Connilyn Cossette

I have recently enjoyed some historical, biblical-era fiction by Connilyn Cossette.

The Out from Egypt series spans the time of the Exodus, through the years in the wilderness, and the beginning of Israel’s entry itno the Promised Land. The reader is invited to imagine what it would have been like to be a slave fleeing alongside the Hebrews, to live in the camps as God provided for his people, or as conflict with neighbouring peoples unfolded. Across the three books, three different women’s stories are told and their growing faith in the God Most High.

In Numbers 35:6, God decrees that when they enter the promised land, the Levites were to put aside six cities of refuge where someone who had accidentally killed someone could flee. The four books in the Cities of Refuge series build on this idea, starting with one woman, Moriyah, who urgently needs sanctuary. The series follows passing decades as the cities prosper and thrive, providing safe haven as needed. Yet, by the time of the Judges, the Hebrews have been opressed by the Arameans. Will the rise of Othniel be enough to inspire the Hebrews to reclaim their land and towns?

Each book offeres a vivid sense of life in those times and provokes the reader to think more deeply about the biblical world and its context. There is a persistent encouragement to be faithful. The characters have depth, and as expected for this genre, there is a chaste love story in each.

I enjoyed them and found myself thinking more about life under God in those times. Cossette is an author whose work I will happily return to.

Plagues and Papyrus

Plagues & Papyrus, Christine Dillon

I have long been a fan of Christine Dillon’s Grace series. They are a six-book fiction series, set in Australia in the 1990s. Dillon weaves bible storytelling, evangelism, and realistic life challenges into believable stories with likeable characters. The whole family enjoyed them, teens and adults alike.

In recent years, she has been writing a Light of Nations series, all set in Old Testament times, and five of a potential 15 are published. I have read many books of a similar genre over the years, some I loved, others opened up biblical times in more detail, and others prompted me to open my Bible and check them for accuracy. Biblical era fiction can prompt different responses in people, and Christine has addressed that directly in this blog post.

I was keen to turn to Dillon’s Plagues and Papyrus, set in the events of Exodus 1-17. Kheti and his family have farmed papyrus along the Nile for generations, with Hebrew slaves as part of their workforce. He is confident in his gods and in the mighty Pharaoh. But his beliefs are challenged as the river turns to blood, his crops fail, and financial ruin threatens. The Hebrew God wants his people released from slavery. What will Kheti, his family, and his neighbours do - will they heed the warnings or try to continue in their own strength? Would the God of the Hebrews even welcome any Egyptians into his chosen people?

Dillon’s bible storytelling skill is again apparent. She weaves scriptural accounts and promises into the narrative. She has made the plagues last about eight months, and presents a realistic picture of what it would have been like to experience them as an Egyptian. She has used slightly different names for key characters (e.g., Mosheh for Moses, so that readers familiar with the biblical spelling might approach it differently). A believer is likely to come away with more insight into the Exodus account. An unbeliever would hopefully have questions about this Elohim who has such power and caused such destruction to save his people.

If you like quality biblical fiction, this is a great read. If you are uncertain about the genre, this just might convince you that it can be very good.

 

(You can buy Dillon's book direct at www.storytellerchristine.com)  

Mini fiction reviews

The Bookbinder of Jericho, Pip Williams 

This lovely book tells the story of Peggy Jones, a bookbinder at the Oxford University Press over 1914-1919. It is marketed as a companion volume to The Dictionary of Lost Words, Williams' highly successful debut novel. It helps to have read it, but it’s not essential to following the storyline. Peggy and her twin Maude work in the women’s section of book publishing, cutting the pages and binding the books. The snippets of the books that Peggy reads whet her appetite, and she collects the unwanted copies, storing them on their houseboat. She dreams of being able to learn more, and perhaps even being included among the gowns of the University, rather than being consigned to just a town girl. Many themes are interwoven throughout: the realities of war both in England and for the soldiers overseas, the plight of Belgian refugees who fled the German invasion, the burden of caring for family, suffragettes, and the impact of the Spanish flu. The overarching idea though, is the limitations on women at this time, especially those without means. It’s both uplifting and honest.

One comment stayed with me, in comparing the sacrifice of the men who died in war and the women who died nursing the sick with flu: “Every town will have a memorial for the men… But I don’t think there will be one for the women… Their sacrifice was not glorious or noble… It was women’s work and it was just expected.”

Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again, Elizabeth Strout

Anchored around the later years of Olive Kitteridge, her husband Henry, and their now adult son Christopher. A retired schoolteacher, Olive is not an easy woman, but she has a lot of love and care for others, in her own brusque and difficult way. It’s a meandering read with alternate chapters focussed on other people in their town whose lives intersect with Olive’s. Therefore, it’s almost a collection of short stories or vignettes. Initially, it made for confusing reading, but after a while, the pattern became clearer, and the book started to wash over me a little more. Strout has interesting insights into people and explores both the mundane and the more complicated aspects of life. I ended up quite enjoying it and turned with renewed interest towards the sequel, Olive, Again. This continued Olive’s life in her 70s and 80s. A similar format and some characters from the first book reappear. It dips in and out over time, and you suddenly realise 2, 3 or 5 years have passed by. There’s a frank honesty about the realities of ageing, losing loved ones, moving into residential care, and the many indignities of older life.

