16 February 2025

Review: RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi

RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi book cover

I read RecipeTin Eats Dinner by Nagi Maehashi in October 2023 and gave it 3 stars but didn't review it at the time as there wasn't much to say. However, we were fortunate to receive her latest offering RecipeTin Eats Tonight - Dinners for every night of the week from Australia’s favourite cook for Christmas 2024 and thought I'd leave a review by way of thanks.

Nagi Maehashi left her job working as a chartered accountant to pursue her love of cooking. She's now an internationally successful Australian food blogger and her website receives more than 500 million page views per year. In 2023, RecipeTin Eats Dinner was the fastest-selling cookbook in Australian publishing history. Following its success, the author turned down several offers to make TV shows and endorse products in favour of doing what she loves most, cooking and writing recipes.

RecipeTin Eats Tonight contains 150 of these brand new recipes and a variety of variations for which I was grateful, as you won't catch me cooking tofu or any of the seafood recipes.

The first recipe we trialled from the book was Baked Satay Chicken from page 84, and it was delicious, although a little spicy. A few of the ingredients were new to me but I'm keen to make it again. Next up was the Creamy, Cheesy Spaghetti from page 120 and this required a basic skill level more familiar in our household. This was very tasty and I'm keen to try it again but note to self, doubling the sauce wasn't required.

After reading this book, we now have red curry paste and curry powder in our pantry and I'm looking forward to trying the Sticky Pantry Chicken from Page 122.

RecipeTin Eats Tonight is recommended for home cooks and those looking for recipes that are flexible and contain proteins that are easily substituted or interchangeable.

My Rating:


13 February 2025

Review: Dunstan by Conn Iggulden

Dunstan by Conn Iggulden book cover

Set in the year 934, Dunstan by Conn Iggulden is the story of a young boy raised to become a Benedictine monk, but who went on to become an Abbot, Bishop and Archbishop and reform the English Church.

Dunstan was canonised after his death and became England's favourite saint for almost 200 years, but according to this reimagining of his life, in addition to defeating the devil, he was also a liar, murderer and maker of Kings.

Despite being set over a thousand years ago, Dunstan's first person perspective cut through the years like a knife and it wasn't what I was expecting at all. We begin at the end of Dunstan's life with a Prologue:
"Perhaps I will consign these precious sheets to the fire. No one will disturb me now; I have earned that much. These hands that hold the quill are just bones and paper-skin, so like vellum themselves as they whisper against each other. Brother Talbot once said they were a workman's fists, all scarred and thick. Well, time served him well, didn't it, with his delicate scribe fingers? I have trod down the soil over his dead face with my bare heels, and only the moon as witness." Page 2
Right from the beginning Dunstan hints that he might be a murderer, yet this didn't deter my interest in his story at all. Dunstan's upbringing alongside his younger brother in the abbey at Glastonbury was brutal and I was caught up in the drama between the boys and Dunstan's creativity in the struggle for dominance and power.

Dunstan performs exceptionally well at his studies, takes an interest in architecture, blacksmithing and medicine and seems to excel in every area he applies himself too. He's also unashamedly ambitious, and weaponises his religion to further his own prospects.
"I have worked my whole life, from six years old when I first piled bricks for workmen on my father's land, in exchange for crusts of bread and a draught of cider. I have prayed and I have dropped my sweat onto the forge. I have made swords and I have used them. I have made a cask or two of wine in my time, taking grapes from different vines. I have pissed in a bottle once or twice as well, when I did not like a man - and I have watched him smack his lips and tell me it was so smooth and extraordinarily fine that I was half tempted to try my own vintage. I have loved a woman and she ruined me. I have loved a king and yet I ruined him. And all I have gained in return for my lifetime of labour is fame and power and servants and an abbey." Page 2
Dunstan's ambition takes him to the court of King Æthelstan, the first King of England, and throughout the course of his life he will be involved - to varying degrees - in the politics and conflicts of the newly emerging England.
"I have known seven kings in all. Three were brothers: Æthelstan, Edmund and Eadred. Two were sons of Edmund: rash Edwy and Edgar the Peaceful. The last were two sons of Edgar: Edward and Ethelred. I am an old man. It breaks my heart." Page 438
Iggulden does an exceptional job of ensuring the reader is able to keep track of these seven kings. Each character was unique and memorable in their own right and their relationships with Dunstan varied to an enormous degree; one of them even sent him into exile!
"I tried to form the words to tell him I forgave him, because I had no other way to take revenge and I wanted him to wince when he recalled me ever after. Vengeance is a fine thing, but forgiveness can be just as cruel." Page 7
The 14 page Historical Note at the end of the novel was a welcome addition and I spent time looking up the Glastonbury Tor and abbey as well as some of the battles and places mentioned in the book after reading.

My maiden name is Dunstan and I originally purchased this book back in 2017 for my Dad and he thoroughly enjoyed it. It's taken me much too long to finally read it myself, but I've been rewarded with an unforgettable character and a fascinating tale of talent, intellect, vengeance, duty, miracles, exile and ambition.

Highly recommended!

My Rating:


04 February 2025

Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow book cover

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is set in a small mining town in Eden, Kentucky where Opal lives in a motel room with her younger brother Jasper. Their parents are both dead and Opal struggles to make enough money for the basics while saving for Jasper's education.

Opal is tough and scrappy and resorts to petty crime to make ends meet.
"People like me have to make two lists: what they need and what they want. You keep the first list short, if you're smart, and you burn the second one. Mom never got the trick of it - she was always wanting and striving, longing and lusting and craving right up until she wasn't - but I'm a quick learner. I have one list, with one thing on it, and it keeps me plenty busy." Page 4
Eden is an unlucky town and has its own gothic mansion of the title, complete with imposing iron gates that fuel fears among the locals the property is haunted or cursed. Starling House is the home of a sole reclusive inhabitant by the name of Arthur who never leaves. Arthur's ancestor Eleanor Starling is the author of Opal's favourite childhood book The Underland which includes tales about mythical creatures from another world.

