The Different Life of Fin Starling | Elizabeth Stead

Gorgeous story, gorgeous wee book. Odd things are happening in this out of the way, armpit-of-Australia township and it all seems to be because of Fin Starling. The town is full of quirky characters who are transformed after Fin's birth into proud citizens. They clean up the town in the hope of earning the Tidy Town award. But all the hard work and cleanliness brings with it changes to everyone's life. Most become obsessed with being clean, phobic to dirt...Somewhat like Fin.
Hard to say why or how Fin has such an influence on the town's people, but the story revolves around the characters and spins a charming and funny story.
Worth reading if you are after something a little bit different.

Novel About My Wife | Emily Perkins

This book has sat by my bed for a few weeks. For some reason I was reluctant to read it but eventually it made it to the top of the pile. It's a strange narrative, a husband writing about his wife, which we are told early on, is dead.
He tells of their meeting and falling in love, his passion for her although he begins to understand that he doesn't really know her.
Anne seems a credible character until she is involved in a train accident and consequently describes a man she keeps seeing and is convinced will attack her. Everyone is concerned, until her claims become preposterous.
At the same time Anne is pregnant and gives birth to Arlo.
We are never quite sure whether she's mad or bohemian, whether he's naive or vacant or lovely.
The novel is written in such a way that we don't quite understand how Anne dies and the suspense builds right to the end. The husband's voiced is beautifully captured and we develop a lot of sympathy for him.
All in all a very successful story and I'm glad I finally got to it. Perkins has just released her latest novel which is touted to be her best yet. Am off to get it this week!

Spilling the Beans | Clarissa Dickson Wright

Clarissa of "Two Fat Ladies" fame has written a very good and entertaining autobiography. This is an insightful look into the devastating effects of alcoholism through many generations of her family and her own downward spiral into this disease as well as the climb out of it to recovery.

She grew up in a privileged English family but in perpetual fear of her father and his physical abuse of her and her mother. The youngest of the children, she has a lot to bear and feels very responsible for supporting her mother.
Clarissa studied law and was a successful barrister, lived the high life and seems to know anyone who is anyone in London! Alcohol took hold and finally destroyed her physically, mentally and professionally. Eventually as a form of recovery she worked part time in a bookshop specializing in cook books and her foodie career was born (unbeknownst to her). One thing lead to another and eventually, once she was running her own bookshop in Scotland, she was approached to star in the "TFL" series. Things seem to snowball. Clarissa became a passionate advocate for the farmers of the land and in educating people on fresh, locally grown produce.
A very readable and funny book which I thoroughly enjoyed.