Your summer reading sorted!
A stack of books to tide you over the summer whether you like it light, cosy, thoughtful, funny or dark ...
Well hello, lovely,
I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Over here, we finally have another child through school. Hurray! Now is the wait until HSC results come out in December and a new set of life decisions. Gap year? Uni? But its’ done and that’s the main thing. I’ve never believed school are the best years of your life but, at this age, it has been the vast majority of your lived experience, hasn’t it? I’m excited for her, facing a future that she can shape how she likes.
In writing news, I’m on the home straight and, boy, does that feel good! I’m loving this story and I can’t wait to share it with you. But I’m also looking forward to having a break over the summer and recharging the old battery before diving into the edits.
I’ve also been reading heaps so I’ve lots of good books to share and two books for you to win.
Let’s dive in!
Behind the scenes
I am thrilled to report that I am almost done! Current word count—86,000. I have four more scenes to write then I’ll be putting the manuscript in the metaphorical bottom drawer until I’m back after the summer break. Writing novels is often compared to running a marathon, in which case, I’m in the home straight, I can see the finish line. And boy, does that feel good. When I’m drafting, I write six days a week. I haven’t had a weekend off since the beginning of September. As you can imagine, I’m desperate for a good rest before rolling up my sleeves, or should that be, putting on my running shoes? and doing the important work of editing. Fingers crossed, my publisher will have the manuscript on her desk by March. Yay!
I’m not going to share too much about what’s going on with the story line because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But, given the inspiration for this novel was the ‘deliciously complicated cat-sitting arrangement’ between writers Patricia Highsmith and Muriel Spark, let’s just say, it is a deliciously complicated plot. It’s been lots of fun to write and I hope you will find it as much fun to read.
While I’m taking a break from the writing, I’ll be focusing on research reading to fill in the gaps and add layers to the story. Although, I have been following some cat Instagram pages for Igor inspiration. It never ceases to amaze me what cat’s will do to get what they want. Cute and adorable, yes, but cunning and resourceful too. One particular video inspired an entire scene towards the end of the book. Sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction!
I can’t wait to share where I’m up to in my next newsletter. Stay tuned!
Favourite Reads
You’d think after what I just said, that I wouldn’t have much time for reading but, like a lot of writers, reading is therapy when you’re in the throes of writing. While my manuscript might be a mess (for the record, it isn’t, I can’t abide a mess) it’s very soothing to read completed, polished works. Here are some titles I enjoyed an you might too.
I loved Joanna Nell’s last novel, The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital. Nell has such a light touch and a warm sense of humour, it’s always fun to spend time in her world. This time, GP Heather Winterbottom and her husband are retiring from medical practice. While her husband, Alan, dreams of growing vegetables, Heather longs to stretch her wings. Alan won’t have a bar of it and, in a fit of pique, Heather decides to take off to the Greek Islands for a holiday from her life and her marriage.
Mrs Winterbottom takes a Gap Year is trademark Nell. Who wouldn’t want to walk away from marriage and resolving family dramas. To have no other plans for the day than deciding which cafe to dine at and which beach to lay one’s towel on. Of course, there’s romantic tension in the air, a good dose of Greek idyll and lots of complications threatening to ruin Heather’s dream holiday. A great escape!
After the huge success of his first novel in this series (Will it be a series? I think so) Everyone in This Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson is back with Everyone on This Train is a Suspect.
After the success of his memoir, Ernest Cunningham is invited to an exclusive crime writers festival held aboard the famous The Ghan and the train trip that runs through the centre of Australia. Six of the world’s leading crime authors are assembled for what promises to be an exciting blend of over-sized egos and competitive sniping. But when one of the crime writers dies, Ernest isn’t the only one turning into an amateur sleuth.
A comedian and literary agent by trade, Stevenson has so much fun with this story. Poking fun at the publishing industry, writers festivals and the writers themselves as he pays homage to the Golden Age of mystery writing. Comparisons to Richard Osman’s wonderful cosy crime series, The Thursday Murder Club are justified.