Opal is drawn to the mansion for reasons she can't explain and accepts a job there as a cleaner. Arthur seems aloof and resistant to company and I just loved this description of him:
"Arthur has a thick yellow pad of paper balanced on his knee. His left pinky is silvery gray with graphite, and his sleeves are rolled to the elbow. His wrists look stronger than I would expect from someone whose main hobbies are skulking and frowning, the bones wrapped in stringy muscle and scarred flesh." Page 55
Starling House is a Southern gothic story about home and running away and is part fantasy, part romance with a dash of spooky paranormal. It's certainly different to my usual reading fare and felt like it was best suited to a young adult audience. The writing was engaging but while some readers might find the inclusion of footnotes in a fictional story quirky, I found them unnecessary and distracting.

The house of the title was a character in its own right, and in particular its ability to communicate feelings about its inhabitants which I loved. Completely run down and neglected when Opal arrives, I particularly enjoyed all of the scenes where she was cleaning room by room, bleaching curtains, removing dead insects and animals and cleaning the walls to bring the house back into shape.

Opal even makes mention of the cliche cleaning montage in the book:
"In the movie version of my life the scene would collapse here into a cleaning montage. You would see me rolling up my sleeves and hauling wet laundry out of the washer, dragging the motel cleaning cart across the parking lot, discovering half a granola bar stuck to the carpet and shoving it furtively in a trash bag. The soundtrack would turn peppy, indicating the heroine's renewed resolve. But reality never skips the boring parts, and I'm not sure I have renewed resolve so much as a real stubborn streak, just like Mom. Survival is a hard habit to break." Page 176
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow in 2023 and am looking forward to the publication of The Everlasting later this year.

My Rating:


29 January 2025

Review: The Unclaimed by Pamela Prickett & Stefan Timmermans

The Unclaimed by Pamela Prickett & Stefan Timmermans audiobook cover

According to The Unclaimed - Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels by Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans, up to 150,000 Americans die and are unclaimed each year. Being unclaimed means the remains of the deceased were not claimed by family or friends, and were buried, cremated or laid to rest by local government despite attempts made to contact loved ones.

Prickett is an Associate Professor of Sociology and former broadcast journalist and Timmermans is a Professor of Sociology at UCLA, and in this book they attempt to make us care about these numbers by providing detailed accounts of four people who died and were unclaimed. The upbringing, family situation and lifestyle in the lead up to these four deaths were discussed in such detail that I soon began to lose interest. Perhaps that's the point.

Loneliness, isolation and estrangement were leading factors but also unsurprisingly was the amount of red tape surrounding death notifications, government assistance and the rules around responsibility for the dead. Some of the unclaimed had family members who refused to be involved or claim their loved one's remains due to the enforced requirement to engage a funeral home. In other cases, friends or acquaintances who tried to claim remains were turned away in favour of family members who couldn't be traced.

Far more interesting - and less frustrating - were the sections featuring the investigators, notification officers and crematorium workers involved in taking care of the unclaimed dead. It was inspiring to read about the charities and individuals who began looking after unclaimed veterans or the remains of unclaimed babies. Their empathy seemed to have no bounds and they're an inspiration to us all, but frankly it shouldn't have to come down to the generosity and goodwill of strangers.

Listening to The Unclaimed audiobook narrated by Nan McNamara, I was prepared to experience feelings of despair, however the 'hope' mentioned in the subtitle allowed me to be optimistic for the future. Surely the book would report or predict a turnaround in the numbers of people being unclaimed after death or a change in legislation or a comprehensive overhaul of government departments to streamline the process. Sadly I didn't finish the book with anything like hope for the future, and was left instead with a renewed disappointment in humanity.

My Rating:


26 January 2025

Praise Featured in The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer

Praise Featured in The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer

I'm so excited to share the news that an excerpt from my review of The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer has been published in the praise section of the book!

This debut novel has been so successful it's now onto its second reprinting by Text Publishing and to see the quote from yours truly featured in the praise section was a real thrill.

For those who can't zoom in, the quote reads:
"Sublime...I found myself wanting to read it again before I'd even finished...An uplifting allegory rich in meaning...Unforgettable." Carpe Librum
You might remember The End and Everything Before It made My Top 5 Books of 2024 list, but seeing Carpe Librum in the praise section of another book was definitely a bookish highlight of 2024!

What will 2025 bring? Stick with me and we'll find out!

Carpe Librum!


24 January 2025

Review: The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory book cover

It's been years since I read an ebook and The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory has been on my Kindle App since 2016. This year I'm planning to read some bigger books from my backlist and coming in at 530 pages and waiting nine years, it was definitely time to read The Boleyn Inheritance.

Set in England during the reign of King Henry VIII, we're given first person narratives from Jane Boleyn (Lady Rochford, wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn), Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.

Beginning in 1539, we meet Anne when she's the Duchess of Cleves. She's keen to escape her domineering brother and make the biggest match possible to become Queen of England. I really enjoyed this different perspective on Anne's life, her mindset and the way in which she navigated the challenges of coming to a land without knowing the language. Navigating the tricky court of Henry VIII was a real culture shock:
"Clearly, I will never be alone again for another moment in all my life." Page 59 Anne, Calais, December 1539
Anne's first meeting with the King was a disaster - as we know - but I enjoyed Gregory's interpretation of the events which have since become legendary.

