Guess How Much I Love You winner announced

Thanks to those who entered my children's book giveaway last week to win a limited edition of Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram.

Entries closed at midnight on Friday and Little Nutbrown Hare helped me select the winner. Congratulations to:

Sharah McConville

Congratulations Sharah! You've won the giveaway valued at $16.99AUD thanks to Walker Books Australia. You'll receive an email from me shortly informing you of your win, and will have 7 days to provide a postal address.

You'll receive your prize direct from the publisher and I hope you have a young reader in mind to enjoy this with.

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan

* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins Australia *

DS Cormac Reilly is back after his last outing in The Scholar. Still in Ireland, it's now 2015 and he and Peter Fisher are part of a skeleton crew left to man the station when a kidnapping report comes in. Fisher makes a subsequent number of unenviable decisions and the repercussions see him sent from Galway to a station run by his overbearing father. (This isn't a spoiler, it's in the blurb).

The Good Turn introduces the reader to Fisher's back story and I enjoyed learning a little more about his upbringing and family background in Roundstone. Fisher makes the most of his situation by turning his investigative skills to a local double murder while simultaneously trying not to clash with his father.

Back in Galway, Reilly is left battling internal politics and suspected corruption while trying to pursue the child abduction case and salvage his relationship with Emma.

Fisher is the real star of The Good Turn and the shift in focus was a welcome surprise. I enjoyed the multiple story threads and appreciated the way in which they came together in the end.

There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing and I really enjoyed this latest addition to the Cormac Reilly series. I do hope there'll be another from this talented Aussie author.

Highly recommended and you can read a FREE sample here.

Carpe Librum!

 

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Look Evelyn, Duck Dynasty Wiper Blades. We Should Get Them by David Thorne

I've been enjoying David Thorne's sense of humour and reading his books for years now. See my reviews of his previous books below:

- The Internet Is A Playground - 5 stars
- I'll Go Home Then, It's Warm and Has Chairs - 5 stars
- Wrap It In a Bit of Cheese Like You're Tricking the Dog - 3 stars

And I have two more on my shelves waiting to be read:
- That's Not How You Wash a Squirrel
- Walk It Off, Princess

I love his quirky sense of humour, his office antics and run-ins with family members, neighbours and anyone else unlucky enough to come across his path.

Look Evelyn, Duck Dynasty Wiper Blades. We Should Get Them is another collection of stories and anecdotes, many of which relate to his childhood. It was published back in 2014 (I know, I'm a little behind, but they're expensive to purchase from the USA so I save them for birthdays and Xmas) and GoodReads has plenty of existing reviews from readers shocked at how dramatic Thorne's childhood upbringing was.

Now, I don't for a minute believe any of his stories are actually true. I think he's like most comedians, comedy is his job and these email chains, graphic design stories and office antics have been created for the reader's - and presumably the author's - enjoyment.

However, what I didn't appreciate was the sheer number of references to overweight women in this collection. After finishing this book, I went back to check I wasn't over-reacting and made the following notations:

Fat, page 17
Normal weight, page 20
Heifer, page 26
Heifer and reference to Weight Watchers, page 37
An entire story around a large girl and her weight, fat references pages 48-50
Large woman, page 76
Chubby girl, page 101
Huge heifer, page 104
Chubby girl, page 118 and 119
Large woman, page 136
Fat wives, page 165
Fat multiple times, page 174
Fat wife, page 179

Without the ability to ask the author, I'm not sure if Thorne is using creative licence in an attempt to further his unlikable persona in the pursuit of entertaining the reader. If so, then it falls flat. If not, then it's just irritating and bordering on offensive.

With Thorne's humorous and clever story-telling abilities, I assumed he was above petty fat shaming like this and it just didn't sit well with me. Some of the content was very funny and quite enjoyable but these reappearing references dampened my enjoyment.

This was a disappointing read and I hope his next collection is a return to his earlier form.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Reasonable Doubt by Dr Xanthe Mallett

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia *

Dr Xanthe Mallett is back after Cold Case Investigations with a look at solved criminal cases where there is reasonable doubt attached. Dr Mallett looks at miscarriages of justice and wrongful convictions where police bias, false confessions, dodgy eyewitness statements and ineffectual science has lead to the wrong person being convicted for a crime.

Given Dr Mallett's position as an Australian Forensic Anthropologist and Criminologist, I assumed we'd start by looking at Lindy Chamberlain's case given the 40 year anniversary of baby Azaria's death. While Dr Mallett does touch on the Chamberlain case in her Introduction, I couldn't help but be disappointed Sue Neill-Fraser's case doesn't rate a mention in her book.* 

Having said that, Dr Mallett clarifies early on that there is an unfortunate abundance of wrongful convictions she could have included:

"For every case I have included there are 100 others I could have chosen, which would have highlighted the same failings and errors that led to an innocent person going to prison." Page 17

In Reasonable Doubt, Dr Mallett provides a detailed look at 6 cases of wrongful convictions and manages to make reference to a range of other cases and examples throughout the course of the book; many outside of Australia.

