Welcome to Beach Town by Susan Wiggs

 

Welcome to Beach Town by Susan Wiggs-319 pages

At Thornton, the students are the worldly and overindulged children who live in gated enclaves with spectacular views. But the class valedictorian is Nikki Graziola, a surfer’s daughter who is there on scholarship. To the shock of everyone in the audience, Nikki veers off script while giving her commencement address and reveals a secret that breaks open the whole community. Nikki Graziola’s accusation shakes the foundation of Alara Cove, pitting her against the wealthy family whose money runs the town. Her new notoriety sends Nikki into exile for years, where she finds fame and love, overseas as a competition surfer...until a personal tragedy compels her to return to Alara Cove.  

As Nikki struggles to rebuild her future, she finds that the people of the town have not forgotten her. But time has changed Alara Cove, and old friendships, rivalries, and an unexpected romance draw her back into the life of the beach town she’s never quite forgotten. Showing her that its never too late to start over.

Good character development and plot line. An enjoyable read.

 

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty-467 pages

Joy Delaney is missing.  Is she dead?  All fingers point to her husband of 50 years, Stan.  Two of their children think he did it and two think he didn't.  And then there is the stranger that knocked on their door one night, lost and bleeding.  Joy has such a good heart that she asked the Savannah in, fixed her up and allowed her to stay with them until she found her way.  Stan is not so sure its a good idea.  

This is a dark tale with an ending that really knocked my socks off...so much so that I needed to reread the ending over again.  I really liked it and I think you will too.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

 

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - 463 pages

Nine strangers meet at the Tranquillum House resort for multiple reasons - to lose weight, to save their marriage, to reconnect with family, to put the past in the past.  During their ten day stay, they learn to meditate, disengage from social media, and adopt healthy lifestyle choices.  Everything seems blissful at first, but something is amiss at Tranquillum House that ultimately will leave these strangers' lives intertwined forever...

I really enjoyed this book.  Multiple points of view, great character development, suspense, and plot twists I never saw coming made it a 4.5 star book for me.  I buddy-ready this with a friend, and we both really loved Liane Moriarty's ability to write deep, believable, and likeable characters. HBO will be releasing a series based off this book soon, and I cannot wait to watch! 

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

 

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline-371 pages

Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when she is accused of stealing and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long sea voyage.

During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, - a skilled midwife and herbalist.

While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity.  A beautiful story of survival and the unbreakable bonds of female friendships.  What these brave women endured is absolutely inspiring.  I loved this book. 

Dingoes at Dinnertime (Magic Tree House #20) by Mary Pope Osborne

Dingoes at Dinnertime (Magic Tree House #20) by Mary Pope Osborne-72 pages

Jack and Annie are whisked off to Australia to find the last gift to free Teddy, which is a gift from a kangaroo. They save a koala and a Joey (baby kangaroo) from a wildfire. They also meet emus, dingoes, and a kookaburra on their adventure. Jack and Annie return the Joey to its mom after the wildfire. I always enjoy reading a Magic Tree House book!

Scrublands by Chris Hammer

Scrublands by Chris Hammer - 368 pages

An isolated Australian town is devastated by an unspeakable tragedy.  One year later, journalist Martin Scarsden is visiting the town of Riversend to write about how the town has recovered.  Scarsden soon finds that the story is much more nuanced than anyone ever suspected and the tragedy is still unfolding in the present day.  This novel is intricately plotted and new twists unfold throughout.  The characters are well developed and each speak with a distinct voice.  I also enjoyed the Australian setting and learning about the impact of drought on the isolated community. 

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

           

                                             The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, 464 pages

Australian author Moriarty, in her fifth novel (after The Hypnotist's Love Story), puts three women in an impossible situation and doesn't cut them any slack. Cecilia Fitzpatrick lives to be perfect: a perfect marriage, three perfect daughters, and a perfectly organized life. Then she finds a letter from her husband, John-Paul, to be opened only in the event of his death. She opens it anyway, and everything she believed is thrown into doubt. Meanwhile, Tess O'Leary's husband, Will, and her cousin and best friend, Felicity, confess they've fallen in love, so Tess takes her young son, Liam, and goes to Sydney to live with her mother. There she meets up with an old boyfriend, Connor Whitby, while enrolling Liam in St. Angela's Primary School, where Cecilia is the star mother. Rachel Crowley, the school secretary, believes that Connor, St. Angela's PE teacher, is the man who, nearly three decades before, got away with murdering her daughter—a daughter for whom she is still grieving. Simultaneously a page-turner and a book one has to put down occasionally to think about and absorb, Moriarty's novel challenges the reader as well as her characters, but in the best possible way.

Great novel! Kept me hooked, with a few twists & turns, and you then find out how everything and everyone is connected.

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan - 240 pages

Glitter and Glue is the third in a series of memoirs by Kelly Corrigan.  In this one, she explores her relationship with her mother through the lens of a short-term nanny job she took in Australia.  As a twenty-something, Kelly and her best friend Tracy decide to see the world.  A month after leaving the United States, they are nearly out of money with eleven months of their trip left and Kelly becomes a nanny to a widower's children.  As Kelly guides the Martin and Milly through life, she begins to realize she is more like her mother than she ever dreamed possible.  With this awareness, Kelly learns to respect the mother she never understood growing up.

I found the memoir fast-paced and highly entertaining.  While the underlying message of the book is constant, Corrigan adds humor to many situations.  She also explores issues common to twenty-somethings, such as the need for independence, desire to explore the world, and life in love .

Glitter and Glue releases today.

Naked Bunyip Dancing by Steven Herrick

Naked Bunyip Dancing by Steven Herrick, 201 pages

A very funny book written in prose from the viewpoints of the students and teachers. I laughed my way through almost every last one of the pages in this book. I could picture the students grilling the substitute teacher on Mr. Carey's "bug." I could imagine a trip to the sewage treatment plant and how they arrived at that. The play was fantastic and purely imaginable. From after school sports, to the classroom, to the home to various meeting spots, this book covers just about every aspect of the students' lives in a fun and imaginative way. It's the perfect glimpse into each life. Some of the poems were sad, like one particular student's whose parents were divorcing or the few on the War, but for the most part, laughter kept me turning the pages to read more. An excellent read that everyone should take the time to enjoy. I'm glad this book was recommended to me because I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise... and I would have really missed out.

Heath Ledger, Hollywood's Dark Star by Brian J. Robb

Heath Ledger, Hollywood's Dark Star by Brian J. Robb, 207 pages

This was a very good biography on Heath's death.  This book was full of details on his life in Australia, and his break in TV and films.  I especially enjoyed the highlights of his film career, including the women he met on set and dated.  The book highlights his trouble with drugs and his relationship with Michelle Williams, the mother of his young daughter.  What unfolds is the rise of a star and his tragic fall into the dark world of prescription drug abuse after filming the Batman movie. The book describes the day he is found dead in his apartment and includes many great pictures!

The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough

The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough, 692 pages

This is not something I would usually read, but I'm glad I did upon the suggestion of a friend.  I thought it would just be a dusty tale about a priest and some scandalous romance, made into a movie before I was born.  Which it is.  But it's also a sweeping family saga, full of romance, heartbreak, drama, and vivid descriptions of Australian farmland.  Full of robust, secondary characters, the primary story is that of Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart, doomed to a love that ends in tragic, but inevitable, consequences; and the story of family in 19th and early 20th-century Australia.