Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line | Deepa Anappara #WomensPrize

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line attracted my attention initially thanks to the cover. That big eye seemed to follow me around everywhere I went and after a season of blue/green covers, the bright yellow stood out a mile on the bookshop bookshelf. However I made an early assumption that it was nasty crime fiction, and therefore, not for me...until it was longlisted for the Women's Prize and I looked a little closer. There was a mysterious crime - disappearing child in the Indian slums - but it also had a child narrator to take the sting out of the nastiness. And this is why, in the end, love them or hate them, I appreciate literary awards - they make me pick up a book I may have otherwise ignored or pre-judged as not of interest to me. 

Discovering hidden gems is the best thing about a literary longlist. 

I tend to have fairly firm opinions about which books should make certain lists or not, so I will either be delighted or devastated when the lists are announced. Recently, I was so disappointed that The Yield did not win this year's Stella Prize, that I'm not sure I will be able to make myself read the chosen winner - ever. Even when The Yield finally got the nod for the 2020 NSW Premier's Award plus the People's Choice Award, the sting from the Stella still stayed with me. 

But then, a few years ago, one of the Stella shortlisted book was The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by little known Iranian/Australian author, Shokoofeh Azar. I may never have come across this stunning story, if not for the Stella, except that now it has also been shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize. It deserves all the attention it gets and if award nominations are what it takes to get it out there, then so be it. 

It doesn't have to win, but the nomination brings it to our attention. 

It may not be a high-minded, literary, five-star read, (although in both these cases they were five stars for me) but an amazing four-star reading experience is not to be sneezed at. Considering I only rate a handful of books five stars every year, four is still a damned good book! 

I really only star rate books to satisfy the goodreads criteria for reviewing. I find it a completely flawed system. The number of times I want to/need to adjust my star rating months later is ridiculous. A few times I realise a book is staying with me for far longer than I had anticipated. It keeps talking to me, whispering in my ear to reread it one day. Those books will get bumped up to five stars. But more often than not, my initial four star love wanes into a warm memory that drops down to a comfortable, middle-of-the-road three stars.

Both The Yield and Greengage got bumped up to five stars. Djinn Patrol is currently sitting very happily in the four zone. I may not be feeling the itch to reread it, but I am very keen to read anything else that Deepa Anappara might write in the future. She brought the sounds, smells and tastes of India to life. Living in a basti might seem unbearably grim and difficult to outsiders, but from our young narrators point of view, this is the only world he knows. This is where his family lives and works. Jai is cared for by neighbours and goes to school nearby. There are all sorts of underlying caste/class issues that play out on the streets and in the classroom, but that's all Jai knows. He accepts his life and his lot, yet hopes that one day, rather then becoming one of the kids picking through the rubbish heaps, they might be able to afford to live in the rich apartments overlooking their slum.

That is, until some of the local kids start to go missing, one at a time.

Jai and his two friends decide to solve the mystery. They start to question the world they live in and wonder why these awful things have to happen.

The anger at corrupt police, racial stereotyping and the constant fear of violence and poverty are seen through a child's eyes. Jai's humour and innocence softens the blows for the reader, until it comes too close to home for anyone's comfort. 

Anappara has written an engaging, tense and vivid story that will stay with me for a long time. Please don't dismiss this book. It's a beauty and well worth your time. 

Facts:

• Debut writer
• Longlisted for Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
• Winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2018

Favourite or Forget:

• Unforgettable.

Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens #USfiction

When one sets out to read a book, you enter into a contract of sorts with the author. You agree to be apart of their world and to go along for the ride. As I've discussed before, we all have our own criteria by which we judge a book and whether we will pick it up off the shelf, or not. Or whether we will look inside it, or not. Or whether we will read beyond the first page, or not.

We all have expectations that we want a new book to meet. We all have moods and daily lives that dictate what might appeal at any certain time in our life, or not. When you find a book that grabs you from page one and you agree to go with the author all the way to the end, it's a truly magical moment. I usually know from page one, if this will happen or not.

Not all the books I read are Literature with a capital L.
I enjoy lighter reads, comfort reads and pot-boilers at times. The Jonathan Coe trilogy I've been reading recently are lightly, humorously written. They are flawed, but utterly, utterly engaging. I have agreed to go along with Coe's premise and we have a lot of fun together. I love the early Liane Moriarty books for the same reason. I am prepared to be entertained by her, and entertain she does.

Both these authors write with a warmth and affection that sucks me in from the start.
But I will not suspend believability for anyone. I can live with obvious. I can live with tropes and stereotypes. And I can live with working out what will happen early on, simply to enjoy the 'I knew it! I told you so' at the end. But I have to believe. It has to be plausible.

For such a major, best selling book, I managed to hear very little about Where The Crawdads Sing. Readers have merely gushed about their feelings about the book - all glowing - without revealing any spoilers. They all insist I should read this book, that I will love it, it's the best story they've read in a long, long time and they can't wait to see the movie version of it.

So when my book club nominated Where The Crawdads Sings as our March book, I was happy enough to go along with the hype. I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.

I knew I was in trouble from the first page though.

I wasn't seduced by the writing or the story. Well-worn tropes and stereotypes abounded and by the 30% mark I was getting angry at the lack of believability. I seriously thought about stopping, but I didn't finish my last book club book either. Guilt set in and I started skim reading.

For my own amusement, I decided to make predictions (**below**) about what I think will happen.

