Behold, there’s a book that covers everything: rampant disease, death, suicide, murder, torture, grief, greed, lust, sex, sorcery, devil worship, flagellation, crazed mobs, cruel parenting, and that old chestnut: religion. In her first foray into historical fiction, Australian foreign correspondent, Geraldine Brooks (who has witnessed her share of horrific war zones), addresses an ethical dilemma. […]
Author Archives: Ms A
May
02
Welcome to May – The month of favourites
posted by Ms A
Ms K and I were talking about our favourite books recently. Nothing new there but one thing led to another and we started chatting about our favourite books of all time – the one’s we like to call Oldies but Goodies. We agreed to dig them out for review but we also agreed to invite our readers to […]
April
17
An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
posted by Ms A
While Ms K is busy with happy tales, I am deep in nightmares. Literally. Last night I dreamt my husband was kidnapped on a busy street in broad daylight and I woke up thanking Roxane Gay and her book “An Untamed State” You will find this book front and centre in most bookshops right now […]
February
25
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
posted by Ms A
If you are in the mood for a page turner then I have found your next read. Written by Charles Martin (who also wrote Where the River Ends), this is a story of two people left clinging for their lives on a mountain in the middle of winter. Through their struggle for survival they learn […]
December
02
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
posted by Ms A
We would like to thank guest reviewer Jason Downing for this post today. As a long term fan of Richard Flanagan, he was always the perfect person to review this important book…… I should disclose up front that I came to this book as a fan of Richard Flanagan’s writing. I loved Gould’s Book of […]
December
01
The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
posted by Ms A
It’s not often I pull out a highlighter whilst reading a book. A pencil yes but I haven’t used a highlighter since year 12 English and even then I got in trouble for it. It’s also not often I read a business/self-help book but before you all tune out and reach for Who Weekly, I […]
October
13
This House of Grief by Helen Garner
posted by Ms A
In September this year, an apparently loving father from Lockhardt, NSW shot his wife and three children before killing himself. This incomprehensible tragedy sent shockwaves across the country and left us all scratching for an explanation. By pure co-incidence, Helen Garner’s second non-fiction book based on a case involving a father facing murder charges for […]
September
08
The Children Act by Ian McEwan
posted by Ms A
I have been in a reading rut. I know how bad that sounds coming from the co-founder of a book blog, but the good news is that thanks to this little winner from well known English novelist Ian McEwan, I think I am out. Thank you to Ms K for carrying the load for Readhead during this […]
July
10
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
posted by Ms A
I have just put down one of the most delightful and heart-warming reads I can remember and I can’t stop thinking about it. This charming little story is based on Queen Elizabeth II; but not as we know her. For the sake of this book, England’s ever practical and dutiful monarch suddenly becomes an obsessive […]
May
26
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Minstry
posted by Ms A
Sometimes with books it is all about the timing and this my friends, is the book you read when you are renovating a house. Not to make light of this masterful novel that details the horrific realities of life in India in the 1970’s, but I did wonder if the expression “first world problem” was coined by someone who had just put […]
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