Jessie's Recent Reads

August Blue by Deborah Levy

A concert pianist is haunted by a woman she believes to be her doppelganger while travelling around Europe, as she both confronts and avoids her past. Elegiac, hypnotic and imbued with a sultry summer heat, I was mesmerised throughout. 

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

When the members of guerrilla gardening collective Birnam Wood – who see themselves as radicals yet rarely do more than steal garden implements from wealthy landowners – come up against a tech billionaire, values are dramatically challenged in this spectacular satire of corporate greed and liberal idealism.

Feast by Emily O’Grady

Feast is moody and unsettling, in a brilliant way. The characters shift and bend, as they change their narratives to better position themselves through the lens of history. It makes for uncomfortable reading but flawed, unreliable narrators are always my favourite kind.

Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary

Life is bleak for Juno, living in poverty with her seamstress mother and alcoholic father in ‘80s Dublin, until she meets Legs and their friendship changes everything. I will be raving about this one for years to come!

10 Minutes with Anna McGahan

  Do you have any writing rituals?

 I actually need to set a bit of a mood. There is always a pot of English breakfast tea, a playlist, and sometimes a dried eucalyptus leaf burning. I find setting up a strange little altar helps me see the practice as something intentional, and sacred. I collect little artefacts to have on my desk that reconnect me to the story. The ritual gives me a shortcut to wherever I left off previously.

  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

 I go in as a plotter, then realise my characters have minds of their own and they will insist on a different story. It always surprises me.

 How do you feel about the book now it’s out of your hands?

 Terrified! It’s difficult not to feel perfectionistic, to see things you want to change even once it is in print, but I’ve begun relating to it as if a child. It has a life of its own to lead, it is no longer mine to form. It will find its people, and the right ones will hold it gently.

  As you were writing, who did you have in mind as the ideal reader?

 Honestly, the ‘singular reader’ I wanted to present truth for was very specifically a woman who has experienced separation with young children, especially if she has done so within a religious context. That being said, I feel many people appeared as ideal readers along the way - especially those who are navigating suffering in any way. 

 If Immaculate was made into a movie, who would you see playing the main characters?

Oooffft this is hard, because it actually started as a script pitch, and I’ve imagined many different people (including myself!). For Frances (a woman in her mid 30s), I always imagined a young Claudia Karvan, or the incredible actor Yael Stone. Someone raw, fascinating to watch, compelling in their complexity. 

 For Mary (a sixteen year old girl), it would need to be a very young, eccentric, comedic actor. Potentially someone raw and unpolished. I had real teenagers in mind, instead of actors, but a teenage Celeste Barber or Steph Tisdell would be the dream.

 What is your number one rule for writing?

 If you force it, you will need to rewrite it anyway. Wait for flow - invite flow - cultivate flow with focus and ritual.

 What element of your writing brings out the grammar police in your editor?

 I love repeating words three times as a kind of poetic coda. A weird tick of my brain, it brings in a rhythm I like but my editor finds a little… much. 

  Do you have a favourite writing place?

 I tend to move around my house like a cat until I’m comfortable, but I do love my desk. I also did a lot of writing of Immaculate at Lucky Duck (a cafe in Highgate Hill). I tend to get more plot inspiration if I’m out of the house moving my body, however. A big element of the plot came from a night walk I took in New Farm Park. 

Are you reading anything at the moment?

 Oh God, my book stack…

I’m simultaneously reading Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros) and Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. I am about to start Emily O’Grady’s Feast and cannot wait.

What are you working on next?

 I’ve begun a second novel that is bringing me a lot of excitement. It explores the social ramifications of a paleontological fossil find that indicates extraterrestrial life, and follows the woman assigned to the controversial dig. I was inspired by the discovery of the first dinosaur bone (by a woman, Mary Mantell, in the 1860s), and the way faith groups and creation ideologies had to resist or integrate the explosive claim that dinosaurs existed. We haven’t found evidence of alien life yet, but when we do, it will have far reaching impacts on religions, conspiracy groups, and political agendas. A little like the pandemic, it will deeply politicise personal relationships too. 

 Can you tell I’m in the first throes of love? I love the dating stage of writing stories - by the time you get to the proofread in the edit you’re ready to file for divorce…

Riverbend Went to Conference...

This year’s BookPeople conference was held in the beautiful city of Adelaide — despite the rain and the cold, the Riverbenders thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

For two full days we — Suzy, Jessie, Vicky, Lisa, and I (Chloe)— were treated to illuminating sessions from all corners of the industry, from authors and publishers through to the book owners and booksellers on the ground. Where last year’s conference centered around sustainability, this year we came away with a sense of camaraderie and the urge to band together as a group of knowledgeable and passionate Independents to hold our own against the encroaching reach of online retailers and department stores. We were reminded why we do what we do — we love books to the point of passion, and we were filled with a sense of pride that our customers are loyal because they trust our recommendations.

BookPeople’s CEO, Robbie Egan, opened the conference with an inspiring speech that set the tone for the days that would follow; when a person feels that they are out of place or that they do not belong, they can always find themselves in the books that they read. Books are portals to other places, an escape. And we, as booksellers, are responsible for putting the right books in the hands of the right people. There were many sessions that repeated this sentiment: books are not just a commodity; they have impact. They can change lives.

At the gala dinner on Sunday night we heard from Richard Flanagan, who instead emphasised the mark books can make on history; how they act as the butterfly wings that cause hurricanes in future years. A kiss led to the publication of HG Wells’ A World Set Free which in turn prompted the invention of the atomic bomb that would level Hiroshima, a devastating event that meant, while thousands of people died, Richard’s father lived. We would not have Richard Flanagan and his formidable body of work if it were not for HG Wells’ urge to write futuristic destruction instead of dwelling on his own fear of love.

We also heard from Julia Baird whose new book, Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything is due out in November this year. Following in the footsteps of Phosphorescence, Bright Shining is a book about the meaning of grace and of choosing to give the benefit of the doubt. Just like a kiss can change the course of history in unfathomable ways, so too can an act of kindness, no matter how small, change a person’s a life.

