This one grabbed me even before the first page! When I saw the words 'Inspired by true events' I was already hooked. We meet Deborah in mid-April 1983. She's 17, unattractive, overweight, unhappy, and practically friendless ... until for some reason, the dashing Larry Miller takes an unfathomable interest in her. After that, her life... Continue Reading →
Kate Furnivall is known for her sweeping, epic novels and The Liberation will not disappoint those who’ve loved her previous books. Set in a post WWII Italy that is struggling to find itself and regain some of its former glory, Furnivall artfully depicts what it must have been like to live in a post-war era.... Continue Reading →
You think you know your children better than anyone else, don’t you? You’d say you were close, wouldn’t you? That they’re willing to share everything with you, and come to you when they have a problem? That’s what Freya and Lockie think about their teenage daughters Charlotte and Lexi. And then one day Freya gets... Continue Reading →
This is a dense, involved and intricate exploration into the lives of the ‘Combe Close Set’ as seen from the perspective of Molly, who so desperately wants to surround herself with comfortable camaraderie and friendship. Alas, this is difficult to do when you yourself are not a comfortable or socially aware individual. Molly is, in... Continue Reading →
This is the third of Holliday’s ‘Banktoun’ trilogy, this works well as a standalone too. I’ve only read the first book – Blackwood - and missed the second – Willow Walk. Katie is a bright teenager who, despite her challenging background, is planning her future in London. Together with her boyfriend Neil, and her teachers... Continue Reading →
Emma and Rick seem like a typical upper middle-class Joburg couple, until the night that they’re attending a social event and Emma tries unsuccessfully to contact her mother. Feeling unsettled, she begs Rick to take her home and discovers that her mom’s been brutally murdered. Sadly, it’s a common event in crime-stricken Johannesburg and police... Continue Reading →
Oh my very goodness!!! I don’t remember the last time I flew through a book like this! This one ticks all the boxes for a psychological thriller that you just can’t put down. Fast-paced, tons of ‘OMG’ moments, and with enough twists and turns to ensure you’ll need a good physiotherapist to see you right... Continue Reading →
I confess to not knowing much about the mysterious ‘Mata Hari’ other than her notorious ‘Dance of the Seven Veils,’ and even then I didn’t have much of a clue what that was! So when I had the chance to read and review Paulo Coelho’s latest book, I jumped at it! Born Margaretha Zelle, to... Continue Reading →
Grey Magic began as a short story that featured in JT Lawrence’s anthology ‘Sticky Fingers’. But, as things generally go with witches, they tend to weave a particular type of spell and before you know it, you’re writing a whole book all about them … just them! And that’s exactly what happened with Raven Kane,... Continue Reading →
I know this has been classified as Young Adult reading, but it should also be read by all parents as a cautionary tale! It should also be prescribed reading for all high school learners - perhaps in a slightly watered-down form (teachers tend to get slightly embarassed). Shappi Khorsandi doesn't hold back in this bare-all,... Continue Reading →
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