From bestselling author, journalist and adored podcaster, Dolly Alderton, comes her new novel, Good Material. When stand-up comedian Andy breaks up with his girlfriend of four years, he suddenly finds himself a thirty-five-year-old bloke reduced to sharing a house with an obsessive septuagenarian. He’s not the only one who’s obsessive, Andy spends way too much scrolling through his ex’s Instagram account, day-drinking and generally feeling sorry for himself. Not to mention, his career is tanking and he’s found a bald spot at the back of his head.
Self-improvement seems the way to go. Get ripped and find a new girlfriend. Ignoring all the good advice of his friends, Andy stumbles blindly through grief, although not so blindly as to fail to notice how everyone his age is settling down and having kids. They have real jobs that pay the bills. His mother loves him, no matter what, but what will it take Andy to realise that who he is is perfectly fine. And heartbreak makes the perfect comedic material. Good Material is lots of fun and lots of cringe. The things we do in a break up!
Books to Love
Emergency Exit Only by Michelle Upton
Amelia Harris is a woman who likes to stick to a routine. She takes the same sandwich to work every day—tuna mayo—has her desk drawers colour-coded and finds comfort in her job as the single member of the accounts department in an office supplies company where she’s worked for almost ten years. Although, her colleagues are a different matter. Most of whom she barely gets on with, hence why she tries to limit all social interaction. And her mother is financially illiterate, her life is a complete shambles and she’s a bit too dependent on Amelia to rescue her every time she gets into hot water.
But a chance accident lands Amelia in hospital and she decides to throw in the job and embark on a new direction. Several new directions to be precise. Unsure what she’d actually like to do with her life, she hops from one experience to another—wedding planner, zoo keeper, barista and florist. She starts writing a blog that leads to opinion pieces for the weekend papers—life is one great big exciting new adventure until her mother reveals a truth about her father that turns Amelia’s life upside down.
Michelle Upton’s funny warm storytelling had me hooked with her debut novel, Terms of Inheritance. But with Emergency Exit Only she proves that she’s here for the long haul and will become a fixture on our summer reading calendars. Amelia is a gem of a character who wears her inner nerd on her sleeve. There’s something so relatable about how she wraps her heart in cotton wool to protect herself from love and life, only to find that you can’t really live unless you expose yourself to the world. Upton brings a light touch on matters such as grief, vulnerability and how we only grow when we let go of who we think we are. Emergency Exit Only is a wonderful escape that will warm you from the inside.
Scroll down to Freebies to win a copy of Emergency Exit Only
Women & Children by Tony Birch
1965: Joe Cluny lives with his mum, Marion, and sister, Rosie, in a working-class Melbourne suburb. Unlike Rosie, a star pupil, his days are spent getting into trouble with the nuns at his local Catholic primary school and never being quite sure why he always seems to do the wrong thing. When Rosie goes to the country over the summer holidays, Joe’s mum sends him to spend time with his grandfather, Charlie. A former street sweeper, Charlie has collected all sorts of bric-a-brac that has spread throughout the house and spilled over into the garden shed. Their job is to sort it out and discard of the rubbish. From Joe’s point of view, it’s a lot of fun and he revels in his grandfather’s undivided attention.
Until, one evening, his Aunty Oona knocks on the front door. Visibly distressed, Marion takes her in while they work out what to do. Joe sees more than a young boy should and though he doesn’t understand why his normally vivacious aunt is not herself, he knows enough to know that someone has hurt her. Sworn to secrecy, he must witness his family try to protect themselves and find some sort of justice for Oona. But everyone, from the neighbours to the police, prefer to turn a blind eye to this kind of business.
Tony Birch is one of Australia’s outstanding writers. His seemingly simple style underpins powerful themes and his eye for the life of downtrodden and working class is like no other. Women & Children is about courage — to speak out, to take action and to love in the face of dire circumstances. It’s also about Joe’s coming of age when, over the course of a summer, he must shed his innocence and begin to understand the ways of the adult world and the meaning of the word justice. Never black and white and often easier to attain in theory than practice.