Mem Fox joined us to celebrate 40 years of Possum Magic, regaling us with the story of the book’s birth; a book that was rejected numerous times, changed, cut down, re-written over and over again until it became the classic we know and love today. Not only are books in general important, but Australian books for Australian children are important. Books where children can see themselves represented upon the pages, where they can find a home. Books that will spark a child’s love and passion for reading.

On the same day, we heard from First Nations authors Aunty Munya Andrews, Dr Jared Thomas, and Victor Steffensen who again talked about the importance of diversity and inclusivity in children’s books not only for First Nations children to find themselves in, but so that everyone across the bookselling landscape has access to First Nations stories.

Talk of inclusivity and diversity travelled through both our genre bookselling session and our gala MC, Christian Wilkins — the speculative fiction genre (fantasy, science fiction, etc) is one of the most diverse genres in a store. The speculative fiction market has exploded with stories written by diverse authors with diverse characters and worlds at their core. And although Christian Wilkins has not written a fantasy book, he does break down the barriers between what activities are considered feminine and masculine in his children’s book Princess Mitchell.

On Sunday night we also heard from Suzie Miller, ex-lawyer and now playwright and author, whose one-woman play Prima Facie was picked up by Broadway and is the reason that laws around sexual assault cases have changed in the US. The buzz and traction that a written piece of art has had on the real world, bringing justice to more and more women, is astounding.

There were many panels, too, far too many to talk about in detail. We heard from Melissa Lucashenko and David Marr about their upcoming books — so different in their approach but equally as important. Lucashenko’s new book Edenglassie is due in October; two stories set five generations apart that paint a picture of colonial unrest and a re-imagined Australian future. David Marr’s new book Killing for Country is also due in October; Marr, upon digging into his own family history, discovered that his forebears served the Native Police. They were brutal, and Marr spoke at length about the difference between guilt and shame, iterating that there’s so much in Australian history that is glossed over or dismissed that should instead be dragged into the light and acknowledged.

We also heard from acclaimed journalist Nick Mackenzie who has written an explosive expose on war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, Crossing the Line; Ben McKelvey, author of biography A Scar is Also Skin: A Memoir of Stroke, Heart Attack and Remaking; and Rachelle Unreich, author of A Brilliant Life: My Mother’s Inspiring Story of Surviving the Holocaust. The lives of these authors and those they’ve written about are peppered with heartbreak and trauma. Theirs are stories of hope and of survival.

To call Deborah Conway and Wendy Harmer comic relief would only be to dismiss their work — so I won’t. The two did, however, provide some reprieve from the weight of what had come before. Each in their own way have made significant contributions to the Australian cultural landscape. Deborah Conway is a musician of great repute, while Wendy Harmer is one of Australia’s most recognisable comedians. The two are great friends, and watching them together was like watching two friends reminisce. We could have listened to them all day.

Overall, we had an amazing time catching up with independent booksellers from all over Australia. We also got to listen to a special performance from Kate Cebrano (who has a book coming out this year!), and they were quite lucky not to have lost us all to the gin festival happening next door.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s conference!

Does your child want to start a Bookclub?

by Xander Watts Pappas

I started a book club with a group of friends when I was 9 years old. I'm now 13 and we still meet up regularly. It is a great way to keep in touch as we all go to different schools now. 

I was asked to write about some of the books we read for our book club so here they are.

From all the books we have read these are my top three:

1. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This was one of the first books we read with the book club. In this book a boy called Percy Jackson finds out:

1. His father is the Greek God Poseidon;

2. Heaps of people are trying to kill him and

3. The Gods are about to go to war and it is up to him to stop that happening. 

I loved the Greek mythology theme and the amazing action in this book.

2.  Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Nevermore is a non-stop magical adventure that flips everything you thought you knew on its head. Nevermore is carried by its amazing characters such as Jupiter North (a larger than life hotel owner, member of the League of Explorers and socialite), The Wundersmith (a cool and calculating but perhaps misunderstood villain) and Morrigan Crowe (a girl, destined to die who is given a second chance in a new world). 

3. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

This is my current favourite book of all time, it's that good. This book, where do I start? It has amazing characters and writing, an excellent plot and my favourite character of all time, Artemis Fowl. Artemis Fowl is cool, calculating and cold. Artemis will do anything to get what he wants and he always does. His plans are convoluted and pure genius. He uses the oldest tricks in the book but he is still able to fool people. With his undeniable charm and persuasive skills, no one can say no to Artemis Fowl!

So there you have it. 

My advice to someone wanting to start a book club is to just do it! Ask some friends, set a date and go with the flow (also make sure to set some rules!).

What Chloe is Reading...

I once stumbled across a video about reading habits for those with short attention spans. In order to combat his lack of focus, the creator devised a plan. He would read several books at once on rotation. With five books on the hop, he’d read one chapter from the first book, then move on to the next. He’d read a chapter from that one, then move on to the next, ad infinitum.

As a fun project, I thought I would test the process.

Without further ado, here are the five books I am currently reading — and my thoughts so far. It has to be noted that every book below has me hooked.

DRAGONFALL

by L.R. Lam

In a nutshell: dragons hate humans. Humans worship dragons as Gods. A dragon princeling - the last male of the species - inadvertently bonds with a human magician. They both secretly need to kill the other, but need to use each other, first — and one cannot hurt the other without hurting themselves. Angst ensues.

The world building is solid and is not confusing, and although there is intended romance, the plot and the politics are the forefront. There is LGBTQ+ representation.

This book is for fans of a fast-paced, low-stakes fantasy with all of the tropes (enemies-to-lovers, anyone?).

THE FERRYMAN

by Justin Cronin

The Ferryman is an incredibly clever novel that could comfortably drift between the literary fiction section and the science fiction section.

In a nutshell: Proctor works as a Ferryman on an island touted as utopia. Those who live on the island are recycled humans; at the end of their life, they are ferried to a smaller, nearby island to have their memory wiped so that they can be made young again, and re-introduced to society as wards. Everything is not as it seems, however, and Proctor finds himself caught up in the conspiracy.

