by Gerald Durrell (1956). The source material for The Durrells TV series, the famed naturalist writes about his eccentric family relocating to Corfu in the 1930s. by Shirley Hazzard (2000). In this brief memoir, Hazzard recalls her challenging friendship with the mercurial Graham Greene from their summers together in the Greek Islands. by Ray Bradbury (1962). Wonderfully atmospheric dark fantasy set around a travelling carnival in the American Midwest. by Larry McMurtry (1966). A poignant story about stumbling to adulthood in a dead-end Texan town, later adapted into a memorable film. by Howard Norman (1994). A painterly description of the consequences of love, lust, guilt and betrayal in Canada’s Maritimes in the early twentieth century. by Anthony Doerr (2021). An epic story set over three different time periods each of which demonstrates the importance of books to humanity. by Maggie Shipstead (2021). A sweeping novel that intricately weaves together the story of two women – one a vanished aviator, one a rebellious actress – across time and space. by Tracey Lien (2022). A murder mystery set in the cultural nuances of the Vietnamese community in 1990’s Cabramatta. by Elizabeth Strout (2022). Another wonderful read by this author about human connections and how they sustain us. by Chris Flynn (2020). A blackly humorous novel narrated by a mammoth skeleton whose musings on the human world are both amusing and poignant.
