After Oscar: the legacy of a scandal

After Oscar: the legacy of a scandal is a detailed study of the attitude of scholars and the public to Oscar Wilde and his works after his death in 1900. The book is written by Oscar Wilde's grandson, Merlin Holland, in order to refute the myths that surround the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wild's mother changed the family name for herself and her to sons to Holland to protect them from public view. The book examines what life is like living in the shadow of an infamous writer and the difficulties encountered when your family story encounters fantasy created by other people.

Sections of the book include the time-frame 1897 when Wilde was released from prison until his death in 1900, then 1900-1918, 1918-1945, 1945-1967 and 1968-2024. The theme of society's attitudes to homosexuality over this period is outlined. The author looks at how his grandfather has been portrayed in the writing of others as well as in film. It is a long detailed work which I only looked at briefly, largely through lack of time to read it properly. There are detailed footnotes, bibliography and index as well as a section of photographs.

Mad Mabel

At 81 Elsie Fitzpatrick lives in her own home in a quiet lane in a Melbourne inner suburb. Elsie lives a quiet life but that is about to change when an elderly neighbour suddenly dies and Elsie discovers his body. We then learn that Elsie has a past which she has been hiding but, when events bring the stories of this past to the surface, the stories of Mad Mabel resurface and begin to haunt her again.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is Elsie's story of the past as well as the present day. As stories about Elsie's past begin to explode she decides to tell her story to two podcasters, Libby and Adeem, who arrive on her doorstep one day. Elsie decides that it is time that the truth about her past should be revealed.

Mad Mabel is a novel about relationships, especially the relationship that gradually develops between Elsie and her seven year old neighbour, Persephone. She also reluctantly adopts the dog of the neighbour who died or the dog adopts her. Those neighbours who initially shunned Elsie, due primarily to incorrect stories they have heard, come to realise her strengths and humanity.

The Drowning

CC was an only child and her best memories were the holidays she spent as a child with her cousins at a holiday house on the Victorian coast. A reunion of the cousins has been organised at The Shack to discuss the wills left by the cousins' father and grandfather. Although CC knows that she is to be a co-owner of the holiday house she does not expect the animosity shown to her by most of the cousins when the decision is official.

The Drowning by Fiona Lowe is about the complex relationships in a dysfunctional family. CC soon realises that some of the family object to her inclusion in the partnership and will work to have the legal decision over-ruled. She also discovers that involvement in this family is not what she had imagined as a child. As events unfold, CC realises that she needs help to sort out the complexities of her life and to work out who her friends really are and how she wants to lead her life. 

The Prospect

The Prospect by Fleur McDonald is her first crime novel set in Kalgoorlie. A journalist, Zara Ellison, and policeman, Jack Higgins have moved to Kalgoorlie from Adelaide as Zara has a job at the local newspaper. Jack has had to do additional training and work as a constable rather than the position of detective that he held in Adelaide, however shortly after his arrival in Kalgoorlie he is asked to join the detectives working on a new case. Jack and Zara both have to adapt to working  and living in a gold mining town. Meanwhile the newspaper where she is working is about to close down although Zara is certain that there are lots of stories in town to investigate.  

On an isolated stretch of road out of town, a car towing a caravan is forced off the road and the two occupants are found dead. Zara is the first person on the scene and is determined to find out what happened. Jack, of course, is also working on the case but is unable to provide her with any information. She therefore has to make her own investigations. Unfortunately these investigations pose a risk to her life.

An exciting well written crime novel embroiled in outback Western Australia.

The Missing

During Missing Persons Week sixteen year old Max Galbraith disappears from his home in Kalgoorlie. Twelve months earlier Brendan Cook had also disappeared and was still missing. Lily Carter, a radio host, starts asking questions about the disappearances on her program.

Detective Jack Higgins has remained in Kalgoorlie while his partner Zara Ellison returned to Adelaide to recover from injuries she received when investigating a story. Jack has yet to decide what his future will be. Detective Sergeant Angie Sullivan has recently arrived in Kalgoorlie from Perth and is adjusting to her new environment. Angie and Jack combine forces to find out what happened to the missing boys. Did the boys leave of their own accord or were they abducted? Surrounded by desert and mine shafts, the boys could be anywhere. Then Bree also disappears.

The Missing by Fleur McDonald is the second book she has set in Kalgoorlie and like The Prospect and The Witness, there are graphic descriptions of Kalgoorlie and the surrounding area. The personal lives and challenges faced by the characters are important features of the books. In The Missing the life and challenges faced by Smurf, a Vietnam veteran, are important to the novel.