Meanwhile, Jane Boleyn has been away from court following the execution of her husband and sister-in-law for treason in 1536. Jane is ambitious and a social climber, as becomes clear early on in the book:
"Once again I shall be at court. Once again I shall be the closest friend of the queen, a constant companion in her chamber. I shall see everything, know everything. I shall be at the very centre of life again, I shall be the new Queen Anne's lady in waiting, serving her as loyally and well as I have served the other three of King Henry's queens. If he can rise up and marry again without fear of ghosts, then so can I." Page 15, Jane Boleyn, Blickling Hall, Norfolk November 1539
Jane struggles with her role in the demise of her husband and sister-in-law and again the author offers a refreshing perspective on her motives. Jane strives to be Anne's confidant, all the while recognising the precarious nature of her union with the King:
"She will have to learn to obey him. Not in the grand things, any woman can put on a bit of a show. But in the thousand petty compromises that come to a wife every day. The thousand times a day when one has to bite the lip and bow the head and not argue in public, nor in private, nor even in the quiet recesses of one's own mind. If your husband is a king, this is even more important. If your husband is King Henry, it is a life or death decision." Page 124 Jane Boleyn, Greenwich Palace, 6 January 1540
Serving Anne of Cleves in court is Katherine Howard who is portrayed as a young, foolish, sexually active and extremely flirtatious young lady. Anne had been the subject of unkind gossip from the court when young Kitty Howard came to her defence:
"I was so grateful to her for that. She is a foolish, frivolous little thing but she has the cleverness of a stupid girl, since, like any stupid girl, she only thinks about one thing, and so she has become very expert in that." Page 189 Anne, Hampton Court, March 1540
Despite the age gap, Katherine is encouraged to flirt with King Henry and is naive about what might follow. Seeking the King's favour and her time in the limelight, she convinces herself:
"The other wives did as they had to do, their lives ended as God and the king willed; it is really nothing to me. Even my cousin Anne Boleyn shall be nothing to me. I shall not think of her, nor of our uncle pushing her on to the throne and then pushing her on to the scaffold." Page 257 Katherine, Norfolk House, Lambeth, June 1540
Meanwhile, King Henry takes his time setting aside Anne of Cleves and making her his sister in order to annul their loveless marriage. At the age of twenty-five, Anne is frustrated that she's done nothing wrong, yet by agreeing to the terms and saving her neck, the cost of staying alive is great:
"I will have to face a single life, without lover, or husband, or companion. I will have to face a lonely life, without family. I will never have a child of my own, I will never have a son to come after me, I will never have my own daughter to love. I will have to be a nun without a convent, a widow with no memories, a wife of six months and a virgin. I will have to face life in exile. I will never see Cleves again. I will never see my mother again." Page 288 Anne, Richmond Palace, 12 July 1540
Despite knowing the history and seeing it portrayed in multiple documentaries, drama series, movies and historical fiction novels over the years, Philippa Gregory managed to make me care for all three characters. The novel takes us right up to the point of Katherine's and Jane's deaths at the Tower of London in February 1542, with a jump in time of five years to 1547 and the death of King Henry, setting Anne free from his reach at last.

This book is part of 'The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels' series, previously known as the 'Cousins War' and 'Tudor Court' series and each of the books can be read as a stand alone.

Here are all the books in the series in order, with reviews linked:

The Lady of the Rivers (Book 1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The White Queen (Book 2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Red Queen (Book 3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Kingmaker's Daughter (Book 4) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The White Princess (Book 5) on my TBR
The Constant Princess (Book 6)
The King's Curse (Book 7)
Three Sisters, Three Queens (Book 8) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Other Boleyn Girl (Book 9)
The Boleyn Inheritance (Book 10)
The Taming of the Queen (Book 11) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Queen's Fool (Book 12)
The Virgin's Lover (Book 13)
The Last Tudor (Book 14) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Other Queen (Book 15) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boleyn Inheritance is Book 10 and I can highly recommend it. The White Princess is next on my radar for the series and I've had a physical copy on my shelves since 2014. Have you read any of these?

My Rating:


20 January 2025

Review: An Immense World by Ed Yong

An Immense World - How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong audiobook cover

In An Immense World - How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, science writer Ed Yong takes the reader through a variety of species and their notable senses. These senses include: smell, taste, light, colour, pain, heat, contact, vibrations, sound, echoes and electric and magnetic fields.

Listening to the audiobook narrated by the author, interesting quirks of nature caught my attention along the way. One of those was the fact that the ears of owls are uniquely asymmetric. The left ear of an owl is higher than their right ear, enabling the bird to use the difference in timing and loudness to distinguish sounds in the vertical and horizontal.

When relating just how sensitive the sense of smell is in dogs, the author tells us:
"In past experiments they have been able to tell identical twins apart by smell. They can detect a single fingerprint that had been dabbed onto a microscope slide then left on a rooftop and exposed to the elements for a week. They could work out which direction a person had walked in after smelling just five footsteps. They have been trained to detect bombs, drugs, landmines, missing people, bodies, smuggled cash, truffles, invasive weeds, agricultural diseases, low blood sugar, bedbugs, oil pipeline leaks and tumours." Chapter 1 Leaking Sacks of Chemicals: Smells and Tastes
Insects can taste with their body parts and some have taste receptors on their wings enabling them to identify traces of food as they fly around.

In a chapter about bats and their ability to hunt prey with echo location, the author meets with a bunch of Lepidopterists at their lab. Entering the flight room of the bats, Yong can see a cloud of snow like substance hanging in the air that has come off the moths brought in for the bats to catch. If you've ever caught a moth or butterfly - or even cleaned up a dead one - you'll have noticed the powder or dust that comes off them after handling.

I was surprised to learn this substance is actually made up of tiny scales that serve an important function for moths and butterflies and apparently it's a common occupational hazard for Lepidopterists to become allergic to the scales due to overexposure.
"When not inflaming the airways of scientists, the scales protect the bodies of moths by absorbing the sound of a bats calls and muffling the resulting echoes. This acoustic armour is just one of several anti-bat defences." Chapter 9 A Silent World Shouts Back: Echoes
Very interesting. An Immense World - How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong was a detailed and thorough look at the senses of multiple species in depth and I'll admit my attention started to wander. The frequent references to a creature's umwelt* during the audiobook's 14+ hours of listening time become repetitive and I wished the author had used an alternate phrase from time to time.

An Immense World is recommended for those interested in biology, science, chemistry, physics, nature and the environment.

* I'd never heard of the world 'umwelt' and had to look it up, but it means 'the world as it is experienced by a particular organism.'

My Rating:



14 January 2025

2025 Reading Challenge Sign Ups

It's a new year and a fresh start for annual reading challenges. I'm reducing my goal to 65 books this year so I can tackle some chunky and challenging books that have been on my TBR for ages. I'm also signing up for the following two reading challenges in 2025.

Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2025

Hosted by fellow Aussie book blogger Shelleyrae at Book'd Out, I'm signing up to complete the Nonfiction Nibbler level of the challenge. For this, I'll need to read and review 6 books from any 6 of the categories listed below.
Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2025 logo

1. History
2. Memoir/Biography
3. True Crime
4. Science
5. Health
6. Food
7. Travel
8. Garden
9. Myth, Legend and Folklore
10. Islands
11. How-To
12. Published in 2025

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 logo
Hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader, I'm signing up to complete the Medieval Reader level this year and will need to read and review 15 historical fiction books in order to successfully complete the challenge. I'm currently reading The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory so that'll be my first book for the challenge.

