Fiction

11 March 2010

Miles fails his physical entrance exam to the military academy, so goes on a jaunt to see his grandmother, then accidentally acquires a mercenary fleet. He is no Luke Skywalker, being crippled and frail but he has a mind that can turn on a dime and he has great insight into what will motivate... More..

10 March 2010

Eoin Colfer has written the 6th book of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. It is true to the spirit of the original, the improbable made fact. Vogons are still bent on destroying Earth in all dimensions, Ford Prefect is still annoyingly optimistic and lazy, Zaphod Beeblebrox has... More..

3 March 2010

This book is really two parallel stories intertwined together, and it is not until the very end that the connection between the two narratives is explained. The characters in the book are a mix of misfits, criminals, policemen and ordinary people whose lives merge together to make an enjoyable... More..

4 February 2010

Here is a must-read novel by a local writer that warms the cockles of one’s heart. It is filled with characters, computers, guardian angels and incidents that have one laughing out loud while absorbing some of the world’s greatest philosophic truths about human fallibility and frailty. It is highly... More..

2 February 2010

An intelligent, humorous, and beautifully written book that I couldn't put down, with wonderfully eccentric characters whose lives you become entwined with, and a completely unexpected ending. The 'action' takes place in a small and elegant apartment building in Paris, where a handful of wealthy... More..

2 February 2010

This novel is as much about the human condition as it is an historical novel. Thomas Rooke, a somewhat naïve young lieutenant in the British Navy, arrives in New South Wales with the First Fleet. Gifted with an ear for languages and the ability for mathematics, he is tasked with setting up an... More..

29 January 2010

Jasira is thirteen. Her mother doesn’t want her, her strict Yemeni born father has met and disapproved of her boyfriend and the kids at school are calling her “towelhead”. Saddam Hussein has invaded Kuwait and America is on the brink of the first Gulf war. Looking for affection and experiencing the... More..

29 January 2010

I chose this thriller as I was challenged to read a novel from a genre I don’t usually read, and it was highly recommended. I started to read somewhat reluctantly, but very soon I was drawn in to the story and couldn’t put it down. David Hunter is a forensic anthropologist, called to the remote... More..

28 January 2010

We are once again invited into the adventurous life of academic Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor who constantly finds himself in life-threatening situations while solving ancient mysteries. In this book, Langdon must unlock more ancient mysteries to save his friend Peter Solomon from... More..

28 January 2010

Another excellent book from this Australian writer. It tells the stories of two women and their families, starting in England in 1968 with decisions made then and the subsequent consequences. The setting flips from England and Western Australia between the 1960s and 90s with all the current... More..

28 January 2010

A story set in Russia in 1933, under Stalin’s rule. Sophia and Anna become close friends in the Davinsky labour camp in Siberia, where they barely survive in conditions similar to the concentration camps of WWII. Anna is dangerously ill, so together they contrive Sophia’s perilous escape from the... More..

18 January 2010

The Other Hand’, or ‘Little Bee’ (USA title), is a very moving book focussed on how human beings of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds react to sudden and terrible adversity. Two years before the events of the novel, the two main characters meet on a beach in Nigeria where truly horrific... More..

24 December 2009

The study of insects was considered either lunacy or satanic rural Somerset in the late1600s, but in London, entomology was just emerging as a field of study. Eleanor Glanville has been entranced by butterflies since she was a child. She learns to catch, display and study them much to the disgust... More..

24 December 2009

A sequel to ‘The Russian Concubine’, this book follows the story of Lydia Ivanova, who is searching for her father being held in a Russian prison camp. The story moves between Russia and China, the homeland of Lydia’s lover, Chang An Lo. Lydia is a very strong and tough seventeen year-old who has... More..

23 December 2009

A different slant on the story of the Holocaust, seen through the eyes of nine year-old Bruno, whose father is the Commandant in charge of Auschwitz. Bruno is too young to understand what is happening around him, but the reader already knows the tragic events that unfold. An easy but... More..

23 December 2009

What is a minor immortal in Ancient Greek mythology doing in 21st Century America? Living in a trailer park and working a restaurant of course! ‘M’ senses a change coming in his life and as the accidents accumulate he is apprehensive. He is kind and cautious but a man with a metre-plus sweep of... More..

23 December 2009

Mary Anning came to life for me in this novel based on the real-life fossil-hunter. I found the female characters to be particularly well-drawn and memorable - Mary, her friend (initially mentor), Elizabeth, and Mary’s strong though uneducated mother, Molly. This is one of the real strengths in a... More..

23 December 2009

Mundane title, stellar story. The war is Vietnam and Lizzie is angry at her beloved Marine husband for choosing duty over family and putting himself in harms way. Interspersed with her domestic trials and victories are his descriptions and tender letters home. Her faith is severely tested when... More..

17 November 2009

Set in Australia in a small mining town, this is a story told through the eyes of a young girl using the first person. The reader glimpses family life falling apart because of the actions of her older sister, and the impact this has on three generations. In parts sad, in parts amusing, this is an... More..

