Back to reading now the Olympics are over
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Dear Friends,I hope your week has been a good one and that with the finish of the Tokyo Olympics, any spark of excitement it ignited has stayed with you.
In breaking news, our newsletter has a new inclusion, For Kids by Kids.
This week's edition showcases the novel Who Killed Darius Drake? by Rodman Philbrick. Who Killed Darius Drake? is recommended for 8-10 years old by our reviewer, Miranda, who, being 10 years old herself, is well placed to make the recommendation. For any other young readers out there with a lockdown (or out of lockdown) book recommendation, please email me a short review (100 - 150 words) to be included in the newsletter. All entries will go into the raffle for a prize to be drawn on 16 September.
Our new release recommendation comes from Abbey's bookseller and literary judge, Lindy Jones. Scroll down to read what she has to say about Nick Earls' new novel Empires.
To receive a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations, our For Kids By Kids reviews, our guest authors' books and my books, just add the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for Abbey's online store.
Hope you can join me at Thursday Book Club this week. Here's the link to join us: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343
I'll look forward to seeing you.
NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION
EMPIRES by Nick Earls https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/empires-9781760898700.do
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- I have been an ardent fan of Nick Earls for years. His early books were about young men bumbling through the concepts of being responsible grown-ups; then he wrote of older men still trying to make sense of being adults. Good-natured humour and a fondness for his characters ran through his writing, and compassion for their situations.
In this new novel, his style has matured further, and the structure is less straightforward (something I would credit to his excellent set of recent novellas that is collectively known as the Wisdom Tree series). It goes back and forth across two centuries, starting with Mike, a middle-aged Australian in Alaska who is attempting to remake his life after a disastrous injury has stopped him from doing the one thing he was good at, and earnt money through; that and another personal tragedy have caused him to stop and take stock of himself. As a trainee real estate agent, his first client is Ellen, a former teacher whose late husband Walter was descended from old money, and listens to her stories of their life together.
The novel tracks back forty years earlier to when Michael's family moved to London for his father's work; then to earlier in the century following an episode of Walter's father's life; then back to Vienna under siege in 1809, before coming back to Mike and the year after he met Ellen. It is a novel of connections, and mistakes, and coming to an understanding and acceptance of the past.
There's a lot happening under the surface of this fine novel, and the characters are all handled with great sympathy. A very satisfying and thoughtful novel indeed. Lindy Jones
Enter the code THURSDAYBOOKCLUB at the checkout for a 15% discount on Abbey's new release recommendations and our For Kids By Kids recommendations.This code will also get you a 15% discount on the books by my guests on Thursday Book Club and my latest novels, The Teacher's Secret and The Deceptions. FOR KIDS BY KIDS
WHO KILLED DARIUS DRAKE?
by Rodman Philbrick
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/who-killed-darius-drake.do
Lockdown is hard. Once you have finished your work, you might be tempted to watch movies for the rest of the day. But why not read a book? It’s basically a movie in your head and your parents won’t get mad at you for being on screens for too long. If you agree with me, I suggest reading Who Killed Darius Drake?
Who Killed Darius Drake? is about a boy who receives a note written in blood saying “who killed Darius Drake?” But Darius was not dead!! He was well alive. Darius is a redhead and the school nerd. His parents died in a car crash so he is an orphan but there is more to it. His pop went searching for the Dunbar diamonds but when he causes trouble, Darius has to take over instead. Sounds like a good book right? It's filled with mystery, drama and comedy and I'd recommend it for 8-10 year olds. Miranda, 10
NEWS
2021 COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD SHORTLIST Consolation by Garry Disher
Melting Moments by Anna Goldsworthy
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Infinite Splendour by Sofie LagunaWitness by Louise Milligan A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu
Larissa Behrendt's new novel, After Story, follows young Indigenous lawyer Jasmine and her mother Della as they take an overseas literary tour showcasing the lives of the great English writers. Haunted by tragic events from the past and the impact on their family, the two women look for inspiration and for healing through storytelling, both ancient and new. Larissa will be talking about After Story, courtesy of Randwick City Library on Thursday 19 August at 630pm. You can register for the event here.
Nicole Abadee began her podcast Books, Books, Books as a way to promote the work of writers in the wake of last year's Covid outbreak. Since then, Nicole has recorded 53 interviews with local and international writers. Nicole's interviews are thoughtful and incisive and you can listen to them here.
I’ll look forward to your company at Thursday Book Club this week.
What is Thursday Book Club? Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. Each Thursday we meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like & books we’re reading. Once a month, a guest writer joins us.
Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm on Thursdays by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343
If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:
Meeting ID: 852 104 2343
Password: 886196
On 26 August, Meredith Jaffé will be joining us to talk about her new novel, The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison.
Thursday Book Cl
ub Recommendations
My Recommendation
The Dangerous Bride by Lee Kofman
Your Recommendations
Ravi S
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison by Meredith Jaffé
Barbie R
Autumn Leaves 1922 by Tessa Lunney
Thursdays at Orange Blossom House by Sophie Green
A River Could Be A Tree by Angela Himsel
Debbie W
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
O by Steven Carroll
Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung
Bad Debts by Peter Temple
With My Little Eye by Sandra Hogan
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Fury by Kathryn Heyman
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota
Louise R
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Floodline by Kathryn Heyman
Helen R
Letters of Note by Shaun Usher
Noela A
Selected Stories by Alice Munro
Dina Davis
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson
The Choice by Edith Eger
Take care,
PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?
If your book club has chosen to read The Deceptions or The Teacher’s Secret, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.
directly from my publisher here:
Kindle version
Paperback
The Deceptions Paperback
Audible Questions? Email me You can buy
The Deceptions
and
The Teacher’s Secret
on Booktopia and from your local bookshops, including https://www.gleebooks.com.au/product/deceptions-the/
https://www.gertrudeandalice.com.au/product/the-deceptions/
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-deceptions-suzanne-leal-9781760875275.do
https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-teachers-secret-book-9781760297053.do
Suzanne Leal | suzanne@suzanneleal.com |
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Suzanne LealPrince Edward StreetMalabar, Nsw 2036Australia
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