Ken Follett is in my opinion, one of the best authors the United Kingdom has ever produced. And this book, The Armor of Light, was long awaited by me. My love of the Kingsbridge series, starting with the brilliant Pillars of the Earth more than thirty years ago, has kept me intrigued through all five novels. Here is my book review The Armour of Light by Ken Follett.
Ken Follett
Now aged 74, I only hope Follett has the stamina to write one or two more Kingsbridge books. The level of detail and research in all of his Kingsbridge novels is so incredible. The series starts in 997AD with The Evening and the Morning (which was a prequel released in 2020), followed by Pillars of the Earth set in the 12th century and the original novel. Each subsequent book is approximately 150 – 200 years later; World Without End set in the 14th Century, A Column of Fire set in Elizabethian England, and now The Armour of Light set late 1700’s to early 1800’s.
Book Review The Armour of Light by Ken Follett
In this latest brilliant novel we find ourselves in a changing society as the world, and England, enter the industrial age. With the invention of the Spinning Jenny in 1770, the wool industry and it’s workers will find themselves in a new era. Those who can keep up with the changing times will survive.
Change means violence, as those with power want more, and will do anything to keep in control of the industrial wealth. As the Napoleon War rages, we meet a cast of characters entwined whether they like it or not. Protestants and Methodists, wealthy and poor, men and women – all fighting for what they believe is right.
Strong Characters
Like usual Follett places strong female characters against ruthless church, political and industry male leaders. Convicted of misdemeanor crimes, punishment for the poor could mean being shipped to Australia for years of hard labor…or death.
The survivors of this violent time, and the ashes of war, will rise up to be the early disciples of workers rights and labor rights and the future of the working class of England. Many will die before this long drawn out change in the system will benefit them, but their sacrifice will change the world forever.
The novel is not lacking in Follett’s usual love stories, villains, vanity and religious persecution. There is a tantalizing collection of under-stories to titilize as usual. It’s a wonderful book, and another in the genius collection.
I think this is my first book by Rosamunde Pilcher, surprisingly. She has a lot of novels out, and this one, The Shell Seekers has won numerous awards in Europe. But, it’s new to me! Here is my book review The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.
Reflection
The novel begins when Penelope Keeling is in her 60’s and after a recent heart attack she is reflecting on her past. The story flits back and forth between Penelope’s childhood – the daughter of a famous artist and his much younger French wife – and present day. Through Pilcher’s strong writing we learn about Penelope’s relationship with her father, mother and their survival during the World Wars.
Pilcher creates some lovely characters in this novel as the life of Penelope Keeling evolves. Her oldest friend Doris, her French mother Sophie and her brilliant artist father Laurence Stern. All are living in England together during WWII and that time will define the rest of their lives.
1984
The novel moves from the past to present day 1984 when Penelope has just had a heart attack. Stubborn and self-confident, Penelope checks herself out of the hospital against her doctor’s advice. Through this experience we are introduced to her three adult children, who respond differently to Penelope’s decision. Each sibling is unique from the other, and two of them are desperately in need of money.
As the novel moves forward it is revealed the paintings of Penelope’s father Laurence have recently become popular again and therefore valuable. Penelope has several paintings, and two of her children try to convince her to sell them. This is where the family begins to rip at the seams.
Family
Like so many beautifully written stories about family ties, The Shell Seekers is complex. Relationships between mother and children, and the siblings themselves is fraught with misunderstanding, stress, rivalry but of course, also love. Penelope finds she can identify more with two young people who come into her life (a gardener and a caretaker) than she can with her own children. But Penelope acknowledges her health issues require her to make some decisions about the future of the valuable art she owns. How will she satisfy her own love of the paintings, and all the players in this story?
You’ll have to read Rosamunde Pilcher’s beautiful book, The Shell Seekers to find out. Thanks for reading my book review The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.
*****Five stars for The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
We listened to a couple of Audible book this past month while tooling about Australia in a Motorhome. If you haven’t been following that journey you might want to check it out here Caravan Travel Australia Part One and Part Two. Anyway, my friend Pam asked if I had read Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country. This book is old…published in 2000, one my husband read it when it came out. But I had not, and so it seemed like the perfect story for our long drive. Thanks Pam. Here is my book review In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson.
Bill Bryson
First of all, if you have never read Bill Bryson you are missing out on one of America’s greatest gems. What a writer, humorist, humanitarian and witty observer of people he is. Bryson has numerous book, but I had never read his book about traveling around Australia. Nothing could have been more perfect for us to enjoy, agree with and guffaw at on our road trip.
Discovering the Undiscovered Country
Bryson spends weeks and weeks while researching this book, traversing this incredibly empty, huge and surprising continent/country of Australia. In his telling of the journey he meets Australia’s most amazing creatures, encounters the most unlikely characters, falls in love with the solitude, all while finding humor in each and every unexpected moment.
