Another Spring like winter’s week…

BOOKS

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is an atmospheric literary novel set on a remote island near Antarctica. It combines a family story, mystery, environmental themes, and a strong sense of isolation.

Main characters

• Dominic “Dom” Salt — The father of the Salt family and caretaker of the research station on Shearwater Island. He is trying to hold his family together in an increasingly dangerous and isolated environment.
• Raff Salt — Dom’s eldest son. He is in his late teens and is thoughtful and protective, but is also dealing with the difficulties of growing up in such an unusual place.
• Fen Salt — Dom’s teenage daughter. Independent, tough and closely connected to the wild landscape and animals of the island.
• Orly Salt — Dom’s youngest son. He is fascinated by the natural world and has an especially endearing curiosity about the island and its wildlife.
• Rowan — A mysterious woman who washes ashore during a violent storm. Her arrival changes the dynamics of the Salt family. She has secrets of her own, and discovering why she has come to Shearwater becomes an important part of the story.

A little about the book

The novel takes place on Shearwater Island, a fictional, extremely remote island near Antarctica. The Salt family are among the last people remaining at a research station that is being closed because rising seas and worsening conditions are making the island increasingly unsafe.

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There are secrets, seed banks that need saving, whales and seals , environmental woes and suspense. This book is for our book group discussion in September. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing spectacular and the same old environmental themes we hear about all the time but it was an entertaining and sometimes suspenseful novel. Shearwater Island is based on MacQuarie island south east of Tasmania.

Other bookish reading. The spin landed on French writer, Antoine Laurain’s book The Red Notebook. Read an hour of that and I’m really enjoying it. More on that down the track.

I’m half way through the African book the Cobra’s Heart. i’ll probably finish that off this week. I need to pick another Penguin anniversary random read and spin the wheel again for the Books I’m spinning challenge. I also need to see what the October book group read is going to be.

I’m enjoying all the challenges at the minute.

LIFE

Friday night a friend and I went to the Theatre Royal and saw Noni Hazlehurst in the play The Lark. The Lark is a moving one-woman play starring Noni Hazlehurst as Rose Grey, a woman in her seventies saying goodbye to the old Melbourne pub that has been her lifelong home. It is a powerful reflection on memory, ageing, loss and change. We loved it. There was much nostalgia and sadness interspersed with wonderful humour. It was so good as you’d expect from such a wonderful iconic Australian actor.

Family – meaning pets. Our dogs, Ollie and Peanut had a ‘fat lecture’ from the vet the other day. They are now on a month’s strict diet with a scheduled weigh in to occur in one month’s time.

They aren’t happy and Mr P’s hands are now cuffed to a cabinet away from their treats. lol

So far it is going ok though the dogs are walking around looking quizzical.

The week coming up…

I need to mail my U.S passport into the consulate to get it renewed. Mr P has decided he’s not going to and if he was to return he’ll use his Australian one though I doubt that is ever going to happen. I don’t have any travel plans but will get the passport.

It’s tax time so that is happening this week. One of those boring tasks that must be done.

A couple of gym sessions, a long walk one day and a visit to a friend whose partner recently passed away is on the cards.

Author Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret +many more) is launching the Little Lies sequel this week at the Hobart Town Hall. Fullers book shop has organised that talk and I will try to get there, time and fatigue permitting.

Next weekend is a photo shoot in the city centre to do some street photography with my club. Hoping for good weather. Also looking forward to a quieter week, maybe after that.

No idea how everything piles up at once even when I do pay attention. Too many things I don’t want to miss. You know how that goes.

Have a good week. A couple of photos of Hobart from where I sat waiting for the bus the other day.

Have a good week…any plans?

Any plans for the week? Have a good one.