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“Some fifteen minutes later Mrs Cummings and her enterage had replenished the table with rinsed cutlery and finger bowls, spice cake, compotes, tarts and port jellies that gleamed like garnets in crystal bowls.  But even these delicacies did nothing to alleviate the stifling cloak of ill-humour that lingered over the gathering …”

OK, I admit that this book was selected because the blurb mentions a library setting (for the requisite murder).  Initially, the literary style of writing [see sample above] in Janet Gleeson’s mystery thriller was ‘quite tiresome’, but her ability to spin a good yarn eventually surmounted that difficulty. 

Besides which, having just re-read my last paragraph, who am I to point the finger regarding cumbersome style?!!!

 ISBN 0-553-81389-7. Bantam Books. 2002.

The Man Who Would Have Been Prime Minister [of Australia]’s latest offering will probably never reach the best seller lists - particularly if dependent on sales to libraries.

Mark Latham’s seventh book may not contain the wit typical of Gogh Witlam, the perceptiveness of Ben Chifley, the charisma of Bob Hawke, the stability of Robert Menzies, or elegance of Stanley Bruce … but by golly! Latham has a true gift in composing headline-grabbing book titles.

His latest offering, for those who may not yet have heard (like people who have just emerged from a coma, for example) is A conga line of suckholes (published by University of Melbourne Press, ISBN 0-522-85305-6. 256 pp, HB, 181 x 111 mm)

It’s actually a collection of quotes.  From the extracts from the book, it seems that most of them are on the ‘net somewhere - but of course The Author has added “own memorable turns of phrase” [from blurb] …