Tag Archives: books

April 02

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

I think I injured my knee reading this book. That’s what happens when you find yourself immersed in a heavy book in the same awkward position for two hours at a stretch, especially when you are over 50. The irony of my reading injury is that the book was recommended to me by a doctor. […]

March 12

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

In his 2023 Booker Prize winning book, Paul Lynch imagines the Republic of Ireland slipping into totalitarianism.  Things kick off with a sinister knock on the door and it’s a slow but steady descent from there.  The door belongs to Eilish; a scientist, wife, mother of four and primary carer of her elderly father, who […]

January 02

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

Well happy 2024 Readheads. Let’s get to it. It is holiday time and if you are looking for a goodie to dive into, look no further. This book might be called Small Pleasures but it was a humungous pleasure to read. It’s the sort of book you can’t wait to get home too and I loved every […]

October 06

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

This novel is nothing short of a masterpiece. Pouring over it, made me want to read, review and even yearn to write.  Alas, few could write like Lauren Groff. It’s winter in the early 1600’s, and a young servant girl escapes the unspeakable conditions of a colonial settlement in the Americas into the wild.  This […]

March 06

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

I’m pretty sure I heard people were dancing in the streets when Barbara Kingsolver released her new book.  I nearly was.  This woman is a legend and remains firmly implanted in my ‘Reading Hall of Fame’ for The Poisonwood Bible because apart from being a great book, it was the first book I read where […]

November 15

Severance by Ling Ma

Add this one to your summer reading list please. An irresistible, apocalyptic look at contemporary life that will keep you distracted by the pool for sure. Candace is a twenty-something single in NYC. She is so swept up in her daily routine of work, email and google that she barely notices a killer virus spreading […]

July 31

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

This book comes with multiple warnings. The first is that it deals with very distressing themes and the second is that you won’t be able to put it down. My Absolute Darling is a debut novel from American author Gabriel Tallent.  It is a best seller, page turner and probably available at airports around the […]

July 15

The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti

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. […]

April 19

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

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 […]

February 25

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Brene Brown, as you may or may not know,  is one of the most famous Ted Talk speakers – ever. Her talk on Vulnerability is in the top 5 Ted Talks of all time so that in itself was incentive enough for me to pick up her latest book but also, as a New Years […]