This book is for the philosophers — for those who like a ‘thinky’ novel. There are themes of class injustice, of family dynamics, and possibly the meaning of life. How would you feel if you knew reincarnation was a certainty?

THE BOOK THAT WOULDN’T BURN

by Mark Lawrence

How does that saying go? A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. That’s what it feels like going into Mark Lawrence’s The Book that Wouldn’t Burn. This does not do the book a disservice, though.

We follow two main characters - Evar and Livira - whose experiences read like entirely different stories. Evar has been imprisoned in an ancient, massive, magic library his whole life and Livira has lived a meager existence in the dust, outside in the open. Their stories start completely separate but slowly intertwine.

The world is unlike any I’ve read before, and the characters are so well-sketched you just want to keep reading. For those who love books about books and high fantasy.

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS

by TJ Klune

I am a TJ Klune fangirl and devour anything that he writes. In the Lives of Puppets is a loose Pinocchio retelling set in a future where humans have almost completely been replaced by AI. The main character, human Victor, is raised by one such machine, and in turn rescues and repairs other machines. Until he rescues Hap — a robot that shares a history with Victor’s caregiver, and who inadvertently throws their quiet lives into chaos.

This is classic TJ Klune. It is cosy fantasy at its finest with found family at its core. He puts a new spin on the discussion around artificial intelligence and humanness — something I think we all need to consider in the very near future.

CITY OF LAST CHANCES

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

If you’re like me, you know Adrian Tchaikovsky for his heavy science fiction novels. City of Last Chances is a new fantasy novel, and it is… epic, is all I can really say.

The book reads a lot like its cover suggests; it’s a little chaotic, but if you have patience and forge on, you will easily find rhythm in the chaos. Give it a few chapters and you’ll find your groove.

The city itself is a main character, and though threaded with many, many points of view — it works. It gives the impression of a city about to implode. There’s revolution. The city is at war with itself — as well as the magical land on the other side of the Anchorwood.

This book is for those who love political high fantasy.

Riverbend Readers Feedback - The Island of Missing Trees

Praise for The Island of Missing Trees was plentiful in this month's sessions, with a large majority of readers claiming to have fallen in love, quite unexpectedly, with a Fig Tree. Though most readers were a bit taken aback by the unusual narrator to begin with, they quickly warmed to her voice and her wealth of knowledge.

There were, however, a few readers who simply could not get past the talking tree. Though some pushed through and managed to get to the end, despite not liking the book at all, others gave up and put this book in the 'did not finish' pile. There were a few readers who thought it focused too much on the ‘hot’ topics of the day - migrants, trauma, mental health, the environment, and our careless treatment of it– and not enough on the heart and soul of the characters.

For most readers, however, this was a story that had everything they could ask for in a novel. They felt that the use of the tree as narrator was a clever way to impart knowledge about the natural world, and a way to give the reader a full picture of the story as it unfolded. The fact that the tree is neither Greek nor Turkish, (indeed, not even human), made it a truly bi-partisan observer.

Several readers mentioned that they now have a new appreciation of trees, and spoke about how much they loved reading about the natural world and the interconnection between plants and animals. A few even felt guilty pruning trees and bushes in their gardens after reading the book. Everyone agreed that the book made them think deeply about the parallels between humans and the plants and animals we live side by side with. A plant’s ability to sense encroaching dangers and to change their growth habits accordingly reminded us of our own tendency to protect ourselves by turning inward or shutting down when we are threatened physically or emotionally. The comparison led to a discussion of our various reactions to trauma. Often our worst habits, compulsions and avoidances are simply protective responses that keep the pain of being human at bay, but which ultimately make things worse.

We loved the analogy of families being like trees with entangled roots and individual branches jutting out at awkward angles and of family traumas being like the resin that drips from cuts in the bark, trickling down generations and settling and coagulating in cracks. The visual image of trauma flowing past some cracks and settling in others was a graphic illustration of the fact that some family members seem deeply affected by generational traumas while others remain unmarked by it.

On a more hopeful note, we were grateful to learn that resilience could also be passed on and that descendants of trees scorched in bushfires developed ways to withstand future blazes. Some readers had examples of families who had been through hard times and who produced many members who were made of tough stuff.

The efforts Kostas made to keep his fig tree alive in an unfamiliar and unsuitable habitat made us think of the extra protection and support migrants need to settle in a new environment. Most of us had never heard of burying a fig tree and were fascinated by the process. We loved how the author drew parallels between the burying and unburying of the tree, and the burying of secrets, and the unburying of bones. We talked about the difficulties of uprooting yourself and planting a new life in a different culture, about how the first generation struggle with the loss of leaving everything behind and the second generation take on the trauma. The tree itself took on its own migration.

A few readers knew about the history of Cyprus but for most of us this part of the book was very illuminating. Many found it hard to relate to the hatred that existed between the Greeks and the Turks and that people who were once friendly neighbours could never be spoken to again. That Defne’s mother would cut off her own daughter and threaten another one with the same fate if she ever saw her sister was unimaginable to us. We concluded that we were very lucky to live in a country that had not ever been torn apart by civil war but understood that first nations people might feel similar unresolved trauma to the Greeks and Turks.

Most readers loved Yusuf and Yiorgos and wished we had heard more of their story – how they had met and how they had overcome the prejudice to become lovers. Their murder was shocking, and some readers were moved to tears, however others felt somewhat removed from it because we knew so little about them as characters. We all wanted to visit the tavern and sample the delicious food in the beautiful environment they had created.

All in all, most groups loved the book finding it educational and thought provoking.

We look forward to next month’s sessions.
Happy Reading!

Britt, Laura, Vicky & The Riverbend Team

Review by Jessie - Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

“If you eat the bread, you’ll die, he said, and it sounded more like a caress than a threat.”

Based on a real-life mass poisoning in a rural French village, this is a hypnotic and often absurd fever dream of a novel that I read quickly, as though in a trance. 

