It’s time to talk about books! Book Chat, my reading round up, is back with some must-reads and some other books I wasn’t so keen on. As usual, you can get my reading recommendations on the video below, or scroll further down for a quick summary. I’m reviewing Lauren Sams’ Crazy, Busy, Guilty, Joy Callaway’s The Fifth Avenue Artist’s Society, Liane Moriarty’s The Hypnotist’s Love Story and a title that isn’t out yet, Sophie Green’s The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club, which is my pick of the month. Crazy, Busy, Guilty by Lauren Sams This book made me realise just…
Posts Categorized: Book Reviews
I’ve decided to reinstate Book Chat as a regular feature about every six weeks. I had dropped it because I was going to do quick Facebook Live videos each time I finished a book so I could review the book fresh, but I never remembered to do it! I’ve read lots of books over the last three months and I’ve picked the best five of them here, for this month’s Book Chat. It’s a bit of an Australian women writers bonanza, with one international author thrown in too. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you’re glad I’ve brought Book…
I’ve read some amazing books this year and here’s my list of the best books of 2016: the books that made me laugh and cry, the books I couldn’t forget even after I’d finished them, the books I would definitely read again. I’ve put this list together based on books I’ve read in 2016, not necessarily books that were released in 2016. And here, not in any particular order, they are! A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara I know I said this list isn’t in order but I’ve put this one first because it’s one of the most powerful books…
I know I said I wasn’t going to keep doing Book Chat and that I was going to do quick video book reviews on Facebook Live instead. Well, it was a great idea, except that I did a couple and then got so busy that I completely forget! So, to catch up, I decided to do one more Book Chat video and then hopefully I’ll get back onto Facebook Live a bit more. I’ve read quite a few books over the last couple of months so there are lots of reading choices in this video. I’m talking about…
My favourite books are historical novels with heroines who are fighting for something that matters, something that has made a difference to the opportunities women have today. Heroines who inspire us to follow our own dreams, to keep going when the hurdles seem too great to surmount, to be truly courageous. With that in mind, here are 9 historical fiction heroines, some real, some imagined, whose stories and actions can continue to inspire us today. This brings my 3 part series on writing compelling heroines to an end. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Alma Whittaker…
I needed a change of pace this month, after reading A Little Life and Me Before You last month, two books which made me cry. In fact, the word “cry” is an understatement when it comes to A Little Life; sob would be more accurate. So I read Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible, which is a contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice, I read two historical novels, The Wife’s Tale by Christine Wells and Castle of Dreams by Elise McCune, and I read a classic, Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. Because I was away in Paris for a week, I also squeezed in…
Welcome to this month’s Book Chat! So many good books to share with you. I read Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You, Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, Paullina Simons’ The Bronze Horseman and The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith. If you’re looking for books that make you cry, then I can definitely recommend 2 of this month’s selection. Onto the video, to see what I thought of each book. I’ve also written a brief summary of each below. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that…
I’m very excited to be joining forces with my merry band of writing friends to celebrate the launch of two books from our group: Sara Foster’s All That is Lost Between Us, and A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald by yours truly! Because both books feature young women with big goals, we thought it would be fun to reflect on the book or books that most inspired us when we were young women. I’ve got to say, I found this hard. So many books to choose from! But it always comes back to one: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre:…
I know I should be bringing you Part 3 of my blog series about how A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald went from idea to manuscript to book, but I also realised I’m due for another Book Chat. So the series will be back next week, I promise! This month’s Book Chat travels all around the world with historical fiction set in Africa, close to icebergs in the Atlantic, and onto Paris. It was a mixed bag of books; one I can thoroughly recommend and I hope my reviews will help you make up your mind about the others. I’ve reviewed…
I can’t believe it’s March already and I haven’t recorded a Book Chat yet! Where is the year going?! For those of you who are new to my blog, about every 6 weeks or so, I record a video where I give mini book reviews letting you know what I’ve been reading, what I thought about those books, and whether you should add them to your teetering TBR pile. This month, I’ve reviewed Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies, Elena Ferrante’s Mr Brilliant Friend, Sara Foster’s All That is Lost Between Us, Guinevere Glasfurd’s The Words in My Hand, and Alyssa Palombo’s…