Books are like life. Sometimes in life you need a stiff drink, other times, a milkshake. And so it is with books – sometimes it’s War and Peace and then, other days, it’s titles like Arkie’s Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing. We are complex creatures like that and thankfully there are beverages and books to […]
Category Archives: All
May
31
The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide
posted by Ms K
Ok, I know, I know. This might not be the most obvious choice for May Faves but given Barbara Kingsolver and Geraldine Brooks had already earned a place here this month, I simply could not go past this as one of my favourite books of all time. If you judge a book by how often […]
May
28
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver – Guest Review by Ms S
posted by Ms K
My nomination for May Faves is The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. Which I have just, very reluctantly, finished. I dragged it out as long as I thought I could (the copy belongs to a good friend who let me read it before she read it!). The writing is just beautiful. Lucid, smart, delicate, strong, sharp, […]
May
12
A Little Princess – Guest Review by Miss Ellie (aged 11)
posted by Ms A
“In the early morning smog I had him. But in the lovely lunch of my birthday I lost him.” A Little Princess is written by Frances Hodgson Burnett who also wrote The Secret Garden. Frances weaves a story about a rich girl with perfect manners and an extreme love of books. Frances tells this story […]
May
03
The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks – Guest Review by Ms D
posted by Ms A
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. […]
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
27
His Other House by Sarah Armstrong
posted by Ms K
I have waited 11 years for Sarah Armstrong’s new book. Her first novel, Salt Rain, was published in 2004 and it was a beauty. It is perched on my bookshelf where it will remain, always surviving my annual book purges (this is a necessity given the amount I own! Sometimes, you just have to clear […]
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 […]
March
25
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
posted by Ms K
I learnt a new word courtesy of this book. Unputdownable. I didn’t make it up – someone else did – one of the book’s reviewers who clearly loved this book as much as I did. To say I was like a rabid dog reading it, is an understatement. I couldn’t stop myself. It’s simply unputdownable. I don’t think I […]
March
18
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
posted by Ms K
Hard to know if this title is actually about the book or how you will react when reading it. This book comes with a twist you won’t see coming so yes, I was definitely a bit beside myself when the ‘what the?’ moment came mid story. Don’t worry , I won’t spoil what that moment is and you definitely won’t […]
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