women when the war ended. This book is an important contribution to understanding the history of Australia during the Second World War as well as the role of women in the twentieth century. Detailed bibliography and notes are at the back of the book. 

The author ends her book with the following:

The small number of women in this book represent the thousands who voluntarily transformed their lives to take on unprecedented roles in the fight for their country. Their contributions were extraordinary, yet most remain unknown. This book is an attempt to reclaim, and to remember, these women's place in our history. 

The Haunting of Hill House

Hill House had a reputation for being haunted. As Dr Montague was interested in studying psychic disturbances he decided to rent the house for three months in order to study the house and any events that may occur. He invited a group of people to join him including Eleanor, Theodora and Luke. It soon became obvious that Hill House was not an ordinary home. But what was really happening there and why?

All the characters in The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson were affected by events occurring in the house but it is Eleanor who is the main focus of the story. Eleanor's mother had recently died and Eleanor had been her carer for many years. At 32 Eleanor has a fractured relationship with her sister and has no friends. She agreed to become involved in Dr Montague's investigation to restart her life and hopefully work out who she really is and what she wants from life. However Eleanor discovered more than she really wanted to.

The Haunting of Hill House is one of the texts for year 11 English. 

The Runner

Set in Richmond, Victoria, in 1919 we meet Charlie Feehan who lives with his mother and baby brother. The house was in a slum area in Richmond and the family struggled to survive, especially after the death of Charlie's father several months before. Charlie attended the local school but decided to try for a job as a runner for the local gangster, Squizzy Taylor, to provide the family with extra cash. Charlie's mother did not approve of her son working for Squizzy Taylor so Charlie had to keep the job a secret.

Mr and Mrs Redmond lived next door to Charlie's family and helped them when they could. Knowing that Charlie was an excellent runner, Mr Redmond offered to train Charlie to run in the annual mile race at Ballarat. After working for Squizzy Taylor for a while, Charlie decided that a safer career option would be take up Mr Redmond's offer.

The Runner, by Robert Newton, is a novel about challenges faced by many families trying to survive after the First World War. Squizzy Taylor was a real person whose gangster activities expanded into Fitzroy until he was killed in October 1927. Most of the other characters are fictional. Themes in the book include poverty, friendship, grief, organised crime, ambition and adolescence.

The Runner is one of the novels studied by my grandson in year eight. 

Eighteen: A history of Britain in 18 young lives

Eighteen stories about the lives of a selection of eighteen young people which compare their lives at eighteen with their later achievements. The chronologically arranged stories also provide an overview of the history of Britain from the seventh century until modern times.

Some of the individuals from history who appear in this book include The Venerable Bede, Empress Matilda, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jacques Francis, Queen Elizabeth I, Fionnghal (Flora MacDonald) Nic Dhomhnaill, Horatio Nelson, Mary Anning, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Vita Sackville-West, C S Lewis, Rosalind Franklin, Richard Burton and Vivienne Westwood.

For many of the young people in this book life held many challenges, particularly in their younger years, and for some it took many years to decide the path they wanted to follow. Some, of course, knew from an early age, what they hoped to do. 

In Eighteen by Alice Loxton, the author stresses that in order to achieve individuals need a mentor, someone who can offer encouragement and point the young person in the right direction to eventually find what they really want from life. This is a readable book encompassing both history and stories of how individuals achieved success. Another excellent book of history by Alice Loxton.

The Endless Sky

The Endless Sky is the 31st novel by Australian author, Di Morrissey. I read a number of her earlier titles many years ago and especially enjoyed those set in the Kimberley. This novel is mainly set in western Queensland among fossil fields in the red earth or in a set of secluded underground caves. 

Nicole and Stacie travelled to the region to seek a setting for a television show. They did not know what to expect when they set out but soon discover a new world with scenery they have not previously experienced. In the outback they learn about the world of fossils, including fossil smuggling, and the meaning of the land to the local indigenous people. When they are told that the caves and surrounding area are under threat from a secret potential development they decide that they should use their program to expose the impending threat to the area. A man that they met early in their adventure disappears so they naturally want to know what happened to him and why he left the camp.

