This book has the most appropriate title. This is the story of Martha and all the highs and lows of her life. More lows than highs. I found parts of this book incredibly depressing but then it is also very funny and full of wit. Interesting read that I am glad I read. I think this one will stay with me for quite a while. Memorable read.

When I started reading this one, I didn‘t think I was going to like it. I was wrong. I ended up not being able to put it down! The story was a little bit predictable and too neatly wrapped up at times but I still enjoyed it. The domestic violence aspect was quite confronting. The language of flowers is interesting and the Australian settings were great to read about.

Another great read! Love this series!

I flew through this one! So good! As are all Sally Hepworth‘s books. The story is of three women who met in an awful foster care situation but who have bonded as sisters. Human remains are found underneath their former foster home and the police contact them. Very good enthralling read.

This book was ok but not great. The writing was a bit ‘all over the place‘ . It didn‘t flow properly. I felt like the author just threw things in after writing a first draft! Like it was really rushed. The plot was good but the writing is going to stop me from reading books 2 and 3. Teenagers are really loving this author at the moment, which is a good thing. But this is not for me.

This book was brilliant! So much going on! The casual and also blatant racism of which the protagonist is woefully blind says a lot about society today. Every page had something that made me either cringe or made me angry. The lies and deception will hook you in. Along with the fascinating look at the inside of the publishing industry. There is so much in this book!!. Would make a great book club read!

I really liked this one! I‘m not surprised teenagers are keen to read it. Lots of decoding and deciphering clues that will keep you guessing and interested. As a side note, I particularly liked one of the minor characters whose parents are strict about her use of bad language. Her unique way around this kept me chuckling.

This is my first Nicci French book. It kept me enthralled even though it got convoluted and a bit unbelievable towards the end. Good though. And I will read more of them. I didn‘t realise until I started that the author is a married couple writing together. I don‘t know how they do it but it seems to work!

I was lucky enough to hear this author speak at a Writers Festival. She was very engaging and I found the topic interesting. She looks at both the novel and movie of ‘Gone With The Wind‘ and how the mythology surrounding the Civil War, slavery and the south in general, is used and also mirrors the lies and deceit of Trumpism and most recently the January 6 insurrection. Very interesting reading.

I really enjoyed this book! Although I don‘t know how to review it! There isn‘t much of a plot. It is more a book about some characters that are loosely connected. Beautiful writing and wonderful descriptions of places and people. A friend recommended this author to me and I will definitely be reading more.

I really enjoyed this one! Completely different from ‘The Natural Way of Things‘ which is the only other book I‘ve read by this author. Three women who have been friends for decades, meet at Christmas, ‘not for a holiday‘ but to clean out a beach house of recently deceased friend. Brilliantly written and brutally honest. A look into growing older and how lifelong friendships develop, warts and all! Well worth reading!

This series just keeps getting better and better! Loved this one!

Merry Christmas! 🎄I‘m up early and waiting for the rest of the household to wake up and open their presents so I‘ve used the time wisely and finished my book! This is between a ‘pick‘ and a ‘so-so‘. I‘m feeling generous as it‘s Christmas! This is an interesting concept and story, just the execution wasn‘t great. The writing didn‘t really flow. But maybe this is just the translation. Anyway, Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Really disappointed in this one. I really liked another book by this author so was expecting this to be good but found it repetitive and slow. Everything was laid out too conveniently and nothing was left to the imagination. I got bored waiting for things to happen. Not enough action, surprises, twists and turns for me. Plus the editor missed some clangers which annoyed me.

I love Ann Patchett‘s books. She is one of my favourite authors. This was great. I loved the setting and the characters. I wasn‘t so keen on the ending. Can‘t reveal why without a spoiler alert, but a great book nonetheless. Well worth reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a great read! A real page turner! Couldn‘t put it down and joked at work that I was going to ask my boss if I could go home early to finish it 😂 I don‘t understand why people have bailed on this and rated it low. I loved the way it kept me guessing, as all Lucy Foley books do. Yes, the characters are awful, they‘re meant to be! And Foley has a real knack for dissecting human nature. Loved it as I do all her books!

I‘ve watched some of the Michael Mosley documentaries about weight loss and the last book I read mentioned him too, so I thought I‘d read more. Some interesting points in here. A lot of people are raving about intermittent fasting and talking about overall health benefits associated, not just weight loss. ButI think I‘d still talk to my doctor about it first. This book hasn‘t convinced me to jump on the bandwagon just yet.

