What our Book Babblers at Maroochydore Library have read in June 2010…..
Mary attends a U3A book club at which she was introduced to Irish playwright/ poet/ novelist Sebastian Barry’s book A long, long way. His novels have characters in common, but are not part of a series, as such. His latest novel The secret scripture is the second of his novels to be shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
Fiona read: Augusten Burrough’s You better not cry. This is another autobiographical novel from the author of Running with scissors. It centres on Christmas-related events in Burrough’s life, including his childhood confusion involving Jesus and Santa. This is a book from which the reader emerges knowing that nothing was held back, it’s warts ‘n’ all, and may leave some readers thinking “Eeeew, I didn’t want to know that!” Funny, insightful, honest….loved it!
The slap by Christos Tsiolkas was recommended by both Jill and Sue. The repercussions of one small incident, and how it is interpreted by the people involved, form the nucleus of this story.
Tim Winton’s Breath with its economy of language was appreciated by Mary, who said that she wouldn’t normally have chosen to read a book about surfing.
Sue says that Ian McEwan’s Solar is worth reading, as long as you accept that, like in all his books, ‘things are just going to get worse, and worse and worse!”
The landscape of farewell by Australian author Alex Miller is about a German historian delivering a lecture on massacre. Mary found it depressing, but got enough out of it to have decided that she will read Miller’s latest novel Lovesong.
Both Sue and Mary read Natasha Solomons’ Mr Rosenblum’s list, about a man and his immediate family who escape Germany just prior to World War 11, and arrive in England as refugees. On arrival in England Mr Rosenblum is given a list of helpful hints for refugees, and this heart warming story is about his efforts to assimilate.
We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver is a fabulous book according to Mary, Sue and Jane.
Jane has been reading some items from the library’s Youth Fiction collection. The knife of never letting go is a fast-paced, right of passage novel for 12-16 year olds. In this story, people no longer live on earth, and society consists only of men and boys, who incidentally can hear each other’s thoughts, and those of animals. Like many YF tales, this one is about learning to cope with life and its challenges.
Jane also enjoyed The boy in the striped pyjamas which is in both the Adult Fiction & YF collections at Sunshine Coast Libraries.
Bookings are now open for the next Book Babblers gathering which will be held at Maroochydore Library on 29 July 2010.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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