Stella Quinn novels

I have now read four of Quinn’s novels, all set in rural locations around Australia. Two were in outer NSW (The Vet from Snowy River, and A Home Among the Snow Gums, and two were in Queensland (A Town Like Clarence and Down the Track). She has engaging characters with interesting backstories. They are all romantic fiction, so it’s entirely obvious from the beginning who is going to pair up with whom, but they are also humorous, quite modern (in terms of up-to-date references) and a bit of fun. Enjoyable light reading from an Australian author.

Mania

Mania, Lionel Shriver (Harper Collins, 2024) 

Yet again I have been struck by Lionel Shriver’s insight and humour. She has an astonishing ability to explore societal trends through fictional characters and situations, and I have enjoyed many of her books over the years.

This new offering presents an alternative world where intelligence (or more specifically, the lack of it) has become the primary social justice issue. It began in 2010 with the release of a book suggesting that discrimination against dumb people was the last civil rights fight. This startled a trickle, which quickly became a torrent stating that there was no difference in intellect, merely different processing issues. In due course, it became socially unacceptable to refer to anyone’s intelligence or lack thereof. Shriver shows us where this naturally leads. 

Early on there are numerous language changes to adapt to: removal of terms like dumbwaiter, dense, dumbbells, thick, bovine, bright, and quick. Knives could not be described as sharp, clothes could not look smart, Smarties had to change their name, and there could be no mention of turkeys or sage at Thanksgiving. Many TV shows were cancelled, including Big Bang Theory and Sherlock Holmes. Newspapers removed all crosswords, lest anyone feel traumatised by being unable to do them.  

Over the following 5-10 years all school tests are abolished, no entry requirements are needed to attend university, anyone can be issued with a degree, and no one who applies for a job can be refused. Consider surgeons with no qualifications, aeroplane engineers who do not understand hydraulic systems, and food preparations not held to any standards. On the World Stage, America (and the West) have begun to fall apart, Russia has invaded Europe and China controls all of Asia. In this world, Obama is seen as too elite and intelligent, so is a one-term President. Amusingly, the next two presidents echo this world’s reality.  

It’s written from the perspective of Pearson Converse, of average intellect, who is a university English lecturer. She was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness, but rejected it in her teens. She has three children and a loving husband, and fights against the lunacy of the changes going on around her. Yet her best friend, Emory, has become a champion of the Mental Parity (MP) movement and has a platform on CNN from which to project them.  

I highlighted so many quotes, I couldn’t possibly share them all with you - but here is a sample to get the idea: 

“Emory drummed her fingers during the traditional scramble for vocabulary that hadn't yet been exiled to the naughty step.” 

“Social hysterias do not stand still if they are not yet losing steam, they are getting worse. And this one was getting worse. Radical movements keep ratcheting up their demands, because nothing ennervates a course more than success.” 

“By this point it's indisputable that human beings will believe anything. Accordingly, a wide variety of historical phenomena that once confounded me now seem explicable, if not ordained. I'm no longer astonished by the Holocaust and there's no country in the world that I would deem impervious to the modern equivalent of a Nazi takeover.” 

“I haven't adopted a revolutionary way of looking at the world that I'm intent on imposing on everyone else. Everyone else is imposing their revolution on me. All I've done is refuse to capitulate. I stayed in the exact same place while the rest of the world has careened off to la-la land.”

Shriver has strong views and she does not hesitate to weave them into her writing with an acerbic edge, harshness, and dark humour. All of her writing is strongly anti-religious. She is clearly addressing social justice, inclusivity, diversity and the cancel culture of the Western world. Even when I disagree with her perspective, or hold another opinion, I love her writing. She makes me think, question, and consider.

Two Steps Forward

I have recently enjoyed two books co-authored by husband and wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist. I was already familiar with Simsion’s writing in the very enjoyable Rosie Project trilogy.

Zoe, an artist from California and Martin, an engineer from Yorkshire both find themselves in Cluny, France. One’s spouse has died and the other has experienced a messy divorce. Each decides to walk the Camino to Santiago solo, yet they cross paths, with numerous other pilgrims along the way.

It’s told from each character’s perspective in alternating chapters, and slowly their stories are revealed. Simison and Buist have walked the trail, and their insight and knowledge are woven throughout, including the occasional reference to the Martin Sheen movie, The Way. There are ups and downs, laughter and grief, and all up, it’s a lovely story.

I was pleased to discover that there is a sequel, Two Steps Onwards, set three years later, where many of the same group walk the Chemin d’Assise and Via Francigena from rural France to Rome.

They have a new book out this year, The Glass House, I look forward to trying that as well. 

Whalefall

Whalefall, Daniel Kraus 

This was a fascinating story. 17-year-old scuba diver Jay has given himself the task of finding his estranged father’s body at sea. Partly to ease his mother’s and sister’s grief and partly to assuage his own guilt. Heading out into the deep off the coast of California, a startling interaction with a giant squid soon turns to terror as a giant sperm whale arrives to feed, accidentally including Jay in its enormous mouthful. Swallowed fully into the first of the whale’s four stomachs with only an hour of air remaining, is it even possible for Jay to escape? 

It seems ridiculous and completely farfetched, yet at the same time, almost possible. Kraus has researched all aspects extensively and tried to write a book about something that could actually happen. 

Interwoven with the present challenges of biology, chemistry, and whale physiology, is Jay's psychological turmoil and memories. The story switches back and forth, with the chapters named by the numbers counting down on his air supply (1306PSI), and his memories of his father over the years (2014, 2008, etc). Reading it now as a newly published book is ideal, because 2014 is indeed 10 years earlier in Jay’s life - so it feels even more real.

This was a gripping read, I couldn’t put it down, and I genuinely wasn’t sure how it would end. Interesting, enjoyable, and thought-provoking.

Mini-reviews

Exiles, Jane Harper 
This new Harper novel is the third with Federal Police Detective Aaron Falk as the main character. As with her other books, Harper has crafted an enjoyable and intriguing read. Falk has come to the vineyard town of Maralee in South Australia, for the baptism of his godson Henry, child of good friend Raco and his wife Rita. It’s a satisfying link for this friendship forged in The Dry to be continued here. A pall hangs over the whole Raco clan though, for it’s one year since the disappearance of their good friend Kim, who left her 6-week old baby Zoe behind at a town festival, and no-one is sure what happened. Yet again, Harper has woven the current and past stories so that you have hints along the way of the various relationships in town. While the reveal is sad, Falk is a very likeable character and it’s nice to see his further development. 

The Winners, Fredrik Backman 
This is the third in a series. Two years have passed since the events of Beartown and Us Against You, but the shadows and impacts remain. Backman’s writing is evocative and lyrical, and he weaves stories together in a way that slowly reveals and twists, each time you think you know what is going to happen, and then he changes the focus again and you reset your expectations. I love his writing. You definitely need to read the first two prior, but fans of those will surely enjoy this final instalment.



A Man Called Otto (movie) 

Keeping with the Backman theme, if you liked A Man Called Ove, I do recommend seeing this recent movie release with Otto played by Tom Hanks, and Mariana Treviño as Marisol. It’s a lovely

version of the book, probably because it follows it so very closely. And if you can’t be bothered with the book - that’s fine, try see the movie.










Everything Everywhere All At Once

This movie has just received numerous awards, but I couldn’t see the attraction. I appreciate that is

supposed to be ingenious, with clever sets, eye-catching costumes and skilled actors (including: Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, & Ke Huy Yuan). I did like the prevalence of older actors in key roles. But it doesn’t make sense. We thought of giving up twice in the middle and should have. Weird premise, super violent at points, and unsatisfying. The website describes it as absurdist comedy drama. There was very little comedy, but it certainly was absurd. It’s shot to the top of the list of my least enjoyed movies.

Mini fiction reviews

Time and Time Again, Ben Elton

I do appreciate Ben Elton’s writing. He and Lionel Shriver are the authors that get me thinking the most. Hugh Stanton, talented ex-soldier is challenged to consider - if you were going to go back in time to change history where would you go? What if you could go back to 1914, could you change the course of the 20th century? And if you did, would it actually be for the better? 

It’s a great premise, and a powerful one because it’s written with the arrogance of a 21st century mindset that assumes that we know more, and would have done things better. Elton challenges the reader to ask - how much damage could result, all the while trying to make improvements.


Meltdown, Ben Elton

Like all Ben Elton’s writing, it is very relevant when written, so this one published in 2009 is all about the Global Financial Crisis. Jimmy has lived the highlife for 20 years as a financial trader and he and Monica live in luxury with their kids and lots of paid help. Their friends all have high paid jobs in the industry and they help each other out with tips and investments. But what happens to them all when it all comes crashing down? A book about what’s really important when you lose everything that you thought mattered. Funny and insightful, as per Elton’s usual fare.


You Be Mother, Meg Mason

Having enjoyed other writing of Mason’s, I was eager for this one and was not disappointed. Abi, a poor uni student in the UK, has a fling with Stu, an exuberant Australian on exchange. When she discovers she’s pregnant, they decide to make a go of it in Australia. She heads out with 4-week-old Jude and turns up to discover Stu is pretty useless, his parents are unhelpful, and she is stuck in a flat in Cremorne (Sydney) in the heat of summer. On an outing, she comes across Phil, a recently widowed mother of four adult children. They connect over books, but also discover that they share similar griefs. Abi is clearly in dire need of support, and Phil seems to enjoy a project. But neither are being completely honest about their challenges, and soon Phil’s family starts to interject. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters, but also the reminders of some very familiar parts of Sydney.

The Motion of the Body Through Space, Lionel Shriver 

After years of constant solitary exercise, 60-year-old Serenata, has finally had to stop with an injured knee that now requires a replacement. Struggling to adjust to the change to her previously active life, she is somewhat surprised when her usually sedate husband Remington declares at age 62 that he is going to do a marathon. She struggles to support him, but he is determined. As his exercise regime becomes more and extreme and hers becomes more limited, it strains their relationship as they struggle to find common ground. There is a comparison to ultra exercising as a form of religion, like a cult. In fact, Shriver also deals religion a fair serve with their daughter being a recent convert to Christianity. 

Having considered the vast range of social issues and perspectives that Shriver tears down in her novels, it does raise the question of whether she is positive about anything at all. Having said, I do appreciate her dry commentary on many aspects of modern life.

    

Should we stay or should we go?

Should we stay or should we go?, Lionel Shriver 

Lionel Shriver (The Mandibles, So Much For That) returns to her usual insightful self with her new release Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

The story begins in 1991 when Kay and Cyril, in their early 50s, have returned from Kay’s father’s funeral. Having watched her father’s “four years of steady deterioration and ten years of nothing but degradation” to Alzheimer’s, they make a pact to die together when they are 80, partly to avoid the same decline themselves, but also out of a strong view to avoid being a drain on the public purse. Time marches on over the following 30 years, until the fateful day of March 29, 2020 approaches. But will they go through with it? What follows is a similar idea to her earlier book,

The Post-Birthday World, where two alternate timelines play out simultaneously. Here Shriver has concocted 12 different scenarios of how it could turn out - whether one or both go through with the suicide or not, and what might follow if they do not. Each cleverly picks up a different point in the original storyline and takes it somewhere else. Some are funny, some wryly sad, some are pleasantly utopian, some science fiction, and some a horrific dystopian version of institutionalised care. There’s even an amusing self-referential nod to Shriver herself as an author. As usual, Shriver has managed to contain something of humanity at its best, worst and most mundane throughout, with the usual searing social commentary on pretty much everything from healthcare, Brexit, Covid, economic policy, and of course ageing, death, and care for the elderly.

