Books read while on holiday last week

The first four titles below, all crime fiction, were taken with me and the three following them were bought in Port Douglas.

LEONA - The Die is Cast - JennRogneby - Echo - $34.99

A grim crime novel with unexpected twists that portrays an unusual heroine that challenges female norms and asks questions about what lies behind the choices we make.



SKIN DEEP - Gary Kemble - Echo - $34.99
A review I read for this tiutle while in Australia summs it up perfectly - . Skin Deep is a fine debut for both Kemble and Echo Publishing, which offers more than a passing nod to John Birmingham and Stephen King. This novel will appeal to readers who devour crime, thrillers and speculative fiction.


MAKE ME - Lee Child - Bantam - $38.00

I am not allowed to review this as it is not published until 1 September but I can probably get way with saying that Jack Reacher fans are going to be delighted !  432 pages, unputdownable.


CLOSE YOUR EYES - Michael Robotham - Sphere- $34.99

I am reviewing this title on Radio NZ National next week, pubication date is 6 August, so again I can't write about this yet But I will say that for me Michael Robotham is the best of all contemporary Australian crime fiction writers, and that is saying something, in fact I rate him as one of the best  crime writers anywhere. This latest one is compulsive, disturbing and heart-breaking..


The permanent population of Port Douglas in northern Queensland is just under 4000 people but this more than doubles at various times through the year with the influx of tourists. This was our second week-long stay and again we had a most relaxing time. There are great eating places and the town supports two books hops, one selling new titles, and excellent coffee, (Whileaway Bookshop and Cafe) while the other,(The Book Lounge), sells second-hand titles.

The first two titles below are both out of print ,the first bought at The Book Lounge.and the second at the Mossman Saturday market.

A CORPSE AT THE OPERA HOUSE - Edited Stephen Knight - Allen & Unwin
Originally published in 1992 ($16.95) I paid $8.50 for it and noticed that it was sold as new by  The Mary Ryan Bookshop in Brisbane, It was number three in the Allen & Unwin series - Crimes for a Summer Christmas !  A spendid collection of 14short crime fiction stories from Australia's leading writers at the time.including Elizabeth Jolley, Marion Halligan, Peter Corris, Brian Castro, Marele Day and Jean Bedford,




CRAVAT -A - LICIOUS - the selected works of the Masterchef Critic - Matt Preston - Ebury Press 
Published in 2009 at $21.95 I picked this up at the bargain price of $3.00 ! 

We all know him of course as the cravat-wearing larger than life judge on the hugely popular Masterchef Australia TV show but he has been a significant food writer for nearly 20 years as has won Le Cordon Bleu's World's Best Food Journalist Award.

This fat paperback (400+ pages) is a collection of his entertaining writings from a host of newspapers and magazines including The Age, Vogue Entertaining and delicious. 

One: A Cook and Her Cupboard

Florence Knight - Hardback - Salt Yard Book Co. A$24.95

“The kitchen was what brought my family together. Meals were about making the best of seasonal ingredients, improvising with what we had (even if what we had didn’t exactly go together) and experimenting, sometimes to the point of absurdity. It was fun and it was about sharing and most of all it was about coming together, being one.”
In this, her first cookbook, Florence turns her attention to the kitchen store cupboard to create imaginative, honest food from her favourite ingredients: olive oil, flour, mustard, vinegar, salt, ketchup, nuts, eggs, honey and chocolate.