No one else is awake when Elle goes for a swim in the pond below her family’s holiday cabin in Cape Cod. As she swims, she reflects on the night before, when she had hot sex with her childhood crush against the back wall, while her husband, mother and children chatted away inside. A pretty […]
Author Archives: Ms A
December
27
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
posted by Ms A
There is a lot to be said for beautifully designed, small hardback books. To me, they are almost irresistible and no good bookshelf should be without a smattering of them. This one comes with the promise of an added “bestseller” sticker, which pretty much ticks every box of what I look for in a holiday […]
December
05
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
posted by Ms A
I have been doing book reviews for a little while now. OK, not as reliably as Ms K and not quite as well researched as the London Review of Books, but I hope I’ve earned enough credibility to call out a stand out book when I read one. And this one is a stand out. […]
October
10
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
posted by Ms A
In her first two novels, Conversations with Friends and Normal People, 30-year-old Irish writer, Sally Rooney launched into the serious book world like the Michael Jordan launched into the NBA. Her books gave us an instant glimpse into the minds and lives of her generation and the world couldn’t get enough of it. And no, […]
August
08
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
posted by Ms A
Another day, another must-read for Readheads. This one is the true story of a family of twelve children, six of whom develop schizophrenia. Yep. True Story. Written by US Author Robert Kolker (think Lost Girls in 2013) and published in 2020, Hidden Valley Road was listed by the New York Times Book Review as one […]
July
24
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
posted by Ms A
I don’t do trashy books well. I’ve got no problem with trashy TV and remain convinced that Survivor is the best show in the history of television but, for whatever reason, my tolerance for basic books is low. Also, I feel compelled to ask the question of whether there is a place for an airport […]
July
13
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
posted by Ms A
What do you do when you ask two friends, both serious readers, for reading recommendations and they simultaneously suggest the same book? I’ll tell you what you do….you get off your ass and go get it. You don’t start editing your facebook profile or sign up to a new streaming service; you reserve your spot […]
July
02
The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
posted by Ms A
There are many ways to break a reading drought. It could be a week of woolly weather, a break from work or a raging pandemic with government enforced lockdowns. Or it could just be the timeless allure of a great book. Like a hot bag of Uber Eats at the end of a long week, […]
January
16
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
posted by Ms A
I can’t keep up with Obama, but frankly, who, besides Michelle, can? Every year, he publishes a list of his top 10 reads and every year, I head knowingly to the bookshop to scoop them up. I could just walk in with the list but no, instead I choose 3 or 4 and wander up […]
January
07
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
posted by Ms A
Everything about this book seems light and breezy. What, with its throwaway title, cute cover and offbeat dialogue, you’d expect to find it atop a discount pile at an airport bookshop, not on the Booker prize longlist. But maybe that’s the point. Such a Fun Age is about racism and class, told through the story […]
Readhead 