Wendy Squires 'The Boys' Club'

I seem to have co-incidentally picked a number of Australian books recently. Most of them have been new ones I have recently bought too. No idea why they are all on sale at the moment!

'The Boys Club' is one of these books. Set in the Australian television industry it tells the story of one woman's struggle with work-life balance. Rosie took a change of career path from journalism to publicity for a television company. Here she hit the glass ceiling while watching the boys' club laughing on the other side. The story deals with issues such as sexism in the workplace, blatent nepotism, the struggles of single parenthood, emotions of divorce, parental pressure (even once you have your own kids) as well of the pressures of being a parent.

Be Warned! This book has a lot of swearing.

Madeleine Wickham "A Desirable Residence"

Madeleine Wickham also writes under the name Sophie Kinsella. I did a bit of a thought summary on this which you can read here if you are interested.

"A Desirable Romance" is a story of peoples lives which begin individually and end up tangled in one big messy ball, not that all the characters are aware of this! Liz and Jonathan Chambers leave their family home, with the intention of selling it, along with their daughter Alice in pursuit of of a dream. Unsurprisingly, the dream doesn't go according to plan and in comes Marcus to the rescue. Marcus finds them tenants whom Alice goes on to befriend. But is Marcus trying to befriend Liz? More twists and turns and crossed relationships makes this a very readable book without it being too in-depth or too complicated a read.

May Wynne "Carol of Hollydene School"

I was given this book when my Grandma downsized from her family home, but was moving at the time so the book ended up in a box with other stuff. I just found it again and was pretty excited to the see the inscription in the front as being presented to her in 1931. This is obviously a personal thing, but I have so many of these old books with inscriptions to people I obviously don't know that it is nice to have a couple that came from my family.

This book is very stereotypical of its time. Carol is a new girl at a boarding school with a secret. She gets swept into a group of "chums" who enjoy getting into mischief in an innocent way. There is a girl at the school with a malicious, snobbish streak who tries to work out what Carol's secret is. Carol also befriends quiet Bessy who is very studious. Bessy would love to be one of the chums but is too straight. Carol learns the value of different types of friends. An added twist to the story is Carol's cousin Jim who lives nearby being privately tutored.

This book doesn't hold the same charm of the Abbey Girls or the Chalet School or the Dimsie books. It really is only for the die-hard fans of this genre. It will still have a special place on my shelves for sentimental reasons though.

Sienna Mercer "My Sister the Vampire: Fangtastic"

This is a book my ten year old has had her eye on for a while. She was ecstatic when my 12 year old was given it for her birthday from one of my friends.

All three of us have read it now and all three of us have enjoyed it. It is the second book (I think it is the second one anyway) in a series of twin girls who were separated at birth at meet in high school. Ivy is a vampire and Olivia is human. They are firm friends and thrilled to have discovered each other but only one other person knows they are related. Their parents don't know. No-one at their school knows. And the secret community of vampires in the area don't know. Olivia is the only human to know about the existence of the vampire community. In this story, this quiet existence comes under threat when a ditzy reporter called Serena Star is determined to prove that vampires are living there!

"Fangtastic" has lots of references to the vampires we all know and love. Garlic, death by stake, coffins, sparkles (as being a distasteful thing! Sorry Twilight fans) and there is even an 'interview with a vampire'. A fun, age appropriate way for younger readers to join in on the vampire craze. Plus who doesn't love long lost twin sisters?! Recommended for 9 plus, although the story is more then appropriate for younger confident readers. We are looking forward to finding the rest of the series!

Penny Vincenzi "Sheer Abandon"

I need to start this post with the saying "never judge a book by it's cover" which I really know is a good way to live your life, and then I need to follow up by confessing in this case I did. I picked this book up cheaply from somewhere (although this isn't uncommon! This is pretty much how I get all my books) and sort of wrinkled my nose up.

