The latest gathering of The Book Circle was held on Wednesday, 12 November and a variety of books were shared. Fiction Good Girl, Bad Girl - Michael Robotham A girl is found hiding in a secret room in a house being renovated after a terrible crime. For weeks she has survived by sneaking out at night, stealing food for herself and two dogs that are kept in the garden. The nurses at the hospital where she is taken call her ‘Angel Face’, because she won’t tell anyone her name, age, or where she is from. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home, under a name she has chosen for herself. A psychiatrist needs to decide if she is ready to go free, but finds her damaged, destructive and self-hating, yet possessed of a gift - the ability to tell when someone is lying. But is it a gift, or a curse? Soon the psychiatrist in embroiled in her unique and dangerous world, with his life now in peril. Violeta -Isabel Allende The story, inspired by the life of the author’s mother, is told in the first person by Violeta, and tracks her life from her birth in 1920 to her death in 2020. It is related in letter form to a person not revealed until later in the book. Born in South America to wealthy parents she is the only girl of six children. It is time of uncertainty as the Spanish flu has reached their country. When family circumstances change, a friend of her governess comes to the rescue and Violeta is taken to the countryside where she lives with the Nahuel native people. She forms lifelong friendships with these hardworking people, learning about their culture and self-subsistence. This became a place of haven when the country was in turbulence where democracy no longer existed and despots ruled. All through this turbulence she became a wealthy woman in her own right. Many people came into her life both as love interests and friends. Her 100 years saw a life of change, political upheaval, family misfortune, wealth, loss and happiness. The Quiet American - Graham Greene Written in 1955, and told in the first person by jaded journalist Thomas Fowler, the novel is still relevant today, showing the breakdown of colonialism in Vietnam, and American interference in a foreign war. The Hallmarked Man - Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling, using a pseudonym) This is the eighth novel in the Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott detective series. The book is almost 1000 pages (897 in this case) as were all the other seven novels. However, for the first time I found this a labour to read and wonder if the plot(s) (and there are several) and large number of characters would have been better had she made it less complicated and the book half the size of the previous books. The main plot is unique in that their client wants them to prove that their missing boyfriend is actually dead rather than find him alive. It is also unique as the murder happens in a locked strong room and the corpse is dismembered and left with a hallmark. How did the killer get in and out and what is the meaning of the hallmark? Hence, the name of the book. The romantic tension (that is always there in all eight novels) between the two private detectives does not get addressed until the last page and gave me the impression that was just to get the reader to want to read the next novel to see what actually happens. I think unless Rowling can make the next book less complicated and more believable, than this one, that she should have wrapped up the series and the romance one way or the other. Disappointing for a series that has been outstanding until this point. The Writing Class - Esther Campion The author was about to lead an all-abilities writing class when Covid hit. Unable to go ahead with it, she wrote a novel about an imaginary writing class, with a diverse and interesting group of people. Soon, a friendship group develops and everyone begins to flourish, including the teacher. Non-fiction Servo - Dave Goodwin Dave is a university student, and being short of money, decides to work at his local all-night servo in Werribee. On his first night shift, with minimal training, he is confronted by life in the raw, including mind-bending lunacy. At midnight, with a shop full of demanding customers, and working alone, he has a nosebleed, and in desperation, stuffs a tissue up his nostril. It doesn’t really work, and there’s blood everywhere. No-one cares, and just wants the slurpee, pie or cigarettes they came for. Things don’t really improve while Dave works at the servo, but he gradually settles into the job and manages to last there for six years. Take Risks -John Marsden A memoir by the best-selling author and educator, who wrote the hugely popular teenage series, 'Tomorrow when the war began'. Money from his books, and from author tours, enabled him to put his educational theories into practice and found the independent schools, Candlebark and Alice Miller, in the Macedon district. Candlebark has the world’s biggest school campus - more than 1100 acres. There is native forest, log cabins, a creek and a waterfall. John died last year, but both schools continue flourishing. Students thrive academically, while remaining grounded in a warm, creative and good-humoured environment. He has left a fine legacy. Why You Should Give a F... About Farming - Gabrielle Chan The author examines the past, present and future of farming and shows how farms are facing evolving risks from climate change, soil depletion and future pandemics. This, coupled with huge clothing stores, supermarket chains and the increase in fast food outlets, means that consumers are in danger of being swamped by inferior products and advertising, forgetting the importance of making informed choices about the food we eat and the clothes we wear.
