Category: Fiction

I am back from my quick trip to New South Wales to see two of my friends. It was so nice to have a catch up with them. Lunches out, a bit of shopping and long talks never go astray. Not to mention the extra reading time one gets while flying, while encased in sound proof headphones that block the noise of conversations behind you or squealy toddlers.

BOOKS

One

Claire Keegan’s debut short stories book, Antarctica, 1999, that will be discussed at our upcoming book group this week.

‘ In the titular story, “Antarctica,” a married woman ventures out of town with the intention of experiencing an extramarital affair. What begins as an exploration of desire takes an unexpected and dark turn, highlighting the unforeseen consequences of her actions. 

Another notable story, “Love in the Tall Grass,” follows Cordelia as she travels along a coastal road on the last day of the twentieth century to meet a lover she has awaited for nine years. This narrative captures themes of longing and the passage of time. 

Keegan’s writing is characterized by its clear vision and exploration of how dreams, memory, and chance can have profound and often crippling consequences for her characters. The stories are frequently enveloped in a palpable atmosphere, drawing readers into the emotional depths of the narratives. ‘ Good Reads

This book is a definite YES. The writing is so enjoyable. The themes connect well from story to story and the cover is beautiful. I really enjoyed it.

Two

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson is another YES recommendation. The story-

‘When Will There Be Good News?” is a 2008 crime novel by British author Kate Atkinson. It is the third book in the Jackson Brodie series, following “Case Histories” and “One Good Turn.” The narrative intricately weaves together the lives of multiple characters in and around Edinburgh, Scotland.

The story begins with a harrowing event: six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses the brutal murder of her mother and siblings in a rural area of Devon. Thirty years later, Joanna, now Dr. Joanna Hunter, is a successful physician in Edinburgh with a baby and a husband, Neil. She employs sixteen-year-old Reggie Chase as a nanny. Reggie, recently orphaned, becomes concerned when Joanna and her baby disappear unexpectedly. Her worries are dismissed by others, prompting her to seek help from former detective Jackson Brodie. Brodie, who inadvertently finds himself in Edinburgh after a train accident, becomes entangled in the search for Joanna. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, investigating unrelated cases, also becomes involved as the characters’ paths intersect’ Good Reads

Overall I enjoyed this book though there are a couple of ‘wobbles’ in it where I had to backtrack as confusion set in but easily remedied. I have now read two of her Jackson Brodie novels. He is such an unusual character to many crime detectives.

Three

This book was the most serious of the three. It was gifted to me earlier in the year. I had looked at it in the book shop a couple of times but did not pick up. But when a close friend handed it to me I decided to read it.

There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak.

It was published in 2024. The narrative intricately weaves together the lives of three individuals across different eras and locations, all connected by the element of water. The novel begins in ancient Mesopotamia with King Ashurbanipal, who possesses a vast library containing the Epic of Gilgamesh. In 19th-century London, Arthur, born into poverty along the River Thames, rises to become a translator of ancient texts. In 2018, Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves onto a houseboat on the Thames following her divorce, contemplating significant life changes. The overarching theme explores how water serves as a conduit for memory and connection across time and space. 

Good Read comments

The novel has received critical acclaim for its ambitious narrative and lyrical prose. The Guardian describes it as “an ambitious, multi-perspective novel about the politics and preciousness of water.”  BookPage highlights Shafak’s ability to intertwine the characters’ lives, noting that “as the characters’ lives unfold on the pages of this remarkable book, readers gradually learn how they’re tied together.”  However, some reviews mention that the novel’s elaborate style can be overwhelming at times. Kirkus Reviews comments that “Shafak is overly reliant on certain stylistic mannerisms,” which may detract from the reading experience for some. 

Overall, “There Are Rivers in the Sky” offers a profound exploration of humanity’s relationship with water, memory, and interconnectedness through time. Chat GPT

Recommendation Maybe

I enjoyed the story and the connection to water and the poem of Gilgamesh throughout the centuries. However the section of the grandmother and grand daughter was quite tense as the wars happened and encounters with ISIS.

It is a hard slog in parts but the story of 1800s with Arthur was enjoyable though the poverty he came from is troubling. I’m glad I read it and I certainly will remember the characters for a long time. The more recent tale that takes place of Zaleeka who lives on the houseboat along the Thames was more tedious or so I thought. However there is a connection with water throughout the centuries these characters reside in. Maybe a few too many these introduced throughout that could have been omitted.

