When one sets out to read a book, you enter into a contract of sorts with the author. You agree to be apart of their world and to go along for the ride. As I've discussed before, we all have our own criteria by which we judge a book and whether we will pick it … Continue reading Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens #USfiction
Photo by Jamie Street on UnsplashSometimes in this blogging life, the words just won't come.I have several posts on the back burner waiting for inspiration, time and for the right words to appear. In the meantime, I will fill the gaps with housekeeping posts and lists.Once upon a time, I used to join in a … Continue reading 2020 | Here We Come!
I wasn't sure that I would like Confession with Blue Horses. The blurb and the cover made me think this would be a bit too kitsch or light for my usual reading tastes.Tobi and Ella's childhood in East Berlin is shrouded in mystery. Now adults living in London, their past in full of unanswered questions. … Continue reading Confession with Blue Horses by Sophie Hardach
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is one of those books of the moment, and one that I have actually managed to read during it's moment! And I can see why so much buzz has attached itself to this book.It's about sex, desire and what it means to be a woman, told from the perspective of … Continue reading Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin has a fabulous premise - 'if you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?'Even before opening the book, Mr Books and I had one of those after dinner, slightly boozy conversations based purely on this premise. Did we really want to know when we were … Continue reading The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey is exactly the type of cosy crime I enjoy reading on a cold, rainy wintery weekend. Much like the UK series about Maisie Dobbs and the Australian series by Kerry Greenwood about Phryne Fisher, Massey has created the Indian version of these smart, pioneering 1920's women who … Continue reading The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Bel Canto was our May book club choice. It was a reread for several of the members, but for me it was my very first time. I'm now wondering why on earth I left it so long to read. Bel Canto is a glorious story about the power of song to soothe the beast within us … Continue reading Bel Canto | Ann Patchett
I'm loving Japanese literature more and more. The modern stuff in particular, appears deceptively simple, but as you read, and for weeks afterwards, you become aware of layers of meaning. The Convenience Store Woman is no exception. On the surface it appears to be a light tale about the life of a young woman who … Continue reading Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
I suspect I'm going to be the lone dissenting voice when it comes to Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.This is a debut Australian novel garnering a HUGE amount of attention and rave reviews. In the lead up to our Christmas rush at work last year, this is the book many, many locals were asking … Continue reading Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
White Houses was my latest book club pick, chosen by me. I felt a weird sense of pressure to enjoy the book on that account. But the best I could summon up in the end was a mild kind of appreciation. It took me a while to pinpoint my disconnect. The first person narrative was a … Continue reading White Houses by Amy Bloom
A Gentleman in Moscow has been on my radar ever since it first came out in 2016 simply because I thoroughly enjoyed Amor Towles first book, Rules of Civility. It took my book club assigning it as our October read though, to finally force me to fit it into my reading schedule. And I'm so glad … Continue reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I'm not usually a big reader of crime fiction.During my younger days I enjoyed a good mystery wrapped up in an adventure series (thank you Trixie Belden and Enid Blyton) and I still love to delve into the psychological reasons why people do the things they do (Maigret fits the bill here). Cosy crime is … Continue reading The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham
The Child in Time was my latest book club read and one of McEwan's earlier works that I had yet to read. For this particular book club gathering we agreed to extend the meeting to include a viewing of the BBC movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kelly Macdonald. I thought it might be interesting to do … Continue reading The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
Patrick DeWitt is a Canadian author who now lives in Oregon, USA. The Sisters Brothers won the 75th Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the 2012 Walter Scott Prize.The Man Booker shortlist synopsis states that,this dazzlingly original novel is a darkly funny, offbeat western about … Continue reading The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
Pompeii by Robert Harris is my first bookclub read for 2018. I confess that Robert Harris is not a usual go-to author for me, although I've said that without ever having read any of his books before. I figured Pompeii would be okay as I'm always interested in anything Ancient Greek or Ancient Roman and Pompeii … Continue reading Pompeii by Robert Harris
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