The It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at BookDate
I’m also linking to The Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer
And the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz
Life…
I’ve posted over the last two weeks about the fires near me, my town was at the time ringed by blazes, but at a safe distance from my home. That changed on Thursday when those fires, fanned by high heat and strong winds, grew out of control.
The first map below is an overview of the region…the fire grounds to the north west, east and far south encroach on the 20km radius around my home (the light blue circle), the second satellite map shows why we are so vulnerable surrounded as we are by bush, and the third map shows how close the fire is, literally just on the other side of the river (my home is marked by the binoculars).
Luckily my husband opted to come home from work in Tuncurry at midday on Friday, and walked in the door just as they closed the highway (the yellow line), which has been closed ever since. I have friends who have had to evacuate their homes and I’ve had one of my youngest sons friends staying with us while his parents remained on their property to help defend it. Schools have been closed til Wednesday (much to my children’s delight) and my husband won’t be able to get to work either.
While tonight the firefighters, who have been joined by the army and fire services from other states who have been flown in, have gained some control, the NSW government has declared a Catastrophic Fire Rating -never before used- for our region ahead of Tuesday when we are expecting temperatures of 38c+ (100f+) and strong winds. If the fire takes hold here in town, crossing the river through an ember attack, we literally have nowhere to go. So, it’s a stressful here at the moment, all we can do is wait and hope conditions won’t be as bad as feared.
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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…
Up On Horseshoe Hill by Penelope Janu
Unmentionable by Therese Oneill
Bush Doctors by Annabelle Brayley
They Walk Among Us by Benjamin and Rosanna Fitton
An Island on the Edge of the World by Deborah Rodriguez
Killer Instinct by Donald Grant
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New Posts
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading #SundayPost #SundaySalon
Review: The Great Divide by L.J.M. Owen
#NonficNov Review: Bush Doctors by Annabelle Brayley
Review: The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
#NonficNov Book Pairings
#NonficNov Review: Unmentionable by Therese Oneill
#NonficNov Review: They Walk Among Us by Benjamin and Rosanna Fitton
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What I’m Reading This Week
House of Wishes by Jenn J. McLeod
A story for mothers, daughters, fathers and sons: about the choices we make, the connections that matter, the secrets we keep, and the power of a wish.
Dandelion House is ready to reveal its secrets.
Dandelion House, 1974
Two teenage girls—strangers—make a pact to keep a secret.
Calingarry Crossing, 2014
For forty years, Beth and her mum have been everything to each other, but Beth is blind-sided when her mother dies, and her last wish is to have her ashes spread in a small-town cemetery.
On the outskirts of Calingarry Crossing, when Beth comes across a place called Dandelion House Retreat, her first thought is how appealing the name sounds. With her stage career waning, and struggling to see a future without her mum, her marriage, and her child, she hopes it’s a place where she can begin to heal.
After meeting Tom, a local cattleman, Beth is intrigued by his stories of the cursed, century-old river house and its reclusive owner, Gypsy. The more Beth learns, however, the more she questions her mother’s wishes.
When meeting Beth leads Tom to uncover a disturbing connection to the old house, he must decide if the truth will help a grieving daughter or hurt her more.
Should Dandelion House keep its last, long-held secret?
xxxxxxx
The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective by Susannah Stapleton
Maud West ran her detective agency in London for more than thirty years, having started sleuthing on behalf of society’s finest in 1905. Her exploits grabbed headlines throughout the world but, beneath the public persona, she was forced to hide vital aspects of her own identity in order to thrive in a class-obsessed and male-dominated world. And – as Susannah Stapleton reveals – she was a most unreliable witness to her own life.
Who was Maud? And what was the reality of being a female private detective in the Golden Age of Crime?
Interweaving tales from Maud West’s own ‘casebook’ with social history and extensive original research, Stapleton investigates the stories Maud West told about herself in a quest to uncover the truth.
With walk-on parts by Dr Crippen and Dorothy L. Sayers, Parisian gangsters and Continental blackmailers, The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective is both a portrait of a woman ahead of her time and a deliciously salacious glimpse into the underbelly of ‘good society’ during the first half of the twentieth century
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Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic
Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since early childhood, has always lived on the outside – watching, picking up telltale signs people hide in a smile, a cough, a kiss. When a childhood friend is murdered, a sense of guilt and a determination to prove his own innocence sends Caleb on a hunt for the killer. But he can’t do it alone. Caleb and his troubled friend Frankie, an ex-cop, start with one clue: Scott, the last word the murder victim texted to Caleb. But Scott is always one step ahead.
This gripping, original and fast-paced crime thriller is set between a big city and a small coastal town, Resurrection Bay, where Caleb is forced to confront painful memories. Caleb is a memorable protagonist who refuses to let his deafness limit his opportunities, or his participation in the investigation. But does his persistence border on stubbornness? And at what cost? As he delves deeper into the investigation Caleb uncovers unwelcome truths about his murdered friend – and himself.
xxxxxx
Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs, and Trolls by Carrie Goldberg
Nobody’s Victim is an unflinching look at a hidden world most people don’t know exists—one of stalking, blackmail, and sexual violence, online and off—and the incredible story of how one lawyer, determined to fight back, turned her own hell into a revolution.
“We are all a moment away from having our life overtaken by somebody hell-bent on our destruction.” That grim reality—gleaned from personal experience and twenty years of trauma work —is a fundamental principle of Carrie Goldberg’s cutting-edge victims’ rights law firm.
Riveting and an essential timely conversation-starter, Nobody’s Victim invites readers to join Carrie on the front lines of the war against sexual violence and privacy violations as she fights for revenge porn and sextortion laws, uncovers major Title IX violations, and sues the hell out of tech companies, schools, and powerful sexual predators. Her battleground is the courtroom; her crusade is to transform clients from victims into warriors.
