Just Arrived: Books, Books, Books!
Recently, I’ve had a swathe of new arrivals for the TBR pile, and with the Christmas – New Year break coming up, which aligns with the summer holidays here in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about books to read.
So here’s the swathe:
Behrooz Boochani: No Friend But The Mountain
Behrooz Boochani fled persecution in Iran, but was imprisoned by the Australian government in the Manus Island detention centre for six years. No Friend But The Mountain is his autobiographical account of the road to Manus and an eyewitness account of the detention centers, that was typed into a mobile phone and communicated secretly to the outside world. The book has won four major prizes and Boochani is currently in NZ, where he appeared at a WORDChristchurch (literary festival) event.
Teresa Frohock: Carved From Stone and Dream
Recently, I read and enjoyed Teresa Frohock’s Where Oblivion Lives, and this is the second book in the Los Nefilim series. Set in the end period of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, the human conflict mirrors that between angels and demons, in which nefilim (nephilim) are the foot soldiers for either side. It’s receiving early praise from reviewers, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly — but hey, I was already keen to read on Teresa’s past track record.
Frances Hardinge: Deeplight
This is a coming-of-age read about a world in which the gods have died a generation ago, but the Undersea that spawned them is still very much alive — and where god artifacts are major business. A few people have recommended this book to me now, so I’ll definitely be giving it a go.
Diane Setterfield: Once Upon A River
Diane Setterfield attended the WordChristchurch festival in 2014, but this is her latest work. Featuring an area of the upper Thames river in the late Victorian era, it appears to be historical fiction with a dash of magic realism thrown in. I’m currently reading it so will be reporting back very shortly.
Markus Zusak: Bridge of Clay
Thirteen years after The Book Thief took the world by storm, Markus Zusak brought out Bridge of Clay, which is set in contemporary Australia. A book about five brothers, the focus of the book is the fourth brother, Clay:
Let me tell you about our brother
The fourth Dunbar boy named Clay.
Everything happened to him.
We were all of us changed through him.
I’m guessing there may be something in there about a bridge, as well. 😉
And that’s it. But more than enough to be going on with, I reckon.