**My guess is that Kya will be hassled by Chase as they become young adults, she will fall in love with Tate, but there will be issues about whether she deserves to be loved or not. Chase will take advantage of her somehow, until she snaps and kills him. She has obviously done a good job of covering it up, so I am curious to find out how the bumbling police officers work it out.**

So why does Where the Crawdads Sing resonate with so many readers?

I can see that the nature writing might be lovely in places. I googled the Great Dismal Swamp, and I can see that it is (now) quite beautiful. It's history as a hideout for runaway slaves, outcasts and hermits is fascinating stuff. I'd love to watch a wildlife/social history documentary about the area.

Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina

Murder mystery is a genre that has wide appeal, as is the overcoming poverty, hardship and ghastly childhood trope. Books about prejudice, social injustice, domestic violence and war veteran PTSD can enrage, upset and move us. They can open our eyes and hearts to those living a life different to our own. However, romanticised versions of 'white trash done good', like this one, do little to advance that cause. The nature/nurture debate is also one that can attract a lot of interest, but I still insist on believability for this to be effective as a trope. The Reese Witherspoon book club nod obviously boosted book sales too.

**At the 60% mark. If Kya keeps quoting Amanda Hamilton poems, I may have to fling my book across the room! And enough with all the nature similes about animals killing their mate after sex - we get it. We get it!**

**90% mark. Really! She wrote a book!! Three books!! I flung MY book across the room!
Kya's chat with Jodie about isolation, and the consolations of nature, might have been moving, but the Jodie scar memory, just before he turned up out of the blue, was so clunky and so convenient, I flung my book again! And don't get me started on the totally unbelievable provincial court room drama!**

**100% At least Tate agreed with me about how awful the Amanda Hamilton poems were! I had my satisfying 'I knew it' moment. I'm just surprised it took everyone else so long to work it out. And why isn't there an online outrage about the protagonist getting away with pre-meditated murder?**

I have now found another reviewer (Lit & Leisure) who failed to be captured by this book so now I don't feel so alone in my stand.

I usually shy away from negative reviews, because I rarely read a book these days that I don't want to read. Thanks to my day job, I have a wide array of book choices that can be picked up and put down without any financial sacrifice. If I don't like a book, I simply stop reading and find a book I do like. Where the Crawdads Sing is a book that wouldn't have passed my usual 'first page' test. But since I felt compelled to read this for book club, I persisted.

Not every book can suit every reader.

I certainly don't want to trash someone else's favourite book of all time, but I do feel a little disheartened that such an ordinary book can gain so much attention. Maybe in these difficult times, though, an easy to read, romantic murder mystery is the escapism ticket that many readers need.

I'm curious to hear why some of my book club members loved this book so much, and why some are saying it's the best book they've read in a long time. I remember being just as confused and bemused by the success of Fifty Shades of Grey years ago. It's great that these books can get so many people reading again, I just wish they could be ones that were better written!

The Guggenheim Mystery by Robin Stevens

The Guggenheim Mystery is the follow up story to Siobhan Dowd's 2007 The London Eye Mystery. Dowd sadly died of cancer at the end of 2007. She had been contracted to write two Ted Spark mysteries, but other than selecting the title of book two, she died before planning any of it.

The Siobhan Dowd Trust (established by Siobhan herself in her dying days) set out to find someone to finish her stories. Patrick Ness took over the half conceived A Monster Calls while Robin Stevens was given a title!

In her Author's Note at the end of the book, Stevens says,

I realised why Siobhan had chosen it (the Guggenheim) as the setting of Ted's second adventure. If Ted is a different detective, the Guggenheim, with its curving ramp, its rotunda shape and its insistence on viewing art from all angles at once, is a different sort of museum. Ted would be perfectly at home there - and if anything were to happen to one of the paintings, he would be the perfect person to solve the mystery.

It turns out that Stevens, like Ted's cousin, Salim, also grew up with a mother who worked in a museum. In fact, her mother was working at the Ashmolean in 2000 when thieves stole a Cezanne using smoke bombs. Steven's The Guggenheim Mystery is the perfect example of art imitating life!

The mystery was relatively easy for an adult reader to work out, but of course, I'm not the target audience. The three main characters are likeable and believable. The use of logical reasoning and deduction techniques appealed to my practical brain. There was a quest-type element to the detective work as each person who was questioned and eliminated, then gave them clues or advice on who to proceed to next.

Dowd created a love letter to London in The London Eye Mystery, in The Guggenheim Mystery Stevens has created her own love letter to New York.

Highly recommended for 10+ readers who love detective-type stories and diverse characters.

Readathon Reads

Part of the feeling of success and enjoyment that I had with this year's Readathon was mostly reading junior fiction, short stories and essays. It allowed me to switch between genres and feel that I was getting through books and pages. In previous readathons I would read through the pile of half finished books by my bed. I ended up reading a similar amount of pages, but maybe only finished one book. This year actually finishing books felt like a big deal and kept my enthusiasm keen until the end.

But now I have a stack of book responses to write #postreadathonblues!

To make my life simpler, I'm going to combine the junior fiction books into one post. I saved my two junior reads for the end when I was getting tired eyes and a smushy brain.

I read Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden and The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.

Miss Happiness came to me thanks to a recommendation within another book. Chasing the Sky is a book about twenty Australian women architects and utterly fascinating in it's own right. However, one of the architects mentioned that she had read Miss Happiness as a child and that it had been one of the inspirations for her to become an architect. I was intrigued.

I knew that I would enjoy Godden's writing style as I had thoroughly enjoyed The Greengage Summer unexpectedly last year. And I knew that it would be the prefect choice for late in the readathon as soon as I opened it and saw the big font, generous spacing and black and white illustrations.

