Miles Franklin Award

Congratulations to Anna Funder for taking out the 2012 Miles Franklin Award this week for her brilliant novel All That I Am. I read this book last year, see my review here, and just loved it but all the press the book has been getting of late has made me want to read it all over again...

A Common Loss - Kirsten Tranter

I read Kirsten Tranter's debut novel, The Legacy, in 2010 and it was a hit for me. Even more so after meeting the author and hearing her talk about her process of writing fiction (why does this always seem to make a book or an author's body of work more appealing??).
Tranter's most recent novel, A Common Loss, follows a lot of the same themes as The Legacy, and like that book it also draws on a number of other literary inspirations but unfortunately for me it doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first book.
A Common Loss is set in the USA and tells the story of five friends who meet in college and continue a sometimes tentative and fraught friendship into their adult lives (Tranter talks about drawing on Donna Tartt's The Secret History in the formation of her novel). The main event for the group is the annual trip to Las Vegas where they enjoy the delights of that city while catching up on each others lives. As the book starts the group are planning their trip to Las Vegas but without one of their members who has died suddenly in the preceding year. It is the loss of this person that sparks a new dynamic within the friends - highlighting rifts, connections and secrets that were previously hidden.
Once again Tranter's writing style, characterisation and ability to weave a strong narrative captured me straight away - this is a book that you want to keep reading long into the night. The thing that didn't really capture me was the story itself - none of the characters were particularly likeable - and although this is something that doesn't normally bother me in a book for some reason it did with this one!
I would certainly recommend this book if you are looking for an engaging story that keeps you reading along but if you are looking for characters to connect with this might not be the book for you.

The Chemistry of Tears - Peter Carey

The latest Peter Carey novel, The Chemistry of Tears, seemed to be released with very little fanfare in Australia but I was totally captivated by it's title and cover and I bought it without even knowing a thing about it - very rare for me.
The book is the story of Catherine, a woman in her early 40's who works as a conservator with London's Swinburne Museum. As the book opens Catherine has just discovered the sudden death of her married colleague and secret lover of the past 13 years. The relationship has been a defining one for Catherine, even though the existence of it has not been able to be spoken about outside the two of them, and she is devastated by not only Matthew's death but by her inability to grieve openly for his loss.
In an attempt to console and distract her, Catherine's manager passes on to her a complex project involving the reconstruction of an elaborate mechanical bird. Catherine becomes obsessed with the project and by the the man who commissioned the machine in the 1850's, Henry Brandling. Henry's diaries are discovered by Catherine in amongst the boxes of the birds various parts and she becomes attached to them and the story they tell - the story of a father trying to cure his seriously ill child through the gift of a miracle.
This is a beautiful story, obscure and difficult to follow in parts but no less magical and transformative for the effort it takes at times to persist with the story. I was captivated by Catherine as a character - her pain and flaws as much as her courage and resilience.  Peter Carey does not always hit the mark for me but this time he absolutely did - I couldn't put this one down until I had read the last word.

Berlin Syndrome - Melanie Joosten

I am always a little wary of books claiming to be "psychological thrillers" - I start them eagerly only to find that they don't really fit my criteria of either psychological or thrilling - they become predictable and boring. I think that is one of the reasons why I am so excited by Melanie Joosten's debut novel, Berlin Syndrome - it claimed to be a psychological thriller and in my reading eyes it definitely was.
The book starts with the meeting of Clare and Andi. Clare is an Australian photographer on a backpacking/work trip through Europe and she is in Berlin when she meets a local man, Andi while waiting to cross a road near Checkpoint Charlie. There is an instant physical attraction between the two and they quickly form a sexual relationship and friendship.
The book alternates between the narration of Clare and Andi and also between the present and the past. The reader slowly learns about the sequence of events that have led to the present time in the story as well as the more recent, and distant past. It sounds like a complex structure but it reads so easily - I never felt lost or confused by where I was in the story. It was also a structure that allowed for tension and drama to build. This was a book I just couldn't put down - I had to keep reading to find out what would eventually happen to these characters. I don't want to say too much more because I think this is one of those books you just have to discover for yourself - and I would definitely recommend that you do. The only flaw I found in this book was perhaps the ending - but maybe that was just because I was enjoying the ride so much I didn't want it to end!

