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 […]
Category Archives: The Perfect Gift
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 […]
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). […]
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 […]
November
23
Phosphorescence by Julia Baird
posted by Ms K
I am just going to leave this line here and let’s gaze up on it together because goodness knows we need a breather…. Maybe it’s just that we’re all made of stardust. I don’t know what it is about this statement, but it calms me so deeply so I hope that may be true for […]
September
27
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
posted by Ms K
This one teased me in book shop windows but it took me a hot second to realise Rodham was fiction and not, in fact, a biography. Talk about judging a book by its cover. Readheads, this is one of the cleverest stories I have read for a very long time and the question on the […]
August
09
Melting Moments by Anna Goldsworthy
posted by Ms A
Ok Readheads – I’ve just picked your next book. Put it on your book club list and lend it to your friends and family. Especially your Mums. Melting Moments tells the life story of Ruby Jenkins, but really is a universal study of the changes that take place over the course of life. […]
May
08
There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
posted by Ms K
This is The Indie Book Awards 2020 Book of the Year so attention needs to be paid. The list of fans of There Was Still Love, and indeed anything written by the author, is as long as it is wide and I see why. She is a beautiful storyteller. I admit I read this one […]
Stoner by John Williams
posted by Ms A
I’m not sure I can explain to you how much I loved this book. Surely the most pure, quiet and understated work of fiction I have read in a long time. Stoner was first published in 1965 with no fanfare. Fifty years later, it was discovered by the general public and became a bestseller across […]
Readhead 