Up the Country – Miles Franklin

The winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award for 2021 was announced just a few days ago with the prize going to Amanda Lohrey for her novel The Labyrinth. I haven’t actually read any of the books on the shortlist, which is quite normal for me, as I generally tend to catch up with recommended …

#BookSnapSunday – Remembering Babylon

More and more now he was haunted by those sheets, seven in all, he had not forgotten the number, that Mr Frazer had folded and put into his pocket, and which he had never seen again; till he was convinced that the only way to save himself from so much racking, and despair and sweat, …

#BookSnapSunday – The Camomile Lawn

Behind the large house, the fragrant camomile lawn stretches down to the Cornish cliffs. Here, in the dizzying heat of August 1939, five cousins have gathered at their aunt’s house for their annual ritual of a holiday. For most of them, it is the last summer of their youth, with the heady exhilarations and freedoms …

#BookBingo – Theme of Culture

This year I have been following along with Theresa, Amanda and Ashleigh in Book Bingo and this month I am crossing off two squares. I missed one month a little while ago when things got a bit busy. The Return by Victoria Hislop is set in Spain during the civil war and features the Spanish …

#BookBingo – Theme of Inequality

Virgin Widow by Anne O’Brien Heiress. Princess. Virgin Queen. Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. In England’s glittering, …

#BookSnapSunday – The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge

The secrets that bind a family Can also destroy a family 1932. Ernie and Lily Hass, and their daughter, Girlie, have lost almost everything in the Depression; all they have keeping their small family together are their secrets. Abandoning their failing wheat farm and small-town gossip, they make a new start on the west coast …

#BookBingo – Travelling Back in Time

This year I am joining in once again with Book Bingo hosted by Theresa, Amanda and Ashleigh and this round I am checking off Travelling Back in Time with The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. It was a bit of a struggle to think of a time I would like to travel back …

#BookSnapSunday – Wide Sargasso Sea

Visitors to our place often comment on our extensive book collection. As avid readers we do have a lot of books and it can be very difficult to part with such dear friends. Some are long time favourites. Some are still waiting to be read. And others have been read at some point in the …

#BookSnapSunday – Philippa Gregory

I haven't quite got back into the rhythm of reading yet. Current events are proving to be very distracting and worrying, but pictured here is my Philippa Gregory shelf. As a history student, of course I love Philippa Gregory. She brings to life the various kings, queens and consorts of the royal court of England. …

#BookSnapSunday – Australian History

  Since the beginning of Covid 19 my reading has taken a downward spiral. Despite all the extra time spent at home I seem to have had less time for reading rather than more. Being naturally introverted, I initially relished the idea of having a valid excuse for staying home and thought of all the …