Bookoccino

MATESHIP WITH BIRDS

bookoccino — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:54:18 +0000

I dont know if you read Carrie Tiffany’s Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living about five years ago. It was a terrific story from a young Australian author. Carrie’s second book is now out and it’s a gem. It’s called Mateship with Birds, it’s set in country Australia in the 1950s, and it’s the story of Harry the dairy farmer, his next door neighbour Betty, a widow with two children and their relationship with the birds and with each other. It’s delightful. One of those books I cant wait to get home to read. The only problem has been Macmillan and their supply - hopefully today we’ll get stock.

THE CARTOGRAPHER

bookoccino — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:45:59 +0000

Last week I read four books which were all marvellous. I’ll talk about them as they come out, but the first to be published is The Cartographer by Peter Twohig. Twohig is a Sydney writer and this is his first book. It’s set in 1959 Melbourne and an eleven year old boy, on his travels through his neighbourhood (which is Melbourne’s Richmond), sees a woman being strangled. Unfortunately, the murderer has seen him looking through the window so he knows he has to flee and hide in the drains and tunnels under the road. The book is very funny, very touching, with strange, wonderful characters, particularly the boy’s family. If you enjoyed The Selected Works of T S Spivet by Larsen back in 2009, I guarantee you’ll love this.

WONDER

bookoccino — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:30:12 +0000

Wonder is the first book from R J Palacio and I guess the best way to describe it is to say it’s close to The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. If you cried reading that book, you’ll cry more often when you read Wonder. Auggie Pullman is a bright ten year old who has been home-schooled up until now. The reason for this is he was born with a terrible facial deformity and in spite of many operations, Auggie still doesn’t look like you or me. His parents have decided if he goes to school he’ll be better equipped to cope with the world, and we go through this really tough year with Auggie. This book is a sure winner!

NEW BOOKS BY ANNE TYLER AND HELEN DUNMORE

bookoccino — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:08:59 +0000

Two of my very favourite authors have new books coming in April - Helen Dunmore’s The Greatcoat and Anne Tyler’s The Beginner’s Goodbye. They are both slim novels, novellas really, and both are centered around ghosts. Tyler’s story is about Aaron, slightly handicapped with leg and arm problems, and his wife Dorothy, a doctor who doesn’t give much of herself. Dorothy is killed in an accident in their home, and Aaron is totally grief-stricken. Then he starts to see Dorothy, talk with her, and even discuss the cracks in their marriage. Dunmore’s book is set in the 1950s near an airfield where bombers left on their run to Germany in World War II. Isabel and Philip are newly married and have come to this small Yorkshire village where he will be the junior GP. Isabel finds an old RAF greatcoat in the cupboard and uses it to keep warm at night. Then in the middle of the night, after her husband is out attending an emergency call, she starts hearing knocking on the window, and there, on the other side, is a young RAF pilot, and it seems she remembers him. But is he real? Two great stories.

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN/TEENAGERS

bookoccino — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:43:54 +0000

I thought it would be interesting to talk about a couple of books for that 10 to teenage years group. I’ve read all these books, and can easily recommend them. Firstly is Andrew McGahan’s new series for teenagers, The Ship Kings. The first book is The Coming of the Whirlpool, the story of Dow Amber, born the son of a woodsman so must follow his father’s path. But Dow has a passion for the sea and this leads him to a village of fearful people, a ruling class of people (the Ship Kings) and a brush with a monstrous whirlpool. For slightly younger readers, there is John Stephens’ The Emerald Atlas, where three children become involved in an ancient prophecy. For the older kids, you cant go past Blood Red Road by Moira Young, a dystopian novel with Saba going in search for her stolen brother. The best teenage book I’ve read this year. It is for the older kids, because Saba does end up cage fighting. And lastly in this group, James Moloney’s Silvermay, the story of Sixteen year old Silvermay who must protect Nerigold’s baby from the dark forces of Coyle Strongbow. All four books will guarantee hours of silence in your home.

AN INTERESTING CHRISTMAS

bookoccino — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:44:22 +0000

I hope you all had a very happy Christmas. On December 23 our computer point of sale died, and trying to get any kind of technician around Christmas is virtually impossible. But I’d like to thank two people - Mike Rooke from M D Rooke and Assoc of Newport who came very quickly to help us, and Peter from Rox Support who actually had a scanner in stock and kindly left it in his letterbox for Franck, complete with his two month old baby, to pick up. Thank you both, because you helped us through an incredibly difficult day. And with that, we all wish you a very happy New Year, and may your problems be little ones. Hope to see you soon.

JOHN OGDEN’S SALTWATER PEOPLE OF THE BROKEN BAYS

bookoccino — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:03:07 +0000

This beautiful book explores the incredible history and natural beauty of the coastline between North Head and Barrenjoey. The scalloped beaches found here were home to the coastal clans of the Eora people for at least 20,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. Their water skills and ability in the surf underscore the northern beaches as the birthplace of Australian beach culture, where beach bathing, body surfing, surf life saving and board-riding all began in this country. But it is not just surfers who are drawn to the surf zone, that ever changing interface between ocean and shore that can in turn be calming, thrilling, or threatening. Poets, artists, photographers, architects, and dreamers are inspired by the beauty and drama of this coastline. Part history, part photography, it’s a brilliant book.

ROCKPOOL BAR AND GRILL

bookoccino — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:48:24 +0000

This week we spent Roger’s birthday voucher for Rockpool Bar and Grill. Had a fabulous dinner, beautiful wine and great service - thanks Minna. The next day I wanted to look through Neil Perry’s new cookbook, called of course Rockpool Bar and Grill. If you’re interested in where Perry sources his food, you can meet his suppliers who are just as passionate about their product as he is. Then you can see how it’s prepared and presented. It’s a very inspiring book, and one I’ll treasure for years to come. And of course it will help me remember what a fabulous night we had.

MIDWINTER SACRIFICE

bookoccino — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:48:37 +0000

There’s nothing like a bit of blood and ice when the weather starts warming up and I found Mons Kallentoft’s Midwinter Sacrifice just hit the spot during the heat of last week. An obese, dead man is found hanging from a tree in the countryside, and the police have to start trying to work out who he is and then just who wanted to kill him. We get involved with ancient Swedish gods, a corpse that is watching and commenting on the investigation, and a detective, a single mother, dealing with a difficult investigation and a teenage daughter. The story caught me up, and I revelled in the freezing snow when it was so hot outside. This is the first of what will be a quartet.

BLOOD

bookoccino — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:53:05 +0000

Did that title get you? I’m actually talking about Tony Birch’s book Blood, a novel I picked up last week and couldn’t put down. He’s an Australian author I haven’t read before. This book is about a brother and sister, a mother who is more intent on her next man and her next drink, and the grandfather who for a little while provides some stability. The brother, Jess, has sworn to protect his little sister, a promise made in blood, and their journey from the country back to the city, the dangers they face, the people, some good, some bad, that they meet, will keep you gripped. It’s an amazing journey and you want to cheer for Jess as he fights for survival. A great story.