You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Janice, I know how that feels. I have 4 to go. Nearly finished The General of Caracas for the setting in the Iberian Peninsula.

You looking for a great book for kids? Little Platypus: A Day in the Life of a Platypus Puggle, by Aussie author Anna Brett with perfect illustrations by Rebeca Pintos, should be at the top of your list.
5★ My review of Little Platypus with several illustrations

Katherine Mansfield was one of New Zealand's most well-known authors, and I'm a fan. Her short stories are insightful and biting. Poor Miss Brill just wanted a little attention.
4.5★ My review

Just finished Greenlights byMatthew McConaughey

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5043613848

Finished Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman

My Review: www.Goodreads.com/review/show/5086123728

Jon McGregor is a terrific Irish author who was commissioned by the BBC to write these stories, The Reservoir Tapes, to follow his highly acclaimed debut, Reservoir 13. He is just so good.
5★ My review of The Reservoir Tapes

I've also just read Where Shadows Dance, #6 in the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series by C.S. Harris. 1812 England - intrigue, murder, a bit of romance. What's not to love?
5★ My review of Where Shadows Dance

I’m reading a book called The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

I finished The Marriage of Opposites today and will start The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress starting tomorrow. It will be my final book for Badge 3.

Jess Kidd has many fans who will enjoy Dirty Little Fishes, her award-winning short story, available free in 'The Irish Times' and on her website. It is a creepy delight! 5★

My review with links to the story

I'm reading Bastard Out of Carolina. Beautiful writing but so tough.

I'm listening to Misery and also Mrs. Dalloway (my loan on this one expired while I was in Uruguay so I am waiting for it to come back).

I am currently reading three books: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, All the Dangerous Things, and The Lost Ticket. Enjoying them all. :)

Finished and enjoyed Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe byCaroline Moorehead

My Revidew: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5106212918

I finished White Fire last night. I thought it was one of the weaker books in the Pendergast series. I'll start Russian Winter tonight, the oldest book on my TBR

I’m reading a book called All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

The Chamber

I had a typo in the link on my previous post of this one.

Rook is a fictionalised account by Stephen G. Eoannou of ex-cons who teamed up to become an odd pair of "badfellows" and ended up on the FBI's most-wanted list.
3.5★ My review of Rook

The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter won the 1966 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. I recently read one of those stories, Flowering Judas, which is also the title story of a later collection.

It takes place in the early 1920s in revolutionary Mexico. I can see why it made an impression in 1965.
My review of the story Flowering Judas

The Really Wild Family series is a delightful introduction to wildlife for children. Great information and wonderful illustrations!
Little Elephant: A Day in the Life of a Elephant Calf by Anna Brett is the latest one I've read.
My review of Little Elephant with several pictures

I’m listening to The Accident by Chris Pavone - a good, fast-paced thriller and reading Anatolian Days and Nights: A Love Affair with Turkey, Land of Dervishes, Goddesses, and Saints - wish I was back in Turkey!

I finished The Great Passage - gem of a book. Review:: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Silence of the Chagos: A Novel - a timely read. In November Britain announced it would open negotiations with Mauritius regarding the Chagos Islands. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

FYI, for fans of Louise Penny’s mystery series and her Armand Gamache character, Amazon Prime (U.S.) is streaming its new series Three Pines based on her books - eight episodes: Dec. 2 - Dec. 23.

I finished two books today. Both were really good.

- 4★ - This was a really sweet romcom. Cute and funny, but a little repetitive. my Friendshipped review

- 5★ - Excellent mystery. I really wanted to know what happened. my All the Dangerous Things review

I'm now reading The Lost Ticket (physical) and Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (ebook). So far both are very good, though I've just started Finlay. I'm half way or more through Lost Ticket.

I am starting The Villa (audio) tomorrow.

Richard Flanagan is a favourite author of mine, a Tasmanian, and I can see why The Sound of One Hand Clapping was on the award lists in 1998. It's the story of a migrant family who came to Tasmania in the 1950s. Australia wasn't war-torn Europe, but life for them was no picnic.
4.5★ My review of The Sound of One Hand Clapping

I’m reading a book called The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry

I finished Heart's Blood which was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast for adult audiences. Juliet Marillier has become one of my favourite authors.