As a side note, the cover is a photo of Birch’s sister on her first communion standing next to her godmother. The photo was taken by Birch’s mother. It not only gives a sense of the times but of the lives that are on the page in the story. Women & Children is yet another fine novel from Birch filled with richly realised characters and a definitive sense of place. Reading his work always gives you the feeling that you are in the hands of a master storyteller. A pure reading delight.
The Naturalist of Amsterdam by Melissa Ashley
Autumn, 1686: Dorothea has been her mother’s assistant as long as she can remember. Maria Sibylla Merian was one of the greatest naturalist illustrators of her era. Not only painting insects and plants for her much sought after publications but also collecting moths, butterflies and other insects, to grow in her home and record every stage of their life cycles. Maria journeys from Amsterdam to the colony of Suriname in South America on a self-funded scientific expedition to explore and record is extraordinary wildlife. Twenty-year old Dorothea decides she will accompany her to help her mother create her masterpiece, The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname.
On their return to Amsterdam, the painstaking work of curating the collection and bringing the artworks up to publishable standards begins. Dorothea is a fine artist in her own right but the studio system, even an all-female studio, which in itself was an acronym, means she must serve her mother’s single-minded vision rather than her own. But Dorothea, now married and with a child of her own, begins to realise that her life and her identity have been subsumed by her mother’s work. Responsibility descends into burden as it is left to Dorothea to realise her mother’s grand ambitions. After all these years of dedicated service, will Dorothea ever be brave enough to break free and pursue her own happiness?
Melissa Ashley’s novels reveal her fascination with the untold stories of women history has chosen to forget. As always, The Naturalist of Amsterdam is meticulously researched. Ashley excels in bringing the world of bustling 18th century Amsterdam and, in particular, the artist studio to life in rich and vivid to life. Maria Merian is indicative of the times when women were excluded from traditional artistic practices, such as painting in oils, and resorting to watercolours, parchment and paper. In her research, Ashley discovered that Dorothea was also a fine artist, without whom, her mother’s ground-breaking works would never have been achieved. This is the heart of the novel and Ashley balances these two sides beautifully. Dorothea’s life is a product of her mother’s will and determination to succeed and her desire and need to assist her mother in her work while also trying to carve out an identity of her own, both as an artist and a woman. It’s a struggle that resonates through time.
Giveaways Galore!
Thanks to the wonderful people at HarperCollins Publishers, I have **five** copies of the fabulous Emergency Exit Only to win. All you have to do is send me a reply email with the answer the mind-bendingly difficult question below :-)
Name one of the jobs Amelia does to find a new career direction.
And the delightful team at Affirm Press are offering one gorgeously gift-wrapped hard-back copy of the bestselling Melissa Ashley’s new historical novel, The Naturalist of Amsterdam. Send me a reply email with the answer to the following question. (One email with both answers is perfectly fine.)
Where in South America do Maria and Dorothea travel to?
The fine print: Giveaways are currently only open to subscribers and you must reside within Australia to be eligible to win (postage!) The winners will be picked at random and will be emailed on 20 November 2023. Good luck!
New Voices Down Under
It’s not too late to sign up for the November newsletter. We’ll be looking ahead to see what’s hot in new releases for 2024 with one special giveaway. It’s your chance to win one perfect summer read to tide you over until New Voices returns 28 January 2024. T
Don’t miss out! You can subscribe here.
The end of the cup
Well, my friend, my cup is empty. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I’ll be changing the dates for future editions of A Cuppa With Meredith. In December, there’ll be a round up of my favourite reads of 2023 and my Success Audit. In 2024, I’ll still be doing a newsletter every two months but it will run from 5 February instead of 5 January. Simply put, I need a break over the summer so I have plenty of energy for what promises to be an exciting year ahead.
In the meantime, you can check out updates on events at www.meredithjaffe.com or you will always find me chatting on socials on either Instagram or Facebook @meredithjaffeauthor Why don’t you leave a comment or drop me a line. I love hearing from you!
Keep well,
