Off and reading in 2018

Here we are in 2018 and time to catch up with what I have been reading so far this year.

True Stories - Helen Garner 
Hardcover, 208 pages, Published October 30th 2017 by Text Publishing 

Before I start the most extraordinary cover design.

I am a huge fan of Helen Garner's works so here is my advance warning of bias and plenty of gushing over prose. Garner has presented to us a series of short stories.
What I love about these stories is that you are dropped into the middle of whatever is happening, you go on a journey with the characters and then you check out of their lives again. There may be some people who do not like this style but I do love it. Garner's descriptions are simple but ever so effective 'She had henna'd hair, a silver tooth earring, a leopard sash, black vinyl pants.' Words are used sparingly and it takes a writer with great skill to achieve put down complex stories that resonate. I had several favourites and there is not one weak story in the group.
Others will review these stories and will give a detailed examination of them. For me just read them and lose yourself in the lives of these ordinary people who are experiencing a tremor in their normality.
If you want to know more about Australia's greatest living author Text Publishing has a good biography and you can purchase her works.

Rooms - Lauren Oliver

Paperback, 352 pages, Published September 25th 2014 by Hodder & Stoughton 
The owner of the house has died and his family consisting of alcoholic wife Caroline, highly promiscuous daughter Minna and suicidal teenage son Trenton have come to sort through the belongings.  Also at the house are two ghosts who provide commentary on the past and the present. 
There are several narratives that criss-cross as the story develops and all are brought to a tidy resolution. All the characters are well developed and are flawed , ugly and seeking some form of redemption. Oliver has strong pacing and creates a wonderful sense of place. 
As the characters try to determine their future, at times the story slows down as they lament about how crap everyone and everything is in their lives. I do not feel that one character really stood out as they all intertwined. 
Oliver is able to mix the supernatural and family drama into an engaging read. 
For more about Lauren Oliver's works check out her website. 

The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #3) by Erika Johansen

Paperback, 478 pages, Published December 1st 2016 by Bantam Press

I read the first novel in the trilogy, The Queen of the Tearling, skipped the second and find myself at the conclusion. While it may have been beneficial to have read the second novel to provide some context it was not necessary. Kelsea has changed considerably but is still trying to deal with the consequences and responsibility of having and using power. She has been captured by the Red Queen and is facing several new threats including the evil Orphan.

Johansen has created a detailed and rich world that has really strong social, religious and class structures. The world feels real and easy to become lost in. The characters that are created all lift off the page but there is a lot of them. Some, I was not sure why they were given so much page time as they did not provide any forward direction to the main story line. 

Many have questioned the ending and I was okay with it. In that the decisions made had consequences for Kelsea but not in the way many would have liked.

I enjoyed the book and it will be interesting to see what Johansen writes next and I am sure it will be announced on her website.