Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)’s
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(group member since Nov 16, 2021)
Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)’s
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from the Aussie Readers group.
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Oh, my goodness! So much happens in only a few days on this trip on the Ghan that it left my head spinning. Tricia Stringer is a master at depicting interpersonal relationships; cracks, chasms, glue and all.Ketty Clift employs a disparate group of people in her couture business. From the uptight and judgmental Judith to the free and easy Birgit who wears her heart on her sleeve, this is a group of people who need not only to recalibrate their relationships with one another and their employer, but with the people they have left behind.
Ketty is clever, charming, generous, and an inveterate people watcher. She loves learning about other people's lives and meddling, just a little, to improve their outcomes. She takes people under her wing and gently steers them in the right direction; Jim and Celia being a case in point. She is adept at pouring oil on troubled water with complete strangers, but with those closer to her? Perhaps she needs to take a step away to see things more clearly.
But it is not only the relationships that make for compelling reading. Stringer's descriptions of the scenery and excursions on the Ghan made me feel like I was there, experiencing it all alongside Ketty and Co. I love travelling by train, and the Ghan is now definitely on my list of trips to take.
It was great getting to know more about all Ketty's workers, their backgrounds, their personal lives, their dreams. I also learned a lot more about Ketty herself, and Carlos, her companion. I first met Ketty and Carlos in Table for Eight, published in 2018, when Ketty is on a Pacific cruise. While it is probably not entirely necessary to have read Table for Eight before Back on Track, it does provide a lot of background information on Ketty and Carlos' relationship, and I would recommend it.
Are we going to read more of Ketty, Carlos and the crew in the future? I hope so. I feel that there is a lot more to come.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Count me in please. 💕📚June Featured Author - Nora Roberts
Duration: 1/6/24 - 30/6/24
Level: HARD
8/9
AA 🦘 4/4
TASKS
#1. Nora Roberts is a well renowned author of romance novels. Since 1999 every one of her novels has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list
**Read a romance.
Wallaby Lane by Maya Linnell AA🦘 COMPLETED 11.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐.8 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#2. Under the pen name of J.D.Robb Nora has written a very long mystery series, called the In Death series
**Read a Mystery
Smoke and Mirrors by M E Hilliard COMPLETED 06.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... #3. Nora has always lived in the USA although she claims Irish ancestry and often includes Irish characters in her books.
**Read a book set in Ireland
For Once In My Life: The BRAND NEW beautifully heart-warming book club read from Sian O'Gorman for 2024 by Siân O'Gorman COMPLETED 30.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#4. Most of us know J.D.Robb is a pen name but did you know Nora Roberts is as well? Her birth name is Eleanor Marie Robertson.
**Read a book written under a pen name
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith COMPLETED 18.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...BONUS
**Read a book by Nora Roberts. (or J.D. Robb)
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb COMPLETED 30.06.24 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...SPELL OUT Using either first letter of title (disregarding "A", "An" or "The" if you choose to) or either the first or last initial of the author. For the difficult letters - Q, X and Z, you may use a book in which the letter appears somewhere in the title or author's first or last name.
NORA
N -
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty AA 🦘COMPLETED 30.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐.1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...O -
On Call by Ineke Meredith COMPLETED 03.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...R -
Storm Child by Michael Robotham AA🦘 COMPLETED 28.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...A -
Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe AA🦘 COMPLETED 08.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you only read one thriller this year, make it JD Barker's Behind a Closed Door. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ doesn't do it justice!
Behind a Closed Door by J.D. Barker https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sign me up, please Brenda! 💕📚Winter 2024 Challenge - Reading Resolutions
Duration: 1/6/24 - 31/8/24
Resolution: Clean up that TBR! Read only books that were on your TBR shelf BEFORE the start of the challenge. I am using only NetGalley backlist books, i.e. those that have been on my shelf for more than twelve months at the beginning of this challenge, for this challenge.
Level: EASY
4/6
AA 🦘 1/2
#1.
The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns AA🦘#2.
The Reach by B. Michael Radburn (from 2021) AA🦘 COMPLETED 09.07.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#3.
My Husband's Wife by Amanda Prowse (from 2016) COMPLETED 13.07.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#4.
The People in the Photo by Gestern, Hélène (June 10, 2014) Paperback by Hélène Gestern (from 2014) COMPLETED 28.07.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#5.
Faithful by Alice Hoffman#6.
Strangers by Paul Finch (from 2016) COMPLETED 21.07.24 ⭐⭐⭐.4 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Resolution: Dust off that shelf! Read only books that I owned before the start of this challenge. I am using only my own personal books for this challenge, ones that I have owned for more than twelve months.
Level: EASY
3/6
AA 🦘 1/2
#1.
Ripples on a Pond by Joy Dettman AA🦘#2.
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (from 2018) AA🦘⭐⭐⭐.1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#3.
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell#4.
The Defence by Steve Cavanagh#5.
Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves (from 2007) COMPLETED 05.07.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#6.
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (from 2018) COMPLETED 18.06.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A touching, heartwarming and humorous read -
One Long Weekend by Shari Low ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A realistic and nostalgic read - ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Probably the weakest book in an otherwise good series -
Die Last by Tony Parsons ⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An average read for me (⭐⭐.5) but others have loved it . . .
The Baby by A.J. McDine https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished!April Featured Author - Ann Cleeves
Duration: 1/4/24 - 30/4/24
Level: HARD 9/9
AA🦘 5/5
HARD - Tasks & Spell Out (minimum 4 AA)
#1. Ann Cleeves is best known for her two famous series, 'Vera' featuring D.I Vera Stanhope and 'Shetland' which stars D.I.Jimmy Perez. Her newest series stars Matthew Venn and is called Two Rivers.
