NEW RELEASE: Musings and Mutterings of a Maltese Misanthrope

A grumpy middle-aged man moves house and gets his old record player working. Listening to cherished LP's of his youth while polishing off a whole bottle of good red, certain songs retrieve dear recollections of formative events in past times and memorable people known. Funny and frustrating days keep occurring in his contemporary life, often exposing a very Maltese set of sensibilities. Peculiar days are narrated in poignant, often funny, but thoroughly engaging short stories.

Musings and Mutterings of a Maltese Misanthrope is an illustrated anthology of 13 short stories in the Melitensia genre by the Maltese Australian author Rupert Grech. The humorous illustrations in the book are also the work of the author. Provoking heartfelt laughter with satire like George Washingmachine, Procedures Rule, Okay!, Crap Day, Big Weekend; The (re)Gifted Ones, or moving reminiscences with A Girl Called Jo, Music and Nostalgia; Rugby League and the Lido Shuffle, and A Cafe, Hank Williams and a Pretty Girl among others, this book effectively captures the unique Maltese sense of humor and appeals to resident Maltese and expatriates alike, as well as anyone wishing to understand more about Malta and its people. Musings and Mutterings of a Maltese Misanthrope is available in paperback and ebook editions from Amazon, directly from the publishers Hope and Life Press, and other booksellers.

EARLY REVIEWS

"Thoroughly enjoyable. All these stories evoke real life situations. A great read" - Kath Compton, Public Service Medal recipient.

"Love these stories. They always make me laugh" - Louise Taylor, director of Preschool Education.

"Loved the stories. They capture that quirky Maltese sense of humour and occasion, which is amusing and entertaining. Anyone with Maltese parents will instantly connect with the anecdotes captured in this book" - Stevon Orlando, artist, education executive.

"Very entertaining stories. They have a bit of everything in them: history, comedy, love, families. A very pleasant read" - Sandra McManus, avid reader.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rupert Grech is a first generation Maltese-Australian born of post-war immigrants to New South Wales, Australia, from the small Mediterranean island of Malta. In childhood, he lived in the low rent suburbs of inner Sydney, eventually moving to the west of the city. Grech graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Diploma in Education from the University of Sydney. He also played in A-Grade Rugby League and was selected to try out for one of the professional clubs. Teaching being at heart, Grech became a highly acclaimed principal of two regional schools in low socioeconomic areas and under his leadership, educational innovations resulted in a greater than 50 percent reduction of the student discipline suspension rate and over 30 percent increase in student enrollment in three years. Grech is the author of the popular book Stories My Parents Told Me: Tales of Growing Up in Wartime Malta. At present he spends time living alternately in Valletta, Malta and in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, while trading equities on the Australian Stock Exchange, developing property and writing.