📘A is for….April

So this time last month I was about to begin my ‘Letters and Places’ challenge. The library came good and these all turned up at the same time – but then I became sidetracked by other interesting titles and was hard pushed to get through them in the allocated borrowing time.

There was no extension allowed on Amsterdam or Eden so I’m back on the waiting list – unless somewhere else beginning with A & E turns up.
But look, there’s no hurry. I’ll just bide my time – reading something else 😊

These I did manage to read

The Brisbane Line – J.P.Powell 2020.

As WWII ravages the world and the Japanese Empire has set its sights on Australia, the Americans have come to save us. But not all soldiers are heroes and not all heroes are soldiers.

Brisbane Qld 1943 – war in the Pacific is on the go. The town is full of servicemen, many of them American. Local’s have mixed feelings about them being there. There are good ones and bad ones – on both sides. crimes committed by American troops are dealt with/investigated by US Military Police much to the annoyance of Australian. Real life ‘people’ are mixed into the storyline with fictional characters but not being a ‘local’ I didn’t realise until ‘looking things up’ later.

Historical references, murder, black marketeering, prostitution, police corruption, cover ups, minor collaboration (local/US military), treatment of coloured servicemen as well as local aborigines, venereal diseases, entertainment (dance halls/jazz), romance and even the affects of local tropical climate – a very mixed bag of topics are all found in this very readable crime novel by a new to me (female) Australian author J. P. Powell
Loved it!

The 12.30 from Croydon – Freeman Wills Crofts 1934 (republished 2016).
Also found as free download HERE at fadedpage.com

We begin with a body. Andrew Crowther, a wealthy retired manufacturer, is found dead in his seat on the 12.30 flight from Croydon to Paris.
Rather less orthodox is the ensuing flashback in which we live with the killer at every stage, from the first thoughts of murder to the strains and stresses of living with its execution

Set in 1930s Depression time. Business’ all round finding it hard – many going under.  After a beginning showcasing the ins and outs of air travel, the scene changes, the storyline becomes one where you follow the murderer plotting and scheming to get his reward.

I found it a bit long winded, it went on and on in great detail at times, so was slightly fed up disinterested by the time it took another turn and the police became involved.
In the end he did get his reward – just rewards.
Arrested, tried, found guilty, hung!

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I’m finding these days when I can’t ‘get into’ a book I often close and return it, which is what happened with the D for Darwin book I’d ordered.
This is what I read instead

Dead in Dublin – Catie Murphy 2019

I have to say the only reason I picked this off the library shelf was because of the letter D place name Dublin.
It was a bit Ho Hum – definitely not riveting reading.

You’ll have to click on the title to find the description – I’m sorry but there were too many words, too many unrelated characters, even though set in Dublin there seemed to be a forced Irish feeling to it – good descriptions of Dublin and environs though.
Promoted as a book 1 of a new Cozy Mystery series…..others may enjoy them, sadly I didn’t.

❗️Off topic – March was Reading Ireland month🍀 This👆(read at the end of the month) plus Small things Like This (read at the beginning ) were my contributions).
*****

Proving I’m happy in my second childhood a couple of lovely books from the children’s section at the library came home with me

I had thought some place names would be hard to find but Z for Zanzibar was just sitting there waiting for me to come along. .
( I cheated a little and allowed Zanzibar to be a ‘person’ and not a place )

Zanzibar – Catharina Valckx 2019.

* Inside this smooth glossy bright yellow coat is a little child size chapter book with a story about Zanzibar the omelette making crow who took up a newspaper reporter’s challenge to do something remarkable – choosing to ‘lift a camel with one wing’.
 Realising he has to find a dromedary (which only has one hump so will be lighter) he’s then helped along the way by various friends (new as well as old) plus a small skinny sock wearing dromedary so is able to perform this feat (and get his picture taken at the same time).  

Back home, disappointed the reporter doesn’t believe him his cooking suffers, his friends try to reassure him he was already special to them, the photo appears and he becomes a celebrity.  But in the end he decides the simple, good omelette making life and friendship are what really matters.

Using easy understandable language – with clear illustrations that describe the story and emotional content – I’m sure this is a well read story, both by adults to children and children themselves

Crows in Zanzibar

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And next to it on the table was this one – M for (where else but) Melbourne

Santa is coming to Melbourne – Emma Nash 2017.

* A picture book with story about young children, the lead up to Christmas Eve and how they hope Santa will visit their house. Many suburbs are mentioned where little ones are watching and waiting, not wanting to close their eyes in case they miss Santa. There’s the worry of not leaving a snack out but all ends well with an unseen Santa flying away with a cheery Ho Ho Ho

Designed to be read to young ones, maybe 4/5/6yrs who know where they live, are familiar with Melbourne and are still caught up with ‘the magic of Christmas’. Lots of colourful pages with large illustrations some of Melbourne landmarks as well as Australian native birds and animals.

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AND – guess what – looking for places beginning with the awkward letters I came across this ebook in the library catalogue. Also found it on Project Gutenberg – HERE

A Little Girl in Old Quebec- Amanda M Douglas 1906 (Duke Classics 2015)

An interesting little story written early 1900s about an orphan girl Rose growing up in the early settlement days of French Canada (Old Quebec district of Quebec City 1600s).
Interesting because of all the historical references to names  and descriptions of early settlers, place names, ways of life (fur trapping, fishing), strange weather (freezing snowbound winters), dealings with native population, wanting the new life but hankering after the old – reminding me of literature written about early settlers in the original colony in Australia.
Well maybe not the snow – here it was the ‘terrible heat’.

I think the target reader might have been ‘teen’ but it was lively enough to keep me reading and wondering what she would get up to next- as well as intrigued enough to do a bit of ‘looking up’ (the historical information). The author must have researched well to produce a short novel about life in times 300yrs previous.
Oh and I learnt a new word, a new one to me anyway
Dicker/ing – bargain, barter.
Collins gives British as well as American definitions. HERE

*****
Now here’s a little something to think about and smile.
(Nothing to think about really- reading wins every time 😊)

Sharing with What’s on your Book Shelf Challenge

You’ll find other participants HERE