The Absolutist by John Boyne Seated opposite me in the railway carriage, the elderly lady in the fox-fur shawl was recalling some of the murders she had committed over the years. Howl by Howard Jacobson This is what will happen.
Well Begun – Some Books I Love
Every story has a beginning, an opening line. With some novels that the first sentence contain resonances for the whole novel, echoes or hints of what will come. Others reveal their themes slowly, line by line, over the first few paragraphs. Whatever the style of opening, the best offer a tantalising invitation to read on. … Continue reading Well Begun – Some Books I Love
Spotlight ~ Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love by Anthea Laurelton
Today I’m delighted to be shining a spotlight on Anthea Laurelton’s novel, Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love, a historical romance set in Ancient Sparta, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Blurb To save her city, she must risk her life.To fulfil his oath, he must harden his heart.Together, they … Continue reading Spotlight ~ Fearless Hearts Forbidden Love by Anthea Laurelton
Peace Day in Melbourne – 19 July 1919
Although the Armistice was signed just after 5 o’clock in the morning of 11 November 1918 and the guns fell silent at 11 o’clock, the war did not officially end until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. To mark this longed for moment, King George V requested that a special … Continue reading Peace Day in Melbourne – 19 July 1919
Spotlight ~ Kindle the Light of Liberty by Mirta Ines Trupp
Today I’m delighted to be shining a spotlight on Mirta Ines Trupp’s newly released novel, Kindle the Light of Liberty, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Blurb They had no voice. They held no power. Yet they helped decide the fate of a nation. In the bustling streets … Continue reading Spotlight ~ Kindle the Light of Liberty by Mirta Ines Trupp
My Reading – June 2026
A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr When the train stopped I stumbled out, nudging and kicking the kitbag before me. My Story by Peter Cosgrove On the afternoon of 28 July 1947, Warrant Officer Class 2 John Cosgrove was sitting on a tank turret in the middle of the Puckapunyal firing range in … Continue reading My Reading – June 2026
Excerpt ~ Fables & Lies by Elisabeth Storrs
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Elisabeth Storrs’s recently released novel Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel Based on a True Story as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club . Fables & Lies is set in Berlin during World War 2 and is also … Continue reading Excerpt ~ Fables & Lies by Elisabeth Storrs
Book Review – A Profitable Wife by Kat Christensen
Blurb Set against the expansion of a nation, from the aftermath of the War of 1812 to the era preceding the Civil War, this story ushers you into a world teeming with romance, jealousy, murder, and the unyielding spirit of survival. Meet Easter, a formidable young woman who carves her homestead from the 1830s American … Continue reading Book Review – A Profitable Wife by Kat Christensen
Excerpt ~ The Queen’s Sister by Carol McGrath
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Carol McGrath’s newly released novel, The Queen’s Sister, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Blurb A mother, a wife, a woman of substance... At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and seen her Queen, … Continue reading Excerpt ~ The Queen’s Sister by Carol McGrath
Review – There and Back: The Story of an Australian Soldier 1915-35 by A Tiveychoc
There and Back: The Story of an Australian Soldier 1915-351 is the memoir of Rowland Edward Lording (1899-1944) writing as A Tiveychoc. The pen name is a reference to the 8th Infantry Brigade commanded by Major General Edwin Tivey in which Lording served. Lording, writing as Tiveychoc, says at the beginning that the narrative ‘mirrors … Continue reading Review – There and Back: The Story of an Australian Soldier 1915-35 by A Tiveychoc
