You've landed where I share my book reviews. I believe in being honest in a book review - although also, hopefully, tactful. I also believe that most books do have an audience somewhere. So if I dislike a book, I'll tell you so, but I'll also try to tell you why in such a way … Continue reading Where are you?
When Grace Went Away
By Meredith Appleyard ISBN: 9781489254597 Publisher: HQ Fiction “When Grace Went Away” is a genuine and heartfelt exploration of family estrangement and how it affects the individuals in a family. I found it both interesting and moving, a story in which the emotions rang true. Grace Fairley is a successful financial advisor. So successful, in … Continue reading When Grace Went Away
The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside
By Jessica Ryn ISBN: 978 0008364625 HQ Stories (2020) “The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside” took quite some time to engage me, but ultimately turned out to be a sweet and moving novel that had a strong impact on me. Dawn Brightside has been living on the streets for years, but hasn’t lost the impulse … Continue reading The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside
Just My Luck
By Adele Parks ISBN: 9780008318420 HQ Fiction (2020) “Just My Luck” begins with a common fantasy – winning the lottery – and a common nightmare – a dispute over the winning ticket. It’s an emotive subject, and Parks’ novel is correspondingly emotive. It’s powerful and memorable, and I enjoyed reading it. At times I found … Continue reading Just My Luck
The Last Emperox
(Book 3 of the Interdependency series) Author: John Scalzi ISBN: 978-1509835355 Tor (2020) “The Last Emperox” is the third in the Interdependency series, and that’s its major weakness. This is not a novel that stands particularly well by itself – although the story is easy enough to follow, I found very little emotional engagement for a reader … Continue reading The Last Emperox
Dear Parents
By Gabbie Stroud ISBN: 978-1-76087-526-8 Allen and Unwin (2020) “Dear Parents” is a sequel of sorts to Stroud’s first book, “Teacher”. While “Teacher” was clearly non fiction, “Dear Parents” sits in a murkier area: it’s intended to spark discussion around matters of education in Australia, but is written in the form of a series of … Continue reading Dear Parents
Music from Another World
By Robin Talley ISBN: 978-1-8672-0225-7 Publisher: HarperCollins (2020) “Music From Another World” is a novel that explores that point in life where you have to start thinking about who you are, separate from your family and what you’ve been told to be all your life. For the young people in this novel, that includes defining … Continue reading Music from Another World
This Lovely City
By Louise Hare ISBN: 978-0-00-833455-0 HQ Fiction (2020) “This Lovely City” is an interesting novel, one where everything feels inevitable and expected, and yet you’re often surprised by events. I enjoyed it a great deal, including the fact that although it is set in a time and place I’m fictionally very familiar with, Hare has … Continue reading This Lovely City
