A Favorite Author

Michael  Robotham

I have enjoyed reading books written by Michael Robotham. A few years ago I had a chance to listen to him talk at a writers festival.
The Other Wife by Michael Robotham was excellent. Joe O'Loughlin's father is attacked and left in a coma. Joe discovers his father had a secret life and another wife. With the help of an ex police officer he discovers his father's secrets and who had a motive to attempt to murder his father.
As usual a very good novel. The characters and story line was well written. A quick easy read i could not put down.

Another very different type of book but covering some of my favorite themes - Mathematics and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty.
This was a junior fiction book about a girl who was struck by lightning and became a genius in mathematics.
She was home schooled but at age 13 her grandmother wanted her to spend a year in Middle School to make friends and join one activity and read a book.
Lucy has a problem fitting in. She has OCD and needs to perform rituals in order to concentrate. These rituals are quickly noticed by other children.
I loved this book and the friends Lucy met at school.

Rural Scenes

Stopped to take a photo of this old cream shed near Marom Creek. During August I was reading books about Australia.

The Shifting Light by Alice Camion
An Australian novel set in the present time. About rural properties in outback NSW. Nina is an artist following in her father's footsteps. She has an artist's retreat and her friend Izzy brings artists to Nina's property to paint outback scenes.
Lachlan is a cousin of Nina's father.
One of the visiting artist's has a sketch of Lachlan. Nina and her friend Izzy go searching for Lachlan in the city.
This novel is about artists, families, secrets and rural life.

Another rural Australian book I enjoyed was The Right Place by Carla CarusoThis was a novel set in South Australia in the present time with flash backs to the 1950’s. It was about a young woman, Nella who inherits her grandmother’s house and market garden. Nella spends time at her grandmother’s house cleaning and packing up a house full of memories. Nella gradually learns to cook using her grandmother’s cook books and also develops a relationship with her Adrian. As a child Nella spent a lot of time with Adrian and his twin brother Davide. Adrian owns the market garden next door, and also has a lease on Nella’s market garden.This is a romance novel about family relationships, friendships, market gardens and cooking. Throughout is a scattering of Italian recipes using fresh farm produce.

Some of the lovely tomatoes from our garden.