I‘m a fair way off retirement but as I‘m getting older I thought I should at least start thinking about it. And I wish I‘d started earlier! This book is a great guide for Australian readers. Informative, fun and a really positive look at how great retirement can be. Lots of financial, health and well being advice. I‘ll be returning this library copy and then buying my own to keep so that I can refer back to it.

Another great book by Sally Hepworth. I devoured this one! Great page turner that keeps you guessing until the end. This book has a little bit of everything including complicated marriages, death, mental illness and a story that keeps you engaged. Can‘t wait to read her newest release.

This was recommended to me by a work colleague after she was trying to suggest any book I hadn‘t read! I am so glad she suggested this one. I really enjoyed it. I had spent some time in Istanbul many years ago. This brought back so many wonderful memories! It is an amazing city to explore and Pamuk‘s book captures it perfectly. The fact I read the illustrated version was an added bonus.

This was a good YA read. Set in a township in Durban,South Africa it‘s a good book for young adults to gain a sense of South African life and the remnants of the apartheid era. Solid characters although a bit cliched. Interesting but at times a bit unrealistic but overall a good read.

This book had two halves. Like the soccer matches referred to in both. The first half is youthful & fun. The second is a middle aged reflection. The book begins with a trip to Manchester by a group Scottish boys on the cusp of adulthood. Their mission is to attend a music festival and have the time of their lives. Lots of laughs, alcohol,music and memories made. The second half is more much more somber & serious in tone. Like all our adult lives.

This book was a difficult, uncomfortable and painful read. I guess it was supposed to be. It is not a book that mourns the Queen‘s death. It is a book full of anger directed at part of what the ‘white queen‘ represented. I.e colonisation, dispossession and genocide. It also focuses on ‘whiteness‘ and white privilege and everyday racism that indigenous people face. The writing was hard to follow at times. Raw pain radiates from these pages.

A friend recommended this. Out of politeness I persisted. The reason I didn‘t want to read it is because I‘ve read another Kristin Hannah book, ‘The Great Alone‘ and found it frustrating and at times, implausible. This book was slightly better but I think that is because I was expecting to be annoyed. Certain details just irked me. How can they make cannolis when there is barely any butter or milk? The subject matter was interesting though.

I liked this one better than the first one in the series.

Well, it‘s taken me 7 years but I‘ve finally finished this series! I had to check my Goodreads to find out exactly when I finished the first book in this quartet. It‘s taken me so long because I didn‘t want it to end. I‘ve eked it out until now. Knowing that this series has been waiting for me has been a pleasure. It‘s been something to look forward to. It did not disappoint. Simply beautiful and moving. What an ending!

This book has all the answers to most people‘s questions about the Voice and upcoming referendum…..I think. It‘s less than 100 pages long and easy to whizz through.

I always wonder, whenever I read diaries like this, did the person writing them intend them to be published? As he was writing these words did he somewhere in the back of his mind know they‘d be read by strangers? Interesting thought. I found this entertaining and I was interested in his opinions on various films and plays. He seemed to hate every film I like which made me smile. His criticisms are valid though.

Oooh! This one was good! A teenager recommended it to me and I‘m glad they did! Well written, fast paced, sci fi YA read. Lots of action to keep you on your toes. And an ending that will make you want to read book 2 &3!

This is one that I am truly glad I persisted with! I really struggled with the start of it and it took me ages to warm to it. But I ended up loving it! Celeste Ng is a wonderful author. This book is a cross between Handmaid‘s Tale and 1984 and is very relevant to what is happening in the world today. Very cleverly written

This book was informative but still left me with questions. It is very pro HRT, which is great, but I felt it glossed over general side effects of HRT. I‘m not talking about the discredited research link between HRT breast cancer. That is explained, which is great. I‘m still left wondering how long HRT can be taken? What happens when women stop taking HRT? The book is full of other women‘s stories. Some are truly harrowing but most are helpful.

I don‘t know how to review this one. It started off really well but I wasn‘t quite ready for the spiritual aspects of the book. This is what happens when you pick up a book without knowing much about it beforehand! 😊 It‘s the type of book where I want to call a friend and ask ‘What did you think of this book?‘ Cos I‘m really not sure how I feel about it. It‘s left me a bit speechless.

