Review: Psykhe by Kate Forsyth

Having a relatively poor knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology, I was a little concerned when I picked up Psykhe by Kate Forsyth. It's a fictional re-telling of the Greek Godess Psyche and Cupid and I was worried I might end up lost in the narrative or missing references I couldn't place due to my lack of background in the classics.

Kate Forsyth is a favourite Australian author of mine and I should have trusted she would make her tale accessible to those familiar with ancient mythology and those relatively new to it.

Set in Italy, our protagonist introduces herself on the first page by recounting her dramatic birth. Born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and appearing blue and all but dead, her mother's midwife blew air into her lungs and brought her back to life:

"So I was named Psykhe, which means breath and soul and butterfly, words having many meanings. Only gods die and return to this world alive. So as I grew into girlhood, many people began to think I too must be divine." Page 3

It's clear by the second page that Psykhe has albinism and it was interesting to read an historical fiction novel featuring a main character with the physical traits of albinism; white hair, low vision and extremely sensitive skin which can burn and blister in the sun. It's a topic that has interested me for years and you can read my review of Beyond the Pale - Folklore, Family and the Mystery of Our Hidden Genes by Emily Urquhart for more on albinism in history although I suspect there are better books on the topic.

I can't comment on how Psykhe having albinism compares to the original myth, however I did find it a stretch to believe that an albino woman would be considered a great beauty at the time. Usually albinism is accompanied by fears of curses, dark forces or magic.

Psykhe learns the healing properties of herbs and plants and becomes a midwife, also drawing attention to herself as a potential witch. These early years are where the book excels and it's clear the author loves writing about potions and tonics and the many uses for plants known at the time.

Psykhe's relationship with a cruel and absent father highlighted the complete lack of agency she and her sisters experience as young girls and later young women. Psykhe falls in love with an immortal, referred to as Cupid or Eros in ancient mythology and a romance ensues.

When introducing the Vestal Virgins of Rome - which I just learned about watching Those About to Die with Anthony Hopkins - the author describes the Roman temple:

"The round temple to Vesta, where virgins dressed in white tended the everlasting flame of the goddess of the hearth. Taken when only children, they would never know the touch of a man's hand, the deep kiss of desire, the swelling of a child in their womb, the suck of a babe on their breast." Page 103

Readers familiar with Greek and Roman mythology may have issue with some of the author's choices in the novel but I don't know my history well enough to pass judgement. I did find several elements a bit of a stretch (a caesarian section, mouth to mouth resuscitation and the albinism) but largely enjoyed the narrative. While unconvinced by the romance element, I enjoyed the challenges presented by loving a mortal, the supernatural and fantasy elements and the lengths Psykhe goes to for love; including her quest to the underworld.

Psykhe by Kate Forsyth is a feminist re-telling that will appeal to lovers of mythology, fantasy, romantasy and historical fiction.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Silence Of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

How's this for an opening line:

"Bonaventure Arrow didn't make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead." Page 3

The Silence Of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski grabbed my attention immediately with that opening line. Set in sultry New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou in the late 1940s-1950s, Bonaventure's mother Dancy mourns the death of her husband while pregnant with Bonaventure. Born without a sound - who could forget that opening line - Bonaventure is different from other babies and doesn't cry; ever.

As he grows older, it becomes clear Bonaventure is mute, he doesn't make any sound at all but the reader knows he has a gift that allows him to hear what no-one else can. Bonaventure can hear his mother's heartbeat and find the sound of her blood flowing no matter how far away she is.

"Bonaventure Arrow could hear conjured charms and sanctified spirits deep in the marrow of New Orleans. He could hear the movements of voodoo queens and the prayers of long dead saints. He could hear the past and the present." Page 7

As he ages, Bonaventure knows his mother still mourns the murder of his father and doesn't yet know that the voice he hears and speaks to telepathically is that of his Dad. Living with his religious paternal Grandmother and fearing his religious extremist maternal grandmother, Bonaventure knows he needs to help them all to heal from their emotional and spiritual wounds.

"Although there were no definitive answers, the latest test showed that voice or no voice, Bonaventure's hearing was exceptionally acute. However, the test did not quantify his ability. Everyone would have been shocked to know that he could hear such things as the blink of an eye from across the room, or the sound of a falling flower petal before it hit the floor. They would never have been able to fathom that the scope of his hearing wasn't even accurately gauged by the sounds of blinking eyes and falling petals, or even by the sounds of shooting stars. For how can such a glorious gift be measured? Surely its value is tied to the giver's intentions, which in the case of Bonaventure Arrow had to do with bringing peace to the living and the dead." Page 122

Bonaventure is a curious, sensitive and thoughtful boy and the plot quickens when a Creole housekeeper moves in to the Arrow household. The two of them have a special connection and Bonaventure learns more about his gift, discovers the difference between hoodoo and voodoo and devises a way to communicate.

While the character development is richly layered, I occasionally found myself wondering if we really needed to know so many ancestral backstories. The descriptions of Bonaventure's gift were the absolute highlight of the book for me, so I'll hope you'll forgive the long quote above. There were so many more I could have included.

With themes of love, loss, grief and healing, I thoroughly enjoyed The Silence Of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski and would readily read another instalment as Bonaventure enters adulthood.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Mortal Monarchs - 1000 Years of Royal Deaths by Suzie Edge

Mortal Monarchs - 1000 Years of Royal Deaths by Suzie Edge gives the reader a short overview of the deaths of 48 monarchs in England and Scotland over the last 1000 years. Beginning with the demise of Harold Godwinson in 1066 and concluding with the death of George VI in 1952, a chapter is devoted to each monarch.

Listening on audiobook, the chapters vary from approx 4-15 minutes in duration, and I found them to be just the right length. However, as I realised just how many deaths the author needed to cover, the repetitive format did start to become a little tedious. Fortunately the short chapters meant I could return to the book every now and again for another monarch's bloody passing from consumption, sweating sickness, dysentery or war wounds.

The author is a medical doctor and historian and when listening to the chapter dedicated to King Henry V who died of dysentery in 1492, I learned more about how the body expels a pathogen through either vomiting or diarrhoea.

"Diarrhoea is the body's way of getting rid of bacteria causing problems within the gut by emptying out toxins or poisons fast. For faeces to leave the body in a hurry, we cannot just rely on the action of peristalsis, the normal push/pull movement of the gut tubes that move the human waste along. If you still need more of a push, then the abdominal muscles will help by contracting. They squeeze as hard as they can to push out faecal matter fast. That is why it hurts. It can also be worryingly dehydrating as water is pulled into the gut to help dilute and remove the offending bacteria." Chapter 17

This was a huge revelation to me. Firstly, I had no idea that water is pulled into the gut from around the body, which is what causes the dehydration symptoms of headache and so on. Secondly, I had no clue that the water was pulled into the gut in order to dilute the offending bacteria and ease its passage. I guess I never gave much thought to where the water came from or why it was there, but next time - let's hope it's far into the future - I'll be more informed.

