Paul Buddee (1913–2002)

When I was young I read "Ann Rankin and the house on Coolibah Hill" and loved it. It was a book that occasionally came back to mind and I wished I could read it again - kind of unfinished business somehow. I was therefore delighted when I came across, not only that one, but the "boy who painted horses" for 50c each! I hadn't even realised that Ann Rankin was a series, though I probably should have since most one-off novels don't have a title format of "X and ..." Also, strangely, I'd never show more recognised the book as being Australian, so that was a surprising discovery.

When I got a really bad cold, I decided it was time to break out the comfort reading. It was a disappointment though. To be honest, I was bored. I kept looking forward to finishing it (it was short enough that I figured I might as well). Obviously, Ann Rankin is one series that doesn't translate so well to adulthood. So that was a bit of a waste of good sick-time reading! Perhaps the strangest thing is that the short description at the front, designed to interest you in the book, is in fact a complete spoiler. It basically summarises the entire plot in a few short sentences, so that I didn't even have the opportunity to look forward to finding out what happens. I already knew. show less