Tag Archives: Goodreads

The Month that was…October 2023

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My blog is a little late but October was crazy busy.

The launch of my latest novel, Sugar Creek has been taking up a lot of my time and we have another wedding in the family in early November.

The reviews from the advance readers for Sugar Creek are coming in and the reception has been really well received. Check out some of the reviews from Goodreads.

Anne-Marie wrote, “Although this is a work of fiction, the storyline, events and characters are quite believable. I am always on the lookout for Aussie authors and am so happy to add another to my list.’

Christine wrote, “Excellent story telling. The book kept me engaged. The characters were easy to like and well developed.”

Marlene wrote, “A very good read, I finished it in only 4 days. She writes in a way that makes you really care for the characters. If you are looking for an easy read that plays with your emotions, you will enjoy Sugar Creek“

Now I’m preparing for the launch party and my daughter’s wedding all in the same month.

Sugar Creek is available now for pre-order and will be released 20 November.

What I’ve been reading…

It’s been a bit light on this month with only two books read. To be fair Bruce’s book was long and surely equal to two books. Watch out for the reviews coming shortly.

What I’ve been watching…

Like the rest of the world I watched Beckham and loved it. I was struck by the mob madness around soccer players and the mentality of striking out against Beckham as if it was his fault for their disappointment. It really gave an insight into the expectation of elite athletes by supporters. It’s not always pretty. Highly recommend this one.

Until next month, happy reading…

Book Review: The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

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I do enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books and have read a few. So I visited her back catalogue to find one that I haven’t read.

The Secrets of Midwives unlike some of her other books is set in the USA which threw me a little as I’m so used to her settings in Melbourne. Nevertheless, it made no difference to this page turner.

Neva is a third-generation midwife who keeps her own pregnancy a secret from her mother and grandmother because she wants to keep the father’s identity hidden. However, her pregnancy dredges up some hidden secrets for her grandmother Floss, herself a single mother. Grace who is Neva’s mother, can’t let the whole thing rest despite the fact that she has her own private turmoil.

There are three stories which unfold as we are put into the point of view of each woman. It comes together beautifully but I was truly gripped by Floss’s back story.

Hepworth balanced the debate around natural versus interventionist childbirth well. The whole story of childbirth and every mother has their own story, was very well done.

It’s a compelling and easy read.

Cover Reveal: Sugar Creek by S.C. Karakaltsas

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I’m very excited to show you the cover for my new novel which will be released to the big wide world 20 November 2023.

I hope you like the cover by Annie Seaton as much as I do.

Blurb

A missing man, a stolen baby and a plot of land where nothing grows. Are they connected? One person knows.

1948: Sugar Creek seemed such a welcoming town for Ellen, a young woman keen to share the news of her pregnancy with her fiancé Billy. When Billy signs up for extra work testing topical creams at the local military base, to earn money for their wedding, Ellen is nervous. Now it seems her fears were founded. Billy has disappeared. Devastated, Ellen begins to ask questions, turning the locals against her and putting her life at risk as she desperately searches for him.

2000: Instead of beginning her career with a dream job as a GP in a suburban practice, Dana has found herself jobless and facing the hospital board for a mistake she made with a patient. Herb Hipworth, mayor of Sugar Creek, is desperate for a town doctor and makes Dana an offer she can’t refuse. But when Dana arrives in the remote tropical town, she discovers the locals are plagued with unexplained health issues. Now, as she digs for the cause, she stumbles upon a decades-long conspiracy leading to an environmental disaster.

Sugar Creek will be available 20 November 2023 but you can pre-order on Amazon.

Book Review: Murder at the Dunwich Asylum by Karen Thurecht

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I recently visited North Stradbroke Island during their annual Arts Trail which I followed to the hall which was once the Dunwich Asylum. There I met author Karen Thurecht who has written a book series about Dr Hamish Hart. Murder at the Dunwich Asylum is the first in the series of mysteries and I couldn’t resist picking it up.

The setting is 1884 when Hamish Hart visits the island to undertake an assessment of the asylum but becomes embroiled in the deaths of two people, one of which is an inmate. The superintendant, keen to downplay the death insists it is suicide. Dissatisfied, Hart begins an investigation and finds evidence that the inmate, Emily Baker was murdered. His friend Rita comes from the mainland and together they begin digging into areas where they shouldn’t and put their own lives at risk.

