Jenni Ogden

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Jenni Ogden

Goodreads Author


Born
in New Zealand
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Member Since
March 2012

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Reading and writing fiction is my passion, along with walking, swimming, reading and sleeping on beaches. Husband John and I live off-grid on spectacular Great Barrier Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to write, and we often spend time in Australia, preferably close to a coral reef. My latest novel, 'Dancing with Dragons' the winner of the 2024 GOLD Independent Publisher Book Awards for Fiction, Australia/New Zealand-Aotearoa/Pacific Rim, was published in July, 2024.. 'Call My Name' , a great read for bookclubs, set mainly in Queensland, Australia, is the story of two women, bound together by contrasting personalities, friendship, love and home—until motherhood rips them apart. My debut novel, 'A Drop in the Ocea ...more

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Jenni Ogden If I extend ‘my life’ back to my genealogical past, there are many intriguing mysteries. My earliest ancestors who arrived in New Zealand came on the …moreIf I extend ‘my life’ back to my genealogical past, there are many intriguing mysteries. My earliest ancestors who arrived in New Zealand came on the very first immigrant ship to New Zealand, arriving in 1842. George McKinlay and Fanny Cannon (love that name!) and their six children came to NZ on The Duchess of Argyle from Glasgow (a sixteen week journey), and had more children when they arrived in Auckland (which was very primitive at that time). I have followed them back and been to the house they lived in, in Paisley, Scotland, where they were weavers, and been in the church where they married. However, according to the Census they were not born in Scotland, but in Ireland, possibly Northern Ireland, as they were protestants and there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between Northern Ireland and Scotland as they were so close geographically, and therein lies the mystery. I can find no records of them in Ireland, whether by searching records or by going to Ireland and searching. So many records were lost in Ireland, sadly. Indeed there are many ‘mysteries’ or more accurately ‘stories to be discovered’ in my genealogy, as all of my ancestors emigrated to NZ from the UK between 1842 and 1862, the most ‘recent’ ones to the goldrush in the 1860s. Their courage and ‘fortitude’ and the hard lives they led makes life today seem very easy.(less)
Jenni Ogden I have two favorite couples, both in the same novel, "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner. This book also happens to be my favorite novel! Larry an…moreI have two favorite couples, both in the same novel, "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner. This book also happens to be my favorite novel! Larry and Sally Morgan and Sid and Charity Lang become friends as young marrieds in the late 1930s. They meet in Madison, Wisconsin when Larry and Sid both have junior academic positions in the English department at the university. The Langs are 'old money' and the Morgans struggle financially but they become close friends, and their friendship lasts over decades, surviving many challenges. The reasons I enjoy them so much are many; each of the four is very different, the two couples remain faithful to their partners over the years (unusual in fiction about couples!), yet this is an engrossing story about the power of true friendship. The fact that it is so beautifully written by one of the greatest American novelists is also a major factor! (less)
Average rating: 4.12 · 5,141 ratings · 689 reviews · 6 distinct worksSimilar authors
A Drop in the Ocean

4.14 avg rating — 3,865 ratings — published 2016 — 12 editions
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The Moon Is Missing

4.02 avg rating — 583 ratings — published 2020 — 4 editions
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Dancing with Dragons

4.16 avg rating — 215 ratings — published 2024 — 10 editions
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Call My Name

3.99 avg rating — 197 ratings6 editions
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Fractured Minds: A Case-Stu...

4.28 avg rating — 173 ratings — published 1996 — 10 editions
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Trouble in Mind: Stories fr...

4.06 avg rating — 109 ratings — published 2012 — 14 editions
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99 Cent E-Book Sale On Now!

