Theresa Smith's Blog, page 44

The Week That Was…

Happy New Year! I have set my Goodreads target at 100 books for this year, same as last. I’m not a fan of setting unrealistic targets, they tend to have the opposite effect to pushing me harder. I’ll be happy if I meet or nudge a bit past 100, particularly given that I will be juggling study with work and solo parenting this year. My week between Christmas and New Year was a busy one as I worked full time. Thankfully things will quieten down now work wise with the Christmas season finished. I already have a return to more normal working hours this coming week, which is welcome indeed! Given I was so tired each evening of the week and my kids were also away, I settled in front of the TV and made the most of having to not share it.

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What I’ve been watching:

I enjoyed all of these! As you can see, I was jumping around the streaming services all week.

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What Zeus has been up to:

Zeus highly recommends jumping in the muddy rush of water that backwashing the pool filter causes. Who knew that was what that white pipe in the backyard was for. 10/10

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What I’ve been reading:

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Until next week…

Life According to Literature Tag

THE RULES: Using only books you have read during the current year, answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. Let me know below if you’ve joined in too.

Thanks to The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for the reminder of this fun tag. I last did it on my 2019 reads, forgot last year, but I thought it would be a nice way to see out the reading year. So here it is, my life in 2021, according to literature! All answers are linked back to the original reviews on this blog.

Describe yourself: From Ashes to Song

How do you feel: Vinegar Girl

Describe where you currently live: All We Dream

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Eighth Wonder

Your favourite form of transportation: The Magician

Your best friend is: The Good Wife of Bath

You and your friends are: The Women’s Circle

What’s the weather like: Wild Place

You fear: The Sanatorium

What is the best advice you have to give: Say Nothing

Thought for the day: Beautiful World, Where Are You

My soul’s present condition: Fault Lines

A Year of Reading: 2021 in Review

I’m not doing a best of or favourite books list this year. I have read too many terrific and memorable books to be able to narrow it down so I’m just going to do my reading year in review using the Goodreads stats, partly because they look nice, but mostly because they have done all the work for me!

All of the books read this year have been reviewed here on the blog. All in all, it’s been a year of good reading. Cheers to that!

Book Review: The Family by Naomi Krupitsky

About the Book:

A captivating debut novel about the tangled fates of two best friends and daughters of the Italian mafia, and a coming-of-age story of twentieth-century Brooklyn itself.

Two daughters. Two families. One inescapable fate.

Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, loud and untamed. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends since birth, they live in the shadow of their fathers’ unspoken community: the Family. Sunday dinners gather them each week to feast, discuss business, and renew the intoxicating bond borne of blood and love.

But the disappearance of Antonia’s father drives a whisper-thin wedge between the girls as they grow into women, wives, mothers, and leaders. And as they push against the boundaries of society’s expectations and fight to preserve their complex but life-sustaining friendship, one fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested.

Only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late.

For fans of Elena Ferrante and Maggie O’Farrell, The Family introduces a stunning new voice in literary fiction.

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia – HarperCollins GB

Released 27th October 2021

My Thoughts:

Shades of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend blend with Mario Puzo’s The Godfather in this gorgeous historical literary debut, set in Brooklyn across the decades of the 1920s through to the end of the 1940s.

Violence and love coalesce on the page to create an unforgettable story about family, friendship, loyalty, and loss. Playing out against a background of a rapidly changing New York, this novel is so beautifully written, moments of pure poetry are frequent and the historical atmosphere was just sublime.

I have seen some criticism whereby the novel is accused of being all tell and no show. I dispute this. The novel has an omniscient narration combined with a literary style, two writing techniques that don’t necessarily suit all readers. In this case, I felt that it was perfect for the story the author was telling, allowing for an all-encompassing and deeply immersive experience.

I adored this novel and lingered over it for the better part of a week. I can’t say that it’s a novel that will suit everyone, but I do highly recommend it to those who appreciate literary historical fiction that focuses on character exploration and the lives of people set within a certain era, as opposed to a fast-paced plot driven thriller. The themes explored were thought provoking and written within the framework of intelligent and probing discourse unique to the era and circumstances of the characters.

