Bøger af Lily Ennis

Seaton's War is a story of love, secrets and lies set in a sleepy New Zealand town in the latter half of WWII. When a Japanese submarine beaches the residents are shocked that the Pacific War has come to them. To some the event brings opportunity for personal gain or for genuine war work. For Kitty Williams it is a chance to prove she can do more for the war effort than knit socks for Red Cross parcels. Taking a stand against the establishment Kitty teaches the POWs English with the intention of learning enough Japanese to be able to intercept their radio transmissions. When Kitty makes an unusual find she confides in physicist Dr. Robert Anderson, who operates a direction finder, tracking movements of ships and submarines in the Pacific. But all is not as it seems with the shy academic and Kitty begins to question where his sympathies lie. Too late she realises she has fallen in love with him. As Kitty immerses herself in her work, her landlady Rowena struggles with the fact that her husband John is incarcerated in German occupied Poland. Rowena's unorthodox method of dealing with her situation is a source of tension between her and Kitty. Woven through the book is Kitty's relationship with her best friend Maybelle who has left Seaton to work for Navy Communications. She provides Kitty with a different slant on the events in Seaton through newspaper clippings and letters, and she regales Kitty about life in the city now the Americans have arrived. The Pacific War, secret liaisons, the spy game and the quest for liberation in Europe weave seamlessly through Seaton's War. As Kitty battles for personal recognition she puts her life on the line for love, honour and above all, integrity.

At a time of worldwide revolt against an oppressed and exploited working class, the 1912 Waihi Strike tested the resolve of Mary and Archie, warring unions, the town and the government. None could have forseen the tragedy that would propel the strike into the annals of history. Mary grew up on the Hauraki gold fields having emigrated from Scotland with her family. As the daughter of a mine manager she enjoys a charmed life and teaches piano, sure that music would be the one thing that defines her. Archie Wright came to Waihi to be near his brother after his wife died in childbirth. With two small children to provide for he accepted a job as a stationary engine driver, a position well below the mine manager job he left in Ballarat. When the engine drivers form a separate union Archie does not join them and the action leads to the longest strike in New Zealand's history. Amongst the turmoil Mary and Archie fight for the rights of the strikers, he as a union representative and she as a Scarlet Runner. But their message is not well received and the government clamps down heavily on the strikers by sending more and more police to the town as the strike drags on. Archie finds himself opposing his brother and Mary causes grievous upset by defying her father. Her family becomes the target of mischief making which has unintended and fatal consequences and which forces Mary to question her loyalties. Mary has a conviction that in her eyes equals that of her mother, Emily, who fought for temperance and won. Emily's legacy sits heavily on Mary and she sees the strike as her platform for social change. She is a sponge for Archie's socialist philosophy and with her Scarlet Runner accomplices ensures the aims of the strike gain sympathy from men and women alike.

When Marie's grandmother dies and leaves a suitcase full of paintings Marie is thrust into a world that pre-dates her grandmother, Margaret. She believes it's possible that Margaret may not have had the same father as her siblings and Marie's search for her true lineage leads her to question the importance of family. Mary Bell returns in a sequel to Scarlet Runner. The aftermath of the Waihi gold strike sees her teaching music in Auckland but still grieving for the fiance she lost in 1912. The outbreak of the Great War provides an opportunity for Mary to cast aside her grief and she serves as a volunteer nurse initially consigned to Belgium. A series of events lead her to abscond from the horrors of Ypres traveling first to Russia and then to Paris, her nursing days buried under her new love - art. Mary meets the formative avant-garde artists of the day starting with Franz Marc, co-founder of the expressionist group The Blue Rider. Mary's associations with Malevich, Kandinsky, Chagall, Modigliani, Picasso and Klee provide Marie with ample material to fuel her fantasy that her great-grandfather could have been one of these famous artists. Garrick, a former Waihi miner and confidante of Mary enters the war in France as a tunneler. He is frustrated that the war is two years old before he is called up. Garrick relays news of Mary's younger brother Percy's infantry exploits through Gallipoli, the Somme, Messines and then at Arras where he was deployed to assist in building the biggest tunnel system in France. Garrick and Mary meet away from the Western Front. Garrick's love for Mary is plain and honest, but her world and the ghosts that walk with her threaten to keep her from him. As Marie puzzles over the paintings and pieces together the past reading letters found in an old shoebox she is haunted by her perceived failure at motherhood and encouraged to establish contact with her estranged son. The painful realisation that she is making history repeat itself pries open her heavy heart. There is a light, however, in Anthony, Margaret's next door neighbour who tackles the mystery of the paintings in a much more pragmatic manner. The strands within the story are beautifully woven together and yet each painting narrative could stand alone. The reader is swept along on Marie's journey while losing herself in the exotic stories of Mary, just as Marie does.

There is not a better time to change consumption habits than now. Now is the time to start treading more lightly upon the earth. There are many reasons to choose minimalism as a lifestyle choice and this book explores what that means from culture to art and music to environmentalism before tackling the business end; how to become a minimalist.Each topic discussed challenges the consumption norms of our society and asks how they can be sustained. Mini mini me emphasises the environmental mantra Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and by the end of the book you will vow not to buy something without having an end plan for it.Having explored reasons why you want to be a minimalist, the final chapter covers techniques for systematically going through each room of your house until you are left with only the things which you love and treasure.

Set against the backdrop of an erupting volcano in New Zealand's North Island, Lana wrestles with her recent grief, for survival on the mountain and her future with a man whose past she was once part of. Woven through her narrative is Alfred's story and the theft of war medals, and which Lana finds herself enmeshed in, further threatening her life. Follow Lana as she tries to extricate herself from not only the mountain but her past.Lana returned to New Zealand after the tragic death of her husband, Yuri. Both were musicians. Too painful to continue without him, she finds solace in her old school friend, Sarah, who inspires her to stay and take up geology. She settles into her new life and new love until she unexpectedly reunites with Paul, her first love. With that she is thrown into turmoil as she tries to reconcile the girl she once was with the woman she became.Paul travelled the world studying volcanoes, devoting little time to his marriage, but he came home to study Mt Ruapehu's lahar. His love for Lana never died and when he learns of her whereabouts he engineers himself back into her life.Every day of his life Alfred tried not to think of his years spent in prison camps. Then some medals are stolen and he is inextricably thrown back to Monte Cassino. But as he follows the search for the medals he is pleased to add some excitement to his sedate retirement years until it comes at a cost, first to Lana and Paul, and then himself.