PRIZE OF THE WEEK

By Fiona Lloyd

Nov 18, 2021

The year has been a bit of a blur so it may come as a bit of a surprise — or perhaps you’re at that stage that nothing surprises you any more after dealing with COVID-19 — that Christmas is a little more than a month away!

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

To help get you in the festive spirit, each week in the lead-up to December 25 we’ll be giving away book prize packs.

This week’s prize pack includes:

The Boy Made of Snow by Chloe Mayer, published by Hachette Australia.

In a sleepy English village in 1944, Annabel and her son Daniel live in the shadow of war. With her husband away, an increasingly isolated Annabel begins to lose her grip on reality.

When mother and son befriend Hans, a German PoW consigned to a nearby farm, their lives are suddenly filled with thrilling secrets.

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon, published by Hachette Australia.

Subhi's imagination is as big as the ocean and wide as the sky, but his world is much smaller — he's spent his whole life in an immigration detention centre.

The Bone Sparrow is a powerful, heartbreaking, sometimes funny and ultimately uplifting hymn to freedom and love.

The Last Romeo by Justin Myers, published by Hachette Australia.

James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she's moving to Russia.

Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.

Love Letters from Montmartre by Nicolas Barreau, published by Simon & Schuster.

An ode to love, Paris and joie de vivre, Love Letters from Montmartre brings the reader down narrow streets, past the cosy red bistro on Rue Gabrielle, and all the way to Montmartre cemetery with its beautiful stone angels.

Empathetic and wise, this is the deeply profound yet very human story of a man who finds love just when he thinks all is lost.

The House on Sunset Lake by Tasmina Perry, published by Headline.

Casa D'Or, the mysterious plantation house on Sunset Lake, has been in the Wyatt family for more than 50 years. Jennifer Wyatt returns there from university full of hope, as summer by the lake stretches ahead of her.

Yet by the time it is over her heart will be broken, her family in tatters and her dreams long gone.

The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway by Rhys Thomas, published by Hachette Australia.

Sam Holloway has survived the worst that life can throw at you. But he's not really living. His meticulous routines keep everything nice and safe, with just one exception — three nights a week, Sam dons his superhero costume and patrols the streets.

It makes him feel invincible — but his unlikely heroics are getting him into some sticky, and increasingly dangerous, situations. Then a girl comes into his life and Sam needs to decide whether he can be brave enough to finally take off the mask.

Photos of You by Tammy Robinson, published by Hachette Australia.

When Ava Green turns 28, she is told it will be her last birthday. The cancer she fought three years ago is back, and this time it's going to beat her.

But Ava is not going to let cancer define her last, precious months — she wants the wedding of her dreams. She doesn't have a groom, she doesn't have much money, and she definitely doesn't have much time — but none of that matters. She's going to go it alone.

Cake at Midnight by Jessie L. Star, published by Simon & Schuster.

Giovanna, Zoë and Declan have always been a trio. Gio is a passionate baker of cakes, pastries and all things delicious; Zoë is a take-no-prisoners beauty; and Declan is an ambitious businessman on the way up.

Best friends forever, Gio thinks — until Gio's lifelong crush on Declan is exposed, leaving her humiliated, and Gio realises she needs to cut him loose to get over him once and for all.

The Pearler’s Wife by Roxane Dhand, published by Penguin Australia.

This stunning debut novel is a compelling piece of historical fiction, set at the turn of the century, among the pearl merchants making their fortune in the ports of Western Australia.

From the high seas to the deep seabed, from the latticed verandahs of Buccaneer Bay to the gambling dens in Asia Place, The Pearler’s Wife is a tale of forbidden love, inspired by a small yet pivotal moment in Australian history.

TO ENTER

For a chance to win this prize pack, send your name, address, daytime phone number and the answer to this question: Name one of the dogs in today’s Man’s Best Friend? to: Country Life ‘Mix Pack 2’ Competition, PO Box 8000, Shepparton, 3632 by Wednesday, December 8.

Please note: You must pick up your prize from our Shepparton office (7940 Goulburn Valley Hwy, Shepparton).