I read some great books this year. I would like to share my top 5 with you all.
Number 1
(How to Age Dis-Gracefully)
My Review
What do you get with a bunch of unruly senior citizens, a cheeky baby girl, a teenage dad with a heart of gold, an old scruff bag of a dog, and a quiet middle-aged woman who find themselves banding together for a common cause? A damn good time, that’s what.
Lydia takes a part-time job running a social club at the local senior citizen’s centre. Dealing with marital issues at home, she, an empty nester, is in search of a much-needed distraction. Lydia imagines peaceful days of playing bingo, sipping hot cups of tea, and doing arts and crafts. She gets an unexpected surprise when she meets the members of the social group. These seniors are completely different from what she expected.
Daphne is a force to be reckoned with, but she has been running from a secret all her life. On her seventieth birthday, she reflects back on her life. She is lonely and bored after being cooped up in her flat for a very long time, so she decides it’s high time she takes a risk. She wants to get back out into the world and make some new friends.
Art never got his big break as an actor and tried to fill that hole in his life by developing an addiction to shop lifting.
Daphne and Art are joined by some other colourful older characters.
Teenage father, Ziggy’s little baby girl, attends the day care centre next door. Ziggy lives on the local council housing estate with his mother and is being harassed by a local gang of thugs. He is trying to do the best he can for his daughter.
When the local council threatens to sell the community centre building, this eclectic bunch of people become unlikely friends. They team up together to hatch a plan to save the centre, joined by a scruffy little dog called Maggie Thatcher. Their plan involves Art literally teaching an old dog new tricks. Can they pull it off?
I would give this book 6 stars if I could. What a fun read. I loved it. Stories featuring older characters are something I truly adore. I like to see older characters showing other generations how it's done while forming beautiful friendships, sharing their wisdom, and living life to the full.
A merry bunch of misfits from multiple generations all facing their own problems banding together for a common cause, mostly lead astray by the more mature members of the group.
There were lots of laughs, heartfelt moments, a cute little dog, engaging characters, and so much more. What else could you possibly want in a book? A total hoot. This is the first book I have read by the author. Now I want to read more.
Number 2
(The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home)
My Review
Woodlands Nursing Home is housing two residents who are vastly different, and when their paths cross things get interesting.
Eighty-nine-year-old Hattie Bloom is one independent woman. She is a bird lover and expert on their behaviour. Hattie enjoys her solitude. One day while out trying to stop a tree from being cut down so a family of owls could nest, she has a devastating fall and fractures her hip. The injury lands her in respite care while she gains her strength back.
Ninety-year-old Walter Clements is what you might call a bit of a ‘card’. He likes a good joke and sees himself as a bit of a comedian. He likes a nightcap or two and needs to prove he is still safe to drive by showing the staff he can take the Tesla (electric scooter) for a spin around the block without causing carnage.
When these two meet at ‘The Night Owls’ gathering in the dead of night an unlikely friendship develops. ‘The Night Owls’ is run by night shift nurse Sister Bronwyn along with her loyal canine companion, Queenie. Sister Bronwyn takes an unconventional approach to caring for the elderly. She likes to think outside the box and the residents love her.
Strict bedtime routines, boring food, annoying personalities, boredom, and a one approach fits all attitude have Hattie and Walter planning their escape.
When Sister Bronwyn gets stood down after an unfortunate incident involving one of the residents, their escape plan gets put on hold while they come up with a plan to get Sister Bronwyn reinstated.
What follows involves blossoming new friendships, loss, lots of laughs, and twists and turns that will have you laughing, crying, and gasping with shock.
Joanna Nell has delivered another gem. I am a huge fan of this author and absolutely loved this book. A heartwarming story that explores the emotions, fears, determination, and resolve of our older population when faced with the challenge of losing their independence.
I am also a passionate advocate for older people in my day job as an Aged Care Clinical Nurse Consultant in a large teaching hospital in Sydney.
This book brings to light the many challenges people face as they age and become frailer. Ensure you read the Authors Note in the back. It brought me to tears.
Thank you, Joanna, for once again bringing us a wonderful story focusing on a valuable population with so much to offer society, who are sadly, all too often overlooked, ignored, or dismissed.
Number 3
‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper’
Blurb
Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same grey slacks and mustard sweater-vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.
But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam’s possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he’s never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met — a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.
Number 4
‘Dark Mode’
Blurb
Is it paranoia – or is someone watching?
For years, Reagan Carsen has kept her life offline. No socials. No internet presence. No photos. Safe. Until the day she stumbles on a shocking murder in a Sydney laneway. The victim looks just like her. Coincidence?
As more murders shake the city and she’s increasingly drawn out from hiding, Reagan is forced to confront her greatest fear. She’s been found.
A riveting psychological thriller drawn from true events, Dark Mode delves into the terrifying reality of the dark web, and the price we pay for surrendering our privacy one click at a time.
Number 5
‘Happy Bloody Christmas’
Blurb
And you thought burning the turkey was the worst that could happen…
Christmas is all about lists. To do lists. Shopping lists. Lists to bloody Santa. And doesn’t Anna Johnson know it. Waking up on Christmas Eve after the annual Johnson party, she's hungover, exhausted and really sick and tired of Christmas already.
All she wants is to tick the last things off her endless list and sit down with the world’s biggest glass of wine. But apparently that’s not going to happen any time soon because now her list looks like 1. Wrap the presents2. Peel the potatoes 3. Stuff the turkey4. Solve the murder of Santa.
A mysterious death in her home really is the last thing she has time for right now, but with police officers who could double as the Chuckle Brothers and a husband and two kids intent on watching Christmas films, it looks like it’s up to her to find out what the hell’s gone on. Oh – and figure out what to do with the body before her in-laws arrive.
Happy bloody Christmas indeed.
*Well there you have it. My Top 5 reads this year. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. See you all in 2025 !
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