31 Oct-4 Nov 24 (audiobook)
A look at some of the more interesting stories, characters and controversies that have surrounded the Academy Awards over the course of its history including the Fontaine/deHavilland rivalry, Citizen Kane debacle, House of Unamerican Activities, #Oscarssowhite and Harvey Weinstein. Recommend to those with an interest.

8-31 Oct 2024
Two very different brothers in the immediate aftermath of the death of their much loved father.
Whilst there were many characteristics of Rooney‘s previous books, I enjoyed the differences in Intermezzo - the focus on male characters and in particular the happy ending. Ivan‘s chapters were easier to read but once I grew accustomed to the style of Peter‘s voice, I also enjoyed his story.

13-30 Oct 24 (audiobook)
A fun read on the school commute. I know I have seen the Studio Ghibli movie (possibly before having kids) but I remembered very little of the story.
Following a classic fairytale trope, Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, so destined for little. But cursed by the Witch of the Waste she meets Howl and the occupants of his enchanted castle and discovers she may be able to overcome the disadvantage of being the oldest.

26-30 Oct 24 (audiobook)
An entertaining look at the history of the Kings (and few Queens) of Britain from the fictional King Arthur through to Queen Elizabeth I. At times I found Mitchell‘s humour a little cringeworthy, but this is informative if irreverent history for those who know the names (not difficult with so many Henrys and Williams) but little detail. Did nothing to improve my view of the current monarchy or their presumed right to rule.

23-6 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Narrated by both Riley Keough and Julia Roberts, this is the story of Lisa-Marie Presley in her own words. Some of it confused me as it was not strictly chronological. What did come through was the love and appreciation she had for her father. And the difficulties in her relationship with her mother, Priscilla. The loneliness and addiction were heartbreaking. Not 100% successful for me but a very interesting text.

20-22 Oct 24 (audiobook)
A fictionalised account of Nancy Wake, an Australian woman who worked with the resistance in occupied France before becoming a British special ops agent.
Clearly it is a fascinating story but I found the device of moving between two timelines artificial. I also was frustrated by the fictionalisations (Marcelline was a fabrication!) and how much was deleted. I should not have listened through to the acknowledgements.

17-9 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Wonderful series of interviews between Cave and an Irish journalist/friend that took place over the COVID years.
They do discuss Nick‘s influences, music and his formative years in Australia, but mostly the discussion relates to his spiritual and religious views, work ethic and the grief experienced in the aftermath of the death of Arthur and, to a lesser extent, his mother and Anita Lane.
Very thought-provoking.

12-6 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Brooks tells the story of a priceless 15th century illuminated Jewish book and its travels from Spain to Sarajevo through many hands to reach an Australian rare book excerpt shortly after the Serbian War recounting a history of antisemitism.
I enjoyed the concept which seems to be a trial run for the more successful Horse, but the narrative was difficult to follow as the book is traced backward in time to its origins.

4 Aug-13 Oct 24 (audiobook)
I actually followed this better on the audio reread than when I first read it aloud to Polly 5+ years ago. I even teared up a little at the ending. It helped that Beatrix really enjoyed the whole series and we have now commenced watching the TV show.
The worlds created by Pullman are quite magical although obviously far from idyllic. And I for one appreciate his views of the church, death and the afterlife.

9-11 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Hemingway may be the antidote to my current trend of reading books about peri-menopausal women seeking sexual exploration - his work is intensely masculine and somewhat misogynistic.
Nevertheless I did enjoy this text about Robert Jordan, an idealistic American teacher who joins the civil war and becomes a bomb expert. Such an interesting period when clever young men headed off to a foreign country to fight a war of ideals.

6-8 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Therese‘s successful homewares brand was established with the help of her significantly older, property developer husband. Now her husband is investigated for fraud and corruption and the life she has become accustomed to is at risk.
Another frustrating main character but easier to enjoy than All Fours. I was not expecting the parallels and did wonder what those parallels say about the portrayal of perimenopausal women.

1-7 Oct 2024
Not sure how I felt about this book. It was challenging - in that the main character‘s journey was far removed from my life, my preferences and my values. Her actions were totally incomprehensible to me; the sex made me cringe. There was no aspect of her experience I wanted for myself. Ultimately I related best to Harris - wondering wtf was going on. But it kept me reading, even if I did not really like it. I did love Jordi.

25 Sep-6 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Such a chore, but I felt I could not be too critical without pursuing it to the end. I wish I hadn‘t.
I quite liked magical realism at uni - Rushdie in particular but others also. Maybe I have lost my patience for it with age.
This book needed a brutal editor. It was repetitive to the point that it could have been a good short story or novella. But as is, was a bloated 700+ pages. I do not understand the acclaim.

