Here’s the thing, Charlie has these episodes where she shifts into a deeper level of her imagination, where real life happenings begin to look like scenes from a movie. So, is what happening real? All in her head? On a road trip with a stranger it’s hard to tell.
Read MoreA delightful and irresistible ode to libraries, the patrons that frequent them and the librarians that are the gatekeepers of these utopias for bibliophiles. This charming story reminds us of the importance of libraries in our communities and the family that we can find there!
Read MoreOver the course of a single shocking night the author peels back lie after lie, exposing the poisoned roots that connected a group of friends during their university years. All of which lead to one of them cast as the murdered and one as the murderer. I lost count of the juicy secrets revealed and the masks dropped and just allowed myself the savor the salacious joy of it all.
Read MoreI’m going to let you in on a secret. Do you know what booklovers relish more than reading books? Reading books about books! Some, not naming names here, but well, me, even collect them. To say I have dozens would not be an understatement. Not to worry, I have long embraced my bookish nerdiness!
Read MoreContent Warning: the books gathered here are full of foodie delights, reading these books may cause hunger pangs that can lead to loud, possibly embarrassing growling to emerge from your stomach, as well as likely salivation that results in drooling. Proceed with no caution whatsoever…
Read MoreI hesitate to put this in writing, lest I jinx it, but the book world may have been delivered an exceptionally promising horror writer in Andy Marino. Truly good horror fiction, which to be clear is a rarity, must be a palpable experience for the reader. This is one of those.
Read MoreDescribed as a near future dystopian noir, rest assured this book is like nothing you’ve ever read before. This author’s world building is unparalleled. Secrets start to ooze out of every corner of this story, everyone has their own and everyone is the keeper of others.
Read MoreAlice and her partner have moved into a new home. As she attempts to befriend her new neighbours, she discovers a devasting, grisly secret about her new home. Alice embarks on a dissection of the labyrinth of secrets that are being concealed by seemingly everyone in the book. As she spirals down rabbit holes leading every which way, she begins to grate on everyone. Including this reader.
Read MoreLex doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House Of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A; the girl who escaped and exposed the crimes. If you think is book only focuses on the horrors mentioned above, you would be wrong. It’s so much deeper than that.
Read MoreA novella is that sweet spot that rests between a short novel or a long short story. Think of it as a tasting menu, or better still, an appetizer. When done well, as the ones I am sharing with you in this special summer series are, they can keep you company just long enough for a good walk and give you a sense of as yet unexplored authors.
Read MoreClare Mackintosh has taken the “locked-room” style premise and elevated the claustrophobic atmosphere by setting the story on a plane during a long-haul flight. Soon you won’t be able to tell the hostages from the hijackers…
Read MoreI understood this was at its heart a memoir, but I assumed there would be more correlation of the narrative back to the human body. You know, given the title and all. Sadly, that was not the case.
Read MoreKing has always flung aside the principles of “proper” writing with a kind of resplendent genius. Mashing up genres, bending the rules of structure to his almighty will, changing points of view on a dime and at times offering up the reader a head spinning number of narrative voices to follow. I won’t tell you which of these savvy skills is unleashed in his latest, suffice to say it’s more than one.
Read MoreIn anticipation of my review of King’s latest, Billy Summers, that I am posting on Thursday, I wanted to reshare The Institute review. Given that in 3+ years and 500+ reviews it is one of only two 10/10 ratings I have given, I would say it’s worth repeating!!
Read MoreThe Lost Apothecary - Sarah Penner
Silver Sparrow - Tayari Jones
Everyone Brave Is Forgiven - Chris Cleave
Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
The Masterpiece - Fiona Davis
The Downstairs Girl - Stacey Lee
Sparks Like Stars - Nadia Hashimi
The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton
Radiant Fugitives - Nawaaz Ahmed
Harlam Shuffle - Colson Whitehead
Our Darkest Night - Jennifer Robson
A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes
Dead Dead Girls - Nekesa Afia
Women Of Salt & Sea - Gabriela Garcia
Gentleman In Moscow - Amor Towles
Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter & Sweet - Jamie Ford
Dangerous Women - Hope Adams
Yellow Wife - Sadeqa Johnson
Wild Women & The Blues - Denny S. Bryce
The Code Breaker - Walter Isaacson (Science)
Broad Band: Untold Story Of Women Who Made The Internet (Tech)
The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green (Science)
This Is Your Mind On Plants - Michael Pollan (Science)
The God Equation - Michio Kaku (Math)
The Disordered Cosmos: Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred - Chanda Prescod Weinstein (Science)
The Premonition - Michael Lewis (Science)
Beyond Infinity - Eugenia Chang (Math)
The Math Of Life & Death - Kit Yates (Math)
Numbers Don't Lie - Vaclav Smil (Math)
Rationality - Steven Pinker (Science)
A Thousand Brains: New Intelligence (Tech)
Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies - Kelly Weinersmith (Tech)
The Innovators - Walter Isaacson (Tech)
A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson (History)
Burning The Books: The Delibrate Destruction Of Knowledge - Richard Ovenden (History)
Dead Famous: A History Of Celebrity - Greg Jenner (History)
The Secret To Super Human Strength - Alison Bechdel (Non-Fiction)
Think Again - Adam Grant (Non-Fiction)
This author packs a hell of a lot of plot into a relatively short book, fleshing out complex relationships and conflicted loyalties while never losing the underlying theme of love. And what it can drive us to do. All without a single spy novel trope in sight.
Read MoreI loved the characters in this book, it never felt that they were making the easy choice or falling victim to the cliches of the genre. My best advice if you pick up this read, just go along for the ride. Don’t try to figure it out and allow yourself to be surprised.
Read MoreA novella is that sweet spot that rests between a short novel or a long short story. Think of it as a tasting menu, or better still, an appetizer. When done well, as the ones I am sharing with you in this special summer series are, they can keep you company just long enough for a good walk and give you a sense of as yet unexplored authors.
Read MoreThis book begins with every parent’s nightmare, the disappearance of a child in a crowded market. You look away for a split second and when you glance back, they are gone. A year later the secrets and their potential revelations start piling up!
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