I am glad I bought it! "Sheer Abandon" is the story of three girls - Martha (a high powered corporate lawyer beginning a career in politics), Clio (a doctor married to a domineering surgeon) and Jocasta (a newspaper reporter). They meet briefly while traveling straight out of high school, swear everlasting friendship and then, of course, don't keep in touch. Sixteen years later their lives overlap again and also overlap with a girl called Kate. Kate was born in an airport 16 years prior and abandoned. One of them is her mother.

The story is brilliantly written. I admit I worked out who was the mother before the book revealed, but it certainly wasn't a give away. There are twists and turns and clues and dead ends before the answer is given. The story doesn't end here however. Each of the main characters is shown in many levels. A classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover".

Stories of their own past. Relationships with partners, parents and friends. Heartbreak of infertility. The torn emotions of adoption, both for the child and the parents who have to deal with the fact their child is trying to find their birth family. Struggle of balancing life and career with love and family. Old scars of the past. Hope for the future. Infidelity. Choices. Spur of the moment decisions and waiting too long to make decisions. In the background featured is the "glamorous" worlds of fashion, politics and the media and there are many references to contemporary world events.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to hunting up more of Penny Vincenzi's novels.

Madeleine Wickham "Swimming Pool Sunday"

For those of you who don't know, Madeleine Wickham is the real name of Sophie Kinsella (of "Shopoholic" fame). Before she was published under Sophie Kinsella she had written several books as Madeleine Wickham. Be warned! They are of quite a different style, which of course is one of the reasons they are published under a different name. As a side note, one thing I find funny about this is I had commented to people Sophie Kinsella was an author who you could watch maturing in writing style with each bit. Since "discovering" Madeleine Wickham it is worth noting that I didn't get this feel in her books.

"Swimming Pool Sunday" is the story of a village torn apart by an accident. An accident caused by someone wanting to help others. It is also the story of the emotions and effects of a couple going through a divorce and their children. Lawyers involvement and personal feelings further complicate the issue. Different people have different loyalties to all of the parties involved. Other issues concerned are the power, and otherwise, of litigation, grief and a child with special needs. It deals with the guilt of motherhood and the always present thoughts of "what if". It is a story that shows no-one is perfect and reminds us all that nothing is black and white and to always look at the shades of grey.

I really enjoyed this book! I managed to buy three at the same time and I am very much looking forward to reading the others.

I may have stopped breathing

I just went for 48 hours without reading a single page of a single book. I do not remember the last time this happened. You will be pleased to know I have checked. I am still alive. I am happy about this!!

Pamela Pope "A Collar of Jewels"

I have read this book a few times before. It isn't one I read all the time but was certainly one I enjoyed re-reading.

The story starts in 1890, when Ellie, the daughter of a rich Catholic business man, by chance meets Max, the son of a poor Jewish carpenter working as a waiter. Max saves Ellie's life but the two do not come into contact again for a few years. What follows is a story of romance, one-sided love, bravery, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness and prejudices that spans two decades. It is set in England and the US in the early twentieth century and during World War I against the background of poverty, extreme wealth, business and the war zone. There are references to unionism, the growing rail industry, family disputes and the issues of an inter-religious marriage.

Ellie falls for Max and he ends up marrying her when she finds herself pregnant. Circumstances eventually mean they flee to England, funded by money from Ellie's mother much to Max's discomfort. Max then abandons Ellie to fend for herself and their baby son while he returns to the US and so the years progress.

"A Collar of Jewels" is a typical example of its genre, but it is a good read. I imagine I will read it again!

Ann Pearlman "The Cookie Club"

I found this book at a school fete and I was particularly excited because I had never heard of cookie clubs before until a friend of my returned to Australia last year after living in the US for five years. This year she is looking at having her own cookie party!

"The Cookie Club" I guess could be categorised as chick lit of older chicks? Women's fiction might be a better description (I might need to do some research on how to work out what genre a book belongs to!). Set around an annual Christmas cookie club complete with rules, old friends, a new friend and cookies it discusses major life issues but looking back briefly on major life issues that have made each of the women the way they are.

