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.

7-11 Jun 24 (audiobook)
I had never read this before although I vaguely remember the 80s TV series. The book was lovely in a melancholic, nostalgic way, although nostalgia for such a way of life feels a touch of decadent when you recall the wealth and manpower needed to support such lifestyles.
For some reason I think of Waugh as contemporary to Austen and am always a little jolted until I recall she is actually closer to Wilde and Fitzgerald.

6-7 June 24
I devoured this. It was utterly absorbing, quite disturbing and somewhat funny.
Essentially Thunderhead is a day in the head of Winona Dalloway as she deals with daily chores, small children and preparing to entertain her husband‘s guests.
I do worry how much I recognise in the inner dialogues of characters such as Winona. Somehow reminiscent of Ducks, Newburyport albeit much shorter, more dramatic and with more punctuation! Brilliant.

4-6 Jun 24 (audiobook)
Definitely a case of preaching to the converted, but I think this book is so important for parents and older adolescents to read/listen to and consider the impact of a screen based, over-protected childhood. Even my 8 year old found the bits she overheard quite interesting. Of course, she is a little disappointed that she won‘t be getting an iPhone until she is 16. If I had my time again, neither would her teenaged sister.

6 May-4 Jun 24
I cannot recall any other book quite like North Woods, which tells the stories of a small wood in Massachusetts and its inhabitants from before European settlement until some time in the future. The stories take various forms - verse, epistolary, narrative, etc. All are beautifully written and a little strange. A love and respect for nature shines through and I found the final chapter very moving. A unique and beautiful book.

10-25 May 24 (audiobook)
Not what we are looking for. Ultimately it did not capture Trixie nor my attention and was becoming a chore to listen to. Returned to allowing Trix to listen to Harry Potter on our commutes but keen to find another series to capture our attention. Surely there is a world beyond Harry Potter and Percy Jackson!

31 May-3 Jun 24 (audiobook)
I read many reviews before deciding how I feel about this book. Yes there is little plot, too much drinking and brawling, disagreeable characters and some anti-semitism all of which make it quite depressing. Not to mention bullfights! But Hemingway captures both the ennui and restlessness of the certain class of which he was a member during the period between the wars. Not likeable but somewhat authentic and evocative.

29-30 May 24 (audiobook)
I get so sucked into these rom-com books. Even though they are predictable and do follow certain tropes, I nevertheless find them difficult to put away.
I did appreciate the intertwining love stories here - between the two lead characters but also the familial love between the sisters.

24-27 May 24 (audiobook)
Soft pick. I enjoyed the cacophony of mainly Black and Jewish characters living on Chicken Hill and the way McBride was able to flesh out many of their characters and backgrounds. There were, however, a couple of plot lines that I did not really follow - namely the water and Nat‘s history. Perhaps I just did not listen quite closely enough.

19-23 May 24 (audiobook)
A thorough, well-written history highlighting King‘s brilliance, charisma and frailty. I was shocked by the blatant police brutality and violence he and the non-violent civil rights marchers faced from people in public office in the south. King himself is flawed and clearly reluctant to take on the role he was given. The roles played by the Kennedys (surprisingly), LBJ, and Hoover and his FBI were also rather appalling.

15-8 May 24 (audiobook)
Rosen tells the story of his brilliant childhood friend who is diagnosed with schizophrenia yet graduates from Yale Law School and becomes a poster boy for mental illness, but later murders his girlfriend in a psychotic episode. He also reviews the system of mental health treatment in the US, the de-institutionalisation of mental health patients without an adequate replacement and the impact on families and support groups.

12-5 May 24 (audiobook)
A very well told non-fiction narrative about the escape of two enslaved peoples from Georgia and their journey first north and then abroad to escape the Fugitive Slave Act. Woo puts the story of the light skinned Ellen passing for an invalid white slaveowner travelling with William, her husband/slave, in its broader context of the abolitionist movement pre-civil war both in the US and England.
Informative and entertaining.

7-11 May 24 (audiobook)
The story of two men, a teenage boy named Kafka who runs away from home and a man named Nakata who suffers from an intellectual impairment as a result of a strange accident during WWII as their lives seemingly draw to an inevitable intersection.
Murakami‘s writing is at times beautiful and did mostly maintain my interest, but I found the Oedipal storyline a bit much. I also found the way Murakami writes about sex jarring.

