I don’t know if I’ve just finished a book of fact or fiction but I do know that that’s exactly what Graeme Macrae Burnet intended. It’s London in the 60’s and a quirky young woman makes an appointment with the charismatic yet unqualified psychotherapist of the day, Collins Braithwaite. She wants to see him because […]
Category Archives: Book Club Fodder
May
28
An Odyssey – A Father, Son and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
posted by Ms A
Did you know that the word “odyssey” derives from Odysseus, the central character of Homer’s epic Greek poem? Or that the word mentor derives from the character “Mentor” who Odysseus chose to watch over his infant son during the many years he was away? Before you worry, no I didn’t read Homer’s Odyssey (or pay […]
December
05
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
posted by Ms A
I have been doing book reviews for a little while now. OK, not as reliably as Ms K and not quite as well researched as the London Review of Books, but I hope I’ve earned enough credibility to call out a stand out book when I read one. And this one is a stand out. […]
October
10
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
posted by Ms A
In her first two novels, Conversations with Friends and Normal People, 30-year-old Irish writer, Sally Rooney launched into the serious book world like the Michael Jordan launched into the NBA. Her books gave us an instant glimpse into the minds and lives of her generation and the world couldn’t get enough of it. And no, […]
August
12
Redhead By The Side of The Road by Anne Tyler
posted by Ms K
Sometimes size does matter Readheads. This gem of a book is only 178 pages but it packs a punch. Anne Tyler is the master of minutiae and writes about the most mundane, repetitive aspects of our lives and drizzles them in honey and sunshine. Redhead By the Side of The Road doesn’t disappoint. It delivers […]
August
11
Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon
posted by Ms K
I try to resist new books wallpapered with glowing reviews written by people I’ve never heard of. I’ve been burnt badly by this promotional hi-jinx so I judge these review-laden titles with skeptical side-eyes and immediately get a whiff of impending disappointment and regret. Not this time. I am happy (and damn relieved) to report […]
August
08
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
posted by Ms A
Another day, another must-read for Readheads. This one is the true story of a family of twelve children, six of whom develop schizophrenia. Yep. True Story. Written by US Author Robert Kolker (think Lost Girls in 2013) and published in 2020, Hidden Valley Road was listed by the New York Times Book Review as one […]
August
06
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
posted by Ms K
When I finished reading Animal I felt like I had been mauled by a dog. Not that I have ever been mauled by a dog mind you, so don’t know for sure, but I imagine you feel pretty shaken, raw, roughed up. Not quite yourself. Bits of you hanging off. That was me. If you […]
July
02
The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
posted by Ms A
There are many ways to break a reading drought. It could be a week of woolly weather, a break from work or a raging pandemic with government enforced lockdowns. Or it could just be the timeless allure of a great book. Like a hot bag of Uber Eats at the end of a long week, […]
January
26
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
posted by Ms K
Ok, 2020 was a year of complete you-can’t-make-this-sh*t-up crazy, but for me – truth be told – it wasn’t that bad. Actually it was pretty nice. There was alot to be happy about and then, ta da, I scored a cherry on the cake moment because I beat Ms A to this beauty so hoorah […]
Readhead 