**Read a mystery
The Grazier's Son by Cathryn Hein AA🦘COMPLETED 04.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#2. Ann grew up in England, first in Herefordshire and then in Devon
**Read a book set in England
A Clock Stopped Dead by J.M. Hall COMPLETED 12.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#3. She has written approximately 112 books and three series, and has been translated into at least 16 languages
**Read a book by an author who has written more than one series.
Moth To The Flame by Joy Dettman AA🦘COMPLETED 17.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#4. Ann's books have won many awards and have been made into popular TV series.
**Read a book where the first letter of every word in its title can be found in TV SERIES (two word title minimum)
Embers and Echoes by Daniel de Lorne AA🦘 COMPLETED 19.04.24 ⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...BONUS
**Read a book by Ann Cleeves
Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves COMPLETED 16.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...SPELLOUT - VERA
V -
Voices in the Dark by Fleur McDonald AA🦘COMPLETED 21.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...E -
In Her Place by Edel Coffey COMPLETED 22.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...R -
The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman AA 🦘COMPLETED 26.04.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...A -
A Marriage of Lies by Amanda McKinney COMPLATED 13.04.24 ⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you like a slightly creepy, suspenseful read then I recommend
The Intruders by Louise Jensen ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street is the book that ended my reading slump. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street by Marlish Glorie https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I loved this book and gave it all the stars.MY THOUGHTS: Friends blow in and out of our lives. We have different friends at different times of our lives. But there's always that one friend who is special, that no one can replace. S/he pops into your mind at odd moments, and you'll wonder what they're doing, where they are. But you never forget them.
And so it is with Daisy and Kate. They were the best of friends once, until circumstances and distance parted them. Now different circumstances have brought them back together, but can they put the past behind them and be friends again?
Daisy and Kate are two very different people. Neither has had it easy, but in different ways, and each thinks the other has everything. Daisy has family - children, grandchildren, cousins. Kate has none. Kate is wealthy and lives in a nice home, drives a nice car, has a place in society. Daisy is couch-surfing on her granddaughter's sofa. Daisy is one of those what-you-see-is-what-you-get people. Kate is more restrained, buttoned-up, worried about what others think. Kate is a respectable widow. Daisy hasn't seen her ne'er-do-well husband Charlie for a couple of decades. He never even made it to their youngest son's wedding. Yes, they are still married.
Female friendship is important and a constant source of fascination to me. I read a lot of books built around that theme. Daisy and Kate comes in amongst the top of them. With realistic and engaging characters facing common problems, it drew me in until I felt I was living there amongst all the goings on. And goings on there are!
Kate is grieving her husband's unexpected death twelve months earlier. She is slowly unravelling, dropping out of her regular activities and finding solace in the bottoms of wine bottles. Daisy is almost broke. While she loves her granddaughter Georgia, she's not loving living with her while she is waiting for her eldest son to build the promised home unit. But, a bit like his father, he's not the most reliable of people. Then there's Glenys, Daisy's husband's cousin, who wants to take Daisy under her wing, nuture and feed her. And Daisy's grandaughter, who loves her gran, but having her living with her is a whole different matter. And who is Tom? And where does he fit into the picture?
Meredith Appleyard is an expert at giving my emotions a good workout, and she certainly does so with Daisy and Kate. Daisy is stubborn and Kate proud. They are my favorite characters so far this year!
I loved the way this book didn't end as I expected it to. The ending is far more poignant than anything I could have dreamed up, and I'm still smiling just thinking about it.
My favorite line: (Charlie) was about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.
This was a pretty mediocre read for me . . .
The Call by Kerry Wilkinson ⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May Featured Author - Sophie GreenDuration: 1/5/24 - 31/5/24
Level: HARD 10/10
AA🦘 5/5
TASKS
✅#1. Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney. In her spare time she writes about country music on her website, Sunburnt Country Music.
**Read a book where the first letter of each title word fits into SUNBURNT COUNTRY MUSIC (2 word minimum) AND a STANDALONE book
Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro AA 🦘 COMPLETED 09.05.24 ⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅#2. Sophie's debut novel was The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club
**Read a DEBUT novel
The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green COMPLETED 06/05/24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#3. Sophie is internationally published and her five published novels in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 have all been Top 10 Bestsellers
**Read a book set internationally (to you)
Wind In The Wires by Joy Dettman AA 🦘COMPLETED 30.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅#4. Sophie's debut novel was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for General Fiction Book of the Year 2018, and longlisted for both the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year 2018 and the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction 2018.
**Read a CONTEMPORARY novel
Behind a Closed Door by J.D. Barker COMPLETED 14.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅BONUS
**Read a book by Sophie Green -
The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green AA🦘COMPLETED 23.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...SPELLOUT - AWARD
✅A -
A New Dawn at Owl's Lodge by Jessica Redland COMPLETED 22.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅W -
With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal AA 🦘 COMPLETED 06.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅A -
The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker COMPLETED 26.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...✅R -
Red River Road by Anna Downes AA 🦘COMPLETED 02.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
✅D -
The Birds And Other Stories (Virago Modern Classics) by Daphne Du Maurier by Daphne du Maurier COMPLETED 12.05.24 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
From my 2018 backlist shelf: 
The Suffering of Strangers by Caro Ramsay ⭐⭐⭐⭐.1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Happy Publication Day!
A Clock Stopped Dead by J.M. Hall ⭐⭐⭐.5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
