Enemy Camp by David Hill

I am a big David Hill fan, and over the last few years I think he has written some great books explaining life during times of war for young readers.  Enemy Camp is David Hill's 2016 offering.

I picked this book up from the teacher's table of a class I was relieving in, and for the second time this year, I was so enchanted by the book that teacher had, I went and bought it.  I have previously reviewed two other David Hill books: My Brother's War set in World War One about conscientious objectors and the conscription of soldiers, and Brave Company set during the Korean Conflict about a teenage boy in the New Zealand Navy.

Enemy Camp is set in the New Zealand town of Featherston during the second World War, where the Japanese prisoner of war internment camp was sited.  The book starts in late 1942 and followed events through until after the traumatic events of 25 February 1943 at the camp.

Here is the front cover and blurb:

The central character is Ewen, who is at primary school.  His teacher has asked the students in his class to keep a diary or journal of their lives, as he believes they are living through a very special time.  Therefore, the story is written in Ewen's voice in the format of a journal.  Some days he writes about quite mundane things, and other days he writes about some very dramatic events and how he views and feels about them.

Ewen's father works at the internment camp after returning from the Battle of Greece due to injuries sustained in battle.  Ewan and his friends Barry and Clarry (who is suffering from the after affects of polio) are fascinated by the inmates in the internment camp and take every opportunity to visit the camp.  This eventually results in the boys taking lessons in the Japanese language and ettiquette from one of the Japanese officers at the camp.

However, not everyone in Featherston feels so friendly towards the Japanese and they rail against any form of positive contact with the prisoners or their culture.  The prisoners of war also rail against what they consider to be unfair and struggle with the shame of being POWs, because now their families will shun them if and when the war ends.  They consider that death is more honourable than being a live POW.

This all combines to one of the most dramatic episodes of the war on New Zealand war, which Ewen, Barry and Clarry are in the middle of.  This event was so traumatic the New Zealand government suppressed it for a number of years for fear that if the Japanese government found out about it, they would mete out unfair treatment to the POWs in their care from New Zealand.  But New Zealand was yet to find out how truly terrible the treatment of POWs by the Japanese really was.

I would definitely recommend this book to boys from age 9 or 10 to read.  I will be adding this to my collection of books for ANZAC day and reading this to a class in the future.  It's a great Christmas gift for a boy aged ten and up.

Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez

Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is a sequel to the book The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul which was an international best seller written by Deborah Rodriguez which I have not read.  However, I can now say I have read the sequel and I will be hunting out the original book over the summer to read.

My friend lent this to me to read after I had completed some very full on Master's level assignments and she knew I needed to escape to another reality.  Mission completed.

Here is the front cover and the blurb:

Apparently most of the characters from the original are back, except for one main exception, and there are some new characters introduced.

The book essentially centres around six women and girls in Afganistan and the United States.

Sunny is struggling to readjust to life back in the US after leaving her coffee shop behind in Kabul, the capital city of Afganistan.  Her life takes another dramatic twist in adjustment from losing her soulmate and then dealing with his affairs, taking her to the Screaming Peacock Vineyard, his dream property.  There Sunny meets a trio of men, Sky, Joe and Rick, who will take her life, and those of some of her friends, in new directions.

Yazmina is now runing the coffee shop in Kabul and is bamboozled by her mother-in-law's absences with her young daughter.  Halajan and Yazmina's daughter Najama are having adventures all over Kabul, some that would be frowned upon by her son and the wider community.  Meanwhile her son and Yazmina's husband, Ahmet, is opening up his mind to new possibilities for Afganistan at the university while also looking forward to the birth of their first child together.

Yazmima's younger sister Layla has gone to the US to learn English and is unhappy.  She is brought to the Screaming Peacock Vineyard by Candace for Sunny to look after.  Sunny employs Kat, a girl who had immigrated to the US with her mother as a child, to teach Layla English.  This is confronting to Kat, who, for dramatic reasons, has been trying to leave her Afgani past far behind her.

