Happy Friday, book lovers, and welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Hoarding Books. Many of my international friends and readers have heard about the bushfires that have been devastating Australia over the last weeks and months. While I have not been in danger personally, I have friends and family who have had to be on constant alert or even evacuated, and it has been heartbreaking to see reports of the loss and suffering in other beloved parts of our country. As a family, we have made the twelve-hour drive to Melbourne from our home north of Sydney many times, and so many of the small towns and rural landscapes we enjoy visiting along the way have been severely impacted by the fires.
I have shed tears several times over the past weeks at the outpouring of love and concern from the international community, and I’ve shed tears again today as my beautiful book buddies at Hoarding Books have come together to show their love and support for my beautiful country. Truth be told, I’m having trouble even seeing what I’m typing here! Teary LOL!
So today, each of the Hoarding Book members (Reading is My Superpower, Faithfully Bookish, Bookworm Mama, Singing Librarian, and I) plus my dear fellow-Aussie, Rel from Relz Reviewz, is featuring a book by an Australian author or with an Australian setting, and we invite you to share one in the comments below or for your own First Line Friday post this week or next.
My choice for this week is a book I read over the Christmas break by Australian author Jackie French. (Not Christian fiction, but clean.) She’s written a series of historical novels inspired by Australian folk songs, the first of which is A Waltz for Matilda, based on Banjo Paterson’s well known (to Australians) poem Waltzing Matilda. Apart from being a well-told story, it was a timely reminder that Australians have always battled harsh conditions in this sunburnt country of ours. But the indomitable spirit of the Aussie battler has never been easily broken, and it won’t be any different this time around. ❤️️
About the Book
‘Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me…’
In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he’s wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. ‘You’ll never catch me alive, said he…’
Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war and jubilation, this is the story of one girl’s journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams.
Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia’s early years as an emerging nation.
First Line
I’d love it if you’d share the first line of whatever you’re currently reading in the comments. And don’t forget, you can find out what other bloggers are sharing for First Line Friday by going over to Hoarding Books blog and finding all the links. If you’ve got your own blog, why not join in and add your link over there. 🙂
My first line is from Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason:
Forward Operating Base camp Charles. Afghanistan, September
Sergeant First Class Asher James stared at Captain Phillip Newell, sure that he’d heard wrong.
Happy Friday! My first line is from “A Family to Call Ours” by Merrillee Whren:
“The sideways rain drenched Caleb Fitzpatrick as he slogged down Maine Street.”
Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing the first line from A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate: “Samuel Payton was an idiot.” 🤣
https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2020/01/first-line-fridays-girls-guide-to.html
Happy Friday!
On my blog I’m sharing the first line from Lone Star Ranger by Renae Brumbaugh Green: https://christianfictiongirl.blog/2020/01/17/first-line-friday-119/. I’m currently on chapter 6, so I’ll share the first line from there.
“Easy, now,” Elizabeth whispered, working to keep fear from her voice.
Hope you have an excellent weekend filled with awesome reading time. 🙂❤📖
Happy Friday! I’m now planning to pick a book by an Australian author for next Friday, but today I’m sharing the first lines from Guarded by (Canadian) Sara Davison on my blog, so here’s a semi-random line from Chapter 8:
“I don’t do relationship advice, so you, Nicole, and God are going to have to work this out amongst yourselves.”
Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.