The Witness

When she was five, Molly Walker watched the murder of her mother, Constable Sammi Walker, in Newcastle. Twenty years later the bodies of Eric and Iris, who had adopted Molly many years previously, were found in a wrecked car on a lonely country road near Kalgoorlie. Is there a connection or is it just coincidence? Detective Jack Higgins is put in charge of the investigation and is assisted by Detective Angie Sullivan, although she is officially on maternity leave, plus other members of his team. 

As well as being a crime novel, the book looks at the challenges faced by young mothers looking after their baby, especially when the baby has sleep issues at night.  

The Witness by Fleur McDonald started slowly but improved as the investigation progressed, though I worked out the name of the person behind the deaths early in the book. This is the third book by Fleur McDonald set in the area around Kalgoorlie. 

The Wartime Book Club

During World War Two Germany invaded the Channel Islands including Jersey which is where Kate Thompson has set her historical fiction novel, The Wartime Book Club. Grace is determined to keep the library on the island open as reading books is one of the few avenues of escape for the residents of the island. Many people visit the library to read and or borrow books and Grace also regularly cycles to parts of the island delivering books to those who cannot easily visit the library themselves. Then the suggestion is made that Grace should establish a book club in the library. 

Grace's friend, Bea, works at the post office where she sorts the mail and makes deliveries each day. Through her job she becomes aware that the mail service is being used by some inhabitants of the island to report the possible misdemeanors of neighbours to the Germans. This is just one way some islanders place the lives of their neighbours in danger.

As the war drags on, life becomes more difficult for the locals living on an island where there are severe food shortages and their every move is watched by an enemy who becomes increasingly dangerous with the realisation that defeat is around the corner. 

The Wartime Book Club is one of several novels written about life on the Channel Islands during the Second World War. Other books include The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, Dancing with the Enemy by Diane Armstrong and The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat. At the end of the novel Kate Thomson includes information about the sources used when writing the book plus events and people who inspired the creation of The Wartime Book Club.

Sound Mind Dead Body

Dave Warner is one of Australia's many well known writers of crime fiction. So far his novels have been set in Australia but in Sound Mind Dead Body, Dave Warner has altered course and set this Agatha Christie style mystery in an English country house in Devon.

During the First World War, Australian pilot, Fred Willets, rescued another pilot whose plane was shot down. The pilot did not survive but his father, Richard de Reve, was forever grateful to Fred for the attempt to save his son's life. Fred returned to Western Australia where he worked as a detective in the outback. Then in 1929 Fred was summoned to England for the reading of the will of Richard de Reve which included a bequest for him.

The de Reve family can be described as complicated. Fortunately a staff member has kept a copy of the family tree in her diary and the family tree plus plans of the house appear at the front of the book. Gradually we are introduced to the people invited to the family home for the reading of the will. As you would expect in an Agatha Christie style novel, it is not long before a series of crimes including a robbery and the discovery of two dead bodies occur.

The events occur at the weekend as a storm approaches so Fred is charged with the initial investigations. Assisting him is the local pharmacist, Prudence Meadows. It is obvious that the crimes were committed by someone in the house, but who and why?

Sound Mind Dead Body is an enjoyable cosy crime inviting the author to solve the mysteries. 

The Marriage Trap

During the 1960s there were many changes in attitudes to sexual relationships and the use of contraceptives.  The Marriage Trap by Victoria Purman is a novel exploring the relationship between Olive Langley and her daughters Cathy aged 20 in 1960 and Evelyn aged 10 as they encounter new attitudes and opportunities during the decade.

Olive, a member of the Catholic Church, had difficulty in accepting that attitudes were changing and her mother-in-law was never going to accept any attitudes that were different from her strict Methodist beliefs. So when Cathy, who was studying to be a teacher, became pregnant outside of marriage it was immediately decided by older family members that she should leave home until the baby was born and adopted by another family. However, Cathy and her partner Andy stood their ground and insisted that they would marry and keep their child, although it meant that Cathy would not be able to finish her studies and become a teacher if she was a mother.

The Marriage Trap in many ways provides a social history of the period as Cathy adapts to her new life as a mother. She gradually builds a new network of friends and learns of a method of contraception becoming available to help women control their fertility. However it is some years before the Pill becomes readily available and there are still doctors who will not prescribe it.

The story is told showing the lives of Olive and Cathy as well as Evelyn who observes what is happening around her and when she turns 20 knows how she wants to control her life.

The Hobart Hotel

The second book that I have read set in a hotel this week - this time the hotel is the Wrest Point Riviera Hotel (Riviera Hotel) in Hobart opened in 1939. The Hobart Hotel by Mary-Lou Stephens consists of the stories of two women, one story beginning in 1939 and the second beginning in 1973 with the opening of Wrest Point Casino.

When Sabine Winters attended the grand opening of the hotel in  December 1939 she did not anticipate the events that would lead her to Uruguay where she would be risking her life investigating Nazi sympathisers.