A stunning debut from an author of great talent. Bravo.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

Book Review: Love Stories by Trent Dalton

About the Book:

A blind man yearns to see the face of his wife of thirty years. A divorced mother has a secret love affair with a priest. A geologist discovers a three-minute video recorded by his wife before she died. A tree lopper’s heart falls in a forest. A working mum contemplates taking photographs of her late husband down from her fridge. A girl writes a last letter to the man she loves most, then sets it on fire. A palliative care nurse helps a dying woman converse with the angel at the end of her bed. A renowned 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle he was never able to solve: ‘What is love?’

Endless stories. Human stories. Love stories.

Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, Trent Dalton, bestselling author and one of Australia’s finest journalists, spent two months in 2021 speaking to people from all walks of life, asking them one simple and direct question: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ The result is an immensely warm, poignant, funny and moving book about love in all its guises, including observations, reflections and stories of people falling into love, falling out of love, and never letting go of the loved ones in their hearts. A heartfelt, deep, wise and tingly tribute to the greatest thing we will never understand and the only thing we will ever really need: love.

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia

Released 27th October 2021

My Thoughts:

Love Stories is the book I never knew I needed until I started to read it. There’s a television series on Amazon Prime called Modern Love, stories of love based on an essay series that originally appeared in the NY Times. Real love stories written by real people. I feel like Trent Dalton has given us an Australian version of this all wrapped up in a gorgeous rose-coloured cloth bound gold embossed book that reads as beautifully as it looks.

I can’t tell you how cathartic reading this book has been for me. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling the weight of this no end in sight pandemic. Fear has made us all so divided. The vaccinated against the anti-vaxxers; the masked against the unmasked; us against them; me against you – it doesn’t stop, this general all-pervading vibe that if someone doesn’t agree with your stance on something then they are an idiot. It’s easy to forget that we are all people who have things we care about, things we are scared of, things we believe strongly in, things that confuse us. This book brings that back into focus. The things that connect us all at a time when we (*me) need to be reminded about what we have in common, as opposed to why we think we hate each other. I so appreciate the intent of this book, the timing of its publication, and the sheer bloody truth of it. Trent Dalton you are a legend.

Book Review: A Woman Made of Snow by Elisabeth Gifford

About the Book:

A gorgeous, haunting and captivating novel of a century-long family mystery in the wilds of Scotland, and one woman’s hunt for the truth.

Scotland, 1949: Caroline Gillan and her new husband Alasdair have moved back to Kelly Castle, his dilapidated family estate in the middle of nowhere. Stuck caring for their tiny baby, and dealing daily with an opinionated mother-in-law, Caroline feels adrift, alone and unwelcome.

But when she is tasked with sorting out the family archives, Caroline discovers a century-old mystery that sparks her back to life. There is one Gillan bride who is completely unknown – no photos exist, no records have been kept – the only thing that is certain is that she had a legitimate child. Alasdair’s grandmother.

As Caroline uncovers a strange story that stretches as far as the Arctic circle, her desire to find the truth turns obsessive. And when a body is found in the grounds of the castle, her hunt becomes more than just a case of curiosity. What happened all those years ago? Who was the bride? And who killed her?

Published by Atlantic – Corvus

Released 16th November 2021

My Thoughts:

Historical fiction that features a century old mystery set in a Scottish castle. Could there actually be a novel more perfectly suited to me than this? I think not. And what a treat this one was from start to finish. Gorgeously written and pitch perfect to both of the eras of its setting, I absolutely loved this novel with its family secrets and skeletons rattling around in the closets (or buried on the grounds, as they were).

I found the exploration of the mother-daughter-in-law relationship quite fascinating. The use of multiple character perspectives allowed for a more engrossing story where we could see the internal struggles from both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, affording us a unique insight into where the communications between each were breaking down, despite best intentions from both parties. It gave me much to think on as I approach the years where my children are all becoming adults.

‘For in the breaking and remaking that it takes for two families to come together, they would learn to welcome a new little earthquake, a small and unique person who’d need everyone to rethink the world all over again.’

I really can’t recommend this novel highly enough and I also can’t fault it at all. Hauntingly atmospheric and utterly engrossing, fans of historical fiction and age-old mysteries are sure to adore this one as much as I did. I can’t wait to read more by this author – and I just happen to have a couple more by her already on my shelves!

Thanks to Allen & Unwin for the review copy.