Marnie, aka as Head Cookie Bitch, is the narrator. A single mother, two adult daughters and on the brink of becoming a grandmother. It is through her eyes that the story is told and the insight into each of the other women is based on her recollections of shared memories or shared confidences. Still birth, abusive relationships, adoption, childlessness, drug addiction, divorce and many other topics are touched on. Despite all this it is definitely a light read.

A touch I particularly liked was the recipe at the beginning of each chapter and the historical/cultural/symbol insight into different ingredients at the end of each chapter.

The book was a nice light read.

Juliet Marillier "Heart's Blood"

I was given this book to read by a friend ages ago when she heard how much I had enjoyed Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest" and some of its sequels, but I have only just read it.

Based on the classic fairy-tale "Beauty and the Beast" the book follows the story of a young female scribe called Caitrin who runs away from a cruel husband. She ends up in the household of Lord Anluan. A lord who has been deformed. A lord who lives in a castle no-one will go near. A lord who does not, or cannot, do his duty by the people of the greater area he is responsible for, yet at the same time has the ultimate loyalty of the few members of his household. A lord with a secret. A lord who lives in a castle in a wood filled with whispers and shadows and voices and eyes.

Caitrin is hired to help Anluan uncover a secret so that he can find the way out of the curse that has been on his family for generations and as the story progresses she slowly begins to unravel the mystery and comes to realise the enormity of the horror she has come across.

This was a great book!! It took me a few chapters to get into it, which I find is usual for me with this type of book. It also took me probably longer then it should have for me to get all the characters sorted out in my head. They all have old Irish names, which adds to the feel of the story, but I always find it just makes it that little more complex to follow. As a random side point, I was particularly excited with the reference the old Irish law as I spent a semester studying it a few years ago (Probably not of interest to most people! I do realise this!). I am looking forward to re-reading it at some point as I think there were some aspects I missed. Definitely recommending this one.

The Void

I have been reading, just not blogging about it! My train reading is fairly complex and I am loving the story but it takes concentration so I am reading it slower then I normally do. My home reading has been all over the place. I have read a few Cathy Cassidy books that the girls have given to me. The big two are loving them and if the girls love a book they give it to me because I just have to read it too! They are good :) Plus I have been re-reading a number of the Abbey Girl books after doing the last review. I haven't reviewed all these. I will at some point, but I read them every year, often two or three times so that can wait! I have also been reading a new adult book that I am not finding very absorbing so I am just taking my time. Stay tuned for new reviews!

I love a good book sale! But .....

Borders has a massive book sale on at the moment! Usually this would make me really happy, but having Borders closing down and going into the shop that was half empty was just sad. The fact they were playing sad music probably didn't help either.

I did get a couple of books today, including a birthday present for Miss Aimee, but not that many. Most of them were still more then I can buy them for second hand. I am going back next week though. Yes, I feel a little like a vulture, or a seagull, but if the store is going to go anyway, I feel it is my duty to support it to its last breath.

Elsie J. Oxenham "The Abbey Girls Play Up"

I have to start this post by saying how much I love the Abbey Girl books. Although, I am aware they are very much for a select audience. They are now collectibles although I am by no means an expert on what is considered rare or valuable. My own collection has been obtained through ebay and secondhand shopping and all have been less then $25 (Australian) and in most cases a lot less! The books show all the classic stereotypes of their times as is to be expected. If you are going to try them, this is simply a product of the genre.

If you have not come across them before, the Abbey Girl books are a series written for girls set around a restored abbey in the set of a manor house in England during the twenties and thirties. The early books rotate around three girls. Cousins, Joan and Joy and their friend Jen. Later Rosamund, Maidlin and Mary-Dorothy are added as key figures. As the series progress, they grow up, their circle of friends is extended and they all have children. Later still, their children become the key figures in many of the books. The Hamlet Club, their school's folk dancing group, and the role they all play as Queens play a key part in the series. Alongside helping others and the "Abbey's" spirit of adoption.

