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+ An absolutely beautiful read, this book resonated so powerfully with me that it was difficult to see it end. Deeply evocative, the author captures perfectly the heady rush that comes with being eighteen, on the cusp of adulthood - a time so jumbled up with innocence,…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] 1/2 A contemporary romance set in the beautiful sun, sand, and surf of Queensland’s Bellbird Bay. Ailsa McNeil, 52 years old, has just learned that her twenty-five year marriage to her husband Bob, (suddenly and somewhat mysteriously behaving like a “surly loner”, distancing himself in all forms of…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] Benji is a black Labrador, and interestingly, also a narrator of this book, which features a dog’s-eye view of the complications that can arise in seemingly perfect human lives. Meriel, the main (human) protagonist, and the story’s second-provided POV, believes herself to be happily married. Until the…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] A gentle look at love, as it ages, batted about and corrupted by the passage of time, as long-held fears, insecurities and secrets, do their dirty work in darkness - leaving us to wonder, is it ever too late to start again? Prickly and somewhat unlikable, Meena…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] This adorable picture-book touched me. With its simple rhyming prose, gentle watercolor images, and lovely message, reading this book (with a child, or as an adult with the child-in-you listening ) is like wading into a serene and calming lake - losing yourself to something eternal, something…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] 1/2 A feast for lovers of contemporary crime fiction, this stellar collection of 25 stories, all written by members of CWA and embracing a theme of music, is both a must read and a rare and captivating treat. With stories reaching broadly across the crime genre, including procedural…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] + For this reader, a long-time fan of both Rachel and all the Marion Keyes books, visiting with Rachel again, (along with the entire Walsh family), is a visit with old and treasured friends, - so much so that re-opening the door, to step back into their world,…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] A pitch-perfect thriller, this book is dark and devious and thoroughly engaging - with enough twists and turns to keep even the best psychological sleuth guessing. Helen, Serena, Rory and Daniel. College friends at Cambridge, (Rory Haverstock is Helen’s brother) and as the couples pair up and…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] Chilling and unstoppable, this book just keeps on going - layering on the suspense, terror and more suspense, as nine characters are detailed, drawn and masterfully slipped into the swirling pond of our emotions, and we cannot help but learn - each of them has been chosen…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] 1/2 Gorgeous, complex and tragic in its sweeping reach, this is a book about love, and ironically, (considering the title) its cost. Set in 1967, in swinging volatile London, the world is changing and each of our protagonists cannot help but be affected. Phyllis Fischer - a…