When the casino opens in Hobart, Jenny Davies has the opportunity to become a Ladybird, one of the casino staff. This results in her leaving home and making friends in a very different environment from the one she grew up in.

In her new novel Mary-Lou Stephens provides us with the events that dramatically changed the lives of these two women, along with their back stories, until the stories become intertwined by the end of the book. The hotel maintains an important role throughout the book.

Wrest Point Riviera - Pauline Connolly.com 

The Chateau Marmont

After the death of her parents, Aria Jones is sent to live with her aunt, the actress Devine Rey, at the Chateau Marmont. In this alien environment, Aria meets two young actresses, Flitter and Calliope, who befriend her and the three girls refer to each other as sisters. She also meets the musician Theo Winchester and his daughter, Adele. Aria becomes Adele's governess.

But Aria soon realises that all is not well at the hotel and that the life of a young actress is full of additional challenges, especially when auditioning for parts in films directed by certain directors. She also begins to fear that the hotel is haunted by a ghost who wanders the corridors at night. It is not long before Aria realises that she might be a target of the ghost. Aria cannot afford to leave the hotel until she turns 21 so she must make the best of her life there until she can escape and really live the life she wants to live.  Eventually the opportunity arises and Aria escapes the hotel to discover herself in Europe.

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester is largely a book about relationships and finding the true path but it is also about dealing with grief, learning to trust and living your own life. A major theme is the fight for the abolition of sexual power exerted over female actors by some men in the film industry.

The Chateau Marmont is a work of fiction set in a large hotel with the same name situated on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, since 1929. The hotel has become known as the home of the rich and famous. 

Chateau Marmont - Wikipedia   

The Oasis

In The Oasis by Ann Buist and Graeme Simsion, trainee psychiatrist, Hannah Wright, is working at the outpatient clinic of The Menzies Hospital. While there, she meets many patients with a variety of issues and conditions, including some she had treated at the hospital when doing medical rounds there.

Much of the book also concentrates on issues faced by the staff professionally in their work with patients as well as understanding their own mental health. Hannah is dealing with events that occurred during her childhood when her parents fostered children over many years. The reader also learns of the extensive training undertaken by trainee psychiatrists in order to be fully qualified.

This is the second book in the Menzies Metal Health series - three books so far. The books provide a human and sometimes slightly humorous account of life working in the mental health field.

The Shock of the Light

Tessa and Theo are twins and thus have always experienced a close relationship. They live in Cambridge, England, but as their mother is French the twins, especially Tessa, have learned to speak French and have visited that country. Their father is a professor at the university. When the twins complete their secondary education the plan is that they should both study at Cambridge. Although the university accepts female students they are not entitled to graduate with a degree so Tessa decides to go to France and study for a degree at the Sorbonne. This is the first time that their lives take separate paths.

While in Paris Tessa becomes friends with an artist named Luc. Then something happens to break that friendship which Luc does not understand. Tessa returns home. When war breaks out Theo enlists in the RAF. Tessa has a secretarial job but is then told to go for an interview allowing her to help in the war effort. Her family is not to be told what she is doing.

After training Tessa ends up working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is parachuted into France to assist members of the Resistance and to report  secret messages back to London. It soon become obvious that someone is attempting to sabotage the mission.

The first part of The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall is Tessa's story. Part two is told from Theo's perspective. Part three is set in London in 2003 where a PhD student, Edie is writing a thesis on the SOE and she makes contact with Theo to find out what happened to Tessa. Edie also wants to know why Tessa's story was never made public.

This novel provides a study of the women who worked in the SOE but also examines the effect of war on members of families, especially when a family member disappears without a trace. This book provides a compassionate study of the effects of war on families, especially when they are attempting, without success, to discover what happened to their loved ones.

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 

Son of Nobody

When Canadian scholar, Harlow Donne, has the opportunity to continue his studies at Oxford University he grabs the chance though it means leaving his wife and eight year old daughter, Helen, at home in Canada. When carrying out his research in the library he discovers an excerpt from an Ancient Greek manuscript which appears to be part of an account of the Trojan Wars that differs from Homer's account in The Odyssey and The Iliad. This account appears to be provided from the viewpoint of an ordinary soldier -  Psoas, Son of Nobody. Donne spends the rest of his time in England looking for other clues in order to investigate this alternative version of the story.

 In Son of Nobody, Yann Martel has structured his novel so that the excerpts of the story that Donne discovers are gradually revealed to the reader on the top of some of the pages of the book. A horizontal line divides each page and, in the section below the line, Donne adds footnotes providing explanations and additional information to some of the content. Notes in this section also reveal the deteriorating relationship between Donne and his wife as well as his relationship with his daughter to whom he dedicates the Greek poem he is discovering.

