About the Book: It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the … Continue reading Book Review: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Thought Provoking Reads
Book Review: The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
About the Book: Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it's not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardo, to … Continue reading Book Review: The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
Book Review: Small Joys of Real Life by Allee Richards
About the Book: Shortlisted for both The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers and the Victorian Premier's Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. The night Eva shared a smile with Pat, something started. Two weeks later, lying together in her bed, Pat said, 'You can't live your life saying you'll get around to doing something you know … Continue reading Book Review: Small Joys of Real Life by Allee Richards
Book Review: A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno
About the Book: An astonishingly inventive, playful, witty, poignant and deeply moving novel from one of Australia's most exciting writers. Margaret Bryce, deceased mother of twins, has been having a hard time since dying in 2014. These days she spends time with her daughters – Eva in Madrid, and Rachel and her family in Melbourne … Continue reading Book Review: A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno
Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
About the Book: Olivia McAfee and Ava Campanello have each had a change of life forced upon them. Olivia never dreamed that after her messy divorce she would find herself back in her sleepy New Hampshire home town, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father's beekeeping business. Ava is … Continue reading Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Book Review: Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance by Kate Solly
About the Book: A heartwarming story of friendship in an imperfect world, this is binge-worthy, feel-good fiction at its best. Meredith established the Copeton Crochet Collective (no knitters please) because it would be like having friends, only with her in charge, and because there would be no men. It comes as a nasty shock, then, … Continue reading Book Review: Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance by Kate Solly
Book Review: I’ll Leave You With This by Kylie Ladd
About the Book: I’ll Leave You With This is a heart-breaking, funny, thought-provoking and honest novel about a brother’s legacy and the tangled bonds of sisterhood. The O’Shea sisters couldn’t be more different. Allison, an obstetrician, has always put others before herself and is torn between her job and young family. Prizewinning film director Bridie hasn’t … Continue reading Book Review: I’ll Leave You With This by Kylie Ladd
Book Review: The Lessons by John Purcell
About the Book: What if your first love was your one and only chance of happiness? In our lives, some promises are easily forgotten, while others come to haunt us with tragic results. From the bestselling author of The Girl on the Page comes The Lessons, a compelling novel about love and betrayal. 1961: When teens Daisy and Harry … Continue reading Book Review: The Lessons by John Purcell
Book Review: The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore
About the Book: Forbidden, passionate and all-encompassing, Margo and Richard’s love affair was the stuff of legend– but, ultimately, doomed. When Richard walked out, Margo locked herself away, leaving her three daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, to run wild. Years later, charismatic Margo entertains lovers and friends in her cottage on the Isle of Wight, … Continue reading Book Review: The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore
Book Review: Psalms for the End of the World by Cole Haddon
About the Book: It's 1962 and physics student Grace Pulansky believes she has met the man of her dreams, Robert Jones, while serving up slices of pecan pie at the local diner. But then the FBI shows up, with their fedoras and off-the-rack business suits, and accuses him of being a bomb-planting mass-murderer. Finding herself … Continue reading Book Review: Psalms for the End of the World by Cole Haddon
Theresa Smith Writes 