30 Mar-9 May 24 (audiobook)
An odd couple story about a boy, Ozzie, whose parents were abducted when he was age 7 (or 8) and Rin, perhaps a wizard, who he enlists to help him locate them.
A little predictable and not quite compelling enough for us. Trix and I seem to be having difficulty finding great audiobooks at the moment.

16 April-5 May 24
A book about a subject I know little about: the dub scene in UK in the early 80s and the police brutality and gang culture in the outskirts of London. Much of the language used and Jamaican traditions described were completely new to me. But perhaps the novelty is what made it enjoyable.
Yamaye and her friends go clubbing in an underground crypt every weekend. But violence enters her life and she is forced to make big changes.

25 April-6 May 24 (audiobook)
Long and complex but a classic worth investing some time in. I feel I cheated a little by listening to the audiobook but I really love Juliet Stevenson as a narrator and I found I was able to focus quite well. Unlike many of her contemporary female authors, Eliot did not exactly write romance and her work is more akin to Dickens than Austen or Brontë. But she does give many interesting depictions of marriage. And fate

29 April 24 (audiobook)
I don‘t remember 1984 well enough to know how close to the original text this adaptation is. I do not listen to many full cast audiobooks and it was certainly entertaining. And short.
I was keen to listen as 1) it was free (editor‘s choice for April, and 2) Wifedom prompted me to revisit some of Orwell‘s work. I still feel as though I need to read the book though, now to both consider this adaptation and Wifedom.

25-28 Apr 24 (audiobook)
I am not sure why so many authors seem to think that abusive relationships are romantic. I do not find Alexander likeable - he is violent, controlling and seems to be addicted to sex. Both characters say such awful things to each other and really behave quite badly at times. And the lack of communication is infuriating. No marriage would survive it.
Again, the parts about the Vietnamese War were interesting.

19-24 April 24 (audiobook)
Again, the depictions of late WWII New York and Berlin were compelling and the post-war journey around the US was also interesting. The way PTSD was dealt with (or not) at that time also seemed authentic. But the relationship between the characters was awful and bordered on abusive at times. I don‘t believe a relationship would survive such nastiness nor some of the things they said. And the amount of sex was absurd.

14-9 April 24 (audiobook)
Many parts of this book were problematic for me - that Alexander continues ‘knocking‘ Tatiana‘s sister for so long, the callous behaviour of her parents, the threat of Dimitry‘s sexually predatory behaviour towards Tatiana which everybody seems to ignore, and Tatiana‘s general submissiveness which borders on masochism. But I did find the depiction of the Soviet Union during WWII and the siege of Stalingrad compelling.

19 Mar-15 Apr 24
I cannot recall being as frightened by a book since ‘In Cold Blood‘, which aroused a similar feeling that this could just as easily happen to me. As the book begins, Eilish‘s life seems so normal.
Lynch‘s depiction of a totalitarian Ireland is literally gut-wrenching, particularly the final 100 pages which depict the fear and desperation that lead to millions fleeing for a place of refuge. The ending has left me absolutely shaken.

10-3 April 24 (audiobook)
I read this years ago and enjoyed it, although I do recall being confused by the repetitive names. When it was in an audible sale, I thought it would be good to revisit but this really didn‘t work for me as an audiobook. It is too difficult to follow and the beauty of the prose is somewhat lost. Instead I was focused on the many incestuous relationships, some with characters who seemed far too young. Not a fair review.

8-9 Apr 24 (audiobook)
Two university students befriend a married couple resulting in some complicated relationships. Seemingly like all Rooney characters, they are intelligent and articulate but totally incapable of discussing their emotions or feelings for each other or anything of real import. Their idea of love is very different to mine. Frances is particularly frustrating.
Yet I enjoy Rooney‘s writing and was compelled to keep listening.

5-7 Apr 24 (audiobook)
Three novellas telling the travails of hedge knight, Dunk, and his squire, Egg around the Seven Kingdoms.
A welcome reminder that George RR Martin really is a very good storyteller and I enjoy the world he has created in the Fire and Ice series.
I expect the scope of these novellas is a welcome relief for the author in contrast to the original series which has become far too unwieldy. Both Dunk and Egg are lovely.

