The dark and the light

Two of the most recent books I've read have been polar opposites.

First I listened to the audio book of Sonya Hartnett's Surrender, in which a young man on his death bed remembers the harrowing events of his childhood. This incredibly dark tale recounts the twisted friendship between repressed Anwell (who at the age of seven accidentally killed his disabled brother) and free-spirited Finnegan. In a moment of bonding, Finnegan absolves Anwell from doing any wrong and names him Gabrielle. Finnegan vows to always do bad so that Gabrielle can always do good. Finnegan begins by setting fire to things and those things always belong to people who have crossed or slighted Gabrielle in some way. Gabrielle grows increasingly anxious at Finnegan's retribution and their friendship gradually erodes. As the lines between good and evil start to blur the story gets even darker.

Not a book for the fainthearted, but a beautifully told tale nonetheless.

And then there's The Rosie Result. I adore the Rosie books by Graeme Simsion. Heartwarming, funny and uplifting they are a delight to read. The first two books in the series probably had more laugh-out-loud moments than this third and final instalment, but as the parent of someone on the autism spectrum I found The Rosie Result highly relatable. Don and Rosie's son has issues at school. The school would like to have Hudson assessed for autism, but Don and Rosie are reticent. Don decides to take time off work (which wasn't going so smoothly anyway) to help. Applying his unstinting logic to the Hudson project, Don manages to make things a whole lot worse before they get better. 

Amidst the hilarity, The Rosie Result debunks many of the myths surrounding autism and addresses some of the problems faced by many parents with kids on the spectrum.

And to finish, a quote that is neither dark nor light, but important:

'I'm not a person with autism any more than I'm a person with lesbianism. I'm lesbian. I'm autistic. When I get a cold, I have a cold; I'm a person with a cold and I want to get rid of it. Medical help appreciated. But being autistic and lesbian – that’s who I am, and I’m not interested in anyone trying to cure me of who I am.' - Liz the autism activist from: The Rosie Result – Graeme Simsion

More Highlights

I sincerely hope there comes a time when I can be more consistent with my posts here – once every three to four months is not ideal, and my goal has always been once a month. However away from Life Amidst the Unreal there is that pesky interruption called life. You know the one, where there’s money to be earned, kids to get where they’re supposed to be at any given time, bills to pay, food to cook, appointments to attend, pain to ease or tolerate if it can’t be eased. The one where husbands injure themselves at work and require an operation and a chauffeur (luckily my daughter has her Ls now, so she can take over that job sometimes). The one where manuscripts won’t edit or submit themselves and blog posts won’t write themselves.

But enough of the Real! Time for highlights of the Unreal:

Writing highlights: I currently have three separate manuscripts out there in the slush. Two PBs and a YA. Also bashed out a couple of rough chapters for a sequel to my YA urban fantasy.

Reading highlights: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, The Nancys by RWR McDonald, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Ship of Dolls by Shirley Parenteau, and by Jaclyn Moriarty I read Gravity is the Thing and reread A Corner of White. I highly recommend all of these books and would happily read anything written by any of these authors.

Viewing highlights: Not a lot to list here, too many good books to read, and too much happening IRL. The Handmaid’s Tale (1^st series on Stan, 2^nd and 3^rd series on SBS on Demand), Yesterday (currently in cinemas)

Opening lines highlight: Madeleine Tully turned fourteen yesterday, but today she did not turn anything.

Oh, wait. She turned a page. – A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty

Highlights

Been working hard getting my manuscript ready for submission, so here's a few highlights from Life Amidst the Unreal over the last couple of months:

Writing highlights: finishing off the YA urban fantasy I’ve been working on for what feels like forever. So close, so close…

Reading highlights: Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood; Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin; A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; currently reading Vicarious by Paula Stokes.

Viewing highlights: The Bodyguard series on Netflix; Good Girls series on Netflix; The Cry BBC/ABC miniseries; Bohemian Rhapsody movie on DVD.

Holiday highlights:

Mount Kilcoy, Qld

Random river stones, Mount Kilcoy, Qld

Lake Somerset, Qld

And I'll leave you with a couple of "Royal" highlights:

Roger Taylor: You’re a legend, Fred.
Freddie Mercury: You’re bloody right I am. We’re all legends. But you’re right, I am a legend. 

- Bohemian Rhapsody

Rio: You wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king. This stuff's medieval darlin'.

- Good Girls

Sara: There's nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in - that's stronger. It's a good thing not to answer your enemies.

- A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett