Just as I prefer not to read from a kindle (for me, there is something incomplete about the experience of reading like that, no turning of pages or feeling the weight of the book move from one hand to the other as you read…) I was not drawn to the idea of an audiobook. That is, […]
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The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell Opening sentence: “Sydney Bowles was fourteen years old when she first set eyes on David Freeman Mitford.” I really can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book. When a biography feels like a novel – in its tone, structure, plot development and engrossing story arcs of […]
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The Girls by Emma Cline Opening sentence: “I looked up because of the laughter and kept looking because of the girls.” I knew that this novel took inspiration from Charles Manson and his cult of followers who notoriously killed 7 people in the summer of 1969, including actress Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski. […]
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The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Opening sentence: “They say the day the Governor arrived, the ravens did too.” Set on the fictional island of Joya, this enticing Young Adult book is told from the point of view of 13-year-old Isabella. It has had quite a lot of hype since its release […]
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Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher Opening sentence: “So I am fifty-two years old.” In this snappy little biography (the book version of her one-woman 2008-2010 stage show of the same name), Carrie Fisher reveals her thoughts on growing up in Hollywood, having a movie star mum, and she is very open and honest about her […]
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The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Opening sentence: “I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem.” One of the few novels I’ve read that I can apply the phrase ‘heart-warming’ to. If you don’t finish this book with a huge grin on your face and a warm glow, then you, my friend, are […]
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This is a question that crosses my mind every time I write a review, as whether it is a book, film, play, exhibition – anything! – if the main plot points or big reveal in the narrative are given away before you’ve had a chance to discover them for yourself, then that will surely dampen […]
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