Sanctus ~ Simon Toyne

I finished Sanctus by Simon Toyne in the wee small hours of this morning. My heart was pounding and my mouth was dry as I turned the last 50 or so pages and I felt like I had to 'brake hard' it was such a 'fast ride'. Sanctus held my attention from the very first page to the end of this roller coaster adventure. Simon's writing style is charactistic of a film maker with short sharp chapters continually changing 'scenes' to keep the reader on the edge. While I know it is a work of fiction - it did make me reflect - what if religion as we know it could have been that easy to manipulate.. What if there was another version? A version which would change the world as we know it... If you like action packed suspense with intrigue this will be the book for you. This is the first book of a trilogy - the other two will be released 2012 and 2013 respectively I can see it would very easily translate onto the big screen. Sanctus will be available in store in April...
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Book Description - courtesy HarperCollins publishing

"REVELATION OR DEVASTATION?

The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies ...

A man throws himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide but a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed by the entire world.

But few understand it. For charity worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others in the know, it is what they have been waiting for. The cowled and secretive fanatics that live in the Citadel suspect it could mean the end of everything they have built -- and they will kill, torture and break every law to stop that.

For Liv Adamsen, New York crime reporter, it begins the next stage of a journey into the heart of her own identity.

And at that journey′s end lies a discovery that will change EVERYTHING ...
SANCTUS is an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller like no other -- it re-sets the bar for excitement and fascination, and marks the debut of a major talent in Simon Toyne."

animals! Animals! animals!

..yep, that's right!!!! E and two others are having an exhibition...

Louis's big day out...

Tonight E and I took Louis across to the park for a walk... A couple of others out for a walk couldn't take their eyes off us as we followed Louis around on his lead....Walking a cat is the opposite of walking a dog - you are the one that tends to 'follow' rather than 'lead'. I thought he may have been afraid as he is an indoor cat however he just loved it and we are now going to try with Matilda. She is not as placid as Louis but we hope that she works it out that the lead means 'outside'... This I believe would lower her stress level and ours. At the moment she is on supervised walks in our very tiny backyard - not at all satisfying for any of us...

A mid week pause..

I know it is a variation on an old theme -but I liked it anyway... We have a collection of soft toys and who should pop up between them but our Matilda...

As I suspected once I went back to work 'normal viewing was resumed'. We are all concerned to what the future is going to bring us and we are sad that as a staff we will be flung to the four corners... As one of the younger casuals commented that despite a large age gap we all get on extremely well and there is rarely disharmony. In my time there I have seen most of these casuals tentatively approach the desk for the interview and then I have witnessed a growth and maturing as they settled into another phase of their lives when they have come to work for us I will miss 'the kids' as I call them. I appreciate listening to their views on life and I think it keeps me with at least a link to their generation.

With all the speculation about the shop closing, it has made me reflective about my work life now that there is the likelihood of it changing. While I wish I didn't have to work as much or at least not full time, I again appreciate that I do work. I don't think that my personality is the kind to stay home permanently - I find after a little while I get 'cabin fever'. I know that I need the stimulation that going out to work brings - whether it is with the work itself, talking to other people or just having a purpose for each day... While I would like to know what will be happening with the shop I am endeavouring to take it one day at a time - I guess there will be time enough for its conclusion...

I have read a couple more books Jasper Jones written by Craig Silvey and Indelible Ink written by Fiona McGregor. Both great reads and I would highly recommend them... Each quite different however the central theme being about people and circumstances that they find themselves in. I am currently reading Sanctus written by Simon Toyne - it is a March 2011 release. Sanctus is the first book in a trilogy - it has been described (on the inside cover) as "an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller". I am in about 160 pages but not sure what I think so far. The chapters are only three and four pages long so that the 'landscape' is constantly changing... The characters at this point don't have very much "history" but I am sure they will develop depth as the book proceeds. This year I am trying to read more and be a little more selective as I go. It is always a bit of a trap when the reading copies come into the shop ahead of general release - you want to read them first -but I have a number of books I would like to read as well. Ahhh - so many books and so little time...

Today is Australia Day - a holiday for most people... Traditionally a day for get togethers, BBQ's and a little down time... I am taking full advantage of the mid week pause to do a little stitching, a little reading and generally be a sloth on the couch...

Take care all

S xx

Guess who...

...was 99 on Monday...Not the best photo but I couldn't let the day pass to far along without sharing it... Unfortunately for my dad he was in hospital for his birthday as he had a bad chest infection towards the middle of last week... He seldom complains when he is sick so it wasn't until he collapsed that the alarm bells went off and he was shipped off to hospital where he picked up fairly quickly...


I told him yesterday he only another 365 days until he gets his letter from the Queen... That and a BIG party...


