Ronni Salt's debut thriller takes us to a made-up town on Gunnawah in Riverina, New South Wales, in 1974, during Gough Whitlam's era. It was an intereRonni Salt's debut thriller takes us to a made-up town on Gunnawah in Riverina, New South Wales, in 1974, during Gough Whitlam's era. It was an interesting time in history for Australia as well.
I loved that the main character was a female. In this case, Adelaide, the daughter of a farmer, is working as a cadet journalist at the local newspaper. The owner, Valdene Bullark, takes Adelaide under her wing, shows her the ropes, and introduces her to people.
Adelaide seems shy and withdrawn, but she's inquisitive and has a keen eye for details.
As I've declared before, characterisations, descriptions, and writing style are my main focus when I read, even when it comes to plot-driven novels. Salt's writing checks all those boxes. It was obvious even to this lifelong city dweller that Salt is a local, with good knowledge of the countryside and its issues, and its people. In many ways, some of those issues and topics are still current.
Speaking of topics, the main themes are: organised crime relating to drugs, organised crime relating to irrigation and land, and the police and the politicians' corruption and/or ineptitude.
Gunnawah is another worthy addition to the Australian noir crime genre.
I'm looking forward to reading Salt's sophomore book, although I hope the writing won't take her away from the politically driven investigations, they are much needed....more
The latest Liane Moriarty novel is inhabited by many characters, whom we first meet during a flight from Hobart to Sydney. Many are shaken by an olderThe latest Liane Moriarty novel is inhabited by many characters, whom we first meet during a flight from Hobart to Sydney. Many are shaken by an older woman's prediction of the year and the cause of their respective deaths.
Here One Moment is mainly about chance, destiny, predetermination vs free will, a good reminder that our illusions of having it all figured out and under control are just that illusions. Carpe diem because it could be our last one.
The two narrators, Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill, were great....more
As someone worried about climate change, I'm quite keen on cli-fi, which in most cases, turns out to be dystopian literature. Juice is set in AustraliAs someone worried about climate change, I'm quite keen on cli-fi, which in most cases, turns out to be dystopian literature. Juice is set in Australia, in the (hopefully) distant future. The climate is even more unbearable, with people needing to live underground during the summer and always covering themselves to protect from the scorching sun.
The novel is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man, who had been raised by his industrious, hard-working, staunch mother. The daily grunt consisted of farming, mending and a million chores that sustain and help them survive. There is no reprive, no entertainment, no joys to be had. The narrator takes to scavenging in his teens. Eventually, he's recruited in a secret, combatant organisation. I never quite understood its purpose/role, the side quests were not making much sense to me, but I guess they added some intensity.
In fiction, the relationships and the inner worlds are important to me. In Juice, the relationships weren't well fleshed out. The main character and narrator didn't feel realistic, I couldn't quite conjure or understand him.
Besides the obvious elephant in the room - climate destruction and its dire consequences to living creatures and flora, I would have liked this novel to be more message-y and shorter.
Ultimately, despite putting a lot of time and effort into finishing it, I was left with question marks, (Winton doesn't tend to wrap things up neatly) and I felt unfulfilled and slightly discontented.
As a Winton gold-card fan, it pains me to say that I didn't love Juice, but I won't lie....more
Phoebe Cotton is a young librarian who has misophonia - she finds certain noises extremely irritating, which she's aware of, therefore avoids most sitPhoebe Cotton is a young librarian who has misophonia - she finds certain noises extremely irritating, which she's aware of, therefore avoids most situations that involve noise, especially eating noise. Most of the socialising is around eating food, therefore, Phoebe has become a bit of a recluse, only seeing her loving parents, visiting her grumpy grandmother now and then, and coping with the library work environment, which is pretty quiet compared to other places.
Some postcards sent to her house but addressed to another person are an intriguing mystery. Enter Suze, a PhD student, who's got additional information about the cards. Phoebe, Suze and Monty, a young man whose parents own the local post office become close, trying to find out who was the addressee on the postcards.
This is a sweet novel about finding one's place, getting over inhibitions, and finding people who accept you for who you are.