The Japanese theme also appealed to me thanks to our planned trip to Japan in 2018.

The story is aimed at the 8+ age group and features a young girl sent to England to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins from India. She is unhappy and shy and not fitting in, until a great-aunt sends her two little Japanese dolls for Christmas. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower are also aliens in this very English world.

Young Nona sets out to make them more comfortable by making a Japanese doll's house for them. She befriends the local librarian who helps her pick the right books and gradually the rest of the family get involved in building this miniature home complete with niche, bonsai and tea ceremony.

The real delight for any budding designer though are the detailed drawings and instructions at the end of the book showing you how to make your very own Japanese doll's house. A quick google also revealed a whole world of people who have made their very own Japanese doll's house inspired by this charming book.

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower was published in 1961 and has a few cultural clangers relevant to it's time, but the universal themes of belonging, tolerance and friendship make it all worth while.

Jump forward to 2007 and The London Eye Mystery. Siobhan Dowd's story is set in a very modern London with characters who also share a love of architecture and design.

It would be easy to call this book A Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time for 10 year olds, but it probably shares more in common with the feel-good Wonder by R J Palacio.

At it's heart is the mysterious disappearance of cousin Salim, who went into a pod on the London Eye, but didn't come down. His cousins, Ted and Kat spend the book working out what happened using logic, patterns and inductive reasoning. Ted is high functioning on the autism spectrum whilst Kat is a young girl of action.

The mystery is fairly simple to work out, but there's enough tension to keep young readers second guessing for a while. The part that appealed to me the most, though, was the love-letter to London feel that infused the whole story. Having spent quite a bit of time in London over the years, I was able to picture myself walking the same streets, riding the Tube, hearing the accents and experiencing the weather along with Ted and Kat.

My copy of The London Eye Mystery is a new edition (2015) with an Introduction by Robin Stevens. She says,

A mystery writer must play fair, but also play tricks: all the clues must be laid out in plain sight, while at the same time the reader is persuaded to ignore them until it's too late.

As an adult you can see how Dowd has done this, but there are enough distractions along the way to keep even the most critical reader a little wrong-footed at times.

Sadly, Dowd died in 2007 leaving behind one unfinished book idea (which Patrick Ness turned into A Monster Calls). Robin Stevens has now written a follow-up book about Ted and Kat called The Guggenheim Mystery published last month. I'm keen to see how the transition works.

David Dean's iconic retro covers may look familiar as his work has been used for many of Michael Morpurgo and Lauren St John's recent editions as well.

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear

During my recent blogging malaise, Maisie Dobbs kept me sane and calm. She is familiar, comfortable and cosy. Although some of the crimes are getting a little nasty now that Hitler is involved, Winspear still avoids gory details and gruesome forensic descriptions, for which I am eternally grateful!

Journey to Munich is book 12 in the series and sees Maisie being recruited by the secret service to do some spying in 1938 Germany.

You do have to suspend a little belief whilst reading these later books in the Maisie Dobbs series, but the goodwill engendered in the earlier books has been enough to keep me going. I've never been a spy myself, so I'm happy to accept that Maisie's approach to undercover work could, well, work (despite the doubts of other reviewers on Goodreads).

To be honest, I don't care that much. I don't read the Maisie Dobbs books for an accurate how-to on spying or detective work. I read them for the relationships, the personal journey of Maisie herself and for the feel-good effect they have on me.

I also read them for the historical fiction element. The books are set between the two world wars in England - a period of time that has fascinated me forever.

With Maisie's trip to 1938 Munich and her brush with Hitler's henchmen, Winspear is preparing the way for a change in direction. I'm feeling a growing sense of trepidation for Maisie's best friend, Priscilla and her family of boys. Boys who will be coming of age as WWII starts.

I've now put In This Grave Hour on order, so that I will be prepared for my next bout of blogging blues.

Do you have a favourite series or author that you turn to when times are glum?

Please feel free to share with us what your favourite cosy crime series is. It will be handy to have a comfort read resource to turn to when I finish the last Maisie book.

Maisie Dobbs #1
Maisie Dobbs #2 Birds of a Feather
Maisie Dobbs #3 Pardonable Lies
Maisie Dobbs #4 Messenger of Truth
Maisie Dobbs #5 An Incomplete Revenge
Maisie Dobbs #6 Among the Mad
Maisie Dobbs #7 The Mapping of Love and Death
Maisie Dobbs #8 A Lesson in Secrets
Maisie Dobbs #9 Elegy for Eddie
Maisie Dobbs #10 Leaving Everything Most Loved
Maisie Dobbs #11 A Dangerous Place
Maisie Dobbs #12 Journey to Munich
Maisie Dobbs #13 In This Grave Hour

The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius

Sometimes the perfect book lands on your doorstep at exactly the right time.

This past month or so has been pretty ordinary. The loss of a much loved family member to cancer has left us all exhausted and numb. I'm sure many of you know the drill we've been through lately. The shock, followed by hope and a more positive outlook, then facing up to reality, one last hope - dashed, the waiting, the decline, the sadness and the final goodbye.

One of my solaces through all of this has been reading - I need to read - I just had to find the right book.

I needed something easy but engaging. I needed a riveting story with an abundance of heart and soul. I also needed some aesthetic pleasure.

My previous posts focused on all the books that didn't work for me during this period, but now let me share with you the delightful, charming story that did provide comfort and joy.

The Murderer's Ape by Swedish writer Jakob Wegelius gave me all of the above and more.