As in Cold Case Investigations, Dr Mallett includes Expert Inserts to expound on certain elements of the law, investigative process or science to better inform the reader. Of these, I found the section on forensic linguistics to be the most interesting. However, it should be noted that regular consumers of true crime - books, podcasts or documentaries - will already be quite familiar with the content found in these segments.

Reasonable Doubt was an interesting read however the author lost me at the end when she drew a connection between being isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic and trapped at home for our own safety having very little contact with the outside world to being in prison. Umm, no. They're not even vaguely in the same category.

The one thing I do agree on though is a mutual respect and admiration for the work done by those volunteering for innocence initiatives like The Bridge of Hope Foundation based in Melbourne. They do incredible work and the dedication required to work on a case for years without a breakthrough is mind blowing.

My major 'takeaway' from this book was Dr Mallett's overview of the Lawyer X case. I'd seen it all over the news but due to a general lack of interest, had never taken the time to find out exactly what the fuss was all about. Now that I have a general understanding of Nicola Gobbo's transgressions, I'm now equally disgusted with the parties involved.

Reasonable Doubt by Dr Xanthe Mallett is recommended for true crime newbies and those interested in the wrongfully convicted, and precisely how miscarriages of justice can take place within our criminal justice system.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

* For more on Sue Neill-Fraser's story, you can check out my review of Death on the Derwent by Robin Bowles.

Friday Freebie: WIN a copy of children's book Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

It's Friday freebie time and today we're celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram. This delightful bedtime story is for children aged 3 years and above, and I have a limited edition print copy to give away thanks to Walker Books Australia. Click here to enter, or enter below.

Blurb

"I love you right up to the moon – AND BACK!"
Sometimes, when you love someone very, very much, you want to find a way of describing just how much you treasure them. But, as Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discover, love is not always an easy thing to measure!

Since its publication in 1994, children and parents worldwide have cherished the heartwarming tale of Little Nutbrown and Big Nutbrown Hare so much that it has become one of the most enduring bedtime classics of our time.

Giveaway

This Carpe Librum giveaway has now closed and the winner was announced here. 

Review: Written In Blood by Chris Carter

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

Written In Blood by Chris Carter is the next in the Robert Hunter series, and just like the others, it can be enjoyed as a stand alone.

In this outing, Angela Wood is a skilled pickpocket and gets more than she bargains for when she steals a bag containing the diary and journal of a killer. He wants it back at all costs and it's up to Robert Hunter and Garcia to catch him before he hurts anyone else.

Despite the length coming in at just under 500 pages, Carter's trademark fast pace and intelligent plotting make this a quick read.

It came as a complete shock however when I read the moving dedication at the beginning of the book. I didn't know about the death of his partner Kara last year and was moved by the fact he chose to share his dedication to Kara and include all those who have lost their lives to COVID-19. I later learned that Carter barely managed to overcome his crippling grief and depression to finish this book and my heart goes out to him.

I'm happy to say that as a reader and reviewer, I saw no signs that this book was affected by the author's grief and loss. To his credit, Written In Blood is just as gripping as the previous two in the series (Hunting Evil and The Gallery of the Dead) and was actually a five star read for me.

Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction.

Carpe Librum!

 

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *

Written by Australian Kathleen Jennings, Flyaway is a novella full of stories within stories, delivered in a shroud of myth, legend, folklore and superstition that kept me guessing.

Our protagonist Bettina has a mysterious past and she's determined to find out what happened to her brothers - and herself - several years ago.

Set in outback Australia, the beautiful writing, evocative descriptions and imagery brought the once familiar landscape to life in a new and eerie light. The rural area was both peaceful and menacing, the town a haven for a close knit community as well as a place seething under the surface with fear and mistrust.

A combination of urban fantasy and magical realism, Flyaway is full of mysterious disappearances, creatures that lurk in the shadows and a slight otherness that you can never quite put your finger on.

The structure, lyrical prose and fairytale elements reminded me a great deal of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. And just like that book, I enjoyed the writing, the world building and stories within stories, but I was never confident of maintaining a full and clear picture of what was actually happening at any given time.

Presented with an exquisite cover design and french flaps, Flyaway is a gothic Australian fairytale that might just penetrate the pages into your subconscious.

After letting this book settle in my mind, I realised I feel the same way about this as I do The Starless Sea. I loved it but there were definitely elements of reader confusion and matters unresolved. For instance, I wanted to learn more about Bettina's mother and her own transformation during the intervening years.

Nevertheless, Flyaway is a smashing literary debut by Kathleen Jennings and I'm sure awards will follow.

Carpe Librum!

 

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Winner of The Sister's Gift by Barbara Hannay announced

This might be the most popular giveaway on Carpe Librum ever! It would seem more readers than ever were keen to enter this bookish giveaway for the chance to win a copy of The Sister's Gift by Barbara Hannay and escape the pandemic for a while. I'm in Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne, so I hear you.