The characters were well-developed, the story was familiar but compelling....more
3.5 I was curious about this novel, I thought it'd be a romance, rom-com Aussie novel. It's not. Hera is twenty-four and just muddles through life. She 3.5 I was curious about this novel, I thought it'd be a romance, rom-com Aussie novel. It's not. Hera is twenty-four and just muddles through life. She doesn't know what she wants from life, she's intelligent but not willing to settle, and she's antsy. She's got a couple of humanities degrees, she'd rather study than work for a corporation, but one needs money to survive, even though she's living in her father's place and doesn't have to pay rent. So she takes a job to moderate comments for a news website. She hates her job, most colleagues and is quietly dispering. One day she stumbles upon Arthur, a forty-something journalist, who is intrigued by her bluntness and sense of humour.
Hera has mostly been with women, suddenly she's into this guy and enjoys having snarky, teasing chat message exchanges. Besides, she's so damn bored. So what's a man and a woman to do - they hook up. Besides the age gap, there's one little problem - the dude is married. Oh, the cliche. Hera is aware, she's not stupid. So what will happen to them, will he leave his wife? They are both declarative and the guy makes promises, but because he's such a nice guy he has to find the right time, he doesn't want to hurt his partner of twenty years. Feel free to roll your eyes, I certainly did.
I get why some would hate this book - Hera is not that particularly likeable, she makes a problematic choice, or several, still, despite those barriers, there were quite a few things I appreciated about this novel: - a realistic, flawed main heroine, bonus points for her being bisexual; - she's witty and quite in touch with herself, oh the irony that she still lies to herself for a man, an undecided, coward - but, it's love! - it was just different from all the other Gen Z, millennial sad female character novels.
This is not for everyone, but a worthy debut novel.
Amelia, a thirty-five-year-old accountant, fears many things, therefore she always plays it safe. A collision with a scooter and a contusion pushes heAmelia, a thirty-five-year-old accountant, fears many things, therefore she always plays it safe. A collision with a scooter and a contusion pushes her to quit her secure but boring job.
With no savings (something that didn't make sense for her personality and age - but I digress), Amelia moves in with her scatterbrained mother who lives in a cluttered house, which drives Amerlia crazy, but beggars can't be choosers.
How's Amelia supposed to know what she wants to do next when she pretty much had the same job after finishing university? She decides to try different jobs, so she takes on different work-experience gigs - working in a surfboard shack, a florist's shop, as a teacher's assistant, in wedding planning and volunteering at the zoo, while also writing articles about her experiences as an adult trainee for a prestigious magazine (we all know it's easy to get freelance writing gigs with no experience, insert sarcasm ;-)).
The realist I grumbled at times at all the opportunities that came Amelia's way, especially when it came to certain work experience areas that are difficult to get into even as a volunteer.
Who doesn't love a good heroine growth journey, right? This one had plenty of growth, to the point that Amelia became a completely new person - nobody changes that much, and certain traits and characteristics are ingrained, otherwise, we'd all be perfect if changing was that easy.
It's not all fluff, there is also a family secret. The love interest dude was OK.
This has the makings of a nice rom-com or a mini-series.
2.5 hrs of listening were enough to make me realise this was not for me.
1. too long - no crime/thriller needs to be over 500 pages or 15 hours longDNF
2.5 hrs of listening were enough to make me realise this was not for me.
1. too long - no crime/thriller needs to be over 500 pages or 15 hours long.
2. the Indigenous servant's letters to her parents were beyond preposterous, and heavy-handed, I uttered many FFS and rolled my eyes. One of my pet peeves in modern literature is the tendency to write characters from a minority as perfect and wholesome. In breaking news: flawed humans from a minority still deserve to be treated with respect even if they're imperfect, they don't need to be holier than thou.
Welcome to Nowhere River is Bignell's sophomore novel. It's another novel set in Tasmania in the fictional rural town of Nowhere River. It's your typicWelcome to Nowhere River is Bignell's sophomore novel. It's another novel set in Tasmania in the fictional rural town of Nowhere River. It's your typical small town, with a variety of characters, where everyone knows everyone business, but nobody truly knows anyone.
