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Dear Friends,When the much-lauded Korean writer, Hwang Sok-yong, came to Australia in 2019, I interviewed him about his work. Hwang Sok-yong is something of a celebrity in South Korea, not only for his literary work but also for his activism and, shortly after our interview, he was shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize for his novel, At Dusk.
Meeting (the extremely charismatic) Hwang Sok-yong piqued my interest in Korean literature and over the past couple of weeks I've been immersed in Eugenia Kim's sweeping historical novel, The Calligrapher's Daughter, which spans the momentous period of Korean history from 1910, when Japan took control of Korea, until the end of World War II. Eugenia Kim was born in America to Korean parents, whose story inspired The Calligrapher's Daughter. At 6.30pm on 23 September, I'll be interviewing Eugenia Kim for the Korean Book Club, presented by the Korean Cultural Centre. It's a free event and you don't need to have read The Calligrapher's Daughter to join us. Afterwards, stay online join us at Thursday Book Club when scriptwriter and novelist Gabriel Bergmoser will be joining us.
In the meantime, hope you can join us this week at Thursday Book Club. We meet online from 8pm to 830pm and here's the link to join us: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343
NEW RELEASE RECOMMENDATION
Mayflies by
Andrew O'Hagan
(Not strictly a new release, but newly released in paperback form - and one of Lindy Jones' favourites) https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/mayflies-9780571273713.do ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This is undoubtedly one of my favourite books of the year - it's joyous and heartrending and funny and compassionate - and it even made me appreciate lads being lads! James has little in the way of family life, and spends his time outside of school hanging around with friends, particularly the charismatic and lively Tully, who is a couple of years older. Tully is the centre of everything in his circle, but like most of the young men in their working class Scottish town, has followed his father into factory work - which in 1986 in Thatcher's Britain is increasingly threatened.
When Tully, James and a number of other friends decide to go to Manchester for a weekend music festival, it is to be the highlight of their youth; but also the moment when their friendships will change and their futures deviate from the expected paths. All of which is shown, when the later part of the novel unfolds, when decades later James gets a phone call from Tully that he has been expecting - and dreading. An intensely moving celebration of male friendship in a society which places great value on mateship but not on men's emotions, and how anything is possible if your friends are there... 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
MANDIE AND THE FOREIGN SPIES
by Lois Gladys Leppard https://www.abbeys.com.au/book/the-mandie-collection-volume-3-9780764205934.do
Mandie has arrived in England after being on a ship for weeks and when she arrives she discovers there is an unsigned telegram at the post office. No one knows where it comes from or who wrote it. When they arrive at the Majestic Hotel there are some flowers saying: “Welcome, Amanda, to England”. There was no name on this one as well. When Jonathan, a friend of Mandie, starts talking to three young sisters that seem to follow them everywhere, Mandie starts to get suspicious. Then there is the woman who had followed them on the ship and is following them again. What was going on? Was it a mystery, adventure or danger in disguise. I love it because it is full of mystery and suspense as well as love, joy and kindness. I would rate it 10 out of 10.
Mia, 9
**** For any young readers in lockdown (or out of lockdown) with a book to recommend, please email me a short review (100 - 150 words) to be included in the For Kids By Kids part of the newsletter. All entries will go into the raffle for a prize to be drawn monthly.NEWS Historical Novel Society Australasia
The Historical Novel Society is a really vibrant organisation and I'm so pleased to be part of its virtual conference next month. There are some terrific online events - I'll be talking about writers who have inspired my own writing and chatting with three Australian writers who have set their books in the Sixties. You can find all the details here.
The Historical Novel Society Australasia also administers the Historical Novel Prize. As well as the Adult Category, there's now a Children and Young Adult (CYA) Category too.
The Longlist for the 2021 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Adult Category is:
The Tolstoy Estate, by Steven Conte (HarperCollins Australia)A Room Made of Leaves, by Kate Grenville (Text Publishing)
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray River of Dreams, by Anita Heiss (Simon and Schuster)
The Last Convict, by Anthony Hill (Penguin Random House)
The Glass Harpoon, by Robert Horne (Ginninderra Press)
Our Shadows, by Gail Jones (Text Publishing)
The Madwoman’s Coat, by Ian Reid (Framework Press)
The Burning Island, by Jock Serong (Text Publishing)The Silent Listener, by Lyn Yeowart (Penguin Random House)
The judges also awarded two books a Highly Commended honour:
Lucky’s, by Andrew Pippos (Pan MacMillan Australia)
The Tulip Tree, by Suzanne McCourt (Text Publishing)
The Longlist for the 2021 ARA Historical Novel Prize – Children and Young Adult (CYA) Category is:The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, by Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin)
Night Ride into Danger, by Jackie French (HarperCollins Australia)
Heroes of the Secret Underground, by Susanne Gervay (HarperCollins Australia)
The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel, by Nicki Greenberg (Affirm Press)
The Grandest Bookshop in the World, by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)
We are Wolves, by Katrina Nannestad (HarperCollins Australia)
Echo in the Memory, by Cameron Nunn (Walker Books Australia)
The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle, by Pamela Rushby (Walker Books Australia)
Harmony, by Richard Yaxley (Scholastic)
On Thursday 23 September join me at 6.30pm for the Korean Book Club presented by the Korean Cultural Centre. I'll be interviewing Eugenia Kim about her terrific debut,The Calligrapher's Daughter at 6.30pm. You can register for this free event here.
Then at 8pm, join me at Thursday Book Club when I'll be interviewing novelist and scriptwriter, Gabriel Bergmoser.
Immersion writing with Kathryn Heyman & Jill Dawson I enjoyed having Kathryn Heyman as my guest on Thursday Book Club and I know she loved the conversation with those of you who were there. As well as being a novelist and memoirist, Kathryn is a highly experienced teacher of writing. Next month she'll be leading a one-off masterclass with the British writer, Jill Dawson. Kathryn and Jill will be talking on how to get the final polish on your manuscript, how to get your synopsis right (and what to do next!) and they'll be joined by a top London literary agent who will be able to answer your questions about stepping up to the next level. The masterclass is on October 15th and you can find all the details here: https://immersionwriting.com/next-level/ 
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. The State Library is collecting images of life in NSW during this unprecedented moment in our history. Whether you're attempting home haircuts, juggling work and home schooling, starting a new project or just taking it day by day. Share a photo on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #NSWatHome and turn these moments into history.
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 23 September, Gabriel Bergmoser will be joining us to talk about his new novel, The Inheritance.
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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