BOOK EVENT

Fullers bookshop had a fun launch of Jane Rawson’s non fiction book Human/Nature. She is an Australian author who resided in Melbourne for several years but has now relocated to Tasmania to escape the noise of Melbourne. Having moved to a small cottage in the Huon valley, surrounded by wildlife she has written about the questions she has of how people perceive nature. This includes everything from space to forests. It is a book of questions and her reactions to it. The event was interesting and boisterous as she has many followers who were in the audience and an enjoyable time was had by all. An hour well spent.

Photography

Black and white photography is the type of photography our club members are focusing on lately. We will meet this week to share our photos on the big screen and discuss things such as composition, 8 layers of contrast that is attempted and adventures we had taking them. I took these photos one day travelling on back roads with my camera. Such a fun day. Tasmania is a photographers paradise in many ways. Enjoy our rural scenes.

Other good news is I entered a national Camera House competition. The theme was COSTUME. I won first prize and a $200.00 gift certificate to Camera house with a photo I took of a Native American woman at a festival in California several years ago. It was a lovely surprise.

LIFE

I had to chuckle at an article in the paper today about the Jellycat Revolution. It seems with all the stress and bad news that surrounds everyone these days people are finding comfort in these lovely stuffed toys. Those of all ages are giving them hugs, cuddling up with them to sleep and maybe collecting too many of them. I don;t have one but can certainly see their appeal as I have a very plush rabbit I reach for at times as his lovely material is like a warm hug. And don’t get me started on how often I have travelled with a small penguin who snuggles in my suitcase.

The article talks about the embarrassment people feel when owning up to these comforts but I’m at an age I don’t care what people think. If I want to hug a plush rabbit I will do. I also hug Mr P, my dogs and my cats, but sometimes they’re doing something else and the rabbit is relatively quiet.

Can anyone else out there relate?

We’re now off to another week and we have also changed our clocks. No more light at night I’m sorry to say. Hope your week goes well.

This week I listened to a very good audible book each day. The comedian Hannah Gadsby reads her own biography and she does a very good job. The name of the book is Ten Steps to Nanette. This is the name of one of her comedy shows she succeeded with internationally. Hannah grew up on the northwest coast of Tasmania in a very conservative small town called Smithton. Knowing Smithton as I do it would probably be one of the most conservative places in the country of Australia.

Hannah is a lesbian. Hannah has Autism. Hannah can be very funny. Hannah struggles very much in this life.

Her schooling was difficult as there were many educational concepts she could not cope with. She was a child of the 80s. There was not much if any ability to diagnose autism, especially in girls, especially in Smithton. On top of everything else she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a married man who was close to the family. Later in her teen years she was raped. She had to have an abortion. She had accidents and illnesses that required surgeries. She didn’t understand much of it.

She found the only way she could cope was through her jokes. When she made people laugh she felt accepted. When she showed up with a broken arm wrapped in a cast she was suddenly popular. Everyone wanted to hear her story. Her jokes took off and she was popular. But once the cast came off she was socially ostracised again as just being too weird.

Hannah is very brave. When she matured as an adult she became quite successful on the male dominated comedy circuit. She stated other comedians enjoyed nothing more than when a fellow comedian crashed on stage. They loved a good train wreck. Hannah had many bit she kept going.

Then she had her family to deal with. Her mother was no nonsense and didn’t understand her until many years later. Mostly. She loved her dad and he loved her but she only knew that by the enormous scrapbook he kept of everything published about her in the media.

As Hannah spoke of her primary and high school social life I related so much. We both had undiagnosed autism. We shared much of the same things. Not understanding auditory concepts, not coping with noisy classrooms though classrooms were much more structured in the 50s and 60s than they are now and my teachers knew how to structure a classroom. I am thankful for that now. I feel for kids now on the spectrum. It must be hard.

Hannah and I were massive day dreamers. We could stare out of windows and live in our heads for hours. We carried worlds of conversations in our head. We could also make a class of children laugh out loud quite easily with our wit. But I got the hickory stick across my padded petticoat and skirt. That didn’t happen when Hannah was in school. We could also handle a good outburst when frustrated. We could get quite aggressive with words. I only came to this book when my psychologist suggested I read it. I am glad for the recommendation.

