If there was a fire in your home, which book would you rush to save from the flames? Do you have a much loved volume from childhood, a book that was a gift from someone special, or simply a copy of an adored novel that always falls open at the right page?
Join me as I ask my special guest this question. Find out what their choice is and why they would save their very special copy in the case of disaster.
This time, I put this question to best-selling Australian writer Chris Hammer.
You might be surprised at his response. Was it a crime novel? Or something set in Australia in the sort of landscapes he so vividly describes in his own fiction? Or was it a childhood favourite?
Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling of crime novels featuring journalist Martin Scarsden: Scrublands, Silver and Trust. Chris’s newest award-winning series of novels features homicide detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic: Treasure & Dirt, The Tilt, and most recently The Seven. Chris has also written two non-fiction books, The River and The Coast.
Scrublands was an instant bestseller upon publication in 2018, topping the Australian fiction charts. It was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. In 2023 a TV adaptation was released in Australia which has been well received.
All of Chris’s books have atmospheric Australian settings, a range of colourful characters, intricate plots, descriptive language and emotional depth. They are, in short, a ripping read.
What do you think of Chris’ choice? Tell me your thoughts by leaving a comment.
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Catherine Patterson
Thank you Susannah. This was an interesting discussion. I must confess I have not read King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, nor one of Chris Hammer’s books. Hopefully, some day soon, I will : ) Glad we got to meet Chris through your platform : ) As for what book I’d take, that was very challenging to decide, but after scanning my books shelves, I chose a poetry book passed onto me by my father after a decluttering spree he and my mother had a number of years ago titled, The Golden Treasury of Poetry: Selected and with a commentary by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Joan Walsh Anglund, published 1961 😊
Susannah Fullerton
A compilation of poetry is an excellent choice! It was so interesting to hear about Chris’s choice, wasn’t it. I’m still dithering over which book I’d choose. Redmer’s choice this month was an excellent one and he was so interesting talking about it, so hope you enjoy that interview too. Kate Forsyth is coming up soon.
Christine Stevenson
Chris Hammer seems like a really good bloke. Now I’ll have to read his books! His choice of what-book-to-save-from-the-flames is testament to the importance of stories to the development of a life-long love of literature. What a pity his own copy of King Arthur was lost to him, but such a joy to have found a copy of the same edition. I count myself lucky to have all my childhood books with the greetings for birthdays or Christmases on the title page.
Susannah Fullerton
Wasn’t Chris’s interview fabulous! I felt so lucky to get to chat with him about which book he’d save from the flames. I hope to have a new interview like that every month for my Gold Class members.
Like you, and Chris, I treasure childhood favourites. My copy of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ is certainly one of the books I’d be rushing to save if there was ever a fire in my house.