In the aftermath of World War II, Elodie, the baker’s wife, lives a staid and frustrated existence. When a new ambassador arrives in town, his glamorous wife Violet quickly captures Elodie’s attention and soon, an obsession is formed. What starts as seemingly innocent fascinations soon turns into more sinister events. A boy jumps into a fire, horses are found dead in a field and the townspeople start acting in strange ways, all culminating in the final, frenzied day.

Told through flashbacks, as Elodie writes letters to Violet, the novel plays with subtle manipulations of power, through the characters’ desires and delusions and is constantly shifting the reader’s perception of what is real and who can be trusted. Sophie Mackintosh’s writing is silky smooth and incredibly effective at lulling you into a dream state, from which she then yanks you unceremoniously, leaving you dazed and confused, as though untimely woken from a nap. It felt like such a different reading experience and I absolutely loved being transported in this way. A perfect winter book, best enjoyed by candlelight, safely cosseted in blankets.

Classics Feedback by Laura - Brideshead Revisited

Most readers very much enjoyed our first book of the year, Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited listing the wonderful descriptive prose and the complex web of characters and plot developments as the main attractions. However, there were a minority of readers who were irritated by what they saw as the vacuous lives of the characters, the constant religious references, and the lack of believability of some of the scenes.

We talked about the fact that upon publication the book was criticised in literary quarters for not focusing on the more fashionable topic of the working-class man and for being too adulatory of the upper classes. There is no doubt that both the author and his narrator, Charles Ryder were infatuated by the world occupied by people like the Flyte family. As the son of a publisher, Waugh was not a member of the upper class and his hopes of being accepted by them were dashed when his brother was sent down from the elite Sherburne College for sexual misbehaviour. Evelyn was forced to attend a less prestigious school which he believed prevented him from being accepted into the better colleges at Oxford. Despite this Waugh went on to befriend many aristocratic people who lived in large country houses and in many ways the book is an elegy for the traditions, values, and way of life of these people which had begun to die away after the second world war.

Not everybody liked Charles Ryder, the narrator and central character of the book, finding him colourless and a bit emotionally shut down. Many had him pinned as the ultimate social climber whose attraction to Sebastian and the Flyte family was more about what they represented - beauty, luxury, wealth, tradition and social standing – than who they were as people. Although some readers cut him some slack due to the early loss of his mother and his upbringing up by a distant father in a dull and lifeless home most of us felt this didn’t excuse his callous treatment of his wife Celia and their children. However, we thought Charles was the ideal narrator who by not being vibrant and interesting himself could better observe and tell the story of those who were. Only someone who has not been raised on sumptuous foods or surrounded by magnificent art and architecture could convey the joyful experience of being exposed to it for the first time as a young man. Descriptions of fresh strawberries, cold champagne, plover’s eggs and beautiful country houses filled with priceless art would have been absorbed like a drug by a population who had been subjected to food rations for years and who had watched their historical buildings being destroyed by the blitz. We were sure they were a huge part of the book’s commercial success when it was published shortly after the war.

Many readers loved the character of Sebastian and we found his trajectory from beautiful, quirky, charming young man to a sick and prematurely aged alcoholic heart-breaking. Readers advanced many theories for his decline. Some said it was his repressed homosexuality which could not be tolerated by his religion (or any religion in those days) that sent him to drink. Others blamed a dysfunctional family dynamic – his father’s departure, his mother’s shame at being deserted, his lack of purpose as the second son or spare, the hands-off parenting practised by the aristocracy and his mother’s attempts to control his every move. Another contingent simply believed that he was born an alcoholic who didn’t get the requisite help. Mostly we saw a 19-year-old who refused to grow up, who was still attached to his Nanny, his teddy, the pursuit of pleasure and getting his own way and concluded that a mix of a mix of factors both genetic and environmental were at play.

We talked about the nature of the relationship between Charles and Sebastian and whether they were lovers or merely romantically attached friends. Some readers were very interested in this question and others thought it didn’t really matter. What was interesting was that same sex attraction was clearly a thing among the upper classes that attended Oxford in the 19330’s and Waugh himself was romantically linked with quite a few young men before going on to marry twice and have seven children. We thought it quite brave of him to incorporate an arguably gay relationship into a novel in 1945 particularly when one of the parties to that relationship was clearly based on himself.

We spent a lot of time talking about Lady Marchmain. Many readers initially blamed her for all the trouble in the Flyte family and branded her a religious fanatic and control freak who alienated people with her rigid beliefs. However, over time, some realised that this view of her was a bit simplistic. When we tried to pinpoint exactly what she did that was so wrong we struggled a bit. Perhaps trying to curtail her son’s drinking by having him supervised and followed when he was away from home was a tad controlling but most readers did not think it was the cause of Sebastian’s compulsive drinking and she didn’t seem to exert undue control over her other children. Removing all access to alcohol from Sebastian when he was at Brideshead was a not so unwise alternative to letting him drink himself to an early death under her nose. Others thought she should have arranged help for his addiction, but we weren’t sure that had Sebastian been offered rehabilitation therapy he would have taken advantage of it. A few readers thought she should have simply turned his remittance money off forcing him to provide for himself and grow up, but we all agreed how hard it is to deny support to someone who is still a child in so many respects. The balance between looking after someone and letting them make their own mistakes is a difficult one to strike particularly when the stakes are so high. Many blamed her fervent religiosity for everything that was wrong with the Flyte family but couldn’t really say why. Others thought that her shame and pain at being abandoned by her husband would have been great and she might have needed her faith to get through it. After discussing all this quite a few readers thought Cordelia’s assertion that ‘when people wanted to hate God, they hated Mummy’ might have some merit as did Cara’s observation ‘that Lady Marchmain was a good and simple woman’ who had been loved by a man (Lord Marchmain) who had not grown up and who instead of hating all the illusions of his childhood that had not come to fruition, hated his wife instead. We remarked how often in literature mothers get the blame for their children’s unhappiness when the father has been equally if not more remiss.