22-30 Sep 24
I love the Lucy Barton series and this was just wonderful. I have been scouring the internet for the Olive and Burgess Boys in the same hardcover format, but to no avail.
This books sees Lucy back with William and living in Maine where she has befriended Bob Burgess and also Olive Kitteridge. They recollect stories and follow the investigation of one of Bob‘s clients for murder.
None of which explains why I love it so much. I just do

23-4 Sep 24 (audiobook)
Far from groundbreaking but a passable modern romcom novel. Similar in style (perhaps a bit too derivative) to Emily Henry novels, particularly with the heroine being a writer. Obviously many young women are following the advice to write what they know!
Anna and Mac are both members of the bridal party, and there is an obvious attraction. But they live on opposite sides of the world.
Predictable but entertaining and fluffy.

19-22 Sep 24 (audiobook)
I have loved revisiting this series. It is such an interesting depiction of female relationships: friendship but also many mother/daughter and teacher/student relationships.
On first read I thought Tina was kidnapped by the Solaras but less certain on a re-read. I also liked Elena less - there were times when her self-indulgence and her jealousy infuriated me.
Looking forward to watching the series after school holidays.

5-21 Sep 25
The jumping off point for this novel is ostensibly the kidnapping of Carl Fletcher and the impact it continues to have on his family decades later. But it may well be the continued impact of the holocaust and the actions people can justify taking to keep their family ‘safe‘ or, in the case of the Fletchers, incredibly wealthy.
Interesting look at generational trauma, privilege and entitlement. The ending kind of deflated me. But true.

13-8 Sep 24 (audiobook)
Having already made it halfway through the final novel before writing this review, I find it difficult to remember where this instalment started and finished. I am thoroughly immersed in the world of Lila and Lenu now, never quite knowing where my sympathies lie.
I am looking very forward to watching the TV series but after watching half an episode decided to wait until I finish my re-read. And the end of school holidays.

7-12 Sep 24 (audiobook)
I am loving revisiting this series on audiobook.
The second book sees Lila in a violent, unhappy marriage and Lenu departing Naples for university. I am again very emotionally involved with the characters, hoping that Lenu‘s focus on education will ultimately triumph, even whilst conceding that is often not the case in life. The depiction of female friendship -competitive, bitter at times- rings particularly true for me.

2-6 Sep 24 (audiobook)
A re-read on audio following it coming it at number 1 of the NYT books of this century so far.
I loved revisiting Lila‘s tempestuous nature and Elena‘s jealousy, the limited options for women and prevalence of violence in 1950s Naples and the power of education, even if this is not always recognised by Elena. Did it deserve the number one spot? I am not sure but I do appreciate that the place was taken by a ‘woman‘s novel‘.

31 Aug-4 Sep 24
A great read, which I tore through surprisingly quickly.
A girl goes missing from summer camp in the Adirondacks. The twist is the camp is owned by her extremely wealthy parents and is the same location from which her brother went missing almost two decades before. Woods tells the two stories simultaneously and from different viewpoints, a format I always seem to find compelling. Touches on coming of age, wealth and privilege.

25 Aug-1 Sep 24 (audiobook)
Almost a series of short stories rather than a novel, Towles recounts the house arrest of Count Alexander Rostov in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow for the crime of being an unrepentant aristocrat and the many characters he encounters during his decades of confinement. The many tales are beautifully and sometimes humorously told. My favourite perhaps being the removal of all labels on the wine bottles in the cellar. Lovely

14-30 Aug 24
YA novel set in the 70s which addresses racism, bigotry, sexual abuse and dysfunctional families. Silvey does a wonderful job of evoking the atmosphere of small town Australia, the stifling heat and attitudes and the desperation to escape. But he also shows that there are decent people and sometimes it just takes one person to stand up for others to follow.
I loved it, especially Jeffrey Lu.
I look forward to watching the film.

24-5 Aug 24 (audiobook)
It would be disingenuous of me not to give this a pick - I finished it in 2 days. But the ending did not invoke any emotion from me. How else could it have ended? I have a hard time picturing Solene and Hayes, even knowing the casting. I cannot imagine finding myself in love with a 20 year old. The idea is a bit icky. I expect the age gap is similar to Jane Eyre or Emma, which having read recently also make me uncomfortable

20-3 Aug 24 (audiobook)
The first time I read this was because a colleague said it was her favourite book ever. I was not so impressed. I did enjoy it more the second time around (20+ years later). In many ways, The Secret History is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby - an outsider gaining restricted admittance to a gilded society verging on tragedy. But Henry is never the tragic hero - I do not wish for him to get the girl and get away with murder.