The Week That Was…

Less than a week! The presents are wrapped, now onto the food preparations. Today is reserved for the making of the traditional rum balls and rocky road. If I make them too soon, they end up all gone long before Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas food, I wanted some inspiration for the vegetable dishes for Christmas eve dinner and Christmas day lunch. I had a good look through both of these new cookbooks I have recently bought, but nothing jumped out at me as something to add to my menu. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty in both that I would make, but just not for Christmas. The Jamie Oliver has some fantastic cocktail recipes as well as food, and both books have such beautiful photos throughout, they are worth looking at just for that alone. But alas, I am back to square one on what vegetable dishes to make. Any suggestions of what you like to serve with either baked ham or turkey are welcome in the comments!

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Joke of the week:

In honour of my Nutcracker collection, this week’s joke is courtesy of a friend of mine…

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What I’ve been watching:

A trip to the cinema with my teenage sons to see the new and much anticipated Spider Man movie.

You don’t have to have seen every Spider Man movie to enjoy this. I have actually only ever seen the Tobey Maguire trilogy prior to this one. I liked everything about this movie, particularly the way they brought the different Spider Man universes together and it was also quite funny in many parts. Highly recommended!

And I’ve also been watching Christmas movies. I have to say, Netflix Christmas movies and I do not get along. I have yet to find one I can tolerate. So we’re cycling through the classics and enjoying them all the more for their timelessness. This last week has seen us watching a Christmas movie every night and that is unlikely to change right up until Christmas eve, when we switch to the Carols instead. I was very excited to see A Boy Called Christmas pop up on my Telstra TV Box Office as an express release last night. I can highly recommend this wonderful new Christmas film, sure to become a classic.

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What I’ve been reading:

All 5 star reads! How lucky is that?!

And I’ve just started this one…

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Until next week…Merry Christmas if you celebrate and best wishes for the festive period.

Book Review: The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman

About the Book:

When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own.

Thirty-five years earlier, Annie’s life was upended by a series of traumas—one shock after another that she buried deep in her heart. The decisions she made at the time were motivated by love, but she knew even then that nobody could ever understand—let alone forgive—what she did.

As the two women’s stories unravel, a generation apart, Nell finally discovers the devastating truth about her mother’s past, and her own.

In this beautifully observed and emotionally powerful story of identity, memory and the nature of family, Hannah Beckerman asks: To what lengths would you go to protect the ones you love?

Published by Lake Union Publishing

Released 5th October 2021

My Thoughts:

Sometimes a novel will surprise me with the force of it’s emotional hold. The Impossible Truths of Love is one such novel and I have to say, it stirred up a lot of mixed emotions and has left its mark upon me in a way that now has me waving it around as a must read.

Grief and trauma bleed into a situation where Annie is made to feel as though she is an unreliable narrator of her own life by those who love her and professionals who should know better. The situation as outlined within this story gives credit to the argument that once a person has been diagnosed with a mental illness, this will forever weigh in against them, discrediting them and dismissing their concerns, even long after they have been pronounced well. The way in which Annie was treated after the birth of her fourth child was shameful, even more so on account of its plausibility. I have to say, her husband’s lack of faith in her and his eagerness to just go along with the nurses and doctors instead of stopping and listening to his wife was worse even than the dismissal and patronisation she faced from the medical staff. I was angry at him for his assistance in the creation of a situation that could have entirely been avoided. I can see why things were never really the same between them thereafter.

‘Grief, she is learning, is love’s echo: it is not possible to have one without the other.’

This whole family was broken. Nell was treated very badly by her eldest sister Clare, who even when I (in hindsight) considered the family dynamics and what was going on at key times throughout Clare’s upbringing, I still found her to be a thoroughly unlikeable and entirely unpleasant woman. Laura, the middle sister, was a lot more grounded and easier to like, which just goes to show that two people can have the same unsettled upbringing but turn out entirely different in terms of the effect it has on them. I liked Nell as a character, enjoyed travelling this journey with her, and I really sympathised with what she uncovered about her own history and the decisions she was consequently faced with as a result. It’s not something anyone would ever dream of having to deal with and consequently, it’s impossible to really know how you would handle such a situation yourself if ever faced with it.

The Impossible Truths of Love is one I highly recommend to those who enjoy reading thought provoking novels that really dig deep into their themes. It’s also a great one for showcasing characters who act in ways that we might deem wrong while still totally understanding why they have done so. This was a terrific novel, with its many shades of grey, and I will certainly be reading more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

Book Review: Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

About the Book:

Find the second star from the right, and fly straight on ’til morning, all the way to Neverland, a children’s paradise with no rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests – all led by the charismatic boy who will never grow old.