We get to meet several characters: Carra is a young mum with twin babies, married to the handsomest doctor in town. Everyone envies her, but she feels like she's losing herself in the drudgery of bringing up kids and keeping house, while her husband is always busy helping everyone but her. The town and its inhabitants are stressed due to the long-term drought. Carra's in-laws had suffered the loss of a daughter thirty years prior. Their pain still affects them to the day. There are other characters that pop up here and there, some with more airtime than others.
Without spoiling it, this is the type of story where the town's people come together to help each other in hard times, which allows them to have realisations about what's important in life etc.
This was an easy to listen to audiobook, well narrated by Marta Dusseldorp. For some strange reason, I wasn't as invested in the stories presented.
Now that I've finished reading everything Bignell wrote, I'm eagerly awaiting her next book. Here's hoping Bignell will narrate it herself. :-)...more
Funny Ethnics is a coming of age novel, set in Sydney. Its protagonist and narrator is Sylvia Nguyen, the only child of Vietnamese Refugees.
To her paFunny Ethnics is a coming of age novel, set in Sydney. Its protagonist and narrator is Sylvia Nguyen, the only child of Vietnamese Refugees.
To her parents' shame and horror, Sylvia is not the straight-A student they hoped for. She tries, but it's just not happening for her. She's torn between her Vietnamese heritage and community, the expectations of being part of that group, and her willingness to find her own way in life.
These themes had been explored in many novels. What makes this novel different is its tone and the wry humour and observations. It's a bit manic at times but in a fun, realistic way.
For a first novel, this wasn't bad, it had potential, but I wanted a bit more from the story.
This is a very blokey novel. It's been a while since I last read a book so male-centric.
I've been intending to read more by Serong but never got arouThis is a very blokey novel. It's been a while since I last read a book so male-centric.
I've been intending to read more by Serong but never got around to it. I've noticed this title many times but the cricket bit was a deterrent. Anyway, some readers on a Facebook group assured me this wasn't about cricket as much etc. They lied to me. While this novel is mainly about two brothers, they're professional cricketers, so there's cricket talk, a lot of cricket talk.
Now, for the North American readers of my ramblings, cricket is similar to baseball but it last much longer, some games can last up to five days. Yep, you've read that right.
Cricket becomes the centre of everything for the two brothers who played obsessively in their backyard. Their progression to local teams, state teams and then the national one is seamless, at least it is for the older brother, Wally, who reaches the top of the game by becoming the national team's captain. His younger brother, and the narrator of this novel, Darren, is given to mishaps and misadventures - he lives hard, including partaking in drugs and gambling. There are several bad things that happen to the family. Darren is the bad boy of cricket, the larikin, the oops, I did it again player. It was somewhat cute in his twenties and maybe thirties, it's pathetic when in his forties.
While this is about cricket, the upsides and downsides of professional sports apply to most popular sports. It's the travelling, the adulation, the money and other perks, but also many stressors and pressures.
Listening to this novel hasn't changed my somewhat unfavourable opinion of elite sportsmen, professional sports and the business behind them.
What this novel accomplished was cementing my initial opinion after reading Serong's On The Java Ridge that he's a supremely talented writer. Serong's writing is crisp, authoritative and at times lyrical.
I would have never picked this up, because, well, I don't care for weddings nor find country blokes that enticing. But, because I'm a snob, after seeiI would have never picked this up, because, well, I don't care for weddings nor find country blokes that enticing. But, because I'm a snob, after seeing it mentioned in a Lit Hub article I thought I'd check it out - hoping I'd get lucky with a romance novel that will appeal to me.
Five Bush Weddings is about Stevie, a thirty-one-year-old, single, wedding photographer, who's quite in demand. She hasn't had a relationship in years. Enter Johnno, former mate and the best friend of her former boyfriend. They had a thing for each other and promised that if they're still single by thirty-two, they'll get together - a familiar scenario, right?
As the title suggests, there are weddings, coincidences, ups and downs and pull-push scenarios. Midway through, I got a bit tired and bored with it.
The wedding photography parts were well done and realistic.
Anyway, this wasn't too bad, albeit it was predictable. This novel will probably appeal much more to those who enjoy the Farmer Wants a Wife and other similar reality shows....more
I clicked to download the library audiobook due to its cover and hoped it would be the lighter good read I was after.