Are you participating in any reading challenges this year? Do you have any reading goals for 2025? I'd love to know and you can track my progress throughout the year over on the Challenges 2025 page.


13 January 2025

Review: Dark Serpent by Paul Doherty

Dark Serpent by Paul Doherty book cover

Dark Serpent by Paul Doherty is the 18th book in the historical mystery series featuring Sir Hugh Corbett, The Keeper of the Secret Seal. It's 1311 and Hugh Corbett is hired by King Edward II and his favourite Piers Gaveston to investigate the murder of Corbett's friend, Ralph Grandison. Ralph - who suffered from leprosy - was killed with a poisoned dagger that formed part of the Crown Jewels stolen years earlier and it appears an assassin is killing members of the now dissolved Knights Templar.

Then there's the matter of a rogue vessel named The Black Hogge preying on English merchant vessels that could be funded by a French duke or even the King of France himself. 

Series favourites Ranulf-atte-Newgate, Senior Clerk in the Chancery of the Green Wax and Chanson, Clerk of the Stables, assist Corbett in his investigations as they gather clues and eliminate suspects.

Here again Doherty confidently brings the medieval streets of London to life, as demonstrated when describing the scene of an execution. Two execution carts have arrived and the crowd is surging:
"Executioners, faces hidden behind devil masks, managed the high-sided carts. The four prisoners in each were made to stand so the accompanying mob could hurl both abuse and refuse at them. Shouts and curses dinned the air, followed by a hail of filth and slops. Bagpipes wailed. Drum beats echoed. Trumpets and hunting horns brayed their shrill, discordant blasts. Relatives of the condemned clung to the sides of the carts, shouting to their menfolk. Warlocks and wizards in dirty robes and funnel-shaped hats pushed rags through the slats of the carts to catch some of the prisoner's bloodied sweat, which they could later use in their midnight ceremonies. Quacks, conjurors and cunning men also tried to keep close; the leavings of men condemned to hang were said to contain certain healing properties." Page 53
This medieval mystery had me guessing the entire time and I could definitely relate to Ranulf's frustration as Corbett kept his observations to himself until the final satisfying reveal.

This is the longest series I've ever read and for that reason alone I feel compelled to continue. What's the longest series you've read? If you like the sound of a series, do you start with the latest release or go back to the beginning and read the first book? Often a series will get better over time as the author's writing ability improves, or sometimes the initial magic can be lost and instead, new instalments feel formulaic and stale.

The formula in this series remains the same, yet I still enjoy reading the latest instalment every now and again. However I'm now terribly behind in the series, with Devil's Wolf (Book 19), Death's Dark Valley (Book 20), Hymn to Murder (Book 21), Mother Midnight (Book 22), Realm of Darkness (Book 23 and Banners of Hell (Book 24) published a few months ago still to read.

I guess I'd better get a move on!

My Rating:



09 January 2025

My Top 5 Books of 2024


In 2024 I met my reading goal of 75 books with 15 books earning a 5 star rating. This was down from a total of 19 books in 2023 that earned 5 stars.

Covering a range of genres, three of the books featured in this Top 5 list were reviewed for a publisher, one was from my own backlist and another was borrowed from the library.

Turns out winter was my best reading season of the year with three of my selections falling within the month of July.

Here are my Top 5 Books of 2024 in the order I read them:

1. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown book cover
This is a fantasy novel with time travel featuring a bookseller in New York by the name of Cassie. When a regular customer leaves her a book with an inscription inside, Cassie discovers it's a one of a kind with the ability to turn any door into a door to anywhere. It transpires that there are more books with differing powers actively being sought by eccentric collectors, nefarious actors and scary people who travel the world hunting the books for their own dark purposes.

The writing is rich and evocative and I loved learning about the other special books, the powers they held and the motives of those seeking them. The Book of Doors is an impressive debut with a stunning cover design.

2. The Summer I Robbed a Bank by David O'Doherty

The Summer I Robbed a Bank by David O'Doherty book cover
David O'Doherty is an Irish comedian and I listened to this middle grade novel for kids on audiobook so I could enjoy his distinctive accent and endearing storytelling style. 12 year old Rex is sent to stay with his Uncle Derm on remote Achill Island for the school holidays and was expecting to have a boring time, what with all of the sheep, but things didn't quite go to plan.

The author's sense of humour and imagination worked exceptionally well with his observations of people and relationships in a very appealing way, making The Summer I Robbed a Bank a funny, feel good read.

3. A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke book cover
It's 1885 in Paris and Aubry Tourvel is a precocious young girl of just nine years of age when she falls inexplicably ill. Suffering excruciating pain and bleeding from the nose and mouth, the only thing that soothes her seems to be movement. Forced to travel to keep her illness at bay from that point on, days and weeks pass but the reader experiences her travels in flashbacks when sharing her encounters with people she meets along the way.

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke could be categorised multiple ways, it's a travel story, historical fiction, action adventure, science fiction and urban fantasy. It contains a mystery puzzle ball and a secret library, I mean what more could you want?

4. The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer

The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer book cover
An intergenerational saga that is far from linear, each generation of characters within The End and Everything Before It offers a parable within their tale, yet this happens without clear dates to place characters in chronological order.

In doing so, Kruckemeyer has produced a highly original, loosely structured dreamlike group of stories connected by geographical proximity through time and I loved this literary fable about love, loss, legacy, purpose and community.

It's an uplifting allegory rich in meaning that makes you appreciate the importance of love and remember we're here for a short time and need to make it count. The ending was sublime and I learned later in the year that an excerpt of my review has been published in the praise section of the book's second printing!

5. 12 Rules For Life - An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

12 Rules For Life - An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson book cover
It's likely 12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson is now one of my favourite self help books of all time. Incorporating psychology; psychoanalysis; neuroscience; philosophy; ancient and modern literature; history; mythology; religious texts; poetry; current affairs; cases from his work as a clinical psychologist and stories of his life growing up, it's a difficult book to define.

