Contemporary



has been a prisoner too...think creepy Joseph Fritzl. Told in Jack's voice,with details of daily life and the relationship with his mother, I was totally engrossed in this book from page 1. || Jo Schenkel Pat Pledger (ReadPlus) || I review some books here. || (check out a podcast interview about this book here) || John Larkin || The Shadow Girl ends up living on the streets after her parents disappear and her uncle and aunt turn out to be abusive and manipulative guardians. Fearing authorities will take her uncles side when things take a nasty turn, she flees. Using her considerable intellect and increasing streetsmarts, she tricks her way into a new school. No-one knows she sleeps in railyards, sand dunes and abandoned houses. At this school she has an encounter with an author, who she will call on years later to tell her story. Through a series of coffee shop interviews they piece together the tale of how she suirvived, who helped her, and the tragic friend she wishes she could have saved. This is a powerful novel of the human spirit, unlike anything John Larkin has written before. The Shadow Girl is a character who will stay with you (as she did when John met her) long after you have read this novel. Highly recommended. || Sue Osborne || ebook version available || Deborah Rodriguez || Every time an Australian soldier is killed in Afghanistan, the question of whether Australia should be there is asked. Ask a soldier who has been there and their answer is always "Yes, we must continue to make the changes," This book identifies those changes. While it centres on the relationships and situations of five diverse women, IMO the story is about the Afghan women "imprisoned, whether behind bars or burqas " - women whose stories are only ever told through the "fiction" of other characters. This book is one of my top five for the year. || Barbara B. || Pat Pledger (ReadPlus) ||
 * **Title** || **Author** || **Synopsis** || **Recommended by ...** ||
 * **Room** || Emma Donoghue || The story of Jack, born in captivity and knowing only life in "Room" His mother
 * **A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian** || Marina Lewycka || I work in a public library as well as a school library. On the holds list at the public library I had to find Marina Lewycka's "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian". The title attracted my attention and after I read the first three sentences I reserved it for myself. The first three sentences are: "Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blond Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside." It was a fantastic book that I couldn't put down! || Debbie Fuller ||
 * **Everybody Sees the Ants** || A.S. King || Confronting, heart-wrenching (my two fav words when it comes to contemporary) and humorous. MC is Lucky, whose life is not so much lucky as difficult and confusing. King deals with bullying, family dysfunction and depression. Lucky's voice is well written, realistic and readers can identify with his growing self-confidence and realisations about his world. I loved this. (King's other novel, 'Please Ignore Vera Deitz' is also awesome.) || Trisha Buckley.
 * **Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close** || Jonathan Safran Foer || I found this to be the most personally affecting book I have read recently. A small boy who has lost his Dad in 9/11 sets out to solve a mystery concerning a key found in his Dad's belongings. A great read. Thoroughly recommended! || Karen Bale ||
 * **Daphne** || Justine Picardie || Part of the blurb: It is 1957 & author Daphne du Maurier despairs as her marriage falls apart. Seeking distraction from her misery she becomes passionately interested in Branwell, the brother of the Bronte sisters. In present day London a lonely young woman struggles with her PhD thesis on du Maurier and the Brontes. Retreating to the comfort of her library she becomes absorbed in a 50 year-old literary mystery ... Daphne is a a tale of obsession and possession; of stolen manuscripts and forged signatures; of love lost, and love found. || Annette Williams ||
 * **The Shadow Girl **
 * **Girl in Translation** || Jean Kwok || This book stayed with me for days. A coming of age story of a young girl moving to Brooklyn from Hong Kong. Kimberley leads an 'almost double life' helping her mum in the sweatshops at night and achieving academic success during the day. Interesting, rich characters draw you into the story. With a real twist in the ending, this is Kwok's first novel and is a real standout. || Sally Cheadle ||
 * **The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul**
 * Lavinia || Ursula le Guin || This fantasy based on historical legend is a new style for Ursula le Guin, but I hesitate to label it as fantasy. Based on a fleeting mention of Lavinia in Virgil's Aeneid, it is a wonderful tangle of thoughts and history that deserves the time it takes to absorb the wonderfully descriptive language and "turns of phrase" expected from Ursula le Guin. This wikipedia entry includes a link to an interview with Romona Koval. || Judith Wakeman
 * When God was a Rabbit || Sarah Winman || A wonderful story of love, secrets,childhood and growing up. Loved ALL the characters. It's a debut novel and I can't wait for her next one || Sally Rocke ||
 * **A Visit from the Goon Squad** || Jennifer Egan || This is a wonderful book about people and the passage of time, revolving around a record industry executive and his assistant but visiting them and characters in their orbit at different points in time. It's beautifully structured, sometimes frustrating in that it doesn't follow a traditional narrative, but effortless to read - funny and thought-provoking. I loved it! || Penny Szentkuti ||
 * ** Still Alice** || Lisa Genova || Alice is a well-respected Harvard professor whose research focuses on how the human brain communicates. This is the touching, sensitive and enlightening story of how she manages after she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. I learned so much from this, most of all that sufferers of Alzheimers and other age-related momery issues are indeed, "still Ailice". Despite its topic, it is not at all depressing - I couldn't put it down. || Barbara B ||
 * ** Still Alice** || Lisa Genova || Alice is a well-respected Harvard professor whose research focuses on how the human brain communicates. This is the touching, sensitive and enlightening story of how she manages after she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. I learned so much from this, most of all that sufferers of Alzheimers and other age-related momery issues are indeed, "still Ailice". Despite its topic, it is not at all depressing - I couldn't put it down. || Barbara B ||