Book Review No 18: The Rules of Conception by Angela Lawrence

At the age of 35 Rachael has ticked a lot of items off her "to do" list - she's got her own apartment in Sydney, her career is flying high and she has a full social life with a great circle of friends. Yet, she has started to feel the pull of her biological clock and after the end of another relationship decides that it's now or never - she is going to have a baby alone.

Thus begins an entertaining and educational process - the selection of her unborn child's father. Rachael explores many options, ultimately deciding on a known donor who wants a child but doesn't want to be an involved parent. Digby appears to be the perfect potential father and once she chooses him Rachael doesn't waver in her choice. Once she makes the decision, Rachael creates a timeline and begins the process. After this the pregnancy happens relatively easily (which may have been a little unrealistic) and Rachael's road to parenthood begins.

Book Review No 17: Missing You - by Justine Ford

Although a very interesting and easy to read book, Missing You is also a very sad collection of stories focusing on missing people in Australia. I'm not sure of the exact statistic, but a lot more people go missing in this country than you hear about in the media. Fortunately most of them do turn up, but for the small percentage that don't, the result is unimaginable heartbreak for the family and friends left behind.

Justine Ford has selected a handful of particularly perplexing cases - both recent and some dating back several decades. While we may all have heard of the missing Beaumont children, few of us are probably aware of the three year old girl named Linda who was snatched from a beach in Wollongong in 1970 and was never seen again. It is obvious that her family are still grieving for their lost daughter/sibling despite the passage of time. And in telling stories like these you come to understand that the not knowing is the very worst agony. As horrific as a death is, at least you know and can grieve. When somebody goes missing without a trace all you can do is wonder and hope (however futile it may seem).

Book Review No 16: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I am a big fan of Liane Moriarty and having especially loved her last book (The Hypnotists Love Story), I was really looking forward to The Husband's Secret. Within the first few pages I was hooked and knew that I would definitely not be disappointed.

The three main characters Cecilia, Tess and Rachel are introduced in separate small chapters and at first seem to have little in common except a vague tie in to The Biggest Loser being on TV at a particular moment in time. However it soon becomes clear they are all part of the St Angela's Primary School community in Sydney and like six degrees of separation their lives already have and will continue to overlap in many ways.

Book Review No 15: Educating Alice by Alice Greenup

At 18 Melburnian Alice decided to quit uni and travel around Australia with a friend by motorbike. During her travels she stops in to see a family friend in Mackay, Queensland and on a whim applies for a temporary job as a governess on a remote cattle station. It is here that she meets a young jackaroo named Rick and from that moment her life is changed forever.

Theirs is not an easy courtship - Alice returns to Melbourne for a while, before transferring her studies to Brisbane and Rick spends a year away working in the very remote Kimberley's. Although initially drawn to the outback life, it takes Alice a while to fully adapt and accept that if she marries Rick their lives will be forever tied to the land. As newlyweds they take a huge gamble with the purchase of their own property and face many obstacles as the unrelenting drought brings them to their knees. Just when it seems things are going their way Alice is involved in a devastating accident and it is only with huge amounts of courage and tenacity that she makes a good recovery before going on to give birth to three children.

Book Review No 14: House For All Seasons by Jenn. J McLeod

An old house, a small town, several different stories that weave together...what a great idea! LOL. This charming book has many similar elements to my own novel, so naturally I was very eager to read it. And I definitely wasn't disappointed.

Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin were once good friends when they all lived in the small NSW town of Calingarry Crossing. Central to their friendship was their association with The Dandelion House - a place they all spent time at under the wise and watchful eye of Gypsy. However a tragedy rocked their friendship and the town on school muck up day back in 1989 and one by one the four girls fled the town and their friendship.

Twenty years later all four women are shocked to discover that Gyspy has willed the old house to them, but before any decisions can be made about its future, each of them must spent a season back in Calingarry Crossing, alone. All are reluctant at first, but in turn they acquiesce and each then embarks on their own journey to healing the past.

Book Review No 13: Bush Nurses by Annabelle Brayley

Back in the 1980s I used to love the TV show The Flying Doctors. Set in a tiny outback town in NSW, it was based around the work done by not only the actual doctors who flew great distances to treat sick and injured patients, but also the nurses who ably assisted them. Like many viewers I assumed that the storylines on the show were probably exaggerated for effect – to create more drama and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Apparently I was wrong. In reading Bush Nurses, I realised that The Flying Doctors only touched the surface. 

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.