Fortunately, Mortal Monarchs was published during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and so it doesn't include her death in 2022. This does date the book now that Charles III is King, but as a royalist, I don't feel the book is lacking. I think it'd be strange to read an updated version where her cause of death was included and discussed in this manner.

Mortal Monarchs will appeal to trivia and history buffs and I just wish I could retain all of the monarchs names in order and the dates and means of their passing.

Having read Vital Organs - A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts and History Stinks! Poo Through the Ages, I continue to learn from Dr Suzie Edge, so I'm looking forward to the release of History Stinks! Wee, Snot and Slime Through Time in 2025. I can't imagine what I'll learn about the human body but I'll be sure to let you know!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *

I enjoyed Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz in 2021 and the author is back this year with Leave the Girls Behind. Unrelated to her debut, Leave the Girls Behind starts in New York and takes the reader to New Zealand and beyond before the denouement.

Our protagonist Ruth is still haunted by the kidnapping and murder of her childhood friend by Ethan Oswald nineteen years ago. Later convicted of her murder, Oswald died in jail before Ruth could prove he was guilty of more crimes.

Once obsessed with the case and part of the online sleuthing community, Ruth has put it somewhat behind her and is now a bar tender in New York. When a young girl from her home town is kidnapped Ruth's past comes rushing back. Convinced Oswald had an accomplice, Ruth starts looking into the women in his life under the guise of creating a true crime podcast.

In Before You Knew My Name, the narrative focussed on what happens after a member of the public - protagonist Ruby - discovers the body of a victim of crime. Given Ruby was the name of the main character in the previous novel, I thought the use of the name Ruth in this one was way too similar for my liking, but I guess it's a minor point.

What unites these two crime novels is the injustice of violence against women, and in this outing Bublitz explores the idea that some women in the orbit of a suspect could be complicit, willingly turn a blind eye or even go so far as to help perpetrators of terrible crimes.

"'And it really shouldn't matter. But it does in the end, because if you grow up thinking you are not special, you cling to anyone who suggests you might be.'" Page 214

Through the characters and their life experiences, Bublitz explores how women might find themselves under the influence of perpetrators like Ethan Oswald.

The author divides her time between Melbourne and New Zealand's North Island and Ruth's scenes in New Zealand added to the narrative. I also enjoyed the mention of Melbourne in the novel, despite being used as a method to highlight the extreme levels of domestic violence in Australia:

"Melbourne, it seems, is a city reeling from its failures. Ruth reads pages and pages of articles dedicated to examining the epidemic of family violence not just in this city but across the entire country. The data is horrifying; at least one Australian woman a week is murdered by an intimate partner." Page 188

I share the author's outrage at this statistic and she doesn't shy away - and nor should she - from the darker side of domestic violence and the toll it takes on Australian women and their families.

The cast of characters is extensive and their connections to the case became a little complicated and difficult to keep track of at times. Leave the Girls Behind is recommended for fans of crime fiction with a focus on the issue of domestic violence and culpability.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Life of Birds by David Attenborough

David Attenborough is a biologist, natural historian and international treasure and I don't know why it's taken me this long to read one of his books. In a continuation of my recent stretch of nature books, The Life of Birds by David Attenborough was an enlightening read.

Covering a range of birds from all over the world, the book is chock full of information and new-to-me facts like this one:

"One of the heaviest of all flying birds is the swan. A full grown one may weigh close to 16 kilos." Page 37

Outlining the different phases of a bird's life cycle, The Life of Birds covers flight, birdsong, mating rituals, the laying of eggs and nurturing of young.

The audiobook was easy and informative to listen to and the book offers a limited number of colour photos. As a consequence, you can't see all of the birds mentioned or the behaviour being described. But let's face it, while I might be able to find 10 hours a month to listen to an audiobook, I'm never going to invest that amount of time watching bird documentaries; even at the hands of a legend like David Attenborough.

Back to the book and I was fascinated to learn that geese fly in a V formation to take advantage of the slip stream, which is strongest at the wing tip of the bird ahead of them. Not only that, flapping in unison gives even greater advantage to all but the lead bird at the front of the formation. Just as in cycling, the birds take turns at the front so that they all share in the work. Fascinating!

A mature oak tree can generate ninety thousand acorns in a season which I found truly astonishing. Some birds like the jay bury individual acorns, using local landmarks to remember the location of each cache, and sometimes placing pebbles and stones nearby as markers. Meanwhile, other birds stash their acorns in the same location.

"Willow tits hold the record for the number that an individual bird will store in a day - over a thousand. The nutcracker, a European relative of the crow, collects the greatest number to be gathered in a single season - up to one hundred thousand." Page 64

This reminded me of the woodpecker responsible for storing 317 kilos (700 pounds) of acorns in the wall of a homeowner's house in California.

When describing the gargantuan appetite of young chicks in the chapter entitled The Problems of Parenthood, Attenborough tells us:

"A great tit, which feeds its young with beakfuls of insects, may deliver food to its nest nine hundred times a day." Page 215

Wow. If you love birds, nature or the work of the great David Attenborough, you'll enjoy The Life of Birds. Gotta fly!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House *

Ernest (Ernie) Cunningham is back for the third time in this Christmas themed special, Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson. Ernie re-introduces himself to the reader, serving as a reminder for fans and a perfect - yet brief - introduction for new readers picking this up as a standalone.

In the Prologue, Ernie promises to follow the rules of crime writing in another fair play murder mystery that won't include unreliable narrators or hidden clues. Instead, he'll be delivering this Christmas crime special in the form of a twenty-four chapter advent calender with seven gifts wrapped under a tree and six suspects to consider. By the end of the Prologue I was back on board the Cunningham express and keen to open my presents.

Set in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Ernie attends Katoomba police station in the opening pages to speak with a person charged with murder. After hearing their story, he readily agrees to take on the case. Cleverly written with periodic nods to the classics, Stevenson draws on his comedic talent and the laughs are never far away:

"Jeez, Ern. You really are some kind of detective these days. How'd you know that?" "I googled it while you were crying." Page 22

Ernie regularly breaks the fourth wall to address the reader and foreshadow events - even disclosing when he'll solve the case - heightening the tension as he investigates the murder. Stevenson has kept track of all the Yuletide threads in this tightly plotted mystery and I think Ern is getting better with each investigation. I love the unique writing style and the clever way the author uses particular writing techniques to entertain the reader.

The author also manages to include interesting character observations and everyday interactions in a way that made me stop and take notice in recognition:

"I nodded. She had a thick Irish accent that was taking me a few minutes to jump into the skipping rope of." Page 56

This is such a perfectly relatable description presented in a way that's flattering to the character and adds dimension and depth to this light-hearted mystery. The 7 Commandments of Holiday Specials was the perfect touch to wrap up this festive Christmas novella full of holiday cheer with just a touch of magic.

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson is the third installation in a series that is entering rare territory here at Carpe Librum, that is: every book has been a 5 star read!