Then there is Zara, who is in love with Omar, a friend of Ahmet's, but her family has been asked to consent to Zara's hand in marriage with a powerful man who will not take no for an answer.  This will have a devasting affect on Zara's family and the future of Yazmina's family too.

While I have labelled this book as chick lit for the post, it is not a simpering love story that plays for laughs or soppiness.  It is a book more aimed at women than men, but it brings up some challenging themes such as how do you carry on when you lose the one you love the most, arranged marriages, the conflict of cultures, and day-to-day life in what is pretty much still a war zone.

I enjoyed the book and will definitely be searching out the first one to read so that I understand how these characters got to where they are now.

Poldark: Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

Ross Poldark is the first book of the Poldark series by Winston Graham.  In the 1970s there was a tv series based on the book, and in 2015 the BBC released a new tv series that covered the events covered in the first two books of the series.

This is the cover and the blurb for the first book:

The book naturally introduces the major characters, the places, tensions and themes of this series in the opening chapters.  Ross Poldark, a young man who had run ins with the law in his youth, has returned from the American colonies after the English armies were defeated in the American Independence War to find his father is deceased, his servants are drunken and his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth, is married to his cousin, Francis.

Ross sets about putting his house, farm and servants to rights, and then turns his attention to his derelict mines.  During this time he also rescues a young girl, Demelza, from a brawl.  He then takes her home to be his scullery maid.  His cousin Verity complicates Ross' life when she falls in love with Captain Blamey, who her father and brother consider to be an unsuitable match for Verity and ban her from associating with him.

Ross discovers that his cousin Francis is poor at business and is more inclined to gamble and drink his time away with his friends the Warleggans.  The Warleggans, originally blacksmiths, have become money lenders, and the majority of the landed upper classes and mine owners seem to be indebted to the Warleggans at various levels.  The Warleggans have become wealthy from their business dealings and use this wealth to elevate their status in society.  However, Ross takes an instant dislike to George and his uncle Cary, and does not trust them in business either.

This book is followed by the book Demelza in the series.  There are eleven books in the series.

It is a delightful look into the Georgian era, post the loss of the American colonies and for those who have read a wide range of Jane Austen books, you will be able to contrast the two eras and compare and contrast the manners and social expectations of the times.  And you always find the book better than the movie or tv programme based on it.

The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes

I dug this 2007 novel out of my Dad's bookshelf over the summer to read.  I had never heard of Michael Byrnes, and I believe this may be his only novel.  It was a book that captured my attention and I had to read to the end - and it was raining at the beach, but I couldn't put it down on the sunny day either, so I finished it as I lay on the lawn and sat on the deck soaking up the sunny day.

Here is the cover and blurb for you to read:

This book begins in the days of the Crusades to the Holy Land.  The Knights have lost their fortress to the ways of Egyptian Mamluks who overwhelmed them in a six week long siege.  This particular Knight is in a jail, at the mercy of the Pope and those loyal to him.

The next chapter opens with a daring raid on a secret room in a mosque in the heart of Jerusalem's Temple Mount complex.  The artefact taken has implications for the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths, and the reader would benefit from having a good working knowledge of the history of Christianity, but also the beliefs and traditions of the Jewish and Islamic faiths.

Chaos erupts in Jerusalem and there is conflict between Israeli security officials and the Palestinians responsible for the Temple Mount.  A high ranking mediator of the Islamic world, Razak bin al-Tahini, is brought in to facilitate communications between the two, and a British archaeologist, Graham Barton, is also engaged to verify what was taken from this secret room and why.  The two must rely on each other to uncover what happened and why.

Meanwhile, at the Vatican, Charlotte Hennesey, an American genetic scientist, has arrived and is introduced to an Italian anthropologist, Giovanni Bersei, is a well equipped, high tech laboratory.  The Vatican cleric then rushes off to meet Salvatore Conte, mastermind of the Jerusalem raid, who has the artefact for Charlotte and Giovanni to examine.  Conte watches their every move as they examine, photograph, sample and test the artefact to ascertain its origin.  Neither Charlotte, Giovanni nor the cleric realise that their lives are in danger when they confirm the artefact to be what they suspect it to be.