Julia was an enigmatic figure for some readers. We wondered why someone so beautiful and wealthy would want to marry Rex but we could see why she was attracted to his drive and ability to get what he wanted and his many points of difference from her own family. The fact that he was unconcerned with society’s conventions and was prepared to marry a catholic whose father had run off with his mistress also helped. Not many readers thought the marriage would last. As for her second love interest, Charles, we couldn’t understand the attraction and were not surprised when she broke off their engagement. A few readers believed her explanation that she could never be happy in a marriage that was not blessed and accepted by God ( or more accurately the catholic church) but most thought that was just an excuse to get out of a relationship with a boring and not very nice man who saw her brother every time he looked at her. We hoped she found fulfilment and purpose nursing soldiers in Spain.

Religion is omnipresent in the book and Waugh himself said the theme of the novel was the operation of divine grace on a group of diverse but closely connected characters. Since many people who liked the book found the religious references to divine grace mystifying and totally unbelievable, we concluded that it didn’t matter if a reader’s interpretation of a book did not accord with the author’s stated intent. A book gains its life in the mind of the reader and this one could easily be enjoyed as an absorbing tale about an upper-class family and their friend set during a time when the world was undergoing great change.

However, many readers were very interested in the religious aspects of the book and the role faith played in the lives of Charles and the Flytes. One reader came up with the interesting theory that the character of Nanny Hawkins represented religion or God in the story – always present and offering unconditional love and support from the beginning right through to the end of the story.

By choosing an agnostic as narrator we thought Waugh initially encouraged the reader to view the catholic faith as a complex game with interminable rules that produce ridiculous outcomes. Questions such as who can marry who and who can get to heaven are all dependent on fulfilling sets of criteria that even the staunch Catholics can’t agree on. Cordelia, Bridey and even Lord Marchmain’s mistress Cara all have their views on these manmade laws. Many readers identified with Charles as he watched on in horror as the priest was brought to Lord Marchmain’s death bed against his wishes and some believed that Lord Marchmain’s sign of the cross was an attempt to make the priest go away rather than a genuine acceptance of the Lord’s forgiveness. However, for quite a few readers, the theme of faith became more developed from this scene onwards and it was one of the most moving in the book. They felt that witnessing this genuine sign by Lord Marchmain started Charles on the way to finding a belief in God and the novel ends with him returning as an army captain to a dilapidated and repurposed Brideshead where his day is cheered by saying a prayer, ‘ an ancient, newly learned form of words’ before the flame in the Chapel. The reference to Charles’ conversion is subtle and many readers missed it, but for Waugh, who converted to Catholicism in his thirties and for whom the book was at least partly autobiographical, it was important that his narrator find peace in a belief in God.

Perhaps one of the most interesting religious theories we discussed related to Sebastian and his struggles with alcohol. Although he describes himself to Charles as a half heathen, Charles noted that he always ‘took mass’ and some readers believed that he had the most simple and unquestioning faith of all the Flytes. When he tells Charles that you can believe something just because it’s a lovely story he is talking about the beautiful parts of religion. The great art and music, the romantic stories, the colourful ornamentation of churches with their stained-glass windows. However, he was unprepared for the more difficult aspects of his faith namely the need to forgo self-gratification sometimes and put others first. As Sebastian’s life moves away from the pursuit of pleasure and beauty and he learns to deal with suffering and care for someone other than himself he is drawn closer to God until he finds some kind of peace as a lay brother in a monastery. We remembered Cordelia saying that Sebastian had a vocation to religious life but hated that he had it and we wondered whether drinking alcohol was his way of blocking out the voice of an innate spirituality that demanded that he give up his childish life of pleasure and turn towards more meaningful things. One reader observed that one of the most enduringly successful addiction programs - alcoholics anonymous -has a religious underpinning.

For many readers their favourite characters were those who provided the humour. We loved Charles Father’s glee at refusing Charles any financial help when he ‘ran short’ and thought it was pretty good parenting since Charles, with all his faults, at least distinguished himself from the other characters by working and supporting himself throughout his life. We thought Cordelia with her novenas for her pet pig Francis Xavier, and her collecting five shillings to buy African God daughters was like the court jester who illuminates the truth with her funny observations. Rex Mottram’s attempts at conversion and his bemusement at not being able to buy his way into the Catholic church, Bridey endlessly pondering whether he should be a Jesuit, a soldier or a politician while earnestly collecting matchboxes and Celia’s ruthless socialising all provided lighter moments and showcased Waugh’s brilliance as a satirical writer.

Whether we read it as a gripping family saga or a deeply reflective religious novel, Brideshead Revisited generated lots of interesting discussion over a range of topics and almost everyone was happy to have read it. As usual we learned and laughed a lot about literature and life.

Review by Chloe - The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

by Chloe

Garth Nix is one of Australia’s most prolific and successful fantasy authors. He writes across many age groups, with his latest book – The Sinister Booksellers of Bath – marketed toward the young adult audience but appropriate for anyone aged 16 to 100 (as Nix himself stated in a recent interview – I paraphrase – the labels are irrelevant and books are for everyone). The content of The Sinister Booksellers of Bath and its predecessor The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is designed for an older audience, however. Firmly set in 1983, this story will appeal to any who are nostalgic for the age of punk, of Bowie and MTV – even if the pop-culture references are mainly applied to books.

The main character, Susan, has strong Sinead O’Connor vibes (or perhaps Deadpool’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead), while her paramour Merlin exudes a Bowie-esque charm. In The Left-Handed Booksellers of London we find out that Susan is in fact a demi-human, daughter of a human mother and the mythical Old Man of Coniston. In The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, Susan’s wish to live a normal life despite her heritage is thwarted as she’s drawn into yet another mission with the left-handed booksellers.

It could be that I’m a bookseller myself and this series speaks to me due to its constant references to retail at Christmas and bookseller conferences – and books in general – but I think any lover of books and reading is going to devour this series. Susan, with her shaved head and her trademark Doc Marten boots, and Merlin – introduced, in this novel, as cos-playing as one of the Bennett sisters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – are an iconic couple. Their relationship plays a secondary role, however, the focus settling upon Susan and her reluctance to become the true daughter of Coniston. She wants to be normal, just for a little while, and at every turn she is reluctant to do what needs to be done – knowing that it’ll sink her deeper into power she does not want.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is a book filled to the brim with strong, multi-faceted women and non-toxic men – just the way we like it.