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly recommended and the perfect Christmas gift!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

There are so many classics I still haven't read and thankfully my bookish buddy Veronica from The Burgeoning Bookshelf bravely agreed to tackle Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe with me recently. We were both reading the Penguin clothbound edition and when I encountered a sentence 21 lines long within the first six pages - and looking further ahead saw zero chapter breaks - I knew I was in for a challenging read.

Published more than 300 years ago in 1719, this review is going to contain plot developments so if you're precious about having the plot of Robinson Crusoe spoiled you should give this review a miss. This book is about Robinson Crusoe and his adventures after being shipwrecked on an island. We get a surprising amount of backstory before the eventual shipwrecking but we're told on the title page that Crusoe spends 28 years alone on an un-inhabited island so how's that for a 300 year old spoiler from the author?

As a character, I wasn't a fan of Crusoe at all and I found him selfish and self-serving. The novel contains much internal reflection and thoughts about God and purpose and you could argue it was a spiritual story of sorts, although lacking a conclusion.

"Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony, that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world, that we may always find in it something to comfort our selves from, and to set in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the accompt." Page 54

Crusoe has a good attitude in this regard and the ability to see the silver lining is an important life lesson still being learned today. There's also a heavy focus on gratitude, as this quote attests:

"It put me upon reflecting, how little repining there would be among mankind, at any condition of life, if people would rather compare their condition with those that are worse, in order to be thankful, than be always comparing them with those which are better, to assist their murmurings and complainings." Page 132

Naturally we have many sayings to this effect (the grass is always greener, there's always someone worse off than you, a bird in the hand etc.) but 300 years ago, I wonder if this sentiment was as well known as it is today.

However, I was most entertained when Crusoe was being industrious on the island. Scavenging everything he could from the shipwreck, he sets up a camp with defences, plans out his rations, ingeniously cultivates food sources and builds and makes almost anything. In the time he was alone, he dries grapes for raisins each season, builds pens for wild goats, sows corn and barley, weaves baskets and makes clothes, furniture and more.

The scariest part of the book by far was when Crusoe saw a footprint in the sand that wasn't his own. He was terrified and for the next two years worked to increase his defences while continuing to monitor his surroundings in fear.

Eventually we learn the footprint belongs to visiting 'savages' as Crusoe calls them - and again the reader needs to remember this was written 300 years ago - and he witnesses them killing and eating human prisoners. Embarking on a plan to rescue a prisoner was a grand idea, until Crusoe shares his ultimate purpose is not for a companion but to make one his slave.

"Besides, I fancied myself able to manage one, nay, two or three savages, if I had them so as to make them entirely slaves to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to prevent their being able at any time to do me any hurt." Page 158

I found this abhorrent and was grinding my teeth in anger when Crusoe succeeds. He calls his freed captive Friday - for the day he was rescued - which I found terribly insulting. With all of that religious reflection, why didn't he choose to call the man Providence, Faith or Adam? He teaches Friday english and tells him his name is Master (eye roll). Friday is grateful to Crusoe for saving his life and swears fealty - in effect - for life.

Other similar rescues occur after this point, including Friday's father. Their reunion was an emotional moment, but he and a Spaniard return to the mainland in a canoe to rescue fellow Spaniards and plan to return to Crusoe's island and share in the plentiful provisions. In that time, a mutinied ship arrives, a battle of weapons and wits takes place, and Crusoe becomes the captain of sorts.

Without any hesitation, Crusoe decides to leave the island for good, completely setting aside his previous plan with Friday's father. I was infuriated that Crusoe has no qualms abandoning his previous agreement, instead believing a letter will suffice. He also doesn't acknowledge any reluctance by Friday to leave the island before his father has returned, knowing they may never see each other again.

When Crusoe reaches society, there was plenty about his business dealings but I was interested to hear how Friday was adjusting to the culture shock. Crusoe goes on to have a family, but did Friday want to return home or have a family of his own?

Alas we never find out because the protagonist is too selfish to care, taking pains to provide for a loyal old woman from his earlier life as a young man yet completely dismissive of his year's long companion. There's also no reflecting on God after his 'salvation' either. He just goes back to business and his affairs, ugh!

Having finished it, I'm shocked Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe has been recommended reading for children and students over the years. The internal reflections are dull and the cannibalism and murders make it way too violent for young readers. If the book started with his shipwreck and focussed purely on his labours, then it would be one hell of an adventure. Alas, we have this story instead and I didn't enjoy it.

Thanks to Veronica for the buddy read and the encouragement to get through this. It's now off my list, woohoo! (I'm publishing this review on a Friday in tribute to an exploited and overlooked character).

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Australian Ghost Stories by James Phelps

* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *

Australian Ghost Stories - Shocking True Crime Stories of the Haunted, The Supernatural and Paranormal Happenings by James Phelps was an engaging piece of investigative journalism and a riveting read.

Promises to include accounts from a rugby league legend, Bathurst winner and an Aussie rock icon were delivered, although my favourite accounts came from regular members of the public. I was hoping to read about the house in Humpty Doo, but given the author's efforts to bring previously unknown cases to light and shy away from the already heavily publicised ones, I understand why Humpty Doo wasn't included.

In addition to several family homes on regular suburban streets, the author included the Aradale Lunatic Asylum in Ararat, Victoria, and the Hydro Majestic in the Blue Mountains, NSW. This was the first time I'd ever heard mention of the Hydro Majestic - the hydropathic sanatorium turned hotel retreat for the rich - but then it cropped up in the very next book I read, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson. I love bookish coincidences like this and I'd love to stay there one day.

Not surprisingly, the author drew from his extensive knowledge of Australian prisons and jails, having researched and written several books about them, two of which I've read: Australia's Most Murderous Prison - Behind the Walls of Goulburn Jail and Green Is The New Black - Inside Australia's Hardest Women's Jails. St Saviour's Cemetery is the oldest of Goulburn's forty graveyards and the accounts from hardened prison officers working at Goulburn jail were super creepy.

The colour photographs were a great inclusion and not all accounts were specifically linked to a true crime; in many cases there was no known reason for the haunting. In presenting his research gathered from interviewing more than a hundred people, James Phelps isn't afraid to break the fourth wall and the narrative often jumped around in time and location.

"(Even authors are allowed to do supernatural things while writing a book about the supernatural). And to confuse things even more, we are going to hit fast forward instead of rewind." Page 136

I wondered why this seemingly erratic writing style was necessary and I can only imagine it was to keep the reader engaged but a lesser committed reader may find it too distracting. Not me though, I was here for ALL of the stories, no matter their method of delivery or how much I longed for a fixed structure.

Enjoying an interview with James Phelps about Australian Ghost Stories on GoodReading recently, I was surprised to read that the author doesn't believe in the supernatural. If Phelps was a sceptic looking for answers, surely he found them after traversing the country recording first hand accounts with people from all walks of life with nothing to gain by sharing their accounts for this book. There are just too many unexplained experiences.