I loved the island’s description particularly as I could visualise it exactly. I was keenly interested in the historical context woven by the author into the narrative snippets from the newspapers of the time for each chapter heading. I also appreciated the themes around the social problems such as alcoholism, abuse of women and mental health issues and how this was dealt with in the day. Being sent to an institution for being a disobedient wife is just one way.

Hart’s character develops he begins investigating and I particularly liked Wesley Wallace who is introduced in the first chapter. We never really know if he good or bad but his story takes a surprising turn.

If you’re after a bit of a mystery and some fantastic island history then read this one.

Book Review: The Fire and the Rose by Robyn Cadwallader

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This is a moving and brooding story set in 1276 England when persecution of the Jews was rife and a woman’s place was at home.

Eleanor moves to Lincoln to work as a housemaid and meets Asher a Jewish spice merchant. They fall in love in a town where religious divide is rife but they are joined by their shared passion for words and books. Eleanor learnt to read and write which was rare for a woman. When she falls pregnant with Asher’s child she is forced to leave her employment as a housemaid and attempt to use her skills as a scribe.

This is a slow story burying the reader into the small mindedness and unjustness of the time.  She is forbidden to marry Asher and their relationship is as passionate as it is fraught. I was surprised she was allowed to live independently with her child with little consequence but in this story she did with the financial help of Asher and another Jewish woman.

Cadwallader paints a picture of tension, violence and love in a time when prejudice and fairness was dictated by the King and fed into the way people lived.

The characters are well drawn, the writing beautiful and the story compelling despite being a slow burn.

A good one to read for those who like medieval historical fiction.

Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

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My first encounter with this author was reading her novel, Hamnet. In my opinion, The Marriage Portrait is even better.

O’Farrell was inspired by the real life story of fifteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici who, in 1560 married the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II d’Este. A year later Lucrezia died officially from a ‘putrid fever’. However, rumours circulated that she was indeed murdered by her husband.

And so O’Farrell begins her story on the day when Lucrezia’s realizes she is in danger. O’Farrell then weaves the story back and forth between that day and through Lucrezia’s life. We learn about her childhood as the middle child of a large and powerful noble family, her betrothal and eventual marriage.

We are immediately transported into Lucrezia’s life, inhabiting her thoughts, observations, and intelligence. She has great talents and had she been a male would likely have made a great ruler. But alas, the bindings of being a woman mean that she is cast into a role she does not want, that of a wife and breeder of children. And that of course is in keeping with the time and for years since. In our present day it nevertheless is galling as we cheer on her struggles for recognition and rights.

The structure of the story is clever as the two timelines converge towards a tense crescendo so much so that you cannot put it down.

There is a lot of description and sometimes I find in some stories that it can serve to slow the story down. Not the case for The Marriage Portrait as each detail puts us in Lucrezia’s point of view understanding her surroundings and her acute observations of people which serves to paint a complete picture of her world.

It is a masterpiece of writing, the characters so detailed that we know and fear for them.

This is definitely one to read. Don’t miss out.

Book Review: Bruny by Heather Rose

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Books about Tasmania by Tasmanians rarely seem to put a foot wrong for me lately and Bruny is no exception.

It is a fantastical story of a time in the future when a bridge costing two billion dollars is constructed to Bruny Island a short distance from Hobart. For those who know Tasmania and in particular, Bruny Island, the place is not highly populated nor would it warrant a six-lane bridge. Understandably an explosion which collapses part of the bridge brings Astrid Coleman, a UN negotiator home from the USA to help her brother, the premier get the bridge repaired before the next election.

While central to the book is the bridge, there are many other issues the author freely explores. One is the destruction of the environment, both sea and land. It is well known that the waters around this particular area have been polluted by fish farming and this is spelled out again with the advent of a bridge and tourists. The author doesn’t hold back on the political aspects and I enjoyed this immensely as she foresees into the future pinpointing Chinese influence and economic colonialization. She also throws a jab at the AFL and considering that Tasmania has just been allocated a team in the recent month she was remarkably accurate in her forecast back when she wrote this prior to 2019.

The author is passionate about what Tasmania has and what is stands to lose, forecasting the consequences of the climate crisis. The future may not be that unrealistic.

There is also a love story and one of family together with loyalty and the challenge of allegiance. But more importantly, it is a story of being home and finding the joy of the land we’ve grown up on and where we really belong.

There are many issues in this book which will have you nodding your head in agreement as you turn the page not wanting to put this down.

It’s well written, easy to read and highly topical. It makes me want to head back to Bruny Island again to see it while it still is pristine.

Put this one on your list.