On the surface, it looks as though itâs been a quiet month for reading, but underneath, there have been a few DNFs - two (which will remain unnamed) because I couldnât get into them, and another (The Whisky Widow) because it was a short lend from the library and I accidentally left in in the car for a week so ran out of time to finish it. Iâm back on the waitlist.
So, to the reads I have finishedâŚ
Cutters End and Stone Town by Maragaret Hickey
Cutters End:
New Yearâs Eve, 1989. Eighteen-year-old Ingrid Mathers is hitchhiking her way to Alice Springs. Bored, hungover and separated from her friend Joanne, she accepts a lift to the remote town of Cutters End.
July 2021. Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti is seconded to a recently reopened case, one in which he has a personal connection. Three decades ago, a burnt and broken body was discovered in scrub off the Stuart Highway, 300km south of Cutters End. Though ultimately ruled an accidental death, many people - including a high-profile celebrity - are convinced it was murder.
When Markâs interviews with the witnesses in the old case files go nowhere, he has no choice but to make the long journey up the highway to Cutters End.
And with the help of local Senior Constable Jagdeep Kaur, he soon learns that this death isnât the only unsolved case that hangs over the town...
Stone Town:
When three teenagers stumble upon a body in dense bushland one rainy Friday night, Senior Sergeant Mark Aritiâs hopes for a quiet posting in his old home town are shattered. The victim is Aidan Sleeth, a property developer, whose controversial plan to buy up local land means few are surprised he ended up dead.
However, his gruesome murder is overshadowed by a mystery consuming the entire nation- the disappearance of Detective Sergeant Natalie Whitsed.
Natalie had been investigating the celebrity wife of crime boss Tony âThe Hookâ Scopelliti when she vanished. What did she uncover? Has it cost her her life? And why are the two Homicide detectives, sent from the city to run the Sleeth case, so obsessed with Natalieâs fate?
Following a late-night call from his former boss, Mark is sure of one thing- heâs now in the middle of a deadly game . . .
I read these back-to-front - Broken Bay (no. 3 in the DS Mark Ariti series) last month, and then Stone Town (No. 2) and Cutters End (no. 1) in the order they came into the library.
It was the ultimate test in the question: can the stories be read as standalones? The answer is a resounding yes.
Mum picked up a new one the other day from the little library at the car fixer-upper place when they were waiting for their car to come back after a bit of bruising (the car, that is). The receptionist told her she could take it home to finish so she did, and next week sheâll bring it to Orange to give to me to read.
Let it Snow, Beth Moran
After the end of a long-term relationship, local weather girl Bea Armstrong has been avoiding her family, and their inevitable âI-told-you-sos.â But with Christmas fast approaching, she is finally on her way home to Charis House, the school in Sherwood Forest that her mum and dad run in their old family home. And to top it all off, the insufferable Henry Fairfax - who her parents have always wanted her to marry - has also been invited.
Relief comes in the shape of a last minute interview for her dream job. There are just a few minor problems... The interview is in Scotland, Bea has no car, and the snow is falling already. The only solution is for Henry to drive her - could this Christmas get any worse...
But during an unforgettable two day interview, a stay in a log cabin and a nightmare journey through the snow, Henry turns out to be nothing like she thought. And when Beaâs first love and recent ex shows up, Bea has a difficult choice to make...
How can we be almost at the end of November, and this be my first Christmas read? In any case, this yearâs Festival of Festive Reads is off to a good start.
Read of the Month
The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman
Itâs been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.
But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
I know some people dislike this series, but I adore it. Iâm usually that person who steers clear of the books and movies everyone is talking about - I can be quite the reverse snob in that regard - but I make the exception for anything by Anthony Horowitz and, it would seem, Richard Osman.
These characters feel like old friends and we had a lovely catch-up.
The Simply Stunning Classic Book Club
This month weâve been reading (and discussing) William Shakespeareâs Much Ado About Nothing. Youâll find the podcast, aka the recording of the book part of our book club meeting, here.
Next month, for our Christmas special, weâll be talking all things Jane ⌠Austen, that is.
The Forsyte Saga
Iâve just finished watching The Forsytes (ABC TV), the latest TV adaptation of John Galsworthyâs The Forsyte Saga. If youâre not familiar with the book (or, rather, books), itâs probably a great watch, but at least they had the sense to preface this series by saying it was inspired by Galsworthyâs books, because faithful it certainly isnât.
The Forsyte Saga is one of my all-time favourite reads. Iâve never suggested it for book club because itâs a massive commitment (three novels and two âinterludesâ), but itâs brilliant, truly brilliant.
It was also beautifully brought to life for television in 1967 (BBC) and 2002 (Granada). The latter, in particular, is something I rewatch every couple of years and the casting and the writing is brilliant.
This one, though? Iâm sorry, I donât get it. Usually, when I watch a book-to-screen adaptation, I can treat each as a separate entity and enjoy both the book and the screen version. This one, though? The only similarities to the book are in the charactersâ names and Soamesâs obsession with Irene. The rest? I would have enjoyed it more if they hadnât pretended it was an adaptation, called it something different and created new character names.
Iâm so disappointed.
Over to youâŚ
Deb, Sue, and I would love you to share what youâve been reading ⌠youâll find the link up here.
Okay, a few of these sound really good. I love a good mystery!
I like the sound of the Margaret Hickey books so will be adding them to my list. Iâm in the love Osman camp although I didnât love the movie - I might give it another go though to make sure.