29 Mar-4 Apr 24 (audiobook)
A directionless girl in her 20s embarks on an affair with a married workmate. I found the protagonist self-indulgent and delusional and the married man an incomprehensible egotist whose only motivation seems to be a younger, adoring body. It did make me reminisce about a friend in a very similar situation in her 20s. Where did his wife think he was when he was eating very average dinners in my Fitzroy sharehouse?

28-9 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Not for me. I understand Maas is very popular but I found this dragged. I do not find fairies in any way attractive - probably some childhood insecurity or something going on but I just cannot picture a sexy male fairy. The writing was very repetitive and cringeworthy. Not continuing with the series and should probably have bailed but I did find it improved towards the end.

25-7 Mar 24 (audiobook)
This book is reminiscent of Virginia Woolf‘s A Room Of One‘s Own and it probably suffered as a result.
Funder tries to discover Orwell‘s first wife, Eileen, hidden in Orwell‘s writing - his letters, articles and novels. Orwell is not likeable. And Eileen was without doubt a clever woman who influenced and enabled his work. I object, however, to some of the assumptions Funder makes and her positioning of herself in the text.

5 Dec 23-26 Mar 24 (audiobook)
First in a new series (it would appear) focusing on Murtagh‘s path after the demise of Galbatorix.
Unlike the early Inheritance Cycle, this dragged a bit for me. It was very long and I found myself often wondering what had just happened. Murtagh wallows too much in self-pity and I found the treatment Thorn experienced both under Galbatorix and in this story difficult to listen to. Still, it did have its moments.

23-4 Mar 24 (audiobook)
A worthy follow up to Fourth Wing: similarly addictive journey into the world Yarros has created. Interesting to see some of characters‘ motives and introduction of an almost inter-generational battle.
I had forgotten the frustration of starting a series too early, when there will be many years before a satisfying conclusion. But it is a bit of fun.

19-22 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Highly addictive. I will admit I am a bit of a sucker for romantasy but I did feel less icky after listening to this than some of the others. The world-building is good. Enemy to lovers trope is a bit tired but an academy setting always pulls me in.
Sex scenes are quite graphic, which I don‘t really have an issue with but sometimes awkward on audio.
Proceeded immediately to the second book.

28 Feb-18 Mar 24
I really like Clare Keegan‘s writing. Some of these stories caught my attention more than others. But I always find short stories frustrating. If they are engaging, I inevitably want to know more.
There were a few standouts in this collection: the title story, Antarctica, which was a little shocking, the story about the family attending the town dance. But ultimately I prefer Keegan‘s novellas, still short but more complete.

15-8 Mar 2024 (audiobook)
Low pick. Interesting premise but with these types of books I always find the ending a bit blah. And guests and staff drop like flies!
The narrator relives the same day eight times, each time from the perspective of a different occupant of an English estate. Each time he dies or falls asleep he moves to the next ‘host‘. Before 11pm on the 8th day, or the death of the final host, he must know who killed Evelyn Hardcastle.

12-14 Mar 24 (audiobook)
One of my favourite free audiobooks of the month! I had already flagged reading this when it was longlisted for the Stella.
Lukashenko weaves together two indigenous stories, two centuries apart. Both tell of the impact white men brought to Queensland‘s indigenous nations but also highlights their traditions and cultures.
Despite this seriousness, the author‘s voice is both and irreverent, and intentionally provocative.

10-11 Mar 24 (audiobook)
A masterpiece. Woolf lectures to female undergraduates about female authors and surmises the very practical reasons there was no female Shakespeare. A surprisingly funny and entertaining look at women‘s place in literature and, by extension, society (via a very white English lens.)
Read by the amazing Tilda Swinton. I immediately ordered a hard copy of this (and some of Woolf‘s other texts) to re-read.
Highly recommend.