Shriver really is one of my favourite writers.

Jack

Jack, Marilynne Robinson

I was so looking forward to reading this, the fourth of Robinson’s books that started with Gilead. In preparation I read the first three again.

With Gilead I was reminded of the gentleness of John Ames and his love for his young family as he writes to them as he ages. Home stood out more than previously, with the reality of two clerical men facing the frailty of ageing. On this read, I found Boughton more crotchety and less gracious, but also his son Jack maddeningly impotent. Lila again brought Ames’ wife to life charting her history of poverty and hard living, and changed by her slow romance and possible faith.

(Spoilers included below for those who haven’t read the first three)

I was hoping Jack would pick up again where Home left off, with Jack hopefully somehow getting his life together with Della. But Robinson chose to turn back the clock and have it set earlier than all three previous books, where Jack and Della meet and how they slowly come to be together. It’s the late 1940s and it’s illegal for a white man and a coloured woman to be together. Yet, they meet. Him in all his poverty, aimlessness, thievery, and often homelessness. Her, a Christian, and teacher with a bright future, as long as she doesn’t get in trouble and have stories circulating about her and a white man. So begins a romance that will get them both into trouble. I can see why some will love this book and everything it stands for. I just found it depressing. A search online will cover ground like Robinson’s Calvinism, which raises more theological questions than it answers. I appreciated this assessment, and agree that her concept of grace extended with no actual change or repentance seems to cheapen it. Assessing it on face value, and not theologically though, I find myself depressed by two characters who just kept moving towards each other without really being willing to face the obvious consequences. Perhaps sometimes love does conquer all. But I wonder in this case, if love conquers them instead.

Andy Weir

I was excited to discover Andy Weir has written two books since The Martian. 

Project Hail Mary

The most recent release, Project Hail Mary, is fantastic. Set in space, it’s as intelligent and creative as The Martian. Ryland Grace wakes up from a long coma, with no knowledge of who he is or where he is. It becomes apparent though that he is a scientist, and through the slow retrieval of his memory as well as applying his extensive knowledge base, he establishes he’s a very long way from earth. Woven throughout the current timeline is the history of how he got there. An extinction level event threatened earth, and he became one of the experts on the cause and hopeful solution. Now it seems that entire future of humanity rests on this expedition, yet he is alone, with limited resources. Or is he? 

Not wanting to give more of the story away than the back cover does, I’m hesitant to say more. But I will say this is an inventive and clever book. It’s fun, it’s gripping, and while clearly space fantasy, it also it has a touch of realism. You feel like it just might happen. There’s lots of science, maths, engineering, and language to interest, as well as humour and an understanding of how people work. Proving that Weir can write from the perspective of a variety of characters (contrast below), this one has no swearing.

I couldn’t put it down, neither could Miss 16. I wouldn’t be surprised if this also is turned into a movie, like The Martian.

Artemis

While still an interesting story, I didn’t think this was as good as either of his other two. Based on the 

moon settlement of Artemis - Jazz is a smuggler. She has grown up there, never having lived on earth. She is asked to pull off a big job for a local high flyer, in the hope of disrupting the monopoly that supplies the settlement’s air supply. Yet Jazz gets more than she bargained for, and finds herself in the middle of a major run in with the mob. Weir has concocted an interesting idea of what a moon settlement could like like, with a stable population, mainly catering to industry and tourists. His scientific knowledge again comes to the fore as he considers the impact of living on the moon on the human body, on industry, as well as the reality of base human nature. For those that like to know: it’s pretty crass throughout with a fair amount of swearing and sexual references.

The Hawk and the Dove

The Hawk and the Dove, Penelope Wilcock  

This delightful fiction series of 9 books is set in 14th Century Yorkshire and is about the monastery community of St Alcuins. The first book starts with the appointment of a new Abbot, Father Columba (which means dove). Acknowledging that their Abbot is hardly like a dove, this steely eyed, serious and devout though not compassionate man, continues to be known by the community by his baptismal name of Peregrine (the hawk):

“Of course, it’s one thing to love Jesus and quite another to follow him; and poverty, chastity and obedience sat about as comfortably on Peregrine as his hair shirt. Still, the brothers saw promise in him, and as much from stubbornness as anything else he grimly struggled through his novitiate year, finally making his vows and being professed as Brother Columba - a name which shows that either his abbot had a wry sense of humour or else that he had a greater faith than most men and no sense of humour at all.” (The Hawk and the Dove)

Each book explores a different aspect of the monastery or wider community. It is written in a lovely, winsome style, yet deals with some serious and sobering issues. The first book contains a shocking act of violence perpetrated on one man and how it changed him and his fellow brothers. Later books explore the realities of disability and the descent into needing loving palliative care, what true repentance and forgiveness can look like, and the impact of serious trauma and grief. I appreciated how the early books on monastery community life explored how the men learned (sometimes by trial and mistake) how to live graciously with one another with friendship and care. By removing romance from the early books, the focus was on other aspects of the Christian life. Later books did explore love and marriage outside the monastery, and these also showed a wisdom and depth of insight of the author. One quote was very amusing (although I note that this marriage improved with time and the gaining of wisdom):

“Married life... is like a precarious walk along the top of a hurdle never made to bear a man’s weight, while one person pelts you with cabbages and another intermittently takes you by surprise throwing a bucket of cold water in your face. Never dull.” (The Breath of Peace, p. 98).

