Sarah Thornhill - Kate Grenville

Sarah Thornhill
Kate Grenville
Text

Sarah Thornhill completes a loose trilogy which includes the highly acclaimed The Secret River and The Lieutenant. While there are romantic elements, they are weighed by remorse and guilt for atrocities committed against Aborigines during colonisation.

Sarah, the daughter of William Thornhill, is independent, resourceful, feisty, and in love. Told through her eyes, the novel is narrated as it might be thought or spoken, in bits of sentences. Though illiterate, Sarah is sensitive and highly observant.

Deeply in love with a young Aboriginal man Jack Langland, Sarah imagines a life alongside her lover. Their relationship kept secret, once discovered, prompts her stepmother to reveal to Jack a hidden secret that so horrific, has haunted the family for many years and has lead to the estrangement of a son.

Believing her father to be a noble and generous man, Sarah knows nothing of the secret and is devastated when Jack leaves her. Heartbroken, she eventually marries an Irish settler who is kind and respectful to her. But just as it appears that her life is settled, family secrets are revealed, casting a chill shadow over its members.

Simply and beautifully narrated, Sarah Thornhill is a tale set in the colonial past whose theme is as relevant in today's society as it was back then. Grenville has crafted a magnificent tale that is sure to be an Australian classic in years to come. 4.5 stars

The Russian Tapestry by Banafsheh Serov

Our own Banafsheh Serov, (Bonnie to those who know her) is signed with Hachette Livre for a second book.

Released in 2008, Under a Starless Sky depicts the harrowing story of the Dastyari family's escape from Iran.

Her latest novel, The Russian Tapestry scheduled for August 2013, is a Russian saga spanning through WWI, the Revolution and the Civil War.

Based loosely on her husband's grandparents' life, its a tapestry of family and Russian history, woven into an epic tale.

Banafsheh is currently working on her second novel.

Your Bookshop Competition for February 2012

Eight new releases from Random House, especially packaged for Your Bookshop.

To win it, get on our FaceBook page & tell us your favourite book of 2011.

www.facebook.com/Your.Bookshop1

Entries close February 29th 2012.

WIN a SIGNED copy of 'Diary Of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever'

Greetings Your Bookshop fans!

To help you bring in the New Year in true Wimpy Kid style, we have an awesome competition for you all!

We have a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever SIGNED by the author himself, Jeff Kinney!

All you have to do is 'Like' Your Bookshop on Facebook, AND in 25 words or less, tell us why you deserve a signed copy of Cabin Fever.The competition is open to NSW residents only, and will close on January 31st, 2012.We can't wait to read your entries -

GOOD LUCK!

Anna Funder - ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler

Anna Funder - ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler

Janelle Bloom and Your Bookshop team at Holroyd Council event

On wednesday November 2nd 2011, Janelle Bloom from Ready Steady Cook, visited Holroyd Council for an outdoor event. The crowd of approximately 60 attendees were treated to wine and canape dinner before enjoying cooking demonstrations from the celebrity chef.

Your Bookshop team also attended the event, selling Janelle's books.

Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks

Caleb's Crossing
Geraldine Brooks
4th Estate
Too many books, too little time! So why should anyone stick to a single author? Why indeed, except of course if the author is innovative enough to re-invent themselves with every book. I've come across very few who do this: Margaret Atwood, Vikram Seth, Andrew McGahan and Geraldine Brooks. All brilliant. All original. All exciting. And in this culture of homogeneous, neatly bottled and presented genres, refreshingly brave enough to step outside the box.

From this illustrious pack, Brooks is by far my favourite. I love how she lets her imagination rest on the 'slender scaffolding' of history, transporting her readers to a forgotten past. Caleb's Crossing is no different. Set in 17th century Martha's Vineyard, it's inspired by the tale of the first Native American man to graduate from Harvard College in 1665.
The daughter of a Puritan Minister, Bethia is denied the education she craves. On a chance meeting with a Chieftain's son, she discovers in him a kindred spirit, equally curious and thirsty for knowledge. Teaching him to read, she introduces him to her Christian God. In return he teaches her the secrets of the island and his native language.

Despite the obstacles placed by her gender and circumstances, Bethia strives to learn and exercise her intellect whilst quietly observing and celebrating Caleb's achievements. Together they form a bond that's unshakable despite the growing tension between the island's natives and the colonists. As the clash of cultures unfolds resentment escalates, inevitably resulting in tragedy.

Caleb's Crossing depicts the harshness of pioneer life against the sad withering and disenfranchisement of an ancient culture. 4.5 stars