Listening on audiobook to his distinctly Canadian voice, the author's overall message is to encourage and inspire all of mankind to strive and improve themselves and continue to evolve. While plenty of people in the world don't want to do that, or believe they don't need to do that, I don't know anyone who wouldn't benefit from doing precisely that. I'm also planning to read Beyond Order - 12 More Rules For Life this year.
________________________________________________________________________________

Being published in the praise section of The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer was an absolute highlight for 2024!

That said, what I love about this year's list is that every book was by a new-to-me author. I've been creating these annual top 5 book lists since 2014 and this is the first time that's ever happened.

Have you read any of the books on the list?

Carpe Librum!


07 January 2025

Review: Panic by Catherine Jinks

Panic by Catherine Jinks book cover

* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *

Panic by Catherine Jinks is an Australian psychological thriller featuring a character by the name of Bronte who is escaping a serious case of cyber bullying after a drunken post went viral. Desperate for a job, Bronte accepts a live-in position offering room and board to look after dementia sufferer Nell in a large rural property near Bathurst in NSW. An exclusive spiritual retreat business is being run at the property by Nell's daughter Veda and several employees who - unbeknownst to Bronte when she applied for the position - also happen to be sovereign citizens.

Sovereign citizens take issue with authority and don't accept the rule of law or respect the government. When Bronte suspects her boss Veda is a sovereign citizen who refuses to pay tax or register her car, she dismisses her beliefs as harmless conspiracy theories. Living in a caravan removed from the house, Bronte begins caring for Nell but it isn't long before things start to go wrong.

I've never read a book set in the world of sovereign citizens or with a sovereign citizen (SovCit) as a character so this was an absolute first for me. I readily admit I have little interest in - or tolerance for - the movement, however this certainly didn't impact my engagement with Bronte's experience and the tension that quickly began to mount.

There's also a mystery in Panic to be unravelled and some tense situations to navigate which made for an action packed and exciting read. I also enjoyed the creative decision the author made to take the story beyond its natural conclusion to give us a look at what happened after the climax of the main events. And boy what a climax!

I enjoyed The Attack by Catherine Jinks back in 2022, but Panic had way more action and suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Panic by Catherine Jinks is published today and I can highly recommend it!

My Rating:


31 December 2024

Review: The Household by Stacey Halls

The Household by Stacey Halls

The Household by Stacey Halls is set in London in 1847 and centres around the real life opening of Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush. British philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts was one of the wealthiest women in England and a rich benefactor of the project along with Charles Dickens (yes, THE Charles Dickens). Set up in secret to offer fallen young women a new start in life, young girls - including prostitutes, thieves, orphans and model prisoners released from gaol - were offered the opportunity to live in the cottage, learn all of the skills necessary to enter into service and ultimately move to the colonies.

Inspired by history, The Household is told my multiple narrators, including the benefactor Burdett-Coutts, the housekeeper and several residents living at the cottage. This makes for plenty of drama playing out in the richly appointed cottage.

The young girls come from all backgrounds, but I was really moved when one of the characters described the conditions of the female prisoners picking oakum (unravelling rope) at the Tothill Fields, Westminster House of Correction. For those interested in learning more about picking oakum, I can recommend checking out this short segment from The Worst Jobs in History by Tony Robinson.
"The new girls often cry when their necks hurt and their eyes sting. Most are there a week or two, then vanish; some are on their sixth, seventh, eighth term, as though Tothill Fields is a hotel they return to at leisure. Above the platform, a painted sign declares PRISONERS ARE NOT TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. The room is quiet but never silent, punctuated every few seconds with a sigh, a sneeze, a cough. Now it is November, the infirmary is full, and the morgue waits below like a baby bird with its beak open." Page 32
Well written and expertly researched, I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the project, the daily structure and routines at Urania Cottage and of course the challenges faced by the residents.

Thankfully Charles Dickens is a background character in this tale, regularly interviewing the girls about their history and downfall in an effort to prove they can be reformed and return to society. Here Martha reflects on everything that led her to Urania Cottage:
"But a fall is swift, sudden, when really it isn't like that at all. They imagine it to be a seduction or a moment of weakness, as if we carry this precious thing in a little box on our person. But it isn't a single thing, a single moment. It's more like a series of little deaths." Page 105
Along with Burdett-Coutts and the matron of Urania Cottage, the reader comes to care for the characters, although sadly not all want to be saved. Finally, one of the girls (Martha) reflects on her changing fortunes:
"She looks back upon their meeting now with the distance of time, thinking how wondrous life is. Not long ago she was paying a penny to sleep over a rope in a boarding-house; now she is the wife of a clergyman." Page 254
The Household by Stacey Halls is my fourth book by the author and each of them have been 5 star reads. They have all been stand alone historical fiction novels and I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Highly recommended!

For more, check out my reviews of:
The Familiars
The Foundling
Mrs England

My Rating:


23 December 2024

Historical Fiction Challenge Completed 2024

At the beginning of the year I signed up for the Medieval Reader level of the 2024 Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader. I was required to read 15 historical fiction novels and I managed to read a total of 19 to successfully complete the challenge.

Here's what I read throughout the year 2024:
Historical Fiction Challenge 2024 logo

1. The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley
2. The Beauties by Lauren Chater
3. The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé
4. The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
5. Black Silk & Sympathy by Deborah Challinor
6. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
7. Weyward by Emilia Hart
8. A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
9. The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer
10. The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain
11. Hex by Jenni Fagan
12. The Attic Child by Lola Jaye
13. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
14. The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant
15. The Silence Of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski
16. Psykhe by Kate Forsyth
17. Rapture by Emily Maguire
18. Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
19. The Household by Stacey Halls (reviewing soon)

Have you read any of the books on the list? I'm currently reading and enjoying Dark Serpent by Paul Doherty at the moment and I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the year, bringing my total to 20 books.

Did you read any stand out historical fiction this year or have any recommendations?

Carpe Librum!


19 December 2024

Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2024 Completed

I love participating in the Non Fiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out each year and in January I signed up for the highest level of the challenge. I needed to read and review at least one book in each of the 12 categories listed below in order to complete the Nosher level.

