Kylie

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

I got stuck into Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult, from the very first sentence, and I was engaged until the final chapter. The novel centres on Katie Fisher- a young, unmarried 18 year old Amish girl accused of murdering her newborn- and Katie’s distant relative, big-city attorney, Ellie Hathaway who defends her. The novel focuses on belief as it shifts from the Amish farm of Pennsylvania, to the courtroom. We get a look into Amish life, beyond the uniformed dress and their rebuff of technology. Combine that with a splash of romance and you have an enthralling read.

Picoult does her research and it shows. The author lived with two Amish families for a week where she milked cows on a dairy farm. Also, with her dazzling list of medical terminology, you can tell she has a good list of experts on call.
I couldn’t wait to unravel the novel but at the final page, I was sad for the story to end. Picoult creates her characters so perfectly and so life-like, I had almost grown attached to our protagonists.

Sean

The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
Read by Sean

When I get excited enough about a book to recommend it, it’s more than likely already out of print.  That’s because I generally buy books by the fistful at my local Vinnies book exchange. Two bucks a hit and I can afford to taste-test a whole swag of new authors, without the risk of blowing a heap of dough. Mostly I’m on the look out for a short read, my collection includes heaps of short story collections by Lawson, CJ Dennis and Banjo. Yarns about the Aussie outback will always grab my attention, so will pretty well anything about dogs, sailing – square rigger type sailing – and Aussie pioneers.

I met the brilliant work of the prolific Patrick O’Brien at Vinnies. If fact, Vinnies is about the only place I’ve since been able to find most of the no less than 20 titles on the adventures of one Jack Aubrey and his sailing mate Stephen Maturin. If the names don’t ring a bell, this is the series on which Russel Crowe’s Master and Commander was based.  O’Brien wrote his stories in the very charming language of the period, when blokes referred to their best mates as “my darling”, and when exchanges between naval officers was very gentlemanly and polite. But, he leaves you with no doubt about the toughness of these men and the ruthless nature of life and war at sea in the Napoleonic years. The language takes a little getting used to, but the stories are fast moving, exciting and from what I can see, well researched. If you’ve read the Hornblower series, I reckon you’ll enjoy Patrick O’Brien’s work. While his books are written as a linked series, I have read some out of sequence and I reckon reading the first one you find won’t spoil the rest of the series for you.

Here’s a  tip for newbies to the world of book exchanges. Before you buy any book, always check that the last page is there. I’ve been caught out a couple of times ..and it’s very bloody annoying!