The first two books are a collation of general stories, and Wilcock herself notes that she tried to make them similar to something like Chaucer’s Canterbury tales, which are from the same time. So, there are parallel stories, one in more modern times of Melissa with family life. Then the monastery stories are those her mother told her. From the third book onwards, Melissa’s mother no longer features as the narrator, it is just the chronological stories of the lives of the monks.

To call them charming makes them sounds light. They are not light - they contain significant emotion and experiences, expressions of God’s goodness and mercy, as well as despair at sin and failings. Yet they are also charming, written with skill, humour, and self-awareness. Highly recommended.

Fiction mini-reviews

One Hundred Days, Alice Pung 

This is a pretty searing read. Set in the 1980s, sixteen year old Karuna writes to her unborn baby. She lives under the very protective eye of her Chinese mother from the Philippines, Grand Mar. Since her father Grand Pa left (an older Australian man who Grand Mar came to Australia to marry), they live in housing commission flats in Melbourne and struggle to make ends meet. One summer, almost because she is bored, Karuna ends up pregnant. Once discovered, it becomes a battle of wills with her mother, who tries to control every aspect of her life. Those who have Asian heritage might recognise the numerous comments Grand Ma makes about the impending risks to the baby with every thing Karuna might do, eat or think, and her ignoring of all medical advice. It’s funny, but also sad and depressing. Grand Ma is threatening to raise the baby as her own, and Karuna is figuring out how to stand up for herself. I began to wonder if there would be any positive resolution at all. Without giving the ending away, there is certainly hope that begins to grow as to how this might all be sorted out. Not a relaxing read, but an excellent book nonetheless. 

Sorrow and Bliss, Meg Mason

Like the one above, this also confronts some significant topics, but with humour and insight along the way. Set in the UK, Martha has just turned 40, and her husband Patrick has moved out after years of love and strife. The reader then travels back to Martha’s early years and her onset of significant depression and mental illness at age 17, which impacts her at points over the following two decades. Her bohemian mother is mostly drunk, her loving poet father is trying to write again, and she and her sister Ingrid are devoted to each other. Alongside their aunt, uncle and cousins, and Patrick, all the stories of their lives are woven together. Feeling the range of emotions more than most, Martha moves between ecstasy at the wonders of life, and deep despondence and despair. Patrick’s love stands as the rock alongside her waves. It’s an insightful view into mental illness, and how it can shape people but does not need to define them. I read Mason’s humorous biography of motherhood (Say it Again in a Nice Voice) 10 years ago, and really enjoyed it. I am keen to turn to her other book You Be Mother now too. 

Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone, Diana Gabaldon 

Long term readers will be aware I am a Gabaldon fan, having read all her books over the last 15 years or so. This is the ninth in a now intended series of ten, and it’s been seven years since the publication of the last. So fans have to be in this for the long haul, not only time wise between book publications, but for the length of book - this one is almost 900 pages, with small font. It picks up exactly where Written in My Own Heart’s Blood left off, continuing the story of Jamie and Claire, and numerous family members including Roger & Brianna, Fergus & Marsali, Ian & Rachel, William, Lord John, etc. There’s no point in giving more details for fans will be keen to read it, and those who want to start need to go right back to Outlander. I imagine Gabaldon has more fans since the release of the Netflix series, but there is so much more detail in the books than the TV series can manage. (As with the TV series, there is a fair amount of sex and violence, and sometimes both together). I enjoyed it, having been long invested in the series, and I partularly like the details she includes of history, medicine, and people. (The last two books are partially set in the American Revolution, with some overlap of events covered in Hamilton). Having said that, it is getting overblown and starting to feel a little indulgent. I’m hoping she doesn’t take another seven years to write the final! One particular quote that I did like: 

“One of the benefits of long marriage is that you can see quite clearly where some conversations are likely to lead - and occasionally you can sidestep the booby traps and choose another path by silent mutual assent.”

Sensible Shoes

Sensible Shoes, Sharon Garlough Brown

Do you long for a fiction book to refresh you? To leave you desiring a deeper and closer relationship with God and understanding of what Christ has done for you?

You may find that the Sensible Shoes series by Sharon Garlough Brown could be that gift to you. It has been to me.

I have been interested in various spiritual disciplines and self-examination for a while, aware that while my faith is cognitively very strong, I can nervously steer away from the experiential. I think this is a tendency some evangelicals can have, which I suspect leaves us all the poorer for it.

Yet, I want to know God deeply, and the power of Christ’s resurrection in both my mind and my heart, and be challenged and encouraged in both.

The books are anchored around four main characters who meet in at a spiritual formation course at a retreat centre:

• Meg, widowed young, now 46, whose controlling mother has recently died and daughter moved overseas for university. 
• Mara, 50, struggling in a loveless marriage with two angry teenage sons 
• Hannah, 39, pastor in a church who has worked so hard over 15 years to serve others she doesn’t realise just how spent she is, and 
• Charissa, 26, newly married and a high-achieving doctoral major 

Over the weeks, they develop a friendship, open up and share their stories. All have their own challenges in trusting God in their situations, as well as coming face to face with their own areas of sin and struggle. I won’t expand on the storylines explored over the four books, lest I give it away to those who choose to read them, but everything is there - major illness, grief, relationship joys and breakdowns, friendships and family. (One major life experience not included in this series in mental ill health, although it is in her newer series Shades of Light).