Here's what I read:

1. History
- The Madman's Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching
- Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson
- Bizarre London: Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises by David Long
- The Book Lovers' Miscellany by Claire Cock-Starkey
- Mortal Monarchs - 1,000 Years of Royal Deaths by Suzie Edge

2. Biography / Memoir
Book'd Out Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2024 Completed
- The Pulling by Adele Dumont
- Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
- Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince
- Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
- Theft by Finding by David Sedaris
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- Fierce Appetites by Elizabeth Boyle

3. Science
- Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications by Jade Wu
- Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
- The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell
- The Life of Birds by David Attenborough
- When Brains Dream by Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold

4. Food
- Butter: A Rich History by Elaine Khosrova
- The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel

5. Health
- Vital Organs by Suzie Edge
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- My Secret Garden by Nancy Friday

6. True Crime
- Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner
- Australian Ghost Stories by James Phelps

7. Culture
- Magic Words by Jonah Berger
- Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
- Abominations: Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction by Lionel Shriver
- This is My World by Lonely Planet
- Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis

8. Transportation

9. The Future
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson

10. Pets

11. Architecture
- Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds

12. Published in 2024
- History Stinks! Poo Through the Ages by Suzie Edge
- Sociopath by Patric Gagne

While I read 33 non fiction books for the challenge throughout the year, I didn't read any for the Transportation or Pets categories. I'm currently reading An Immense World by Ed Yong which - at a stretch - could be categorised under pets, as many animals that are kept as pets are included but I still don't have anything for Transportation so it's much of a muchness. I'm not the type of reader to suffer through a book on a topic that doesn't interest me so I don't mind missing out on achieving the Nosher level of the challenge this year.

My favourite non fiction book by far was 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson. Did you participate in the challenge? What non fiction books did you enjoy this year?

Carpe Librum!


16 December 2024

Review: The Turning by Tim Winton

The Turning by Tim Winton book cover

The Turning by Tim Winton is a collection of short stories and I picked up a hard cover edition with deckled edges from a second hand bookshop back in 2017. At the time I'd been contacted by the BBC World Book Club about my 2013 review of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, and while they acknowledged I'd read the book some years ago, they asked if I'd be interested in submitting a recorded question for their upcoming interview with the author. Naturally I said 'YES' and then picked up this little gem the next day.

I didn't get around to reading The Turning before the interview aired and it wasn't relevant to the question I decided to submit anyway, so the purchase then languished on my shelves for the next 7 years! Do you have books like that?

Set in and around a fictional town called Angelus on the coast of Western Australia, Winton returns to some of his favourite themes of adolescent boys, coming of age stories, working classes, domestic disharmony, beaches and surfing.

Early on, the main character in Big World enjoys camping and hiking with his mate Biggie and describes him as 'not a very introspective bloke':
"Biggie loves all the practical stuff, reading maps, trying survival techniques, learning bushcraft. I'm more into the birds and plants and stars and things... Biggie truly is a funny bugger.... He can fart whole sentences, a skill St Augustine admired in others. He's not much for hygiene. His hair's always greasy and that navel smells like toejam. He doesn't swim. He couldn't carry a tune in a bucket but he can find true north by instinct." Page 9
This relationship between two mates leaving school was a solid start to the collection and I found the deep insight provided into their bond of mateship eye opening.

Later in Aquifer, our narrator reflects on the time a red telephone box was installed near to where he lived, and those of us of a certain age will surely be able to relate:
"I suppose I was five or six when I learned to go in and stand on tiptoe to reach up and dial 1194 to hear a man with a BBC voice announce the exact time. I did that for years, alone and in company, listening to the authority in the man 's voice. He sounded like he knew what he was on about, that at the stroke it would indeed be the time he said it was. It was a delicious thing to know, that at any moment of the day, when adults weren't about, you could dial yourself something worth knowing, something irrefutable, and not need to pay." Page 40
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton remains one of my favourite books and I've been hesitant to pick up another by this much beloved Australian author out of fear it wouldn't be anywhere near as good. Regular Carpe Librum readers will know I hate it when authors don't include punctuation for dialogue in their novels, and while it curiously didn't bother me in Cloudstreet I found it irritating here; often interrupting my reading flow to determine who was speaking.

The settings, character arcs and dialogue are all very Australian, and I could definitely relate to this:
"Erin and I walked everywhere. Outside of school there was nothing else to do but traipse to the wharf or the beach or down the drab strip of shops where the unchanging window displays and familiar faces made me feel desperate." Page 255
Some of the short stories seemed to have a natural end point while others left me wanting more. I was hoping the author would bring all of the characters together in the end and while there was certainly some overlap of characters in the present and the past, the lack of resolution or overarching conclusion made for a 3 star reading experience overall.

Published in 2004, I've since learned The Turning was adapted into a film in 2013 starring Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Miranda Otto. The Turning by Tim Winton is recommended for those who enjoy short stories and Australian fiction.

My Rating:


12 December 2024

Review: Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase book cover

Beginning in 1969, Amber Alton is 14 years old and staying with her family at their summer house Pencraw Hall in Cornwall. Affectionately known as Black Rabbit Hall, Amber lives with her parents, twin brother Toby, and siblings Kitty and Barney and loves spending summers running wild in the gardens, woods and beach nearby.

I love a novel where the estate or family home is essentially its own character and in Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase, that has certainly been created here. Although the image of the property on this enticing gothic looking cover is a little too manicured and not how I imagined Black Rabbit Hall at all.

Here's a better description by Amber:
"Nothing changes that much. Time goes syrupy slow. The family joke is that a Black Rabbit hour lasts twice as long as a London one, but you don't get a quarter of the things done. The other thing about Black Rabbit Hall is that when you're here it feels like you've been here for centuries but when you leave it feels like the entire holiday happened in one afternoon. Maybe that's why nobody cares that the clocks are all set wrong. Not much ever happens." Page 25
This is a split narrative novel and in the present, Lorna is looking for a venue to hold her wedding. Both points of view are told in the first person, but I found myself eager to return to the 1960s and the action taking place there as observed by Amber.
"I think that adults must get sort of worn away over time, like rocks out at sea, but remain who they are, just slower and greyer with those funny vertical wrinkles in front of their ears. But the young are a different shape from one week to the next. To know us is to run alongside us, like someone trying to shout through the window of a moving train." Page 306
Eventually the two timelines come together in a sense and I enjoyed the tension driven by the tragedy and discovering the deeply held family secrets along the way.

