Whipbird is the story of a family reunion. Hugh Cleary, a Melbourne barrister with a recently acquired vineyard in the Ballarat area, has decided to celebrate the 160th anniversary of his forebear Conor Cleary’s arrival in the colony of Victoria in 1854. Over 1000 of the possible 2946 descendants of Conor and his three wives … Continue reading Book Review – Whipbird by Robert Drewe
My Reading – August 2017
The Three Miss Kings by Ada Cambridge Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant A time of love and tartan : A 44 Scotland Street novel by Alexander McCall Smith Percy Grainger by John Bird Tomaree by Debbie Robson
One Minute Book Review – Tomaree by Debbie Robson
Tomaree begins in 1972 with Peggy Lockwood returning to Nelson Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales where she had grown up. In 1943 Peggy had married an American naval Lieutenant, Tom Lockwood, who was stationed at Nelson Bay and, as a war bride, Peggy had moved to the United States following the war. … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Tomaree by Debbie Robson
In My Garden (Almost) – The Aspidistra
Gardening sources describe the aspidistra as a flowering perennial plant; however, for most people it is a leafy pot plant that can survive in dark corners of either the house or the garden. The aspidistra is native to eastern and southeastern Asia where it grows in the shade under trees and shrubs. There are over … Continue reading In My Garden (Almost) – The Aspidistra
Book Review – Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Sacred Hearts is set in the Benedictine convent of Santa Caterina in Ferrara in 1570, a time of upheaval with changes brought about by the Counter-reformation, the Church's response to the Protestant Reformation, threatening to alter the way the nuns lives are lived. The Church reformers have not yet set their eyes on Santa Caterina … Continue reading Book Review – Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Early Modern Women – Margaret, Lady Hoby (1571-1633)
Margaret, Lady Hoby, is best known as the author of the earliest known diary written by a woman in English. While her diary began as a religious exercise and includes details of her religious practices, prayer and reading, it is also a window through which we can glimpse the busy domestic life of a woman … Continue reading Early Modern Women – Margaret, Lady Hoby (1571-1633)
Book Review – Gilgamesh by Joan London
Gilgamesh by Joan London begins in 1918 with Frank Clark an Australian soldier in a convalescent hospital in England meeting Ada who is there ‘to visit the soldiers’. He invites her to come with him back to Australia, to ‘go far away to a country where there will never be another war’. Ada accepts the … Continue reading Book Review – Gilgamesh by Joan London
Books I Didn’t Finish
I ended last year with the feeling that I had started but not finished almost as many books as I had read from cover to cover. This was an exaggeration of course, it was less than half that number. Not that any of the books were badly written, it was simply that they failed to … Continue reading Books I Didn’t Finish
Book Review – The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Bible is filled with so many, many stories that it is easy to read superficially without thinking much beyond the words on the page. One story easily overlooked is that of Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, the Old Testament Patriarch, father of the twelve men who formed the tribes of Israel. Dinah … Continue reading Book Review – The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Other Places, Other Times
In August last year I travelled for the first time to the northern hemisphere. It was a whirlwind tour, only a month away from home, and I managed to see so much yet I know I barely scratched the surface of the places that I visited. I firmly believe you could spend your whole life … Continue reading Other Places, Other Times
