Welcome to another month of WOYBS!
It’s great to have you join us for another month of our What’s On Your Bookshelf Challenge (WOYBS), #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge, hosted by good friends, Sue, Donna, Jo (and me).
What have I enjoyed reading lately?
A real mix this month with new authors and different genres. I had some light reads with the latest in The Cornish Midwife series, and a great Bush Noir story from Hayley Scrivenor in Dirt Town. Our online bookclub finished Sense and Sensibility our third in our reading of Jane Austen’s catalogue. I enjoyed it and particularly loved watching the 1995 movie with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman – which I hadn’t seen before.
We also enjoyed our zoom baking session and made a delicious Dorset Apple Cake.
Book of the Month: The Woman in the Library
My book of the month is The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. I included it in a blogging collaboration recently which you can read here on Carol’s Reading Ladies Bookclub blog – Summer’s one must read book 2022 (although it’s winter here). There are so many great recommendations from other bloggers, I picked up some new books to add to my ever-growing list!
It also helps that I know Sulari and have followed her writing adventure since the beginning.
Blurb on Goodreads:
In every person’s story, there is something to hide…
The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.
Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.
My Review:
This was a very entertaining and compulsive book to read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I couldn’t put it down and admire Sulari’s talents even more than I did before. The Woman in the Library was very cleverly written and I didn’t pick the murderer until very near the end as events in the story kept changing my thinking. A great whodunnit very cleverly executed.
I happen to know Sulari and her family and this added to my enjoyment. I’ve been at many author talks where Sulari has been a guest and I am looking forward to the local launch of this in the Tumbarumba Library.
The Trauma Cleaner
My local bookclub read The Trauma Cleaner this month, unfortunately I missed the discussion which would have been very interesting! I found it hard to rate this book and ended up giving it 3 stars but I can’t explain why. I didn’t enjoy it as such but I wanted to finish it, maybe it was so far out of my comfort zone in many ways and it disturbed me??
Goodreads Blurb
Husband, father, drag queen, sex worker, wife. Sarah Krasnostein’s The Trauma Cleaner is a love letter to an extraordinary ordinary life. In Sandra Pankhurst she discovered a woman capable of taking a lifetime of hostility and transphobic abuse and using it to care for some of society’s most in-need people.
My Review:
I read this for our bookclub and wonder if I’d have read it otherwise? I have to say I’m glad I read it and I learnt a LOT from the true story of Sandra. I think I have lived a very protected life compared to that of Sandra. The story was traumatic and compelling, graphic and interesting. Some of it was hard to read at times and knowing that it was a true story made me wonder about the world we live in. Sarah Krasnostein was a compassionate story teller and obviously full of admiration for Sandra and all she’d been through and I too felt compassion for Sandra.
What books am I taking on my travels?
You may already know that I am off in a few day’s time, for a month’s holiday visiting my daughter and granddaughter in England. It’s been the most stressful time of any trip we’ve been on before, due to the increase in Covid cases and trying to keep ourselves healthy. All around us our family and friends have been falling ill and we’ve had to change plans for our final weekend with family in Canberra due to these unforeseen issues.
It didn’t help that I developed an eye problem just a week before we were due to leave but I’m on the mend now thankfully and will be fine to get on the plane! I was able to distract myself with my carry-on only packing experiment and I’m thrilled to say I’ve done it!
When I wrote my initial post about my packing challenge a lot of people offered comments, advice, suggestions and helpful recommendations for which I’m thankful.
One reader (a book blogger) was worried that I’d not mentioned what books I was taking! So I decided to make a list of what reading material I have organised, particularly for the long haul flights from Australia to London via Singapore and return.
I’ve downloaded a lot of books onto my kindle app on my iPad, with some audio books as well. I always take good headphones when I travel and find it’s a great way to listen to books when things are going on around me in the plane. Sometimes it can be hard to concentrate on reading the words in that environment.
