Poet’s Cottage Synopsis

Poets had always lived there, the locals claimed. It was as if the house called to its own…

When Sadie inherits Poet’s Cottage in the Tasmanian fishing town of Pencubitt, she sets out to discover all she can about her notorious grandmother, Pearl Tatlow. Pearl was a children’s writer who scandalised 1930s Tasmania with her behaviour. She was also violently murdered in the cellar of Poet’s Cottage and her murderer never found.

Sadie grew up with a loving version of Pearl through her mother, but her aunt Thomasina tells a different story, one of a self-obsessed, abusive and licentious woman. And Pearl’s biographer, Birdie Pinkerton, has more than enough reason to discredit her.

As Sadie and her daughter Betty work to uncover the truth, strange events begin to occur in the cottage. And as the terrible secret in the cellar threads its way into the present day, it reveals a truth more shocking than the decades-long rumours.

Poet’s Cottage is a beautiful and haunting mystery of families, bohemia, truth, creativity, lies, memory and murder. (Booktopia)

BOOK REVIEW

Poet’s Cottage by Josephine Pennicott is a gothic mystery novel that contains all the ingredients of a success. It has a complex web narrative across historical time periods, in this case the 1930s and the present day. The story is set in a charming little Tasmanian town exposed to the elements and steeped in history, scandal and murder.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) will be announced on Friday night as part of the Sydney Writer’s Festival this week.

So before the winners are announced I thought it worth recapping which titles have been short-listed.

General Fiction Book of the Year 2013

Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell (Hachette Australia)

Jack of Diamonds by Bryce Courtenay (Penguin Group Australia)

Nine Days by Toni Jordan (The Text Publishing Company)

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (Allen & Unwin)

The Mother’s Group by Fiona Higgins (Allen & Unwin)

The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey (Allen & Unwin)

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

I recently had the pleasure of reading a short story collection titled Survival Skills written by Jean Ryan.

From my review:

‘Survival Skills is one of the more unique offerings I have come across in my recent quest to read more short story collections. The collection consists of 13 standalone stories ranging from 6 to 21 pages in length. There is a real clarity and strong sense of purpose about each story, but common to all is Jean Ryan’s refreshing voice and open-minded and unadorned perspective.’

I invited Jean to discuss with readers of Booklover Book Reviews a topic she feels passionate about — the under appreciated art form of short stories.

The Ready Feast

Why do most readers avoid short stories?

I’ve posed this question to several people, who have offered a small range of reasons. Some say that short stories end too abruptly, or that they often have no resolution at all. Others mention a lack of plot, claiming that writers of this genre are more concerned with style than story. But the most common complaint is that short stories are simply too short. When it comes to reading material, people favor long-term investments and will not consider other options, even with the possibility of greater returns. “I make friends with the characters,” someone told me yesterday. “I want them to stick around.”

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Thanks to Signal 8 Press, I have an ebook copy of Yu Jihui’s recently released memoir The Gunners of Shenyang to giveaway to one lucky reader.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

And The Soft Wind Blows Synopsis

Timmy Enosh is a peculiar, small man: fivethree, onehundred andfifteen pounds, and is a pharmacist in Ashton City, Tennessee. He finds himself at fortythreeyearsold as his life starts to fall apart: his threehundred pound wife disappears, his romantic interest has lost interest and has gained hatred toward him, his coworkers harass him, customers verbally assault him, and he has the strange urge to adopt his foulmouthed, eighteenyearold coworker, Alex. When things start to pile up, Timmy must find a way to deal: he turns to Alex to supply him with marijuana, starts sewing an elaborate Mr. Mistoffelees costume, finds solace in the wild, etc., etc., etc. And the soft, constant wind of change blows him on, on, and on. (Amazon)

The Book Beginning is:

“How was your day?” Timmy asked.

“Shut up,” said Mandy, her words dropping like boulders on Timmy’s head, shattering to pieces on the floor.

  >> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Dead Lions Synopsis

London’s Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what’s left of their failed careers. The “slow horses,” as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can’t be trusted any more. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle-not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there — even if it means having to collaborate with one another.

Now the slow horses have a chance at redemption. An old Cold War-era spy is found dead on a bus outside Oxford, far from his usual haunts. The despicable, irascible Jackson Lamb is convinced Dickie Bow was murdered. As the agents dig into their fallen comrade’s circumstances, they uncover a shadowy tangle of ancient Cold War secrets that seem to lead back to a man named Alexander Popov, who is either a Soviet bogeyman or the most dangerous man in the world. How many more people will have to die to keep those secrets buried?