"The Abbey Girls Play Up" chronologically is set around the middle period of the series. Joan, Joy and Jen are all married with young families. This particular story is one of the books that is a little different in the sense that it focuses on a friend rather then one of the main "family". Cecily Brown is an orphan who loves music. Through a series of events Cecily comes in contact with Abbey family and they make her dreams come true, in ways she never could have hoped for.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who likes Elsie J. Oxenham's other books or books by Dorita Bruce, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Enid Blyton's school stories and others by that type. I have been reading these since I was about 8, although if you were looking for one to introduce to a younger reader, I would suggest going with one of the earlier books. I would also suggest that it would have to be a girl (at the risk of stereotyping) who was already fairly well read. My own girls (12, 10 and 8) have yet to "get" these books although they have all had a go at reading them at some point. At this point in my house they are still my books!

Cate Kendall "Gucci Mamas"

It is no secret that I love chick lit. That said, I do appreciate that there is a difference in quality and style amongst the books that fit in the chick lit genre.

"Gucci Mamas" would come under the broader chick lit/women's literature type category. As the name suggests it comes under the sub-category of books based around women who are mothers rather then the young and single. The book centres around Mim and her circle of fashion conscious, competitive mother, nanny hiring, circle of rich friends and her increasing sense of resentment for her life. One of the things that makes this different from other similar books I have read is that it is set in Australia. This added a slightly different dimension to it for me.

The characters aren't very convincing and at the same time not "clever" enough to feel you are reading a satire. If anything, I got the feeling that the writers would like to live more these sort of lifestyles. Minus the problems of course! Although realistically who wouldn't love to have unlimited money!

Despite the above observations, the authors have gone to lengths to show the hidden sides to each of the main characters. Additionally, every mother knows the perils of over-competitiveness amongst the school/playgroup/mothers' group set regardless of social economic circles and those analogies are well done and will make you smile.

I wouldn't rush to recommend this book and if you don't read a lot I wouldn't put this book on your list. However if you read a lot, have kids and like chick lit give it a go!

Freya North "Secrets"

This is only the second book I have read of Freya North's and I liked it :) I will re-read and review the other one I read later.

This book has been my 'train-reading' for the last week or so and it was a good pick. It was compelling enough to keep my attention on the train, simple enough that it didn't need total concentration and was easy enough to put down although I looked forward to my next train trip so I could pick it up again.

I found the narration style took me a little bit to get used to. Especially I think because my last train book was "The Queen's Fool" (see earlier reveiw) and they are very different books on every level.

"Secrets" is primarily written as a narrative (I probably need a better word here but I can't think of one). There is dialouge between the characters, but most of the story is told to you and about them. It is the story of an unlikely friendship between two people who are both hiding from themselves and others. The story features:- Tess an young mum who is running away with her daughter Em; Joe who hires her as a housesitter; Wolf Joe's dog and a few other locals. It wasn't until the end of the book that I really clicked how few characters there were. The style of the book didn't really require more characters and I don't theink they were missed. Bridges, beaches, secrets and the clash of worlds feature. Themes also include lonliness, financial struggles and the plight of the elderly. These themes are not in a judgemental or preachy way but they are there.

*Warning* there were a number of sex scenes. Not detailed but to the point. Just in case you don't like this sort of thing.

I enjoyed the book and I was sorry when it ended.

Sue Townsend "Queen Camilla"

If you like the Adrian Mole books and if you like the Royal Family and if you can handle people making fun of the Royal Family, you will like this book. A sequel to 'The Queen and I' this book was fun! It is written in a similar style to Sue Townsend's other books it potters along. The story is set in an England when the monarchy has been toppled and the Queen and the rest of the Royal family are forced to live like commoners in a certain area, wear ankle tags and live under the scrutiny of what is rapidly becoming a dictatorship.

Fun bits for me include the running commentary by the dogs, which the human characters in the book can't understand, and the continual reference to all sorts of general Royal trivia and idiosyncrasies of different members of the Royal family. I have to admit, after getting caught up in the hype of the recent Royal wedding and all the general information about the Royal family in the media at the time, I found this particularly amusing.

This book is by no means anti-monarchist and talks about the Royal family with affection, even if it is deep in caricatures which is what you would expect from a book by Sue Townsend. If you don't like the Royal family, I think you would still enjoy this book for the simple fact it does make fun of them! A good read with enough substance to keep your entertained but without having to think too hard.

