Cutting For Stone ~ Abraham Verghese

** RECOMMEND **

A coming of age story set mostly in Ethiopia
Wide ranging read that pulls you along.

The story follows twin brothers from their birth under strange circumstances. The medical background of the narrative provides interesting insights into Ethiopian history, the revolution and the cruelty of life.

The main character moves to New York but his fate is still hunted by the albatross of his long-held love ... and it doesn’t matter how much you shout at the book, his is so blinded by lost love that he screws his life.

Rocks In The Belly ~ Jon Bauer

** RECOMMEND **

Bellingen Writers Festival
An engaging read!

I really, really enjoyed this!

It employs great use of voice. The characters are so unlikable because they are so well written. The slow evolution of the plot keeps you engaged. There was great use of vocab and language. Many times it was like trying to take your eyes away from a car wreck but you had to keep with it, enticed by many funny turns of phrase and humorous episodes.

The narrative is told in two voices - the central character as a child and as an adult.

Bereft ~ Chris Womersley

** RECOMMEND **

Bellingen Writers Festival
Many well deserved accolades and nominations

An enjoyable read ... but a tragic story

This is a good historical piece set in rural New South Wales after the end of World War 1 and during the flu epidemic. It captures the hardships of the era, reflection on the inhumanity of the WW1 battlefields and the damage to those who returned. Landscapes are well written - this is a very visual story.

The Brass Verdict ~ Michael Connelly

* LIKE *

#2 in Mickey Haller series (and also has a touch of Harry Bosch)
Good crime writing

Again, this shows a clean, polished style.

Mickey is a defense lawyer therefore disliked by the police and the public prosecutors office. But, as with the last book, he isn’t really on the side of the baddies ... he just wants the justice system to do the right thing by his clients.

True Grit ~ Charles Portis

** RECOMMEND **

Outstanding dialogue in the vernacular
A wonderful heroine.

There was a re release of the movie so we read the book first. Maybe this was a bad move because we loved the authenticity of the book and the richness of the characters and we missed this in the movie.

This was a lovely read! And who can argue with that introduction by Donna Tartt.

There was great dialogue and feisty characters. The heroine is Mattie who is out to get revenge for her father’s murder. SHE is the one with “True Grit”. he language is delightfully fusty and forthright. She calls it as she sees it and she sees all with one-eyed determination. It is both comic and savage.

Alphie says that Mattie reminds him of his mum - a feisty, no-nonsense southerner.

MARCH 2011

The Passage ~ Justin Cronin

*** FAVOURITE ***

Picked from the N Y T Best Sellers Christmas List.
Thank you Santa!!!

Wow! A mammoth brick of a book at 766 pages!

Yes, it muddied itself towards the end as it set itself up for a sequel (the last 200 odd pages were trying). But it was a great read.

Well constructed premise with well written characters. Alphie compared it to an “I Am Legend” type of storyline ... taken further. Kind of vampire-virus dystopian world.

It is amazing that such a long book is just the first of a trilogy and you have to wonder/worry if the others will be as long or as good???? But this one was well written storytelling.

The Lincoln Lawyer ~ Michael Connelly

#1 Mickey Haller novel
Tight, slick, well paced.

I haven’t read much Connelly and this is the first using Mickey Haller as the main character. It was a polished read.

Clean, well-constructed and well edited made it a joy to read. It was a fast-paced trial drama. The first half introduces the clients who later interlink to drive the plot. There is a teeth-grinding, page-turning climax waiting for the baddie to get his come-uppence.

The Calling Of The Grave ~ Simon Beckett

Book 4 in a series
David Hunter, forensics expert.

Sadly this book did not use as much forensic research and crime solving as the others. While it is Book #4, the storyline kind of fits in between #2 and #3 as far as timeline goes.

I didn’t enjoy it that much.

The Help ~ Kathryn Stockett

**** RECOMMEND ****

Tournament of Books : 2010

I resisted this for too long!
A great period & place piece.

There were some stridently negative reviews on Amazon that made me delay in buying this (very critical of the vernacular being wrong, the lack of understanding of racism, offensive in its representations of the south).

But, in spite of the fact that there may be truth in these above criticisms, I really enjoyed this read. The characters were lively and interesting. The plot developed a a good pace and was funny and compelling. I thought the use of voice was well executed with the story being told from different perspectives.