Australian Ghost Stories by James Phelps made the hairs on my arms stand up, but if you're a sceptic, I'm not convinced this will make you a believer; but what could? Perhaps a visit to St Saviour's Cemetery would be a good place to start... or if that sounds too confronting, you could always read a FREE sample of the book... with the light on of course!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

The plot behind The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre (A.R. Torre) isn't new - author tells life story to writer before their death* - but in this author's hand, the trope was an absolute winner!

Helena is a famous and successful romance author who lied about the way her husband and child died four years ago. A cancer diagnosis and news she has just a few months to live has galvanised Helena into action and she plans to reveal all in her last ever book. After embarking on the writing process, her health deteriorates to the point she needs help. Helena reaches out to her nemesis in the romance genre and puts aside their year's long rivalry to ask for professional help finishing the memoir. This is the ghostwriter of the title, although the book doesn't focus on them so I'm not clear on the choice of title.

The Ghostwriter is a slow burn mystery and the reader finds out more about Helena's backstory at the same time as the ghostwriter. Chapters of the manuscript are woven into the narrative and we hear from Helena in the first person, her agent Kate and of course the ghostwriter.

Now a gruff and no nonsense woman with no discernible outward warmth, the events which made Helena this way are revealed as she seeks to make peace with her past before her illness claims her. The bond that forms between Helena and the ghostwriter was powerful and left them both changed by the end.

At no time did I have any inkling as to where the story was going, nor was I able to guess at the ending. And wow, what an ending! According to the Author's Note, this is her fourteenth novel and it really shows in the tightness of the plotting and building of suspense.

The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre was an expertly crafted domestic thriller and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended and definitely one of my favourite reads so far this year!

* The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is the best example of this 'author confesses all' trope.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

After a bout of serious reading, I was in the mood for some light-hearted middle grade magic and The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant was just the ticket. Affectionately known as Dilly, our main character Cordelia is the youngest member of the Hatmaker family. These magical milliners utilise alchemy and weave enchantments into each of their unique creations to give the wearers the qualities they seek. This could include a hat to combat stage fright or a hat to instil peace within the wearer.

When Cordelia's father is lost at sea at the beginning of the book, this kicks off an entertaining series of events.

The book is set in London around the year 1800 placing it in the Regency era and there are other Royal maker families in this fantasy world, including: the Cloakmakers, Glovemakers, Watchmakers, Bootmakers and Canemakers.

These families are ancient rivals and Cordelia is training to become a hatmaker when she learns:

"Magic is in everything natural in the world. Magic lives in the wind, in the rivers, in the earth, in the sunlight. It's in flowers and trees and rocks and it's born in all creatures. But most people have forgotten about it or - even worse than forgetting - they think it's old-fashioned." Page 66

Merchant's imaginative writing when it comes to magic is a little reminiscent of the world building in Harry Potter but in a refreshingly unique way. As an example, every meal made by the Cook at the Hatmaker's house was a symphony of deliciousness that had the potential to heal all manner of maladies:

"Cook would stir up herby stews to soothe hurt feelings, bake honey cakes to mend broken hearts, make crinkle-crusted pies for courage, and melting-cheese pastries to bolster tired souls. Her cucumber soup could cool a hot temper and her bread-and-butter pudding inspired kindness in even the grumpiest person. Her roast potatoes seemed to help with everything." Page 43

I'd love to try everything but the cucumber soup. Containing several illustrations by Paola Escobar, it turns out The Hatmakers is the first in a series. The second book in the series is called The Mapmakers followed by The Troublemakers which was published earlier this year.

Incidentally, it was only when writing this review that I learned the author Tamzin Merchant played the role of Catherine Howard in The Tudors (mind blown!) as well as Imogen Spurnrose in Carnival Row. What a talented and versatile woman.

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant is thoroughly recommended for middle grade readers looking for a unique adventure, but don't forget your hat!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

I was given a copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius by a family member for Christmas in 2021 and it contains the spiritual reflections of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius from 180AD. I'll admit it was a little intimidating, difficult to read at times and the sentiments became repetitive but I’m pleased to have read it.

Meditations is a collection of personal thoughts divided into 12 books although I wasn't able to discern any clear theme or order to any of the books. Marcus Aureliuis had a staunch belief in the gods and that the soul lives on after death. Believing all things have a natural beginning and an end, he also held the view that the gods would never give a man more than he could endure.

Reading like a series of dot points from a self help book, here's an example of advice from early on in the book that we can still apply today:

"Do not waste the remaining part of your life in thoughts about other people, when you are not thinking with reference to some aspect of the common good. Why deprive yourself of the time for some other task? I mean, thinking about what so-and-so is doing, and why, what he is saying or contemplating or plotting, and all that line of thought, makes you stray from the close watch on your own directing mind." Page 17

The author never expected his work to be published which explains the lack of order or cohesion to his thoughts. Instead, these writings are personal reminders to himself on how to 'do better' as we say today. It includes sage advice for the ages, like this:

"The best revenge is not to be like your enemy." Page 46

Reading Meditations is akin to reading a series of distilled diary entries or prompts on how to lead a principled life and be a good example to others, and included suggestions like this one:

"So keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, unpretentious, a friend of justice, god-fearing, kind, full of affection, strong for your proper work. Strive hard to remain the same man that philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, look after men. Life is short. The one harvest of existence on earth is a godly habit of mind and social action." Page 51

Marcus Aurelius mentions the duty of man many times in his writings, and believes strongly that to be a good person you need to contribute positively to the community, best summarised in this observation:

"What does not benefit the hive does not benefit the bee either." Page 57

I found some of his opinions harsh, particularly his thoughts about death and sleep:

"When you are reluctant to get up from your sleep, remind yourself that it is your constitution and man's nature to perform social acts, whereas sleep is something you share with dumb animals. Now what accords with the nature of each being is thereby the more closely related to it, the more in its essence, and indeed the more to its liking." Page 73

Marcus Aurelius didn't appear to fear death, quite the opposite actually. He wrote frequently of facing the fact death is inevitable and advising not to worry about it. Instead he encouraged embracing death although there's no way of knowing if he was able to do this himself when his time came.

"What dies does not pass out of the universe. If it remains here and is changed, then here too it is resolved into the everlasting constituents, which are the elements of the universe and of you yourself. These too change, and make no complaint of it." Page 74

If I had to summarise Meditations, I would say the overall sentiment is: life is short, we will all die soon and be forgotten so work hard, obey the gods and be an upstanding man.

"Work. Don't work as a miserable drudge, or in any expectation of pity or admiration. One aim only: action or inaction as civic cause demands." Page 86

I wonder what the author would think of today's society and work ethic. What's clear in his work is his recognition of the passage of time, and how quickly we die and will soon after be forgotten. Perhaps he would be pleased to know that centuries later people still study his work, but most of us can never hope to achieve this type of legacy.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was repetitive and a tough read given the translation, beliefs of the times and the dot point nature begging an overarching structure that just wasn't there. In this case, the sense of accomplishment I feel after reading Meditations is greater than my rating, but 'I make no complaint of it' and am more than satisfied.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell

In the mood to continue learning about our natural world, I recently picked up The Golden Mole - And Other Vanishing Treasure by Katherine Rundell. Reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook read by Lenny Henry, each of the short chapters are dedicated to a particular endangered animal. There were a total of 22 animals featured in the book, including: the wombat, giraffe, lemur, narwhal, seahorse, pangolin and the golden mole of the title. A variety of creatures were chosen, including those that live in water, on the land or in the air; the large; the small; those that bring good luck as well as those that inspire fear.