The books weave the story with the various spiritual practices they are taught at the centre, and those readers who would like to engage with them could do at their own leisure. Each book contains different ones, some are a detailed bible study with reflection questions, some are a way of praying or bringing things to God, or a particular prayer to work through. I have been using some personally and finding them to be of great benefit. (It also seems that each book has a companion study guide for those that are interested).

My only frustration is that it is a female-focussed series. Yes, there are male characters, some wonderful and some not, but it’s not really about them. I suspect that could make it harder for some men to choose to read them. Which is a real shame, because one character Nathan models deep faith, humility and grace, and is a wonderful example of a man changed by such spiritual practices.

All in all, a lovely series. 

Even more Dee Henderson

Regular readers will be be aware I have enjoyed Dee Henderson’s writing this year (here and here). Now, we turn to a few more novels and novellas, and then to her two Evie Blackwell cold case novels - of which I hope there will be more!

In The Witness, Amy is on the run, being chased by a New York crime boss because she has access to his hidden money. Police Chief Luke Granger is slowly getting to know her, but when her sisters (who think she is dead) inherit large amounts of money, it’s clear that trouble will come after them all. This one has a bit more action, and some of the outcomes are a bit sadder.

Kidnapped follows the story of FBI agent Luke Falcon, whose cousin’s wife Sharon and son have been kidnapped. Sharon’s sister Caroline (who has been dating Luke) may also be a target. How will Luke track them down, and why were they targeted? I don’t think this has any character overlap with other novels. There is a bit more action in this one than some of the others.

In Before I Wake, Rae Gabriella has moved to Justice, Illinois, joining old friend Bruce’s Private Investigator business. Country Sheriff Nathan is pleased to have her on board, especially when young women start turning up dead in hotels. It looks like natural causes, but something is not quite right. The three work together to figure out what is happening. At the same time the town’s main job provider, a tile factory, is on strike and tensions are mounting. How will it be resolved when it becomes clear all are related? 

Then there are a few shorter novellas:

In Betrayed, Ann Silver’s random purchase of a box at an auction house leads to the discovery of a murder weapon. As Ann digs into the history, she is convinced that an innocent woman Janelle is in prison for a crime she never committed. I really liked Greg, the trauma psychiatrist, Janelle sees upon her release.

In Missing, police chief John Graham’s mother goes missing and Lieutenant Sharon Noble is on the case. Will they find her in this cold Chicago weather before time runs out?

Evie Blackwell cold cases

Traces of Guilt is chronologically after Taken (and some references to character and storylines overlap as a result). Paul & Ann Falcon are present, but the main action centres around Evie Blackwell, who is about to head up the governor’s new task force on cold-cases. She is spending two weeks in Carin Country, reinvestigating the abduction of a young girl and the disappearance of a family. The Thane family are central in this town, Gabriel is sheriff and is soon working closely with Evie. Joshua Thane’s old childhood friend Grace has returned with a large and painful secret that will soon be exposed. Meanwhile Will Thane is dating Karen who has her own troubled violent past. This is a creative storyline, with some lovely, caring men in the Thane family who long to care for and protect the people who are important to them.

Henderson includes numerous women in her stories who have suffered dreadful abuse and trauma. She doesn’t seem to include men with the same challenges. Rather, her male lead characters tend to be strong, protective types who want to love these women. It’s a lovely story, but at times it feels a little one sided. However, she is writing fiction, and it’s probably what appeals to her (presumably) mostly female readers.

Threads of Suspicion has Evie with the Governor’s new task force taking on a series of Illinois cold cases. Working with Dave, they begin to investigate two separate missing persons cases - a female college student and an older male Private Investigator. The cases begin to intersect as do their own personal lives.

All enjoyable reads.

More by Dee Henderson

I have returned to some of Dee Henderson’s other books, having enjoyed her writing earlier this year. She has quickly become one of my favourite authors.

Full Disclosure introduces FBI team leader Paul Falcon and highly respected Midwest Homicide Investigator, Ann Silver. Ann brings Paul a case providing the first decent lead in a cold-case centred on a female assassin. Paul is also heir apparent to the Falcon dynasty, a large extended family business with ties throughout the country. Ann has her own personal history and secrets which are revealed throughout, but interestingly she also is a fiction writer who writes the love stories of her friends, like Dave and Kate. Here astute Henderson readers will note the suggestion that Ann Silver is actually Dee Henderson (as many of these couples are in the O’Malley series). Perhaps she’s leaving a clue as to how she writes and who she writes about. There is certainly very little biographical information available about her. It’s possible she does her research very well, but her depth of insight reads as if she is in law enforcement of some type herself.

In Undetected, Gina is a genius who has discovered ways to improve sonar in submarines, thus also protecting her brother Jeff, a submariner. However Gina longs to marry and has not found a a man who can cope with her intellect. Mark Bishop, submarine captain, widower and good friend of Jeff’s, becomes a close friend as they work on Gina’s new discovery, which will have startling implications for the US Naval fleet. They both dismiss the idea of romance, with 11 years between them, but just maybe this friendship could turn into something more. 

