Love From Scratch by Amy Hutton

 

Love From Scratch is crying out to be made into a bright, sparkling romcom movie. The setting is Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, the hero is a Hemsworthian hunk, the heroine is almost as gorgeous as the hero, and it’s all topped off with an adorable cat and dog.

Ethan is a movie star best known for his looks. He is well aware that that is what gets him starring roles and he is quite matter-of-fact about maintaining his appearance. He is, however, a very nice, genuine man with a great appreciation for the success that has come his way so far.

Hazel is a chef whose confidence has been shattered by a particularly horrible customer. She has, sadly, lost her passion for cooking beautiful food, and she takes a job as a dog minder for Ethan’s Jack Russell while Ethan is filming.

This is not my usual kind of book but, for one, I found the writing about the cat and dog sweet and real which absolutely won me over;  another point I would like to make is that Amy Hutton knows how to write a sex scene, a skill a lot of authors aspire to but not many do really well. The movie which I hope will eventuate will be a winner if it is filmed on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Heaven on earth!

Published by Simon & Schuster

The Serpent Rising by Mary Garden

 

I decided to read The Serpent Rising after reading My Father’s Suitcase in which Mary Garden talks about the violent physical abuse inflicted on her by her younger sister, Anna. 

Mary was a brilliant student but having been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder she was finding it hard to cope with life. She stumbled on Eastern mysticism at an Ashram in New Zealand, after which she decided to travel to India in a search of enlightenment. 

The Serpent Rising is an absolutely fascinating story about a vulnerable young woman who needed help in recovering from a childhood of not being heard while an enormous, far reaching problem was unfolding within her own family. Unfortunately, Mary’s vulnerability was soon seized upon by an unscrupulous guru (and there were plenty of those around) and she relates her extraordinary tale with stunning clarity. I could see India in technicolor as I read, with the mighty Ganges flowing down from the mountains and the profusion of flowers and shrubs all around, as well as the dirt and the dust of the crowded cities.

This is a memoir like no other I’ve read. It is sad, moving, powerful and, ultimately, hopeful.

Published by Justitia Books

The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret

 

The illustration on the cover of  Etgar Keret’s The Seven Good Years, a memoir of the first seven years of his son’s life, is perfect. Although it was first published in 2006 it could have been written today.

I laughed out loud through much of this book, and when I came to the end I put it down and cried. Etgar Keret’s stories of life in Tel Aviv are filled with brilliant wit, kindness, generosity of spirit and utter good heartedness.

It was a profound experience for me to read this book, given to me as a present by my beautiful friends in Israel. 

Shalom achi!