Shirley R entertained us with the difficulties and quirks of the English language. i.e. fill in a form can also be filling out a form etc., so we had a few laughs to start our session.
A few of us attended the Vikki Petraitis author talk at the Library. Vikki is a true crime writer based in Melbourne and, as well as her fiction book The Unbelieved, has written a number of books on the Frankston murders, the Phillip Island murders among others.
Some more books enjoyed were The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson this was about the occupation of the Channel Islands during WW11. The Dressmaker of Dachau by Mary Chamberlain spans the war years. Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson, 11 interconnected short stories, was very well received, whilst Wifedom: Mrs Orwells Invisible Life by Anna Funder, was very wordy and raised the question what does it take to be a writer and what it is to be a wife? Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess written by Andrew Lownie was interesting and a good read. A Memoir My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay is described as extraordinary, beautiful and shattering, a story of neglect and determination, a very good read. December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss three sisters who rekindle their broken relationships described as a nice read. The Flying Vet by Dr. Amelia Scott, this outback Vet spends her time flying to remote outback places to tend to animals in trouble, Dr. Amelia is based in Broken Hill. The Milliner of Bendigo by Darry Fraser, set in Bendigo in 1898, was described as a twisty historical mystery. Moira read an article by Maggie McKellar from the Country Style magazine, beautifully written and leads into the explanation of her book The Graft. Author Phillip Kerr has written The Other Side of Silence, a Bernie Gunther mystery involving a former Policeman and British spies, a true story involving none other than Somerset Maughan.
To finish our discussion Mary Balogh wrote Someone to Honour the 6th instalment in the Westcott series, a delightful easy read to end the report.
See you all on the 5th August.
Geraldine