8-9 Mar 24 (audiobook)
A thriller that starts as a chance meeting of birthday twins: Alix, a journalist living an instagrammable life with her successful yet troubled husband; and Josie whose life has been ruined as a result of her traumatic upbringing and abusive marriage. As Josie becomes the subject of Alix‘s new podcast, it is clear (from the title of nothing else) that all is not as it seems. Tense and gripping until the inevitable end.

6-7 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Reminiscent of High Fidelity, most of Good Material is told from the perspective of Andy, an unsuccessful standup comic, dealing with the breakdown of his relationship and subsequently his life. It humorously looks at the difference between female and male friendship, and the reality of reaching middle age without having achieved success. The last quarter provides Jen‘s perspective, which is an enlightening counterpoint.

4-5 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Definitely not a fair review. Woolf‘s writing, and this book in particular, does not easily lend itself to audio. This mostly consists of stream of consciousness thoughts of various characters, focussing on their views of each other, during their stay at the Ramsays‘ summer house and planning of a trip to the lighthouse. Unlike Clarissa Dalloway, I found Mrs Ramsay unsympathetic and particularly disliked her husband.

2-3 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Free audiobook of the month and an easy listen between Virginia Woolf‘s far more challenging novels.
Maybe another outback noir featuring a female cop (with her own relationship issues) investigating two murders occurring during a couples‘ weekend away.
Not particularly believable or challenging. Not even sure it all made sense - the epilogue doesn‘t seem to really match the ending. But zipped through it nevertheless.

28 Feb-1 Mar 24 (audiobook)
Another book I was supposed to read at uni that was surprisingly enjoyable when I got to it 25 years late.
Woolf introduces us to a cast of characters, all of whom revolve around Clarissa Dalloway.
Woolf‘s writing is wonderful, although I expect it is a little lost in audiobook form. I loved the way she let us in to the inner monologue of many characters, with their repetition and leaps of topic. And I loved Clarissa.

12-28 Feb 24 (audiobook)
Not for me. I battled my way through this for over two weeks and really not sure why I persisted. It seemed to go forever, made worse by the fact that I kept tuning out or falling asleep and having to rewind.
Whilst it was probably well-written, I have now concluded that Clarke‘s books are not for me.

4-27 Feb 24
Despite its almost 500 page length, I finished this quickly. And I was enthralled but ultimately unsatisfied.
Not sure how exactly to describe it. ‘Irish family drama‘ is terribly misleading. Really, it is a book about pretence, hiding one‘s true self and miscommunication. The characters are frustrating and mostly self-absorbed. I did feel sorry for PJ.

1 Dec- 1 Mar 24
I love Kate diCamillo but for some reason this book did not resonate with Trix. It may be that she would just prefer for Luke to continue reading The Sisters Grimm with her. In any case, we have put it aside for now. Disappointing, but worth trying something else for a while.

7-11 Feb 24 (audiobook)
Interesting story and characters but the sexual violence and animal cruelty was too much, which is quite unusual for me. I found myself questioning Blomkvist‘s relationships with women. All were consensual, in fact he appeared to be the one being pursued, but they felt wrong, like they were the fantasy of the male author. His relationship with his daughter was also problematic for me. Not sure about continuing the series.

27 Jan-6 Feb 24 (audiobook)
A long and thorough account of Napoleon‘s life. No idea why I decided to listen to this. There were a lot of battles and a large number of men and horses died. Roberts does not villainise Napoleon but it is difficult to view him as a hero, particularly after the disastrous Russian campaign. I do know significantly more about Napoleon, and to a lesser extent his contemporaries, than I did at the start of the 37+ hours.

1-4 Feb 24
A ‘thinly veiled‘ account of the moments in which a heavily pregnant Ephron realises the failure of her second marriage due to her husband‘s infidelity.
I would not describe it as ‘side-splitting‘, but it is certainly amusing and a quick read. None of the characters are particularly likeable, which probably makes it easier to smile at Ephron‘s trademark wit as her world falls apart.

28 Jan 2024
Sold in Australia as a standalone story (and not that cheaply), I nevertheless felt justified in the purchase as I have loved both Keegan books I have read. I also loved this, although the protagonist is a far cry from the lovely man at the centre of Small Things Like These. The focus here is on misogyny and although it is very short, I am not sure I wanted to spend any more time with Cathal.
Keegan is truly one of my favourites.