16-9 Aug 24 (audiobook)
I don‘t have much to say about this book and have delayed posting a review. Now, a week after finishing, I barely remember it.
The mother-daughter relationship was strained and uncomfortable, which left me hoping that my relationships with my daughters are not as difficult, although sometimes it can be hard to know.
I do enjoy the Irish voice and so was quite happy to listen along without being overly engaged.

14-5 Aug 24 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist24
A woman escapes her problems and those of the world by retreating to a convent.
Wood‘s writing is compelling but the protagonist frustrated me. Having such a low tolerance for organised religion did not help. I do not think ‘First do no harm‘ is enough.
I prefer Nick Cave‘s take - grief and loss are our fundamental fabric and bring incredible meaning to who we are.
Not the option to sequester ourselves.

21 Jul-13 Aug 24
Set in a near future of high security prisoners becoming reality TV gladiators fighting to the death for a distant promise of freedom.
Adjei-Brenyah develops many engaging characters in a narrative that questions the purpose of incarceration, the dubious ethics of privatising prisons and our appetite for pitting humans against each other in the name of entertainment.
Apt given the vast hours of Olympics I watched in this period.

26 July-14 Aug 24 (audiobook)
Inspired to read by its position as No 6 on NYT best 100 of 21st century. It seemed to take much longer than 19 days!
Maybe because I re-listened to numerous sections when I realised I had drifted off and was confused as to how they fit. Sometimes the answer was they didn‘t really.
Many of the stories were fascinating but incomplete. Perhaps that was always Bolano‘s intention. A lot is left unanswered.

1 July-3 Aug 24 (audiobook)
Will and Lee Scoresby/Hector are my two favourite characters in this series and they get a lot of air time in this instalment. Yet I find this book less thrilling than Northern Lights where it felt as though a lot more was at stake at Bolvangar and Svalbard. Which is kind of ridiculous because now we are dealing with the end of all worlds but for me there is less tension as the series proceeds, which is disappointing.

26 May-30 Jun 24 (audiobook)
Much better series to listen to with Trix on our commutes to school and activities. I particularly love this first book in the series which introduces Lyra and the concept of the animal daemon. It is a magical idea - having a speaking animal companion for your whole life. I wish Pullman kept the religious aspects out of it but I guess he is the modern day CS Lewis.
Regardless it is a wonderful book.

25 Jul 24 (audiobook)
Companion book to The Passenger, this is narrower in scope and thus easier to understand. It consists of a series of interviews between Alice/Alicia Western and her treating psychiatrist at Stella Maris, the institute she voluntarily enters whilst Bobby is in a coma following a car crash in Europe. Did The Passenger mention the coma? I really don‘t know. Not a lot of answers here but interesting. And perfectly narrated.

21-4 Jul 24 (audiobook)
I kind of liked this - as in I enjoyed listening to individual sentences and paragraphs and even understood what was happening in whole scenes at times. But as a coherent novel, I really had no idea what was going on. I could not follow the timeline - perhaps an audiobook problem? - and although I liked Bobby I was so frustrated by his drifting and lack of action. McCarthy‘s writing, however, always appeals to me.

19-21 July 24 (audiobook)
An addictive story told through letters written to an ex-teacher 30 years after a student was murdered on the campus of a prestigious boarding school in New Hampshire.
Perhaps a little predictable but still riveting. Reflecting on how difficult the high school experience was for many in the early 90s, even those who seemed to have everything going for them, is fascinating. Hopefully things have improved for our kids.

19-20 Jul 24
Such a wonderful story of language, dying worlds, loneliness and love. The setting of the Orkney Islands seems so desolate and Ivar‘s way of life is so grim and bare and yet I can also see the beauty. The way Davies shows the desperation of each of John and Mary is so evocative and for me the ending was perfect.
I loved this and do hope it makes the Booker longlist.

14-8 July 24 (audiobook)
Needed a change of pace after the vampires and although it took a lwhile to get started, this was interesting. I suppose it is a partial history of AI - from Ehrenfest, to VonEinem to the Go Master. I vaguely recall Go being one of the games on our computer and never knowing what it was about.
Audio was not the best option - much of the part about VonEinem is quotes and it is difficult to keep track of who is being quoted.

28 Jun-16 Jul 24
Although it looks a bit of a chunkster at 450 pages, the short chapters are deceptive.
Smith fictionalises the life of marginal novelist William Ainsworth and his lover/cousin, Mrs Touchet, against the background of the Tichborne affair.
It was not perfect and the characters unsympathetic but I really enjoyed it. Interesting topic for Smith and quite different from White Teeth, the only other book of hers that I have read.