Wegelius has created a classically told story full of friendship, courage, kindness, determination and loyalty. Sally Jones is a gorilla - yes, a gorilla - who is smart, thoughtful and very talented, but she cannot speak. However Sally Jones can write a little and at the start of this story she learns to type on a 1908 Underwood No. 5 typewriter.

By the end of the first page I completely believed the premise of this tale and having a gorilla as the protagonist seemed perfectly natural. Sally Jones has a captivating voice and an amazing tale to tell.

The Murderer's Ape is an adventure wrapped up in a mystery with a quest that takes us around the world. From Lisbon to India and back again this story meanders along at a leisurely, thoughtful pace, gradually revealing little nuggets of insight and information.

Wegelius has drawn numerous pen and ink illustrations for each chapter. Seventeen full page character profiles also grace the beginning of the book.

See more of Wegelius' illustrations here.

In Sweden, he was awarded the August Prize for Best Children’s Book and the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize for The Murderer’s Ape. The Nordic Council had this to say,

The Murderer’s Ape injects a new lease of life into the classic adventure story. Along with a gorilla named Sally Jones, the reader visits the run-down docks of Lisbon, embarks on dizzying journeys across the seven seas, and calls on the Maharaja of Bhapur’s magnificent court – all in an attempt to clear the name of Sally’s best friend, the sailor Henry Koskela. Through his love of narrative and fine knack for portraying character, the author brings early-20th-century history to life, with a particularly keen and curious eye for the new-fangled technology of the day. Detailed portraits and vignettes, as well as maps that chart Sally’s adventures, make this a book that is as visual as it is literary.

Originally published in 2014 and now translated into English by Peter Graves, Wegelius has created an instant classic with this beautifully written, sumptuously produced and generously illustrated novel for thoughtful 12+ readers.

Due for publication in September with Pushkin Press and Allen & Unwin Australia. I seriously hope and pray that they also translate and publish Wegelius' earlier 2008 book called The Legend of Sally Jones, detailing Sally Jones' early life and adventures.

Maisie Dobbs Saves the Day

So I figure the only thing to do to find my words again, is to simply start writing and see what happens!

During this most recent blue funk, when writing left me and reading seemed too hard, I pulled out my next Maisie Dobbs book. She has seen me through quite a few meh times already. And I had high hopes this time around.

Maisie did not fail me.
But a double dose was required.

Leaving Everything Most Loved is book #10 in Jacqueline Winspear's cosy crime series. It is now 1933 and Winspear deftly weaves a modern day issue into her historical fiction. Scotland Yard requires Maisie's help to solve the problem of two murdered Indian women. The impact of racism, colonialism and the class system (in both England and India) all come under scrutiny via Winspear's more familiar themes of belonging, self-reflection and the lingering after effects of trauma and prejudice.

Maisie spends a lot of time analysing her own thoughts and behaviours as well as employing this skill to help her solve each case. Up until the past couple of books, Maisie was making progress. Her use of psychology, intuition and meditation was interesting.

However, I do feel that Winspear has now got bogged down with the romance between Maisie and James Compton. We all want Maisie to be happy in love, but at the same time, getting married and settling down with a family wont work for future story lines. Curiously part of the success of these stories is Maisie's continuing misery. What will happen to the series if Maisie finally finds happiness?

How can Winspear solve this dilemma?
Will the solution be found in India?

I for one couldn't leave it there.
I had to know what happened to Maisie next.

Would she move to Canada and marry James? Would she still be solving crimes? In India? Canada? Or back in London?

I knew that #11 A Dangerous Place was going to seriously mix things up right from the start.
Suddenly it is 1937 and Maisie is in Gibraltar.

Four years have gone by and she is still being referred to as Miss Dobbs.

A quick flashback via some letters and newspaper articles fill us in on the continuing misery of Maisie. I confess I nearly cried.

Unlike many of Maisie's loyal followers, though, I wasn't disappointed by this great leap forward.

Winspear had to do something dramatic to change the direction of the series. Maisie had reached an emotional stalemate at the end of the previous book. Whatever came next had to propel the series onto a new level or wrap things up for good.

I never bought the whole James and Maisie romance - it felt too convenient. And I was still holding a torch for Detective Richard Statton who rode off into the sunset with his young son and the end of book 8.

Bringing us closer to WWII politicking and the double-dealing of spies, was a smart move by Winspear. It may have been a bit clunky in execution, but it's what the series needed.

A Dangerous Place refers to the Spanish Civil War and the fate of refugees. I like how Winspear is gently drawing a line between historical events and current world affairs.

Obviously a new war will give Maisie plenty of opportunity to reflect on and confront her experiences as a WWI nurse. However, her ongoing angst is getting a little tired (although more than understandable), so I do hope that Winspear allows Maisie some psychological and emotional peace soon.

One of the problems with books in a series, is the author's habit of recapping previous events in each new book. It bugs me no end. Unfortunately Winspear is prone to it too. If a little reminiscence popped up naturally in the dialogue or an obvious link connected two of the cases, then fine, but the rehash for the sake of the rehash is just plain annoying for regulars of the series.

The few times I have unwittingly picked up a book from the middle of a series, the not knowing why things are happening, was the impetus I needed to go back and start the series from the beginning.

The Maisie books are not without their flaws, but if I had had #12 on hand, I would have started reading it straight away. (I did read the extract from Journey to Munich that was included at the end. It revealed a small leap forward to early 1938 and a Richard Statton teaser!)

There is something dependable and reassuring about Maisie. She is the perfect choice for a blue funk, a rainy Sunday afternoon or to ease a stressed out day.

I'm not completely done with this particular blue funk, but it is abating thanks to Maisie.

