Arabella is a thirty-five-year-old theatre director living in New York. She descends from a family of Palestinian migrants, but has spent her entire career chasing Tony Awards without disclosing her background. She is conflicted daily by a combination of resentment and pride in her heritage. She’s also conflicted on the relationship front – lurching between […]
Category Archives: Grab it Now
March
17
The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden
posted by Ms A
I fell in love with this book the moment I saw it. A small, dusty pink hardback, perched elegantly on the shelf at Glee Books. I took my copy to the counter and the cashier gave me a knowing nod as if I had stumbled onto Chanel at the local Vinnies. I walked home clutching […]
February
09
Dusk by Robbie Arnott
posted by Ms A
When I think of Tasmania, I don’t think of wild pumas. Tasmanian tigers, sure. Devils, obviously. But pumas? Not so much. So when this book opened with, “Word reached the twins that a puma was taking shepherds up in the highlands,” I did what any reasonable person would do—I put the book down and Googled: […]
January
09
All Fours by Miranda July
posted by Ms A
Hold the HRT for this wild and wonderful window into the menopausal mind. In All Fours, a 45-year-old artist, wife and mother is planning a solo road trip from LA to NY for work. With a determination to prove to herself that she’s a steady and reliable person (and not the loose cannon she is […]
October
18
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
posted by Ms A
I think Sally Rooney must have good sex. What other explanation could there be for the way she weaves sex into so much of her writing? Normal People, Conversations with Friends, and Beautiful World, Where Are You all feature an above-average amount of top-shelf intimacy. Funnily enough, all bestsellers. Before you power up your gadget […]
September
25
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
posted by Ms A
Books about car dealers don’t often feature in the Booker Prize. In fact, I think this might be a first. Australian author, Peter Carey (himself the son of a car dealer) wrote two cracking books featuring car dealers but neither of them made it to the literary podium like The Bee Sting. In this case, […]
June
10
The Wager by David Grann
posted by Ms A
Steady yourself for this true story of ships, storms, starvation and survival. Written by American journalist and author David Grann (who also wrote Killers of the Flower Moon), and with a biggest bibliography I ever did see, The Wager is a stunning re-telling of a doomed British naval voyage that took place in 1741. The […]
May
01
Prima Facie by Suzie Miller
posted by Ms K
I am a Suzie Miller tragic. I love her plays and have seen two fabulous ones of late. RBG (about Ruth Bader Ginsberg, US Supreme Court Justice and gender equality ‘shero’) and Jail Baby. Both brilliant! Prima Facie, the one woman play, was made famous when Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) headlined in it in London’s […]
April
02
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
posted by Ms A
I think I injured my knee reading this book. That’s what happens when you find yourself immersed in a heavy book in the same awkward position for two hours at a stretch, especially when you are over 50. The irony of my reading injury is that the book was recommended to me by a doctor. […]
March
27
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
posted by Ms K
The extraordinary skill of Charlotte Wood is to craft her writing to accent and mimic the landscape and backdrop of her stories. Stone Yard Devotional is sparsely and dryly written but it’s deeply rich….like the harsh, barren Australian outback which is also home to breathtaking, raw beauty. Does that make sense, or have I drunk […]
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