Author Archives: Jody

Book Review: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

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Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

 

Summary

IF ONLY THEY’D SAID NO…

What if they hadn’t gone? That’s the question Clementine can’t stop asking herself. It was just a backyard barbeque. They didn’t know their hosts that well. They were friends of friends. They could so easily have said no.

But she and her husband Sam said yes, and now they can never change what they did and didn’t do that beautiful winter’s day.

Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One yapping dog. It’s a normal weekend in the suburbs. What could possibly go wrong?

Once again Liane Moriarty uses her unique, razor-sharp observational skills to sift through the emerging fault lines of seemingly happy families.

It was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon…

Comments

This was a good holiday read for our group.  However, while this was an eagerly anticipated read for us having read a few books by this author, we felt that this was not one of her better ones.  We found it a little too hard to follow.  The writer built the suspense well, but between flipping between 3 different points of view and also between the past and present day, made it at times, too complex.  Some of our readers found it hard to sympathise with the main characters and found some sections a little over detailed.
Overall though, as a group, we still found this book an enjoyable read, and we definitely recommend it.

Rating – 7/10          
Read by – Culcha Club

 

Book Review: Thornwood House by Anna Romer

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Thornwood House – Anna Romer

When Audrey Kepler inherits an abandoned homestead in rural Queensland, she jumps at the chance to escape her loveless existence in the city and make a fresh start. In a dusty back room of the old house, she discovers the crumbling photo of a handsome World War Two medic – Samuel Riordan, the homestead’s former occupant – and soon finds herself becoming obsessed with him. But as Audrey digs deeper into Samuel’s story, she discovers he was accused of bashing to death a young woman on his return from the war in 1946.
When she learns about other unexplained deaths in recent years – one of them a young woman with injuries echoing those of the first victim – she begins to suspect that the killer is still very much alive. And now Audrey, thanks to her need to uncover the past, has provided him with good reason to want to kill again.

Comments

This was a great book.  Beautifully written that generated lots of discussion amongst our group for good reasons this time.  On the whole we all enjoyed the book.  It drew us in very quickly as it weaved its web of intrigue and deceit.  However, during our discussions we found a lot of holes in the storyline.  What were the characters motives?  Just why was the murderer so obsessed with the mother and daughter?

We also felt the book needed a little editing.  There were large sections of the book, lengthy descriptions about weather and plants, and characters that seemed to be introduced unnecessarily, that our readers skimmed over.

Overall, it was a great read that we definitely recommend, scoring a solid 8 from our group.  Everyone especially enjoyed the letters between Samuel and Aylish, taking us back to a time before technology and text messaging!

8/10

Read by Cultcha Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Dressmaker

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The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

the-dressmaker

The Dressmaker is a modern Australian classic, much loved for its bittersweet humour. Set in the 1950s, its subjects include haute couture, love and hate, and a cast of engagingly eccentric characters. It is now a major motion picture, starring Kate Winslet and fine Australian actors including Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Liam Hemsworth and extras from the author’s hometown of Jerilderie.

Comments

What a great read!  We thought this book was going to be a story of true love and redemption. Instead it was a pleasant surprise to find it was more about revenge with a little dark humour.  A very enjoyable read that was extremely well written.  Linguistically the book was beautiful. Allowing us to feel like the characters were real people and that the town of Dungatar was a real place.

While some of us found the start was a little slow and complicated with lots of characters to keep track off, the book soon found an easy rhythm.    We all loved the book’s heroine and the cleverness with which she sort revenge her fellow townsfolk.

Rating 9/10

Read by – Cultcha Club Book Club

 

 

 

 

Jody’s Favourites

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One of the best questions a Librarian can be asked is ‘Can you please recommend a book for me to read’. I must admit I am always over eager to share my favourite books.

Below is a selection of titles I have really enjoyed over the last couple of months.

With any luck one of them will catch your attention.

 

The Constant Queen by Joanna Courtney (book 2 Queen’s of Conquest)

‘You need not take England without me, Hari, because I will be your constant queen – there with you; there for you. ‘ Elizaveta is princess of Kiev, but that doesn’t stop her chasing adventure. Defying conventions, she rides the rapids of the Dneiper alongside her royal brothers and longs to rule in her own right as a Queen. Elizaveta meets her match when the fearsome Viking warrior Harald Hardrada arrives at her father’s court seeking fame and fortune. He entrusts Elizaveta to be his treasure keeper, holding the keys to his ever-growing wealth – and eventually to his heart. Theirs is a fierce romance and the strength of their love binds them together as they travel across the vast seas to Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. In 1066, their ambition carries them to the Orkneys as they plan to invade England and claim the crown . . .

I loved the first book The Chosen Queen and couldn’t wait the read this one and it didn’t disappoint. Both these books are great historical fiction books. I will be reading any book Joanna Courtney writes in the future.

 

The Trap by Melanie Raabe

I know who killed my sister. I wrote this book for him. Twelve years ago, Linda’s sister Anna was murdered. Her killer was never caught, but Linda saw him. Now, all these years later, she’s just seen him again on the TV. He’s become a well-known journalist, and Linda – a famous novelist and infamous recluse – knows no one will believe her if she accuses him. She does the only think she can think of – she sets a trap, writing a thriller called Blood Sisters about the unsolved murder of a young woman. When Blood Sisters is published, Linda agrees to give just one media interview. At home. To the one person who knows more about the case than she does.

This book was really out side the normal scope of my reading, but I totally enjoyed it. I have since gone on the read a few suspense/thrillers. It is always good to find a new genre to explore.

 

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Kingmaker. Soothsayer. Warrior. Mage.

Kingdoms would rise and fall for her …if she is ever found In the icy North, where magic is might, an all-powerful elite ruthlessly guided by a glacial Queen have grown to dominate the world. Now rebellion is stirring in the rough, magic-poor South, where for the first time in memory a warlord has succeeded in uniting the tribal nations. Stuck in the middle is Cat – circus performer and soothsayer – safely hidden behind heavy make-up, bright colours and the harmless illusion of the circus. Until someone suspects she’s more than she seems …Captured by the Southern warlord Griffin, Cat’s careful camouflage is wearing thin. For how long can – or should – she conceal the true extent of her power? Faced with dragons, homicidal mages, rival Gods and the traitorous longings of her own heart, she must decide: is it time to claim her destiny and fight?

I will be honest and say I picked up this book purely because of the beautiful cover. What I got was a book I found very hard to put down! There is a great mix of fantasy and romance,  although maybe the romance got a little too much for me towards the end; but in saying that I eagerly await the second book Breath of Fire due out in 21017.  So to are my colleagues Kate and Suzanne who both enjoyed the book.

 

Hope you enjoy reading about some of my favourite reads over the last couple of months and can find one to enjoy yourself.

Happy Reading!

Jody

Book Review: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Fowler

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9781846689666We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Fowler

 

Book Summary

Rosemary’s young, just at college, and she’s decided not to tell anyone a thing about her family. So we’re not going to tell you too much either: you’ll have to find out for yourselves what it is that makes her unhappy family unlike any other. Rosemary is now an only child, but she used to have a sister the same age as her, and an older brother. Both are now gone – vanished from her life.

There’s something unique about Rosemary’s sister, Fern. So now she’s telling her story; a looping narrative that begins towards the end, and then goes back to the beginning. Twice.

It’s funny, clever, intimate, honest, analytical and swirling with ideas that will come back to bite you. We hope you enjoy it, and if, when you’re telling a friend about it, you do decide to spill the beans about Fern, don’t feel bad. It’s pretty hard to resist.

WARNING COMMENTS CONTAIN SPOILERS

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