Ruby Blues - Jessica Rudd

After reading and enjoying Jessica Rudd's debut novel, Campaign Ruby, last year I wondered at the end of my review if a sequel would be in the future - I'm not sure if I was the catalyst but a sequel has indeed just been released.
Ruby Blues starts 2 years after the end of the previous book. Ruby has been working for the Prime Minister, Max Masters, since his election win and she has also been in a relationship with his previous Chief of Staff, Luke. Unfortunately for Ruby, but fortunately for the reader, all is not well in her political or personal worlds. The glow of the election win is starting to wear off the government and Ruby's boss looks very much like losing his job at the next election if some major image and policy readjustment does not take place. Ruby's relationship with Luke is also travelling poorly in the polls with Ruby's busy schedule keeping them apart more often than not. Of course these tensions are just what is needed to drive the story along and give the reader something to care about and follow.
Rudd's writing is sharp, witty and engaging. As with the first book there are definitely quite a few plot twists that can seem a little on the coincidental side but somehow Rudd pulls them off without the book falling into the farcical zone.
Ruby herself is funny, energetic and at times just a tad annoying - but lovable all the same. Some new characters enter this book - with my favourite having to be political intern, Bettina who feels the need to express herself primarily in acronyms much to the disgust of Ruby.
A really enjoyable, fun read.

Reading Madame Bovary - Amanda Lohrey

I fully admit to being drawn to this book by it's title and the gorgeous cover. I have said it before, but I will say it again - I am a publishers dream!
Reading Madame Bovary is a collection of short stories by Australian author, Amanda Lohrey, published last year and read oh so long ago by me but only now being dug out from the "to be reviewed on blog" pile.
The book is pitched as a collection which "explores the dilemmas of modern life" and I found something in almost every story and character that I was able to relate to in some way.
Each of the stories is written impeccably - they feel timed just right. Lohrey talks about the stories being quite long for the traditional short story form and how she envisaged some of the stories actually being written as novels. This depth of characterisation and plot development is obvious - I found myself wishing that some of the stories were novel length - I just didn't want them to end.
For anyone who thinks you may be interested in reading this one I recommend you listen to the interview, or read the transcript of Lohrey talking on The Book Show for ABC Radio National - reading this interview has made me want to go back and read these stories all over again. A beautiful collection.

Stasiland - Anna Funder

I am definitely going through a German reading phase at the moment so if any one has any suggestions for great books set in this country could you please send them my way.
Stasiland is a book I have had on my shelf for quite a while - since it was first published actually. I had caught the author doing a radio interview as part of her tour for the books release and I was fascinated by the subject area but also the way Funder spoke about her research for and her process of writing the book. I eagerly rushed out to buy a copy but then like so many other books, it was pushed aside for other reading choices - a victim of the "so many books, not enough time" dilemma we face on a daily basis.
Luckily for me Stasiland was one of the required reads for a course I was doing this semester on creative non-fiction as part of my masters so it has finally made it to the read pile of my bookshelves.
Stasiland tells several personal stories of the devasting impact of the Stasi (the East German secret service) in the life of the German Democratic Republic. Funder has interviewed people from all sides of the story, GDR citizens who were affected by the regime and  Stasi informants and members who carried out the work.
In the 1990's Funder was working for a television station in Germany when she became interested in the stories of the people who had been ruled by the Stasi:

Later, Frau Hollitzer told me about Miriam,  a young woman whose husband has died in a Stasi remand cell nearby. It was rumoured the Stasi orchestrated the funeral, to the point of substituting an empty coffin for a full one, and cremating the body to destroy any evidence of the cause of death. I imagined paid-off pallbearers pretending to struggle under the weight of an empty coffin, or perhaps genuinely struggling beneath a coffin filled with eighty kilos of old newspapers and stones. I imagined not knowing whether your husband hanged himself, or whether someone you now pass in the street killed him. I thought I would like to speak with Miriam, before my imaginings set like false memories.



The transparency of Funder's research and interviews are shown through out the book - Funder herself is very much present as a character in the book and her emotions of shock, anger, frustration and sadness echo those that we are feeling as a reader as we hear about the atrocious acts committed against the East German people under the Stasi. There is also a strong tone of resilience and hope to the book which helps to balance it and adds to the feeling of authenticity and genuineness.

Funder's writing style is engaging, honest and lively - you can clearly see each of the people as they tell their stories and Funder has a lovely sense of humour which comes across as nice relief in some stages of the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has a slight interest in this period of history - it has certainly added to my knowledge and understand and has only left me wanting to learn more.