The answer to the giveaway question was Freya & Pearl, however some of you fell for my misdirection and chose Ginny & Hermoine. While they're both excellent characters from the Harry Potter series, I had to discount those 13 entries.

The giveaway closed at midnight on Sunday and the winner was drawn today. Drum roll!

CONGRATULATIONS: EBONY ZUIDLAND

You've won a print copy of The Sister's Gift by Barbara Hannay valued at $32.99AUD. You'll receive an email from me shortly with the details and Penguin Random House Australia will send out your prize directly.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon.

Carpe Librum!

Review: Find Your Light by Belinda Davidson

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *

Australian Belinda Davidson is a psychic, an empath, and a medium and has been working as a professional intuitive and spiritual coach and mentor for more than 20 years. In Find Your Light, Belinda takes us through the discovery of her psychic gift and the traumatic years through which she tried to find her way.

She eventually began working with people and delving into their past lives as a way to heal the problems they were experiencing in this one (health, relationships, money etc) but soon her work began to focus on chakra healing.

When I first learned about Belinda Davidson's work as a professional medical intuitive working with doctors and medical practitioners, my first thought was that I desperately wanted to make an appointment with her. I've been struggling with a chronic pain condition for years now and wanted to know if she could help me. It was a bitter blow to learn Belinda no longer does individual readings and sessions and instead her career has evolved to encompass teaching others to do the same type of work.

In the second half of her book, Belinda guides the reader through the basics of chakra healing and wellbeing and describes how she has used her ability as a medical intuitive to help people heal their bodies with chakra healing.

Until now, I've only had a very basic awareness of chakras, but for some reason I've never been interested enough to find out more about them. Find Your Light is the perfect book for newbies (like me) and I read Belinda's patient stories with a keen interest. However, given her ability as a ghost whisperer to communicate with people who are stuck or trapped on the earth plane (Page 276) I found myself wanting to learn more about this. And in particular, why Belinda decided not to work in this area. This felt like a missing piece of the story and the only reason this book didn't earn a full 5 stars from me.

Since finishing the book a week and a half ago, I've been doing a chakra cleansing meditation every night. I now know the seven chakras and their associated colours and plan to continue the meditation process. I haven't noticed any changes in my body yet, but if I stop now, I'll never know for sure.

Find Your Light is a memoir, spiritual journey and self-help book combined and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Skeptics can skip this one, but those with an interest in exploring the energy centres of the body and one woman's psychic ability to heal others will find this an absorbing read.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

P.S. For more book reviews about psychics and mediums*, see below: 

- Walking in Light by Kelvin Cruickshank

- We Are Their Heaven by Allison DuBois

- Secrets of the Monarch by Allison DuBois

- Never Alone by Debbie Malone

- Always With You by Debbie Malone

- Clues From Beyond by Debbie Malone

- Sensing Murder by Nicola McLoy

- Life Among the Dead by Lisa Williams

- The Survival of the Soul by Lisa Williams

- When Ghosts Speak by Mary Ann Winkowski
* I've also read books by authors Sylvia Browne, John Edward and James Van Praagh, however that was before I started writing reviews.

Review: You Don't Know Me by Sara Foster

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

You Don't Know Me by Sara Foster is a great Australian mystery thriller. Alice and Noah each have a troubled past but when they meet in Thailand, they seem to have an instant connection and a whirlwind romance ensues. Alice is escaping her dark past back home in Australia by teaching English in Bangkok. Noah is on a short holiday enjoying a brief respite from the family restaurant and the upcoming inquest into the disappearance of his older brother's girlfriend Lizzie years earlier.

With two mysteries to be solved, I was keen to learn Noah's and Alice's backstories in equal measure. Thankfully only a little time is spent on the budding romance between the two characters before events in their lives drag them back to the harsh reality and the pressures they've been avoiding.

As the inquest begins, the reader is left to speculate on what happened to Lizzie. Long held secrets are slowly revealed by all characters and the tension steadily builds towards a dramatic ending with an unexpected conclusion.

I enjoyed the dual settings in Thailand and the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney in addition to the relatability of the characters. Lizzie's fate came as a complete surprise and I certainly didn't see it coming. Highly recommended.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

P.S. Feel free to check out my review of All That Is Lost Between Us by Sara Foster.

Giveaway for The Sister's Gift by Barbara Hannay

Published 4 August 2020 
Penguin Random House
Australia RRP $32.99AUD

To celebrate today's publication of The Sister's Gift by Barbara Hannay, I'm running a giveaway thanks to Penguin Random House Australia. Enter below for your chance to WIN a print copy of this family drama valued at $32.99AUD. Entries close midnight Sunday 9 August, good luck!

Blurb

Two sisters, one baby and the best of intentions...

As a vibrant young woman with a lifetime of possibilities ahead of her, Freya grants her sister, Pearl, the ultimate gift of motherhood. But this comes at a hefty price – an unexpected rift in her family and the loss of the man she loves.

Decades later, Freya is divorced, childless and homeless, at rock bottom after losing everything she's worked for. When her estranged niece, Billie, offers sanctuary, managing the family restaurant on beautiful Magnetic Island, Freya can hardly refuse.