I'm also a little in love with Andrew Davidson's iconic wood engraving covers.

Maisie Dobbs #1
Maisie Dobbs #2 Birds of a Feather
Maisie Dobbs #3 Pardonable Lies
Maisie Dobbs #4 Messenger of Truth
Maisie Dobbs #5 An Incomplete Revenge
Maisie Dobbs #6 Among the Mad
Maisie Dobbs #7 The Mapping of Love and Death
Maisie Dobbs #8 A Lesson in Secrets
Maisie Dobbs #9 Elegy for Eddie
Maisie Dobbs #10 Leaving Everything Most Loved
Maisie Dobbs #11 A Dangerous Place
Maisie Dobbs #12 Journey to Munich
Maisie Dobbs #13 In This Grave Hour

These 2 books are 1 & 2 for my #20booksofsummer (winter) challenge.

The Fall by Tristan Bancks

I read The Fall by Australian writer Tristan Bancks as one of my recent #readathon books.

Bancks has been very successful with his previous book, Two Wolves (titled On the Run in the US), winning the KOALA & YABBA Children's Choice Book Awards in 2015 as well as being shortlisted for the CBCA and Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards. I have been meaning to read it for two years now.

He also has a younger reader series called My Life about a boy called Tom Weekly who now has five books full of jokes, cartoons and 'other stuff he made up'.
I am not the target audience for these books, but the 9 year old boys in my life tell me that they are very funny and gross!

The Fall is aimed at a slightly older reader. It's a fast paced, easy to read thriller with gripping end of chapter cliffhangers. The prefect late in the day #readathon book!

I enjoyed the Alfred Hitchcock-esque Rear Window beginning, as young Sam overhears an argument, late one night, in the apartment above his dad's. Sam has had a recent knee operation and is still learning how to get around on his crutches. He hobbles over to the window to hear the argument better, when suddenly a body falls past his window.

What follows is pure Hitchcock - a missing body, break ins and a mysterious girl next door. Add in a dodgy dad, a suspicious police chief and oodles of near misses for non-stop thrills and spills.

A terrific action-packed crime story for mature 10+ readers.

The Fall is a June release for Penguin Random House Australia.

Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers

Book 6 in a series may be an odd place to start, but Strong Poison: A Lord Wimsey Mystery made its way into my backpack for our recent holiday simply because a reading copy had become available at work just before we left & I thought it looked like a nice, easy read.

It filled that bill for me perfectly.

Cuba was an extraordinary holiday destination.

So many strong impressions, confounding experiences and lots of waiting times. Waiting for a delayed flight, waiting to catch a bus or whiling away a lazy evening on a roof top garden, wi-fi free, with plenty of time to simply chat, contemplate the world and read.

Reading a book that could be picked up and put down at the drop of hat, mid-sentence, was just the right choice for this trip.

I knew nothing about Peter Wimsey but quickly learnt that he had a droll sense of humour and was rather keen on 'cheerio' and 'I say old chap'!

This is the book where Wimsey falls in love for the first time. Although I had only just met Wimsey, I was very surprised to discover that he was attracted to women. His character came across as being so camp that I'm now not sure if he was in denial or if it was Sayers!

As for the mystery, Sayers dropped plenty of clues along the way so that you could work out who did it pretty easily. You keep on reading to find out how exactly it all unfolds.

This edition was accompanied by an Introduction by Edward Petherbridge, the actor who played Wimsey in the 1987 BBC adaptations.

There was also a fun, short 'bio' of Peter Wimsey written by his uncle, included in the back.

Strong Poison is good old-fashioned light entertainment of the jolliest kind!

Wormwood Mire by Judith Rossell

Two years ago, I read, enjoyed and predicted great things for Rossell's Victorian mystery story about young Stella Montgomery.

Since that time Rossell has won a slew of Australian book awards whilst a whole gaggle of young readers have been impatiently waiting for the promised follow-up book.

It has been well worth the wait.

Wormwood Mire is even more beautifully presented than Withering-by-Sea.

The green ink font and illustrations generously scattered throughout the book make this a visual feast as well as a glorious, mysterious and slightly magical read.

I was entranced with the new story from page one.

Chapter One reveals a rather Harry Potteresque illustration of Stella sitting in a railway carriage by herself staring forlornly out the window. She has been banished from her aunts for her 'bad behaviour' at the end of the first book. They feel she is in need of proper tuition and education and have decided to send her off to school with her cousins, Strideforth and Hortense.

Fortunately for Stella, the cousins are kindred spirits. Unfortunately for all three of them, the old family home, Wormwood Mire (almost a character in itself) is haunted by a mysterious and sinister creature that lurks in the woods.

The pacing and tension in book two is tremendous. Fast-paced and convincing, Rossell has created a believable world that lives on the edge of feyness. Wormwood Mire is far more complex and engrossing than book one and takes us down a completely different path. A path full of gothic adventure and lots of family secrets.

Stella also learns more about her own past as she and Strideforth and Hortense hunt down the creature that has struck fear into the whole neighbourhood.

Rossell has left us with lots of tantalising loose ends, which leads me to hope that Rossell is writing book three...and writing it fast!

A Stella Montgomery Intrigue
Withering-by-Sea #1
Wormwood Mire #2

Trixie Belden #3 The Gatehouse Mystery by Julie Campbell

I think I can now safely say that my little trip down Trixie memory lane is done and dusted (for now!)

The Gatehouse Mystery sees Trixie, Honey and Jim safely back in Sleepyside. The summer holidays are drawing to a close and we finally meet Trixie's older brothers, Brian and Mart.