Son of Nobody is a story of parallels illustrating the effects of separation due to war and work plus family relationships as Donne investigates a new telling of a mythical world.

Some reviews: 

Son of Nobody (review) - The Guardian  (20 April 2026)

Ancient texts and marital breakdown: Yann Martel's Son of Nobody descends into implausibility (review) - The Conversation 

 Son of Nobody (review) - Open Letters Review

Three Reasons for Revenge

Set in Melbourne, Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan is an enthralling crime thriller that begs to be read to the final page with few interruptions. When Detective Sergeant Judith Lee interviews Alexis Turner, a young woman who comes to her with the story of a psychologist  who sexually assaulted her, Judith is not prepared for the drama and danger that is to follow.

The story revolves around three parcels that are delivered to three different people. Initially the parcels appear innocent but before long chaos has ensued for the recipient followed by the deaths of two people and the arrest of a third for murder. Judith realises that ten years ago she interviewed a young woman with a similar story and obviously wants to investigate.

This is very much a character driven novel though different locations in the city of Melbourne and other parts of Victoria feature  throughout the story. There are lots of twists and turns as Judith gradually unravels the convoluted threads being laid by the murderer and events of the past become events of today. Three Reasons for Revenge is definitely a good book to read when you have plenty of time to enjoy reading and can become thoroughly involved in the events of the story as they are revealed.

Dark Desert Road

Australian author, Tim Ayliffe has written a suspenseful novel about a sovereign citizen community in the Riverina district of New South Wales. Dark Desert Road is the story of police officer Kit McCarthy who has been told to take leave as she recovers from working with traumatised children for three years. Kit then receives a message from her twin sister, Billie, who she hasn't been in touch with for ten years. The message is brief - Billie is in danger and she has a child. Kit knows that she must locate her sister and nephew - now.

Sovereign citizen communities have been in the news during the past few years and much of the action of the novel is set in such a community as members wage their war against the government and practically everyone else who does not share their beliefs. Motor bike gangs also feature prominently in the novel as they attempt to avenge the death of one of their members. Kit's father is in prison and is not impressed that he has a daughter who is a police officer. However he is proud of the daughter who married a former US soldier who shares his views that the laws of the land do not apply to sovereign citizens. Despite putting her life in danger Kit is determined to locate her sister and the child she has never met. 

Dark Desert Road is a fast moving thriller that explores bonds in a family that has imploded plus the break-down of society and the rule of law in some communities. Once started, this is crime novel is a book that is difficult to put down until the conclusion is revealed. 

What Rhymes With Murder?

Frida and Ben have a six month old son, Finn, who they both love dearly. But Frida has trouble adapting to motherhood and is constantly afraid that something might happen to Finn. She sees a psychiatrist regularly and knows that she must make an effort to leave the house and explore the outside world again with her son. However it is not easy.

Then she decides to attend the Baby Rhyme Time session with Finn at their local library. Finn appears to be enjoying the session and Frida begins to relax and chats to some of the parents until there is a scream and a body is discovered in the library. Things like this should not happen in suburban East Melbourne. When Frida tries to work out what actually happened she discovers that a number of other library users also have opinions about how Beatrice died.

What Rhymes With Murder by Penny Tangey is primarily an amusing cosy crime novel that also has a serious side as it also touches on themes of abortion, post-partum depression, anxiety and women’s rights.  The novel follows the attempts of an eclectic collection of amateur sleuths as they investigate the cause of how and why a body landed on the floor of the library. Eventually they join forces in their investigation and, as well as discovering what happens, new friendships are formed.

What Rhymes With Murder is an easy to read crime novel which includes references to parts of East Melbourne that will be familiar to many readers. I suspect that there may be sequels to this book in the future.

The Gambler

Private Investigator Vince Reid is on another case when a family friend asks him to investigate why a young girl was murdered. The person who shot Katie was also shot dead and the case is closed but it is not known why anyone would want to kill her.

During the investigation Reid discovers a gambling scam which might be behind the crime, but how could this involve Katie? He also finds links to another murder committed twenty years earlier. What is the connection to the two cases?

The Gambler by New Zealander J P Pomare, who now lives in Australia, is a fast paced crime novel set in America. The story is primarily told from the perspective of Reid who is investigating the case, Katie the victim and Barbara who pulled the trigger along with occasional links to the earlier crime. It is another crime fiction novel well worth reading.

The Celts: search for a civilization

History tells us a lot about the Greek and Roman empires. However they were not the only peoples living in Europe and western parts of Asia at that time. A general term for many of these, often different, groups of people is Celts but who were they and where did they come from?