Wow! This was great!! It has been on my ‘To read‘ list for a while. Every turn in this book had me riveted. Lots of themes and topics run through this book that are ripe for discussion. It was really nicely developed (no pun intended but a main character is a photographer) very cleverly written book. I will definitely be reading more by this author

This is a very funny and poignant book that my husband has been telling me to read for years. I‘ve finally read it and I‘m not disappointed. This follows Clive‘s early life in Australia as a young child and young adult. Laugh out loud funny at times ( the dunny can man story and the billy cart story amongst others) it is well worth reading.

The fantasy genre is not my favourite but I needed to pick a fantasy book for a Book Bingo I‘m doing. So here we are 😊 I felt like this book needed a map and a glossary. I was having trouble getting where and what things were at the start. Interesting concept and I did enjoy it but I needed more explanations. But that might be just me. I‘d be interested to hear what regular fantasy YA readers think. Overall, I did enjoy it.

A really interesting read. The author‘s husband had an affair with one of her closest friends. She has written about the betrayal and aftermath years after the event. She also traces the infidelities that run through four generations of her husband‘s family and asks the question as to whether infidelity has a generational aspect. Part memoir, part family history and part essay about life in general, I really enjoyed this book.

A friend highly recommended this book. I really loved it too! Beautifully written. The characters were wonderful. I loved the way it swung from East London to Florence throughout. I thought the author captured both cities and their people perfectly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Best short story collection I‘ve read in a long time! The book is over 500 pages long and I found every single story riveting! Nesbo is one of the best mystery/suspense writers around. If you‘ve never read him, I highly recommend you try.

This was wonderful! I loved it.I was lucky enough to hear him talk about this book in person recently. I‘d only just started reading it, at that point. I wanted to race home afterwards to finish it! The way he deals with what he is facing health wise, at the moment, is inspiring. And the way this influences his reflections in the book are very moving. His sense of clarity shines through. And his wicked sense of humour made me laugh out loud!

Loved, loved, loved this book! A refreshing take on a daughter and father family dynamic. Beautifully written!

I really liked this book. I‘m not a gamer and don‘t have much idea about that world but I still found this interesting. It was a really unique book, both in its content and writing style. Well worth reading.

I enjoyed this book but can‘t say I loved it. I did, however, love the dog character! Six Thirty (the dog) was a highlight of this book, for me!

The book I‘ve tagged is not the right one but another book by the author on the same subject. I‘ve read ‘The Dismissal in the Queen‘s Name‘ by Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston This is an updated 2015 book which was written after more archival documents were released. A fascinating, turbulent time in Australia‘s political history. How does an elected Prime Minister get dismissed by an appointed official? Lots of egos, incompetence and deception.

This is just what I needed at the moment. An easy yet thought provoking read that I was eager to keep reading. Centres around the Strick family, in small town America. The matriarch, Astrid, kind of reminded me of Olive Ketteridge a bit. As did the whole book. Little secrets revealed a long the way kept me hooked. Nice read.

A fantastic read and one I will keep thinking about for a long time to come. No review I post will do this justice. All I can say is, if you see this in a bookshop, buy it. If you see it in a library, borrow it. Well worth reading.

I really liked this one.. Three generations of women starting in World War 2 and ending in the nineties in England and Ireland. Well written story that is at times heartbreaking.

This was a good ‘teen‘ mystery. Mycroft and Watts (yes, there are lots of Sherlock Holmes references) discover a dead body of a homeless man, they had befriended, outside Melbourne Zoo. They solve the mystery and fall in love along the way. Teens and young adults will enjoy this one. I thought it was OK.

Well, I felt like saying to this book ‘It‘s not you, it‘s me‘ and then walking away. But I stuck at it even though I didn‘t really enjoy it. There‘s a part where she says during filming of Accidental Tourist that William Hurt got exasperated and told the director she was driving him crazy. I‘m with William Hurt on this one! She drove me crazy and I only read her book! Too much craziness for me! But enjoyed the Thelma and Louise references.

They say ‘don‘t judge a book by it‘s cover‘. This is definitely true of this one! I really enjoyed it. It‘s both an historical novel and a detective mystery. Set in Florence in 1943 and 2006. It delves into the world of partisan resistance fighters, during the war,that leads to present day murders. This book is far more interesting than the cover, which I think is misleading. Someone assumed I was reading a romance novel. It‘s not.

Starting this one today that my husband got me for Christmas. He says he chose it for me because it has things that I like in it. Italy, history and a mystery. The fact he put some thought into what I like to read about makes it a special book already 😊