Category Archives: Grab it Now

The books that you can’t put down, can’t stop talking about, can’t stop thinking about. The books that leave book hangovers.

October 08

Commonwealth by Anne Patchett

Having read this book, it’s decided. Anne Patchett has earned a seat at my ‘in-my-dreams dinner party’. You know the one?  The dinner party you’d host if you could invite anyone living or dead – the legends, those you love, have crushes on, wish desperately were your friends.  That one. She’d be joined by Lily […]

September 12

The Girls by Emma Cline

Here is one author to keep your eyes on, Readheads. Emma Cline has written a beauty with The Girls and while not the easiest of reads or most fun, it is certainly a damn fine one.   My heart broke a little with each page and not because it is super sad in the traditional […]

September 05

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

This book is going to be big. Selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, put on Barack Obama’s summer reading list, profiled in Time Magazine and The New Yorker, its  scheduled September release was brought forward to August just to meet anticipated demand. Beyond the hype, The Underground Railroad has substance and if it isn’t on […]

August 29

Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent

This review may actually read like a visit to the counsellor so I apologise at the get-go. Reason being, Dinner with Edward brought up so many wonderful memories for me about people I loved dearly, who are now gone, and it made me think about why they left such a powerful impression on my life.  It made me remember every […]

August 15

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

Relationship worries?  The Course of Love has got you covered. Just one quick read of this breezy bestseller and you could save thousands on tissues, counselling and wine. This hot of the press beauty by Alain de Botton (think Essays in Love) is like an articulate friend and self-help book put together with the added benefit of […]

June 09

People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper

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 […]

June 01

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

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

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

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 03

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

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, […]