The House on the Hill by Estelle Pinney

It's the 1920's in Far North Queensland and the three Dalton Sisters are boarding with Mrs Sanders in the house on the Hill.  There's Josie - the eldest of the three - who has big ambitions for herself and finds her life throwing her curve will test her in more ways than one.  Then, there's Molly who reigns in as the head cook at King's Hotel.  She can whip up any style of gown right down to the finest detail. However, her happiness with her sweetheart, Fred, has been threatened by something out of their control.  And the youngest of the three, Belle, is a talented singer and dancer who tours with a vaudeville troupe as they follow the rodeos and shows of western Queensland.  Belle is being romantically pursued by the hot and handsome Greek local Nicos Alexandros; the owner of the swankiest cafe around.  However, will she choose to settle down and leave her beloved troupe and marry Nicos?  

I loved reading this book after buying it from Estelle herself; then she signed it for me in 2005.  However, I'm sure I did a review of this book a few years ago here as I have a photograph of it on my files (and I would have used it on here for this particular purpose; oh well).  The one thing I do remember from this wonderfully-written book is the pineapple sandwiches that Estelle writes about.  She has told me about them; saying she ate them when she was young and traveling around; and that I really must try them out.  However, I don't like pineapple and can't see them in a sandwich; but that's just me.  Have a read about how they are served up are in this book; as they do sound delicious.

Estelle Pinney grew up and Cairns in the tobacco town of Mareeba, North Queensland. She left school at the age of thirteen to work as a colourist in her grandfather's photographic studio. Estelle's eventful adult life saw her working as an ambulance driver for the US army during World War II; as a beauty consultant; and as a registered deckhand on her husband's crayfishing boat in the Torres Strait. She is the author of Time Out for Living (1995) and A Net Full of Honey (1996), and co-author of Too Many Spears (1978) with late husband Peter Pinney.  Burnt Sunshine, was released by Penguin in 2008. Estelle currently lives in Brisbane.

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

I bought this beautiful, small book at The Riverbend Bookstore on Oxford Street at Bulimba, Brisbane, last year. Once I got my nose into it every day in my backyard, I didn't leave it. Helen Garner is one author I had never read until now; and I should have picked up her work sooner. The book is about a woman, Helen, who cares for her dear friend Nicole who has come to visit her in Melbourne while she's receiving treatment for cancer.
During her stay, Nicole tries out strange and unusual treatments, goes to alternative doctors; and Helen is there to help her the whole time. Helen and Nicole have funny times and become closer as the time comes where something must be done about Nicole and her condition.
This is a brilliantly written book that doesn't dance around the subject, doesn't sugar-coat anything and has some beautiful imagery between its pages as well. I may have read this only last year, it feels as though I've only just put it down.

Helen Garner's writing has been described as demanding and quintessentially Australian. She was born in Geelong and has written many non-fiction books; however 'The Spare Room' is her first fiction novel in around fifteen years. Other novels she's had published are 'Postcards From Surfers', 'Monkey Grip' and 'The Children's Bach'.

The Blank Page by John Dale

I've had this book on my shelf for years. I don't remember who gave it to me and I only read in it the last couple of years. However, it was a step back in time for me as this book was written in the 1980's; before computers, mobiles phones, cd's and the internet. This book is based on four struggling writers who are trying to get themselves published; living from one dole cheque to the next until they hear back from their agents and publishers. Each story is interlinked and based in Sydney in the mid-80's.

Being a writer myself, I could relate completely to these people. It's a tough old world out there when you're trying to get published; and it seems that nothing you do is working. So, when I picked up this book and began reading it, I was not only taken back to my time of when I decided to take my writing seriously (I was around the age of 13 or 14), but I was also very much in my element of being from the X-Generation; knowing what it's like to grow up in a world without i-pods, e-mails and mobile phones. Life was a lot simpler, but it was a lot tougher too. Simpler because people talked to each other more; tougher because it took a lot to get things done, more than today.

I've been looking around on the net for this book to let you all know where you may be able to find it. However during my prolonged searches, I've found out through google that this book is no longer in print; but the man who wrote it is a associate professor at the UTS and has written other books since and is still writing today some brilliant stuff. He published other books late last year and is currently researching a non-fiction book on terrorism.