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Eighteen-year-old art student Susan Arkshaw arrives in London in search of her father. But before she can question crime boss Frank Thringley he's turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin. Merlin is one of the youngest members of a secret society of booksellers with magical powers who police the mythic Old World wherever it impinges on the New World - in addition to running several bookshops, of course! Merlin also has a quest of his own: to find the Old World entity who arranged the murder of his mother. Their investigations attract attention from enemies of the Old and New Worlds. Soon they become involved in an even more urgent task to recover the grail that is the source of the left-handed booksellers' power, before it is used to destroy the booksellers and rouse the hordes of the mythic past. As the search for the grail becomes strangely intertwined with both their quests, they start to wonder... Is Susan's long-lost father a bookseller, or something altogether more mysterious?

Review by Chloe - The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

by Chloe Townson

If you’re a reader who’s still chasing the high of The Hunger Games — the rush of needing to read the next chapter, regardless of whether it’s already three hours past your bed time — then I highly recommend The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

Violet Sorrengail is the daughter of revered General Sorrengail — all her life she’s wanted to join the Scribe Quadrant but, when the time comes to choose, her illustrious mother forces Violet to join the cutthroat ranks of the Riders Quadrant. Because that is where a Sorrengail belongs.

The Riders Quadrant is ruthless, many of its students failing to survive to graduation. Within its ranks are the marked — the children of rebels and dissidents, whose parents were all executed by General Sorrengail. Violet not only suffers a chronic illness that makes her bones easy to break, but also has a target on her back. Her main threat? Her wingleader Xaden Riorson, son of Fen Riorson, leader of the former rebellion.

Fourth Wing is the first title from new imprint, Red Tower Books. They advertise their books as ‘fantasy and romance’ which is exactly what you’re getting into with this book. The fantasy element is satisfied with dragons and magic and plenty of action that is not overshadowed by the romance — even if the romance is spicy. The first in a series, the pacing of Fourth Wing was exactly what it needed to be. It covers about a year in the life of our electric heroine where she bonds with dragons and discovers she is more than her illness and is capable of far more than she (and others) give her credit for. There are hints of political upheaval, of impending war, enough to know that the next book will not disappoint.

Fourth Wing is suitable for readers who enjoy fantasy that isn’t weighed down by lore and politics. There’s enough depth to keep frivolity at bay — it’s high-stakes action that keeps you turning the page (possibly until 2am).

Fourth Wing is released May 9th

Pre-order your copy below

Review by Suzy - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

by Suzy Wilson

Barbara Kingsolver says that ‘You can’t beat Dickens for a good plot’ but after reveling in this tremendous, well crafted, utterly compelling novel, I would argue that it would also be pretty damn hard to beat Kingsolver for plot, or for nuanced characters and fabulous gritty writing. I loved my days reading this story. 

Echoing Dickens, Kingsolver takes the David Copperfield story to Appalachia. This is country that she grew up in; it is in her bones, and her love of this place provides the powerful backdrop that gives the novel its strength. 

Demon Copperhead is the reader’s hero. He is flawed - an orphan, a victim, a survivor - charismatic, and blessed with much artistic talent and sporting skill. I am not overstating it, I think, to say that Kingsolver makes in Demon one of the strongest lead characters in recent years. But there are other heroes in this story: some extraordinary teachers, a doctor, several members of the Peggott family and a couple of anti-heroes (Fast Forward and U-Haul) who are charismatic and ghastly in their own right. 

It is a storm of a novel. It rages against the effects of endemic poverty, but particularly against pharmaceutical companies (Purdue* and others) and the oxy (Oxycontin) epidemic they delivered to the most vulnerable communities of America. I suspect the Sackler Oxy story is going to appear with relentless regularity in books and films (even the new Ted Lasso series has Rupert Mannion on a cruise with the Sacklers).

It is the characters who drive and ultimately make this novel outstanding, and they are with me still. We are all watching eagerly to see which prize lists this novel may pop up on in 2023. 

*“Purdue Pharma has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges twice, in 2007 and in 2020, based ondeceptive marketing that downplayed the risk of becoming addicted to OxyContin’. Sackler familymembers maintain they were unaware of wrongdoing by executives at the company.” NPR, 2022.

buy the limited edition hardcover of Demon Copperhead for the same price as a paperback!

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Review by Chloe - Weyward by Emilia Hart

by Chloe Townson

Weyward is one of those books that come in designated for the fantasy section but which could plausibly float into the fiction section.

We’ve all heard of the Weird Sisters from Macbeth. Apparently, they weren’t always called the Weird Sisters. Once upon a time, they were called the Weyward Sisters, which is the premise that underlies this story.

Weyward is perfect for those who love a family saga. We start with Altha in 1619, accused of witchcraft and put on trial. She is guilty only of using alternative medicine to the leeches the local doctor likes to prescribe, and her fate relies upon the unreliable evidence of men.

We then hear from Violet — a sixteen-year-old girl in 1942 who lives in a grand estate with her father and brother. She wants only to study insects and botany, but is instead foisted upon cousin Frederick, who has designs upon claiming the estate should he marry her.

Lastly, we have Kate — it is 2019, and she is running from an emotionally and physically abusive husband. She has inherited a cottage from her great Aunt Violet, whom she only met once. Kate, suddenly interested in her family history, uncovers the lives of the inspiring and independent women who came before her.

The magic in Weyward is a shadow in the corner. It is a whisper, a quiet voice in the background of the story being told in the foreground. Women throughout history have been accused of witchcraft for no other reason but that they are women who try to claim their own independence. This book is for the fierce feminists, the angry women, for those enraged, for those who would gladly claim witchcraft as their heritage.

Review by Chloe - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

by Chloe Townson

We all know the old adage don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s an adage I often repeat when recommending Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries to others. Which, when I describe the book, seems counterproductive. When one looks upon this cover they think ‘cosey’. They think fluffy, low stakes, light-hearted fantasy. Which… okay, this book isn’t not that. But nor is it entirely that, either.