The book has plenty of action, double crossing, mystery, subterfuge and thrilling mind challenging ideas to keep a reader coming back to the end of the book.

I found this book to be quite fascinating because it gave me a lot more knowledge about the Temple Mount and early Christian practices and how these relate to Islamic and Jewish beliefs.  I read another book with a similar theme not long after, and viewed a number of documentaries on Constantine, the life of Jesus and early Christian practices, and it created a lot of thought for me about how Christianity works, and religions world wide.  I've come to the conclusion that organised religion just is too corrupt for my tastes.

If you like your beliefs to be challenged and you are open to expanding what you know, books like this can be a catalyst to viewing or reading material you otherwise would consider boring and not worth your time.  While this is a book of fiction, it did open my mind to further reading and viewing on the topic to help me further crystallise my personal beliefs on religion.  It is also a rollicking good adventure with thrills, chills, murders and action a plenty.

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Teachers often ask for books that others recommend to read to children in their classes.  One book that has often been favourably recommended over the last year was RJ Palacio's novel Wonder.  Teachers spoke of it being written from a the point of view of the central character, as well as other children in his life.  They also spoke of the content being very valuable for children.

Currently I am a relief teacher, and one class I was in recently was having this book read to them.  I certainly wasn't going to spoil it for the teacher by reading it to the class, but while the class did their silent reading I started dipping into this book (good teachers model the behaviours of reading).  I enjoyed the first 50 pages so much that the next time I was in town I searched the book out in the Paper Plus I was in and purchased my own copy to read.

So hear is the front cover, and the ever so brief blurb:

The book is written mostly from the point of view of a boy called August Pullman.  August is 10 years old.  He has never been to school because he was born with a serious cleft pallet issue as well as another facio cranial issue.  As a result, August was home schooled due to medical issues, numerous surgeries and to protect him from the reactions of others.  However, at age 10, his parents decide it is time that August start school, in 5th grade, the beginning of Middle School.

Beecher Prep's Middle School Director, Mr Tushman, arranges for three students to give August a tour around the school during the summer break and so August will know three students on his first day of school.  The reactions of these students vary, but August is used to reactions to his appearance and tries to put on a good front to these fellow students, the staff and his family.

The book covers the journey August has during his fifth grade year.  It covers how he forms relationships with other students, deals with rejection, bullying, ignorance and fear - some of it from parents of other children. 

Occasionally the point of view switches.  His older sister Via, his friends Summer and Jack, and his sister's friends Justin and Miranda talk about their own journeys and their journey with August during this time, as they also face the challenges of forming new relationships, rejection, bullying, ignorance and fear.

I think this would be a brilliant book for instigating discussion with students, or your own children, on people who are different due to an accident or by birth in appearance.  It would be a great read to for a class, but I would then make it available to students afterwards to read at their own leisure because I think a 10 year old child and up would be able to handle this book as an independent reader.

Vicious Circle by Wilbur Smith

I love reading Wilbur Smith books.  They are an indulgence into a worlds and places I am never likely to go.  He has a superb knack of describing the environment and transporting you there, and can write some raunchy scenes with heroes who are manly yet romantic the next.  I love getting his books in hardback too because it is so much more of a decadent read too.  So often these are the books I give my Dad for Christmas, to spoil him.  It helps that our reading tastes often cross over for my benefit.

Vicious Circle is the second book in what I assume will at least be a trilogy.  The book this follows on from is called Those in Peril, and I have not read that, so I guess I will need to track it down.  The third book, Predator, is being released now in 2016.

Below is the cover and the blurb.

As you can tell from the blurb, this is a rollicking adventure.  It is violent and, at times, vile to read, but with moments of desolation, tenderness and adoration.

