I’ve never seen the TV series Dexter so the marketing pitch “Fans of Dexter will love Normal” doesn’t do much for me. I’m guessing it will for Dexter fans. All I knew to expect was an anti-hero who looks normal to outsiders, but believes it’s normal to hurt people … which most of us would…
I love a good psychological thriller so I was keen to get stuck into Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica (author of The Good Girl). Here’s the blurb: She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away….
I read and reviewed Kimberly McCreight’s first novel Reconstructing Amelia a couple of years ago and found it a fascinating tale of the things you don’t know about others. Her latest novel, Where They Found Her, runs on a similar theme. Here’s the blurb: At the end of a long winter in bucolic Ridgedale, New…
A heady novel of love, intrigue and taking chances, Fiona McIntosh’s The Last Dance is a book made for reading in bed all night long. I’ve had this on my shelf for a while, but as I do sometimes, I left it for a while, wanting it for the right moment (I do that with…
I really enjoyed Nicky Pellegrino’s The Food of Love Cookery School so I was excited to receive her newest novel, One Summer in Venice. The blurb ticks a few boxes for me – food and Italy, for starters. Have a read: ‘This isn’t a mid-life crisis OK? For a start I’m not old enough yet…
A clever study in absurdity, The Horses by William Lane is an unusual piece of Australian literature that unpacks notions of class, ideology, religion and education. Set in a boarding school on Sydney’s outskirts, the novel features young men who wear armour for uniforms (including helmets, breastplates and chain metal gloves), teachers who care more the…
I pulled Disclaimer by Renee Knight from my to-review shelf, thinking it would be a good book to take on a five-hour flight to Sydney. I was wrong. I finished the book before I even left the house. It was that hard to put down. Here’s the blurb: What if you realized the book you were reading…
Some books you save for a rainy day. Season of Salt and Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe landed on my review shelf a while ago, but I’ve been saving it. I sensed that this was a book for savouring … and I was right. The cover spoke to the foodie in me and finding out there were recipes…
Ber Carroll explores contemporary issues such as relationship breakdowns, child custody, belonging, identity and abandonment in her latest novel, Once Lost. It’s the first time I’ve read one of Carroll’s books, and I was impressed by her ability to give authentic voice to the everyday conflicts women face in modern life. Once Lost is a…
