The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan... About the Book: The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is a charming, nostalgic and heart-warming story for women of any age – and it all begins when 79-year-old Shirley kidnaps her husband from his nursing home for one final adventure . . . When Shirley Sullivan signs her 83-year-old … Continue reading Book Review: The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland
Domestic Drama
Author Talks: Leah Swann on Inventive explorations of motherhood in fiction
The eagle-featured mother in Angela Carter’s Bluebeard story “The Bloody Chamber” was an electrifying discovery as a student and lives on in me to this day. Back then, I’d read about oppressive mothers, unreliable mothers, fearsome mothers and loving mothers but never a fierce, swashbuckling mother like this one. Early in the story we learn … Continue reading Author Talks: Leah Swann on Inventive explorations of motherhood in fiction
Book Review: The River Home by Hannah Richell
The River Home... About the Book: The river can take you home. But the river can also drag you under... Margot Sorrell didn't want to go home. She had spent all her adult life trying not to look behind. But a text from her sister Lucy brought her back to Somerset. 'I need you.' As … Continue reading Book Review: The River Home by Hannah Richell
Book Review: Elly by Maike Wetzel
Elly (Translated from German by Lyn Marven) About the Book: A missing child is a nightmare for any family. But what happens when they come back? Eleven-year-old Elly is missing. After an extensive police search she is presumed dead, and her family must learn to live with a gaping hole in their lives. Then, four … Continue reading Book Review: Elly by Maike Wetzel
The Classics Eight: Little Women
Little Women AND Good Wives – a reflection in words and images I first read Little Women when I was ten. I was gifted a copy and took it with me to Europe in that same year, carting it everywhere and reading it over and over. I never read it again, but still have that … Continue reading The Classics Eight: Little Women
Book Review: The Day the Lies Began by Kylie Kaden
The Day the Lies Began… About the Book: ‘It seemed simple at first – folding one lie over the next. She had become expert at feathering over the cracks to ensure her life appeared the same. But inside, it didn’t feel fixed.’ It happened the day of the Moon Festival. It could have been left … Continue reading Book Review: The Day the Lies Began by Kylie Kaden
Book Review: Love and Other Battles by Tess Woods
Love and Other Battles… About the Book: Three generations of women. Three heartbreaking choices. One unforgettable story. 1969: Free-spirited hippie Jess James has no intention of falling for a soldier ... but perhaps some things are not in our power to stop. 1989: Jess's daughter, Jamie, dreams of a simple life - marriage, children, stability … Continue reading Book Review: Love and Other Battles by Tess Woods
Book Review: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Boy Swallows Universe... About the Book: Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a … Continue reading Book Review: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Bookish TV in Review: Sharp Objects
American psychological thriller television miniseries Premiered on July 8, 2018, on HBO Based on the debut novel of the same name by writer Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl"), the eight-episode series "Sharp Objects" stars Amy Adams, in her first major role on the small screen, as reporter Camille Preaker, who returns to her small hometown to … Continue reading Bookish TV in Review: Sharp Objects
Behind the Pen with Emily Brewin
It’s always a pleasure to welcome to Behind the Pen an author whose work I admire and today my guest is Emily Brewin, talking with me about her latest release, Small Blessings. How would you describe Small Blessings if you could only use 5 words? Hope, connection, friendship, motherhood, loss. What was the inspiration … Continue reading Behind the Pen with Emily Brewin