Hector is devastated by the loss of his wife Hazel, and soon realises that his baby daughter Catherine is at continued sustained risk from an enemy that just won't quit.  He has to secure her safety first, and turns to those he trusts the most to secure that safety, before he and his team work to identify who is targeting him and his daughter.

Along the way a family secret from Hazel's first late husband's past is found to be the catalyst to this violence and explains the, until then, background to the actions in Those in Peril.  And I am picking that because you know that there is a third book, that the threat is not totally annihilated at the end of Vicious Circle.

There is an aspect of 'as if' as you read parts of this book, but that is the decadence of reading such a book.  And it is why I keep reading Wilbur Smith books because I am transported to a world that is definitely not mine.

A Tattooed Heart by Deborah Challinor

A Tattooed Heart is the fourth and final book by Deborah Challinor in her series about four convicts deported from Newgate Gaol to Sydney in the early 1830s.  I had been hanging out for the release of this book in late 2015 since I polished off The Silk Thief in December 2014.  So I pounced on it when I first saw it in store in November, and I tried eking this book out over a number weeks, but once a weekend came I just devoured it.

So check out the cover and blurb here below.

Each book has covered the story of all the girls, but a little more focus is placed on one girl in each book.  The initial book, Behind the Sun, focuses on all four girls, introducing the characters and exploring their growing bond.  In Girl of Shadows the focus was more on Sarah; in The Silk Thief it was Harriet that was the focus.  So if you have read the previous three books, it stands to reason that Friday is more of the focus in A Tattooed Heart.

This book picks up where the previous, The Silk Thief, leaves off.  Harriet seems to be over the demons that afflicted her in the previous book.  Although still fragile, she has realised the love and support she has from her husband and friends and endeavours to live her life.  Her husband, James, plots to ensure Harriet has even more to live for, surprising her with a reunion that bolsters Harriet and brings fresh characters into the series that impact on the story lines.

Friday mopes about until a surprise return by Aria and a new direction in her career proposed by Mrs Hislop give her a much needed boost.  Despite these events, the blackmail still weighs heavily upon her and her weakness for the booze threatens to lose both Aria and the dedication of Mrs Hislop from her life.  Friday also finds that Bella Jackson throws a curve ball into her life as well as a possible solution for a problem Mrs Hislop has long kept secret.

Aria also has revenge against Bella Jackson on her mind, after the theft of her uncle's tattooed head.  But her mother and father and fiancée also come looking for her in an effort to drag her away from Friday.

Sarah continues to use her unique talents to help the group figure out Bella Jackson's secrets and hold over them.  While she tries to keep the blackmail secret from her husband, Adam, he actually knows more than she realises and in the end gets the story more or less out of Sarah. 

Meanwhile, Jonah O'Leary lurks ominously around, convinced Harriet is the key to finding his brother and thinks baby Charlotte is the leverage he needs.  Leo makes a deal with Bella to protect young Walter who has returned despite the danger to his life.  Matthew is heartbroken by one young lady, but James' surprise for Harriet opens up new opportunities for Matthew.  And when the worst comes to the worst, Mrs Hislop's assistance is required and it brings back Captain Rian Farrell and his crew (from The Smuggler's Wife series and Girl of Shadows) back into the story to help Harriet, Sarah and Friday to save baby Charlotte.

Once again the book submerges you into the life of 1830s Sydney with apt description, a story line that sucks you in and then some twists and turns and a conclusion that rounds up the stories of these characters.  While you are sad to leave these characters, as it is the end of the series, the storylines are completed and it is the end.

Jack of Diamonds by Bryce Courtenay

Bryce Courtenay is a legendary writer.  South African born and raised, Courtenay was a married man and father well established in the advertising world in Australia (he is credited with Louie the Fly and the Milky Bar Kid) when he began getting his writing published.  A quick glance through the titles he has had published, starting with The Power of One in 1989, shows me I only have a handful left to read.

Sadly, Bryce Courtenay passed away from gastric cancer in 2012 and his final book was Jack of Diamonds.  Here is the cover and blurb from the cover flap.

