“In the early morning smog I had him. But in the lovely lunch of my birthday I lost him.” A Little Princess is written by Frances Hodgson Burnett who also wrote The Secret Garden. Frances weaves a story about a rich girl with perfect manners and an extreme love of books. Frances tells this story […]
May
03
The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks – Guest Review by Ms D
posted by Ms A
Behold, there’s a book that covers everything: rampant disease, death, suicide, murder, torture, grief, greed, lust, sex, sorcery, devil worship, flagellation, crazed mobs, cruel parenting, and that old chestnut: religion. In her first foray into historical fiction, Australian foreign correspondent, Geraldine Brooks (who has witnessed her share of horrific war zones), addresses an ethical dilemma. […]
May
02
Welcome to May – The month of favourites
posted by Ms A
Ms K and I were talking about our favourite books recently. Nothing new there but one thing led to another and we started chatting about our favourite books of all time – the one’s we like to call Oldies but Goodies. We agreed to dig them out for review but we also agreed to invite our readers to […]
April
27
His Other House by Sarah Armstrong
posted by Ms K
I have waited 11 years for Sarah Armstrong’s new book. Her first novel, Salt Rain, was published in 2004 and it was a beauty. It is perched on my bookshelf where it will remain, always surviving my annual book purges (this is a necessity given the amount I own! Sometimes, you just have to clear […]
April
17
An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
posted by Ms A
While Ms K is busy with happy tales, I am deep in nightmares. Literally. Last night I dreamt my husband was kidnapped on a busy street in broad daylight and I woke up thanking Roxane Gay and her book “An Untamed State” You will find this book front and centre in most bookshops right now […]
March
25
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
posted by Ms K
I learnt a new word courtesy of this book. Unputdownable. I didn’t make it up – someone else did – one of the book’s reviewers who clearly loved this book as much as I did. To say I was like a rabid dog reading it, is an understatement. I couldn’t stop myself. It’s simply unputdownable. I don’t think I […]
March
18
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
posted by Ms K
Hard to know if this title is actually about the book or how you will react when reading it. This book comes with a twist you won’t see coming so yes, I was definitely a bit beside myself when the ‘what the?’ moment came mid story. Don’t worry , I won’t spoil what that moment is and you definitely won’t […]
March
12
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
posted by Ms K
Before you even hit the first line of this book, you need to wade through 2 whole pages of rave reviews from a mass of publications (not to mention the front cover which is laden too). The New York Times, the Observer, Marie Claire, you name them, they reviewed it ….. & surprise, surprise, they loved it! Clearly the […]
March
09
Useful by Debra Oswald
posted by Ms K
It’s a rare thing indeed when Ms A and I are in sync with our book choices… we are mostly poles apart in what we choose to read and review. But in February, the literary moons obviously aligned and we chose similar titles – meaning ones that were light on the big words, heavy on the easy-ready. […]
February
25
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
posted by Ms A
If you are in the mood for a page turner then I have found your next read. Written by Charles Martin (who also wrote Where the River Ends), this is a story of two people left clinging for their lives on a mountain in the middle of winter. Through their struggle for survival they learn […]
Readhead 