The Downstairs Neighbour by Helen Cooper

 

How do I feel about Helen Cooper's debut novel, The Downstairs Neighbour?...well lets just say it's quite a slow burn...

...with plenty of characters to meet with secrets to hide.

Set in suburban London, the story revolves around three families who although are neighbours (sharing the same roof in a converted house) have very little interaction with each other, that is until an incident occurs...if you like your chapters shifting between the perspectives of the main characters then this one is for you.

The Library Enthusiast & Essential Services... 

Libraries have been building their digital capability for some time, from audio, eBooks, video games and movies to free WI-Fi and charging points...libraries have continually evolved their services to meet the needs of their local community....but perhaps above all during the pandemic crisis libraries delivered a sense of belonging, be it online streaming, or physical social interaction, libraries have once again proven their value as an essential service...supporting the health and wellbeing of their communities.

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

This one is a goodie, it has plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged even if you dislike some of the characters...which I did.

Meet Marin, she seems to have it all...

 a big house ✔️

a successful career ✔️

is married to the man of her dreams ✔️

has Sebastian, her adorable 4 year old son ✔️

Marin is living the dream, until she isn't...one fateful day whilst distracted by a telephone call, Marin lets go of her son's hand whilst shopping in the middle of a crowed market...

...and just like that he's gone.

Hillier gives us good, and I mean really good psychological thrillers and Little Secrets does not disappoint.

16 months pass, there are no sightings of Sebastian, no ransom demands, the police stop looking, the case has gone cold. 

Marin is haunted by her son's disappearance and struggles with the guilt, she believes her husband blames her for the loss of their son, their marriage is falling apart, she has few reasons to keep going...but Marin will do anything to discover the truth about what happened to Sebastian, however what she discovers gives her a whole new purpose to live!

The Library Enthusiast Embraces...

...new-age librarians!

ForAustralian children the library used to be a wonderful, magical place full of adventures, books and the ever-lingering stern-faced librarian...

...but libraries are evolving, and so is the job of the librarian. With everything from digital applications and e-books to online films to rent, librarians are learning new skills and the floor they work on is evolving.

Megan Goldins The Night Swim

  

  Goldin gives us two mysteries in Night Swim, we meet the present day Rachel and her podcast about a rape trial...

 ...and we meet Hannah 25 years earlier, as 9 year old dealing with the death of her older sister. 

As mysteries go this one has few surprises, it does however give depth and an understanding of the tragedy of loss...

The Library Enthusiast and Serving the Community...

When Australia's libraries were deemed 'non-essential services' and closed their doors during the initial lockdown restrictions in April 2020, they were very quickly missed.

But many libraries found creative ways to continue providing their communities a much needed sense of connection....via their digital access to resources.

This is why technology is good...

The Eye of the Sheep by Sofia Laguna

Oh gosh what a story, this is one of those books you fall in love with....and by this I mean you fall in love with its words....

...this is a story about a boy called Jimmy and his family. It is a book written with a deliberate slow pace, it builds and ebbs and at no point did I grow bored of its rhythm. 

Jimmy is an absolute joy to get to know, (and I liked that Laguna chose not to offer us a label for his particular behaviour/learning issues) Jimmy knows everything he needs to know and yet he realistically knows very little. However, Jimmy's very deep awareness and connectedness with his world is insightful and written beautifully by Laguna.

A very sad, and beautiful story that will stay with you long after you close its pages...

The library Enthusiasts Pandemic Thoughts...

...Australia's libraries have risen to the challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding new ways to keep us reading and providing us access to valued services. From live-streaming story and rhyme times, to posting items to library members...love how libraries are adapting to meet our needs. 

Alex Norths The Shadows

The Shadows focuses on some creepy woods and the intriguing art of harnessing lucid dreams...

Paul is our main guy in this tale, who is remembering the trauma he experienced as a teenager. We shift from past to present day as Paul begins to realise the truth about what happened in his childhood and in so doing North gives us layer upon layer, until we are pretty much smothered in some unsettling twists and turns.

If you like your crime fiction with a side order of sinister thriller then this one is for you!

The Library Enthusiasts thoughts...

...on self-publishing.

My local library is offering workshops on taking control and turning your manuscript into a published book...as opposed to the waiting for a publisher to 'find you' scenario. This FREE workshop will advise you on how to get your words through the editing, design, print and online distribution process.

Anyone for a memoir?

Brixton Hill by Lottie Moggach

 Moggach writes with a real sense of humanity in her tale of prison life and the steps her characters take as they connect with each other.

We meet Rob as he begins his countdown to being released from an open prison in Brixton...

...while travelling to his day release 'job' at a local charity shop he meets a woman, a desperate woman, who has as many secrets as himself.

I felt really warmed by this one, which considering its dark subject matter, it somewhat surprised me. But this is a tale that went beyond the obvious and gave us so much more, it gave us hope...the possibility of forgiveness.

Moggach showed us a different way of seeing stereotypical characters, she gave them a soul, allowing us to make genuine connections with them.

The Library Enthusiast on Your Rights...

...you have the right to safety and a life with out fear. 

Self-Aware Workshops are run by officers from the Queensland Police Service, and their aim is to give practical advice that will maximise our safety and in so doing enhance our quality of life. 

Together we can discover how to deal with confrontation and gain strategies to manage our personal safety...in all situations.

The Glad Shout by Alice Robinson

A fiction disaster story, focusing on climate change and its devastating consequences on our future world...lets just say it really isn't fiction (cyclones are very real and their very real devastating floods are killing thousands of people) and it really isn't that far into our future...

...Robinson's novel is set in Melbourne, and it follows Isobel as she escapes from her flooded home with her husband and young daughter. We read in graphic detail how life is for them as they set up camp in the emergency relief centre. We read with a sense of lost hope how the systems and institutions that should be keeping a country together, have in fact fallen apart.

The story switches from Isobel's present day situation to her life pre-disaster, which gives us a real sense of place and an understanding of the values and the anxieties of Robinson's main characters.

And it is Isobel we connect with, it is her strength and her raw honesty as a mother, a mother who will do anything to keep her family safe...

The Library Enthusiasts thoughts...

...on business 101

If like me, you are liking the idea of working for yourself, and have very little business savvy try this 3 step program...

#1-Head to your local library for a hands on workshop to help grow and evolve your business

#2- Learn and discover new tools to help lead your business

#3- Get valuable tips that could pivot your current business or help you design a new one!