This book begins in the depressed slum of Toronto, Canada, in the Great Depression.  The title character, Jack Spayd, is lucky enough to catch the ear of a jazz pianist while playing a harmonica his father gave him out the back of a piano club and so begins his education thanks to a benefactor.  Jack serves a short apprenticeship playing piano in a prairie city out west before becoming a media and army entertainer in WWII Europe. 

On his return from war, Jack moves to Las Vegas after being prompted by an old war friend, who is from a mob family.  This is an exciting time, when Las Vegas rapidly developed from a small desert town into the neon flashing, 24 hour entertainment and gambling capital of the US.  Alas, another old war time friend is a constant threat to all who Jack holds dear in Las Vegas and finally an event tips the balance and Jack is left to contemplate his future without his dearest passion and the woman he loves.

This takes Jack to Africa, to a new adventure, where his talents with the cards win him friends and enemies, but his colour blind attitude to race causes him greater problems again.

At the end of the book, there is a footnote from Courtenay claiming he had material for a second book about Jack.... but he had run out of life to write it.  Instead his second book was squished into 13 page Epilogue which ties up the lose ends of the story of Jack Spayd.

What I love about Bryce Courtenay is that he is a great thinker of stories.  His novels have an epic quality.  However, they all have a degree of waffle that get on my goat.  The detail that Courtenay goes to his books can be a bit monotonous and longwinded.  It is as consistent in each of his novel as his voice is in the story telling.  I can picture Courtenay and his editor battling out how much waffle could be trimmed from each novel.  As much as the waffle irritates me, his epic story telling engulfs me in each of his novels every time.... and Jack of Diamonds is no exception.

I think this meme below sums up me as a reader and how easy it is to be enveloped into the world of story telling by Bryce Courtenay.

Pacific by Judy Nunn

Fun fact about this author: Judy Nunn is a well known Australian actress, particularly well known for her role in Home and Away as Ailsa Stewart, Alf's wife, and a screenwriter.  She has proven that not only is she a talent on the stage and screen, but Judy Nunn is also an engaging story teller.

Pacific is about a young Australian soap actress, Samantha, who goes to England to star in a pantomime in a seaside town.  She is boarded in a stately home which now offers luxury accommodation.  This is where time shifts back into the decades leading up to the second World War, focusing on the young girl who lived in the house and her working class best friend growing up into young ladies as WWII breaks out.

 

Samantha is offered a breakout film role to be filmed in Vanuatu.  The film is loosely based on a woman called Mumma Tack and her love affair with an American soldier in Vanuatu during WWII - a story which links back to the house Samantha stayed in in England while acting in the pantomime. 

 

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The switching back and forth between the modern and past times added texture and intrigue to the story.  Judy Nunn paints a vivid picture with words of the characters, places and times.

The Silk Thief by Deborah Challinor

I've already reviewed the first to books in this series by Deborah Challinor, Behind the Sun and Girl of Shadows.  The Silk Thief is the third book, with a fourth and final book released before the end of 2015.

Deborah Challinor has written another gripping story, with the action starting right from the first page.  Here is the front cover and back blurb:

 

This story continues where Girl of Shadows left off in the tale of Friday, Sarah and Harriet and their many friends and enemies.  Bella Jackson is still trying to extort the girls as she holds knowledge of their past deeds over them, and to add to that is the death of Bella's most hideous partner in crime by the young cabin boy on the journey from England to Sydney after Friday handed over the bribe money.

 

Add to the mix Harriet's frail mind, Friday discovering her soul mate, Sarah's determination to keep the blackmail by Bella under wraps from her husband and the discovery of some secrets and talents of several other characters, and this rich tale envelops you into the routine and the rhythm of their lives.

 

I read this book during the summer of 2014/2015 and I was left hanging for the final book to finish the story and tie up all the loose ends - particularly why Bella Jackson wanted to have such control over Friday, Sarah and Harriet.