Unspoken turns to Mark’s brother Bryce and picks up a storyline alluded to in Undetected, and as such should probably be read first. (Paul Falcon and Ann Silver appear here as well). Bryce, a rare coin dealer is approached by Charlotte Graham to sell the inheritance of coins from her grandfather. As he moves into business dealings with her, he begins to grasp the magnitude of what she has inherited. Yet, at the same time, he figures out that she not who she seems. Charlotte has an awful story in her past, she was abducted and held for four long years when she was 16, and never speaks of it. 

 

I really liked this book. While what happened to her is truly horrible and it’s alluded to in her behaviour, but never actually named. So, while as a character she experienced dreadful evil and violence, as a reader you are not given details. Charlotte’s biggest challenge is accepting that a God who loves her would also have offered forgiveness to the men who hurt her, had they asked. As she and Bryce move towards a close friendship, things become more complicated as details of her life and inheritance emerge. I really liked the way Henderson dealt with major trauma, large amounts of wealth, and a complicated relationship. It’s the most mature yet gentle writing I’ve read on such topics: sensitive, realistic, and yet hopeful. Her characters have long term complex trauma and pain, and she doesn’t pretend there are simple solutions to such things, but moves them forward in a positive way. 

Taken begins with Matthew Dane, former cop and now PI, speaking at a law enforcement conference. Waiting to speak to him in the hotel is a young woman, who reveals she is Shannon Bliss, missing since she was 16, some 11 years previously. She has sought him out after some research, his own daughter was abducted at age 8 and released at 16 some five years ago. She slowly reveals a decade of being held by a crime family, involved in their ongoing child abduction and various thefts, crossing the entire US in a complicated network. She has enough evidence to bring them all down, but needs to take her time, both for her own safety but also for others still involved. Matthew becomes her confidante and safe person, who manages her return to her family and her interactions with law enforcement. Paul and Ann Falcon, Charlotte and Bryce Bishop and a few characters from other novels also appear. Yet again, a story with depth and interest, of someone who has survived a horrible ordeal, yet with little description of what it was really like. 

I continue to be impressed with how Henderson can write stories of dramatic and traumatic situations yet not give in to the temptation to glorify them in technicolor detail. There is nothing lost in power of her storytelling, in fact I think it is strengthened because of it. 

That’s enough for now! I’ll tell you about some more another time…

The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady

The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady, Sharon J. Mondragón

I was invited to read this book as part of a blog tour, and very much enjoyed it. Sharon Mondragón has created a likeable tale about four women who meet to knit prayer shawls. 

I’ll be honest, I had no idea knitting prayer shawls was a thing. But I can see how it would naturally develop. Christian women who love to knit, gather together, and create shawls to give to people in situations of need. It seems they pray silently as they knit, and pray at the beginning and end of each shawl project. It seems to be a ministry of creative, thoughtful care.

In this novel, Peter McIlhaney, rector of Hope and Glory community church, has been told that his church is going to be shut down. He devises a last ditch effort to reach out to the community, by sending the Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry off site. To date they have happily met in silent tranquility in the prayer chapel.

Margaret, self appointed head of the group is outraged. How could they possibly go to the busy mall and pray while knitting? The other members of the group are a little more open to the idea. Rose has recently entered aged care, and is struggling to adjust to the changes. Fran’s husband died 18 months earlier, leaving her completely bereft. Jane struggles with a well-kept secret about her son as well as parenting two bickering, teenage daughters.

As they set up in the mall, they slowly become known to the shop staff and regulars who pass by. People start asking for prayer. Some want to learn how to knit. Some end up coming to church on Sundays. As they become more involved in the lives of all these new friends, they each have to face their own hurts of the past.

If I was going to be picky, I would say that the entire model of prayer seems to be supplication; all about things people want God to do for them. No praising God for who he is, what he has done in Christ, or how we receive salvation through him. Yet, it’s not all about passing tests and getting jobs, either. Some relationships are healed and restored, both with people but also with God.

An enjoyable book with a satisfying group of (primarily) mature female characters, who are complex yet long to serve others. I can imagine numerous female readers, especially those who knit or are Christian, enjoying this one.

If you want to enter a competition for a free copy - go here. And if you go to this post, I think you can link to read an excerpt.

The Windsor Knot

The Windsor Knot, S. J. Bennett 

This lovely fictional book suggests that the Queen solves mysteries. A young Russian musician has been found dead after performing at Windsor Castle. While the head of British Intelligence thinks the Russians are up to something major, and the staff of the royal household are now suspects of a long term plot, the Queen knows it was nothing of the sort. Through her young, new assistant private secretary, Rozie Oshodi, she quietly starts her own investigation. Rozie discovers doors quietly open wherever she goes, as various people long to say what they know and to help Her Majesty. It’s written in a lovely, somewhat whimsical tone, with the Queen’s contemplations often involving “oneself” or “when one has to do something.”

“Of all her residences, if she had to pick a favourite, it would be this one. Not Buckingham Palace, which was like living in a gilded office block on a roundabout. Not Balmoral or Sandringham, though they were in her blood. Windsor was, quite simply, home. It was the seat of her happiest days of childhood… It was where one still came at weekends to recover from the endless formality in town.”

It’s set in April 2016, when the preparations are well under way for her 90th birthday, and the Duke of Edinburgh is still by her side.

I have enjoyed various other fictional books set about the Queen over the years, such as Mrs Queen Takes the Train and The Uncommon Reader (written by another Bennett!)