4 November 2009

Set in Nantucket Island on the eastern seaboard of the United States, this book follows the fortunes and dramas of a Boston banking family who have been spending their summers in the huge house that has been in the family for generations. This summer they are all gathering for Nona's 90th birthday,... More..

4 November 2009

If you are of a sensitive nature, then I would advise you to not read this book, number three in the series. However, if you enjoy a little of the macabre and some black humour, then this is a chuckle out loud read. In attempting to find a serial murderer in his home town of Miami, Dexter allows... More..

15 October 2009

Starting in 1939 and set in the small town of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve year old Joseph Vaughan, after hearing of the brutal murder of a young girl, sets up The Guardians with his friends to protect their neigbourhood. However, despite their efforts the murders continue for the next decade and... More..

15 October 2009

Among other things, the author is Professor for the theory and practice of medicine at Stanford University as well as an excellent writer. This story is about an unusual child, in an unusual setting who lives through unusual circumstances and one book I just couldn't put down. Set in Addis Ababa... More..

14 October 2009

I found this book engrossing and moving. Set in the present in England, it tells of two interwoven relationships, which are intricately enmeshed in a way hard to imagine but easy to believe because the characters are so well delineated by the author. It is written with such authority that even... More..

14 October 2009

This novel is set in 1960 in a department store in Sydney named Goodes, which is a fictionalised version of the Elizabeth Street store David Jones. The story is very character focused and centres on four females who work in the ladies’ cocktail frocks section. Patty and Fay are ordinary young... More..

13 October 2009

This debut novel from Tiffany Baker is an absolute treasure to read. I quickly became engrossed in the story of Truly, born with a genetic condition that keeps her growing until she is larger than everyone around her. This is ultimately a love story set in small town America, about family dramas... More..

13 October 2009

John le Carre turns his storytelling talents to the ‘War on Terror.’ Set in Hamburg, the story tells of a half-starved young Russian man claiming to be a devout Muslim, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, and a sixty-year-old banker, who form an unlikely alliance to get the young... More..

13 October 2009

In a nutshell, this is a book about a woman’s journey to understand who she once was. Set on board a cruise liner, which in itself supplies an interesting background, the story involves a number of disparate characters who each help her towards the resolution she has so far been denied. There are... More..

13 October 2009

Each story is tantalising, ending with possibilities yet to come. Many seem to be from the view of someone who is somewhat divorced from the conventional world, maybe even mad. In "Eyes of the Soul" a window treatment firm provides a fantastic solution to a dismal view...or does it? CAO More..

12 October 2009

For someone who is dead, Grace is having a lively time of it. She was shot while buying cigarettes (smoking is bad for you) but doesn't realise at first. She lives in a limbo, an almost copy of her old neighbourhood but occasionally, very rarely, she can step back into our world. The first time... More..

12 October 2009

A busload of variable teens and a team of scientists who have managed to transport creatures who may or may not be demons to our world. You just know that these groups are going to collide, but the villains and heroes are unexpected. An exploration of the ethics of way-out-there science within a... More..

12 October 2009

An eighty year old woman on her way to have lunch with the Queen has a car accident. As she awaits rescue she remembers her life with grace and gratitude. Beautiful writing.EO More..

12 October 2009

In a follow-up to the novel Boy in the World, Jay continues his search for his father. We left him in Ethiopia under the caring wing of Sister Bridget. But he still feels the pull to find his missing father - the link between his past and his future, and the piece that will complete the jigsaw... More..

14 September 2009

Although starting and finishing in the present in a prison cell in Guantanamo Bay, at the core of this story is the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. The lives of characters from three very different cultures are cleverly interwoven in a tale of love and loss. In this beautifully... More..

14 September 2009

Written in truly voluptuous language, this is a delightfully realistic view of life through the eyes of eight year old Nyree and her younger sister Cia. Living in Rhodesia during the days of the "Terrs" and the fall of the white government, their idyllic life is to be changed forever when a... More..

14 September 2009

This is an absorbing story about a Republican First Lady, Alice Blackwell. The similarities to Laura Bush are plain - both were school librarians, both involved in a car crash in which someone was killed, and both married into wealthy, privileged families. Alice is depicted compassionately - her... More..

9 September 2009

If you enjoyed Lewycka’s A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Two Caravans you will love this read. It is a witty, fast-paced combination of eccentric characters who will have you laughing all the way.PT More..

26 August 2009

Having read and enjoyed Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. The Host was written for an adult audience, and is about aliens invading Earth and taking over the bodies of human beings. The story follows one particular alien and her human "host", and as... More..

19 August 2009

The story begins with the murder of an illegal African street vendor in a busy Venetian campo while he was attempting to sell his fake designer handbags to a group of American tourists.This book deals with issues surrounding immigrants, race and immigrant labour. The detective Guido Brunetti must... More..

19 August 2009

Sunny Cooper is still recovering from her unusual upbringing on a commune, dealing with her relationship with her mother and haunted by her younger sister's death, when she suffers another personal tragedy and decides to start life afresh. She moves to the small town of Harmony on San Miguel... More..