Past The Shallows - Favel Parrett

There was so much about Past The Shallows that I just couldn't go past. The title for a start, so simple, so beautiful, so tempting. The fact that this is the first novel of a young, female Australian author - a group of writers I like to support whenever I can. The cover, gloriously colourful and yet discreet at the same time. And then there is the author's name - how gorgeous and unique is it?? You will be pleased to know that after all that the content did not let me down.
Past The Shallows is the story of Harry, the youngest of three brothers living with their father on the remote south coast of Tasmania after the death of their mother. Harry is the observer and recorder of the family history - it is through his eyes that we learn of the difficulties in his family, how much his father is struggling, emotionally and financially and how the three brothers are each trying to carve out an existence in an isolated family and environment.
The sea is a constant presence in the story - it is the way Harry's father earns a living and it is also a big source of comfort and pleasure for each of the boys in some way. Parrett is obviously extremely knowledgeable about this landscape and the essence of the water and the way each character interacts with and responds to it comes across clearly in the story.
The characters all came across strongly in the story but Harry was especially powerful, It was interesting to read Parrett talk about the character of Harry in an interview after the book was published;

"I love Harry very much. Sometimes it still makes me cry when I think about him. He is a very special character to me - some kind of gift really"

It is so lovely to hear an author speak this way about a character she has created - and this passion certainly comes through in the character of Harry and the story he creates.

In some ways this is such a simple book - in its structure and prose - but in other ways it is deeply complex - and definitely very moving.

All That I Am - Anna Funder

I am not really sure how this has happened but I have a pile of books waiting to be reviewed - some that I finished reading months ago - so I have made a vow that I will get through them in the next couple of weeks in order to free the clutter that is currently consuming my mind - so many book thoughts!!

All That I Am is a book I had been eagerly awaiting as soon as I found out the author would be releasing her first novel. I am currently reading my way through Funder's first book, her non fiction work, Stasiland, and I am completely absorbed by her writing. I was so excited to see that her skill flowed over into the fiction genre as All That I Am turned out to be just, if not more, captivating than Stasiland.
All That I Am is a novel based on real people and events - although I have to say that I was not familiar with these people before reading this book. Funder explains a little about the creation of the novel and how she has intertwined real stories and people with other characters and events in the acknowledgements at the end of the book.
I was hooked from the first line of the book;

When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.

I just love it! So brief and simple and yet so powerful and evocative at the same time. The book goes on to tell the story of Hitler's rise to power in post WW1 Germany from the perspective of Ruth Becker, a young revolutionary opposed to Hitler's politics and his vision for her country. Ruth's older cousin, Dora and her husband, Hans are also involved in dangerous political and social activities and they are soon forced to flee Germany for London so as to ensure their safety. Another member of their activist group is the German playwright, Ernst Toller whom makes contact with Ruth through his writings many years later when she is living in Australia.

Funder has obviously done meticulous research for this book - not that the novel comes across as dull or research based - rather as clear, informed and authentic. Each of the characters are fully formed and explored - although secrets and new observations arise as the novel progresses.

The language and the writing style are engaging and intelligent - I fell totally in love with the structure of this book and the story it was portraying. I would definitely recommend this to any reader interested in the period prior to and during WW2 but also readers who love a novel driven by characters and their internal and external conflicts. Am amazing read.

Into The Woods - Anna Krien

Into The Woods was one of the books on the recommended reading list for one of the courses I am currently taking looking at creative non-fiction. I can't say that I was all that excited about picking it up at first - the environment and nature are not things that I normally enjoy reading about, I know that is probably the most un-politically correct thing you could say in this day and age but I've said it!

I think it is a major strength of the author and the book she has written that I am now much more interested in this topic - and I have noticed myself not automatically tuning out when stories like this are presented in the media.

Into The Woods covers the story of the Tasmanian forests and the battle that is currently taking place (and has been taking place for some time now) between various groups interested in the forests for one reason or another. Krien has looked at the issue from every angle and has talked to key people from the different interest groups - environmentalists and conservationists, loggers and logging businesses, the government, local community members and she has included her own views and thoughts throughout the book.

The book is so well researched that I found myself diving into all sections of it - even the sections that quote numerous facts, figures and statistics. These sections are well balanced by the voices of the people Krien speaks with along the way. Although Krien's leanings and her own position are displayed at times this book feels balanced and fair - I felt very much as though the information was being put in front of me for me to make my own decision.