This is my first novel by Eve Chase, but certainly won't be my last and I'm looking forward to reading The Birdcage next. Black Rabbit Hall is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and with an endorsement from Kate Morton, who could resist?

My Rating:


10 December 2024

Review: The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel

The Secret History of Food - Strange But True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel book cover

The Secret History of Food - Strange But True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel is a book to tantalise the taste buds. Full of spiced and biting humour, it was an interesting read but certainly doesn't cover the origins of 'everything' we eat.

I was able to appreciate the author's punny sense of humour from the Table of Contents where I read Chapter 9 is entitled Forbidden Berries or Appetite for Distraction; a play on Appetite for Destruction, the title of an 1980s album by my favourite band Guns N' Roses.

Most illuminating was the section on corn, taking us through just how many products contain corn or corn products and how much of it is fed to livestock, making corn the most produced crop in the world.

A little more quote-worthy was the section about vanilla:
"Vanilla is second in price only to saffron, a kilo of which can sell for as much as $30,000 because harvesting it requires handpicking the stigmas of 150,000 to 200,000 flowers (at three stigmas per flower)." Page 93
Pollinated by hand, vanilla plants can take months to pollinate and then another six to nine months before the fruits are ready to harvest by hand.
"But at that point they don't have any flavour, so they need to be cured and conditioned through a process that involves hand massaging them, laying them in the sun to dry each morning, and wrapping them in blankets and tucking them in at night to sweat, which can take another nine months." Page 95
The author goes on to explain vanilla can be worth more than the price of silver, but that's with shrinkage and assuming you don't lose any of the crop from fungus, pests, disease or theft!

In medieval times, bread was baked once a week due to the labour required to mill the grain, make fire, wait for the dough to rise and the efficiency of baking larger loaves less frequently.
"And remember this was before modern preservatives, so six-day-old bread back then would have been much harder and staler (on average) than six-day-old bread today. In fact, there are accounts of peasant breads in France so hard that they had to be chopped with axes to slice them." Page 129
Sure makes me glad for the bread we enjoy today.

The chapter on feasting was full of fun historical facts. A helmeted cock involved crowning a roasted cock or hen with a helmet, tucking a silver or gold leaf lance under its wing and posing it on top of a roasted piglet so it looked like the bird was riding the pig into battle. In the same vein, a redressed swan was roasted and redressed in its skin and held upright with skewers as if it were still alive. Gross! The same thing was done with peacocks, however the finishing touch involved a ball of cloth soaked with alcohol in the peacock's mouth that was lit just before serving to make it look as though the peacock was breathing fire. Kind of makes the Bombay Alaska look a little tame doesn't it?

Loved the section on chilli:
"So eating a pepper isn't unlike, say, being stung by a bee, licking a nine-volt battery, or burning your tongue on scalding hot coffee - all sensations intended to warn the body of exposure to harm and if necessary trigger a series of protective reflexes to mitigate the effects and prevent further exposure." Page 165
Siegel outlines the body's physical reactions to spicy foods and what they're in aid of. The body sweats to flush your system, your nose runs to protect your nasal passages, your eyes water to protect your corneas, you salivate to purge your mouth and coughing and sneezing protects your airways.

I always wondered why cultures who live in hot and humid climates love hot and spicy food, but the author gives us the answer:
"...as chilies also happen to kill bacteria and mask the taste and odor of foods that aren't the freshest. This would explain why spicy foods tend to be more prevalent in hotter climates, where higher temperatures make food preservation more challenging, places like Central America, southern Asia, and Indonesia." Page 170
Siegel explains that chilies may have helped preserve food before the age of refrigeration, and the sweating that takes place when eating spicy foods has a cooling effect that helps regulate body temperature. Yeah, that doesn't work for me personally, but wow, I didn't know that.

While tidbits like this were interesting and informative, I wouldn't have said Siegel discloses many 'secrets' of food but the title is certainly more appetising than 'facts and history about some foods that you might not know'.

The Secret History of Food - Strange But True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat doesn't live up to title by containing the origins of everything we eat, but it does cover a lot of things we eat and was an informative read. It certainly made me hungry, although that's not hard!

My Rating:


09 December 2024

Humidity Giveaway Winner Announced

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week to win 1 of 2 copies of Humidity by Dan Kaufman complete with a personal inscription by the author. Entrants correctly identified Ben as the main character in this Aussie crime novel and entries closed at midnight last night.

I drew the two lucky winners today and congratulations go out to (drum roll):

Veronica & Mrs Riskgiggle!


Congratulations to you both!! You've won a signed print copy of Humidity by Dan Kaufman valued at $21.76AUD thanks to the author. You'll each receive an email from me shortly and will have 5 days to provide your AUS postal address. The author will then complete your personalised inscription and send your prize out to you directly. Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Humidity by Dan Kaufman artwork

08 December 2024

Review: When Brains Dream by Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold

When Brains Dream - Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold book cover

Published in 2022, When Brains Dream - Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold was my latest choice in books about sleep and dreaming. Largely academic in nature, the book mentions many scientific sleep studies and may be a dry read for some.

According to the authors, we dream in all phases of sleep and most people dream for at least two-thirds of the night. Some researchers believe we dream all night but if you don't believe you dream at all, you do, you just don't remember your dreams on waking. Often something can happen later in the day to trigger the memory of a dream and I can still conjure the memory of dreams from days, weeks and months ago.

I'll admit I was excited early on in this book when I read:
"... we can think of dreams as either real life; portals into equally real or alternate worlds; messages and prophecies from the gods; unfulfilled wishes; random brain noise; nocturnal entertainment; communications from the future, the dead, or other minds; sources of personal insights, problem solving, and creativity; or a window into memory processing." Page 9
Hopes the authors were going to expound on each of these topics were soon dashed as I realised I was in for a scientific and academic look into dreams and dreaming. Having said that, I'd love to share my key takeaways.

It was reaffirming to read about the process proving stimuli received during sleep like smells and sounds can actively influence the dream you're having. I'm pretty sure we've all experienced the phenomenon where the sound of your alarm begins as something else in your dream before you wake up and realise it's actually your alarm going off. In one study, the smell of a burnt match or drop of water on a participant's forehead had a direct impact on the content of the dream they were having. Interesting, right? Although I did find myself chuckling at the thought of the participant waking up to a researcher with a lit match near their head.

