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 […]
Category Archives: Grab it Now
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 […]
January
15
Honeybee by Craig Silvey
posted by Ms K
One of the great things I guess about a new year shut-down across greater Sydney was I felt zero guilt laying in bed all day, listening to the rain, reading. I did it twice and I felt a million dollars. This sort of caper should be done more often I thought (New Years resolution #1). […]
January
07
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
posted by Ms A
Everything about this book seems light and breezy. What, with its throwaway title, cute cover and offbeat dialogue, you’d expect to find it atop a discount pile at an airport bookshop, not on the Booker prize longlist. But maybe that’s the point. Such a Fun Age is about racism and class, told through the story […]
December
11
Best young reader picks by Miss L (aged 11)
posted by Ms K
Stuck for great Christmas book ideas for young book lovers? Worry no more and say hello to Miss L, the most delightful, voracious reader who just happens to be 11. AND she has started her own bath-bomb business too that supports wild life causes because, well, like I say, she’s pretty incredible (@bloom.seventh). 11! I […]
December
06
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
posted by Ms A
Your Christmas reading list is sorted. After months of disappointing starts, I’ve finally found a book that I can recommend with all my heart. Shuggie Bain is a once in a generation novel that tells the simple story of a son’s devotion to his alcoholic mother. Set in Glasgow in the 1980s, where the mines […]
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