This book is a brilliant combination of fact and emotion - I am in complete awe of Krien's abilities as a writer and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the craft of non fiction writing.

Five Bells - Gail Jones

Five Bells is the latest novel from Australian author, Gail Jones. I have not read any of her previous novels but there was something about the description of this novel that captured my reading fancy. The book is told from the perspective of four characters over the course of one day as they each travel to the tourist spot of Circular Quay in Sydney for different reasons. I love books that are totally contained in one day - there is something about that narrative technique that really appeals to me as a reader.

The characters in Five Bells are each struggling with memories and experiences from their pasts - experiences that they are very much carrying with them in their present. Ellie and James knew each other as children and adolescents and they are recollecting their pasts together as they come to meet each other for the first time in years as adults. James is haunted by an accident in his recent past - an incident that he dearly wants to share with Ellie and perhaps unburden himself in some way.

Pei Xing is an older Chinese woman who emigrated to Australia with her young son after her brutal treatment during China's Cultural Revolution and Catherine is an Irish journalist, escaping to Sydney after the sudden death of her beloved brother.

This is a beautiful, lyrical novel - I wouldn't recommend it if you are a fan of lots of "action" in your books - held together by the memories and stories of the individual characters. The depth of each character is felt and each of their stories would easily make a novel on its own. In some ways the novel is an exploration of the role of past experiences in our present lives - how they impact and are carried with us - no matter where we travel or what we do.

I loved reading this book - I was carried away by each of the characters - my only minor complaint is regarding the "event" that comes towards the end of the novel that is supposed to bring the characters together in some way - I'm not sure that it was really needed and it felt as though it was just dropped into the storyline and not really built in as it might have been. But this could be just my reading of the book and I have missed something along the way! I did recognise the importance of the number five throughout the novel (in line with the title) and the importance of there being five key players instead of four.

Overall, I fell in love with Jones' writing style and characterisation and I will be keeping an eye out for her earlier novels.

The Tall Man - Chloe Hooper

The Tall Man is a book on the reading list for one of my upcoming university courses. It is a book that I have always had an interest in reading but have ultimately stayed away from - my thinking being that it will be too "dark and depressing" and why would I want to put myself through that?

It is a common theme I have noticed throughout my reading choices - some books sound amazing and relevant and topical but I think it will be all too much for my reading senses so I avoid them at all costs until they somehow end up in my lap - and they turn about to be the best books I have ever read - books that linger and stay with me long after I have finished them.

The Tall Man is definitely one of those books. Written by Australian author and journalist Chloe Hooper the book follows the story of the death of an Aboriginal man, Cameron Doomadgee from the remote northern Queensland community of Palm Island who is found dead while in police custody in 2004 and the subsequent Coroner's inquest into his death and the criminal trial against the police officer charged with his death, Senior Constable Chris Hurley. Cameron's death had a huge impact not only on his own family but on the entire community of Palm Island (who are mainly Aboriginal people)and it highlighted the gap between black and white, powerless and powerful on the Island.

I remembered this story from the media surrounding it while it was taking place, Hooper herself won a Walkley award for an essay she wrote for an Australian publication during that time - an essay that went on to form the basis for this book. As with any high profile legal process that is comprehensively covered in the media there was discussion about it in some of my social groups of the time - but north Queensland is almost like another country for us "southerners" and I felt a certain distance from the events that were going on "up there".

The Tall Man brings those events and the people involved in them much closer to home.

Hooper becomes close to Cameron Doomadgee's family - his siblings and aunts and uncles - and through this connection she learns about Cameron's life on Palm Island - a life that is replicated through much of the Aboriginal community living there. A life of violence, alcohol abuse and hopelessness. Hooper also hears about the other side of life for Aboriginal people - the life of the dreaming and close connection to the land and ancestors.

The life of the Aboriginal community in Palm Island - the racism, prejudice, violence and poverty they are subjected to, as well as the close family bonds - comes through clearly in Hooper's book. The life of the mainly white, anglo-saxon police officers who are put in charge of these remote communities comes through less clearly - possibly because of Hoopers lack of access to the main police officer in question, Chris Hurley, who refused to meet with Hooper at all.

That is not to say that this is not a complete and well-rounded book - because it is. Hooper provides her experiences and interpretations while at the same time putting all the information out there - allowing the reader to explore their own thoughts.

