Just to show my sporting interest

I've already read one excellent book on cricket this year, Cricket as I See It, by Allan Border, and have just finished another which is just as good.

For anyone who is interested in cricket in Australia, I highly recommend reading Whitewash to Whitewash, by Daniel Brettig, the story of Australian cricket from 2007 to 2014.  This was a time of great change and Brettig tells us all about it.  He is a cricket journalist for ESPNcricinfo and uses all his journalistic abilities in this book. 

Catching up

I've been reading some books for the Eclectic Reader challenge, which I am enjoying very much again this year.  I like getting out of my comfort zone sometimes.

So far, I have read PI Crime (which is definitely well inside my comfort zone), non-fiction book about sport (also comfortable), micro-history (not very unusual but not very common either), and epistolary fiction (not really a first but not a frequent style).

I have some plans for most of the other categories, but haven't really worked out anything for Featuring Diversity yet.  What a pity I read Beloved a few years ago, that would be perfect.  No doubt I'll find something else.

Nearly there!

I've finished Northanger Abbery, by Jane Austen, and enjoyed it immensely. 

So now there is only one book to go to complete the Electic Reader challenge, and I'm about half-way through it.  It's the Anthology one and I've been reading Epic:  Legends of Fantasy for quite a while now, in between other books. 

SS-GB

This book by Len Deighton is set in London, 1941, after the German victory.  Churchill is dead, the king is imprisoned in the Tower, the queen and princesses are in New Zealand.  There is a murder and Superintendent Douglas Archer investigates.  Of course, it turns out to be more than a simple murder (if there is really any such thing in fiction) and soon Archer finds himself dealing with the German hierarchy and the Resistance.  All in all, it was an interesting read.

I have two more to read for the Eclectic Reader challenge, am just about to start Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, and haven't yet finished the anthology Epic: Legends of Fantasy.  I'm not really a fan of short stories and some of these are more novellas, but no doubt I will get there.

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

I'd had this one on the Kindle for a while, but put off reading it because of all the hype surrounding the series.  I tend to be a bit dubious about that, but its turn came up, and I'm very glad it did.  I really liked the story of Katniss and the Hunger Games was well done.  Catching Fire (part 2) is now on the TBR list.

Burial Rites, Hannah Kent

I finished this one about a week ago, but haven't caught up here since then.

It is a fascinating book, the story of Agnes Magnusdottir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland.  It is interesting not only because of her story, but for the glimpses of life in Iceland in the late 1820s, which is so far removed from my own experience that I can't really begin to imagine what it must have been like.

Agnes has been convicted of murdering two men, and condemned to death by beheading.  Until sentence is carried out, she is sent to live with the family of District Officer Jon Jonsson on their farm, and the book tells of their lives until her sentence is carried out.

I liked this book very much.  

Glenrowan

Glenrowan, by Ian W Shaw, tells of the siege at Glenrowan, the final act in the tale of the KellyGang.

I found this book very interesting. I have read quite a bit about Ned Kelly over the years, and found this added a lot to my knowledge. The book goes into great detail about the siege at Glenrowan, and although there is a lot of detail it is never overwhelming. It is well-paced, and keeps track of quite a large cast of characters very clearly.

Ian Shaw has researched extensively, and lets us observe the action over the period of the siege, using the words of those who were there to make it live for the reader.  He presents the story in an unbiased way, which is quite a change from much of the Kelly literature.

Eclectic Reader Challenge, True Crime category

Eclectic Reader Challenge

This challenge is designed to get people out of their normal comfort zones in reading.  My own comfort zones are crime fiction and fantasy, with some general fiction and the occasional non-fiction thrown in, so I'm looking forward to stretching my wings a little.

Here are this year's categories:

1. Award Winning
2. True Crime (Non Fiction)
3. Romantic Comedy
4. Alternate History Fiction
5. Graphic Novel
6. Cosy Mystery Fiction
7. Gothic Fiction
8. War/Military Fiction
9. Anthology
10. Medical Thriller Fiction
11. Travel (Non Fiction)
12. Published in 2014

I have a bit of a plan for most of them, but still have no real idea for the Alternate History Fiction, the Grpahic Novel and the Anthology.

I'll make a separate post to update my progress as I go along.

The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman


Winner of three ABIA awards for Best Literary Novel, Best Newcomer and Book of the Year
Winner of two Indie Awards for Best Debut and Book of the Year

The Blurb

This is a story of right and wrong, and how sometimes they look the same.

1926. Tom Sherbourne is a young lighthouse keeper on a remote island off Western Australia. The only inhabitants of Janus Rock, he and his wife Isabel live a quiet life, cocooned from the rest of the world. One April morning a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying infant - and the path of the couple's lives hits an unthinkable crossroads. Only years later do they discover the devastating consequences of the decision they make that day - as the baby's real story unfolds ...

My Review

I really loved this book, which is about the ethical dilemma this young couple face when the boat washes ashore with a dead man and a baby.  What should they do?  On the face of it, the answer is obvious - report the matter to the appropriate authorities and let them take over.  However, things are not so simple.  Isabel desperately wants a child, and Tom loves her very much.  What they do next has consequences that affect other people as well as themselves.  The book tells us what happens, not only to Tom and Isabel but also to others involved in the life of the little baby.

This is a story of people, and how a person's actions can carry through for many years.  As a study of the moral dilemma, I found it fascinating.  As I read about the other side of the coin, it became even more so.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about characters rather than a fast-moving action plot - it's definitely not that - but a most enjoyable read.

A Second Challenge

I have also entered the Eclectic Reader Challenge.  This is designed to take readers out of their comfort zones, the requirement being to read a book from 12 different categories:

1. Award Winning
2. True Crime (Non Fiction)
3. Romantic Comedy
4. Alternate History Fiction
5. Graphic Novel
6. Cosy Mystery Fiction
7. Gothic Fiction
8. War/Military Fiction
9. Anthology
10. Medical Thriller Fiction
11. Travel (Non Fiction)
12. Published in 2014

Several of these will definitely be challenging for me, but no doubt I'll make my way through. I'll be searching for some ideas to get started.