In a Sunburned Country brings to life a place that many will never get the opportunity to discover. I am lucky to have been here twice. And much of Bryson’s prose echo my own feelings about this lethal place (“more things that can kill you in malicious ways than anywhere else in the world”) and yet it’s like you just can’t get enough – forget the danger!
Book Review In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country brings to life this usually forgotten country – with solid and cheerful people, low crime, safe cities, abundant sunshine, fascinating history and the craziest collection of animals. And yet, we hear so little about Australia in the media. Another reason you should visit. And whether you visit on your own, or via Bryson’s wonderful storytelling, you should get to know amazing Australia.
Thanks for reading my book review In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson.
*****Five stars – I definitely recommend it to travelers or those who dream to travel.
How deep is the connection of family? Of sisters seperated at birth? How deep is love through the worst of life’s trials, terror and torment? In this novel we learn the deep connections through eight generations. Here is my book review Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
West Africa
As the slave trade is gearing up and England has colonized, the native tribes turn against each other. It’s the eighteenth century in Ghana. Two half sisters are born, in different villages. Neither will ever know the other, but their connection is inscribed on their souls. Each always feeling a part of her is missing, despite the extreme different circumstances their lives will take. One will marry a British officer and lead a life of luxury, even though she is a black women, her status will be elevated for a lifetime. She will live out her life in a colonial castle. Her sister, captured and thrown into a holding cell in the same castle, will eventually make the horrific journey to the America’s and become a slave.
Eight Generations
Gyasi will develop the characters in this novel, following the two seperate but parrellel lives of the the descendants of these half sisters…one family in Ghana and not arriving in America until the 1970’s. The other family enduring slavery, civil war, and Harlem in the 1970’s. Gyasi looks deeply in this novel at the longlasting effects on a nation and a family that slavery and racism had…and still has…holding the memory of captivitiy in hearts forever.
We are enjoying an entire month in a “Caravan” in Australia. Commonly referred to as a Motorhome or caravan, not a trailer or RV like we call it in the USA. Or a Tiki Tour as we referred to it in New Zealand. It’s a caravan/motorhome and we have completed two weeks of our four week itinerary. So let me tell you about the first two weeks, enjoying Caravan Travel Australia.
Small But Mobile
This is the fourth time we have done an extended time in a van or caravan. I’ve mentioned many times I am not one who needs a lot of fancy in my accommodations. Small is fine and I find it a fun challenge to live in a small space. Cooking in a small space, organizing a small space and generally making life comfy in a small space is a challenge I enjoy.
The Aussie Nest
Seven years ago we spent six weeks in tiny “Betty”, our vintage pink trailer. Then we lived in a ten foot van in New Zealand for five weeks in 2017. Next we did a ten day tour in Iceland in a similar van. None of the above had a bathroom, so our current living arrangement, a 20 foot Jayco with toilet and shower, seems luxurious!
Wonderful Australia Birdlife
The best part for each of these caravan adventures is being able to be on the go, and tuck into unique and beautiful parks and natural areas while we move about the country. So here is our story Caravan Travel Australia – Our Little Aussie Nest Part One.
The Numbers
Before taking you on a tour of our first two weeks of Caravan Travel Australia, let’s talk about the numbers. Many followers have been asking me about what this kind of travel costs. It’s not always less expensive, when you calculate everything together, so each person needs to consider what is most important. The below numbers are in USD. This video give you a little tour of the nest.
Daily rental rate for this 20 foot caravan is $125 – in comparison a moderate hotel in Melbourne runs $130 and an Airbnb around $100
Nightly camping rates have run us between$20-$50. The low end was for sites without hookups.
Diesel fuel is costing about $4.50 per gallon. We traveled 900 miles the first two weeks and spent $200 on fuel.
With the kitchen in the rig we cook the majority of our meals. Over the first two weeks we have spent $400 on groceries and $200 on dining out.
You can of course make this less expensive or more expensive depending on your choices. But this is how it has figured for us on our first two weeks of Caravan Travel Australia.
Let’s Go
Our Little Aussie Nest Part One
Dubbed the Aussie Nest, we have now been traveling in her for two of the four weeks. It’s time to report! Check out the graphic of the first two weeks. Here is a rundown of all the things we have enjoyed, places we have been and unique experiences we have had during the first half of our Caravan Travel Australia – Aussie Nest Adventure;
Brisbane
We picked up the Caravan just outside of Brisbane at a rental agency called Let’s Go Motorhomes. The staff at Let’s Go was great and spent an hour with us going over every detail of the vehicle. And then off we went (staying left!). On this first day we headed North first to the tiny little town of Noosa. Immediately we learned that parking the rig in a small town was going to be a challenge. Eventually we found a spot and spent a delightful afternoon hiking Noosa Heads National Park. Australia is overflowing with National Parks, most are free, and we are enjoying them very much.
