Tag Archives: book review

If you think you don’t need to read another book on loneliness, or you’ve put the subject in the ‘too hard basket’, then think again.

Paul Cleave is a master! I have read quite a few of his novels and I have never been disappointed. Some are arguably better than others but I have to say I think this one is his best (so far). The Quiet People, like many of his novels, is set …

My feelings towards this book have morphed both during the reading and afterward. This is quite unusual for me; I tend to know if I like something (or not) and time has not often changed my opinion (expect perhaps when I’ve re-read some of those Sweet Valley High books and …

The Operator Gretchen Berg Hachette $34.99 This book held so much promise! It looked exciting in the publisher’s summary and I was so very happy to see a copy arrive in the office for us to read. I started just before COVID (and all that went with it) and I …

The Jacaranda House Deborah Challinor HarperCollins RRP: $36.99 Set in both Australia and New Zealand, this book drew me in instantly. Perhaps that’s because I like a sense of where something is happening, a time and space in which to place my thoughts. Because this novel is set in places …

To Kill A Man Sam Bourne Hachette $34.99 I have to admit that despite its flaws (and they’re not massive or insurmountable) I inhaled this book. So while I will outline some of the bits I didn’t love, remember that I tend to speed read when I enjoy a book! …

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart Margarita Montimore Hachette RRP: $34.99 This is a topsy-turvy life story told with humour and skill; I enjoyed nearly every moment reading it. There’s no denying that this book borrows heavily from Audrey Niffenegger’s “A Time Traveller’s Wife” which was a big hit a …

Louis & Louise Julie Cohen Hachette RRP: $34.99 Let me start with a bold claim. This was one of my highlight reads of the year. I really loved this book. The very idea of this novel – that you could explore a life lived as a woman, or a life …

Blood & Sugar Laura Shepard-Robinson Macmillan  RRP: $34.99 This book was obviously well researched! 18th century England dock life and the sugar trade has never been as fascinating! This novel straddles, very successfully, two classes of the time – the very rich and the very poor. Our ‘hero’ is tasked …

Imaginary Friend Stephen Chbosky Hachette RRP: $37.99 This book kept me on the knife edge for sooooooo long and I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Honestly, about halfway through it started ‘wrapping up’ and I was left holding the book (which is HUGE) and wondering ‘How is this …