I think I might have lost some friends in 2016. Actually, I feel they were more pilfered from me than lost, but I’m determined not to sound bitter. There was that one friend I ran into at the bookshop nose deep in Ms K’s reviews to choose her next book and another friend who hopefully enquired […]
Author Archives: Ms A
December
04
The Good People by Hannah Kent
posted by Ms A
I’ve toured the world in fiction in 2016 but am wrapping up my travels with a last-minute stop in 19th century Ireland courtesy of Australian author and household name in the making, Hannah Kent. I heard Kent talk about this book long before I started it and was blown away by the sheer force of […]
November
20
Today will be Different by Maria Semple
posted by Ms A
Promises promises. I’ve been in a bit of a rut in 2016. Working partly from home, avoiding most major life decisions (as well as the gym), this book title called out to me like a bottle of Shiraz on a Friday night. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anywhere near the self-help section. It was […]
October
16
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
posted by Ms A
To paraphrase Orson Wells’ famous line about art, I don’t know anything about books but I know what I like and His Bloody Project is it. Not just because it’s a page turning thriller or because of its brooding premise, but because it’s so original, so authentic and so intelligently crafted. This novel is based on the true […]
October
02
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
posted by Ms A
Are we so short of good book options that finishable has become a measure of quality? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I like a quick read and am not afraid of chick lit. I support any kind of reading in principle and seeing my kids nose up against the side of the […]
September
05
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
posted by Ms A
This book is going to be big. Selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, put on Barack Obama’s summer reading list, profiled in Time Magazine and The New Yorker, its scheduled September release was brought forward to August just to meet anticipated demand. Beyond the hype, The Underground Railroad has substance and if it isn’t on […]
August
15
The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
posted by Ms A
Relationship worries? The Course of Love has got you covered. Just one quick read of this breezy bestseller and you could save thousands on tissues, counselling and wine. This hot of the press beauty by Alain de Botton (think Essays in Love) is like an articulate friend and self-help book put together with the added benefit of […]
July
16
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
posted by Ms A
I pulled a muscle getting this book off the shelf and put my life on hold whilst reading it. Set over 300 years, tracking mankind’s relentless and ignorant assault on the world’s great forests, Barkskins is the Sistine Chapel of novels. Grand in scale, lofty in its ambitions; this is not a poolside read – […]
June
01
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
posted by Ms A
Siblings come with an innate sense of fairness. It starts with ice cream but extends to everything from who gets the most time with Grandma, help with homework, pocket money or lifts to school. Dammit in my household, I get in trouble for misallocating the length of my hugs. Now I’m no mathematician but surely sibling management […]
May
04
Fever At Dawn by Peter Gardos
posted by Ms A
I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. So quiet and unassuming, I shudder to think how easily I could have missed it. Peter Gardos (who is actually a Hungarian filmmaker) tells the true story of how his parents met and found love at the end of WWII. To be fair, […]
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