Billie has never understood the tension between her mother and her aunt and now, with a newly broken heart, she is nursing a family secret of her own. All three women come together under the tropical Queensland skies, but can they let go of past regrets, or will old tensions tear them further apart?

By an award-winning, bestselling author, this is a moving and inspiring novel set in a stunning location about choices and consequences and the redemptive power of love.

Giveaway

This giveaway has now closed and the winner has been announced.

Carpe Librum!
 

Review: Katheryn Howard - The Tainted Queen (Six Tudor Queens V) by Alison Weir

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

Katheryn Howard - The Tainted Queen is the fifth novel in the Six Tudor Queens series by British historian Alison Weir. I've been following the series for years now and each book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.

We join Katheryn Howard at age seven in 1528 and follow her short life in a first person narrative all the way until her death in 1542. She falls in love with several men in her youth, and I desperately wanted Katheryn to be more discreet and discerning while at the same time recognising the folly of youth and the overwhelming urges of desire.

Katheryn's life unalterably changes when she's selected by family and powerful men driven by political aspirations to court King Henry VIII. As we know, Katheryn goes on to become the King's fifth wife (hence the fifth book in the series) and I cringed when her past kept coming back to haunt her. Despite knowing the outcome, I was still moved by her decline in Henry's favour and her ultimate execution.

I eagerly awaited the scene that takes place at Hampton Court Palace when Katheryn breaks free from her guards and runs down a corridor towards the Chapel Royal screaming for mercy from the King. The scene in the book exceeded my every expectation and I felt a chill reading it. It is said the ghost of Katheryn Howard can be felt in this corridor and some visitors report feeling a chill or hearing screams. The corridor is now known as the 'haunted gallery' and it was a highlight of my visit to Hampton Court Palace in 2018.

This, together with my imagining Katheryn as portrayed by Tamzin Merchant in The Tudors series only added to my reading enjoyment.

Given Katheryn was just 21 when she died, I wasn't expecting such a well rounded and 'full' novel, but I really shouldn't have been surprised. In Alison Weir's expert hands, I was transported back to the 1500s and given another chance to participate as an observer in the dramatic Tudor court.

I thoroughly enjoyed Katheryn Howard - The Tainted Queen and recommend it to readers with an interest in the Tudor period; even if you've read about the characters elsewhere. There's only one more to come in this series Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife and there's no doubt it's going to be one of my most anticipated releases in 2021.

Carpe Librum!

See my reviews of previous novels in the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir:
Anne Boleyn - A King's Obsession (Book II)
Jane Seymour - The Haunted Queen (Book III)
Anna of Kleve - Queen of Secrets (Book IV)

 

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury *

Amy Whey and her best friend Charlotte are hosting book club at Amy's house when newcomer Roux arrives unannounced and bringing trouble in her wake. Magnetic and charming, Roux makes an instant impression and many of the women present fall under her 'spell.' Amy is happily married with everything to lose, so when Roux threatens her, it kicks off a battle of wits and a gripping chain of events.

I loved this domestic thriller by Joshilyn Jackson. Never Have I Ever is full of secrets, guilt, betrayal and mind games, and it also shines a light on the power of friendship. Amy is a brilliant protagonist and I quickly found myself rooting for her at every stage as she engages in a psychological fight with Roux for power and control.

Never Have I Ever was sent to me unsolicited by the publisher last year and when I picked it up to 'give it a go' I certainly didn't expect to be immediately engaged, find myself thinking about the story during the day, giving it 5 stars and recommending it to others. I love it when that happens! This book exceeded every expectation, and delivers a real wallop.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson is a ripping read, domestic noir at its best and I highly recommend it.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

My latest foray into listening to non fiction via audiobook is This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. Recommended by my friend Andrea and narrated by the author himself, Adam Kay is a retired Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and these days he's a writer and comedian.

In This is Going to Hurt, Kay shares a series of diary entries from his time working for the NHS in 2004 - 2010. These diary entries include brief patient stories and observations about his work as a junior doctor. Some of the entries were sombre, some funny, some interesting, some educational and all were entertaining in their own way.

I enjoyed the fact this audiobook can be listened to in short or longer chunks of time; whichever suits the listener/reader. It was easy to stop between diary entries for the day and a relief not having to wait for the end of a chapter to do so.

Living in Australia, I don't have any direct experience with the NHS but Kay paints a frustrating picture of the demands on junior doctors and the bureaucracy of the system at large. He also evokes enormous admiration for the medical community in a time when respect for doctors, nurses and medical staff couldn't be greater. They're both on the front line and the last line of defence in this Coronavirus pandemic and we depend on them for our very lives.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay was enjoyable and funny with an underlying message about the state of the NHS that is especially relevant today.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This was my first time reading Jane Austen and if it wasn't for the buddy read organised and hosted by Theresa Smith, who knows when I would have made time to read Pride and Prejudice. What I discovered was a slow-burn 'enemies to lovers' literary romance novel. The prose was intellectually stimulating, full of satire and sarcasm and I enjoyed the clever put downs like this one.

