Enchanting Angel Creek

I've just finished reading Victorian author Sally Rippin's enchanting Angel Creek.

It was such a fresh, original idea I found myself doing a double-take as I walked past the rain-swollen creek near my home recently, eyes searching the waters for any errant angels that might be stuck in the swirling waters, wings waterlogged and wedged between rocks.

Angel Creek is the story of Jelly (short for Angelica) and her cousins Gino and Pik, who happen upon a half-drowned baby angel in the Merri Creek near her home one Christmas.

But this angel is no chubby cherub with a harp, but a gangly, bird-like creature that clings to Jelly with a fierceness and favouritism that inspires jealously and rivalry among the children.

It's a mystery, certainly, about where and how the angel came to be in the creek, but it's also a story about growing up, about family and, above all, about change.

The children save the angel from drowning in the creek, but in doing so they're faced with the even greater responsibility of caring for it, nursing it back to health and hiding it from the neighbourhood bullies.

Rippin does a wonderful job of jumping into the shoes of a young tween on the cusp of womanhood and high school, uprooted from friends and her old school, and experiencing all the self-doubt and dawning realisations that come with puberty.

For me Angel Creek also recalled summers past when Australian children really could play down at the creek without fear and make all kinds of wondrous discoveries - but I never ever found an angel. Maybe I should start looking a little harder...

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Get thee to Stonewylde!

UK author Kit Berry had a dream, and it involved getting published at some stage, so what a joy that dream has come true not once but twice - as a self-publisher and soon, as a mainstream published author.

As a long-time fan of Ms Berry's work, I can enthusiastically recommend her Stonewylde trilogy - well, actually there will be five books in the series, but the first three are floating around and about to be re-released with spiffy new jackets, to be swiftly followed by the long-awaited fourth book in the series.

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Lion Whisperer champions big cats

Zoologist Kevin Richardson became a Youtube sensation when footage of him swimming and frolicking with lions in his native South Africa went viral.

Now the ‘Lion Whisperer’, as he has been christened by South African media, has written a book about his life and work with lions and other African wildlife, in conjunction with Sydney writer Tony Park.

Part of the Pride is an eye-opening account of how Kevin learned - often the hard way - how to interact with big cats without the safety net of fences, whips, sticks, chains or guns.

And his secret?

“Lions are social animals,” he said during a recent trip to Sydney. “They love grooming each other and being on top of each other, they’re clan animals.

“And I’ve taken 11 years to get to know them (at my park). When you’re truly integrated with a pride of lions there’s no need for scars. Lions don’t injure each other within a pride.
My theory was if I’m truly accepted by a pride why should I be injured?

“If you just look at how lions live in the wild they don’t have any time for other lions except for their own pride…they seem them as competitors. If they wander into each other’s territories there are warnings and then fights. I find it bizarre that people want to put themselves in those situations (where they don’t know the animals).”

That’s not to say Kevin has had a pain-free time of it.

He once went toe-to-toe with a lion he didn’t know so well - a foolish act, he will readily admit - and it was only the fact that the animal had been de-clawed, and a colleague intervened, that he is alive today to talk about it. But he doesn’t hold a grudge. If anything, he vigorously champions their cause.

“People need to realise we really need to think about how we treat and keep animals in captivity,” Kevin said.

“Humans are the problem – there are too many humans, unfortunately. We can bang on about diseases and poaching, but animal numbers will continue to dwindle if we encroach on their habitats.”

Kevin was in Australia last month to find a distributor for his movie White Lion - Home is a Journey. I sincerely hope he did, because if it’s even half as good as this wonderfully engaging book it will be well worth your time.

Part of the Pride - My life among the big cats of Africa by Kevin Richardson with Tony Park, RRP$34.99, Pan Macmillan.

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Bad Behaviour - and life after 50

I had a chance to speak to the amazing Liz Byrski the other day, author of the new novel ‘Bad Behaviour’.

A former journalist and now successful author, Liz is currently touring Australia promoting her work, which deals with women at the ‘richer’ end of the age spectrum.

Her characters are mostly 50+ and her stories are reflections of issues facing that age bracket, possibly influenced by the fact Liz wrote her first novel just before her 60th birthday.

But don’t you dare to call it chick-lit – you won’t find any flighty young things chasing the ultimate handbag, dress or man within the pages of Liz’s books.

“I was very lucky to have a new career taking off,” she says. “It’s not chick-lit because that pushes women towards finding a man to complete themselves. My books don’t push that.

“Sometimes they find the right man, or woman, but they’re very much about independence and personal growth.”

With age comes more wisdom and less pressure, Liz says, something that she tries to convey through her stories.

“I think one’s older life is interesting and full of challenges and more interesting than when you’re young.”

“But popular culture is all about youth and how everything great happens to you when you’re young.

“Ageing is wonderful and life is so much richer - you feel more at ease with yourself, you’re more prepared to take risks in many ways.

“It’s an incredibly rich time of life but it really isn’t portrayed that way.”

Liz offers her readers stories that are alternately meaty, thoughtful and inspiring, and judging by her fan mail, her writing has motivated many of her audience to embark on all kinds of life-changing behaviour - from new careers and love affairs to travel and university degrees. The ‘Byrski Effect’, as it’s becoming known, embodies a welcome dose of enthusiasm and optimism about life after 50.

Bad Behaviour deals with the lives of Zoe and Julia, and the year that changed their lives - 1968 - a time of heady politics, protest and sexual liberation. The decisions they made have shaped their lives and, 40 years on, Zoe and Julia are brought together by the consequences of their own behaviour.

Bad Behaviour by Liz Byrski, Pan Macmillan (RRP$32.99).

http://www.lizbyrski.com.au/

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Real life interrogator's debut

At last Australia has an action hero we can proudly call our own – Jay Ryan.

Ryan is the protagonist of JJ Cooper’s The Interrogator, an accomplished debut thriller about an Australian soldier whose life is turned upside down by a betrayal from within.

A solid page-turner, it’s a Godsend for commuters looking for the ideal travelling companion. In fact it’s so ideal I almost missed my train stop a couple of times while I was reading it.

Cooper draws heavily on his 17 years’ worth of Australian Army experience as a real-life interrogator to flesh out Ryan’s character.

When we meet Jay, he’s having a bad day. Sadly for him, it’s about to get much, much worse. He’s kidnapped, beaten up, blackmailed, threatened, and tortured – and that’s just in the first few pages.

It’s occasionally hard to separate the good guys from the bad in this racy read that’s full of surprises – to say more is to give too much away – and Cooper does an excellent job of keeping the reader riveted to the page.

The Interrogator sets the scene for an inspired series that would translate well to the small screen, if not the big one.

I’m looking forward to more Jay Ryan adventures.

The Interrogator by JJ Cooper, Bantam Australia, RRP$32.95.

~~~~

Hi Rebecca,

That's such a great review. I'm very humbled by it. Certainly glad you enjoyed the read and my next book may just have you missing your train stop.

Thanks again - much appreciated.

Cheers,

JJ

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