As with Di Morrissey's other novels the setting of the book is a focal point and her descriptions of the landscape and sky are impressive. However much of the story is told through the dialogue of the characters and this does not quite work as disappointingly the dialogue resembles a monotone voice after a while. The book has an important story to tell but, in my opinion, it is not a must-read novel.

Eleanor: A 200 mile walk in search of England's lost queen

In December 2024 Alice Loxton walked from Lincoln to London to follow the path taken to carry the body of Queen Eleanora from Lincoln to Westminster Abbey in December 1290. 

Queen Eleanor had died in the village of Harby near Lincoln on 28 November. Eleanor's body remained at Harby for three days before being taken to Lincoln. From there the funeral procession continued to London where Eleanor's body was buried at Westminster Abbey on 17 December. The procession stopped at twelve locations on the almost two hundred mile journey. 

King Edward I later ordered that a series of memorial crosses should be erected indicating the places the procession stopped when carrying Eleanor's body back to London. Twelve monuments known as Eleanor Crosses were erected. Three of the Eleanor Crosses remain almost intact today at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross. 

 In writing Eleanor, Alice Loxton not only describes the challenges of making such a journey today, she also reflects on what the journey would have been like 700 years ago. Throughout the book the author reflects on the life of Eleanor and how she has been almost forgotten through the intervening years. However, if people look carefully, there are glimpses of her past to be found in the three Eleanor Crosses that survived the destruction of the Reformation and the English Civil War, plaques showing where other crosses once stood plus more recent memorials to remember the queen.

Alice Loxton, during the walk, also observes other indications relating to history and in doing so has provided a readable, entertaining account of past events and their significance. This is a book written for members of the general public to read and enjoy. If they wish, readers can then explore some of the topics further in other sources. At the end of the book the author provides a list of books and other sources to explore for further information plus a list of places and organisations that people might want to visit.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Eleanor and now plan to read other books by Alice Loxton. 

Evil Bones

Not her normal line of investigation, but when a decorated body part is found attached to a tree forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, is asked to investigate. It turns out that this is one of a series of mutilated animals that have been found. Concern grows as the killer is selecting larger animals for each kill. Could the next find be human? Temp and Detective Slidell work together to identify the killer before any more lives are lost.

Evil Bones is another fast paced crime novel by Kathy Reichs and is the 24th book in the Temperance Brennan series of crime novels. Another good read.

A Slowly Dying Cause

Checking this blog I found a post I wrote in 2022 for Something to Hide by Elizabeth George. In the final paragraph of the blog post I made the statement - I can now say that I have read a novel by Elizabeth George but it is highly unlikely that I will read any more. Unfortunately I have repeated the mistake made in 2022.

A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George is number 22 in her Lynley novel series. The murdered body of Michael Lobb is found in the family tin and pewter workshop. The case is investigated by Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford and her team and as the investigation proceeds it is realised that this is not a straight forward case, though they eventually make an arrest. Much later, detectives from London, Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, become unofficially involved in the investigation.

A large part of the book involves an employee of a mining company trying to convince Cornish landowners to sell or lease their property. At each visit we read the same spiel which becomes monotonous after a while. The sexual activities of a variety of characters feature throughout the book. The fate of the roof of Thomas Lynley's family home also takes up many pages. Throughout the novel pages from the journal of the murdered man are inserted, providing additional information. 

Elizabeth George, an American author, has made her name creating books within a perceived English setting. With a series of 22 books, obviously many people enjoy reading her novels. I almost gave up reading the book but then the author returned to the investigation, so I finished reading the 640 pages of the novel.

The Long Night

After meeting a new friend Em is kidnapped on the way home and so begins a night of terror. At the same time her mother, Jodie, is also attacked and is told that her daughter will be safe provided that Jodie does as she is told. Jodie has assistance from a friend who helps her hunt for her daughter. Neither of the women knows why they are targeted.