Meg Cabot "Avalon High"

I bought this book for my 10.5 year old daughter, Erin, on the proviso that I read it first after getting an unpleasant shock when I read one of Meg Cabot's other books for one of the girl's 8th birthday a few years ago. (I will write about this at a later date when I have re-read it. I did enjoy the book! It was just not appropriate reading for a child so young). I really enjoyed the book! And I am happy to report Erin did too and is planning on writing her own review later.

Avalon High is set in the early 21st century and is the story of Ellie who starts at a new high school and consequentially meets a whole heap of new people. As Ellie begins to meet people at her new school she beings to notice a number of coincidences which are particularly drawn to her attention as both her parents are academics with an interest in all thing Arthurian. The name Avalon High is not a coincidence!

The story has a strong element of fantasy, while being firmly based in modern times. I personally found it a little scary although Erin didn't really think so. I might just have more of an overactive imagination then she does! The book is really aimed at readers of 12+ and is reasonably long. A confident younger reader would enjoy it too although should be monitored if they have my tendency to be a little scared by the paranormal and the story line is fairly complex. It was also a great introduction to the Arthurian saga without going into too much detail.

Philippa Gregory "The Queen's Fool"

I think I had previously started one of Philippa Gregory's other books but I am not sure if I had ever finished it (not "The Other Boleyn Girl" which I still haven't read), but after reading this one I will definitely be searching my shelves to find it and read it properly.

"The Queen's Fool" is a work of historical fiction told through the eyes of a girl, Hannah, who is in fear of her life by accident of birth, as a product of times and as a victim of circumstance when she is thrust in the household of the dying King. Whilst it is set in historical times and tells the story of life in the times of (Bloody)Queen Mary it is also a story of conflicting loyalties, devotion, betrayal and of finding yourself. The book shows nothing is black and white and throughout the book Hannah is shown everything is about compromise. The book wasn't overly focused on the historical side of things but definitely gave you sense of the contemporary times in particular the controversy over religion. For those people who are interested in that side of things there was enough said to inspire further reading on the period. Similarly that while romance featured in the book I would not call it a romance novel.

The book reminded me of Jean Plaidy's books albeit less focused on the historical characters. Jean Plaidy was my first introduction to history and the beginning of a lifelong love of all things historical. I will be hunting up more of Phillipa Gregory's books after reading this one.

Cecelia Ahern "The Gift"

The book appeared in my Christmas stocking last year, although I have only just read it for the first time, and was definitely seasonally appropriate! For those of you who have read Cecelia Ahern's other books 'The Gift' had the same sense of magic found set in the real world.

A police officer on duty on Christmas morning tells the main part of the story to a teen-aged boy who is going through a tough time and has been brought in for doing something stupid. This central story revolves around two men, Lou, an ego-centric man primarily focused on himself and his position in the corporate world, and Gabe, a homeless man who changes Lou's world. The question of course is, is it too late?

Almost a modern-day version of a traditional, not a Disney style, fairy-tale. Definitely a story with a moral told by Ms Ahern with her own style of fantasy. Surrealism? I haven't quite got the word for it!

My name is Catherine and I am a Bookaholic

This really says it all! I love to read. I am not actually convinced there has been a day in my life in the last 25ish years where I have not read at least one page of at least one book. Usually it is a more. I read on the train on the way to work, before I go to sleep. I sometimes slip in a few chapters before getting out of bed, in the ads if I am watching tv or if I am stuck waiting somewhere.

I read all sorts of books and I have been known to boast that I have at least one book from every genre. This might not actually be true. I guess it depends on what sort of genres you can come up with! This said, some genres I like more then others as I am sure will become apparent.

Just in case you don't believe me here are some of my bookshelves scattered around the house.





And yes I do mean some. These were just the ones that were easily accessible and didn't look too messy! Clearly I also like ornaments and photos.

So ... stay tuned for more posts and reviews on what I have just read (or in many cases re-read).