In times of war, there is a particular light given off by smouldering buildings, smoke and blacked out streets. It is called warlight. A fitting name for a shadowy book about a man trying to piece together memories of his wartime childhood. This story starts in 1945 in London. A mother is living a double […]
Author Archives: Ms A
August
30
A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers
posted by Ms A
Alan is a likeable, but insecure middle-aged business man. He owes money everywhere and is trying to reconcile relationships with his father, daughter and ex-wife. He has a memory for jokes and a problem saying no. I love him. For some perfectly random reason, Alan finds himself in Saudi Arabia to pitch security and IT […]
July
31
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
posted by Ms A
This book comes with multiple warnings. The first is that it deals with very distressing themes and the second is that you won’t be able to put it down. My Absolute Darling is a debut novel from American author Gabriel Tallent. It is a best seller, page turner and probably available at airports around the […]
July
15
The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti
posted by Ms A
I am sure this book has inflated property prices in the Italian Alps. When you read about the small Italian family and their holidays spent climbing mountains you will know what I mean. Set over at least 30 years, The Eight Mountains is about relationships and how different people escape and/or embrace life and fear. […]
June
24
The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton
posted by Ms A
It’s been too long since I lost myself in a Tim Winton book. If you are Australian, chances are you’ve read a few of them. It turns out lots of people overseas read Tim Winton too, although how on earth they can make sense of the heavy Australian slang and vocabulary is a mystery to […]
May
30
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Guest review by Mr D.
posted by Ms A
I resisted reading The Handmaid’s Tale for a long time. I can’t quite put a finger on why. In part it was because of my ignorant understanding that it was some sort of totalitarian chic-lit. In part, I have to also admit there was something I didn’t quite like about Margaret Atwood. Something undefinable about […]
April
30
Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
posted by Ms A
I wasn’t going to review this book. I’m a busy reader with a highbrow rep to protect and it just didn’t seem worthy to me. That said, when I hear that so many people are reading and talking about it, I couldn’t resist throwing my 2 cents in. Apparently, it’s even on the NSW Bar’s […]
