This giveaway is now closed
Last year I read and reviewed Helen Garner’s This House of Grief, an extraordinary true crime book about an extraordinary true crime in rural Australia.
It was one of those reads that has stayed with me, not the least because it’s about a truly tragic event — the death of three young boys in a car, which was driven into a dam by their father, the sole survivor of the “accident” — but also because Garner is such a wonderful, forthright and honest guide as she takes us through events leading up to Robert Farquharson’s arrest and the ensuing court case in the Supreme Court of Victoria to answer three counts of murder.
The book has just been published in paperback, here in the UK, and thanks to the generosity of FMcM Associates, the PR firm that promotes Garner’s publisher, Text, in the UK, I’m lucky enough to have three copies to give away to three readers of this blog.
To enter the prize draw, simply leave a comment below naming a narrative non-fiction title that you would recommend. The draw closes at 7pm GMT on Monday 14 March. I’ll then select the winners at random using a random number generator or some such.
The competition is open to entrants worldwide, but please note you can only enter once. Multiple entrants will be disqualified.
Good luck!
Please note, if you’ve not commented here before your comment will be held in moderation. Don’t worry: I’ll approve it next time I log on!
UPDATE — MONDAY 14 MARCH
I used an online random number generator to select three winners. The numbers chosen were 17, 21 and 5. That means the winners are CATHY746BOOKS and ANNA and SARAHC — congratulations to you all! I’ll be in touch soon to find out your mailing addresses. Thanks to everyone who entered — and commiserations if you missed out.
Reading Matters 
Missalou Jon Krakauer heartbreaking look at rape on campus.A book you will not forget.
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The first title that came to mind was The Golden Spruce by John Valliant, powerful to me as I live on Vancouver Island, just south of the Queen Charlotte Islands, where the book takes place.
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The brilliant Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig. An honest account of depression that helps sufferers to understand that they’re not alone and helps others understand what so many people go through.
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Zeitoun and What is the What both by Dave Eggers are excellent reads as is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. The House of Grief went straight on to my wish list after your excellent review
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Val McDermid’s ‘Forensics’ is brilliant for crime-lovers.
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My most recent nonfiction read:
Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot. By Mark Vanhoenacker.
The author, Mark Vanhoenacker, flies a Boeing 747 for British Airways. If you wondered what happens in the cabin in the front of the plane, read this. Even if you don’t wonder, you will enjoy this book.
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The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester – a word nerd treat about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the important contribution made from within the walls of an asylum.
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Ooh I don’t enter giveaways but am going for it with this one as I loved Helen Garner’s fiction and I love a true crime. I have two recommendations. HHhH by Laurent Binet which i think counts as narrative non fiction though some might disagree. I would also really really recommend Did She Kill Him? by Kate Colqhoun (hope I’ve spelt that right) which I thought was ruddy marvellous.
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**Happy dance** You’ve left your first comment on my blog since I moved to WordPress in September 2014! 😉 Have missed your presence here.
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I’ve missed commenting!!! I’ve become a lurker Kim. A lurker. I never thought it would be so!!!
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I love Helen Garner, and would love a copy of This House of Grief. I’d recommend In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote.
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Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland is a fabulous piece of narrative non-fiction. I’ve wanted to read House of Grief since hearing Helen Garner talk on Radio NZ about the book.
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So many, but my favourite is The Silent Woman but Janet Malcolm.
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Anna Krien’s Night Games. I never thought I’d enjoy a book that won a William Hill prize. I would rate sports non-fiction as my least favourite genre. Utterly addictive reading.
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I’ve had this book on my to-read list for ages so would love to win a copy!
I’m going with two recommendations – the incomparable Stasiland by Anna Funder, which I’ve now read many times; and Devotion by Dani Shapiro, about the writer’s search for meaning when she hits mid-life and sifts back through her past and therefore the history of her family, particularly her religious parents, to see if faith can give her any comfort now as she contemplates the big questions. Memoir but also historical narrative too about culture and identity and the part religion plays in it. Beautifully written too!
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Death at the Priory, Love, Sex and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick. I found this in a charity shop and read it in one sitting… brilliant!
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What a great giveaway. I recommend The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Dideon.
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I really like Helen Garner’s work. I’d recommend The tall man by Chloe Hooper, and also Searching for the secret river by Kate Grenville.
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Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
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I’d like to suggest “the devil that danced on water” by Aminatta Forna, and “Cocktail Hour under the tree of Forgetfulness” by Alexandra Fuller. Both memoirs of childhoods in Africa, but oh so different.
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I’d really recommend Andrew Solomon’s Far From The Tree, an extraordinarily well-written non-fiction. Also, Steve Silberman’s Neurotribes, which won Johnson’s prize, is brilliant.
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