Book Review no 12: Last Summer by Kylie Ladd

Rory is a great Aussie bloke - a father, husband, brother, son and good mate to many. He's also the captain of the local cricket team and the nucleus of a group of friends in suburban Melbourne. Then suddenly (and shockingly) one day he dies....and everybody around him is left floundering as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives without Rory in it.

I really liked the way the premise of this book and how it explored what happens when a tragic, unexpected event occurs. It illustrated wonderfully just how different people cope (or don't cope) and how people attempt to move on. This is especially true when losing a person like Rory, who they all relied upon in one way or another.

Amazing Community Libraries

Having always had access to a well-stocked Council library, I was blissfully unaware of the amazing work done by community libraries all over the country. It was not until I was invited to speak as an author (quite a thrill I must say) that I had the pleasure of visiting my first community library and learning all about what a huge role they play in small towns. 

After doing a little research I learned that community libraries are generally run by volunteers and they rely mainly on donations to stock their shelves. So, to be honest I was expecting a small building with lots of second hand books (and there would have been absolutely nothing wrong with that). Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find a good sized, modern building with a huge range of books, all lovingly cared for. There was even free internet. To know that this is all made possible by the work of a great band of dedicated volunteers is what made it truly remarkable. Books are either donated (mostly new) or purchased with funds raised (by the same group of volunteers). All the work involved in the running of a library (which basically has the same borrowing system as a regular library) is carried out by volunteers. Although the hours are not as long as a normal library, they certainly offer enough time for anybody to squeeze in a visit and borrow some books.

As a writer, all you want is for people to read your work. Sure it is nice to make lots of sales, but it is equally nice to know that strangers go into a library, browse the shelves, pick up your book and take it home to read. In a time when some are questioning the validity of libraries in our modern world, the community library is a shining example of why we DO and will always need a place we can go and find books. 

So I say hats off to all the community libraries out there! Keep doing what you're doing and we authors will always have a reason to keep doing what we do.

Book Review No 11: The Sinkings by Amanda Curtin

Although the beginning chapters of The Sinkings are a little confusing and seemingly disjointed, I soon settled into the rhythm of this compelling novel and by the end I really enjoyed the way the two threads of the story (past and present) inched together and gradually met.

Willa lives in Western Australia and is just starting to function again after dealing with the loss of her daughter. Drawn into the horrific homicide of a convict turned free settler over a century before at a place known as The Sinkings, Willa is determined to unravel just what happened to the man known as Little Jock. Not much notice was taken of the brutal manner of the murder at the time, but knowing that Jock suffered the same rare medical condition as her daughter Imogen, Willa believes that she owes it to him to find an answer.

The Kindness of Kids

Today's blog post has nothing to do with writing or book reviews - although it is kind of related to a book I'm reading (My James by Ralph Bulger). Most of us remember the absolutely horrific murder of an angelic looking two year old boy James Bulger back in 1993. Almost as shocking as the brutality of the crime was the fact it was carried out by two ten-year-old boys. Reading this book you cannot help but be absolutely horrified at what this young boy suffered and feel despair that kids could be capable of such evil. Unfortunately we usually only hear the horrible things kids do and rarely the good, so I would like to write a little about that today.