This is such a clever book I found it hard to put down which, I must say, was a little surprising. I did not expect to like it as much as I did but I happily ripped through it in a weekend and for those of us who love to read, you know what a […]
Category Archives: Book Club Fodder
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
24
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
posted by Ms K
The Secret Chord is my golden trifecta of books. First up, it’s a historical novel which is my absolute undoing – the older the better and it doesn’t get too much older than the tale of David and Goliath, right? (Well, maybe – but then I’d be reviewing The Bible). It is a grandiose tale that sweeps you along […]
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, […]
March
28
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
posted by Ms A
Apologies in advance to all the Margaret Atwood fans out there and to the beautiful friend who gave me a copy of her latest book. This review isn’t pretty. After just finishing The Heart Goes Last (a massive personal achievement that cannot be understated) I am getting off the Atwood express and calling for a worldwide derailment. […]
March
22
The Women’s Pages by Deborah Adelaide
posted by Ms K
There is a particular walk I get when I leave a shop with a newly purchased book I can’t wait to read…..it’s part jaunt, part quickstep with an occasional sashay – and it must look very odd to passersby I grant you. But when I picked up acclaimed author Deborah Adelaide’s new offering, my ‘new-book walk’ […]
March
03
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
posted by Ms A
Who’d have thought Barak Obama’s favourite book of 2015 would start with a sex scene? I’m talking about a green bikini, sand dunes and a couple of newlyweds – literally first page. Beyond the beach, Fates and Furies is contemporary literature at its best with language that is original, multi-layered and downright clever. Add characters that are strong, […]
February
23
Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn
posted by Ms A
I’m suspicious of the word “masterpiece” on the cover of a book. Just like the word miracle on a moisturiser, I should know better by now. In this case I was persuaded by a trusted and highly enthusiastic assistant at one of my favourite bookshops. I don’t want to name names but I am pretty sure […]
January
26
A Guide to Berlin by Gail Jones
posted by Ms K
Fact is, I read this book a couple of months ago now. It has taken me a while to review it because I could argue December happens, Christmas happens, life takes over. You know. But if I am honest, I didn’t know where to start with it. This book has haunted me since I finished it. It’s good, […]
January
19
Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed
posted by Ms K
And how did it become 2016 exactly? I don’t know about you, but I feel like there I was just minding my own business in July 2015 and somehow, in the blink of an eye, I end up here! 2.0.freakin’1.6! So what do you do when you feel life is travelling at the speed of […]
Readhead 