Books

Newcastle Herald

Saturday March 1, 2008

EDITED BY ELVIRA SPROGIS

Reading between the lines

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Geraldine Brooks

HarperCollins, $32.99

Anyone who has ever spilt coffee on a favourite book will take heart from Geraldine Brooks's new novel, People of the Book. We sometimes mark the books we love as much as they leave their mark on us.

Inspired by the true story of an ancient Hebrew prayer book, Brooks has delivered a fascinating and absorbing tale, weaving fictionalised history and painstaking research with a modern love story.

The Sarajevo Haggedah, a lavishly illustrated Jewish codex dating back more than 500 years, was rescued from the Bosnian National Museum during the war that nearly destroyed the city in the 1990s. A Muslim librarian risked his life to protect the priceless artefact and hid it in a bank vault. From this historical starting point, begins two parallel stories: that of central character Hanna Heath, a book conservator charged with restoring the precious tome, and that of the book itself.

Like a detective working with limited forensic evidence, Heath seeks the secrets of the mysterious book's survival while discovering much about herself. The climax of the story is almost a bit too like a James Bond movie when compared to the rest of the novel, but gripping nonetheless.

Those who like to ponder the possible histories of ancient objects will enjoy this entertaining read. And if, like me, you happen to spill coffee on your copy, dont feel too bad. It's just evidence you were there.

Louise Fraser

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG:

True Stories

From Your Favourite Australian Authors

Ed. Dmetri Kakmi

Penguin, 254pp, $29.95

This book is a sheer delight because it speaks to the child within that most of us, to our detriment, seem to be masterful in suppressing.

The compiler and editor has invited 20 children's writers to submit the story of a memorable event that took place in their childhood. The result turned out to be highly entertaining, although sometimes in a macabre way, as is the case with Paul Jennings and his potted history of punishments he received at school.

Some of these childhood tales are nostalgic, others are hilarious, yet others, such as Andrew Weldon's story about his scheming grotesque cat, are weird and at times wonderful.

They represent a range of emotions that are the particular preserve of childhood.

These stories illustrate that we become more of what we already are the older we get and that our personalities are set while we are still very young.

Paul Kraus

HIS ILLEGAL SELF

Peter Carey

Random House, $45

Peter Carey is at his brilliant best in this novel, both in his use of the English language and in the construction of an exciting, suspenseful story.

It is a rather claustrophobic study of the relationship between a young woman and a precocious seven-year-old boy and, while told from the point of view of the boy, is also a study of the woman.

Dial has, technically, kidnapped Che from his wealthy New York grandmother and has fled to a hippie commune in the bush outside Nambour to escape, and to ponder the consequences.

Trevor, the local marijuana grower, joins them and they collectively work out a future.

A problem lies with the improbability index: while the shift from New York to Nambour is unlikely, it does seem even more improbable that Vassar would offer a senior teaching position to a person as incapable of rational thought as Dial.

David Christie

MAPPING COLONIAL CONQUEST

Ed. Norman Etherington

University of Western Australia Press, 220pp, (colour illustrated)

If you love history and maps like I do you'll adore this beautiful book.

With more than 50 gorgeous maps and illustrations dating from the early 1800s, Mapping Colonial Conquest examines the role of cartography in the European expansion across the lands south of the equator: Australia and South Africa.

Map making is revealed to be more than showing the relationships between oceans and mountains and the plains in between.

Cartography is a human endeavour and reveals much about the political, economic and social forces in action at critical moments in history as maps are drawn, redrawn and discarded while pioneers prosecuted their relentless conquest of indigenous lands.

Steve Woodman

COVER UP

with Nicky Epstein

Sixth&Spring Books, $39.99

Subtitled knitted afghans from her personal collection, this book inspires the knitter to go that bit further.

Forget the nanna patterns, Epstein's afghans explode with colour and subject matter, and there's not a crocheted square in sight. Some rugs are one colour, such as Trees Breeze, Diamond Drapes or White Sampler, some burst with flowers, others, such as Mudcloth, show no subject is barred from knitting beautiful creations.

The pattern takes up most of the area in many of the afghans, Medieval Tapestry being a wonderful example. And there's even one for Christmas. They're all lovely and the detailed instructions and charts will help you along.

Elvira Sprogis

Weekender has one copy to give away. Send an envelope with your name and address on the back to: Epstein Afghans, Weekender, The Herald, PO Box 510, Newcastle, NSW 2300. Entries must be in by March 10.

BESTSELLERS

NON FICTION

Underbelly The Gangland War

John Silvester

& Andrew Rule

$19.95

Maggie's Harvest

Maggie Beer

$84.95

Eat Pray Love

Elizabeth Gilbert

$24.95

Jamie at Home

Jamie Oliver

$42.95

Deceptively Delicious

Jessica Seinfeld

$29.95

FICTION

Atonement (film tie-in)

Ian McEwan

$24.95

People of the Book

Geraldine Brooks

$22.95

Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini

$22.95

Jane Austen Book Club (film tie-in)

Karen Joy Fowler

$24.95

Remember Me

Sophie Kinsella

$21.95

List courtesy

of Borders

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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