The mystery of the gatehouse is also the genesis for the 'Bob-Whites of the Glen' - the name the kids give themselves and their little group. The disused gatehouse on Honey's family property makes the perfect meeting place. But before it can be a clubhouse, the bob-whites have to solve the mystery of the lost diamond.

A sense of belonging is very strong in this book. For someone who moved around quite a bit as a kid and never felt liked they belonged anywhere, this aspect of the Trixie books was very, very appealing and satisfying.

My childhood self had also written notes inside the cover detailing all their birth dates and ages. They Bob-whites became my surrogate (book) group and I did everything possible to be a close to them as possible.

I loved the little romances that eventually developed between the various characters as the series progressed, but I always had a soft spot for Mart. His big words, snappy comebacks and cheeky, sunny, sensitive nature that could be annoying or charming in equal measure appealed to me.

My adult self was delighted to realise that I had actually married my very own Mart Belden!

Northern Bob-white

In my previous Trixie post, Jean asked about the bob-white. As a kid I was so completely not interested in birds that it never even occurred to me to check out what a bob-white looked like.

Now I know!
I'm also very impressed that Jim was able to teach them all the bob-white call to use when they needed help.

It has been delightful rediscovering my love for the Trixie books. But I am now ready to hand the first three over to my niece in the hope of instilling Trixie-love into the next generation.

Trixie Belden #1 and the Secret of the Mansion
Trixie Belden #2 The Red Trailer Mystery

Trixie Belden #2 The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell

Fear not dear reader!

I do not intend to reread and review the entire Trixie Belden series of 39 books.

However I was curious to remind myself why it was that I reread some of the Trixie's many more times than some of the others.

I always thought that #2 The Red Trailer Mystery was not one of my popular Trixie rereads simply because it took me ages to actually find it way back when. As a result, I reread #1 and #3 time and time again and basically made up my own story about how Trixie and Honey found Jim after he ran away again.

When I eventually found #2 and read it, it didn't stand a chance of living up to the high emotional level of reunion that I had imagined all on my own.

But I see now it was more than that.

The Red Trailer Mystery was basically about Trixie and Honey. There wasn't enough relationship stuff going on for me. This story didn't really advance our understanding of Trixie and Honey. We didn't meet any new characters that would continue on with us, except for a brief mention of Mr Lynch and his family of five children.

It made me realise that I read my Trixie's over and over again not for the mysteries or the crime solving, but for the connections, the friendships and burgeoning romances of the main characters.

The whole way through The Red Trailer Mystery I was impatient with the whole secrecy surrounding the red trailer. I wanted to get past all that annoying amateur sleuthing, which I considered mere fluff, and just find Jim!

And get back to Sleepyside and meet Brian and Mart and start the Bob-Whites and befriend Diana and eventually Dan.

The Red Trailer Mystery feels like a bridging book - a stop gap story or a teaser to keep us wanting more.

The cute childhood moment, to prove how obsessed I really was with Trixie, came when I discovered a folded piece of yellowed paper half way in.

My childhood self had taken the time to research all the states of America and their capital cities. I had typed them up in alphabetical order. I also went through all the first twenty or so books and noted down which month each one was set in.

For instance, books #1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 23 all took place in the heat of a northern July, but only two books - #6 and 22 - took place in December.

A lover of lists from way back!

Trixie Belden #1 and the Secret of the Mansion
Trixie Belden #3 and the Gatehouse Mystery

TrixieBelden #1 The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell

My eldest niece is about to turn 10. I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time.

In my tenth year, my aunt  gave me two books - Trixie Belden #1 and Trixie Belden #3 (sadly #2 was not available at the time of her initial gift purchase, although I quickly rectified that with the judicious spending of my pocket money) - however these two books began a reading obsession that lasted for the next 6 years.

The Secret of the Mansion was first published in 1948, but in 1977 Western Publishing Golden Press re-released the first 16 books - at a mere 95c a piece. They also commissioned the next series of the books that completed the series at #34...or so I thought...until a few years later I discovered they had published another 5 books.

By then, I was 'too old' to read Trixie, but I had to buy the books for my collection.

I've been waiting all this time to re-gift my box of Trixie Belden's to my niece.

But before I could pass on this box of wonderful reading memories to my niece, I felt that I needed to reread the first few to see if they had stood they test of time.

Ohhh and they do! They do! They do!

At least #1 does.

It's easy to see why I fell so hard in love with this series.

Trixie is a very authentic protagonist. She says the wrong things sometimes, she can be impulsive and clumsy. She gets carried away with her own imaginings. She has chores to do, struggles with her homework and argues with her brothers.

The mysteries that Trixie and her friends get caught up in are full of action, drama and human relationships. They have a logic and plausibility that satisfies. The mystery is always solved, but the main relationships are allowed to develop with the series.

The Secret of the Mansion introduces the main characters and the setting - a new neighbour, a dying neighbour, a runaway and missing millions.

I was equally hooked at 48 yrs of age as I was at ten.

I really hope that Random House (who I believe has the rights for these books) decides to republish the entire series so modern readers can discover the joys of Trixie.

The language is a little dated and, of course, there are no ipads, smart phones or viral youtube videos.
I'll be very curious to see what my very modern niece thinks of them.

I, for one, will love Trixie till the day I die.

