The latest gathering of The Book Circle was held on Wednesday, 11 March and a variety of books were shared.

Fiction

The Talented Mrs Greenway - Tea Cooper


Tea Cooper delivers a rich, atmospheric historical novel that seamlessly blends Australian history with a compelling mystery.

Set against the backdrop of 19th Sydney, the story follows Mary Greenway, the wife of the famous convict architect Francis Greenway, as she navigates a world of societal constraints, secrets and survival.

What makes this book stand out is how Cooper breathes life into a woman often relegated to the sidelines of history.

Mary is depicted as sharp, resilient, and instrumental in her husband’s success.

The prose is elegant and the research is evident in every detail of the setting.

While the pacing slows sometimes in the middle, the emotional payoff and the intricate web of family legacies keep you turning the pages.

It is a must-read for fans of historical fiction who enjoy strong female leads and stories about reclaiming one’s narrative.

The Proving Ground-Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller (aka The Lincoln Lawyer) teams up with journalist, Jack McEvoy (who first appeared in the Harry Bosch book, The Poet) files a civil lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot (called Wren) told a 16-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.

McEvoy’s research produces the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up.

The case is fraught with danger because the intelligence company is willing to intimidate witnesses outside the court and has unlimited financial resources to fight the

case.

However, ultimately, it is Haller’s unorthodox approach about who might be the final witness that brings about closure.

A fantastic futuristic twist to a court room drama and murder tale.

It may well be our not too distance future as Ai becomes a much greater influence on our lives at an ever-increasing pace.

Entangled - Robert M Smith

This is the fifth book in the Bowker Series.

The discovery of a young woman’s body at Pykes Reservoir at Bacchus Marsh, and the body of an adult male at Car City Ringwood, sets in motion a complex murder investigation for Bowker and his team of three homicide detectives, and the pressure is on them as Bowker is distracted with the news of his wife’s battle with cancer.

This case will be complex as it is soon discovered that the crimes are linked.

The team begins running down suspects with little to go on, but slowly some valuable evidence is discovered and the detectives sift through the lies and memory loss of suspects and eliminate who they can.

Like all major investigations, the pressure is always on, and frustrations emerge as progress is slow.

Brilliant work from a forensic analyst gives the team new energy and hope to solve this crime.

But will it be enough?

Another cracking book by this talented Australian writer.

Circle of Days - Ken Follett

Stonehenge was built between 2600 - 2400BC.

Ken Follett’s novel tells the story of tribal life and the building of Stonehenge during this period.

The area was populated with several tribes all eking out a living on the Great Plain.

Woodlanders, miners, herders and farmers attended the rituals of the change of seasons performed by the priestesses, revered and held in high esteem due their knowledge of seasonal changes.

Life was good, with them all living in harmony, meeting and trading their produce at the seasonal rites each year.

However, change was imminent.

Joia, the high priestess had a vision of rebuilding a stone circle monument and gathered together a large team from all tribes to assist with the transportation of massive stones to the site.

A long drought ensued and created friction between the tribes, and a tribal elder’s violent opposition to the construction of the Circle of Stones caused open warfare and destruction.

A story of many characters woven together in their survival of everyday life.

Love, friendship, hardship and power all feature in this epic novel.

Silent Bones - Val McDermid

This is the most recent novel by the prolific Scottish mystery writer.

It is a police procedural, featuring detective Karen Pirie of the Scottish historic cases unit.

A landslide reveals a body, then an accidental death starts looking like murder.

Is there a serial killer still at large?

Non-Fiction

Art Cure: the science of how the Arts are essential for our wellbeing - Daisy Fancourt.

This includes music, theatre, painting, practical engagement in community choirs, engrossing practical hobbies, and of course, reading.

The author has studied both arts and sciences and did her PhD on the therapeutic benefit of art forms on illness.

Her research showed mood-lightening in depression and a lowering of blood pressure when patients engaged in an art-form.

She laments the bad health outcomes resulting from employment in low-status jobs, where workers suffer from a lack of control in their day-to-day work.

Such jobs are usually poorly paid and leave workers with insufficient energy or finances for creative leisure pursuits, giving a huge health advantage to those employed in high-status, well-paying jobs.