Alice Roberts in The Celts: search for a civilization sets out to discover who the people we refer to as Celts really were and any cohesion that might exist between different groups of Celtic people. Existing knowledge about the Celts comes from references to them in Greek and Roman works. The Greeks and Romans each had a written language which provided their viewpoint on the world around them. However to the Greeks and Romans the Celts were inferior peoples, often considered invading savages.

In this book Alice Roberts sets out to explore what is known about the lives of the Celts through past and continuing archaeological excavations, historical information about these people, the ethnic and biological studies as well as linguistic investigations. Although similarities are often found there are also differences between Celtic peoples in parts of Europe.

In later chapters the author investigates recent theories that some of the earliest Celtic settlements may have been in Portugal and not eastern Europe. The settlements near the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic Ocean were centres for trade throughout Europe, including Britain and Ireland, from earliest times. Peoples from these regions could have merged with people in countries they visited for trade. It is also believed that Celtic peoples crossed over into Britain via Scandinavian counties.

We will probably never know the full history of the various Celtic groups but study can still be done investigating archaeological finds, bones, art, and other clues to the lives of these people in our history and in the ancestors of Celtic groups today.

A New Kind of Dreaming

When teenager, Jamie Riley, arrives at Port Barren on the coast of Western Australia he does not know what to expect. After Jamie had been caught stealing cars he was told that this was his last chance. His brother is in gaol. Next time he too would end up in gaol. Instead he has been sent to what might be the most isolated place on earth. On three sides Cape Barren is surrounded by desert - sand with a few scrubby bushes. The ocean borders the fourth side. On arrival in the town Jamie was greeted by his social worker, Lorraine, who introduced him to Archie who owned the house where Jamie would be staying.

Jamie gradually became familiar with his new surroundings but had difficulty fitting in at school. It was not long before he met the town police sergeant who made it clear that he would be watching Jamie very closely. If anything happened in the town it was obvious that Jamie would be blamed.

One day Jamie found an old boat on the beach and went to investigate. The story of how the boat ended up on the beach is an important part of the story. The boat is also where Jamie meets a fellow student, Cameron, and over time they become friends. Jamie knew that something bad happened in the town and was determined to investigate. He did not expect, however, that his life would be in danger.

 A New Kind of Dreaming by Anthony Eaton is a YA crime novel with some of the themes being friendship, trust, refugees, finding your place in the world, learning to belong in a new and strange environment and survival in the desert. It is one of the books that my grandson needed to read for school in year eight. As we read the book together, the story captured his imagination and he looked forward to discovering what happened next.

A New Kind Of Dreaming - Notes - University of Queensland Press 

Normal People

Normal People by Irish author Sally Rooney is a study of adolescent relationships. Connell and Marianne are students in their final year of school in a small town in Ireland. Connell is one of the popular students at the school while Marianne is mainly ignored by her fellow classmates. Marianne comes from a well to do family that hires Connell's mother to clean their house twice a week. Her mother would never approve of Marianne having a friendship with the son of their cleaner. Despite this, Marianne and Connell do become friends but it must be kept a secret. Both Connell and Marianne do very well in their final exams and gain places to study at Trinity College in Dublin.

Normal People traces the on again / off again relationship between Marianne and Connell from January 2011 to February 2015. They both have encounters with other people but they continue to have a strong connection resulting in them reforming their partnership from time to time. Whatever happens there appears to be a bond between them that cannot be permanently broken. When problems arise they are quick to support each other though obstacles continue to occur to stop their relationship becoming a lasting one. At one stage Marianne observes to herself that it would be good to be normal people.

Two Islands

Niko and his family experienced many horrific experiences during the Balkan wars including the death of his father. His mother approached the Australian Embassy in Zagreb hoping to gain approval for the family to move to Australia. Shortly afterwards Niko was approached to see if he was prepared to tell his story as war crimes were being investigated. This led to Niko meeting Anita, an Australian working for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. As Niko was prepared to identify in court one of the Serbian leaders he was granted protection and moved to England until the trial. Then he disappeared.

On the west coast of Scotland are many islands including two small isolated islands, Skarnsey and Thorkil's Isle, and it is to these islands that Niko fled to try and find safety. Niko is not the only damaged soul seeking refuge on the islands. Fergus had served in the British army in Ireland as well as in a peacekeeping regiment in the former Yugoslavia. Incidents that he witnessed continue to torment him. Ronnie returned to the islands after service in the Second World War and well understands the traumas affecting the new arrivals.

Two Islands by Ian Kemish is a work of historical fiction that, as well as providing information about recent conflicts in the twentieth century, examines the long-term trauma of those involved in such conflicts. The novel contains the stories of Anita who is searching for Niko, Niko himself, Fergus and Ronnie. This is a story of relationships as the villagers come to understand the strangers who have arrived on their shores. Everyone has a past but everyone should also have a future. It is therefore also a story of hope.