I was proud of myself for reading the chapter about the spider given my fear of arachnids and just Googling the word now to check my spelling gave me a bloody heart attack! I also enjoyed hearing one of my favourite animal facts: the horn of the narwhal was once misrepresented to collectors as belonging to a unicorn.

I enjoyed being reminded that crows have great memories and are highly intelligent, they remember human faces and are capable of rewarding and punishing behaviour in kind. In an example, the author explains that university students wearing masks captured crows and kept them briefly in captivity before releasing them. When the students walked past them again without their masks they were ignored, but if they were wearing the masks they were mobbed by the crows still carrying a grudge. The information was passed down to the next generation, and students wearing the same masks long after all of the original crows had died were also attacked. 

On the plus side, the reverse is also true and crows can reward human behaviour. A girl in Seattle by the name of Gabi Mann became famous when the crows she'd fed for years began to bring her gifts in return. When her mother dropped the lens cap from her camera in a field nearby, one of the crows picked it up, washed it in their bird bath back at home and left it out for her to find. Astonishing! (For more on crows and ravens, check out my review of The Ravenmaster - My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife or The Book of the Raven - Corvids in Art & Legend by Caroline Roberts and Angus Hyland).

Some of the creatures featured in The Golden Mole may be familiar but you might be surprised to learn about others facing endangerment and extinction.

The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell is recommended for animal lovers and readers who enjoy short, punchy chapters about wildlife and the endangered species all around us.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers is an historical fiction novel told in a blend of writing styles, including: narrative prose, quotes from historical reference books, poetry, diary entries and even a play. Anticipating a novel about the life of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne told in a fictional first person point of view, Cuddy was an unexpected story.

Born in 634 AD in Northumbria (modern day Scotland), Cuthbert had been a monk, a prior and a bishop and was a hermit at the time of his death in 687 AD. Beloved in life, many came to pray at his grave at Lindisfarne and were healed. Deciding to elevate his remains as relics on the anniversary of his death, his body was found intact - hadn't decomposed - and he was declared a saint. Pilgrims visited the shrine for decades until Viking raids threatened the area.

Cuthbert's body was transferred to a coffin and transported by a dedicated group of worshippers seeking a safe resting place for their beloved saint. On the move until the year 995, a site was finally chosen and a series of churches were built to house St Cuthbert's remains. Construction of Durham Cathedral commenced in 1093 and still houses the Shrine of St Cuthbert today.

Pieced together from the non fiction quotes in the book, I share all of this because it's a fascinating slice of history and if you're still reading, it means you agree. Myers has created characters from each of these periods of Cuthbert's history in the wildly different formats mentioned above.

We hear from Cuthbert (affectionately known as Cuddy) early in the book but he's already close to death:

"Well now. You should have been here a candle or two ago. The scenes of despair amongst the monks at my final days of retreat to this bluff in the foaming ocean was quite the picture." Page 7

I love that phrase, 'a candle or two ago.' In Book I we join the religious folk in 995 AD carrying Cuthbert's remains and an orphan girl who has visions regarding his final resting place.

In Book II we jump to the year 1346 and through the eyes of the fletcher's wife, meet a stonemason engaged in building the great Durham Cathedral. The work of the mason and the history of the stone - then and now centuries later - was beautifully written:

"In the stone is yesterday's sun and the stories it has seen, not only of wandering holy folk and the fiery Norse, not only old white churches and milkmaids, galloping Frenchmen and the green men that took to the trees but other details not always pressed to the page by monks. Everything the stone has borne silent witness to is held within it now...... Rainstorms and quarrymen, Picts, plague pits and paupers, hawkers and jesters, skirling new life and coughing old death, archers and anglers, devils and angels, sunrises and sunsets, courting couples sitting on stone walls watching snowfall, villeins and franklin and wandering freemen, nets of cuttlefish and pails of crabs, sores and scabs, bed-bound mothers and gaoled fathers, babies - a thousand wailing babies - and church bells, cabbage soup and nettles and worms and sacks and jam and garlic and knives and deer and murder and toll gates and caravans and soothsayers and plums and coffin-makers and lepers and laughter and ice and logs and oats and sex and sin and Cuddy and Jesus and God." Page 237

I know that was a long quote, but it perfectly captures the awe and wonder I feel when gazing at a Cathedral built more than 1000 years ago and I want to be able to revisit these words again, even if I no longer have the book.

Leaving those characters behind to leap forward a few centuries, the Interlude was based on a haunting and shocking account of history. In 1650, Durham Cathedral was used as a prison by Oliver Cromwell to house 3,000 Scottish prisoners of war. Suffering in the cold without food or water, the prisoners destroyed the pews and burned the timber in order to keep warm. Devastatingly, 1,700 soldiers died from battle injuries, dehydration and starvation and were buried in mass graves nearby.

This is a disturbing chapter of history I knew nothing about but certainly won't forget, as the author has created a macabre play for the Interlude, whereby several soldiers being held captive engage in dialogue with eachother and the cathedral. Yes, you read that right.

It was a relief to reach Book III covering the period in 1827 when an arrogant Professor from Oxford travels to the Cathedral to oversee the disinterment of the saint in order to verify his remains are uncorrupted. Diary entries tell this tale and the character is haunted by his complicity and fears for his sanity. I felt the author's outrage at the desecration and believe the character met a satisfying fate. 

Book IV brings us to 2019 and it was perhaps an unnecessarily long tale to deliver the reader to Durham Cathedral and the tomb of St Cuthbert.

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers seemed to me to be the story behind the building of Durham Cathedral over time told through the lives of a handful of individuals:

"My story, and that of Fletcher Bullard, just one story in a thousand million stories that combine to define a place, concludes thusly:" Page 263

While brief, each serves as a complete story and while the reader may be reluctant to leave a character or point in time, their stories reach a natural conclusion of sorts.

A word on the layout as there were several techniques that were used - presumably - to impress but which I found slightly irritating. In one case, a character's visions were presented in one continuous paragraph with font that slowly reduced in size until it was barely readable by the end. Elsewhere, poetry was presented with varying alignment choices that left me cold, with just one word or sometimes even one letter per line. I guess you could say that while I enjoyed the mashup of writing styles within Cuddy, the unconventional layout choices fell short of the mark.

The descriptions of the cathedral from characters across time were incredible, with the 2019 character of Michael describing the vast edifice before him as enrapturing. It certainly had me pausing at certain times in the novel to research a fact or take a virtual tour of the cathedral and I'd love to visit in person one day, even just to see the sanctuary knocker.

