Literary Brooding

The Ghosts of Paris  (Billie Walker Mystery, #2) by Tara Moss  415 pages, paperback, published 7 June 2022 Billie Walker is a female private enquiry agent, who is trying to carve out an existence in post- war two Australia. She is approached by a woman to locate her missing husband of two years. The woman wants to move on and needs to know if he is alive or dead. To find out Billie must travel to London and Paris to discover the truth. While there Billie is confronted the with the ghosts of her own past.   Moss, again, creates a realistic world with characters that leap of the page.  The plotting is tight and you are treated to a history lesson as you become entwined in the danger that Billie finds herself facing. The supporting characters are realistic, and Billie certainly has to put a couple of them in their place.    This an intriguing read, lots of twists and turns. A great read for those who love historical fiction with a female protagonist....

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson 480 pages, paperback published 2 January 2025 It is 1923, dragons and humans have been working under an ever-straining peace agreement that is on the verge collapse and the drumbeats of civil war are echoing loudly. Viv Featherswallow and her family are aware of the tensions brewing, as it is a constant discussion around the dinner table. However, Viv, is focused solely on her forthcoming admission to university and remains convinced the Prime Minister will set matters straight. When her parents are arrested for siding with the rebels and Viv must care for her five-year-old sister, she decides to take drastic action.  What Viv does creates a chain reaction of events that mire her family and friends into danger and Viv realises, she must be the one to make this right.   Williamson has crafted an ingenious world, with complex governance structures and social constructs. It is a world where your ability to thrive and survive is determ...

The Great Library of Tomorrow The Book of Wisdom Trilogy #1 Rosalia Aguilar Solace 473 pages • first pub 2024 Helia is the Sage of Hope, and while performing duties with her partner Xavier, Sage of Truth, they are ambushed while visiting the Rose Gardens in the realm of Silvyra. Helia realises that the Ash Man or Suttaru, long considered a legend is very real. As he destroys the gardens, Helia and her partner are hurt but she must get back to the Great Library of Tomorrow to raise the alarm and start the fight back.   The story starts of in the thick of it with Ash Man making his presence known and that he is about to wreak havoc on all the worlds. Helia and Xavier are in a battle for their lives, and the pace is frenetic. You quickly learn that Helia and Xavier are accompanied by magical orbs that can communicate. With Helia’s escape that is when things slow down and get complicated.   You are introduced to an additional eight or ten characters that all have bearing...

Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo 453 pages, Paperback, First published 2 May 2019 Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives of mainly 12 women tell their stories over several years. Each character has an individual chapter but there is a commonality between the stories as they are grouped into four sets of three.   As you commence with Amma’s story you quickly realise that there are no full stops and no quotation marks. Okay, I can handle this and adjust, even though a couple of times I did lose who was speaking and had to back track. In researching the reasons for the style chosen, I understand Evaristo adopted a style of fluid prose poetry across all 12 stories to enhance the connection.   Back to Amma who kicks everything off, as she heads toward the theatre for her professional debut as a director and playwright at the National Theatre. Amma lets us know about her struggles, challenges, successes and doubts. When you think, you’re about to find out if Amma is a ...

The Listeners Maggie Steifvater 416 pages, Hardcover, expected publication 3 June 2025 It is 1942 and World War 2 has landed in the United States. The diplomats and dignitaries of unfriendly nations are being rounded ready for deportation. The Avallon Hotel and Spa is an institution of opulence and discretion where the needs of the guests are foremost. The Avallon Hotel is nestled in the hills of West Virginia and fed by the magical power of the local sweet water. The Avallon is for 'people so high on the social ladder they' have 'to duck for the sun to go overhead', it is an oasis in troubling times. June Porter Hudson, Avallon Hotel General Manager is determined of retaining that status despite the drum beats of war. When June is advised, in no uncertain terms by the owner that the hotel will host potential enemies of the US, June does what she is best at adapts. She focuses her staff to retain high levels of service, even if it is for Nazis and the Japanese. With the...