Grab your copy now and see why it has taken off. Tell your Book Club, tell your friends. Sold by Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Apple. Read more of this blog post »
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Published on September 16, 2018 21:00
Three Days in June
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by Anne Tyler (Goodreads Author)
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The Calamity Club
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by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
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Frog's Legs
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Jenni’s Recent Updates

Jenni Ogden is currently reading
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
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The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
The Calamity Club
by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
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The Black Loch by Peter  May
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The Making of Marigold McGrath by Carrie Hayes
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I found the first part of this novel interesting, especially Marigold’s love of photography and the role it played in her efforts to do her bit as an American living in wartime England, but as a character she was hard to believe in, or if she was a ‘ ...more
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The Black Loch by Peter  May
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A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
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I think this may be the best memoir I have ever read; definitely one of the best. It begins as best-selling Canadian author, Miriam Toews, receives an invitation to an event in Mexico where writers from around the world read an essay they have writte ...more
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Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey
Everything She Didn’t Say
by Jane Casey (Goodreads Author)
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Wow! This is the first book I have read by Jane Casey, and it won’t be the last! A suspense /detective story set in an evocative coastal Ireland with two likeable and of course flawed Dublin detectives, spooky houses, unreliable narrators, and a very ...more
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Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu
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At first I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to continue reading this crazy novel with the inspired title and cover, but was intrigued enough to continue, and was glad I did! Elizabeth, the 1st person protagonist, was brilliantly portrayed to the extent t ...more
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The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict
The Mitford Affair
by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)
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It is never easy to write about historical characters who are not likeable, and in this historical novel centering on the infamous Mitford sisters, Benedict had plenty to work with. Focusing on three of the sisters, Nancy, the novelist, socialite Dia ...more
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The Anniversary by Andrea Bajani
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I fear the style of this novel made it a struggle to read and keep any interest in. Perhaps it was in part because it was translated? The story of a mother who was silenced and abused told through the eyes of her son is not a pleasant story, but the ...more
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Quotes by Jenni Ogden  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“May the road rise to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home And may the hand of a friend always be near. May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you. —Traditional Irish Blessing”
Jenni Ogden, A Drop in the Ocean

“The pathogen-free pig is considered a possible candidate,”
Jenni Ogden, Fractured Minds: A Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology

“I was the first to arrive, and Bill was in the process of cleaning his barbecue. He looked about forty, and he told me that he and Violet had been on the island for three years, ever since he’d been made redundant from his job in Sydney. Apart from helping Tom out when he needed it, he and Violet managed a group of four holiday cabins for an absentee owner, and also ran a low-key café in the holiday season. They loved it and intended to stay until the kids had to go to secondary school”
Jenni Ogden, A Drop in the Ocean

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Book Loving Kiwis: Trouble in Mind 9 36 Mar 02, 2013 04:55PM  
Book Loving Kiwis: Group Read Challenge 2013 3 37 Jul 26, 2013 12:46PM  
Book Loving Kiwis: This topic has been closed to new comments. Books by our NZ Author Members 69 215 Jan 31, 2015 08:54PM  
Ladies & Literature: Guess the number and WIN A BOOK! 66 24 May 13, 2016 10:38AM  
Aussie Readers: Limited Time E-book Sale 'A Drop in the Ocean' 2 11 Aug 14, 2016 04:09AM  
Crazy Challenge C...: Woodstock 109 105 Jan 18, 2017 04:15PM  
Book Loving Kiwis: This topic has been closed to new comments. Books by our NZ author members 91 236 Jan 26, 2017 02:43PM  
Crazy Challenge C...: FALL 2016 SCAVENGER CHALLENGE: Make Your Own Apple Cider 177 151 Jan 16, 2018 01:53PM  
“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
Anna Quindlen

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
Dr. Seuss, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!

“Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.”
Atul Gawande, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

“We always hope for the easy fix: the one simple change that will erase a problem in a stroke. But few things in life work this way. Instead, success requires making a hundred small steps go right - one after the other, no slipups, no goofs, everyone pitching in.”
Atul Gawande, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

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message 2: by Jenni

Jenni Ogden Signora wrote: "I look forward to your book updates. I keep adding to my to-read list...just hope I have enough "life" left to read them all!!! Thank you."

And I hope I have enough life left to write them! Thanks for your support!


Signora I look forward to your book updates. I keep adding to my to-read list...just hope I have enough "life" left to read them all!!! Thank you.


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