Two Islands is definitely one of the best books that I have read so far this year.

Balkans war: a brief guide - BBC 

The Two Hundred Years War: the bloody crowns of England and France 1292-1492

The One Hundred Years War between England and France actually covered 116 years from 1337-1453. In this study of European history during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the author argues that the conflicts need to be examined over a longer time period so he has extended his study from 1292-1492. He also looks at events occurring in other nearby countries affected by the conflict between France and England. Burgundy, Brittany, Flanders, Navarre, the Low Countries, Castile, Portugal and Aragon were some of the countries / territories impacted by the conflicts in this period. Scotland and Wales were also areas impacted during this time as they pursued their own differences with the English.

The Two Hundred Years War: the bloody crowns of England and France 1292 to 1492 by Michael Livingston also provides information about wars between these two countries that occurred immediately before and after his designated time period. This study includes maps, a series of coloured images, detailed notes, a bibliography and index. The book has also been published under the title Bloody Crowns: a new history of The Hundred Years War.

Five Golden Wings

Another Meg Andrews' Christmas special. This time, two of Meg's cousins decide to be married at Caerphilly on the Saturday before Christmas. Of course, they and family members move into the home of Meg and Michael, Meg's parents house and the home of Delaney and Rob. Naturally chaos follows as the two cousins are being married at different times at the same church. They also do not like each other and are very competitive. No-one really wants, or needs, the chaos that ensues.

Not only is the family involved in getting ready for Christmas but they also have to deal with differences of opinion that occur between members of the two wedding parties and associated family members. Added to this is the photographer who, to put it mildly, is a demanding and not very pleasant, character. Meg is left with supporting family members who have been insulted and verbally abused by the temporary guests. Then there is, of course, a murder.

Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews carries on the tradition of including birds, this time three eagles, in the story and the title. The book is another amusing, entertaining, light crime read.

The Cursed Road

We first met DI Georgina (George) Lennox and DI Richard (Ritchie) Stewart in the crime novel, The Wolf Tree, by Laura McCluskey. The Cursed Road is the sequel to that novel. 

When the body of a young unidentified woman is discovered in the highlands of Scotland and a possible link between the victim and a cold case from ten years previously, George and Ritchie are assigned the case. The young woman's body was found at the side of a road known to the locals as 'the cursed road'. For hundreds of years there has been a feud between two families living near the road.

The Cursed Road takes the reader into a world of mystery, intrigue and horror as the two detectives try to discover the identity of the murdered woman and who killed her as well as links that might help them solve the cold case that Ritchie first worked on ten years previously. George and Ritchie are still coming to terms with health issues resulting from their previous case. Journalist, Hendry Shaw, is also back on the scene looking for an interview with George for a story he is working on.

The Cursed Road by Laura McCluskey is a gripping police procedural set in, at times, an almost gothic atmosphere. A new addition to the genre of Tartin Noir.

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, published in 2003, is the story of a young boy, Amir, the son of a wealthy Pashtun family in Kabul, Afghanistan, and his close friend, Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Coming from different backgrounds, the two boys to some extent experience different lives but still enjoy the opportunity to spend time together. The highlight of each year is the annual kite running competition. But Afghanistan is about to enter turbulent times and the lives of the boys are to drastically change.

The Kite Runner is a story about friendship, betrayal, attempting to seek forgiveness, father-son relationships, seeking truth, trust as well as an account of the lives of those living in Afghanistan during a series of revolutions. Amir and his father went to live in America but, after his father's death, Amir received communication from a family friend asking him to visit him in Pakistan where he was now living. This visit led Amir to return to Afghanistan to try and right a mistake from his past.

Having read this book immediately after reading Ian McEwan's book, Atonement,  I noticed similar themes where a mistake made by young people results in the perpetrators experiencing feelings of guilt throughout their life and the need to atone for their past behaviour. 

This is not necessarily an easy book to read but I found that I was compelled to keep reading to the end of the book.

Timeline: Afghanistan's turbulent history - ABC  

Atonement

It is 1935 and thirteen year old Briony Tallis is spending time with her family at their country house in England. As three of her cousins have joined them, Briony decides to organise them to take part in the performance of a play she has written. This plan is easier said than done.

Part one of Atonement by Ian McEwan deals with events occurring in the Tallis household in1935  including a secret relationship between Briony's older sister, Cecelia, and  Robbie Turner. Briony, who loves writing, observes events as they occur around her and makes assumptions about what she notices. Unfortunately she jumps to incorrect conclusions that destroys relationships between family members and friends.