That's him tucking into an 'iced coffee' which in his words was "bewt"


Until later please take care - especially those of you in Queensland flood affected areas - you are in my thoughts and prayers...

S xx

Sacred Hearts

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant has sat on my stack beside the bed for quite some time... I think I bought it not long after it came out so that will tell you something...

Since I have decided that I would like to lessen the chance of being buried alive I have made myself a promise that I shall try and read as many of them as possible...

Sacred Hearts, as you can see from the cover illustration, is about nuns - I have a thing about nuns - their whole lifestyle fascinates me (left overs from a past life, I presume) so of course the cover 'spoke' to me straight away...

Sarah Dunant has spent some time researching convent life in the 16th Century when the Roman Church was feeling the winds of change blowing...

Within the microcosm of the convent walls the internal politics reflect what is going on in religious world outside. Convents are struggling to maintain some autonomy as the Church Reformation threatens to make them even more closed to the world than they already are.

Inside the convent Santa Caterina, there is a faction who believe that the convent lacks sufficient discipline and that godliness has been replaced with other activities that while beneficial to those within the walls detract from the devoutness. They welcome the changes that are already being implemented in other Orders across Italy. The abbess, Madonna Chiara is astute enough to realise that they can only forestall change for a while. In the meantime she has to be sure that what goes on within her walls doesn't leave them.

During this time many young women who were considered not marriageable were committed to the convent by their families. In fact the convents depended on these young women joining their ranks so that the convent could remain viable. This was made possible through the donations from the families. Whilst most young women accepted their fate there was those who resisted becoming 'brides of Christ' and rebelled against their confinement.

We join the story when one such young woman, Serafina, arrives at the Santa Caterina's doors and sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the convent to its centre.

I am probably not even scratching the surface of the story but I can tell you I have been thoroughly committed 'behind the convent walls' for its 400 plus pages... As I paused for a moment and marvelled that there are those people who have such a way with words and can weave a story that is totally mesmerizing - storytelling at its best...

It took me a little while to "come down" from Sacred Hearts but because I have borrowed my next book from the library I have made myself settle down to it. It is Indelible Ink by Australian writer Fiona McGregor... I have heard mixed reviews about this one but because the main character and I are nearly the same age that in itself interested me...

I have just loved these holidays - lots of reading, some stitching, some catching up with people, lots of sleeping. Just having a different pace to life - time to think and catch my breath - I feel so much better -shame it will all be ending soon...

Until later, back to page turning

S xx

The Third Day of the New Year...

Today I got confirmation of what I have been expecting to hear for weeks now. The book shop which I work for is to be sold. The book trade universally has been taking quite a beating – books can be sourced from so many different places and in so many ways that one no longer has to rely on the bricks and mortar shop front to buy from. Our Christmas trade was way down – not only for us in the book trade but across the board – retailers were slogging it out trying to catch the eye as well as the dollar of the paying public – hence the mad sales that were evident leading up to Christmas and beyond.

The book industry however has been doing it tough for a number of reasons and as booksellers we could see the writing on the wall as the one shop after another faltered. Even one largish book chain is rumoured to be in deep trouble...

Our store is part of a franchise which means although it comes under a larger banner it is privately owned – in essence- much like your corner milk bar. Our boss while he was optimistic initially that we could ride it out, has seen disappointing sales put an end to that. Try as we might we cannot compete ultimately with overseas online companies which can deliver books to your door in some cases with free delivery and at a much cheaper price... Nor can we compete with the department chain stores that sell their books at a loss primarily because they know that once over their threshold you will more than likely buy another unrelated product. And let us not forget the ipad, e-readers and other book delivering devices. These hold x amount of books are more convenient than bookshelves and according to their fans are "just, more well... more convenient!!!" Let's hope the power doesn't go out for any length of time or they drop it in the bath...

Ironic really, we hear so much about creating customer loyalty, achieving excellent customer service etc but when push comes to shove no one is really all that interested in how well we do our job and what our knowledge base is - as long as we do it the cheapest price...

How do I feel? Sad for the most part – our boss had a dream and it has evaporated – not because he wasn’t delivering an excellent product or that he didn’t have the support and expertise of a great staff but he was the casualty of a greater war and sometimes one has to know when it is time to walk away.

What is the future? For me it is unknown – I guess we are all hoping that someone will step forward and take over the ownership – if that doesn’t happen then it will be only a matter of time before the doors close...

The publishing/book industry I believe is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts. Yes, I believe that books will survive - whether bookshops in their current form do - is debatable. My wish is that somehow, that somewhere in the future a child will take delight in a real book - (one that has a cover that opens, pages to turn and a smell that only a new book has) which was recommended by a person who too delighted reading it as a child and works in a bookshop because of that love, the adventure and pleasure that books and reading brings...