Non-Fiction Reads from September's Book Clubs

All kinds of books for all kinds of readers:

Just a Bang on the Head by Rosie Belton (NZ author)
Rosie was a mother and grandmother, theatre director, producer and teacher. She banged her head while dancing, and sustained a brain injury that completely changed her life. This is her recovery journey.

Into the Magic Shop by James Doty
12 year old James had little going for him, but one summer day he met someone at the Cactus Rabbit Magic Shop who would give him the self esteem to imagine a new future for himself. Now a leading neurosurgeon, Doty shares how to change your brain, your heart, and your destiny.

Educated by Tara Westover 

A memoir so startling that book club readers doubted the complete truth was being told. Read it yourself and judge! 

The Ratline: The Exalted Life and Mysterious Death of a Nazi Fugitive by Philippe Sands
Using personal family correspondence, Sands presents us the true story of an Austrian lawyer and family man…. but also creator and overseer of the Krakow ghetto and eventually wanted as a war criminal by 3 countries. He takes ‘the ratline’, escaping to Argentina. 

Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba
Interviews with a variety of unforgettable women who lived in occupied France. How did they survive? By collaborating with the Nazis, or risking their own and their families’ lives? Is morality as black and white as we would like to think? 

You’ll Never See Daylight Again by Michaella McCollum
Michaela was imprisoned in Peru in 2013 for attempting to smuggle 1kg of cocaine to Madrid. This is her memoir of life in prison told through her diaries and letters. There is a happy ending.

Women of the Land by Liz Harfull
Interviews with women who have coped in the man’s world that is rural Australia. Ways of life, personal struggles, and coping that ‘make you understand and respect all the women for their experiences’. Includes one story from an Indigenous woman that makes an interesting contrast with some of the others.

Stalin’s Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan
A biography of Svetlana Stalin. Brought up in the Kremlin, her most stable relationship was with her nanny; as her father moved in and out of her life treating her like a protected and privileged princess. Follow her journey to attempt to escape the shadow of her father. Lots of photos and easy to read.

     

            

The Golden Age of Crime Fiction

One of our Third Thursday Book Club members has been reading books from the British Library Crime Classics collection –These are ‘hidden gems from the Golden Age of crime fiction.’ and even have a facebook fan group devoted to them: https://www.facebook.com/BritishLibraryCrimeClassics/

Our reader’s favourite this month was Murder in the Mill-Race by ECR Lorac.

So what is this ‘Golden Age of Crime Fiction’?

Wikipedia explains that it was ‘an era of classic murder mystery novels of similar patterns and styles, predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s.’ Many of the authors were British, such as G K Chesterton, and Dorothy L Sayers; although a few Americans also wrote in this genre, but with a distinctly British flavour.

Golden Age whodunits are built around certain established conventions and clichés that leave the reader knowing what to expect –no surprises in the plot, clear clues that lead to the identity of the murderer, and stereotypical settings such as the secluded English Country House.

A typical plot of the Golden Age mystery might go something like this:

•Guests have arrived at a country house for the weekend. They are likely to include characters such as an aristocratic young man, an opinionated widow and her independent daughter, a retired clergyman, the prodigal older son of the house; and an unlikely detective .

•The gardener discovers a body on the manicured lawn next to the orangery.

•Due to unexpected flooding, the police are unable to get to the house to assist until the river goes down.

As society changed in the 1940s and readers became more critical and challenging of the norms presented in Golden Age Crime Fiction, the decline of their popularity began. Rather than being seen as the height of fashion and literary achievement, Golden Age Crime became displaced by books drawing inspiration from wider society, and more well rounded and diverse characters. Their influence lives on in the modern genre of ‘cosy’ mysteries however –set in tea rooms, rustic cabins, catteries and quilting shops; as well as in popular television such as MidsomerMurders and the game of Cluedo.

Modern readers who thirst for blood may love their forensic science and police procedurals, but for those of us who want a rollicking good light read, set in a quaint vicarage during a snowstorm, with all the clues assembled so that we can gradually guess who the real villain is……golden age crime classics are perfect. And as Agatha Christie’s enduring popularity proves, it’s a winning formula for success.

Posted by Elizabeth 

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

As a journalist, Leigh Sales meets face to face the people we see only in the paper or on the news. Ordinary people thrust unwillingly into the media spotlight after experiencing unexpectedly the worst moments of their life.

In Any Ordinary Day, Sales looks honestly at the phenomenon of human behaviour, our morbid fascination with other people’s tragedies, and sets out to answer the questions these people spark in all of us: What are the odds of the unthinkable happening to me? And would I cope if it did?

We are taken on a conversational journey of discovery as Sales investigates current research into resilience. She reinterviews individuals years after their life-changing trauma to gain insight into the process of coping – what helped or hindered them.

We discover how politicians respond in times of national crisis or to the tragedies of individuals – in ways that bind people together, or push the nation and individuals apart. Mass media allows us to watch them respond to terror attacks, pandemics or natural disasters. While it is fascinating to think about these issues on a national scale, this book is also personally both confronting and ultimately reassuring.

In the last year I have been blindsided by a number of unrelated events, each of which, while not newsworthy to the general public, was large enough to rock my world on its axis and leave me questioning what really mattered, and how my life would look in the future. It’s why I picked this book off the shelf, and why it might be just the thing for you.

Reading Any Ordinary Day during lockdown has been an uplifting experience. It dug into the heart of horrific circumstances to expose human optimism, kindness, hope and courage.

The enduring message I was left with was what I most needed to hear. That while there are not always happy endings, ‘almost all of us are far more resilient than we could possibly imagine.’ Ordinary people can not only survive, but grow after disaster.

I recommend this honest, relatable book as an excellent read. I also recommend that we all take the author’s final advice. It may at first seem trite, but contains the culmination of her research and interviewing. The heart of resilience in the face of adversity.

“Always be grateful for the ordinary days and to savour every last moment of them. They’re not so ordinary, really. Hindsight makes them quite magical.’

Posted by Elizabeth

Catalogue link: Any Ordinary Day

The Photographer's Guide to Posing - techniques to flatter everyone by Lindsay Adler

This brilliant tutorial book is written by a well known and respected current American portrait and fashion photographer. She has published five books, one of which (Fashion Flair for Portrait and Wedding Photography) was an Amazon Best Book in Art & Photography in 2011.

As well as teaching tours and workshops, Adler has a successful photography business, and a website that includes tutorials, a blog and portfolios of her work. https://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/index

As a wedding & portrait photographer, this is the book I wish had been available when I was starting out, and now it is the book I wish I had all the skills to write! It has inspired me to improve my work, and guided me to spend time developing the skills to do this –and others can see the difference.

The friendly and conversational tone of the book draws you in, while giving you precise technical and professional information. Building on this, Adler explains 5 basic things than can ruin a pose. Even if this was as far as you read and applied, your images would show improvement! But keep reading, because this book just gets better!

The defining feature of this book, which sets it apart as exceptionally useable and accessible to all, is that every suggestion and situation is photographed clearly side by side, before & after. This allows you to see, study and understand exactly what the difference is between a good pose, and a great one –and then apply the principles to your own style.

I use this book frequently in my photography work, showing it to bridal parties and inexperienced models so that they can understand clearly why I am asking them to pose in a particular way –which will make their final images more flattering.

I would highly recommend Lindsay Adler’s ‘Posing’ to any photographer, and also my other favourite of hers ‘Shooting in Sh*ttyLight –the top ten worst photography lighting situations and how to conquer them.’ This also features real life examples and practical solutions which will increase your confidence and help you improve your images.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Palmer 

Catalogue link:  The Photographer's Guide to Posing