Bowie : the illustrated story by Pat Gilbert

So I confess, I am a fan - Bowie's music was and will always be the soundtrack to my life. My wife was thinking of buying this book for me for Christmas but lately there seems to be have been a large number of books on Bowie coming out, and it turned up in the library, after all.

The research that has gone into this book is immense but it is still very readable, all the more so by being the illustrated version.

David Bowie had the usual rockstar problems: problem mangers, record companies not happy with his albums and cocaine usage. He could have retired long ago and had the quiet life but he would continue to reinvent himself many times over and find many new listeners. Ask anyone what their favourite Bowie song is and they will all be different, yet with great meaning to the person involved.

He chose to be different, to make different albums, to try acting and collaborate with different people. His willingness to do different things made him many friends, however he would also drop long standing associations if they who didn’t fit into his new plans.

Bowie was cleverly in tune with trends especially when MTV and then the internet came along. Music videos allowed him another way to further showcase his talents and enlarge the story of the song. He was one of the first artists to have music videos and as such they ended up on high rotation on MTV. This certainly helped the sales of his albums.

This book is large format with lots of photos and insights into a complicated and charming man. If you want to see more photos of David Bowie try Pinterest.

It’s sad to think that there will be no more exciting albums or challenging collaborations from Bowie.As the ad said, “There’s old wave, there’s new wave and there’s David Bowie”. May his songs go on forever.

Posted by RobM

Catalogue link: David Bowie: The illustrated story

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.  - Publisher's blurb

This sounds like it should be some crazy adventure about two teen girls solving a giant mystery, strengthening their friendship and falling in love with boys. And in a way it is, all of that happens, but it’s not actually the important part of the story. You see, Aza has obsessive compulsive disorder, and it makes her life (and the life of those around her) very difficult. She and Daisy have been friends for years, but the strain put on their friendship by Aza’s mental illness could push them to breaking point. Aza and Davis were friends when they were younger, but Davis’ eccentric father and large fortune meant they ran in different circles as they grew up.

John Green has done an amazing job of writing about experiencing mental illness in a way that shows the harsh realities instead of glamourizing it the way some YA novels tend to. He captures Aza's anxiety and compulsions well. That little inner voice that causes you to doubt and question everything - even the things that you were 100% sure about - can be twisted until you are convinced they were wrong. But more importantly it shows that family and friends will stand by you and support you through the hard times, but in return you need to try and be there for them as well.

John Green has the impressive skill of perfectly describing feelings that I previously could never put into words, and knowing about his own battle with anxiety just makes the words more authentic - “Spirals grow infinitely small the farther you follow them inward, but they also grow infinitely large the farther you follow them out.”

There was a lot of pressure put on John Green while he was writing this book due to the amazing success of his last one (The Fault in Our Stars), and instead of crumbling under the pressure he produced a beautiful book about mental illness, all wrapped up in a story about a teenage girl and her best friend solving a crazy mystery.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Turtles All the Way Down

November Reading from Book Chat

 99 Red Balloons by Elizabeth Carpenter

Grace is only eight years old when she goes missing, a suspected abduction case that throws mother Emma into a spin. The story follows the police investigation and questions emerge about secret emails between Grace’s father and Emma's sister, while facts around a case that occurred years before seem oddly similar. A layered story with multiple viewpoints, this is an engrossing read with a brilliant twist that will keep you guessing.

The Romanov Ransom by Clive Cussler

Neo-Nazis and the tragedy of the Romanov family, butchered by the Bolsheviks, inspire the latest in the Fargo series by Clive Cussler. In this book the husband and wife treasure hunters are seeking the ransom that was allegedly paid by a relative to free the Romanov royal family and save them from assassination. Intermittent danger and a journey across Europe, to Africa and South America keep the reader well entertained in this well-researched thriller.

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

A broken marriage is just the incentive Evelyn Dixon needs to up sticks and start over. She opens a quilt shop in a new town far from her old home in Texas, and finds that offering quilting classes is a way to make friends, while solving the problems of life's little ups and downs.  A heart-warming story that will offer wisdom and respite, the first book of seven in the Cobbled Quilt series.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen


Amanda Owen always wanted her own flock of sheep. Her memoir follows how she came to make that dream a reality and her life with husband and nine children and the demands of raising livestock in a rural backwater. It’s a terrific read for anyone who has an interest in farming, but it’s a personal story as well about someone who achieved her dreams, and as such has a broader appeal.