Tomorrow, I will start the group themed read, A Thousand Ships.

I’m reading a book called Nantucket White Christmas by Pamela M. Kelley

I’m reading a book called Fool Me Twice at Christmas by Camilla Isley

I've been meaning to read Kent Haruf's much-loved Plainsong for years, and I'm glad I finally did. Wonderful people on the plains of Colorado. He wrote two more books about them, so I can see where they go.
4★ My review of Plainsong

The short story, Sweat, is from the American South. The acclaimed Harlem Renaissance writer, Zora Neale Hurston wrote wonderful, real dialogue. This is from 1926 - I loved it.
5★ My review of Sweat with links to the story online

I finished A Thousand Ships for the group themed read, and now I will start A Murderous Relation. I'm working towards killing that series but have a few more to go. I believe a new one just came out as well.

I’m reading a book called The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

I have a clean slate. I finished both Monk's Hood and A Murderous Relation so will be starting new books - Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead and The Great Witch of Brittany. You'd think there was a witchy theme going on.

If it weren't for challenges, I might never have stumbled across this amazing story, just because I needed a U

Ousman Umar's memoir North to Paradise: My Journey Along the World's Most Dangerous Migrant Route, is unimagineable. It's amazing he survived his trek through Africa as a kid. Compelling story! (Lovely guy, too.)
4.5~5★ My review of North to Paradise

I want to finish the books that I'm currently reading before the start of the new year, but I keep starting new ones. This time: The Ranger of Marzanna

Reading War and Peace

I'm reading After Australia which is a book of short speculative fiction of Australia to come, from a whole heap of authors of colour from Aus.

It was commissioned in, and written in, 2019. It was published in the first half of 2020. Which was a little uncomfortable when it did come out, and yet incredibly prophetic thus proving the authors' point.

For example: There is a story about Sydney being exceedingly hot and the air unbreathable - those insane and constant bushfires over the 2019/2020 summer meant the air was unbreathable here on the east coast with the air quality some days twice as bad as Beijing or Dehli, and the days getting up to 44 in parts of Sydney.

Another story about a killer flu that was ripping through the world and the mass panic that ensued. Written in 2019 remember.

The story I am reading at the moment is by an author whose mum was an English teacher at my College (yrs 11-12), about what happens when the sea levels rise and the Pacific islands disappear. What is Australia's responsibility and response? And set against the backdrop of my city (very rare in books) describing places I hang out or frequent or drive down every day, it makes me deeply uncomfortable.

Yay for authors, I say!

Gavin wrote: "Reading War and Peace"

We believe in you, Gavin!

I’m reading a book called A Gift for Santa by Beth Carpenter

Currently reading The Kaiju Preservation Society and The Wandering Inn: Volume 1 and hopefully finish them this year. I've started 2 new ones, but abandonned them, as I didn't want to start new books and drag them over to the new year. Feels strange, but I want to start 2023 with new books.

I'm sure we've all been guilty of Keeping Up Appearances or worrying 'what will the neighbours think'. Aussie author Tricia Stringer gives us a group of older women in a small South Australian town who think they know all the town's secrets. HA! I can see why the author is so popular.
3.5★ My review of Keeping Up Appearances

I finished The Villa . 3.5★

my The Villa review

Just started One Last Child for my last yearly challenge book.

I finished Of Mud and Honey by debut author Roxana Trabulsi. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m listening to A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon - the 7th book in the Commissario Brunetti series, reading Windward Family: An atlas of love, loss and belonging on Kindle, and plan to start Lessons in Chemistry, which everyone’s talking about.

Rusalka wrote: "Gavin wrote: "Reading War and Peace"

We believe in you, Gavin!"
Haha, thanks for the vote of confidence. It had been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long.

I’m reading a book called Christmas Eve Cowboy by Diana Palmer

I finished What Lies in the Woods . It was really good. This was my first book by this author.

my What Lies in the Woods review