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
posted by Ms A
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, […]
May
02
Between a Wolf and A Dog by Georgia Blain
posted by Ms K
Bitter experience has proven to me never judge a book by the reviews – especially those squeezed onto every spare bit of book real-estate, each one screaming ‘read this’. More than once I answered those siren calls, and after some pretty big disappointments I had decided – once and for all – my ego simply couldn’t take picking up these kinds of best sellers […]
April
21
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
posted by Ms K
If there was an award handed out to someone taking the longest time to finish a book, I’d win it hands-down. I have been beavering away at this one for m.o.n.t.hs! Poor Ms A has been galloping through her books while I could only reply to her inquisitive emails about my progress with ‘nope, still going’. I don’t know who’ll […]
April
15
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
posted by Ms A
Helen Oyeyemi is a bit of a British literary indie sensation with awards left, right and centre and an ability to interview as beautifully as she writes. Just Google her and you will see what I mean. Suffice to say, I had to read one of her books to see what all the fuss was […]
March
28
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
posted by Ms A
Apologies in advance to all the Margaret Atwood fans out there and to the beautiful friend who gave me a copy of her latest book. This review isn’t pretty. After just finishing The Heart Goes Last (a massive personal achievement that cannot be understated) I am getting off the Atwood express and calling for a worldwide derailment. […]
March
22
The Women’s Pages by Deborah Adelaide
posted by Ms K
There is a particular walk I get when I leave a shop with a newly purchased book I can’t wait to read…..it’s part jaunt, part quickstep with an occasional sashay – and it must look very odd to passersby I grant you. But when I picked up acclaimed author Deborah Adelaide’s new offering, my ‘new-book walk’ […]
March
15
The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida
posted by Ms K
Like a pig that can sniff out a truffle, I reckon we, Ms A and Ms K, can sniff out a book that is ripe to be made into a movie. Big call I know but we do have a track record, Readheads. Lots of those book-to-movie titles that pop up at your local Hoyts, yep, we sniffed those […]
March
03
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
posted by Ms A
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, […]
February
23
Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn
posted by Ms A
I’m suspicious of the word “masterpiece” on the cover of a book. Just like the word miracle on a moisturiser, I should know better by now. In this case I was persuaded by a trusted and highly enthusiastic assistant at one of my favourite bookshops. I don’t want to name names but I am pretty sure […]
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