Noosa Head
Next we headed to a small RV Park called Ingenia Holidays Landsborough, only about an hour from Brisbane. We chose this spot because it was close to the Australia Zoo where we planned to spend the next day. So we booked just one night here. I liked this tiny spot with a pond and lots of trees but the snake warning reminded me I’m in Australia. We paid $29 per night with hook up.
Nobby Beach is lovely little town right next to the famous Gold Beach. Although there were people swimming and surfing, we chose to do a couple of walks and hikes around the town and into the small Burleigh Head National Park. Having picked up plenty of groceries at the local Coles Grocery (our favorite Aussie market) we used our Caravan kitchen and enjoyed dining al fresco. We did take a walk to Lost Palms microbrewery and enjoyed a couple of beers with the locals.
Nobby Beach
Lost Palms Brewing
Nobby Beach Holiday Village is where we spent these two days, about four blocks from the beach. It included a nice laundry and swimming pool. Price per night with hook up was $51 .
Coffs Harbour
We booked three nights at the Big 4 Park Beach Holiday Park in Coffs Harbour for $31 a night with hook ups. This was a very large park with lots of rental cabins as well as lots of RV spots. Aussies seem to really enjoy the park model homes or cabins and most of the parks we have stayed in had a variety of options beyond camping. We had a couple days of serious rain in Coffs Harbour, so we took some time to do laundry and work on the laptop. But between rain storms we also enjoyed our morning run on the Coffs Harbour paths along the beach and we took a great hike out to Mutton Bird Island, a wildlife reserve. It was here in Coffs Harbour that we really began to discover so many wonderful Australia birds that were new to us.
View from Mutton Bird Island
Mutton Bird Island
Despite the rain, on our last day we unhooked the caravan and made our way to the Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens. We have encountered Botanic Gardens in nearly every town we have visited, and this one was particularly nice for both the flora and the number of beautiful birds. We enjoyed more than an hour of rain free walking through the gardens.
Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens
Nelson Bay
I thought this part of the Pacific Coast of Australia was truly lovely. It reminded me a bit of our home back in Gig Harbor, Washington. We spent three nights at the small but perfectly located Halifax Holiday Park. About 300 yards to the beach. Cost was $39 per night. We had lovely weather the day we arrived and we enjoyed walking around and seeing the beach.
Nelson Bay
Little Beach
After a week in the Aussie Nest Caravan we decided it was time to treat ourselves to a nice dinner out. So we showered and changed and walked to a highly rated beach side restaurant called Little Beach Boathouse. Such a nice treat enjoying fresh caught local cod and barramundi as well as a delicious burrata and tomato salad. Perfect.
Little Beach Boathouse
Little Beach Boathouse
The next day I took a wonderful long run into the town of Nelson Bay on a splendid pathway providing beautiful water and flora views. Back at the caravan a quick shower before we headed out for brunch. The host at the camp ground had recommended we visit the Inner Light Tea Room – a lovely small restaurant in the old light keepers home. Well, that sounded good, so off we went to enjoy the food and the spectacular views. We spent the rest of the day at the lovely golden sand Little Beach. A perfect day.
Nelson Bay
Inner Light Tea Room
Next day was not as sunny, but was perfect weather for a little hike. We unhooked the Aussie Nest and drove to Shoals Bay, about five miles. Here we hiked up to the top of Tomaree Mountain. Not a very long hike but pretty steep – it was worth it at the top for the spectacular views. We saw a lot of interesting birds and kept our eye out for koala but didn’t see any – I’m sure they were there but they are camouflaged into the eucalyptus. Back down at the bottom we took a look at the beautiful Zenith Beach right as it started to rain. Perfect timing, as we headed back to our campsite.
Tomaree Mountain View
Zenith Beach
While eating our dinner at the caravan that evening we were alerted of severe weather approaching. So we buckled up the caravan and watched the most amazing storm as it approached from the west. Really fascinating. Watch it below. It brought some rain but fortunately not the high winds predicted. Just enough to rock us to sleep. Next morning, we packed up and headed south again.
Vineyard
Although we don’t drink much wine anymore, we wanted to try some of the award winning Australian wines found in this region of New South Wales. So as we headed south towards Booderee National Park, we decided to cut the long drive in half with a couple of days just outside of Sydney. We stopped at two wonderful wineries in the Hunter Valley, did a tasting and purchased a bottle at each, and met some really lovely locals who are very passionate about Australia and its wines. The area with its mountains and forests and vineyards looked so much like Central California, a part of the United States we are very fond of.