I’m pleased to see she has more books in the planning, I’ll be looking out for them.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

After having read this 30 years ago in high school, I recently returned to it (as my daughter is also reading it at school) and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it again.

This is not a detailed review, but an encouragement to go back to the books you read at school that you enjoyed. The ones that were good, challenging, and interesting, and try them again, years later, as an adult.

Told through the eyes of young girl Scout and her older brother Jem, we learn of their town of Mayfield. Early on the children’s focus is on the Radley house where the mysterious Boo Radley lives, never seen by anyone. The second half turns to the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongfully accused of the rape of a poor white woman. Atticus Finch, the children’s father, is Tom’s lawyer and while he is convinced of the need to represent Tom faithfully, he knows the challenges that it presents to their family in this racially charged community. Harper Lee’s assessment of a southern US community in the 1930s rings true, and aspects of her analysis are still very relevant today. One of the most insightful and prescient comments was this:

‘As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it — whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.’

Atticus was speaking so quietly his last word crashed on our ears. I looked up, and his face was vehement. ‘There's nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance. Don't fool yourselves—it's all adding up and one of these days we're going to pay the bill for it. I hope it's not in you children's time.’ (Chapter 23)

Other books that I read in high school that I have enjoyed returning to are:

• Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham (leading me to discover many others of his) 
• A Patch of Blue, Elizabeth Kata 
• Persuasion, Jane Austen 

Some I still plan to get back to one day include: 1984, Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. I’m pretty sure these are on our kids’ reading lists in future years, so I may get to them soon!

Dee Henderson books

I continue my meandering through various Christian fiction writers, and have quite enjoyed the discovery of Dee Henderson. Henderson combines honourable characters, the crime & mystery genre, romance, and Christian themes together to make an appealing mix.

Her O’Malley series has 8 books: 6 main ones and 2 prequels. The entire series covers only one or two years, and each focuses on a different sibling in the O’Malley family. In an appealing twist, the seven siblings are not related by blood, but decided to form their own family, legally changing their names after their formative adolescent years were spent together at an orphanage. All now in their thirties, they have been a unified team for 20 years.

All have a strong sense of law and order, honour, and service, which is shown in their character and choice of professions. This is a tight knit family of caring men and women who love each other and would do anything to support one another. Obviously, since all ended up in an orphanage, there is a considerable backstory for each.

The two prequels - which are definitely worth reading first are:

• Danger in the Shadows - tells the story of FBI agent Dave Richman and his sister Sara. Sara is under constant witness protection due to an incident in her past. When she meets famous pro-footballer Adam Black everything is thrown up in the air. 
• Jennifer - gives some background to Jennifer O’Malley, paediatrician, as she meets Tom. 

The 6 main books cover the remaining siblings:

• 
  The Negotiator - Kate is a hostage negotiator, who ends up in an incident with Dave Richman. 
• The Guardian - Marcus, a US Marshall, is on duty when a federal judge is shot. 
• The Truth Seeker - Lisa, a forensic pathologist, is searching for links among previous cold cases. 
• The Protector - Jack is a firefighter, in the midst of an outbreak of targeted arson. 
• The Healer - Rachel, a trauma psychologist, cares for children, and caught up in the midst of a school shooting. 
• The Rescuer - Stephen, a paramedic, is taking a break from the hard work of being a first responder in a city, but gets caught up in an old stolen jewel investigation in a small town. 

The books all follow on from each other, and all the family members appear in each. In fact, they often work the same cases together and assist each other along the way.

None are believers, but in each book a special someone who is a Christian comes along their path who causes them to reconsider Jesus and what they believe. If I was cynical I would say there is a borderline ‘flirt to convert’ thing going on in every book. But it’s not quite like that. Each love interest of an O’Malley chooses not to get involved with them because they are not (yet) Christians. These are crime fighting romances though, so while the stressful situation is figured out and resolved, each main character is also being challenged to consider their beliefs, in due course comes to faith and then the romantic tension is resolved. Henderson tries to bring out a different aspect of faith, and potential objections to it, in each book. So, for example, one focuses on the truth of the resurrection, another on being in a personal relationship with God.

If I were to nit-pick, I’d suggest that recognising personal sin or a need for God’s grace isn’t a strong aspect of turning to God in any of them. These are all decent, impressive people who are already pretty ‘together’. However, they are pondering to the truths of God, they come to know him by reading his word, and they are willing to talk about their hesitations and concerns as they work through what it means to believe. Like Kingsbury’s romantic Christian fiction, she treads a fine line between the romance (hugging, kissing, expressed desire between people not in a relationship) with the balance of aiming for self-control and purity. However, the Christian message here is more subtle, gentle, and may be more appealing for inquirers.

I’ve enjoyed them and will happily try her other books as well.

***

I have now also read her "Uncommon Heroes" Military Romance series - and enjoyed them. 

True Devotion - about Kelly, SEAL widow and surf lifesaver, and good friend Joe, her past husband's close friend. 

True Valor - Grace is a Navy pilot and Bruce is Air Force Pararescue. This was my favourite, I liked how their relationship developed through letters over several deployments.

True Honor - CIA officer Dacy is chasing a man who profited from 9/11, and SEAL Sam is deployed in areas of strife as their paths keep crossing. 

Henderson writes strong, principled characters. The women are as capable, brave and heroic as the men. They aren't damsels in distress waiting for a man to save them, but true partners in work and life. From recollection, each of the main characters in these is already a Christian, so no 'flirt to convert' happening here!