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April Picks
The War Nurses | Anthea Hodgson​
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Inspired by the author’s own family story, this is an unforgettable novel of enduring friendship and boundless courage, based on the shocking true events of the Bangka Island Massacre. It is both a riveting tale and an important tribute to our brave nurses who sacrificed so much during WWII. Beloved local author Rachael Johns says "Must read! An important story of Aussie history that I knew nothing about until reading this heartwarming book. For such a tragic tale, it also has a lot of warmth and really celebrates female friendship."
Bookbinder of Jericho | Pip Williams
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An utterly enthralling read! I loved how it was set in the same locale (Oxford) and time period as Dictionary of Lost Words - and even referenced characters from this book - but explored so many more social and political elements of the time, especially the changing roles of women, class divisions, who gets to access education and the power of books to heal and change lives. Set against the devastating backdrop of World War 1, the story is rich with unforgettable characters and a plot to make you laugh, make you cry, make you feel.
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Homecoming | Kate Morton​
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The Prize | Kim E Anderson​
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Thirst for Salt | Madelaine Lucas​
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Dust Child | Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai​
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February Picks
River Sing Me Home | Eleanor Shearer
I'll Leave You With This | Kylie Ladd
Family relationships, organ donation, celebration of differences, surrogacy all come to the fore with four sisters who are mourning their brother's death. All are at different stages of their lives, each with complicated histories but as they decide to research who has received their brother's organs, they discover what is really important to them. I found this novel extremely inspiring and I am so glad I read it.
- Robin
Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood
Weyward | Emilia Hart
Weasels in the Attic | Hiroko Oyamada
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This is a tiny little book - only 70 pages long - and you'll find it is just the thing to get yourself out of a reading slump. In three interconnected scenes, the book interrogates fertility, masculinity and marriage. Brimming with tension, mystery and the quirky twistedness that is characteristic of a Japanese novel, I found this novella utterly compelling.