  1. The Secret of the Mansion, 1948
  2. The Red Trailer Mystery, 1950
  3. The Gatehouse Mystery, 1951
  4. The Mysterious Visitor, 1954
  5. The Mystery Off Glen Road, 1956
  6. Mystery in Arizona, 1958
  7. The Mysterious Code, 1961
  8. The Black Jacket Mystery, 1961
  9. The Happy Valley Mystery, 1962
10. The Marshland Mystery, 1962
11. The Mystery at Bob-White Cave, 1963
12. The Mystery of the Blinking Eye, 1963
13. The Mystery on Cobbett's Island, 1964
14. The Mystery of the Emeralds, 1965
15. The Mystery on the Mississippi, 1965
16. The Mystery of the Missing Heiress, 1970
17. The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest, 1977
18. The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper, 1977
19. The Secret of the Unseen Treasure, 1977
20. The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road, 1978
21. The Mystery of the Castaway Children, 1978
22. The Mystery on Mead's Mountain, 1978
23. The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace, 1979
24. The Mystery at Saratoga, 1979
25. The Sasquatch Mystery, 1979
26. The Mystery of the Headless Horseman, 1979
27. The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon, 1979
28. The Hudson River Mystery, 1979
29. The Mystery of the Velvet Gown, 1980
30. The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder, 1980
31. The Mystery at Maypenny's, 1980
32. The Mystery of the Whispering Witch, 1980
33. The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim, 1980
34. The Mystery of the Missing Millionaire, 1980
35. The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire, 1984
36. The Mystery of the Antique Doll, 1984
37. The Pet Show Mystery, 1985
38. The Indian Burial Ground Mystery, 1985
39. The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost, 1986

Withering-by-Sea by Judith Rossell

Withering-by-Sea is styled as a new mystery series for good 10+ readers who love a good Victorian melodrama.

Young Stella Montgomery is an orphan being raised by her three strait-laced, much older & very unsympathetic aunts. They roam the countryside seeking health cures & tonics whilst Stella quietly does her lessons and tries to stay out of mischief.

At Withering-by-Sea though, Stella witnesses a crime - a very mysterious & disturbing crime that sees her learning about her own mysterious past as she does everything she can to honour a promise to a dying man.

Rossell has illustrated her book with gorgeous black & white line drawings. Whole pages as well as  little inset details, patterns & borders decorate this book.

Everything about Stella's story discretely cries success.

Signor Capellís Educated Cats

A spunky heroine, an exciting light fantasy/fey storyline - all presented in a beautifully packaged book...with the promise of more books to come!

I hope Judith Rossell writes and draws quickly because I suspect her fans will be clamouring for more.

Death of a Gossip: A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery by M C Beaton

Until a few weeks ago I never knew that the BBC TV series from the late 90's that I loved and adored, Hamish Macbeth, was actually loosely based on a series of books by the Scottish crime writer M.C. Beaton.

Hamish was played by the very lovely, very Scottish actor Robert Carlyle. He played the laid-back, slightly subversive, bumbling romantic, Hamish to a tee.

When I recently spotted book #1 in the Hamish Macbeth series in my bookshop, I knew I had to have it!

Death of a Gossip is the first of 29 books. It was first published in 1985 whilst the latest book, Death of a Policeman, was just published this year.

This is a very easy, very gentle crime story set in the fictional far northwest town of Lochdubh.

Once I got over the fact (disappointment) that the characters in the TV series were not also in the books and that Hamish had a 'large slavering guard dog of indeterminate breed called Towser'  and not a westie called 'Wee Jock' I was swept along in this dour Scottish seaside murder mystery.

There would have been many times in my reading life, when I would have put this book down in disgust.
Stereotypical characters (especially the secondary ones) & bland writing usually turn me off big time, but I'm going through a reading slump right now and everything feels like a struggle.

Death of a Gossip won me over precisely because of how easy, uncomplicated & light-hearted it was.
And for me, it was also mixed in with a healthy dollop of nostaglia for the TV show.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I read A Wrinkle in Time as a child (many wrinkles ago) and failed, back then, to understand why it was considered a modern day classic by my teachers.

As a budding mathematical, rational 10 yr old I found the religious references obvious & off-putting (the very same reason I struggled with many of the Narnia books as well.) 

In my mind, all this time, I thought A Wrinkle in Time was a religious parable with some time travelling kids and an old house on a dark & stormy hill, but not, ultimately, my cup of tea. 

About 12 yrs ago, I reread the Narnia series & thoroughly enjoyed them, especially the first three stories in the series. 

The stories, however, still caused me to laugh ruefully at the blatant religious parallels. As an adult, though, I was less indignant & more tolerant of the preachy tone than I was as a child. As an adult, I was happy to go along for the fantastical story ride & I appreciated the wonderful characters created by Lewis.

I expected a similar experience with A Wrinkle in Time.

But, oh, how I struggled!

The fantasy & philosophy were fine - the maths and science for girls - great!  The big words and philosophy quoting Mrs Who - loved it! 
But the characters were soooo one-dimensional (to use L'Engle's own terms) and so very annoying. 

Calvin's constant "protective gestures" towards Meg grated. They seemed to nullifying L'Engle's 'girls can do anything, even maths and science' approach with an 'as long as they have the strong arm of a man to lean on as they do it'!

Good versus evil, light versus the dark, love & kindness versus individualism are common themes in a lot of books, but in this story, they were so wrapped up in the religious connotations that I often found it a bitter pill to swallow. 

I dislike being force fed someone else's beliefs just as much now as when I was a child. 

It's a curious thing, though, rereading a book from your childhood. 
Memory is not as infallible as we like to believe, but our likes and dislikes often remain the same. I found A Wrinkle in Time to be a heavy handed, humourless story then and now.