5-8 Jul 24 (audiobook)
I found the sequel less enjoyable possibly because some of the magic became a bit much for me. Oraya‘s grief at the death of Vincent seemed too much, particularly given the revelations regarding the way he had treated her. And the ending was somewhat obvious and inevitable.
I don‘t think I will continue the series.

2-5 Jul 24 (audiobook)
Silly but very entertaining nonsense about a human child who is raised by a vampire king and enters into a vampire tournament (kejari) with the prize being a wish granted by the vampire goddess. Lots of the usual vampire tropes and it basically followed the rules.
For some reasons I find vampires far sexier than fairies and this story actually held my interest and sucked me into listening to the next in the series.

29 Jun-1 Jul 24 (audiobook)
An account of a bus crash involving Palestinian school children which highlights the bureaucracy, inequality and chaos of life in the West Bank for many Palestinians.
It may have been better to read a hard copy of this short book as I confused names and stories at times. It is an interesting book as it uses the bus incident as the starting point to a history of some of the Palestinian villages surrounding Jerusalem.

24-9 Jun 24 (audiobook)
The size of this novel had been overwhelming me for years, so tackling the audiobook seemed an easier option. And it worked well. It is a sprawling epic tracing a family from their roots in Africa to close to present day. There are numerous accounts of sexual abuse, including against children, some of which were difficult to deal with and many characters are flawed. But it certainly held my interest and raised questions.

24-7 Jun 24
Watts‘ debut novel examines emotional and environmental trauma through the narrator‘s experiences as a recent uni graduate now working in an emergency services call centre. It is raw and at times a little unhinged but such an accurate portrayal of that period of life for a woman in her early 20s where it is so easy for things to start to unravel and so difficult to see the way out. Well, at least it sometimes felt that way. Loved it.

21-3 June 24 (audiobook)
Evangelista tells of Duterte‘s presidency and the large number of killings at the hands of vigilantes and official police from the perspective of her role as a trauma reporter. It is shocking and relentless. At times I found myself thinking it was all a bit repetitive but then reflecting upon what that actually meant - thousands of people who were considered undesirable for whatever reason dying or disappearing.

7-23 Jun 24
I love Huckleberry Finn and have now read it to both my girls. But the treatment of Jim, particularly when he is subjected to Tom Sawyer‘s antics, is problematic. So I loved this, perhaps even more than I loved The Trees. Of course, I am always partial to a different perspective on a classic story. Without giving too much away, I loved the language, the plot change and the revelations made. Truly a remarkable writer.

19-20 Jun 24 (audiobook)
Interesting memoir written by a woman diagnosed (or maybe self-diagnosed) as a sociopath. Sections did not exactly ring true. Which could be predictable as one of the traits of sociopaths is that they are liars. Apparently there is considerable controversy surrounding Patric‘s PhD which may not exist.
Regardless, it was an entertaining memoir and an insight into psychology and treatment of mental conditions.

16-18 Jun 24 (audiobook)
A very low pick. Two Emily Henry books in a row may have been too much but I just found this too predictable and the characters dull. January seemed the least intelligent heroine to date and there was little suspense or real tension. I definitely need to move on.

2 Mar-16 Jun 24
After a slow start, Beatrix and I were enchanted by this beautifully told story of Winnie Foster and the immortal Tuck family. Babbitt‘s writing is quite lyrical and I think we both yearned for a happy ever after whilst also acknowledging that to live forever may not be something to wish for.
Watched the 2002 movie last night, which was ok but did not hold the same enchantments for me.

14-5 June 24 (audiobook)
Light, fluffy and lovely. I enjoy the predictability of Emily Henry‘s books, although sometimes it does feel that she throws a lot of obstacles in the way of two grown, consenting and obviously willing adults having sex. But Miles and Daphne were lovely and thoroughly deserving of a happy ending after finally disposing of their despicable ex partners. For any regular reader of such books, that is obviously not a spoiler.

11-4 Jun 24 (audiobook)
Without doubt I prefer the humour and the levity of Animal Farm. Somehow the corruption and torture seem less harrowing when committed by farm animals. Nevertheless, 1984 is quite an amazing book and the influence it has had on our thinking and our language is incredible. I hate the torture scenes - the rats, the description of Winston when he looks in the mirror and the betrayal of everything he believes. Orwell was bleak.

10 June 24 (audiobook)
I had forgotten how much I love this ‘fairy story‘. I love so many of the characters: Boxer, Clover, Snowball and, most of all, Benjamin. I do wonder which I would be. And it tells so many truths. Orwell himself may not be a very likeable character but this really is a masterpiece. And Stephen Fry‘s narration is, of course, perfect.