Author Archives: Ms A

March 09

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Well hello page-turner. I’ve loved spending the last week with you. I’m normally more immune to the charms of your type, but I’m willing to admit you have me hooked. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller is a brand new, perfectly sized and perfectly paced novel about marriage, love, life and truth. It is set in the modern day (I […]

March 03

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Some books should be bought and some should be borrowed. I made the mistake of borrowing this one and my local Library had to fight hard to get it back. It took two renewals and one late fee for me to finish it off but it was worth every bit of the hassle. The Essex Serpent […]

January 20

Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford

The world is not equal for women and Clementine Ford is angry. In this hold no punches book, she shares some of her most personal experiences as a girl in this world and how they shaped her views on feminism. I have the utmost admiration for Ford’s fearless, loud and unapologetic commitment to exposing the brutal realities of […]

January 01

Book Ends

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 […]

December 04

The Good People by Hannah Kent

  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

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

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

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

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

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 […]