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 […]
June
13
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
posted by Ms K
This is the story of Lale Sokolov, the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he loved. It is one of the most powerful books I have read for a really long time and it sounds stupid to say I loved it because how can you love a soul destroying story like the title suggests? But I […]
June
06
Melt by Lisa Walker
posted by Ms K
You may remember author Lisa Walker from my previous review of her title Arkie’s Pilgrimage to the Next Big Thing. It was a lovely ride, full of whimsy. Lisa is unafraid of big, outside-the-box ideas and she can make the crazy seem real. To top it all off she is funny and witty and good […]
May
30
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Guest review by Mr D.
posted by Ms A
I resisted reading The Handmaid’s Tale for a long time. I can’t quite put a finger on why. In part it was because of my ignorant understanding that it was some sort of totalitarian chic-lit. In part, I have to also admit there was something I didn’t quite like about Margaret Atwood. Something undefinable about […]
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 […]
Readhead 