November and December 2020 More Holidays and Old Houses

Had a few short breaks away in November and December. Loved our couple of days at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat and walking around the Green Mountain Gardens.

Also was given the opportunity of visiting Fenwick House in Ballina. I loved the staircase.

 Echoes of the Runes by Christina Courtenay

Set mostly in Sweden in 2000 and early history AD 869.When Mia's grandmother dies she leaves her cottage to Mia. Mia's fiance wants Mia to sell the cottage but Mia has too many memories of happy summers spent at the cottage with her grandmother.

Mia allows archaeologists to dig for Viking artefacts on her property. Intertwined throughout is Ceri a young woman who was taken from her home in Wales and held hostage in a Viking village in AD 869.

This novel switches between the present time and back in time to Ceri. Both woman are connected to a gold snake ring.

It Started with a Secret by Jill Mansell

This was a fun story full of many different characters all connected with a family living in Cornwall. Begins in France.

Lainey moves from France to Cornwall and starts working for a family in a house by the sea. This was about family relationships and secrets. Lots of secrets.

Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins

Set in Oxford in the UK in the present time. Dee is working as a Nanny in a very old house caring for Felicity who has been mute for four years. Felicity's father and step mother have little time for Felicity. Dee battles with Felicity's night time wanderings and nightmares.

The Shifting Landscape by Katherine Kovacic. An Alex Clayton Art Mystery.

Set in Australia in the present time. Alex Clayton is asked to evaluate an art collection belonging to the McMillian family in the Western District of Victoria. I loved the descriptions of landscape and life on a historic sheep station.

Before Alex can evaluate the families Art Collection the family patriarch dies and a valuable painting is stolen. Alex and her friend John get caught up in the family dispute.

The Devil's Harmony by Sarah Rayne. A Phineas Fox Mystery.

Music researcher, Phineas Fox and his friend Arabella are asked to help research a mysterious scrapbook that was found at a building site in Warsaw. The scrapbook contains copies of old documents, a music score and possible concert programme.

The novel is set mostly in the present time, 1918 and the 1940’s. Phineas Fox and Arabella help a team of professionals research the scrapbook. They uncover forgotten histories and lost memories. In the background is the memory of an old building full of secrets, hidden spaces and fragments of music long forgotten and thought lost.

I love the way history, music and musicians are interwoven into the story.

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George

This novel was told through letters, emails, text messages and an old unfinished manuscript.

Emails between friends Josie and Faith tell the story. Josie is getting over a broken romance and moves to an old house she inherited from her father. While exploring the house Josie finds a bundle of letters written in 1820 and part of an old manuscript.

Josie reconnects with Faith and shares information about the old letters and manuscript.

At first, I did not like the style of writing through emails between Josie and Faith but as the excerpts of letters and manuscript were added I started to enjoy the story. Every so often text messages would pop up adding new dimensions to the story.

Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

Peggy Smith dies from a hear condition but her care Natalka becomes suspicious when she discovers that many authors refer to Peggy as a Murder Consultant. Natalka and Peggy's neighbors Edwin and Benedict try to find a connection between Peggy's death and a sudden interest in one of the books owned by Peggy.

A Week To Remember by Esther Campion

This was about a group of different people staying at a guest house in West Cork, Ireland. It is about the interaction between the guests, the owners of the guest house and residents in the town. Not all the guests are happy to be there and are trying to forget their past and make the best of their situation. I loved the way the guests interacted with each other and how their life stories were revealed and what they did to resolve their problems.

This was about families, relationships and secrets.

Painting In the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic

Alex is an Art Dealer and visits a preview of an exhibition with her friend Kohn Porter. A museum worker collapses while installing a painting believed to be cursed. Soon a conservator Meredith dies and Alex and John get caught up investigating Meredith's death.

The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley

The Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

  

September and October Busy Busy Busy

 

Learning how to use Zoom and saving backgrounds. I used this photo of artwork provided by a local school for a background on Zoom. 

Did lots of reading and also listened to a Podcast from the NSW State Library - The Gatherings Order. This was about the Influenza Pandemic of 1919. Spanish Flu. 

The Forgotten Sister Nicola Cornick

A historical mystery set in the present time and Tudor England. Lizzie Kingdom is able see back into the past when she touches certain objects.

A Keeper by Graham Norton

After her mother's death Elizabeth Keane travels to Ireland to the house she grew up in ready to clean out the house so that it can be sold. In the house she finds a small bundle of letters that send Elizabeth off in search of the secrets of her mother;s past.

A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville

317 pages. This only took 2 days to read. It was fiction about the possible life of Elizabeth MacArthur. Set in the late 1780's and 1790's mostly in Australia.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Loved it. It was written in 2011 and set mostly in 1920's and 1930's. Molly is in Foster Care and while doing Community Service meets Vivian an elderly woman in her 90's. Molly helps Vivian sort out a stack of boxes in her attic.

While they sort the boxes and decide what to keep Vivian tells her life story to Molly.

The Animals of Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

An old sprawling house - "four floors, six sets of steps, and ninety-two rooms" - my favorite type of house, how could I not read it. Set in 1939 Hetty is in charge of the safe keeping of a large collection of mammals from a Natural History Museum in London.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

A ghost story. 555 pages.

Letters From the Past by Erica James

Set mostly in 1962 with flashbacks to earlier years. A story about families and secrets.