"Sir William Lucas, and his daughter Maria, a good humoured girl, but as empty-headed as himself, had nothing to say that could be worth hearing, and were listened to with about as much delight as the rattle of the chaise." Page 154

These provided amusing moments however the novel is also slow going. I found it contained all of the expected observations on the class system, inheritance, love, marriage, lack of female agency and the power and control men have over their wives and families. What I wasn't expecting were the realisations about family and how we can find ourselves embarrassed and even ashamed by the ones we love the most.

The highlight of this classic for me was the witty and cutting dialogue between the characters throughout the novel; sometimes in the form of letters. It was easy to admire the vocabulary and turns of phrase and wish for the ability to converse just like that.

Reading Pride and Prejudice 200 years after its publication in 1813 is bound to highlight just how much has changed in the intervening years but how people are essentially the same. Now, when a woman is feeling low about an interaction with someone, she might plug in her earphones, put on her favourite Spotify playlist and go for a run or a drive so she can stew on the situation and ruminate some more. It's the same for Elizabeth Bennet, as we see in this example.

"Reflection must be reserved for solitary hours; whenever she was alone, she gave way to it as the greatest relief; and not a day went by without a solitary walk, in which she might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections." Page 214

I purchased a lovely faux leather Penguin Classics edition of Pride and Prejudice for this buddy read and while I greatly enjoyed participating in the discussions and the knowledge gained from finally reading this classic, ultimately it felt like homework with scattered reading rewards throughout and a sense of accomplishment at the end.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Subterranean by B. Michael Radburn

* Copy courtesy of Atlas Productions *

Aussie author and Carpe Librum favourite B. Michael Radburn is back with Subterranean; a story about a woman on the run after leaving an abusive relationship and a homeless Army veteran living in the abandoned train tunnels beneath Sydney's streets. Cassie is being pursued by twins hired by her husband who put me immediately in mind of the twin brothers Leonel and Marco Salamanca from Breaking Bad.

Daniel is trying to recover from the physical and emotional trauma experienced in Afghanistan and when these two flawed characters meet, the reader can't resist hoping they will find a way to help each other.

Subterranean is a novella and a quick read, however the presentation in smaller format paperback, large font and with the inclusion of several illustrations gave me the immediate impression this was a YA novel. This stand alone novella can easily be read by a YA audience, but it's a confusing presentation of an adult novella in my opinion. The shadowy cover design captures the feel of the story perfectly and I could easily have done without the illustrations and large print.

As with his Taylor Bridges series, Radburn does an excellent job of bringing Australian characters to life and describing the Australian landscape. In Subterranean he convincingly captures Sydney's urban and underground environment and the pips of the ABC Radio News broadcasts were a very nice touch.

Highlighting the plight of our own homeless veterans and the lack of services from the Department of Veterans' Affairs in this novella was an added bonus and as a fellow veteran, I hope this helps shine a light on this important and ongoing issue.

However, Subterranean's ending was the real highlight for me. It was an unexpected climax I didn't realise we were working towards and which provided a very satisfying end to the story. A great read!

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

P.S. Check out my reviews of the following books by B. Michael Radburn:
- The Crossing
- Blackwater Moon
- The Falls

Interview with Kayte Nunn, author of The Silk House

Author Kayte Nunn

Today I have great pleasure in welcoming Australian author Kayte Nunn to Carpe Librum. Kayte has written The Botanist's Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant and The Silk House and was kind enough to join me here today and answer a few questions about her latest book The Silk House, her interest in witchcraft, what she's reading next and what she's writing now.

Thanks for joining us Kayte. As I write, Melbourne is in lockdown. Have the events of this year had an impact on your reading and writing? If so, have they had a positive, negative or neutral effect?
Certainly to begin with they had a negative effect as I was so distracted that I couldn’t concentrate properly on writing or editing – a final read-through of The Silk House took me twice as long as it normally would have done. Then, both my daughters were doing school at home for a month or so and that was rather distracting. However, since then, where we live at least, things have settled into a new normal (for which I am very thankful and know we are very lucky) and I’m just trying to get on with things and not watch too much news coverage.

How different was the publication and release of your new novel The Silk House compared to last year's release of The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant?
Very different – normally I would visit bookshops in Sydney and Brisbane and meet booksellers and do a number of events at which I would meet readers. However, this year my events are online, so I can do them without leaving home! I am missing the interaction with readers – it’s harder to gauge their reactions in a crowded Zoom event – but the upside is that more people are able to access these events. I hope in future years that there might be a mix of the two.

I hope so too. The cover design for The Silk House is absolutely stunning and I just love the byline: Weaving. Healing. Haunting. It immediately drew me in. What can you tell us about the cover design process for this novel?
Thank you! I’m very fortunate that my publisher, Rebecca Saunders, involves me at the beginning of the process, so we investigate different angles and discuss what might work and what not. It’s then a process of refinement to arrive at the final cover. I was once a magazine editor, and briefing and deciding on covers – and cover lines – was one of my favourite parts of the job, so it’s nice to be able to continue that with my books!