The Red Coast by Di Morrissey

A new Di Morrissey is always something to cheer about, and this is no exception. Set in Broome, on the Northwest coast of Australia, The Red Coast follows the story of Jacqui Bouchard, who settles here after a marriage breakdown. Missing her fourteen year old son, she is soon caught up in local politics when a mining company scores the rights to mine in Broome. Can the township's precious environment be saved? And is there a hope of happiness for Jacqui?

Origin by Dan Brown

In Bilbao, tech magnate, Edmond Kirsch, is to reveal a breakthrough discovery about human existence at an event attended by Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of Da Vinci Code fame. But events take a dark turn before Kirsch can share his secret and Langdon escapes danger to Barcelona on a quest to unlock the mystery of Kirsch’s research. Another rip-snorting yarn, full of spectacular scenes, wonderful settings and loaded with fascinating research.

Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat

The Break by Marian Keyes

If, like me, you have not read a Marian Keyes book for years (like 15), prepare for a treat and the perfect summer read. In a recent interview Keyes expressed delight and surprise that her books are read outside of Ireland. In fact the very Irishness of her books is a huge part of their appeal and her thirteenth novel is no exception.

The main protagonist in The Break is Amy, who lives in Dublin with her husband Hugh, two teenage daughters and sometimes her brother's daughter whom she treats as her own. Amy co-owns a small PR business with a couple of friends and has a close and sometimes fraught relationship with her eccentric four siblings and ageing parents.

Amy’s husband Hugh suffers a couple of bereavements in a short space of time and is reeling from grief and depression. He announces he needs some time out - six months of travelling and freedom with the promise of returning to family life at the end of it. What could possibly go wrong, I hear you ask?

The Break is more than an escapist read. Keyes deals with some serious issues, such as Alzheimer’s and the archaic Irish abortion laws. She also writes with humour and has a realistic take on modern family life. The Break is long enough to develop rounded characters and a plot you care about (or be infuriated by).

For me The Break was a great read after some very dark fiction. Just the thing for your mid-life crisis.

Posted by Katrina

Catalogue link: The Break

Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

This book series will make you question EVERYTHING you thought you knew about the villains of Disney. Serena Valentino puts her own spin on the classic tales - making them darker, more intense and full of a lot more plot twists and character history than we had ever thought possible.

The first book in the series, Fairest of All, is unsurprisingly about the Wicked Queen from Snow White. It is initially puzzling at first how nice the Queen herself is, actually having a strong mother-daughter bond with the tiny and adorable little child known as Princess Snow White. The Queen was not always royalty, growing up as the daughter of a mirror maker who was famous throughout the land for being the best of his trade, which caught the King’s attention. Upon meeting the Queen, the mirrors weren’t the only thing that took his interest and Valentino actually writes quite a beautiful love story between these two characters.

One of my favourite parts of the book was some of Valentino’s own characters, namely three peculiar sisters that sound as if they have walked straight out of a nightmare. Introduced as the King’s cousins, these odd ladies can be described as living dolls with piled up hair, pale skin, tiny red lips, large black dresses with tiny pointy shoes sticking out underneath. These ‘witches’, as we shall call them, are extremely mean and sadistic, delighting in teasing Snow White with vicious tales and being perhaps the main cause for the Queen’s corruption and ultimate end (that’s not a spoiler, we all know what happens at the end of the movie). Oddly enough, they are an incredibly fascinating edition to the book and I am pleased to say they continue to hover for the rest of the series.

Following on from Fairest of All are The Beast Within (the Beast from Beauty and the Beast), Poor Unfortunate Soul (Ursula from The Little Mermaid), and more recently Mistress of All Evil (Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty). But if you want to see yourself looking at the first Disney tale in an entirely new light (I know myself I can’t look at the Wicked Queen the same way ever again), find yourself a copy of this book and I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down.

Posted by Rhiannon

Catalogue link: Fairest of All

Guilty Waters by Priscilla Masters

Joanna Piercy is the cycling, psychology graduate Detective Inspector who stars in over a dozen novels by Priscilla Masters, with Guilty Waters being the twelfth. Working out of Leek in Staffordshire, Joanna becomes concerned when French mother, Cécile Bellange arrives in the district, looking for her daughter Annabelle and her friend Dorothée. The flirty seventeen-year-olds are due to start their university courses soon and were expected home weeks ago.