"The face of the Sanctuary Knocker then, is that of the lonely miscreant, the damned, the doomed, the cursed, the blasted, the blighted, the bedevilled, the fated; he who shall live their life seeking God's eternal forgiveness alone." Page 197

Now that I've finished reading Cuddy, I believe it to be the complex history of Durham Cathedral rather than the story of a saint. This unique blend of fact and fiction and multiple writing styles felt original and is recommended for fans of Ken Follett and his series beginning with The Pillars of the Earth.

Prologue AD 687
Book I Saint Cuddy AD 995
Book II The Mason's Mark AD 1346
Interlude The Stone Speaks AD 1650
Book III The Corpse in the Cathedral AD 1827
Book IV Daft Lad AD 2019

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

Deciding my reading line up could do with a dash of biology, this month I listened to the audiobook of Extraordinary Insects: Weird, Wonderful, Indispensable - The Ones Who Run Our World by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, previously published as Buzz Sting Bite - Why We Need Insects.

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Norway and a scientific advisor for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and has successfully managed to make her research interesting for the layperson.

Translated by Lucy Moffatt and narrated by Kristin Milward, this list of chapter titles should give you a clear idea of what to expect:

Chapter 1 Small Creatures, Smart Design: Insect Anatomy
Chapter 2 Six-legged Sex: Dating, Mating and Parenting
Chapter 3 Eat or Be Eaten: Insects in the Food Chain
Chapter 4 Insects and Plants: A Never-ending Race
Chapter 5 Busy Flies, Flavoursome Bugs: Insects and Our Food
Chapter 6 The Circle of Life - and Death: Insects as Caretakers
Chapter 7 From Silk to Shellac: Industries of Insects
Chapter 8 Lifesavers, Pioneers and Nobel Prize-winners: Insights from Insects
Chapter 9 Insects and Us: What's Next?

In Chapter 1, I learned the competition for the noisiest insect most definitely includes the male Water Boatman beetle:

"An aquatic insect a mere 2 millimetres long is the one most likely to walk away with the prize because the male of the Water Boatman species, part of the micronectidae family, competes for the female's attention by making music. But how are you supposed to serenade your sweetheart when you're the size of a coarse ground peppercorn? Well, the little Water Boatman does it by playing himself using his abdomen as a string and his penis as a bow." Chapter 1

Nature never ceases to amaze, and you'd better believe I was off to YouTube to track down a recording of the music which is said to reach 79 decibels but which actually sounds more like a frog than 'music'.

I saw my first bumblebee in London in 2012 and was absolutely transfixed, so when the author mentioned a study where bumblebees were trained to pull on a string to access sugar water, I rushed off to watch the experiments; again on YouTube. Apparently scientists also witnessed the ability of trained bumblebees to teach new ones, just amazing!

As you might expect, Extraordinary Insects is full of insect trivia and some surprising facts like this one: dragon flies can operate each of their 4 wings independently.

I was less convinced when it came to the practice of preparing insects for human consumption. Already a practice and a delicacy in some countries, the author made some convincing arguments although I can't see the West getting over their 'ick factor' any time soon.

I was interested to learn that the keeping of crickets as pets has been a huge hit for modern geriatric care in Asia to treat depression and loneliness. I went down an online rabbit hole and saw potential owners and collectors perusing specimens at a cricket market and was reminded of just how narrow my own experience of the world is.

More generally though, it was troubling to face the facts that many insects are endangered due to loss of habitat, global warming and the endless threat of the human population while science still has so much to learn from them.

Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is recommended for nature lovers and those with an interest in biology, conservation and the environment. You can read a FREE extract here.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis

I love playing Scrabble! It's a popular word game of skill and chance and journalist Stefan Fatsis entered the competitive world of Scrabble hoping for some material worthy of publishing.

What he discovered was an intense sub culture with its own rules and guiding principles and a range of dedicated, intelligent and sometimes eccentric players all striving to win. Word Freak - Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis is the result of his research and complete immersion in the Scrabble scene.

First, it's important to know Scrabble can be played on a competitive level and the book largely takes place in the USA.

"To play competitive Scrabble, one has to get over the conceit of refusing to acknowledge certain words as real and accept that the game requires learning words that may not have any outside utility." Page 40

This is why competitive Scrabble doesn't appeal to me as a player. The author explains that vocabulary defines the better player in a living room situation, but in a competitive environment it's about mastering the rules of the game and memorising words. Two letter words are 'twos', three letter words 'threes' and so forth. Players keep track of tiles the way a card shark counts cards and there are endless strategies for discarding tiles, playing offensive and defensive and more.

Fatsis explains that players who compete at tournaments receive ranking points based on a very complicated system of wins and margins and are paired within divisions according to their latest ranking. A competitor will play multiple games at each tournament and Fatsis tells us just how hierarchical these tournaments are:

"In the playing room, you can't just sit wherever you fancy. The top-division tables typically are farthest from the main doors. And Table 1 of Division 1 - where the players with the best records meet in the latter stages of most tournaments - is usually in the farthest corner. The quality of play descends to the weakest novices in the room's opposite corner. And there isn't much interdivisional mingling. Experts have no interest in novice boards, and novices, who could benefit from learning new words or watching experts analyze positions, appear afraid to cross class boundaries." Page 37

In this way, the author quickly establishes the basics of competitive Scrabble and is glad to be warmly welcomed into the fold so to speak. Players knows he's a journalist from The Wall Street Journal and readily answer his questions while encouraging him to improve his game.

Many of the top players enjoy anagramming with each other in a playfully competitive nature and intellect is celebrated. Anagramming involves arranging tiles alphabetically on a rack - or saying them aloud - and identifying words made from the letters. This helps the players refine their skills and see the potential in the rack, and the majority of highly ranked players have created or implemented some kind of study program to learn and remember words.

There's quite a lot of content around the accepted dictionary of words, how it began and how it's updated etc.

"The Scrabble world decided that The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary [OSPD], first published in 1978, would for the purposes of the game, answer the question: What is a word?" Pages 40-41

But just to complicate things, there are two separate word sources that govern the game of Scrabble in North America and Great Britain.

"The new book is called the Official Tournament and Club Word List, and is known as the OWL." Page 41

I'd elaborate further but it gets quite confusing, suffice to say that Americans are at a significant disadvantage when playing overseas. Some embrace the additional words available to them, whilst others - predictably - refuse to change; essentially creating two camps. The deletion of offensive words caused a ruckus in the Scrabble community and several players who did a lot of work contributing to dictionary entries and study programs have been screwed over and distanced themselves from competitive play as a result.

There was even drama at the top level, with the dissolution of the National Scrabble Association (NSA) and the formation of the North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) in its place. Some players had various issues with the way NASPA was organising things and while many readers may find this overkill or boring, my interest - just - carried me through. It seems politics and drama exists everywhere.

It's unclear when exactly Fatsis becomes subsumed by Scrabble, but he quickly fixates on his rating, loses his temper when he doesn't play well and embarks on a range of study techniques, implementing tips from top players along the way.