Published by Hachette Australia

What research did you undertake to enable you to successfully bring England - the silk weaving industry and life as a housemaid - in the late 1700s to life on the page?
There is a restored silk merchant’s house in the town where I grew up, so being able to see that was invaluable in imagining the practicalities of life in those times. I also did a great deal of general reading about life in 18th century England, and particularly as it pertained to servants and an emerging merchant class, and also about the silk weaving industry in Spitalfields at that time.

Did the botanical knowledge gathered and obtained in the writing of The Botanist's Daughter help you with Rowan's knowledge of herbalism and the medicinal properties of plants in The Silk House?
Somewhat. I did further research about the medicinal properties of plants, even finding out what books on herbal lore would have been available then.

What is it about herbal lore and apothecaries we readers find so fascinating? Could Rowan really have found all of those plants growing in her local area? Were apothecaries required to maintain client confidentiality? Tell us more.
I think anything with unusual properties is fascinating, particularly if it can be found growing wild and only someone with the right knowledge can unlock its power.

I made sure that the plants Rowan finds were all native to that part of England at the time, to the best of my ability. I love the sound of plants native to England – cuckoo pint, medlar, foxglove, etc so it was a pleasure to include them. Finally, I would imagine that it would have been in an apothecary’s best interests to be discreet about his customers.

In The Silk House, we learn in the blurb that a 'length of fabric woven with a pattern of deadly flowers will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.' Do you believe an item can be - intentionally or un-intentionally - imbued with evil or bad luck?
If I really think about it logically, probably not, but then I am also a fairly superstitious person, so who knows?

I enjoyed that our main character and history teacher Thea Rust is researching persecution ideologies and witchcraft in sixteenth and seventeenth century England. Can you share a little about your own interest in witchcraft?
It developed as I wrote this book and began to research women accused of witchcraft in Wiltshire, of which I discovered there were quite a few, and notable cases. As part of my history A’Level (many years ago now) I undertook a project based on research of my choosing at the local records office – how I wish I had known about the women tried and often killed for being witches then, for I surely would have chosen that as my project!

Read an extract here

What book/s is on your bedside table at the moment?
A huge pile, but notably Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, and Joanna Nell’s soon-to-be-released The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home.

I'm looking forward to reading Hamnet too! Is there a book release you're looking forward to or a book you'd like to read before the end of the year?
I’m craving a bit of glamour and escapism, particularly as travel is off the agenda at the moment, so I can’t wait to get my hands on Kevin Kwan’s Sex and Vanity.

I've read that you're almost always working on multiple projects at a time. Can you share anything about your next novel with us?
I’ve finished the structural edit of a book for next year, set in Burma during the Second World War and Ireland leading up to New Year’s Eve 1999.

Anything else you'd like to add?
I hope my readers love The Silk House as much as they did my previous two books – with each book I write I try my hardest to write a better, more compelling, page-turning story.

Thanks so much for your time Kayte! I certainly enjoyed The Silk House and I'm really looking forward to reading your next book.

Review: My Smoko Break by Hayley Maudsley

* Copy Courtesy of Harper Collins *

I'm not a good cook and neither is my husband, so you won't often see me reviewing cookbooks. But there's something special about the down to earth approach of fellow Aussie Hayley Maudsley's approach to cooking that really appeals to me. I'm not the only one either.

A rural Mum living in Queensland, Hayley's no nonsense and no fuss approach to cooking and baking has made her an online sensation and her Facebook group My Smoko Break has 140,000 followers at last look. This success and popularity has lead to the compilation of more than 200 of Hayley's recipes into this handy book, also called My Smoko Break.

Hayley is instantly likeable and her easy going attitude to cooking and cleaning really comes through in her book. Living on a property, she doesn't have regular access to a supermarket and has to 'make do' often. Far from limiting her options, Hayley has come up with a whole host of work arounds, and readily shares them with the reader. From how to make sour cream, self raising flour and condensed milk, to which foods can easily be frozen and defrosted, I remain impressed by her ingenuity. I live in the city with easy access to an IGA, but I still enjoyed her tips and tricks.

I decided to attempt one sweet and one savoury recipe from My Smoko Break and I started by baking the Custard Slice from page 177 that was so delicious we were nearly fit to bursting before deciding to leave the rest until the next day. I then made the Creamy Sausages from page 134 and freaked out when I realised I was making a roux. Next on the list to try is the Yoghurt Slice and the Condensed Milk Biscuits. (Okay, now I'm hungry).

Given how rarely I read cookbooks and the fact I'm not a Mum, I did find the arrangement of recipes a little difficult to navigate. The recipes are broken up into the following chapters: breakfast, smoko, lunch, plate mates, dinner, dessert, school lunchbox, harvest, cooking with kids and occasion. I'm used to flipping to a cakes/slices/biscuits or breakfast/main/dessert section but Hayley has divided these recipes by purpose rather than by sweet/savoury. I've never seen this before and I'm sure it works well for the target audience, but I just found it disorienting.