Keen on Kippling, the girls were entranced by Lake Rudyard, where they were last heard of, so Joanna begins her investigation here. Suspects soon mount up – there are the two climbing brothers, Martin and James Stuart who discover a postcard from the girls while letterboxing – a hobby which is a bit like orienteering with secret messages. Then there’s creepy Mr Barker who runs the Mandalay B&B who turns out to be a pervert, but is he twisted enough to commit murder?

Guilty Waters is a fairly decent character-driven police procedural, with an interesting storyline and an evocative setting that’s sure to appeal. I enjoyed the back-story of Joanna and new husband, Matthew Levin, who works alongside Joanna from time to time as the police pathologist. Their relationship has evidently been running through the series from book one, and they are currently thinking about having a child together.

The DI Piercy mysteries would be a perfect go-to series for anyone looking for a relaxing weekend read that isn’t too taxing, a little in the same vein as novels by Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: Guilty Waters

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

The best things come in small packages is one way you could describe the works of Elizabeth Strout. Her writing is the kind of quiet, perfectly observed fiction where every sentence carries a depth of understanding, the dialogue is pitch perfect and the characters seem very real. Strout delivers more of her small town insight in the new collection Anything Is Possible.

These stories all have a connection with Strout’s novel My Name Is Lucy Barton. Each dips into the life of a different character from Amgash, Illinois, where Lucy grew up. Lucy even makes an appearance when she visits her family home, the grubby and crumbling house that is now home to her brother and where lurks the misery of their childhood.

I particularly warmed to the character of Patty, who buys Lucy’s book and finds it inspiring. We read how she met her husband and the terrible event in her childhood that has affected her ever since. Later in the collection, a whisper of gossip lets us know that Patty has moved on and found happiness. Other characters make early appearances, such as Dottie who runs a bed and breakfast visited in an early story, only to have their own story later in the book.

There are dark threads of recrimination, broken childhoods, sexual abuse and cruelty running through the stories. Elizabeth Strout is brilliant at capturing the lives of quiet desperation you find in rural backwaters, or anywhere really. But there is hope as well, the warm moments when characters make unexpected connections. Like the title says, anything is possible.

Sometimes you can easily overlook short stories in favour of the wider scope and plotlines offered by the novel. And while it is true you can easily pick up and put down a collection of stories, I found I had to keep reading this one. Strout is a master at both genres. If you enjoy Anything Is Possible, make sure you read Strout’s Pullitzer winning collection, Olive Kitteridge, which is now something of a modern classic.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: Anything Is Possible

The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty

How much personal information do you share with your best mates? Joni, Deb, Trina and Eden have been friends since they were twelve. Now married and in their thirties, the women still meet for catch-ups over coffee and sometimes take an all-girls holiday, away from kids and husbands. This time they’re at a beach house for five nights in winter, which should be fun – lots of chat and laughs.

After a few wines and something a little less legal, it suddenly seems a brilliant idea for each to write an unsigned letter revealing a secret to be read out to the others randomly over the following days. But during a sleepless night, Joni discovers a fifth letter,  partially burned in the fireplace, one that describes an all-consuming hatred for one of the four friends. Finding the original letter in the trash basket on the old computer downstairs, she sets out to discover not only who wrote it, but who could be the object of such loathing.

Joni is the main narrator of the action and of the women seems the most insecure. She and husband Kai have been trying unsuccessfully for a baby and she’s got a problem with work. Part of her narrative is told in visits to a priest’s confessional, and Father O’Reilly is almost as good as going to a psychiatrist. This makes for an interesting and original way to tell a story.

Over all I found The Fifth Letter to be a very readable and engaging novel, though definitely a beach read. The characters can be a little mean and intense at times, but all have interesting secrets. The desire to tell something but not reveal who owns the secret adds a buzz of tension which escalates to a some high drama towards the end of the book and a satisfying ending.

Nicola Moriarty is the sister of the more famous Liane Morarty, and YA author, Jaclyn Moriarty so comes from good writing stock. The Fifth Letter is her second novel.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Fifth Letter