Here's an example of some advice from Joe Edley that we can all learn from:

"Studying Scrabble words is like walking around the world, but as you start walking your feet start getting bigger. Every step you take is taking you farther. The more you study, the more ability you develop and the easier it becomes to learn more." Page 133

I'd say reading is the same! This is excellent advice and it can be applied to more than just Scrabble. Witnessing the author's improvement and progression through the rankings as he dedicated more and more time to it was satisfying. Often frustrating for the author himself, it was hard not to become invested in the nitty gritty details of specific plays gone wrong, missed opportunities, excellent plays and hard won victories.

Towards the end of the book, the author acknowledges that he's played more than a thousand games of Scrabble since embarking on his journey to write about the sub culture and it's taken him to unexpected places. I was surprised at the depth of relationships he developed over the course of the book, always rooming and carpooling with fellow players, regularly socialising outside of competitions and playing endless games in between.

Openly sharing their advice, strategies and study techniques, Fatsis also shared personal observations of their character, personality and lifestyle choices giving the reader quite an intimate view of some of the players. I often wondered whether he'd crossed the line and later learned in the Afterword that at least one player was unhappy about the way in which he was portrayed in the book.

Originally published in 2001, my new copy has an updated Preface and - cleverly titled - Afterwordfreak published in 2011. I particularly enjoyed reading updates on players who featured quite prominently in the book, and in a very meta way, the impact Word Freak had on new and upcoming players in the ten years it's been on shelves. The increase in technology and the emergence of new players who grew up playing bots online and using apps to improve their skills have now entered the fray. You'd assume the old-school players would feel threatened by them, but they seem to enjoy seeing new talent emerging and celebrate the successes of players decades younger than themselves.

While reading Word Freak I started playing the odd game of Scrabble online - against the computer - and found myself enjoying the game immensely and implementing many of the techniques outlined in this book. Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis was a terrific deep dive into the competitive world of Scrabble and I hope to watch the subsequent documentary Word Wars.

For more: 
- Read a FREE excerpt
- Check out my review of It's All A Game - A Short History of Board Games by Tristan Donovan

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Abominations by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver is a somewhat controversial author here in Australia, although I found myself agreeing with most of her opinions in Abominations - Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction by Lionel Shriver.

Some readers might remember when Shriver made Australian headlines after giving the keynote speech at the 2016 Brisbane Writer's Festival. Her speech was about cultural appropriation and in Abominations we hear the speech in full, together with the subsequent fall out, attempt at cancellation and finally her response to it all.

For the record, I agree with her. Political correctness and the woke brigade have definitely gone too far if wearing a sombrero at a party is considered cultural appropriation and therefore offensive. If authors can only write from their own lived experience in order to avoid being accused of cultural appropriation, then their work will be dull and limited. I want authors to have the creative freedom to write about a priest living in the time of the black plague or a courtier dancing in the court of Elizabeth I and this automatically extends to creating characters with different nationalities and ethnicities; ages; sexual preferences and identities; socioeconomic backgrounds; levels of education; backgrounds and personalities than themselves. (For more, I shared my thoughts on 'own voices' in my review of Honeybee by Craig Silvey in 2020).

Shriver is open about the many attempts that have been made to cancel her and while she admirably shrugs them off, she does highlight the impact a 'successful' cancellation has on authors, publishers, actors and other creatives and the often devastating and unintended consequences that follow. Shriver gives examples of well known celebrity cancellations and I agreed with most of her opinions on the topic.

Abominations contains more than 40 essays of varying length and covers a broad range of topics, including: tennis, politics (Brexit and the troubles), IKEA furniture, economics (wages and taxes), health care, ageing parents and the pro-death movement. I found her essay on the nature of friendship break-ups particularly interesting.

In her instantly relatable essay entitled Quote Unquote published in the The Wall Street Journal in 2008, Shriver breaks down her pet peeve of quoteless dialogue:

"While the use of quotes to distinguish speech is still standard in English language fiction, undemarcated dialogue has steadily achieved the status of an established style. In fact, this is one of those stealthy trends that no-one confronts directly." Chapter 33

Shriver explains that it's harder to read fiction without punctuation marks for dialogue and making the reader work harder isn't in the author's best interests. She goes on to address each of the arguments in favour of undemarcated dialogue - love that phrase! - including improved aesthetics on the page and a perceived edginess. Shriver asks editors, agents, critics and established authors for their opinion and discovered the majority found dialogue without speech marks annoying. I was nodding the entire time and occasionally thinking to myself, YES! 

Listening to the author read her essays added to the overall experience and I'm giving Abominations by Lionel Shriver an extra star just for the sheer quality of the writing, vocabulary and turn of phrase. Whether you agree with her views or not, there's no arguing she's one hell of a writer!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: This is My World by Lonely Planet Kids

This is My World by Lonely Planet Kids was a delightful reading experience as 84 children from around the world tell us about their family, where they live, their hobbies and more. Each child enjoys a double page spread, and the eye-catching layouts include photos, flags, maps, fast facts and three adjectives they use to describe themselves.

Cleverly organised alphabetically by first name provides a stimulating criss-crossing of the globe instead of a dull trip alphabetically country by country. This also prevents readers from flipping pages to search for specific countries, although there is a handy index in the back.

Some of the entries are clearly written by the children while some have been helped by their parents, but all were informative, interesting and engaging. I loved learning new things along the way, for instance Noa (aged 10) lives in Japan and she says:

"I like this house because our living room is huge. There is a fireplace and horigotatsu (table-based heater) as well." Page 129

I didn't know what a horigotatsu was so put the book aside to find out and went down a lovely Japanese rabbit hole. They look super cosy and I really hope I get the chance to try one some day.

I was able to identify some similarities between the entries in that a lot of children fight with their siblings (who knew?), many have never seen snow and rabbits are a favourite animal for kids around the world.

According to the Foreward:

"To create this book, we reached out to cattle ranchers in the Australian outback, inhabitants of a fishing capital in Greenland, city dwellers living among skyscrapers in Nigeria and many more families!"

Sounds great but I'd really like to know exactly how they did that. How many children submitted a response and how were these 84 profiles chosen? Some of the children stated their parents were teachers and I found myself wondering if Lonely Planet reached out to schools as part of this project. Not that it's important, I'm just curious.

This is My World by Lonely Planet Kids is a great book suitable for readers young and old and I can highly recommend it.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Attic Child by Lola Jaye

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye is the story of two children almost a century apart locked in the same attic of a grand English home and treated abominably by the adults charged with their care.

The dual narrative begins in 1903 with Dikembe's life as a young nine-year-old boy living with his family in the Congo. The youngest in the family, his parents protect him from the dangerous political climate but his life takes a dramatic turn when he is convinced to accompany a white explorer back to England as his companion. Dikembe is re-named Celestine and his journey and subsequent adjustment to life in white society is deeply disturbing and heart wrenching.

Dikembe is a very likeable and inspirational character and my heart ached for his losses, sometimes to the point of not wanting to return to his story. After the demise of his sponsor, young Celestine is received poorly by distant relatives, treated like a servant and locked in the attic for days on end.