Ernest Hill Vineyards
Running Horse Winery
At the end of a long day of driving we arrived just outside of the town of Vineyard and Ingenia Holidays Avina Camp Park. Since it was a weekend the park was pretty full with lots of kids and families. We paid $32 for a spot with hookups. We tucked in for the night after a long day. Next morning I did a run in a very thick fog, which burnt off about 10am and turned into the hottest day we have seen since leaving the USA two months ago…a hot 96 Fahrenheit. Day two we decided to just enjoy the warm weather, read and relax. Luckily the little Aussie Nest has aircon so we slept like babes, got up early and headed out to finish the drive to Booderee.
Local Bird Life – A Gallah (photo from Merlin Bird Identifier)
Jervis Bay
In the tiny Jervis Bay Territory we arrived at Booderee National Park, Green Patch Campsite the most rustic of our choices for this itinerary. Booderee National Park offered us a large space with water but no electricity or place to dump. We paid $33 per night and booked three days in advance as it is very difficult to get a spot in this popular National Park. We didn’t mind roughing it for a few days to enjoy this amazing park.
Mama Roo and Joey
Wallybee in our campsite
Each day we explored a different area of the 6400 hectare National Park. We hiked and walked and saw so much bird and wildlife it was absolutely astonishing. Every day we saw wallaby in our campsite and kangaroo all around the park. We also nearly stepped on a giant and venomous Red Bellied Black Snake and I got bit by a Red Bull Ant – that bite took weeks to heal.
Booderee National Park
Red Bull Ant (Wikipedia)
We truly enjoyed the dozens of new-to-us birds we discovered, the ocean views, and local history. The park is pretty remote, with services like grocery not really available, but we had planned ahead, and had enough to make all our meals in the Aussie Nest.
Booderee National Park
Booderee National Park
Continuing South
After two weeks we now continue south where we plan to spend a week at the tiny town of Eden in Australia’s southeast coast, before turning the Aussie Nest back northward. Northbound we will stop in Australia’s capital city of Canberra, and then we will wander back to Brisbane staying inland. We are looking forward to more amazing Australia adventures in our little Aussie Nest as we continue our Caravan Travel in Australia. I’ll share part two of the story next week.
Thanks for following along Caravan Travel Australia – Our Little Aussie Nest Part One. It might not be for everyone, but for us, it’s a great way to cover a lot of territory and experience nature in this amazing country. I hope you will come back again next week for part two.
This is the third book I have read by Lisa See. Her works always focus on Asian women and I find her research into real historical figures, and her ability to create a fictional story around them, brilliant. Two other books I recommend by Lisa See are The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane and The Island of Sea Women. Here is my book review Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See.
Period: Ming Dynasty
Inspired by the true story of Tan Yunxian, See takes us to 15th century China. A time of concubines and foot binding where women were meant to be beautiful above all else. See brings to life in this fictional story Lady Tan, brilliant, beautiful and captivating. Tan’s destiny is mapped out for her during the period of the Ming Dynasty, but this young women will grow to be a force.
Studying with her grandmother from a very young age, Lady Tan will become a brilliant doctor, and leave behind at her death meticulous notes about her care of primarily women throughout her life. Not only will she be a mother, wife and eventually the head of the wealthy family she married into, but she will be a healer, life saver, and a connector of women. Building throughout her life a strong bond with both those in her upper class life and the common people too.
Lisa See, in this book like all the others, does extensive research and travels extensively to find her stories. This book re-imagines beautifully this remarkable women, her unconventional life, and the legacy she leaves behind.
*****Five stars for Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See.
I loved this book by the author of The Guncle, which was one of my favs from last year. Rowley has a engaging an thoughtful writing style which is perfect for the topic of this book – Jackie Onassis. Here is my book review The Editor by Steven Rowley.
This is a work of fiction, but is based on the very real Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Rowley introduces us to Mrs. Onassis during the period in her life where she served as an Editor at Doubleday Books in New York City.
Just imagine if you are a young author and your very first novel has been tapped by Doubleday. You walk into your first meeting with your Editor, and OMG. It’s her. Jackie Kennedy.
This is how the story begins when James Smale is dumbstruck in the offices of Doubleday. Why would Mrs. Onassis like his book?
As the plot unfolds we learn that James has written a book, loosely (well not so loosely) about his own dysfunctional family. Growing up with a father who was angry and not engaged and a mother who was often mentally absent, James tells the truth, but changes the names to protect the…well who exactly?
Mrs. Onassis finds a connection to this story, and over the next year she will skillfully guide James to write the real story and find the real ending…all while she is quietly suffering in her own private world.
I really enjoy Rowley’s writing and in this novel he managed to bring me to tears, which rarely happens for me. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t love this book. Thank you for reading my book review The Editor by Steven Rowley.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