Part two deals with the the horrific experiences of British and French soldiers endeavouring to reach the north coast of France for the Dunkirk evacuation between 26 May and 4 June, 1940.

Part three provides us information about Briony's experiences during the war when she working as a nurse in London hospitals and witnessing the often severe war injuries of rescued soldiers. On a day off she also visits the wedding of two of the protagonists from part one of the book and later that day has an encounter with her sister and Robbie. She is looking for a way to make amends for her past behaviour.

The plot then jumps to 1999 when Briony attends a celebration for her birthday in a hotel which used to be the family home. By this time she has become a successful author but her last novel will not be able to be published until after her death and the death of two of the protagonists in the book. The reader also becomes aware of a twist that occurred in part three of the novel.

Atonement is a book about family relationships, class, impact of war, guilt and the need for atonement as well as what is really required to become a writer. The novel, published in 2001, was nominated for many awards, winning some, and was made into a film in 2007. It is one of Ian McEwan's best known novels.

This Novel Had Everything - Penguin Books 

Atonement by Ian McEwan is a meditation on creativity in later life - The Conversation

Dunkirk evacuation - Britannica

Atonement (novel) - Wikipedia

Sceptred Isle: a new history of the fourteenth century

In Sceptred Isle, historian Helen Carr has written an overview of fourteenth century English history. The book covers the reigns of Edward II, Edward III and Richard II with the many challenges that occurred including wars with Scotland, France and Spain, plagues, unrest between the king and his advisors, disputes with the church and peasants' rebellions.

The fourteenth century was therefore a time of unrest and change. Each king also discovered the difficulties of working with others who often saw opportunities for gaining power and riches for themselves. The king also had to contend with the power held by the church though, during the fourteenth century, the teachings and control of the congregations by church leaders were beginning to be challenged by people such as John Wycliffe.

Since the Norman invasion, England had been ruled as a feudal entity, however with so many of the population dying due to waves of the plague as well as soldiers being killed in battles, the peasants began to assert their power to gain more control over their lives and certainly better pay and conditions.  

The fourteenth century saw the beginning of the Hundred Years War and accounts are provided of some of the many battles occurring at this time. Battles with Scotland also continued for many years.

Helen Carr, in Sceptred Isle, has provided a readable introduction to the end of the rule of the Plantagenets in England.

Cat's People

This is a story about a black cat and the people he befriends - Núria, Collin, Omar, Bong and Lily. The cat has a variety of names - Cat, Gatito and Itim. He lives on the street but each day is fed by Núria who feeds a number of cats in the neighbourhood each morning before going to work. As Núria likes wearing bright clothes Cat thinks of her as the Rainbow Lady. Then there is Collin who builds Cat a shelter near the back door of his home. Cat's name for Collin is Awkward Neighbor Guy. Omar (Cheery Mailman) delivers the post to local residents and Cat often accompanies him on part of his journey, especially when Omar stops at Bong's small grocery store and purchases Cat a treat. Then Lily (Bright-Pink Person) arrives in the neighbourhood looking for the sister she never knew.

The story in Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero is revealed via the viewpoint of Cat and his five people. We learn not only of the challenges and fears they face but how their individual care for a stray cat brings this small community together helping them make decisions impacting on their future. Once you start reading Cat's People you will want to continue reading until the story ends.

The Importance of Being Earnest and other plays

The Importance of Being Earnest was one of the plays we studied at school many years ago. I also remember seeing a theatre production of the play a few years later. When my grand-daughter told me she was playing Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest in a school production I decided that I should read the play again before going to watch this version of the play.

Oscar Wilde wrote the play in 1894 and the first production was in February 1895. Despite a scandal concerning Oscar Wilde, the play has remained popular and has also been made into a film. The Importance of Being Earnest is the fourth of a series of plays satirising the upper class in Victorian England. In this volume the other three plays, Lady Windemere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband are included as well as Salome.

Characters in The Importance of Being Earnest include Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew, Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism, Dr Chausable, Lane and Merriman. Jack and Algernon are friends who meet regularly in London but in order to escape the country house where he lives, Jack has created an imaginary friend called Ernest. Algernon uses a similar ploy which he calls being a Bunburist. 

When Jack comes to town to propose to Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen, Algernon decides to travel to the country where he meets Jack's ward, Cecily. Life becomes complicated when Algernon also uses the name Ernest. To confuse matters further, when Jack is asked to reveal his parentage all he knows is that he was found in a bag left at a railway station. By the end of this three act play the truth is revealed and all's well that ends well. 

I look forward to seeing a version of the play again.

The Importance of Being Earnest - LitCharts 

The Red Prince: the life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster

John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III, was never a king, however he played an important role supporting the kingship of his nephew, Richard II, as Richard struggled to be a leader. John was known as a good mediator in disputes at home and overseas. However he had many enemies who plotted against him. Despite these challenges his family was influential in the leadership of England for many years.