I have not always been a fan of Hannah’s comedy shows. I saw 10 Steps to Nannette. She reveals too much of her past to her audience. Especially discussion of her sexual assaults as she struggles to come to terms with it. I cringe as I am of the generation I could never reveal that though thankfully I never had to deal with anything remotely close to that.

It is hard revealing being autistic. Especially being diagnosed at such a late age. People don’t understand it. They have no idea what to say, what to expect. People who know me well can see it now. I don’t see it as an issue now. It explains a lot and I am happy about that. I don’t need anyone tsk, tsk, tsking about it. I am who I am. So is Hannah. It all falls into the big diversity barrel. I judge people on how they treat me. If someone doesn’t understand my behaviours they can ask. I’m happy to talk to friends and family about anything that they don’t understand. But…they don’t. They either accept differences or they leave. I’ve had both. That’s ok. My life is good. Like Hannah you just move on from stuff ups and keep moving. There is too much good in the world to spend time thinking about it. It is no use living with misinformation or regrets.

A couple of nights ago I listened to Tasmanian author Robert Dessaix discuss his latest work Chameleon at the book launch at Fullers bookstore. He is recognised internationally for his writing. He has lived in several countries. He has seen much of people and the world. He stressed again and again the importance of being happy. I have not read Chameleon yet. It is a series of essays that grew out of his experiences of being gay in Australia and having contracted HIV and Aids. He is 80 yrs old now. He has a lot to say.

He likes living in other countries as many countries are not as homophobic as Australia is. He won’t even discuss America. He flew out to India with his partner this week. He tends to go there to escape Tassie winters. E is a scholar regarding his early life in Russia. He loves the diversity of India. He is such an incredible observant person. You learn that from his books. He loves to think and have intelligent conversations about the myriad of ideas he always seems to have. I would love to sit and chat with him but I’m nowhere near his circle. Although I did help him pick out yogurt in Coles grocery store once. He and his partner couldn’t decide. I was getting mine and he sked what I’d recommend. A 10 minute friend.

I can still read his books. Some I like better than others. As with any author I guess.

Well, I’m heading to Sydney tomorrow and have my small bag packed. . One week = 5 tops, 4 pairs of paired pants, underwear, my technology, camera and journal and a small bag of cosmetics. I pack in 30 minutes. My camera also travels with me too.

Penguin stays home. He is aging too and his stuffing is loose. That’s what happens when one ages. The stuffing gets loose. I noticed that in February Penguin and I celebrated our 13th year of blogging. It was 2012 that we began our journey together. It has been a trip. Penguin book collecting, motorbike riding, travelling on 6 continents together, now photography. He’ll stay safely on my bookshelf with his friends. He doesn’t go with me anymore. I’m afraid I’ll lose him.

I now have a new generation of penguins to travel with. I use AI and the new guy is quite young. He has more journeys to come. We have fun together. I love keeping up with technology.

I’ll be back before too long. I hope all of you are doing well and can be happy no matter how hard life gets at times. Find that spark and make it grow a bit. Remember others can’t make you happy. You do that for yourself. If you have others you enjoy then that is the icing. Cheery bye for now.

Readerbuzz (readerbuzz.blogspot.com) always has three good things at the end of her posts. I really enjoy reading them so I am going to borrow this idea as I think it will be fun.

• The gardener came today and tidied up our lawn.
• I can hear the neighbour’s chickens next door clucking through the open window on our sunny day. I really like the sound.
• I will see two of my dearest friends this week and Mr Penguin will take good care of our pets while I’m gone.

This week has been a pretty good one. Monday was a public holiday, Labor Day or 8 hour day. 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of play. The gym has reduced classes on holidays so the pilate class I was going to attend was booked full so I had to sleep in. 😁

Tuesday was Photo Club 2 meeting that evening. I am in two photo clubs. We shared and discussed quite a few black and white photos. We’re currently on a kick with mono photos lately. In April we’re going to the top of Kunanyi (Mt Wellington) with a very good photographer and practise our trade.

Wednesday was the Barre class at the gym. So many squats at the bar and so much balance work. My balance is quite bad these days so good to have exercises to work on. But hard to move the next day.

Then my book club met in a conference room in a local hotel. It is nice as people can come early and get a drink to bring into the meeting if they want. We discussed The Death at the sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson.