The history of relations between the Aboriginal Australians and the anglo-saxon immigrants is ever present in the telling of this story - where we have come from in terms of our systematic betrayal and destruction of Aboriginal people has led to where we are today - mistrust and scepticism that is especially evident in rural and remote communities where Aboriginal people experience a lower quality of life, lower life expectancy and higher rates of illness and contact with the legal system when compared to white people in the same communities.

The Tall Man is a book that highlights these inequities but it is also a book that shows how there are some people in this country - black and white - who are prepared to stand up and fight to try and change this.

A powerful read - one I am glad to have finally read.

The Distant Hours - Kate Morton

Kate Morton has her winning formula and her latest book, The Distant Hours, shows she's sticking to it - and why wouldn't she? It's creating one bestseller after the other. As in her two previous books, The Shifting Fog and The Forgotten Garden Morton weaves together story lines from the present and past, has a heroine in each time period - each more lovelorn than the other, sets the majority of the book in a beautiful and historical part of the English countryside and throws in a long lost secret (usually involving the writing of a letter or a book) to be uncovered.

Now that I think about it - it definitely does sound like a winning formula - at least it was for me in relation to the first two books, unfortunately for The Distant Hours the formula has now become a little boring and predictable.

The heroines in The Distant Hours are varied and numerous, the two main ones being Edith (Edie)Burchill a young woman working for the publishing business in London in the present day and Juniper Blythe, a talented and ethereal woman who goes to London at the outset of World War 2 and falls in love. These two characters are brought together by Edie's mother, Meredith, who at the start of the war is sent to the countryside as part of the evacuation of children from London to stay with Juniper's family in their family home, Milderhurst Castle. Juniper's father is the world famous children's author, Raymond Blythe and his impact on Juniper and her two older half-sisters, Persephone and Seraphina is felt by Meredith and later relayed to Edie who stumbles upon the castle in the present day and thereby bringing the connection full circle.

The Distant Hours was a compelling and easy read - it is a large book at 499 pages but I found myself half way through it in almost no time at all - the problem being that I never felt as though anything of any significance was happening. I felt I had worked out the formula, and therefore the conclusion, very early on in the piece and the characters themselves were too stereotypical and predictable to interest me.

Definitely a great holiday read for when you just want to tune out and not have to work too hard with your reading but if you are after substance and originality it might be best to look elsewhere.

Fall Girl - Toni Jordan

I had read Toni Jordan's debut novel, Addition, in early 2009 and loved it - so much so that I have been waiting ever since then for her to release her second book.

Fall Girl was released last week in Australia and I devoted my reading time over the past weekend solely to it.

The fall girl of the title is Della Gilmore, a young woman living with her extended family of con artists in the suburbs of Melbourne. The Gilmore family have always been in the conning trade. Della's father is the patriarch of the bunch and Della has learnt most of her trade secrets from him, her brother, aunt and uncle and cousins. They rely on each other for their work and their income and it has all been going pretty swimmingly by the sound of things.

Della's latest con is to parade herself as an award winning science academic and researcher - Dr Ella Canfield - in order to score a $25,000 research grant to search for the existence of the Tasmanian tiger - a creature that has been listed as extinct for over 70 years. If she is going to win the grant Della has to convince the administrator of the grant, the sexy, confidant, intelligent and wealthy Daniel Metcalf, that she is the real deal.

I'm sure you can see where this is heading.

I was so disappointed with this book. Whereas in Addition Jordan created an original, flawed, interesting main character I found the opposite to be the case in Fall Girl. True, you don't come across a suburban con artist in everyday life (at least I hope I don't!) but that was really the only original aspect to this book and the character of Della/Ella.

There seemed to be too many characters and sub plots and relationship details to enable to reader to focus on the main story - maybe the author was trying to pull a con of her own and confuse the reader with smoke and mirrors??! The ending for me was just the icing on the disappointing cake - I'm not sure where it came from at all as it seemed to introduce a desire of the main character that hadn't been explored at all in the novel up until that point.

Certainly an easy to read book - but there was very little substance for me unfortunately.

Friends, Shoes and Books

I'm writing this post on my brand new computer (with thanks to my IT savvy partner for setting it up for me so beautifully!). I feel some sense of loss having to say goodbye to my old computer, it had been my faithful sidekick for 5 years now but unfortunately it had no more capacity for growth so it had to be replaced. So far so good with my new piece of technology - I'm settling into its style - I just need a name for it - any suggestions??

