Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.

May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fíona Scarlett

Why I have it: Weirdly, saw someone reading it on the tram and thought it looked good!

Summary: Summer, 1991. An unlikely friendship between two teens, Shauna and Dean, blossoms. But as time passes and tell-tale blushes develop into something deeper, conflicting responsibilities threaten to pull them apart.

I’m thinking: Maybe.

Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

Why I have it: spotted on the Booker 2025 longlist.

Summary: An Albanian interpreter reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions. Despite her husband’s cautions, she soon becomes entangled in Alfred’s nightmares which stir up her own buried memories. From there, ill-fated decisions stack up, jeopardizing the nameless narrator’s marriage and mental health.

I’m thinking: Yes.

The Secret Year of Zara Holt by Kimberley Freeman

Why I have it: Mentioned at my book group.

Summary: Melbourne, 1927. Zara Dickins meets Harry Holt. He plans to be a politician, she, a fashion designer. When he takes her hand, she doesn’t want to let him go.
Portsea, 1967. When Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming, his wife Zara loses herself in the memories of their volatile relationship. She always believed Harry when he said he’d never leave.

I’m thinking: No.