As a child I couldn't tell you why I didn't like to read a lot of fantasy or science-fiction, but now I realise it's because a lot of science fiction/fantasy has religious overtones. It's not the science, the maths, the politics or the philosophising that I shy away from, but the heavy hand of god! 

L'Engle won the Newbery Medal in 1963 for A Wrinkle in Time. Sadly, time has not been kind to this story. The language & attitudes have dated which makes it difficult for modern readers to access the universal themes that it explores. 

I've always felt a little guilty for not liking this book as much as everyone thought I should. At least now, I know why.

A thousand apologies if this was your favourite childhood read. 

I would love to know what it was that appealed to you or what it is that you remember fondly about this book, since I have been so free in sharing my dislikes!

Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones

Is it Werewolf in London for young readers or is it Sherlock Holmes for kids?

Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones is a little bit of both.

It's part freak show with a Dickensian twist & part orphan boy overcomes all obstacles in his way.

It's also lots of running around ye olde streets of London trying to solve a murder mystery.

Jones refuses to talk down to his audience. In places, therefore, the story is dark and cruel. But friendship, determination & standing up for yourself and what's right is at the centre of the story.

Put it all together & you have a ripping yarn, full of adventure, curiosities and mayhem for mature 10+ readers.

I know you shouldn't pick books by their covers, but Walker have done a splendid job with both the hardcover book (on the left) and the paperback (on the right).

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I have heard so many rave reviews and glowing testimonials about this book from my younger colleagues in the bookshop over the years, that I've been wondering how on earth I missed hearing about The Secret History when it first came out.

What was I doing in 1992/3 that allowed me to completely miss the hype surrounding this book?

I cannot answer this in any way that provides satisfaction or clarification. I was teaching. I was reading. I watched the news and read the weekend papers. I discussed books with anyone I could find. But The Secret History never crossed my radar.

However, I can tell you that a number of years ago, whilst browsing through a second hand bookshop on holidays, I came across a copy in very good condition.
With my colleagues in mind, I bought it & began reading it straight away, to see what all the fuss was about.

I was a little puzzled.

The who-dunnit was revealed early on so that we were left with a why-dunnit. So far so good.
The place and time were lovingly drawn; I could picture the campus, feel the cold & remember the insecurities and awkwardness of the age.
But I have to confess that I didn't really care about any of the characters.
I didn't care that one of them was done away with by the others in the group and I didn't really care about their motivations.

Whilst I enjoyed the book as a whole & appreciated what Tartt achieved, it certainly hasn't ended up on any of my favourite/Top 10 lists at any point.

Maybe you need to be a certain age or at a certain time in your life to discover the true joys of this book?

Five years later, I'm still trying to work out why The Secret History didn't weave the kind of magic on me that it has on so many others.

Was I too old and too removed from the college experience to succomb to it's hedonistic urges again?
Were my expectations too high?

The Secret History has become my secret mystery; an enjoyable enough read but why all the fuss?

I'm posting this as a Flashback Friday post (although I've just discovered that Lisa is having a hiatus over Christmas!)

Picnic At Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

I've enjoyed highlighting and remembering all the Australian classics I've read over the years in preparation for November's AusReading Month.

And Flashback Friday has been a great motivator to get me to do one a week at least - thanks Lisa.

This weeks FF needs no introduction...well not in Australia anyway.

Not only is Picnic At Hanging Rock a popular classic book from the 60's it is also an iconic Australian movie from the 70's.

In the 80's a resurgence of interest occurred when the 'secret' final chapter was published for the first time.

Lindsay created a story set at the turn of the previous century with a distinct true crime feel.

The day was Valentine's Day - a hot summer's day - and a group of school girls and their teachers went for a picnic to Hanging Rock in Victoria.
A number of the girls disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

The ending is deliberately ambiguous and has been highly debated over the years.

However in 1987, for those of us who had come of age with the book believing that it might have been based on real events, we were shocked to discover that there had been a chapter cut from the original book at the publishers request.

Lindsay had died in 1984, and the story went around that she refused to allow the final chapter to be published until after her death.

I personally was devastated to find out that the whole story was pure fiction from start to finish.

The final chapter revealed a time warp, supernatural ending that was far less satisfying than the ambiguity of old. The success of both book and movie hinged on the possibilities of truth, mystery & suspense.

The 1975 movie was directed by Peter Weir. It was beautifully shot, the tension and drama were exquisitely crafted and it starred a who's who of Australian tv and theatre at the time. The pan-pipe music is still haunting and evocative even if the acting looks & sounds a little dated.

It is now possible to view the movie each Valentine's Day in the picnic grounds at the base of Hanging Rock. Naturally, it is screened after twilight!

If you'd like see a few pics of the real Hanging Rock click here to go to my other blog, Four Seasons. We had a family holiday there in 2007.

Maisie Dobbs: A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

I've said numerous times before that Maisie is my comfort read.

After finishing Tess, I was in desperate need of some Maisie comfort.

Book 8 in the Maisie Dobbs series did not disappoint.
Maisie's strong, no nonsense approach to life was the perfect antidote for Hardy's pessimism.

My only concern for this book was that even with the change of career, a move to Cambridge & the flush of new romance, Maisie, herself somehow felt a little stale.

For the first time, I felt the intrusion of Winspear in these books. I could almost see the author stalking the pages trying to work out what direction she would like take Maisie next. She's aware something needs to change, but she wasn't quite ready to tackle it in this book. It felt like she was the laying the groundwork for what comes next....at least I hope that's what she was doing!

Because as much as I love Maisie, I want to see he grow and mature and move onto new things if that's what she needs to do. I'd hate to see her stagnate.