Emily Wilde is an efficient, prodigious professor cursed to live in a time where women are not given the same respect as men — especially in an academic field. She is forced to work alongside Wendell Bambleby — the same age, but already tenured. To Emily, who is not good with people, the overtly charming Bambleby is an annoyance she’d prefer to be without. She’s glad to be out of the office and in the field without him — only to have him show up on her doorstep anyway.

Set in a world where Faerie are proven real and their existence is accepted among humanity, Emily has made it her priority to write the first ever comprehensive Encylopaedia of Faeries and, unfortunately, she cannot do it without Bambleby’s introduction. She grudgingly accepts his help (though he gets in her way more than he helps), and soon discovers that Bambleby is not all that he appears to be.

Yes, this is a story set in a cold climate. There’s a cottage and warm fires and homely food, and at times you will laugh out loud at the interactions between Emily and Bambleby. The story is cosey, in so many ways. But there’s darkness, too. The Faerie are not cute and sparkly. They are dark, and they don’t care at all about humanity or their suffering. Humans, to these Faerie, are pets or mere amusements. If this story is a field of flowers, be prepared to stumble across a few thorns.

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I fell in love with the characters — so well-rounded and fleshed out and who now live in my head rent-free. I loved the landscape and the setting, I loved the plot, which will only thicken in books two and three. For those who don’t like to start incomplete series, you’re safe with Emily Wilde - there’s no cliffhanger, and the bows are mostly tied up neatly. You can be satisfied by the end. If you want more, though, you need only be patient.

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10 Minutes with Richard Fidler

Do you have any writing rituals?

Not rituals as such other than getting up early in the morning, needing a quiet house, have a little – I literally have garret that I write in at the moment. I have a garret that’s in the attic of the house we live in and I have to climb up a ladder to get into it. But it’s an electric ladder so I just press a button, and it closes and I can hide from my whole family. Yeah! It’s great. First I thought when we got this house: ‘Ugh this is going to be a real imposition every time’, but now I love it. It’s great, being able to cut myself off from the rest of the family. And having that quiet is a really big thing for me. Having two strong cups of coffee. It’s nothing terribly remarkable, but having the quiet, the early morning, and the little place of my own that’s kind of nice. And being surrounded by other books. That’s a big thing.

What is your number one rule for writing, if you have one?

I think it is to sit still – and by that I don’t mean literally, but in my own mind – and to listen for things. I know that sounds very odd but to really listen to things. To sit there and hear the voices of what – as a history writer, hearing the voices of the things you’ve been reading, the sources you’ve been reading, they sort of talk to each other in your own head, which sounds slightly mad, but to be really alert for that, to be alert for the quieter voices, which often might have something more to say.  Often they’re women’s voices, too. Particularly if you’re writing medieval history, women’s voices are often muffled and in the background but you absolutely need to listen to them because often they’re not very impressed by these impressive men you’ve been writing about. And you absolutely need to listen for that.

And the other thing you need to listen for is to hear if there’s music in your prose. I was trained as a musician so I kind of like hearing a certain kind of cadence and if I don’t have it I find it very frustrating and I think the writing’s no good. And to begin a book with a certain kind of musical flourish and end with a coda is really important to me. So, like I say, sit and listen for a bit is good.

Sometimes actually you can do that in the shower, I don’t know why, but sitting on a problem with a book and going to bed with it, and then waking up in the morning and go for a shower, if you think about it, then you get the answer. And I think these things are given to us and I think that process is quite mysterious, and it makes me happy to know that these things are like that. So many writers I know and that I’ve interviewed in the past believe that they are given these things and it’s not necessarily from within themselves. So, yes. Sitting and listening, or standing and listening, as it may be.

Speaking of listening, and of cadence -- I listened to Sagaland on audio and it was brilliant. Will you be doing the audiobook for The Book of Roads and Kingdoms, too?

I have done! It has been done, yes.

Do you know what you’re working on next?

No. I’ve got a couple of ideas that are not quite coming into shape. Two very different ideas that are not moving quite right in my head at the moment, so I might come up with something completely different. And that might torment me for a bit to be honest. Because writing this book, wasn’t the book I was planning to write. This wasn’t the one I was planning to write after The Golden Maze because normally I rely on travel, I like to go to a place and have an adventure – or have had an adventure as I have in the case of Prague – but Covid prevented me from doing that. So with this I thought – let’s write about some people who were travellers just for fun because we can’t travel at the moment, and in my mind I can go to a place I can’t physically go to which is medieval Baghdad because not a bit of it exists anymore, it was all destroyed by the Mongol armies of Hulagu Kahn, grandson of Genghis Kahn. So I couldn’t get on a plane to go there if I wanted to anyway – I could go to Baghdad I suppose, I might have been able to do that – but that Baghdad that I’ve written about here, I can’t go to anymore. So I think I might – I’ve got a couple of ideas that involve travel. And I might return to that thing where I go to a place for a reason and then write a history of that place around it.

Are you reading anything at the moment?

Yes! I was just saying, I am so late to this damned party, but I’m reading Wolf Hall. I read that essay by Hilary Mantel in the London Review of Books and I went Oh, oh that’s really good, that’s really good year that is, that’s very impressive. It was brilliant and insightful and weird. So I thought I better have a look at this Wolf Hall thing and see what all the fuss is about. And oh my god, holy crap, what a genius, what a capacious mind, that knife-like ability to cut through to the heart of things, that sense of what people are like. The way she’s overturned the historical perceptions of who Thomas Moore and who Thomas Cromwell really were. I think the whole history of that period had to be looked at again because of her deft insight. Reading some of the biographical sketches of Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell now, they seem hopelessly naïve after you’ve ready Wolf Hall! So I’m delighting in it, I’m reading bits out loud to my wife who’s getting annoyed with me because she says she can’t read it at the moment because she had to be reading something else for her bookclub. So she’s got to pick it up and try to catch up with me.

