One of the online sites that came up when I duck, duck, go'd this title, suggested She and Her Cat was one of the five translated books this season that could soothe a battered soul. My soul was not feeling particularly battered (except for this seemingly endless La Niña rain!) but I definitely felt soothed … Continue reading She and Her Cat | Makoto Shinkai & Naruki Nagakawa #JPNshortstories
The Edith Readalong has been my priority of late. But before I got started with it, I was determined to finish a few of the half read books by my bed which included a trip to Nigeria, dabbling with some poetry and a peek inside a leper colony. Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, … Continue reading June Mini Reviews
Back in March, when Covid news was dominating every airway and program, I turned to Angela Thirkell's High Rising for some light relief and old-fashioned comfort. So when I spotted A Literary Christmas over at In the Bookcase, I knew that another trip to High Rising was imminent. Christmas at High Rising is a collection … Continue reading Christmas at High Rising | Angela Thirkell #ALiteraryChristmas
Writing regular blog posts seems to be something quite beyond right now. But thanks to Karen @Booker Talk I've be revisiting some of my older posts to find fresh inspiration. This post about the rather silent author, Randolph Stow, was originally published on the 29th August 2015. I've been thinking about Gabrielle Carey a lot, over … Continue reading Moving Among Strangers by Gabrielle Carey
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy took me AGES to finish...and now even longer to review!I want to be the kind of person that is informed about financial stuff, but honestly, the word economy just makes my eyes glaze over and my brain go numb. Keeping daily accounts and a family budget - yep, … Continue reading Talking to My Daughter About the Economy | Yanis Varoufakis #NonFiction
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things has been sitting on my TBR for a few years now. I was fortunate enough to be gifted it during an #AusteninAugust competition with Adam @Roof Beam Reader, and I hang my head in shame that it has taken me so long to finish it.My only excuse … Continue reading The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne
This is my kind of fiction. The Railwayman's Wife is heart-achingly sweet. Hay has created an emotional world that is absorbing and very tangible. She see-saws between loss & grief and love & hope. Her writing is tender & lyrical and full of the wonder & healing power of nature. I devoured this book in … Continue reading The Railwayman’s Wife | Ashley Hay #AWWfiction
I've been putting off writing this review, simply because I'm not sure what to say about Tim Winton's Eyrie now that I've finished it. Will this be a positive, negative review or a negative, positive review? I thought if I sat with it for a few days some reviewing inspiration would strike, but it hasn't. … Continue reading Eyrie | Tim Winton #AUSfiction
A Tale For the Time being is the book that has kicked off my Booker shortlist campaign for this year. And it nearly stopped me in my tracks. It's not that I didn't enjoy it. I did. That is, I really enjoyed the middle section when I finally got going on it last weekend. The … Continue reading A Tale For the Time Being | Ruth Ozeki
This is my first Alex Miller. I know! How did that happen? I've been meaning to read his others books Autumn Laing, Lovesong &; Journey to the Stone Country in particular. And although there were some flaws in Coal Creek; the writing, the story, the characters and the sense of place were so evocative that I … Continue reading Coal Creek | Alex Miller #AUSfiction
Topical, relevant and a publishers dream as far as timing goes! The Stalking Of Julia Gillard: How Team Rudd contrived to bring down the Prime Minister was due for August release. Walsh initially planned to document the Gillard governments minority parliament, the first one in Australia since 1939. But she noticed, that despite a "parliament...functioning … Continue reading The Stalking of Julia Gillard | Kerry-Anne Walsh AWWnon-fiction
This book had almost gone unnoticed on our shelves until the recent events in Australian politics. But then, all of a sudden, we're getting double-barrelled requests for this book and The Stalking of Julia. It's funny the difference a week can make! To say I felt anger whilst reading The Misogyny Factor is an understatement. … Continue reading The Misogyny Factor | Anne Summers #AWWnon-fiction
I've been wanting to read Olive Kitteridge for some time now. It's still sitting in my TBR pile, but it's moved up to the top now that I've finished The Burgess Boys. A tale of two brothers, a sister, a small country town in Maine and a pig's head. Relationships explored, exposed and analysed in … Continue reading The Burgess Boys | Elizabeth Strout #USfiction
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