We join Lowra in 1993, and as a child she was locked in the same attic by her wicked stepmother after her father vanished on their honeymoon. Now an adult and orphan, she inherits the house and returns to the centre of her childhood trauma, the attic. In researching the history of the house, Lowra comes across a photograph of Celestine and enlists the help of an historian to trace his story.

The Attic Child was heavy reading and we're not spared Celestine's suffering in the first person nor the trauma suffered by Lowra presented in first person flashbacks. I found myself wishing the author had shielded us from at least one character's confinement or perhaps dialled down the sheer distress and horror of their combined abuse.

Lowra's research uncovers dreadful colonialism and racism in England in the late 1800s and early 1900s and a deplorable chapter of atrocities in the Congo where I later learned ten to fifteen million African people were slaughtered between 1885 and 1908. The historian becomes a key character and we learn his own history and ongoing experience of racism. Together their research takes them closer to Celestine and I kept reading to find out where it would all lead.

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye shines a light into some very dark places and if I'd known just how heavy and helpless it was going to make me feel, I don't know that I'd have chosen to read it. Knowing the story was inspired by historical fact made it harder to read, and I'm ashamed to say I guess I prefer a more sanitised version of historical fiction that doesn't give me an aversion to picking up the book due to the sorrow it contains.

The ending was satisfying even though it felt a little far fetched and Jaye includes an excellent Author's Note at the end expounding on the inspiration for the book. For more, you can read an article by the author from 2022 here.

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye is recommended for fans of historical fiction who can handle the darker side of history and child abuse page after page and still maintain hope.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

I received a copy of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald as a mystery book at a GoodReads Melbourne catch up and it's been sitting on my TBR pile since 2018. The reason it's been collecting dust is because it's a romance story with a bookish theme and I don't really enjoy the romance genre. The reason it hasn't been 'moved on' to a friend or free little library is down to the fact that this is also a book about books. Needing a light and easy read recently, I finally picked it up and was pleasantly surprised to finish it.

Sara Lindqvist lives in Sweden and has a penpal by the name of Amy who lives in a small town called Broken Wheel in Iowa. Invited to visit and stay a few months to continue their shared love of books and reading, Sara takes the plunge only to discover upon arrival that Amy has passed away.

Translated from Swedish, what happens next forms the body of this charming story and the letters back and forth between Sara and Amy are scattered throughout the novel. The inevitable romance made itself known early on, together with several other - predictable - romantic entanglements. Sara's internal chatter (what could he possibly see in me?) grated on my nerves as I'd expect, but thankfully it was somewhat tempered by the setting up of a bookshop and re-energising of the town. The inhabitants of the small country town are stuck in their ways and some are entertainingly cliched.

Published in 2013, my favourite character by far was George and I enjoyed the character of Caroline even more so than Sara. Here Caroline reflects:

"She had never been able to help people like Amy could. Amy always seemed to know precisely what people wanted to hear. Caroline knew only what they should hear, and the two were very rarely the same thing." Page 24

Sara is seeking a sense of belonging and exploring what constitutes a family and readers will need to suspend their disbelief at the ending but I'm sure many will readily do so. Obviously life doesn't work like that but this is a tale offering escapism and a HEA; reinforcing the reason this genre rarely features in my reading line-up.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald is about finding a sense of belonging and will appeal to bookworms who enjoy novels about books and bookshops with a generous dollop of romance.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Theft by Finding Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris

Books by David Sedaris have been a somewhat regular feature here on Carpe Librum since 2021, and this offering marks my 7th review of his work. I have tickets to see David Sedaris live when he comes to Melbourne next year and thought I'd tackle the first volume of his diaries after they were recommended by an author whose recommendations I trust.

Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris covers a huge chunk of his life, although Sedaris is clear at the outset that the diary entries selected for this collection are a mere drop in the ocean.

"It's worth mentioning that this is my edit. Of the roughly 8 million words handwritten or typed into my diary since September 5 1977, I'm including only a small fraction. An entirely different book from the same source material could make me appear nothing but evil, selfish, generous or even - dare I say - sensitive. On any given day I am all these things and more: stupid, cheerful, misanthropic, cruel, narrow minded, open, petty, the list goes on and on. A different edit, no doubt a more precise one would have involved handing my diary over to someone else, but that is something I cannot imagine doing, unless perhaps, that person is a journalist. They never get beyond the third page, which they usually call the middle, as in 'I'd hoped to finish this before our interview but am only in the middle'." Chapter 1

Beginning in 1977, the diary entries provide a wonderful snapshot of life at the time, reflecting the attitudes and social norms of those around him. Sedaris is a master of observation and conversation with people and he shares multiple snapshots into lives that merely intersected his for moments, days or weeks.

Living in poor neighbourhoods and taking odd jobs to pay the rent, Sedaris seemed to be surrounded by a lot of domestic conflict often leading to outright domestic violence. The author also shares multiple accounts of bullying and harassment while walking on the street, riding his bike and generally out in public, most of which he tries not to engage with.

The rise of AIDS is barely touched on although Sedaris often mentions he's mistaken for a woman on the phone and is called a fag by strangers when he won't give them cigarettes or money etc. There's no inner reflection or deep interrogation of his thoughts and feelings on these topics and I'm not sure whether he chose not to record them at the time or merely decided not to include them in this collection. Sedaris does mention he regrets not recording word-for-word conversations with family members in his diary as some of them have since died and he'd like to re-read them.

I've mentioned Sedaris' drug taking in the past and I really didn't enjoy the amount of air time given to his recreational drug use. He doesn't share any real reason for his drug taking or discuss any mental struggle related to the activity, perhaps preferring to keep it private. He does mention giving up alcohol and staying sober, but it's not a big focus and there wasn't any of the expected deep inner reflection.

Meeting his partner Hugh in 1990 was a highlight and I enjoyed tracking his early involvement in stage plays and the joy at his rising success via reviews and interviews, and later his early books. But again, my favourite sections were the entries written when he was taking a course to learn French. His sense of humour and love of word play definitely shone through, and I admired his effort to embrace the language. One favourite entry involved Hugh cutting his finger with a knife, and Sedaris racing down to the store not knowing the word for bandaid, and saying:

"My friend cut his finger and I am looking for a morsel of rubber." Chapter 23

Hugh later points out that the correct phrasing is 'cut of himself the finger' and Sedaris finds himself hoping Hugh will injure himself again so that he can return to the store with both the reflexive verb to 'cut of oneself' and the proper word for bandaid. Love it!

The advantage of a diary format is that the entries are relatively short in length, however the inevitable payoff is that the format can become a little repetitive after a while. Sometimes an engaging entry was included without a follow up that left me hanging (did his cat recover?) or wondering what happened only for the next entry to pick up weeks later.

This audiobook comes in at just under 14 hours and is therefore quite the commitment. Volume 2 A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020 comes in at a whopping 17+ hours so I don't imagine I'll be getting to that any time soon. If anything, I may listen to The Best of Me by David Sedaris before I see his show in February 2025 as I've had quite enough of the diary format for now.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★