But Wendy Darling grew up. She has a husband and a young daughter called Jane, a life in London. But one night, after all these years, Peter Pan returns. Wendy finds him outside her daughter’s window, looking to claim a new mother for his Lost Boys. But instead of Wendy, he takes Jane.

Now a grown woman, a mother, a patient and a survivor, Wendy must follow Peter back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and finally face the darkness at the heart of the island…

Published by Titan Books

Released 1st June 2021

My Thoughts:

Wendy, Darling is both a retelling and a sequel to the classic novel by J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan. Now, if you’re coming to this novel with the Disney version of Peter Pan foremost in your mind, well, you’re in for a bit of a rude awakening. But if you have read the original Peter Pan as an adult, this may seem like a more plausible direction. Or not. Depends how open you are to reinterpretations of classic texts. I like them, particularly if they are intelligently thought out, as this one is.

Wendy, Darling is a genre bending delight: fantasy, historical fiction, suspense, and a shade of horror. It’s quite an introspective novel, particularly in the chapters told from Wendy’s perspective. There is a lot of internal analysis on the effects that being whisked away to Neverland had on Wendy in the days, months, and years following her return. I enjoyed the structure, with the story see-sawing between the present and key moments of Wendy’s past. Whilst her brothers, John and Michael, feature in the novel as supporting characters, we are only privy to their experiences via Wendy’s perspective. The other perspective we are treated with is that of Jane, Wendy’s daughter, and Peter Pan’s current focus. I liked the mother-daughter dual perspective, particularly in the parts where we would see the daughter through the mother’s eyes and vise-versa. This is a particularly well structured and well thought out novel in both the telling and the characterisation.

Important themes underlie the narrative and I felt like reading Wendy, Darling offered so much insight into the original Peter Pan. We read these books as children and think only of the adventure, yet as an adult, we can often see something different within the story, a deeper intent by the author. I love the direction A.C. Wise’s thoughts have gone in for this novel. It all just made so much sense and seemed like a seamless continuation of what J.M. Barrie began. I highly recommend this novel if you are a fan of Peter Pan and/or classic retellings. Devastatingly haunting, Wendy, Darling is a novel I will remember long after turning the last page.

‘She could show him mercy. She believed him to be her friend once, after all. But the world already makes too much room for boys like Peter, boys who under normal circumstances grow up to be men like Ned’s father, who start wars and send boys like Michael home broken. Boys who never face consequences.’

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

Quick Shots Book Review: Cold Coast by Robyn Mundy

About the Book:

Inspired by the story of Svalbard’s first female trapper, Cold Coast is a gripping portrayal of survival within the stark beauty and perilous wilderness of the high Arctic.

In 1932, Wanny Woldstad, a young widow, travels to Svalbard, daring to enter the Norwegian trappers’ fiercely guarded male domain. She must prove to Anders Sæterdal, her trapping partner who makes no secret of his disdain, that a woman is fit for the task. Over the course of a Svalbard winter, Wanny and Sæterdal will confront polar bears, traverse glaciers, withstand blizzards and the dangers of sea ice, and hike miles to trap Arctic fox, all in the frigid darkness of the four-month polar night. For Wanny, the darkness hides her own deceptions that, if exposed, speak to the untenable sacrifice of a 1930s woman longing to fulfil a dream.

Alongside the raw, confronting nature of the trappers’ work, is the story of a young blue Arctic fox, itself a hunter, who must eke out a living and navigate the trappers’ world if it is to survive its first Arctic winter.

Published by Ultimo Press

Released 27th October 2021

My Thoughts:

As beautiful as it is brutal, Cold Coast is a magnificently wrought representation of life in the Arctic and the work of a fur trapper in the 1930s. The starkness and danger of the Arctic is brought to life, not just through the experiences of the trappers, but also through the darting and hunting of a little blue fox, who we meet as a kit, the runt of her litter, yet by far the most determined to survive. Each chapter of this novel alternates between the trappers and Little Blue, offering the reader a multifaceted story of Arctic survival and unlimited courage. A thought-provoking portrayal of female agency in the 1930s and a quietly unfolding love story, there is so much to Cold Coast, far more than I initially expected. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.