It wasSomewhat spoilerish review
I clicked to download the library audiobook due to its cover and hoped it would be the lighter good read I was after.
It was nice to discover it was an Australian romance.
Thirty-something-year-old Cleo is a single mother of two under five-year-olds. She's a florist, owns her own business but she's struggling. Her ex is an alcoholic with many issues. As it seems to be a genetic component of all women, Cleo feels guilt about everything, about divorcing, about not having seen the red flags regarding her relationship with her ex, for giving in too often etc. Many of the single motherhood aspects and the character's qualms and struggles felt very realistic.
Pushed by her best friend and housemate and her employee, Cleo decides to go on Tinder. She's planned to have 20 dates. There are a few bad dates, but also a couple of promising ones. Cleo is determined to take it easy and just have fun. Lots of sexual encounters occur, some of them, multi-orgasmic. I was, you go, girl, good for you, but also, I didn't want all the sex details - that's on me, I'll admit it.
Lo and behold, Cleo doesn't just find one decent man, there are two in the fold. And they say there are slim pickings out there... ;-) Gabe, a British expat, is a librarian, but not into monogamous relationships. I rolled my eyes.
Archer is a tradie (what we call tradesmen in Australia), he fixed her shop's window and did other repairs. He's hot, kind and quite in touch with his feelings and knows what he wants - incredibly enough, he says he wants a woman who's honest and knows what she wants. Ha! I laughed at that. I also told myself off for take it so seriously, after all, it's a romance, it's not supposed to be realistic, it's aspirational etc.
Both Gabe and Archer are pretty decent men, not to mention so in touch with their feelings and respectful and also very good at sex. Lucky Cleo. It's truth universally known that men are keen on single mothers who aren't in their twenties anymore :-). Sorry, I can't help myself.
I may have been dubious/jealous of Cleo's energy, as a full-time, business owner, and mother of two who's also able to have all-night sex with different men, on different nights.
Anyway, those were some of my grumbles as a curmudgeonly, middle-aged, sceptic woman.
If you're willing to go with the flow, you'll enjoy this as it's a competently written novel, about a woman's empowerment and self-discovery, a novel that tried to break the mould by turning some common scenarios on their head - which I'll have to commend the author for doing so....more
The Fancies are a prominent family in a small fishing town in South Australia.
The novel is told via three POVs: one of them is that of Abigail Fancy iThe Fancies are a prominent family in a small fishing town in South Australia.
The novel is told via three POVs: one of them is that of Abigail Fancy is thirty-nine and just got realised from prison. The sec POV belongs to Abigail's grandfather, Old Dick, who's got dementia. The third POV is provided by different voices in town.
I kept listening waiting for something to happen, things took a long time to get going. At times, I got annoyed with Abigail, who seemed to have some qualms that you hear in teenagers. I know some people grow later, but, still, I found her irksome, ocasionally.
For me, the Fancies was readable but not memorable. ...more
This is Allan-Petale's debut novel. I borrowed this novel when it came out solely based on the cover, which I love. I returned it unread as I had otheThis is Allan-Petale's debut novel. I borrowed this novel when it came out solely based on the cover, which I love. I returned it unread as I had other books that occupied my time. But I discovered the audiobook, so I had no more excuses, especially when it runs for just over 6 hrs.
Locust Summer is a simple novel, in that it's very realistic. It's set in Western Australia, so some of the places were familiar. The narrator, Rowan Brockman, is a young journalist, who moved to Perth (the capital of Western Australia) away from his wheat farming family in Septimus. When his mum decides to sell the farm, he has to go back to help with the last harvest.
The patriarch's health is failing, as he's got dementia. His wife does the best she can to help, it's an arduous task. This is a novel about families and their dynamics, losses, regrets, nostalgia, and letting go.
Looking forward to reading Allan-Petale's second novel....more
The Soulmate was a satisfying contemporary domestic drama about two couples. One couple is made up of the estate lawyer, Pipa, her stay-at-home husbaThe Soulmate was a satisfying contemporary domestic drama about two couples. One couple is made up of the estate lawyer, Pipa, her stay-at-home husband, Gabe and their two daughters, Asha and Freya. Most of the novel is narrated by Pipa.