JESSIE’S 2023 RECS

I started my reading year by returning to a classic. I savoured the indulgence of reading an old favourite – The Secret History – a palette cleanser, before heading back to the land of new releases. And there are so many! Here are just a few coming out in the next couple of months that I’m excited for:

Shy
by Max Porter

Not to be dramatic, but I am IN LOVE with Max Porter. Two of his previous novels, Grief is the Thing With Feathers and Lanny sit in my room dog-eared and perpetually close at hand. His language is experimental, dreamy and magical. Shy follows a few hours in the life of a troubled teen boy, continuing Porter’s exploration of the emotional life of young men in a way that takes a pickax to the heart.

Due April 4th

Birnam Wood
by Eleanor Catton

Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries returns with an eco-thriller about a guerrilla gardening group – if that doesn’t pique your interest then I don’t know what else to tell you. Catton is brilliant at shaping worlds that are deceptively layered and I’m so eager to see where this one goes.

Due February 28th

Cursed Bread
by Sophie Mackintosh  

Based on the true story of a mass poisoning in a French village in 1951, this sounds like a feverish and hypnotic feminist fable. I loved both of Sophie Mackintosh’s previous novels – she has a knack for unsettling you in a really satisfying way – so I can’t wait to dive in!

Due March 7th

Old God’s Time
by Sebastian Barry

A retired policeman settling into life by the sea is confronted by his past when two young detectives seek his advice on a long-forgotten cold case. Sebastian Barry is often not for the faint-hearted but the payoff is always worthwhile, in my experience and his perfect Irish colour palette of moody hues is my beach reading of choice.

Due February 28th

Crushing
by Genevieve Novak

This sounds right up my alley: darkly humorous contemporary lit with a bite. Novak looks at the fraught and ever-confusing process of moving on and starting anew in relationships with comforting hilarity.

Due April 5th

Old Babes in the Wood
by Margaret Atwood

A new Margaret Atwood short story collection, huzzah! I have only read the first story so far but it’s delightfully Atwood; crisp and matter of fact while somehow making you question everything you’ve ever believed in. I’m going to eke these stories out in between the novels on this list so as to stay in Atwood’s bizarre and wonderful world for as long as possible.

Due March 7th

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10 Minutes with Holly Ringland...

Do you have any writing rituals?

When I was writing The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, I would light a candle and some dried gum leaves in a bowl on my writing desk in Frenchie, my 1968 Olympic Riviera caravan that I bought in 2020 to use as an office. With the candle burning and the smoke rising, I would verbally pay respects to Yugambeh ancestors and descendants on whose land I was writing, and express my gratitude to be here. After that, I talked to the women of my line. I thought about what struggles they went through in order for me to have this life. I thanked them before I started writing. Doing so gave me a sense of mindfulness, settled the noise, but also allowed me perspective about how much bigger everything is than the fear of creating something new might have us believe. 

 Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am honestly a combination: I’m all about plot points before I go to my desk, and then once I’m there and have started writing to follow those plot points, I’m a pantser with all the details. 

Something I've learned about my writing process is that the physical act of typing on my keyboard is often my very last stage of a writing project. 

 While writing The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding I was reminded that so much of novel-writing, for me, is thinking and gathering scraps and fragments of story, then researching them and falling down all the rabbit holes that going through the research door opens. 

At the very beginning, when ideas are starting to split open and shimmer, my typical writing day looks like me staring into space, and handwriting bits and pieces here and there. This is my connect-the-dot stage, when lots of ideas can sometimes come flooding into the room of my mind. I try to treat it a bit like being at a party of guests who don’t know each other. I mingle, find the ideas that seem interesting, get to know them a bit, then stand back and observe as the ideas bump into each other, seemingly not knowing each other, until, zing! Connection between ideas happens. This process involves constant self-discipline to stay the course and trust the process, so I don’t disregard any ideas out of self-doubt or fear.  

 Once I feel the shape of my piece of writing (an essay, a novel etc) is known to me, as much as it possibly can be, then I got to my desk and my writing day is like a typical work shift. This is when the marathon, the graft of plotting and pantsing, of day-in-and-day-out writing happens.   

How do you feel about the book now it’s out of your hands? 

The way I feel now that The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is out of my hands reminds me of how it’s felt through my life to stand at the Departure gates of the International Airport, still there, standing in the same spot, after you’ve just watched someone you deeply love disappear from view in the boarding bridge. It’s countless emotions all at once: bereft, heartsore, wary, uncertain, grateful, excited, and buoyed by an awareness of what a gift it is to know this feeling firsthand. 

What is your number one rule for writing?

Write what you love, without shame. It’s as simple and as hard as that.

Before I’d finished my first novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, I was often confused, thinking that becoming a novelist meant I should be focused on the outer writing world as much as the interior – the world of agents, publishers, networking, social media, writing tips. Those elements very much have their place in an author’s life, but before I was an author, none of those things got my first novel written. The only thing that did was protecting the magic of my interior world, which we all have – our imaginations – and self-discipline. I realised I had to choose to use my will, over and again, to show up and to write every day, for however long I could. And writing was not always clacking away at my keyboard. It was staring at café walls and out of bus windows and into my garden and thinking about Alice Hart’s story. Thinking about moving it along. Every time I returned to my manuscript to write another line, I developed a habit of focusing on one question. 

Do I love this story? 

It felt to me that writing a novel alone, lonely, without any security or guarantee of being published was hard enough. So, while I was writing, whenever fear made me falter or stumble (which was every day) that question became my touchstone. 

Do I love this story? 

If my answer was ambivalent, I knew I needed more staring into space time to think, daydream, re-centre myself in the story until I felt reconnected. Until I felt that love firing in my belly again. I came back to this question again throughout the process of writing The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding and have continued to return to it through and after publication. 

Do I love this story?

 Are you reading anything at the moment?

I’m currently reading Homecoming, a painfully exquisite poetry collection by Elfie Shiosaki. I’m also very excited to get my hands on an advance reading copy of Meanjin, Brisbane author Claire Christian’s new novel, West Side Honey. It’s out in April 2023 and is about the ferocity of female friendships, taking up space, and all the delicious possibilities when we find the courage to dictate the terms of our own life and relationships.