I've had a lovely weekend - although the weather hasn't always been so lovely. A gorgeous spring day on Saturday - the perfect day to catch up for brunch with one of my best friends and go shoe and book shopping!

I headed to one of my favourite shoe shops, Nine West and bought some gorgeous summer sandals (I was supposed to be looking for new work shoes but these were much more fun!).I also treated myself to two new books, Shall We Dance by Maggie Alderson and A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French.

The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton

The Forgotten Garden was the selection for my Book Club last month and I have to say that when I first heard it was the book we would be reading I wasn't all that excited. I had already read this book when it first came out after reading, and loving, the author's first book - The Shifting Fog (or The House at Riverton as it is named in the UK) and I was disappointed that I was going to be "forced" to read a book that I hadn't enjoyed all that much the first time all over again! I had initially felt let down by Morton's second novel - on my first reading I hadn't felt that The Forgotten Garden was as powerful or as original as The Shifting Fog - but my second reading has definitely redeemed the book in my eyes.

The Forgotten Garden (as does Morton's first book) moves between locations, time periods and characters. As the book starts we are introduced to Nell O'Connor who is living in the Australian city of Brisbane in 1930, about to turn 21 and marry her young sweetheart. On the night of her Birthday party her father tells her a secret that he has been keeping from her since she was a young girl - a secret that will eventually send Nell to the English countryside to discover the truth about her history.

Linked in with Nell's story is the story of her granddaughter, Cassandra who learns some of Nell's story after her death and then travels to England herself to track down more of the story and the story of a two young women who despite growing up in very different circumstances in the early 1900's England are intricately linked with each other and with Nell and Cassandra's story.

Ahh the links! They are really the crux of the success (or failure) of this story and for some reason I felt they worked better on the second reading for me - even though I knew how everything turned out in the end! The stories are woven together with themes of art, fairy tales, the essence of truth and connection and loss. It might have been a case of the right book at the right time for me on this occasion but I felt the themes and links worked well to produce a great story and an enjoyable read.

The Slap - Christos Tsiolikas

The Slap has already won a stack of prizes and awards and most recently was named on the Man Booker Prize Long List for 2010. The book has also generated a lot of discussion amongst Australian readers, bloggers and literary critics and some of my close friends have read the book and have had very strong views on it - but despite all of this I still hadn't read The Slap myself. I've changed all that now though and I am so glad!

The Slap literally starts with a slap. A group of friends and family are gathered in a Melbourne suburban backyard for a BBQ, a children's game of cricket turns feisty and one of the adults slaps a young child who is not his own. From this action we continue to follow the group as they return to their own homes and carry on with their lives.

The book is told in the voices of different characters in alternate chapters and I felt this was a great narrative technique for this book as it helped us see the event at the BBQ from the viewpoint of different players such as the "slapper" himself, the child's mother, the family whose house the BBQ took place at etc...

This book is so rich in detail and characterisation - I felt each character in this book could have been fleshed out even further and had a book devoted just to them. The suburban world is created fully and I felt as though I could walk down the street the next day and run into any of these characters - they felt that alive and real.

The story itself was brilliant - such a simple concept in many ways but it is so complex in the thoughts, views, opinions and emotions it raises in the characters - and readers. This is a book that stayed with me even when I wasn't reading it - and it has definitely stayed with me now that I have finished it. For me, The Slap deserves all of the praise that has come its way - I can't wait to read more from this author.

Campaign Ruby - Jessica Rudd

As an Australian citizen currently in the midst of a painful, drawn out national election campaign I could not go past reading Campaign Ruby when it was released (in a timely manner!) last week.

Campaign Ruby is the fiction debut of the former Australian Prime Minister's daughter, Jessica Rudd. As it's title suggests, it follows a (fictional) national election campaign and the role of Ruby Stanhope, an English investment banker who has just been unceremoniously sacked from her high flying job and finds herself in Australia looking for a new life direction - only to find herself with a new job as an advisor to the leader of the opposition (LOO).

