There’s no better way to start the new year in isolation than tucking into a good book. So, pour yourself a glass of wine, a nice cup of tea, or a fresh cup of coffee and pick up or download David Sedaris’s new book of humorous essays and stories, The Best of Me. As a confirmed and long-time fan of Sedaris’s writing, it fits the…
Browsing Category Book Reviews
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB is another book suggestion that would make a great Christmas gift
If you know anyone who might enjoy a book that is a delightful combination of an Agatha Christie whodunnit and TV’s Agatha Raisin, then The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is the perfect choice. Don’t you just love it when you know right from page one that you’re going to enjoy a book? The Thursday Murder Club combines wonderful British dark humour, with quirky…
Shuggie Bain takes us inside Thatcher-era poverty in suburban Glasgow
Every once in a while we come upon a book that, while not an uplifting subject, touches us deeply. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart was short-listed for The Booker Prize and that prompted me to give it a go. I suppose it could be compared to Angela’s Ashes ‘lite’ without all the dead babies and flooded, freezing tenement flats. It’s the story of a young boy growing…
Experience twentieth-century life in France through the eyes of an unusual narrator
Never Anyone But You by Rupert Thomson ticked all my boxes when it comes to reading material. Historical fiction. Strong female characters. Set in France. WW1 to and beyond WW2. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading but the book just got better and better. I hated to finish. Never Anyone But You is based on the true story of two French…
Thursday Musical Two-Fer: A book about Dolly Parton and a book by Jann Arden
Dolly Parton and Jann Arden are two women I would definitely love to have as girlfriends—BFFs. They’re smart, talented, generous, kind, and funny. I’ve just finished reading two books: She Come By It Natural about Dolly Parton written by Sarah Smarsh, and If I Knew Then by Jann Arden. She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh is basically a fan letter from one country girl…
“Friends and Enemies” exposes how the other half lives, or Don’t cry for me, Barbara Amiel
You will need to allow plenty of time to read and absorb the contents of Barbara Amiel’s new memoir Friends and Enemies which was released earlier this month. Weighing in at a hefty 603 pages in the hardcover and 978 pages on my iPad mini, it requires a lot of time, and many glasses of wine or, in my case, cups of strong tea to get…