(Soho Press)

BOOK REVIEW

I was an unabashed fan of the British TV series Spooks and will admit to having enjoyed an episode or two of the slightly less cool but charming TV series New Tricks. Add to that my penchant for satire and humour on the darker side, and it seems Mick Herron’s latest novel Dead Lions was made for me.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

The Gunners of Shenyang Synopsis

In Yu Jihui’s memoir of his life as a university student in China as the nation starved during Mao’s Great Leap Forward, carrots are decadent luxuries and flatulence is the people’s true common language. “Soapy,” the author’s nickname during his college days, has been dubious about the benefits of the socialist revolution sweeping the country ever since his father was exiled to a desolate town in the middle of nowhere for daring to question the wisdom of trying to industrialize overnight. As a young adult, Soapy and his dorm-mates attend classes, chase girls, and attend endless political meetings, always struggling with the need to maintain a cheerfully patriotic outlook despite that pesky urge to faint from hunger from time to time. When Big Zhang, an older boy from the provinces, dares to be a nonconformist, openly mocking the system, the dangerous silliness of the day turns to literal, life-or-death danger.

The Gunners of Shenyang is at once hilarious, revealing, informative, thought-provoking, and sometimes college-boy vulgar — a memoir of the horrors of the times from a boy still young enough to enjoy himself and a man now wise enough to see the big picture for what it was. (Signal 8 Press)

BOOK REVIEW by Tony Ziemek

The Gunners of Shenyang is a memoir dedicated to the author’s parents and it is recounted sparingly and with poignancy. It is a tale of friendship, love, humanity and hunger. I found it fascinating because it is an unfamiliar world but one peopled with characters that are universal in their lives, loves, friendships and the many (often ribald) jokes that defy the austerity of the times.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

At the moment I am at the mercy of the novel Mimi by Lucy Ellmann.

I say ‘at the mercy of’ because I am finding it very difficult to put down, and would easily have read it in a single sitting had my schedule allowed.

This is Lucy Ellmann’s sixth novel, but my first experience with her work. Her writing style is bold and lyrical and really keeps you guessing. I have no idea where she is taking me but I am happy to be on the ride…

I recently read and enjoyed immensely Emily Winslow’s latest title, The Start of Everything (read my review).

I reviewed this literary crime thriller as part of the promotion of its UK release coming up in June 2013, but it was first released in the US et al in February 2013 with quite different cover art.

 UK                                                 US

I think both covers are eye-catching but they convey different moods for the book.

In my opinion the UK cover has a much more appropriate sense of foreboding and criminality. The US cover, although still looking mysterious, could be mistaken for chick lit with the image of a girl on a bike.

Which cover do you prefer?

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Wolf Hall Synopsis

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

(Amazon)

BOOK REVIEW

After Hilary Mantel became the first woman to be awarded the Man Booker Prize twice, I thought it was high time I investigated what all the fuss was about. While I like historical fiction, I have read very little set as far back as the 1500s, and had heard there were an inordinate number of characters to keep track of. I often find a great narrator makes distinguishing between characters less hard work so I thought I might tackle this behemoth of a novel via audio.

I experienced conflicting feelings during the 21 hours of this audio book (yes, I did finish it).

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Danna Pycher to Booklover Book Reviews as part of her tour for her title 3rd Generation and Beyond.

Writing 3rd Generation and Beyond: “The How”

When I was growing up I really did not enjoy writing. In fact, I hated it.

I always had a story to tell, yet felt so confined by grammar, structure, and rules that for some reason felt arbitrary and a hindrance to just writing freely. I was never big on arbitrary rules in any aspect of my life in general!

I was a journalist for many years and although I had to write daily it was always a burden.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

I am participating in a Book Debate about the Pulitzer Prize winning title, The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson at Bookkaholic.com.

If you read my review of The Orphan Master’s Son you’ll recall I thought it was outstanding. It tied for first place in My Best Books of 2012 and I have been recommending it to everyone I know.

My counterpart in this debate, who did not like several aspects of this title, is Rebecca Foster.

And so a Book Debate was born!

We invite book lovers to check out our ‘The Orphan Master’s Son Book Debate’ at Bookkaholic and vote for who you think won.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Thanks to Ashland Creek Press, I have an ebook copy of Jean Ryan’s recently released short story collection Survival Skills to giveaway to one lucky reader.

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews

Our Recent 4.5+ star Recommendations

Most Popular Book Reviews via Search

Book Reviews Coming Soon

>> continue reading and comment at Booklover Book Reviews