I'm a Copycat

My genimate Jennifer recently posted something on her Best Bookish Blog that is right up my alley. Jennifer shared the Better Reading Top 100 Books of 2023 list then proceeded to mark the list in bold to show the books she has read.

That set me to wondering what I have read from the list (and what I may have missed) so I am taking a leaf out of Jennifer's book and copying her exercise. These books are not all Australian nor are they all new titles. Some are old faves and some new ones I have on reserve at local libraries. A few are in my TBR pile waiting patiently for me to pick them up.

Following is the list, the titles in bold, are the books that I’ve read.

Honey Bee by Craig Silvey
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Tilt by Chris Hammer  (On reserve at library)
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Still Life by Sarah Winman
The Soul Mate by Sally Hepworth
The Dry by Jane Harper
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid   (On reserve at library)
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  (TBR pile)
The Godmothers by Monica McInerney
The Orphans by Fiona McIntosh
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 
How To Mend A Broken Heart by Rachel John
Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland
A Court of Thorns and Roses by S.J. Mass
The Couple Upstairs by H. Wainwright
The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper
A Man Called ove by Fredrik Backman   (On reserve at library)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
You Need To Know by Nicola Moriarty
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
Before the Storm by Di Morrissey
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles  (On reserve at library)
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart by Holly Ringland
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Devotion by Hannah Kent
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Angry Women’s Choir by Meg Bignell
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Otherside of Beautiful by Kim Lock
Broad River Station by Fleur McDonald
Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Nurses War by Victoria Purman
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison by Meredith Jaffe
Everyone in My Family has killed someone by Benjamin Stevenson
The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty
The Torrent by Dinuka McKenzie
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Keeping Up Appearances by Tricia Stringer
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne  (On reserve at library)
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Prodigal Sister by Darry Fraser  (TBR pile)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Liars by Petronella McGovern
The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
The Last Station by Nicole Alexander
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Wife & the Widow by Christian White
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
No Plan B by Lee Child   (On reserve at library)
Paperbark Hill by Maya Linnell
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
1984 by George Orwell
The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis
Exiles by Jane Harper
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor
This Has Been Absolutely Lovely by Jessica Dettman
Killing Floor by Lee Child
Dune by Frank Herbert
All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton  (TBR Pile)
Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham
Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes
All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
It by Stephen King
Khaki Town by Judy Nunn
The Good Mother by Rae Cairns
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Having perused the list I can't believe how many titles I haven't read. I read a lot of historical and crime novels and a fair bit of non-fiction. 

My constant enemy, however,  is TIME. 

Cecilia

Quite a while ago one of my schoolfriends suggested that I might enjoy a particular book; I noted in my list of books to read "Cecilia - nun book" and saved it to the list.  As we had been students together in a Catholic school my friend thought this book would strike a chord with me.

Another friend asked me a couple of weeks ago if I could help a member of our Historical Society who was having an issue with Blogger software. The lady who needed help had set up a travel blog for a 104 day cruise she was embarking on the next day. I proffered a little bit of advice and took a look at her blog, All about life, then I added it to my RSS subscriptions. I have been following that blog since then and have enjoyed Cecilia's regular posts from the cruise ship. She has a conversational writing style with touches of humour, her language is colourful (not blue) and descriptive.

When I read the biographical information about Cecilia on the blog I noted that she had written a book, "Cecilia-an Exnun's Extraordinary Story", I pondered when I saw this as it struck a chord. After a little while the penny dropped. It was probably the title suggested by my schoolmate. Of course I just had to have a copy. I logged onto the secondhand book site Fishpond and found there were two available for $8.47. I gave the credit card a little more exercise and waited... but not for long. Last Friday afternoon we found a package on the front doorstep.

Prior to dinner I pried open my parcel, the book was in good shape; I don't like dirty books (physically dirty that is). I started reading while I was cooking dinner and didn't stop until the book was finished the next day. I can see why my friend recommended it. Cecilia, a former Sister of Mercy, gave an honest warts and all account of her time in the cloisters and out in the world. She spilled the beans on some of the nunnish mysteries my friend and I wondered about at school around fifty years ago and all in that lovely writing style she demonstrates in her blog posts.

Set in the Hunter Region of New South Wales and Sydney where I live this book resonated with me as the places were so familiar. One huge suprise was when Cecilia mentioned a celebration for Sister Mary Casimir's jubilee. Sister Casimir was my 5th and 6th class teacher!

Anyone who has wondered what nun's did behind those closed doors as well as those who enjoy a well-written honest, heartfelt true story would enjoy this tale.

I am so pleased that Cecilia needed help with her blog. 

Captain Greybeard

I love reading and writing blogs but mostly I confine my reading to genealogy blogs or those whose content I can apply to genealogy.

As a frequent traveller I read a small number of blogs on this topic. One blog I have been reading and enjoying over the past few weeks is Captain Greybeard from  the UK that is devoted to news and gossip about one of my favourite modes of travel, cruising.

If you, like me, enjoy life on the ocean waves the Captain's blog might appeal to you too. Here is a link to his latest post.

Transatlantic party to celebrate 10th birthday of Cunard's Queen Mary 2

A Blog of Note

This week my daughter, her husband, their bub and the dog moved in and will stay with us while their elderly cottage is demolished and  a new one is built in its place.  All of a sudden our large house seems a lot smaller.

Our daughter has decided to blog about her ordeal experiences in a blog "Rebuilding the Roost". This is what she has to say about the blog:

This is a blog about our knockdown and rebuild experience in suburban Sydney.

My husband, daughter and I will be moving back with my parents while the rebuild is completed.

On the day we move out, I will be 26 weeks pregnant.

We're hoping to move into our new home by mid 2013

Of course, as Geniaus - the Family Historian, I am excited at the prospect of a blog that records stories about our family.