Here are some of my Audible books (many of which were free to download):
- The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
- The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (our next online bookclub book)
- Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta (my sister recommended this to me ages ago)
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Able by Dylan Alcott (Australian of the Year 2022)
- Lisa by Lisa Curry
- The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
On my Kindle reading app I have these to choose from:
- A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin
- The Locksmith’s Daughter by Karen Brooks
- The Brewer’s Tale by Karen Brooks
I think you’ll agree that if I get through a fraction of these books in the time I’m away then I’m doing well. I have a real mix of fiction, non-fiction, biographies, crime, historical fiction and even sci-fi. So there you have it, my reading list is all lined up ready to go!
The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
Dr Seuss
Will you join us?
If you’re into reading, please feel free to join us, even if it’s just to leave a comment with what you’ve been reading lately. We’ve added a linkup (at the end of my post) so you can add your posts directly there and see what others have posted about for the month as well.
Sue, Donna, Jo and I hope that you will join us in this fun series.
You can read more from my stunning co-hosts here:
Sue from Women Living Well After 50
Donna from Retirement Reflections
We’re all in this together, sharing our love of reading 🙂
I may be missing from the blogosphere for a bit as I’m not taking my Mac this time, I may use my iPad to blog or I may just have a break. I’ll see how I feel. My Word of the Year post will be scheduled for our link-up next Friday.
Happy reading!
Deb xx
All my WOYBS posts can be found here
Guidelines for WOYBS:
What: What’s On Your Bookshelf #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge
When: Third Thursday PM (Northern Hemisphere)/ Third Friday AM (Southern Hemisphere).
Why: Share a love of reading.
Where: Linkup below, Blog, Blog Comments, Instagram or other Social Media.
Who: This linkup is open to everyone.
How: You can share in the comments, with a blog post, or on other social media of your choice. You can use the hashtag #Whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge
You can also find Deb’s World in lots of other places – stay in touch by clicking any of the buttons below.
Copyright © 2023 debs-world.com – All rights reserved
Deb's World 
Hi Deb good to hear your eye is on the mend. Very interesting to read about the books you are taking with you on your travels. Karen Brooks is my favourite historical fiction author. It’s a good thing to take her books on kindle as they are huge. Have a great holiday. Look forward to reading about your adventures
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Karen Brooks is a favourite of mine too Jen, I’m working my way through them all! My eye is doing well and will be fine for our travels this week. Hope your trip goes well too.
LikeLike
I read one of those Ann Cleeves books that is on your listening list. Good stuff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great to hear, I’m keen to get into them as she always tells a good story!
LikeLike
Hope your eye feels better asap. I just finished Where the Crawdads sing and really enjoyed it. I’ll check out some of the ones on your list! Thanks!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that was a great book and I’m keen to see the movie now. Are you going to see it do you think?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes actually. I saw it, and really enjoyed it. Of course not as much as the book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you’re feeling much better soon, Deb. A very interesting book review post, once again. Toni x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Toni, I’m much better than I was a week ago and ready to get on that plane this week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you LOVE Project Hail Mary on audible! Sooooooo good! Thanks for linking to our collab post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I’m even more excited now Carol! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I were reading it again for the first time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Debbie – I am so happy to hear that your eye is feeling better. Great books on your shelf and Kindle. Enjoy your travels and your family. I look forward to following your adventures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Donna, I’ll be taking lots of photos never fear!!
LikeLike
Thanks Deb for the link up and your interesting post. I have listened to The Trauma Cleaner and knowing it was a true story was “interesting” and now, as a change from a range of non-fiction books from my Audible library and I am re-listening to The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and enjoying its twists and turns. So sorry about the many changes/challenges to going OS this time round…it is that unknown stuff that you just have to trust to work out…and that “not seeing” family as planned will not be the worst thing ever (says me….) but something that like all things since early 2020 is yet another memory of times which had changed. I am “clocking off” the blog by the end of next week…ties in with last post for July WOTY for all of August. My reasons are surgery related and getting better afterwards…nothing as interesting as yours!! Take care, D x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for your comment and for joining us despite us confusing you with dates! I wish you well for your surgery and look forward to good news. I have the Lost Flowers ready to listen to on the trip. All the best xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought the trauma cleaner was really interesting, and I liked the juxtaposition of the people she helped and her life story. It’s very sad and I think it reflects quite badly on Australian society, even with the experiences for the hoarders. She had a rough life from the very beginning. I think books like that make me question if I am part of the problem (unintentionally) and make me try to do better, learn more and broaden my outlook. We also did it for bookclub. I believe she died recently.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a fantastic trip! I hope it all goes smoothly. And I hope that eye is on the mend. It was such a worry to see that photo!! Super jealous of your travels. Enjoy!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lydia, I was so worried about my eye but it is healing well and isn’t a threat to my travels thank goodness.