In The Long Night Christian White has written a fast paced thriller describing the ordeal of the two women as they try to escape the terror they are faced with. As the story progresses the novel inserts events in Jodie's life that occurred twenty years previously into the present action. For part of the book the two stories are meshed together as the women attempt to escape from their ordeal.

The Long Night is another Australian crime thriller that demands that the reader keeps reading to discover whether / how the women survive their ordeal of one long night.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

I almost didn't read this book but I am glad that I did. Two children, Sam and Sadie, met in a hospital where Sam was a patient and Sadie was visiting her sister who was also a patient. The two children bonded over playing computer games and so their friendship began. They did not see each other for many years until they met again at a railway station when they were both college students.When they discovered that the love of computer games had continued and they were both interested in designing games they decided to design a game together. Sam's friend Marx joined the team as a producer and the company, Unfair, was formed.

Computer games do form the background of the book but the novel is primarily about the relationships between the characters and how they cope with the challenges that life brings. As their company grows and the the importance of deadlines increases the main characters have to make decisions about work and relationships. Life is not always kind and can their friendship survive?

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by  Gabrielle Zevin is a novel about relationships and friendship, rivalry, creativity, tragedy and survival in a sometimes unkind world. The characters must decide what they really want in life, whether it be in the world created by computer games or in the actual world in which they live.

The title, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, comes from the Shakespeare play, Macbeth. Marx once suggested it as a possible name for their company. Marx described a game as the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea is that if you keep playing, you could still win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever. (page 405) The author suggests that this philosophy should also apply to how we view our life and its challenges.

This title was one of the books considered for possible discussion by the Monash Alumni Book Club in March 2026. 

The Long Shoe

Matt Giles lives with his girlfriend, Harriet, and his cat, Goodmonson, in a rented apartment. He has just lost his job, the lease of the apartment is about to expire and then Harriet disappears. But when Matt is offered the opportunity to move into an apartment block that Harriet had admired Matt hopes that the move might convince Harriet to return. There is one problem. The building owner expects Matt to report any suspicious activities of his neighbours to him. 

The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer is a humorous mystery novel written by British comedian Bob Mortimer in his normal dry style. There is a host of eccentric and possibly dangerous characters who may be involved with the wrong side of the law.  The story is revealed through the observations of Matt, Harriet and their former neighbour, Carol. Matt's conversations with his cat also add to the story. Matt needs to find Harriet but also needs to decide how he wants to live the rest of his life.

It's a Scorcher!

'It's a scorcher!' is a phrase often heard on a hot day in Australia and it certainly applied yesterday when the temperature reached 42 degrees. In contrast, today the temperature has returned to the mid-twenties. In his latest book William McInnes has compiled a selection of memories as to what makes an Australian summer. 

It's a Scorcher! tales of the Australian summer consists of meandering humorous observations on a broad range of topics illustrating how William McInnes and his family celebrated summer over the years. Many of the anecdotes refer to growing up in the second half of the twentieth century. 

Ten chapters are devoted to general observations about summer plus cricket (playing cricket as well as the Boxing Day Test, the Australian Open, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, watching television, biscuit tins reused each year, walking barefoot and then buying thongs, going to the beach, variety of swimwear and the many festivals held during summer in Australia. References to television and radio programs from the past may bring back memories of times gone by. 

Reading It's a Scorcher! will encourage readers to remember how their families enjoyed summers in Australia in the past as well as in the present.

Jasper Jones

Set in 1965, Craig Silvey has written a coming of age novel set in a remote Western Australian mining town. Thirteen year old Charlie Bucktin recounts the events that resulted from a knock on his bedroom window one night when Jasper Jones asked for his help. Charlie agrees to go with Jasper and they discover the body of a sister of a friend hidden in the bush. If they go to the police they know that Jasper will be accused of murder because he has Aboriginal heritage. They therefore decide to hide the body while attempting to determine who the killer might be.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is largely a book about relationships, often in dysfunctional families. It is soon obvious that the town has many secrets and the situation becomes worse with the fear that other crimes have / might occur. Trying to discover the truth proves to be a challenge. Meanwhile Charlie strives to maintain his friendship with his best fried, Jeffrey Lu, whose family are refugees from South Vietnam, as well as with Eliza, a girl he admires. Most of the story occurs in the summer holidays, however, Charlie also attempts to reduce the bullying that he encounters from a group of fellow students.

The novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey was published in 2009. It won the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010, Indie Book of the Year Award and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction. It was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award and a number of other awards. Jasper Jones was produced as a play in 2024 and was released as a film in 2017.

A Gentleman in Moscow

It is 1922 and Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest at the Hotel Metropol where he lives. However instead of returning to his large apartment he is relegated to a small room on the sixth floor. For the next thirty plus years the Count readjusts his life to the changing circumstances, not just personal changes but also evolving changes in Russian politics.

In A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles we observe the Count's interaction with the hotel staff and some of the guests. As the hotel is opposite the Kremlin we also encounter through hearsay, if not in person, some of the movers and shakers of the time. But it is the Count's observations about life in Russia that hold our attention. The Count also forms special friendships with other guests and staff, particularly nine year old Nina who becomes a special friend. 

Amor Towles, in this work of historical fiction, has created a memorial character in the Count as he adjusts to the many changes occurring in Russia during the first half of the twentieth century.

Murder in the Cathedral

Phryne Fisher and Dot Williams have been invited to Bendigo by Phryne's friend Lionel Watkins to attend his enthronement at the cathedral as Bishop of Bendigo . Phryne correctly suspects that Lionel also has another reason for her to visit him at Bendigo and he agrees to explain his concerns after the service. However all does not go to plan and during the service a member of the clergy is murdered. Phryne immediately becomes involved in assisting the police with their enquiries.

Much of the plot involves differences among the clergy working in the cathedral as well as differences between religious groups in general. Initially there is no shortage of suspects for what appears to be an impossible crime to solve. However as possible suspects are ruled out Phryne suspects a different reason for the murder.

Murder in the Cathedral by Kerry Greenwood is number 24 in the Phryne Fisher series of crime novels. As the author died earlier this year, it will also be the last. The books do not have to be read in order but some events in the story would be clearer if the last few books have been read, especially Death in Daylesford. Kerry Greenwood also wrote the Corinna Chapman mysteries which I enjoyed reading.

The House of Wolf

The House of Wolf by Tony Robinson is the first volume in a trilogy about events in the life of Alfred the Great who was king of the West Saxons from 871 to 886 and then king of the Anglo Saxons from 886 to 899. This is a work of historical fiction loosely based on a biography, The Life of King Alfred written in 893 by Asser, a Welsh monk. Throughout the novel chapters alternate with an account of life in Wessex, events occurring in Rome and Viking invasions of England. In this volume the story begins in 857.

King Aethelwolf (Aethelwulf) ruled Wessex but it was a divided country. His power in the kingdom was challenged by most of his children, Aethelbard (Bear), Aethelberht (Hawk), Aethelswith (Swift), Aethelred (Red), and Aethelfraud (Alfred) who was exiled from his family and spending time in Rome. There was also an older son who is not mentioned in the book. Vikings made occasional invasions along the coast and Aethelwulf travelled to Rome to obtain military assistance in defending his territory. However authority in Rome, particularly in the church is divided, and although an agreement is devised it is not concluded. 

Much of the story in the novel involves the differences between the older children as they vie for power, ignoring the threat to their country from outside forces. The older sons are particularly determined that their sister, Swift, should not have too much territory. Meanwhile in Rome, Alfred is works with some of the clergy to establish a school for impoverished students and generally help the poor. This view of Christianity is not approved by all sections of the church in Rome. As the threat of Viking invasion increases in many parts of Europe, division grows in the church hierarchy.

In The House of Wolf, Tony Robinson has commenced a readable fictional account of  life in Anglo Saxon times. I look forward to reading the next installment. Tony Robinson is visiting Melbourne in February 2026 to talk about his life including participation in the television series Blackadder, Time Team and other history related documentaries plus the writing of The House of Wolf.