The novel takes advantage of quite a few coincidences to keep the plot flowing, for example, Ruby finding herself at a party on her first night in Australia where the opposition leader and his chief of staff are attending and they just happen to "bump into" Ruby and hire her on the spot without knowing a thing about her apart from the fact that she has worked in banking - in the UK!! But I found myself overlooking these moments because apart from them the novel worked really well for me. It is clear that Rudd has a clear understanding and an insiders knowledge of the election and political process and this adds a strong authenticity to the story and the characters. Rudd writes well and uses humour well - although I did find some of the antics that Ruby got into a little childish and unneeded. The opening chapter is one of the funniest I have read in a while and really set the character of Ruby up for readers.

I'm not sure how this book would translate for non-Australian readers as it does involve quite a lot of the Australian political context - but I am wondering if this is why Rudd made her main character English as Ruby herself needs to have a few things explained to her as she goes along which would help non-Australian readers I think.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Rudd produces next - I hope she is able to take her skills into another topic area and do just as well - or maybe there will be a sequel in the future??

Beautiful Malice - Rebecca James

Before Beautiful Malice had even been released I had heard and read quite a lot about it and the woman who wrote it, Rebecca James. The media was hot on the story about how much James had been paid for this book and the "frenzy" it had started in the international publishing world with everyone seeming to want a piece of it. Of course this sort of publicity always makes me a little wary - but I have to admit it also sucks me in (I have always said I am a marketer's dream!).

Beautiful Malice has been promoted as a psychological thriller in the young adult reading area.

The main character, Katherine Patterson is a 17 year old in her final year of high school in Sydney - we find out early on in the book that she moved to Sydney a couple of years ago following a traumatic event, the death of her younger sister, that obviously impacted hugely on her whole family. Katherine is living with her aunt as her parents have re-located to nearby Newcastle but Katherine lives a fairly independent existence. This was an aspect of the structure of the book that never really rang true for me - this is a 17 year old whose sibling has died and yet her parents seem quite ok with her living away from them at a fairly important time of her life - the author did make some attempts at explaining this separation but they felt a little forced for me and even though it could be seen as a minor practical detail in the story it did affect how I viewed the characters and the authenticity of the story.

Katherine makes friends with another student, Alice, who begins to help her see the lighter side of life and connects her to a social world for the first time since the death of her sister. That is until cracks start to appear in Alice's character and Katherine comes to realise she can't really trust her.

The story presented is in some ways a coming of age story for Katherine who has to face the demons of the reality of her sister's death and the part she believes she played in it before she can begin to develop her own life as independent from this strong part of it.

I felt the author did a good job in building suspense and tension in the story and I read quickly - wanting to know more and more. There is a lot of devastation and tragedy included for one book - and for one character - at times it felt like Katherine (and the reader!) might not be able to take any more!

I did enjoy this book but for all it's dark content matter and issues handled I didn't find it completely satisfying if that makes sense?? I am wondering if a younger reader would have gained more from the experience?

Reading By Moonlight - Brenda Walker

Reading By Moonlight would have to be one of the most beautiful, lyrical and mesmerising books I have read in a long time. I have failed to get very much done today as I have been unable to tear myself about from this book.

Australian author and Professor of English, Brenda Walker has written Reading By Moonlight as a narrative of her journey through her diagnosis, treatment and recovery of breast cancer. What makes this slightly different from some other books of a similar focus is the way that Walker weaves her literary background and love of books and writing into her story - in a way, given that this is her background it would have been virtually impossible to exclude it.

Walker divides the book into five sections; surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, reconstruction and survival - whilst each section is part of a single narrative they also have their own individual feel and sense - which Walker describes through her own emotions and remembrances of the times but also on her recollection of the books she chooses to read through each period.

Some of the books and authors that Walker relies on to support her through this journey and ones that she shares with us in Reading By Moonlight include, The Hours - Michael Cunningham, Anna Karenina - Tolstoy, The Tale of Genji - Murasaki Shikibu, Voss - Patrick White, Edgar Allan Poe and her own novel in progress at the time - The Wing of Night. Each book and author discussed is done so in just enough detail so that the connection between that being discussed and Walker's own current situation is clear - although you never feel you are being preached at.

The book is sad and yet hopeful at the same time - and now only because Walker is able to end her book with a chapter called Survival.

There are so many wonderful, true and inspiring quotes I could leave you with from this already favourite book of mine but I will choose this one;

"To be honest I would rather tell you about books. A good book laces invisible fingers into the shape of a winter armchair or a hammock in the sun. I'm not talking about comfort, necessarily, but support. A good writer might take you to strange and difficult places, but you're in the hands of someone you trust".

So true, and I now add Brenda Walker high on the list of authors I trust.