I nearly didn’t read this book. When I heard about the Nabokovian inspiration for it, I was immediately daunted. Confession: I have not read Nabokov. I understand his writing is sublime, and that may be the problem. I’m intimidated. Therefore, when I heard that Gail Jones’ A Guide to Berlin was named after one of Nabokov’s short stories and contained…
Is there a more complex creature than a young girl? Desperate to fit in, yet also stand out (only in the right way, of course). Too cool to hold hands with a parent, yet yearning for love in all its forms – familial, platonic, and romantic. Such a rich confusion of thoughts and emotions. Such perfect fodder for writers. Is…
IN BRIEF:Both traumatising and uplifting, this is a truly extraordinary book about the beauty of friendship and the limits of its potential to ameliorate the life-long damage caused by an abusive childhood.
IN BRIEF:A beautiful cover is matched by terrific story-telling in this coming-of-age story of the smart and funny, Clancy. Funny and heartfelt and perfect for the over 15s.
IN BRIEF:A book that takes an Austen-inspired approach to a small Queensland community, and finds poetry and profundity in everyday life.
IN BRIEF:Disturbing and unnerving in the best possible ways, this a gripping story about what happens when women are hated, simply for being women
IN BRIEF:Beautiful prose and a tension-filled narrative combine to produce a highly satisfying read that confronts life’s biggest topics – love and death
IN BRIEF:A tenderly humorous account of two square pegs, trying to worm their way into the round hole we call ‘life’. British eccentricity at its best.
They say books find you when you need them. When ‘Confessions of a Once Fashionable Mum’ found me, I was in desperate need of a laugh – and that’s what this book delivered. Author, Georgia Madden, takes us deep into the cringe-worthy and difficult moments of new motherhood, via the ‘once fashionable’, Ally Bloom. Ally’s first year of motherhood is…
Claire Varley is that rare bird whose manuscript made it off the slush pile and into publication. And what a manuscript it is! ‘The Bit in Between‘ is laugh-out-loud funny (seriously, there were chuckles of audible volume) but also slightly whimsical and romantic as we watch our two gen y-ers, Alison and Oliver, fall in love. (Read more of my…