The Outcast Girls by Alys Clare

Set mostly in the 1880’s in England. Lily Raynor runs a Private Enquiry Agency with the help of Felix Wilbraham. Lily is asked to investigate the disappearance of girls from a girl’s boarding school – Shardlowes in the Fens.

Many of the girls in the school are from orphanages or disadvantaged in some way. Lily travels to the school and takes a position as school nurse to try and out what is going on at the school and who is responsible for the disappearances of students.

This was about family relationships, boarding schools, charity organisations and secrets.

Cartographer's Secret by Tea Cooper

Set in Australia, mostly in 1911 with flashbacks to 1880. Lettie Rawlings is getting over the death of her older brother Thorne, when an opportunity to travel to Yellow Rock in the Hunter Valley of NSW to visit her Great Aunt Olivia. Lettie’s mother wants Lettie to inform Olivia of Thorne’s death and introduce herself in the hope of inheriting the family properties that would have went to Thorne.

Lettie spends time at her Great Aunts property and gradually learns about her family history and passions of her Grandfather and the disappearance of her mother’s sister Evie.

Lettie pieces together Evie’s notes, maps and paperwork in her grandfather’s study.

I loved the way the characters interacted and how the family secrets were revealed.

I particularly liked the way Lettie was able to sift through the contents of her Grandfather’s study and discover information about early Australian explorer’s.

This was about family relationships, rural life, exploration and secrets.

The Healer by Alison Butler

This was an historical romance novel set in 1402 on the border between Scotland and England. Lynelle has been an outcast from her father and family at Fenwick Keep. She lived with a healer where she was able to learn some healing skills. Her half brother Thomas is captured during a raid and Lynelle tries to rescue her brother, hoping that she will be welcomed back into her family. Lynelle offers herself as a healer in exchange for the return of her brother.

William Kirkpatrick wants to return to his family Castle on the Scottish border. His young brother has been injured and is need of a healer if he is to survive the journey. William does not trust healers but takes up Lynelle’s offer.

 This was a fun easy to read historical romance. 

   

July and August Work and Holidays

July was very busy at work. The Library opened at the beginning of July after being closed to the public since March. During April, May and June the staff did lots of cleaning and moving shelves and books. In June we prepared the library by placing floor markings so patrons could keep their distance from others and we also removed excess chairs and tables.

I had two weeks holiday in August and enjoyed rest and relaxation and lots of nature walks near Kyogle and at Yamba. We stayed at a cabin at Ripples on the Creek. Loved the cabin and walks along the creek. 

Another place we stayed was Mt Clunie Cabins near Wodenbong. A perfect place for a few days lots of bush walking, bird watching and reading.

Books I was reading in July and August 2020 were about old houses, secrets, hauntings, stalking and quarantine in a pandemic. I particularly enjoy reading books that feature old houses.  The Lost Ones by Anita Frank and The Museum of Forgotten Memories by Anstey Harris were perfect and I really enjoyed reading The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.

 The Lost Ones by Anita Frank

Set in England in 1917. Stella Marcham is struggling to cope with the death of her fiance. She travels  to Greyswick Mansion to spend some time with her married sister. Not long after settling into Greyswick Mansion Stella discovers her sister is very afraid. Stella's mother in law and other household staff are no help and Stella and her sister are left haunted by secrets from the past.

This was a ghost story. An old house and lots of secrets. I loved it. 

The Museum of Forgotten Memories by Anstey Harris

When Cate's husband dies Cate is left struggling to pay her rent and care for her son Leo. Cate moves to Richard's Grandfather's old Victorian museum where she finds peace and discovers the secrets of Richard's family and Hatter's Museum.

This was about families, friendships and secrets. 

One Step Behind by Laura North

A psychological thriller. This is about two women. Jenna is a doctor working in an accident emergency department. She has a husband and 2 young children. Jenna is afraid. Everyday someone is watching and waiting. Strange offerings on her doorstep. Constant threatening emails.
Sophie is a personal trainer who works with her partner, Nick. Nick is constantly keeping track of Sophie and wants to know where she is every minute.
I loved every bit of this creepy novel. All the twists and turns. Swapping back and forwards from Jenna to Sophie.  

My Darlin' Quarantine by Elizabeth Stewart

A fantasy set in 2020 during a pandemic. Five different groups of total strangers are locked up together because one person in each group was deemed to be contagious. The five different locations were a bar, a beauty salon, car dealership, dentist surgery and a lawyer’s office. Each group of people were locked in as they were, for 42 days the only comfort was a delivery of daily meals. This was a fantasy of what ifs and how different people cope under difficult conditions.

The Other Mrs by Mary Kubica

A good mystery. Sadie and Will Foster move to Maine after Will’s sister dies. Will and Sadie have two sons and the guardianship of Will’s teenage niece. Their life is difficult with the burden of caring for their niece.

The woman next door is murdered which further complicates their life. A good mystery told in three different voices.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

I loved it. Could not put it down. Finished reading it over three days. A historic novel about writing of a dictionary. Set in Oxford. Esme spends her early childhood with her father who is working at gathering words and their meanings for the First Oxford Dictionary.

Esme is fascinated by words and sometimes finds discarded words under the sorting table. Esme collects the words she finds and keeps them in an old trunk. Over the years Esme finds that many of the discarded words describe women’s experiences.

Esme starts compiling her own dictionary of lost words. This was about the meaning of words, Woman’s Suffrage Movement, WW1 and relationships.