LikeLike
The Trauma Cleaner was very interesting and showed a lot about not only Sandra but the lives of others she was helping. I get your point about how the book makes us look at ourselves and our privilege in some way. Yes she died in the last few years, what a life!!
LikeLike
The Woman in the Library sounds fantastic! You and your book club watched my favorite Jane Austin movie. I hope you have a fabulous time on your trip. I can’t believe I have never thought to pack headphones and a few audiobooks on my trips! While I always download lots of books to read there are times when reading is harder and I’d prefer to just listen.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I loved S&S the movie and can see why it’s your favourite. The headphones really help me block out the noise going on around me so I highly recommend them. Hope you enjoy The Woman in the Library!
LikeLike
I’ve linked up but I’m on vacation and had to schedule my post ahead of time….so I’ll need to wait until I am home and at my laptop to link to all your current posts…..I can’t edit well using the iPad app
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s there Carol and what a great post it was too! Thanks for joining us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read the crawdads book when it came out and recently saw the movie. It’s definitely one of my favorites. I’ll have to give the woman in the library a go! It sounds amazing
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Crawdads was one of my faves and I’m keen to see the movie, maybe it will be on the plane for my travels this week – that would be good! Thanks for your visit and comment 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Deb, i was sorry to miss our Book Club Baking this month but enjoyed our final discussion of S&S. (I did watch the movie which brought the book alive for me though). I love Anne Cleeves and Val McDermid and have read the two books you are taking with you. I also read The Woman in the Library on your recommendation. I had mixed feelings about that one. We have similar taste in books so there are a couple on your list I haven’t read so thanks for sharing. I love our #WOYBS link up because I find so many new books to consider reading. Thanks for co-hosting and have a fabulous trip. xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am keen to listen to the Ann Cleeves books and I always value your recommendations as we do enjoy similar books. The Woman in the Library was a bit different but maybe my connection to Sulari helped! Thanks for the good wishes, I’m so looking forward to it!
LikeLike
Here’s mine for July
I’ll be downloading The Woman in the Library, thanks!
I notice you have The Trauma Cleaner on your list. I couldn’t finish this book, the author chopped and changed too much and she seemed to have an obsession with Sandra. Anyway will be interested in your review.
Happy travels and well done with the packing!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t think I would have finished The Trauma Cleaner but it was for our bookclub, and then I wasn’t able to go to the discussion after all that!!! I get what you say about it chopping and changing and it really was way out of my comfort zone in places. Hope you enjoy The Woman in the Library 🙂 Great post which I’ve just read and left a comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Debbie, it was for our bookclub too, but I’m not that good at reading books I don’t enjoy
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well done with being organized with “light weight” books for your trip! I’m off to the lake for a few days and will be reading Anne of Green Gables (again) in paperback. I don’t find that sand and electronics mix!
Have a great trip and I am glad that you got good care and the eye is on the mend. Covid certainly isn’t on the mend and as you said it is hard to avoid it. Take care. Bernie
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Bernie! I adore Anne book and agree sand and technology don’t mix! Enjoy the lake 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just finished Woman In The Library & (big call) it’s my favourite read of the year so far. Great choices on your kindle for the trip… Bon voyage my friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a big call and I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jo, it was very clever wasn’t it? Apparently page 235 was where she realised who it was!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just finished the nonfiction book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Makes us Whole by Susan Cain. Excellent! I hope to review it on my blog soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Look forward to reading your reviews. It’s always so interesting to see what others are reading and I get so many good recommendations this way. Thanks for joining in.
LikeLike
That apple cake looks delicious. ONe of the things I’d like to do is make something because I read it in a book (not recipe book).
LikeLiked by 1 person