"Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I found a copy second-hand at the Mockingbird Lounge in Glenelg.

Started reading: 27th April 2020
Finished: 6th June 2020
My score: 7/10

“The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult.

I find Jodi’s books hit and miss, some I love, some I can’t get into and never finish. Mum recommended this one and gave it to me after she read it so it’s probably one of the former :-)

Started reading: 24/06/2018
Finished: 10/07/2018
My score/review: 9/10

"Everyone Brave is Forgiven" by Chris Cleave

 
This book was recommended to me by my Mum's good friend Jennie :-) I have read a few other books by this author, one that I thought was excellent but tragic ("Little Bee"), one that was good ("Gold") and another that I didn't enjoy ("Incendiary"). "Everyone Brave is Forgiven" is an excellent book - the story is interesting, and the writing is on point. 

"Everyone Brave is Forgiven" is an historical novel set during WW2, mostly divided between London and Malta.

Started reading on my kindle: 23 Feb 2018
Finished: 2 March 2018
My Score: 10/10

“All the light we cannot see” by Anthony Doerr

Recommended by my Mum :-) I bought this book at least 2 years ago but only now prioritising more time to read novels again (mostly on the bus) as I really miss it.

Such an excellent book! It's an historic novel set in the Second World War, very moving and beautifully written, with such lovely moments of love and compassion and bravery shining strongly through that makes you have faith in the goodness of most humans even when surrounded by so much violence and horror inflicted by others. Also makes me wonder why we humans don't seem to learn from the horrific wars of the past and keep repeating them over and over in different places and different contexts.

Started reading: 7th Nov 2017

Finished: November 2017

My score: 10/10

"After Darkness" by Christine Piper

This is the first book I have read as part of the Aussie Author Challenge 2016. I chose to read it as it was given a 5 star recommendation on the Book Lover Book Reviews blog: http://bookloverbookreviews.com/2014/06/book-review-after-darkness-christine-piper.html

This book reminds me in style, quality and similar subject matter/themes to some of Bryce Courtenay's work (but a much shorter book than most of Courtenay's massive novels). I felt a real disappointment and loss when Bryce Courtenay died as the realisation that he wouldn't be writing any more awesome stories for me to read sunk in as I have thoroughly enjoyed and been caught up in many of his books. I'm feeling very impressed and feel a new hope after reading this book that this new Aussie author could potentially take over where Bryce Courtenay left off. I hope Christine Piper becomes as prolific and consistently awesome an author as Courtenay in the years ahead.

This book "After darkness" alternates between 3 locations and times: Early 1930s in Japan, late 1930s in Broome, Western Australia, and during the Second World War in the Loveday internment camp in South Australia. The main character Dr Ibaraki is a reserved, discreet Japanese medical doctor with a background in medical research. He moves to Broome to become head of a small hospital in the Pearl diving community in order to escape some events in his past which are slowly revealed as the novel progresses. He's then arrested and put in a prison camp in Australia during WW2 due to his Japanese background. I didn't know a lot about the prison camps in Australia during the Second World War, so it was a bit of an eye-opener for me to read a novel based on a bit of our history that isn't widely spoken about now. It also highlights the unfortunate timelessness of many of the issues of racial discrimination, conflict of ethics, and loyalty that are faced by many, even if the focus or details change with the decades.

Started reading: 6th February 2016.
Finished reading: 8th February 2016.
My score: 8/10
Aussie Author Challenge Stats: Female Author, New to me, WW2/historical fiction genre.