All the Colours of the Dark Chris Whitaker 581 pages, Paperback, Published 25 June 2024 All the Colours of the Dark was a revelation of read, for I was not expecting what would happen. The story centres on 'Patch', a young man missing an eye, who we first meet in his early teens. The opening paragraph tells you that something substantial is going to happen to Patch and it sure does. Patch witnesses and intervenes in the attempted abduction of Misty Meyer. Whereas Misty is able to escape, Patch becomes the substitute victim. As the police begin the search for Patch, his friend Saint, will not let the police slow down or forget about Patch. It is through her efforts that Patch is located. If that was not enough of a premise for an interesting story, Chris Whitaker dials it up several notches. For this is a story that spans generations, spans the trauma of being a survivor, the guilt of being a survivor and the continual search to find other victims and survivors. It is the story ...

  James Percival Everett 303 pages, Paperback, Published 19 March 2024 Jim from Huckleberry Finn is given a voice, it is strong, it is powerful, and it resonates. We are not presented with an adventure story but a survival story. Jim runs to remain alive, he runs to save his family, he runs to find a better future. I was quickly immersed into Jim's journey; Everett's writing grabs you and keeps you flicking pages. The writing is crisp, the descriptions vivid and the characters alive. I don't want to give anything away; read the book it is a masterpiece. Heroic Measures Jill Ciment 208 pages, Paperback, 1 January 2009 Ruth and Alex Cohen have lived in the same New York apartment for over 40 years and as they near their 80’s navigating the five flights of stairs is becoming a slog. They discover their property could be worth up to a million dollars and decide selling is a great idea as moving will mean an elevator. As they prepare for the sale, their beloved dog Dorothy suffe...

The Bitter Sweet Bakery Cafe Catherine Greer 379 pages, Kindle, published 4 March 2025 Audrey Sweetman is primed to have an exceptional day. She has a fabulous husband and today she is giving an advertising pitch that is going to make the agency a massive success and earn her that promotion. In a matter of hours, everything is turned on its head and Audrey finds all that she believed in has evaporated. Feeling betrayed by husband and angry with the agency, Audrey needs to get out of Sydney. Whitehaven Bay, a place she visited as a child with her Mum, seems like a good spot, where she can be a nobody and hide from the big bad world. The locals have a different idea, an elderly landlord who doesn’t mind a bit of nudity, a teenager with a ton of attitude and a locally appointed self-help guru and CEO of the holiday flats are all eager to make Audrey’s life a bit more complicated as they try to help. Audrey finds going back to what she loves, baking provides her with a way to heal and just...

  The Labyrinth - Amanda Lohrey 256 pages, paperback, published 1 January 2020 Erica was brought up in an asylum, not as a patient, her father was a doctor. She has returned after many years as she wants to walk the labyrinth but things have changed as the asylum is now closed. She is able to visit anonymously, not being questioned by true crime junkies about her father who was killed in a gruesome manner by a patient. As Erica explores she notes the changes that the church has become a cafe and discovers the labyrinth has been uprooted. Having tried to revisit the past Erica now confronts her future. She is looking to move to a coastal town in NSW, so that she been close to her son who is in prison. Lohrey has crafted a story that is quite simply sublime. It is heavily layered, with wonderfully realised characters and fabulous descriptions. Erica is a woman of complexity, as you walk alongside her, you slowly begin to realise the traumas she has experienced. You appreciate Erica's...

Well, I have been reading but not updating. I was tinkering with a new webpage thought create and go. Teah well back here, as the creating has been a tad slow. Be prepared for a couple of posts here and going to try and put in some themes, starting with fantasy, magic and alternative.  Comes the Night - Isobelle Carmody 472 pages, Paperback, Published 29 October 2024, Allen & Unwin  In the future people have to live in domes as the climate has become unpredictable. Will lives in Fyshwick an outer suburb of Canberra with his father. Life for Will is tough, his Uncle's passing does not sit easy with him as feels something seems off. What is worse no one is listening to him, not his Dad, his mother or therapist. His mother is more concerned about wanting Will to move to Sydney to follow a career path that is advantageous to her political ambitions. Will is feeling pulled in a multitude of directions. Talking to his friend Ender, rock climbing and taking pictures help Will rel...