Book Chat Issue #130
Books with a strong sense of place
Hello reading friends! I’m delighted you’re here.
Book Chat is a fortnightly free newsletter for people who love reading good books and eating good food. My goal is to provide you with suggestions when you’re looking for your next great read and give you inspiration if you’re bored with eating the same old thing. My reading tastes are eclectic and I tend towards fuss-free cooking. I’m especially keen on salads and cakes, so these feature heavily.
There’s something about the combination of a slice of freshly baked cake and a good book that’s undeniably attractive.
If you’re a new subscriber and want to work out if we have similar reading tastes, here are some of my favourite books:
A bit about me
I live on the sunny Central Coast about an hour from Sydney. I’m a writer and editor and have worked in the film industry, as a teacher of adults, and as a public servant.
Books have always been a huge part of my life. I started reading early and just never stopped. I can talk about books for hours on end so if you feel the same, you’ve come to the right place.
To celebrate my 100th issue, I wrote a short series featuring significant events throughout my life and the books that were important to me at the time.
The series was called My Reading Life and you can find it here:
Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four | Part five |
Part six | Part seven | Part eight | Part nine | Part ten
What I’ve been reading
A friend asked me for some reading recommendations to keep her occupied while she recovered from knee surgery. She said she’d enjoyed Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, which I haven’t read, but sounds fantastic. Sadly, it’s not in my library but I’m definitely going to try and get my hands on a copy.
Here’s a short clip from the movie, which also looks excellent. (I also love the dog featured in this photo because he reminds me of Rebel, one of our beloved dogs.)
This set me off on a search for books with compelling narratives and a strong sense of place.
It was fun doing the research, so I thought I’d share my recommendations with all of you.
My first pick is The Light Between Oceans, by M L Stedman. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Tom, a traumatised WWI veteran working as a lighthouse keeper on a remote Australian island, and his wife, Isabel. One day they discover an infant girl adrift in a boat and decide to raise her as their own. They have been struggling to have a child and the baby seems like a gift from heaven.
Margot Stedman is an Australian-born author and former lawyer who lives in London. Her second novel, A Far-Flung Life is being released in March 2026 and I think it will be another cracker. Look out for it at your library, but in the meantime, try The Light Between Oceans.
Another book set in the same time period and with similar themes is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.
Set in 1920s Alaska, Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child follows Jack and Mabel, a middle-aged, childless couple struggling with grief and the harsh Alaskan wilderness. After building a snow child together, they glimpse a mysterious, wild young girl in the woods, bringing magic, hope, and dangerous uncertainty into their lives. This is a beautifully written book and highly recommended.
What I’ve been eating
I’m currently having a love affair with tzatziki. Difficult to spell, easy to make.
If you’re not familiar, it’s a cucumber dip made with garlic, cucumber, lemon, salt and herbs. It’s wonderful on any kind of flat bread or vaguely middle-eastern food. Here’s a recipe.
But it has many other uses, for example you can use it to give a special zing to a boring can of tuna, or add it to any salad that might go well with a creamy dressing. I’m not especially fond of dressings with a lot of mayonnaise or ranch style dressings, so tzatziki provides a nice light alternative.
If you can’t be bothered faffing around grating cucumbers, you can buy some very nice tzatziki at the supermarket.
*Looking for a recipe but can’t remember what issue it was in?
Good news! Book Chat is searchable so you can easily find a recipe or a book title.
International Book Club
Our next read is Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and we’ll be meeting at 9am on Friday 17th April Australian Eastern Standard Time. This will be Thursday April 16th in the US and Canada. I’ll send out a meeting link in early April.
If you’d like to attend and haven’t been to book club before, let me know by hitting reply. It would be great to know where in the world you live. If the idea of sharing your ideas makes you nervous, please be assured that you are welcome to join the meeting and just listen.
International Book Club is free for subscribers and everyone is welcome.
That’s all for this issue my friends,
Until next time, keep safe and remember life is short, so have as much fun as you can.
Marg xx
The Light Between the Oceans was particularly evocative for me being a Western Australian - I could just picture the place. A couple more writers from WA with a strong sense of place are Joan London and Tim Winton. I think Irish writers nail this too, Maybe it's the sense of separateness.
The film clip looks fantastic if rather tense.
Great newsletter Marg x Viv from around the corner x