The other couple is made up of the childless partnership between Max and Amanda, a wealthy, successful couple. The other occasional narrator of this novel is Amanda.
Pipa and Gabe have a house that is close to a popular suicide spot called the Drop. Gabe has managed to deter seven people from jumping. He's a local hero, known by the police. But he doesn't manage to save his eighth, Amanda.
Her death brings up all sorts of secrets and entanglements.
I'll leave it at that, as I don't want to give away too much.
So, if you're after something not too far-fetched, with a good pace and psychological insights, this should check those boxes....more
The Happiest Little Town is set in a picturesque town in North Queensland.
Kate is a fifty-something divorcee starting over in a new town away from CaiThe Happiest Little Town is set in a picturesque town in North Queensland.
Kate is a fifty-something divorcee starting over in a new town away from Cairns. She's working hard to remodel a van which she plans to take on solo adventures around Australia. Her plans are altered when she becomes the guardian of a teenager fathered by her ex-husband.
Tilly is thirteen, grief-stricken and now geographically displaced.
Another character is septuagenarian Olivia, a former professional actor and a resident who plays an important part in the Buralee Amateur Theatre group. The Theatre group is staging a world premiere play by a famous writer. There is excitement in the air but also hurdles that need to be overcome.
This is a novel about community, friendship, new beginnings and second chances. Everything was nicely packaged and tied nicely with a bow. If you're after a cosy, feel-good, comfortable read, this should fit the bill....more
This YA novella is simple but endearing - it's about a boy and his mum, who live a modest life in Bremer Bay - an area in the SW of Australia (some 50This YA novella is simple but endearing - it's about a boy and his mum, who live a modest life in Bremer Bay - an area in the SW of Australia (some 500+ km from Perth). I hear it's beautiful, but I haven't made it there yet. They fish, and grow fruit and vegetables.
The title of the book comes from the name the young boy, Abel, gave a giant blue fish that he liked to play/swim with.
This is a story about our connection with nature and places, the simple life and family.
There is a movie adaptation being released soon, I can't wait to watch it, the cast looks pretty good: Eric Bana, Radha Mitchell, Mia Wasikowska....more
I'm weak, I couldn't resist listening to this much-hyped novel, even though "I'm so over crime novels"...
I'm also a sucker for a good title and you4.5
I'm weak, I couldn't resist listening to this much-hyped novel, even though "I'm so over crime novels"...
I'm also a sucker for a good title and you'll have to agree that this one is memorable. Expect to see many similar ones popping up soon. Extra points as this is written by an Aussie.
What made this novel different was the voicing - it's narrated in the first person by one of the Cunningham family members, who happens to publish ebooks on how to write crime novels. Clever, right? One gets a bit of education on how these novels are constructed.
The blurb gets it right: Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle meet Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club in this fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery.
So, yeah, this is good and clever. Read it before all the other copycats pop up. :-)...more
This goes onto my soon-to-be-created I'm-too-old-for-this-.... shelf.
The title is ironic, I'm sure unintentionally, as there was a lot of self-inflicThis goes onto my soon-to-be-created I'm-too-old-for-this-.... shelf.
The title is ironic, I'm sure unintentionally, as there was a lot of self-inflicted and made-up drama. Brooke, our heroine and narrator, is one neurotic young woman, who's still stuck on some misunderstanding from high school.
This was filled with tropes and cliches: the nerdy, neurotic girl falls for the cool and collected guy, enemies to lovers, fake dating and a few others. Sure, we expect the tropes and cliches in genre lit. The devil is in the detail, the detail was meah.
I thought I'd enjoy this more than I did due to being Aussie. But it was so irritating being in Brooke's head. Sure, some girls can be neurotic, over-thinkers etc., but I don't know, it was too much ... ahm, unnecessary drama.
What drove me up the walls were the guys, the dialogues and the interactions - they were so Hollywood rom-com-y, so unrealistic, I cringed throughout.
I hoped this would be the lighter enjoyable read to pull me out of my reading slump. I'll keep trying....more
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