Olivia > Recent Status Updates

Interesting in the plethora of holocaust style reminiscences surfacing.
Reflections both on physical survival as well as life choices in dire circumstances.

Interesting historical novel take on early migration for occupation. .coal mining ..and character.
Who survives?

Sweetly reminiscent of Monica McInerney. Thus far.

V slow. Despite breaks for other books.

Neither history, nor researched novel. A human condition mystery in the vein of Far East writers Poe. Conrad. Maugham the sustaining sense of evil shadow spirits of Africa is dissipated in the schoolgirl style of narration. Not helped by basic grammatical errors not likely by those earlier writers.
There is just enough of interest in the dialogue between the wartime Dr & nurse to hold a reader, for now.

Gripping. Much in common with Assassin's Creed and Bernard Cornwell.
Not putting this down except when I have to.

One down, about 15 to go. Like Assassin's Creed these stories and writers have plenty in common with Bernard Cornwell and others. Gripping.

A typically dry, disjointed Skandia crime genre. Perservering but....

Oh dear. A try to hard early Enlish period pie e. Potential in the subject and research lost in a stiff, stilted synthetic style.
Not at all sure it will pull me into the tale.

Plenty of information but story quality, readability still no better.
Only the locations keep it alive.

hmmmve. hard going. Listy, boysy, equipment, gear, fine tuning of diving...lists....with the narrative stilted. The potential should have me turning the pages, instead I keep falling asleep.

Hmm...potentially, should be 'grabbing me'...in fact, it is v. hard going. 'boysy' lists of diving equipment and fine tuning dives...with a stilted feel to the telling of the 'story' which IS in there someplace, but listy, listy, listy.

Another text-cum-treatise proving difficult to read as a narrative.
I am wondering if some worthy indigenous studies are being published purely because they represent a minority segment of information.
This is full of relevant historical material either previously 'dissed'overlooked or suppressed as immaterial.
The literary style-readability is...nil
Still dipping and trying.

Plus some dipping to see if it improves!
Dry beyond measure.
Full of genuine information.
Almost unreadable.
No narrative cohesion.
A list in proe form thus unmemorable.

I don't think I am going to read this through. Began seriously and allowed for some of the language and 'caricature' as essential to the moving forward of the tale.
Self-indulgently 'black' . Remove the cursing, profanities and obscenities and it might be the basis for a 3rd year Humanities profile on 'being black in Australia'. It might form a sociological profile as a Q/A paper. Impossible to read as a story

Setting aside.
This should be compelling journalism and hair-raisinf terrorism and poltics at their most fraught.
Dull,turgid,lifeless without insight.
Will plod later as a matter of obligation

On the Appalacian Trail.
A lustily readable account of a personal adventure quest.
The similarity with the distressingly compelling 'Iberia' resting at that point.
Definitely great companion books.
As the two souls have walked side by side with me since abanding my girlhood dream of being the reincarnation of Crockett ;-)

With a fabulous foreword by Steve Barry for this special newcover edition.
As ever - Already immersed and spellbound.

Setting this aside as 'an in betweener'. It should be rivetting, interestingly alive. The drama and high news status of the period should have the reader spellbound. It does not.
Truth be told it is plodding along most dully.
Should have been given to Peter Corris to write.
Will come back to it

At last some of my ordered books are trickling through to my Antipodean outpost.

Pooooh....waited so long for this to arrive only to find that the all crucial map and list of trains is way, way to microscopic to view whilst reading.
BIG mistake for a book like this whe constant reference to the map and the routes will be required.
Boo to the publishers for letting down the writer.