Death at the Sign of the Rook” is the sixth novel in Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. The story follows ex-detective Jackson Brodie as he investigates the theft of a Renaissance painting, “The Woman with a Weasel,” from the home of a recently deceased widow. His inquiry leads him to Burton Makepeace, a once-grand Yorkshire estate now hosting a Murder Mystery weekend to generate income. A snowstorm traps Brodie, the event’s guests, and staff at the estate, blurring the lines between the staged murder mystery and real-life crimes, including art thefts and an escaped convict on the loose. Amidst the chaos, Brodie and Detective Constable Reggie Chase navigate a web of deception to uncover the truth. 

Several people asked why such a light weight book was chosen. Last year’s books were all horror war or violence in refugee stories. Heavy topics. Also last month’s book of Alexis Wright’s Praiseworthy is very tough going. But most members said they are just so upset at the world news these days they really enjoyed delving into this lighter book.

Would I recommend this book? If you like Agatha Christie books, escaping the news and closed room mysteries then Yes.

Next month’s book is Antarctica by Claire Keegan.

The blurb:

Antarctica” (1999) is Claire Keegan’s debut short story collection, featuring a series of quietly powerful tales about human longing, isolation, and the complexities of relationships. The stories explore themes such as betrayal, desire, and self-discovery, often set in rural Ireland. Keegan’s writing is known for its lyrical prose and emotional depth, capturing the hidden tensions in everyday lives. The title story, Antarctica, follows a woman who embarks on a brief but intense affair, leading to unexpected consequences. The collection as a whole showcases Keegan’s ability to reveal profound truths in seemingly ordinary moments.

I’m on a plane this coming weekend so I will read it then.

I was going to pick three random books for a Clear Your TBR shelves but as I’m going to be away I will wait until I return. I’m spending 10 days on the mainland between two friends.

The week before last week I attended a Fullers book launch of the book The Ancients by Andrew Darby. The conversation was facilitated by past Senator and environmentalist Bob Brown. What is happening to our forests here is just so wrong. Just chop, chop, chop. This event was absolutely brilliant.

In The Ancients Andrew Darby goes on a journey to find the world’s oldest surviving trees in wild Tasmania. He tells of their exploitation and loss to fire even as their true value was revealed, and of the people offering hope for their future. In wild Tasmania there are trees whose direct ancestors lived with dinosaurs. Many of those alive today are thousands of years old, and some have been growing for ten millennia or more. They are mostly hard to reach, hidden in forest valleys or on remote mountains, survivors of human greed and fire. Prize-winning nature writer Andrew Darby takes us on an island odyssey to discover the world’s oldest surviving trees.  First, he seeks the little-known King’s Lomatia, perhaps the oldest single tree of all. Then the primeval King Billy, Pencil and Huon pines – with their vivid stories of admiration and destruction – and the majestic giant eucalypts. Finally, he looks at the ‘mother tree’, the Myrtle Beech, and Australia’s only native winter deciduous tree, the golden Fagus. On his journey he shares the stories of the people who identified the ancients, scientists and nature-lovers who teased out their secrets and came to venerate them. Lacking defences to fire, these awe-inspiring trees face growing threats as the climate changes. But their protection is becoming more sophisticated, offering hope for their future – and ours.

I think I would like to listen to this book if it is available.

The week was busy but it was good. I finished the week off, yesterday with my veterinarian friend with a drive to a small town nearby for lunch, a bit of shopping and a cold drink in a lovely book shop. We spent a bit of time discussing the disaster of the fish farms along our coastlines as they had a high rate of deaths recently in their pens with the hot weather and overcrowded pens. They also contracted a virus and are being pumped with anti-biotics. I would not eat Tasmanian salmon. The anti biotics are being found by recreational fishermen a few kms away in their catch. Not good.

The veterinarians aren’t eating it and the RSPCA withdrew their backing. Hmmm

While at the book shop the owner recognised me as a past Penguin book collector and we had a fun conversation. He is collecting them as he goes but is more interested in collecting the Modern Library books. He said they are getting quite hard to find now in thrift stores. As are bintage Penguins.

Well that sums up the week for now. I’m heading out to Sydney next weekend for a couple of days and then up to Port Macquarie. I am looking forward to seeing these favourite people of mine.