In times of war, there is a particular light given off by smouldering buildings, smoke and blacked out streets. It is called warlight. A fitting name for a shadowy book about a man trying to piece together memories of his wartime childhood. This story starts in 1945 in London. A mother is living a double […]
Category Archives: Book Club Fodder
October
01
Beautiful Revolutionary by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
posted by Ms K
If you’ve ever wondered how the saying ‘drinking the Kool-Aid‘ came about, well good news Readheads, this book answers it for you. The not-so-good news is you really won’t like the explanation. In Beautiful Revolutionary, Laura Elizabeth Woollett has penned a masterful and intriguing re-telling of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre which saw 918 men, women […]
August
30
A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers
posted by Ms A
Alan is a likeable, but insecure middle-aged business man. He owes money everywhere and is trying to reconcile relationships with his father, daughter and ex-wife. He has a memory for jokes and a problem saying no. I love him. For some perfectly random reason, Alan finds himself in Saudi Arabia to pitch security and IT […]
July
25
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
posted by Ms K
When Alice McDermott writes, you don’t just read her words, you see and feel them. Her style is so delicate and intricate but so everyday and familiar. Somehow you simply settle into her character’s lives as though they were your own. I don’t know how she does this but if I ever choose to have […]
July
15
The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti
posted by Ms A
I am sure this book has inflated property prices in the Italian Alps. When you read about the small Italian family and their holidays spent climbing mountains you will know what I mean. Set over at least 30 years, The Eight Mountains is about relationships and how different people escape and/or embrace life and fear. […]
June
24
The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton
posted by Ms A
It’s been too long since I lost myself in a Tim Winton book. If you are Australian, chances are you’ve read a few of them. It turns out lots of people overseas read Tim Winton too, although how on earth they can make sense of the heavy Australian slang and vocabulary is a mystery to […]
June
21
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
posted by Ms K
I chose this book in 10 seconds and read it in what felt like 10 minutes. It was just that good. It’s not what you may think by the title. The Female Persuasion is a novel about the relationships of our main character Greer Kadinsky, a disgruntled and shy student feeling lost at a sub-par […]
April
30
Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
posted by Ms A
I wasn’t going to review this book. I’m a busy reader with a highbrow rep to protect and it just didn’t seem worthy to me. That said, when I hear that so many people are reading and talking about it, I couldn’t resist throwing my 2 cents in. Apparently, it’s even on the NSW Bar’s […]
April
19
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
posted by Ms K
This is the second book by Jane Harper I have read in the past six months. I was going to put a bit more time between reads but I just couldn’t help myself. I loved Harper’s first novel, The Dry, and I’m very happy to report I burned through this one like a raging fever […]
April
02
Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn
posted by Ms A
Ok I haven’t been blogging much over the last few months but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. I just haven’t read anything rousing enough to blog about. This book however hit me like a veritable first glass of champagne; going straight to my head and heart and leaving me with a book hangover […]
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