Also reaffirming previous learned information was the correlation between the use of smart phones and insomnia. You can't fail to notice that most people turn to their phones in moments that were once spent zoning out or gazing into the distance while waiting for something or someone. Now, any moment of spare or dead time has users reaching for their device, however this leaves no time for the brain to process thoughts during the day.

Later, when the lights go out and the phones and tablets are silent and on charge, our mind is flooded with all sorts of thoughts from the day. This makes sense as pre-sleep is the brain's opportunity to sort through the day and tag any concerns for later processing during sleep. With that in mind, we should allow ourselves to zone out and be with our thoughts more often. This doesn't mean we need to meditate but you don't need to kill time or multitask all the time, just be with your thoughts.
"Our dreams rarely come to neat endings. The most common end for a dream report is, 'And then I woke up.' the dreaming brain doesn't plot out whole stories." Page 142
When we dream the mind wanders from topic to topic in a haphazard manner in the same way our daytime thoughts have no logical structure during waking hours. Another interesting tidbit in When Brains Dream was the fact that those who were born before the introduction of colour TV actually dreamed in black and white about 40 per cent of the time.

On the content of dreams:
"At a more global level, the dreamer is usually faced with some kind of problem. These can range from relatively minor difficulties - planning a course of action, trying to make sense of a situation, or finding a lost object - to serious physical or psychological dangers such as being lost, falling ill, facing interpersonal conflicts, dealing with environmental hazards, or fleeing from physical perils." Page 157
Typical dreams include dreaming of falling, being late for something, being chased, and school and study related dreams. Do you have a recurrent dream? I'd love to know!

I'm a lucid dreamer but researchers have now been able to communicate with advanced lucid dreamers in a lab with a set of pre-arranged signals. When the participant enters a dream state they communicate with researchers via a series of eye movements at the beginning of a pre-set task and when they complete it. Now that's wild!

I enjoyed seeing the list of reality checks to perform while dreaming to determine if you're awake or dreaming, they include:
"These can take many forms, including trying to read, staring at yourself in a mirror, turning on a light in a dark room, or trying to push your fingers through your palm. In most dreams, you will experience difficulties reading, mirror reflections quickly become unstable, light switches fail to work properly, and your fingers may pass through your palm or give rise to other unusual sensations." Page 238
According to the authors, carrying out these reality checks can help you realise if you're dreaming or not.

It's widely accepted that most people can't read in their dreams, but after reading this book I focussed on my lucid dreaming ability and was actually able to read in a dream I was having! I was on a plane and was able to read the title of the book the person across the aisle from me was reading. I could also read the text on a computer screen that showed an email sent by the previous passenger. Apparently this is a rare feat so I'm pretty proud to have taken my love of reading into my dreams.

When Brains Dream - Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold is recommended for the dedicated non fiction reader familiar with the basics of sleep who wants to delve into the latest scientific developments.

My Rating:


02 December 2024

Review: Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds

Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds book cover

* Signed copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *


For those that don't know, a ghost sign is a hand painted advertisement on a building from the past that can still be seen today. Sometimes they're rediscovered during renovations or the demolition of an adjacent building. Appearing like a ghost from the past, they're often covered again when a new development is erected, giving us a short lived glimpse into our social history. Other ghost signs have been preserved and have managed to survive decades in the harsh Australian climate.

Hailing from Illinois, Sean Reynolds moved to Melbourne in 2015 and works for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. During lockdown, Reynolds started to become interested in ghost signs on his daily walks with his daughter and Melbourne Ghost Signs contains the photographs he took all over Melbourne. Helpfully broken down into chapters entitled: Central Business District, West, South, East and North, the reader can jump straight to their part of town or read the book cover to cover.

The hardback is equal parts photography and history lesson, as the author does a deep dive on the property photographed, the business or product being advertised and often the business owners. Deploying a light sense of humour and an abundance of puns, Reynolds is able to conjure a sense of nostalgia as he delves into the history. Here's an example from a property in Victoria Street Footscray, where a 70 year old ad for Cinzano can still be seen.
"But wait, there's more! The building's three younger siblings, each with its own enchanting tale, add to the corner's allure: one, a former abode of Wesdan Electrical; another, a once-upon-a-time children's library turned milk bar; while the third, now emblazoned with 'D.P. Automotive Services', has donned many hats - from tailoring to boot repairs, before revving up as an automotive service shop." Page 50
During my time as Secretary for the Southbank Residents Association, The Tea House in Southbank was a hotly contested site for development. Reynolds tells us it was the heart of the Robur tea empire and opened for business in 1905. Outdoor painted advertisements for Robur Tea soon popped up everywhere, however Robur Tea was purchased by Tetley in 1974. The author points out many faded Robur signs throughout this book, and his love for the brand runs so deep he has a Robur teapot tattoo on his bicep!

Despite the relative seriousness of vanishing and reemerging heritage, facadism, ghost signs and history, the author uses clever puns throughout and has a relatable sense of humour. I smiled to myself seeing his reflection in a few of the photos and wish I could help him fulfil his unquenchable desire to taste a Tarax soft drink.

This location in West Melbourne was full of mouth watering puns to die for, here's a taste:
"The biscuit empire of T.B. Guest & Co. sprawled like a sugary Roman Empire, conquering palates and crushing competitors with the might of a thousand ovens." Page 47
Jokes aside, I would have liked for each photograph to have a date credited, as some of the ghost signs have since been covered up. And while each location has a street name and suburb attributed, I also wished the street number was included. This would have enhanced the reading experience and enabled the motivated reader to visit the site via Google Maps street view or do a drive by.

Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds is a terrific trip down memory lane and will appeal to readers who enjoyed Old Vintage Melbourne and Old Vintage Melbourne 1960 - 1990 by Chris Macheras (also published by Scribe Publications) or Adrift in Melbourne and Corners of Melbourne by Robyn Annear. You can also check out some of the author's photographs on Instagram.

Since finishing Melbourne Ghost Signs, I've noticed a lot more ghost signs around the city and I hope to track some down from the book over the summer. Carpe Librum!

My Rating: