Read: High quality reading this month, with only one exception (Juja). The rest were excellent, with Lioness adding to my #AYearofNZLit. So far, I've read an NZ book each month for this focus, so I feel I'm on track for making my way through my planned reading list with a few extra additions. Tidelines and … Continue reading February: Read, Listen, Watch, Repeat…
Month: Feb 2024
Book Review: The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns
About the Book: Named after a famous fictional character, librarian Bridget Jones was raised on a remote cattle station, with only her mother’s romance novels for company. Now living alone in Fremantle, Bridget is a hopeless romantic. She also believes that anyone who doesn’t like reading just hasn’t met the right book yet, and that … Continue reading Book Review: The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns
Book Review: Juja by Nino Haratischvili (trans. Ruth Martin)
About the Book: Published for the first time in English, the sweeping debut novel set in bohemian Paris, by the author of international bestseller The Eighth Life. In 1953, a teenage girl, Jeanne Saré, jumps in front of a train at the Gare du Nord station. She leaves behind writings that to some are unreadable, but … Continue reading Book Review: Juja by Nino Haratischvili (trans. Ruth Martin)
Book Review: Lioness by Emily Perkins #AYearofNZLit
About the Book: From humble beginnings, Therese has let herself grow used to a life of luxury after marrying into an empire-building family. But when rumours of corruption gather around her husband's latest development, the social opprobrium is shocking, the fallout swift, and Therese begins to look at her privileged and insular world with new … Continue reading Book Review: Lioness by Emily Perkins #AYearofNZLit
Book Review: The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall
About the Book: An epic, kaleidoscopic story of four women connected across time and place by an invisible thread and their determination to shape their own stories, from the acclaimed author of The Mother Fault.Longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2024Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023 One of the lucky few with a … Continue reading Book Review: The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall
Book Review: Everyone and Everything by Nadine J. Cohen
About the Book: When Yael Silver’s world comes crashing down, she looks to the past for answers and finds solace in surprising places. An unconventional new friendship, a seaside safe space and an unsettling amount of dairy help her to heal, as she wrestles with her demons – and some truly terrible erotic literature. Funny … Continue reading Book Review: Everyone and Everything by Nadine J. Cohen
Book Review: Seven Sisters by Katherine Kovacic
About the Book: Naomi started grief counselling prepared to run for cover as soon as her therapist, Mia, pulled out a crystal or tried to align her chakras. When Mia suggests that she join a support group, Naomi is sceptical: how could she begin to describe what it felt like to lose her sister, Jo? … Continue reading Book Review: Seven Sisters by Katherine Kovacic
A Year of New Zealand Literature
Australia and New Zealand share a similar history when it comes to literature. A rich oral tradition that predates European settlement, early colonial writing, and then in the 20th century, the emergence of a literature distinct from English literature and the writing of First Nations authors. There are common themes too: unique landscapes, geographical isolation, … Continue reading A Year of New Zealand Literature
Book Review: The Search Party by Hannah Richell
About the Book: Five old friends reunite for an idyllic glamping holiday on the rugged Cornwall coast, but tensions rise when a storm leaves them stranded and someone goes missing. Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. … Continue reading Book Review: The Search Party by Hannah Richell
Book Review: The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey
About the Book: The conversion was Nick’s idea. Nick: so persuasive, ever the optimist, still boyishly handsome. Always on a quest to design the perfect environment, convinced it could heal a wounded soul. The conversion was Nick’s idea, but it’s Zoe who’s here now, in a valley of old coalmines and new vineyards, working out … Continue reading Book Review: The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey
Theresa Smith Writes 