This is the story of a swimmer; Danny. With a burning, tormented ambition to be the fastest, strongest, greatest swimmer of his time, his turbulent adolescent mind is only at rest in the pool. Christos Tsiolkas is most known for his international bestselling novel, the Slap. Now an Australian classic, The Slap was a polorising look […]
Author Archives: Ms A
November
16
December 2013 Book shopping list
posted by Ms A
There are so many big name writers with new books out. Not so co-incidentally there are also herds of increasingly desperate Xmas shoppers ready to descend on the shops like a plague and strip the shelves of all written matter as gifts for loved ones or for their own holiday reading. If you are a reader, you might like […]
November
16
The Book Thief by Marcus Kusac
posted by Ms A
Meet Death. He is about to be nominated for an Oscar so it is about time you got to know him. It is WWII and Death is busy with hundreds of thousands of victims of war across Europe and Nazi Germany. In this book, he finds the time to observe the life of a small girl […]
November
03
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
posted by Ms A
If ever there was a book that needs to be made into film this is it. I’m picturing an expensive, ensemble cast on location off the Italian coast under the guidance of talented but subtle director with a fantastic sense of humour. So while the bidding rights for this book are being sorted out, all you need to do is pick up a […]
August
01
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
posted by Ms A
Some books you read on public transport and laugh out loud to the point people move away and think you are nuts. This is not one of those books. However, despite it’s complete lack of light moments it was still utterly beautiful to me. Hannah Kent described Burial Rites as her “dark love letter to Iceland” and I […]
July
23
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
posted by Ms A
I was gone at the get-go with this book. Get through page 1 and you are in. Bang. There is a reason this book is so popular and on everyone’s must read list. It is because it strikes the perfect balance between a clever, well thought out thriller with well developed characters and great research and a down […]
July
11
Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
posted by Ms A
If you are in a book club, you need to workshop this book around a very large platter of triple cream cheese, pate and nuts and then see who dares to partake. It is perfect book club fodder in every sense. Firstly, it is written by the highly credible and well respected author of “We Need to Talk […]
June
29
Jamaica by Malcolm Knox
posted by Ms A
If you ever want to get inside the head of a contemporary middle aged male, read a Malcolm Knox novel. You wont like what you see. Jamaica is one of Malcolm Knox’s first novels and has been on my bookshelf for about 12 months just waiting patiently for my attention. It is only now that am […]
June
23
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
posted by Ms A
I desperately want to meet this author. I think I would really like him. I also think it would help me understand what the hell he was thinking when he wrote the Imperfectionists. Maybe he was having a bad time at work and just imagining what all of his journalist colleagues were getting up to at home on the weekends or […]
April
04
Gina Reinhardt
posted by Ms A
At first I thought this book may have been a propaganda exercise for the “Let WA Succeed” movement but I’m afraid there is no getting around the fact it is an Australian story and an incredible one at that. Sometimes great stories can only be truly absorbed when enough time has passed to allow for reflection. With […]