When drooling over Hayley's recipes, I dearly wished there had been photos to accompany some of the recipes. I understand the limitations when it comes to printing and publication, but being a novice in the kitchen, I really would have benefited from some photos of what the dish is supposed to look like on completion.

Ultimately I finished My Smoko Break feeling inspired. Inspired to cook more and inspired to use some of her household tips and tricks. I enjoyed her stories and highly recommend My Smoko Break by Hayley Maudsley to rural and urban cooks, novices and accomplished home cooks. There is something for everyone here.

Carpe Librum!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Guest review: Hodgepodge: How to Make a Pet Monster by Lili Wilkinson, illustrated by Dustin Spence

Published by Allen & Unwin 6 July 2020

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *

Hodgepodge: How to Make a Pet Monster by Lili Wilkinson is a children's book for readers aged 7-10. Illustrated by Dustin Spence, my junior reviewers Sophie and James Harris were lucky enough to review an early copy. What's it about and what did they think?

Blurb

A fantastically readable, gloriously funny and highly collectable new junior fiction series.

I'm Artie. I'm eleven years old.
I do not believe in ghosts, or monsters.
I do believe in science.
I also believe that my step-sister Willow is kinda terrifying.

Willow and I found a weird old book in the attic of our new house. It's called the Big Boke of Fetching Monsters.
And it tells you how to make your own monster.
But that's impossible.

Reviewers Sophie & James Harris
making a Hodgepodge together

You DEFINITELY can't make a monster, because MONSTERS DO NOT EXIST.

Sophie Harris (10 years old)

I read this book with my 7 year old brother James. I really enjoyed doing the voices of the characters and we had a really good laugh together. I found it easy to read, it is probably for the 7-8 year old bracket depending on their reading ability. 

We pretended that we were making this into a movie, it was a lot of fun. I am looking forward to the next one. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars! (So….. secretly I really liked it too, but this is his review).

James Harris (7 years old)

I loved reading this book with my sister. I really enjoyed it. It was really funny and easy to understand the story. The main character Artie likes science and tries to cook up a Hobgoblin with his step sister Willow, but they get the recipe all wrong because they don’t have all the right ingredients. So they use what they can find and make a Hodgepodge monster instead (and he farts a lot!) 

They have lots of adventures trying to keep Hodgepodge a secret from the adults! It made me laugh all the way to the end. I really can’t wait to read the next book – when they make the Flummox instead of a Phoenix!

I give it 4.5 Monsters on the Monster scale (that’s really good).

James & Sophie's Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Fellow Reviewers Share Their 2020 Mid Year Favourite Books

Just like that and we're in the second half of 2020! Can you believe it? This time last year I asked some of my favourite reviewers to share their 2019 Mid Year Favourites and it was so much fun I'm doing it again. This year I'm pleased to introduce three new reviewers and I hope you'll be tempted by their favourite books of 2020 so far.
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Veronica Joy

I’m Veronica, book lover and reality TV watcher. I blog at The Burgeoning Bookshelf or you can find me on Twitter. My original reading preference was the fantasy genre but since joining Goodreads in 2011 my reading has expanded to include historical fiction, women’s fiction, crime and some young adult. Since having grandchildren I have added children’s books to my list and I love reading with them. When I’m not reading you will probably find me watching some cringe worthy reality TV show. It’s been extremely difficult to knock my mid year favourites for 2020 down to two books. But here they are.

House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon
House On Endless Waters is set in present day Amsterdam. Yoel, a well known author, travels from Israel to Amsterdam to promote his latest book. He is reluctant to go as he has promised his mother that he will never return to the place of his birth. A chance visit to the Jewish Historical Museum brings him face to face with his past and sets off a roller coaster of emotions that will keep Yoel in Amsterdam until all his questions are answered.

The story is told in a unique dual timeline where the author has included both timelines in one narrative. The historical part being Yoel’s thoughts on the book he is writing on his mother’s life and this is blended with the story as if it is happening in real time.

This was a heart-wrenching story of the lengths many had to go to to protect their family. You can read my full review here.

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
How It Feels to Float is an own voice story of teenager Biz’s life with mental illness. Biz lost her father when she was young and this had a major impact on how she saw the world and how she saw herself.

This is a story of intergenerational mental illness with themes of friendship, sexuality, grief and depression it will pull at your heart strings. Fox adds elements of magical realism and it blurs between what is real and what is not. The story is, at times, hectic and mixed up much like I can imagine Biz’s mind would be.

I do hope Biz’s story helps people understand a little more about living with mental illness not only from the sufferers point of view but also from those that love and support them. You can read my full review here.
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Bree Testa

I’m Bree and I’ve been blogging at 1girl2manybooks for over 10 years now. I originally started blogging as a way to get back into reading after having my first baby. I read quite widely with strong connections to romance, YA and contemporary fiction. It’s been a personal challenge of mine to read more non-fiction in the last couple of years as well and I quite often use fiction books to leapfrog into non-fiction. For me, the perfect day is a new book and endless cups of tea!