In gripping detail, Carrie shares the diabolical ways her clients are attacked and how she, through her unique combination of advocacy, badass relentlessness, risk-taking, and client-empowerment, pursues justice for them all. There are stories about a woman whose ex-boyfriend made fake bomb threats in her name and caused a national panic; a fifteen-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted on school grounds and then suspended when she reported the attack; and a man whose ex-boyfriend used a dating app to send more than 1,200 men to ex’s home and work for sex. With breathtaking honesty, Carrie also shares her own shattering story about why she began her work and the uphill battle of building a business.
While her clients are a diverse group—from every gender, sexual orientation, age, class, race, religion, occupation, and background—the offenders are not. They are highly predictable. In this book, Carrie offers a taxonomy of the four types of offenders she encounters most often at her firm: assholes, psychos, pervs, and trolls. “If we recognize the patterns of these perpetrators,” she explains, “we know how to fight back.”
Deeply personal yet achingly universal, Nobody’s Victim is a bold and much-needed analysis of victim protection in the era of the Internet. This book is an urgent warning of a coming crisis, a predictor of imminent danger, and a weapon to take back control and protect ourselves—both online and off.
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Stay Safe!
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I’m so sorry! That’s so so scary! Please be safe.
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Those fires are so scary! I don’t see how you’re getting any reading done – I’d be so distracted.
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That’s why I have read so much non fiction, I can dip in and out more easily.
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the fires are frightening. i hope you get to some of the great books, though, i too wonder how you can concentrate on reading.
sherry @ fundinmental
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OmG, it sounds so scary. I hope the fire will be under control and stopped very soon.
Stay safe!
In the meantime, enjoy your new books.
Have a lovely week!
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I’ll keep you and yours in my thoughts as the fire fighters battle the nearby blazes. I think I’ve said before in a comment that I know just how it feels since I live in southern California and we’ve had our fair share of evacuations here in Santa Barbara. The weather, which is beyond our control, plays such a big role so I hope it cools down and the winds don’t pick upl.
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The pictures we’re getting here in UK of these fires are scary enough, I can’t imagine how frightening it must be to be so close and knowing that it;s just the river that stands between you and it. I do hope that Tuesday doesn’t bring any escalation.
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OMG these fires look scary!!! Stay safe!
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We’ve had to evacuate twice for Fires ……so scary! I hope the situation is under control very soon!
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My heart goes out to you at this frightening time:(. I hope the risk to you and your home eases very soon and I completely understand why you are reading – and the type of books you are looking at. All the very best for the coming week, Shelleyrae.x
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Sorry to hear about your frightening times and I hope the fires die down over the day. I can’t imagine even being able to read in those circumstances.
Tomorrow I will be reading “Ta ra ra boom de ay” which is a history of the business of music, and “The Ghost Runner” about a man who was not allowed to run races because he had professional status, but did anyway. Good non-fiction for the month!
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Please stay safe!! Wildfires are so terrifying! You are just at the mercy of mother nature.
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I pray for you all! Please stay safe! Watching it breaks my heart!
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Scary times Shelleyrae. Praying for rain.
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Omg! I am glad to hear you and your family are safe together.
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That sounds so terrifying. I’ll keep you and your family in my thoughts!
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Oh my goodness! I hope you and your family stay safe! It’s a scary time in our history when wild fires like these have become the “norms” for our regions. California (where I live) has suffered greatly this season, but I think last year was worse. Climate change is real and scary! Take care, and stay safe, Shelleyrae!
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Wow I hope you will be safe and they will get it out. I wish you a more normal week ahead. Enjoy your reads!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
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Thinking of you and hoping for the best. x
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I will be thinking of you. I’m sorry you’re going through these awful fires. My weekly update
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I’m very worried for you and your family and friends. Please stay safe. I can’t imagine how frightening it must be for you.
I hope your reading is able to take your mind off your worries about the fire.
Please have a good week. I’ll be praying for you.
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Be safe! Sending prayers and good thoughts your way that the fires don’t get any closer.
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How frightening Shelleyrae! Hoping you all keep safe.
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Stay safe. Sounds like a very trying time!
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Wildfires are so scary . We’ve dealt with them here, too (Florida). I hope those brave firefighters continue to keep them under control and that you don’t have to evacuate.
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
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I’m sorry to hear of the change in conditions. Keeping all of you up in prayer. Hope you can enjoy the distraction of reading for a bit. Stay safe.
http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2019/11/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-nov-11.html
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Sending good thoughts to you and your family. How scary. Stay safe!
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I’m so sorry for everything you are all going through. Very scary. Be safe!
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I can’t even imagine what it’s like to live in such fear with those fires. Stay safe!
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Wow stay safe! That’s an incredibly large area to be on fire.
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Your situation sounds terrifying. I hope you manage to stay safe. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
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Thinking of you. The fires are really bad and so much devastation. They say today could be bad with the high wind. They are even getting the smoke over here to the South Island which just shows how huge the fires are. Certainly scary, stay safe.
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I’m so sorry to hear the fires are getting worse. Stay safe!
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I gotta say, I’m keeping an eye on the news about the fires. Please stay safe, Shelleyrae. XxXx
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My heart and prayers are with you and your family! Stay safe!
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It is one thing to watch the pictures on BBC World News. But to read how people describe things who are personally involved is quite a different number. Stay safe and all the best for you and your family.
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I hope all is okay in your area now, Shelleyrae. It sure has been a scary week for NSW & QLD.
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Still surrounded, and the air is like soup from smoke but we are safe Lauren, thank you.
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Stay safe!
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