Category Archives: Fiction

Jody’s Winter Reading Picks

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Blog Post Jody's Picks(1)

 

Now the colder weather has really started to settle in, the first thought that pops in to my head is all the great books I can curl up with in front of the fire and read.

This winter I am eagerly awaiting two books in particular. Of which I am happy to say are by Australian authors.

 

xtruly-madly-guilty.jpg.pagespeed.ic.-Se4QCZHKZThe one at the very top of my list is Liane Moriarty’s new book, Truly Madly Guilty. Released in July, myself along with quite a lot of my colleagues can’t wait to read this one! I have really enjoyed all of Liane’s books and I just know this one will be good, because really why wouldn’t it be? All of Liane’s books are enjoyable, easy to read and have great storylines.

IF ONLY THEY’D SAID NO…

What if they hadn’t gone? That’s the question Clementine can’t stop asking herself. It was just a backyard barbeque. They didn’t know their hosts that well. They were friends of friends. They could so easily have said no.

But she and her husband Sam said yes, and now they can never change what they did and didn’t do that beautiful winter’s day.

Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One yapping dog. It’s a normal weekend in the suburbs. What could possibly go wrong?

It was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon…

Now if that blurb doesn’t make you want to read the book, I don’t know what will.Do you think it could be considered work if I sit quietly at my desk and read all day? I would of course promise to post a review when I’ve finished!

 

blameThe second is Blame by Nicole Trope. I recently finished reading Three Hours Late and The Silence of Secrets by Nicole and I enjoyed both books,  even if the

story lines were a little confronting.

Blame I think will be just as good. I think Nicole has a talent for creating real and believable characters that you become invested in and need to know how they cope and survive through some terrible and hard situations. Which is what I am expecting from Blame. I can’t wait!

There has been an accident and a child has died.

There has been an accident and two mothers are destroyed. Two families will never be the same.

There has been an accident but who is to blame?

Reserve your copy NOW!

HAPPY READING

Jody

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Came to Say Goodbye

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i-came-to-say-goodbye

I Came to Say Goodbye by Caroline Overington

A young woman pushed through the hospital doors. She walked into the nursery, where a baby girl lay sleeping. The infant didn’t wake when the woman placed her gently in the shopping bag she had brought with her. There is CCTV footage of what happened next, and most Australians would have seen it, either on the internet or the news. The woman walked out to the car park, towards an old Corolla. For a moment, she held the child gently against her breast and, with her eyes closed, she smelled her. She then clipped the infant into the car, got in and drove off. That is where the footage ends. It isn’t where the story ends, however. It’s not even where the story starts.

Comments

A disturbing and at times, harrowing read, that was heart-breaking because of its reality.  A very well written story that had us turning the pages quicker than an Aldi catalogue wanting to know what else could possibly happen or go wrong for this family.

While we liked the way the writer told the story, in letter form to a judge, some struggled to sympathise with him and other characters.  We all felt like they all could have done more or should have done more for each other.  This is the first book in a little while that has generated a lot of discussion within our group.  Over who did and why they did it. And who was at fault. And if the grandfather had intervened earlier, like he had always intended too, would any of this have ever happened.  We wondered where the mother went and why she seemed to have had no contact with anyone after she left.  Did some of the blame lay with her for simply disappearing from her children’s lives.

We found it a difficult to rate this book.  While we all agreed that while the writing was well done, we found the subject a little heavy and depressing and not something we wanted to scale too highly as to mislead other readers.

Read by  – Cultcha Club

Rated – 6/10

If you only knew – a Book Club Review

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if you only knewIf you only knew – Kristan Higgins

Summary
Letting go of her ex-husband is harder than wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate expected…especially since his new wife wants to be Jenny’s new best friend. Sensing this isn’t exactly helping her achieve closure, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she’ll start her own business and bask in her sister Rachel’s picture-perfect family life…and maybe even find a little romance of her own with Leo, her downstairs neighbor, a guy who’s utterly irresistible and annoyingly distant at the same time. Rachel’s idyllic marriage, however, is imploding after she discovers her husband sexting with a colleague. She always thought she’d walk away in this situation, but her triplet daughters have her reconsidering her stance on adultery, much to Jenny’s surprise. Rachel points to their parents’ perfect marriage as a shining example of patience and forgiveness; but to protect her sister, Jenny may have to tarnish that memory-and their relationship–and reveal a family secret she’s been keeping since childhood. Both Rachel and Jenny will have to come to terms with the past and the present and find a way to get what they want most of all.

Comments
The book was a light, easy read with subtle humour that was well written.  The scenes involving Leo and the triplets were very funny.  We liked the way the writer alternated the first person narration between the sisters, Jenny and Rachel, allowing both sides of the story to be heard and to see how the same incident can be seen differently.

While some clubbers found it a little slow to start, not really grabbing their attention until almost 100 pages in, others loved it from the first word.  As a group, we found it very easy to relate to both sisters and the dilemmas they faced.

Rating – 8/10        Read by – Cultcha Club Book Club

ABIA 2016 Shortlists

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natural wayreckoning natural wayFirst half of the year we’re always bombed with awards and prizes lists. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming. However it’s still worth to mention that this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) have announced its shortlists. You can, of course, pick up the titles that you’d like to read or recommend to others. It’s better having a variety of choices than a fewer titles. Continue reading →