Choosing just two books that are my favourites from 2020 so far was always going to be a hard task and I did spend quite a lot of time thinking about it. In the end I decided to go with one non-fiction and one fiction.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
My first book is Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This is a memoir, written by the victim of a sexual assault case that “went viral” when her victim impact statement was published in its entirety on Buzzfeed, under a pseudonym. The letter was shared and viewed millions of times and Chanel Miller chose to take back her identity by writing this book, presenting her side of the story. It’s a very frank and honest account and details the difficulty in prosecuting sexual assault cases, even when there are witnesses, like in this one. It’s a look at the way in which victims are portrayed vs the perpetrator, the aggressive lines of questioning and the things that defense attorneys will focus on: a victim’s drinking, dress style, motives for being at a party.

This is a hard read - and I fully concede that it’s not a book everyone will be able to explore. It’s a difficult, distressing topic and at times I found myself feeling extreme anxiety whilst reading it, even though I knew the outcome of the case. It’s brutal, raw, agony at times but it’s also thoughtful questioning and a critique of not just the process of reporting a sexual assault but also the sentencing laws and even the definition of ‘rape’. Read my full review on my website.

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke
My second book I decided to go with The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke. This was the sort of book where it looked like I’d enjoy it based on the feel/description but I had no idea how much I was going to love it. This book took me on the most unexpected journey of twists and turns. It’s such a beautiful story, about a song written, left behind, picked up and shared around the world by a variety of people who each put their own special twist on it. It comes to mean many things to many different people. It brings people together, it is the cause of people coming into each other’s lives.

I loved the way the author chose to tell the story, which feels a bit disjointed at first but as you settle into it, becomes the perfect way to see the impact on so many people. This is the sort of book that takes you through a whole range of emotions, gives you things to grieve over but then later on, things that make you laugh and feel warm and fuzzy inside. There are so many layers to this story, it’s fantastic. I know it’ll be the sort of book that stays with me for a long time. Read my full review on my website.
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Claire Louisa

I’m Claire Louisa, I’m an avid reader and reviewer, an art therapist and sometimes artist. I read a wide variety of genres and am always willing to try something new. I read a lot of historical fiction, my favourite is Australian historical fiction. I also read a fair bit of erotica, romance, LGBT romance and contemporary fiction. My reviews can be found at Claire’s Reads and Reviews, on Facebook or Instagram. I also am the Speculative Fiction Round-up Editor for Australian Women Writers Challenge which is not a genre I read a great deal myself, but I do enjoy seeing what is out there and expanding my reading to include some of the great books I get to showcase.

This year has been a bit all over the place as far as reading goes, I’ve been through a bit of a slump, as have many people, but I’m hoping I’m on my way back to devouring books. I’ve had a couple of stand-out reads this year but I’m going to pick two historical fiction novels that I found hard to put down.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
The first is The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. I read this via The Pigeonhole which breaks books up into staves and sends you one each day, which was frustrating in a way because I wanted to keep reading, but it allowed me to really savour this novel.

This book is now firmly on my list of top 10 books for 2020, it was an interesting, emotional and powerful novel, covering so many subjects. It is a beautiful and engaging book and I had no idea where the story was going to lead me, right through to the end, Pip Williams never failed to surprise me. There were parts where I was silently begging her not to take me where I thought we might be going, and from the other readers' comments, as we read, I wasn't alone in this. There were also parts that caused me anger, grief, happiness, and so many other emotions, but I have to admit that the final stave had me in tears more than once.

Pip Williams has a way with words, her ability to convey what people are thinking or feeling, to describe a situation or the environment, to put words themselves into context was remarkable and beautiful. There were so many lines I'd have loved to have pulled out and shared. You can read my full review on my blog.

The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi
My next choice is The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi. I truly loved this novel, it had intrigue, romance, and sex galore as well as fighting and dirty politics as was consistent with the time of 1333. An LGBT historical novel set in the 1300s, a time I knew nothing about, and a time I am glad I didn't live in. It was certainly a violent time with wars going on for land and titles continuously, as well as plots to take France or Scotland or for France to take England, so much scheming going on I don't know how anyone, especially Edward III slept at night.

Harry is young and eager to become a knight, he has very little idea of what this truly entails only having fought and trained in tournaments. Turning up just after a fight he was hoping to be in, he is pulled into a scheme he has no understanding of, but which will change his life completely.

The book spans many years, many plots and intrigues and Harry has to learn who he wants to be and who he can truly trust. There are some surprising alliances formed and I really enjoyed the way I was at times not sure where everything was leading and how it was going to end up. Read my full review on my blog.

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Huge thanks to Veronica, Bree & Claire for their contributions and for being part of this mid year Carpe Librum collaboration.

I was super happy to see so many Australian authors make the list and I hope you enjoyed the variety of recommendations. I've had my eye on The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams so it was great to see it on Claire's list. Have you read any of the books featured? What caught your eye?

Carpe Librum!