Historian, Helen Carr has written  the book, The Red Prince, to provide an account of England during the life of John of Gaunt and also clarify some of the misconceptions about his life as well as his achievements and failures. 

This is an excellent book providing an introduction to a dramatic period of English history. As the author writes there are huge gaps in the available information about these historic times. Much of the information that is available is written by individuals promoting a viewpoint that would receive approval from those currently close to the king. It is therefore a challenge for historians to sift through the information that is available and attempt to discover what really was happening in the second part of the fourteenth century.

John of Gaunt: father of England's Medieval Monarchy and self styled Spanish king - History Extra 

Burial Rites

 

Last year I read the memoir of Hannah Kent, Always Home, Always Homesick, in which she mentions visiting the location where her novel Burial Rites was set. Burial Rites is a novel of historical fiction about Agnes Magnúsdóttir, who with two others was accused of murdering two men. Agnes was executed on 12 January 1830 for her alleged part in the crime.

 

In Burial Rites by Hannah Kent we first meet Agnes when she is in prison awaiting her execution. To say that she is being mistreated in prison would be an understatement. Then one day she is taken from prison to a farm where she is to spend the rest of her life. The farm is a property where she once lived as a young child. Most of the family is not welcoming to the new arrival. 

 

A minister is sent to prepare Agnes for her impending death but it is sometime before she feels that she can begin to confide in him. Eventually the reader learns about Agnes' early life as well as the events that led to the murder of her employer. We gradually come to know more about Agnes as a person.

 

This novel of historical fiction is based on historical records relating to the crime plus life in Iceland at the time. This first novel by Hannah Kent won a number of awards in 2014 including the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist, ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year, Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award, Booksellers Association Booksellers Choice Award and shortlisted for a number of other prizes.

Ghost Stories on the Trail of Agnes Magnúsdóttir - Stuck in Iceland 

Agnes Magnúsdóttir - Find a Grave

The Place of the Last Execution in Iceland - Total Iceland

The Performance

Three women attend the performance of the play, Happy Days, by Samuel Beckett. Meanwhile bushfires rage in the state threatening lives and property.

Margot, an older lady, is a professor of literature. She lives with her husband whose health is failing and has outbursts which end with her covered in bruises. As the prospect of retirement approaches, Margot is concerned about her future.

Ivy attends the play with her lifelong friend, Hilary. Ivy is a philanthropist and is making a donation to the Theatre Company producing the play. But Ivy has had problems with relationships over the years and is concerned as to how to relate to her son and his family.

Summer is a drama student who works for the theatre company. Once the play begins she is allowed to watch the play. Summer is very concerned about the bushfires, especially as she knows that her partner will have attempted to drive to meets her parents who will be trying to escape the fire.

Throughout the book we have visions of what is happening on the stage as the play unfolds. However we are also shown how concerns about their own lives affect the viewing of the play by the women. At interval Ivy recognises Margot as she was once one of Margot's students and Margot, Ivy and Hilary attend the function organised in the break. Meanwhile Summer goes to the staff room to check her phone for phone calls about the fires and manages to make contact with Alice who is safe.

 By the end of the play the three women have a greater understanding of their lives beyond the theatre.

Happy Days By Samuel Beckett - Wikipedia

Pamela Rabe shines in this hypnotic revival of Samuel Beckett’s classic play Happy Days - The Conversation May 12 2025

Happy Days - SparkNotes 

Other People's Words

In 2001, Other People's Words:the life and times of an accidental publisher by Hiliary McPhee was published. Twenty-five years later the story of the author's experiences in the world of publishing has been republished with some additional material.

After working in publishing for a number of years, in 1975 Hiliary McPhee and Dianna Gribble decided to form their own publishing company, McPhee and Gribble. Other People's Words tells of the experiences and challenges faced by the two women as they tried to make their way in the male dominated world of publishing. Another major problem was trying to break into overseas markets which, especially in Britain, were not interested in Australian authors and books.

The first project was publishing a series of non-fiction books for children. Gradually they were able to attract authors of adult fiction and non-fiction to publish their books. Hiliary McPhee spent much of her time convincing overseas publishers to work with them promoting Australian publications and authors overseas.

Other People's Words describes the work involved in editing a book and gaining the confidence of some authors especially when changes needed to be made. McPhee and Gribble had partnerships with other publishes until 1989 when they decided to try working on their own. However the timing was not good due to the economic downturn resulting in the business being sold to Penguin Books. For two years the McPhee Gribble logo still appeared on the books with the Penguin logo. 

The new chapter at the back of the book warns of the changes AI is making to the publishing industry.