19 August 2009

This is one of the feel-good books of the year. Set in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, canny, big hearted businesswoman Grace Tungaraza is a professional with a successful cake baking business. You are drawn into her life and learn about the strength of women who have endured the horror of genocide... More..

17 August 2009

When Bunty discovers her husband is having an affair, she is more concerned about how she will maintain the lifestyle she has become accustomed to than sorry that her marriage is about to end. With no money of her own and few work skills, having spent her time as a ‘stay at home’ mum watching... More..

17 August 2009

Laz is well-liked, loved and admired by his family and friends but he does have the habit of checking out of his life occasionally. At first, his wife Grace was alarmed by his disappearances, but he always returned with never a whiff of infidelity. But now he has been gone for several weeks. Grace... More..

3 August 2009

Charlotte Wood dedicated this novel to her parents whose love story inspired her to write it. The book is divided into four parts. The first part is set in 1963 in Australia and involves the meeting of Martin and Jocelyn who form a deep and loving relationship. Family problems come between them and... More..

3 August 2009

The latest in the series about Marcus Didius Falco, a private investigator in Ancient Rome. Falco looks into the sudden demise of Theon, the Chief Librarian at the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt. A great read – amusing and fascinating.P.O. More..

3 August 2009

This is the most delightful story of two men and their tussle to ask a lady to a ball – which becomes a “bird – hunt”. Read on to see what unfolds.D.J. More..

3 August 2009

Deborah O’Roake a young DA is investigating a gang violence case and exposes fraud and drug trafficking. Early on she meets Cage Guthrie and of course, they fall in love and work together on this case. An enjoyable, relaxing read – a romantic suspense novel with a fantasy twist.H.B. More..

30 July 2009

Maggie McElroy, food writer, goes on a “working” trip to China to write about a young up and coming chef, Sam Ling, while also investigating a paternity suit against her late husband’s estate. This is an entertaining story with fascinating information on the food culture of China. Lots of strands... More..

30 July 2009

A page turner from start to finish. A psychological thriller, the title tells it all. Set in Minnesota a crime that was not solved, until now. Who really did kill Laura Star. you will find more of his titles at hereGarfield. More..

20 July 2009

Death by water is a tale of a woman detective, solving mysteries and uncovering secrets. The story begins on a cruise liner where a series of jewellery thefts from first class passengers have taken place. Phryne Fisher has being hired to solve the mystery of stolen jewellery Kerry Greenwood has... More..

20 July 2009

Based on a true story, this is a stunning book about an unusual subject and a different view of the American settlement of the west. Vivid and believable characters, outstanding bravery, brutal realities and the clash of cultures make this an unforgettable read. AH More..

20 July 2009

Set during the time of Edward IV, this book takes you into the world of the silk merchants and women's lives of the time. This well researched book brings to life the social and political scenes of this era and breathes life into real players at the court of the king. The story moves along at a... More..

17 July 2009

Intense and moving, this story of love, discovery, and the transformational power of music is set in the extraordinary situation of a hostage takeover.Strong friendships and bonds forged among the most unlikely people attest to humanity’s needs and desires being mutual and universal. Our continual... More..

17 July 2009

Coping with a terminally ill friend may not be everyone’s idea for the theme of a book, but this is written with humour and honesty, and is anything but gloomy. The reader finds that there is great empathy with the friend, who has been coerced into looking after her ill, but at times infuriating... More..

17 July 2009

Adam Dalgliesh and his team are called to a private clinic to investigate the death of an investigative journalist. A good read again from one of my favourite authors, though I did find this one slightly more predictable than any of her earlier books. Still worth taking home though. SJC More..

17 July 2009

Another great read from Kate Atkinson in the Jackson Brodie series. Crime, humour and good characters in the story of the consequences of a crime committed 30 years ago. Read “Case Histories and “ One Good Turn” to get to know Jackson Brodie. In each book he is just one of a good cast of... More..

17 July 2009

A beautifully told story of the tragic consequences of the wars in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion. A Russian woman, an American ex-spy, a Special Forces soldier and a soldier of the Taliban are together in the home of an English doctor whose wife and daughter have been murdered by the... More..

7 July 2009

Book 10, in the No1. Ladies Detective Agency series, doesn’t fail to please if you need a dose of Botswana and its characters. Mme Ramotswe holds on to those who are dear to her, including her overworked and overloaded tiny white van. These stories are always a cure for downheartedness and Mme... More..

3 July 2009

If you’re in the mood for a truly delightful read then The Earth Hums in B Flat, the debut novel by Mari Strachan is the book for you. Set in a small Welsh town in the 1950s the story centres around the inquisitive and slightly ‘odd’ 12 year old Gwenni Morgan and her quest to solve the mystery of... More..

3 July 2009

At first one is tempted to think that Passage is an over-long book. But it builds and builds to the very end, and all the strands come together in one long rope that holds more questions than answers. Connie Willis writes about uncomplicated time travel coupled with wonderfully atmospheric... More..