This is my community service to book bloggers – a list of the books that appear most frequently on all of the lists I listed on Best Books of 2016 – A List of Lists. So before I have to write the word ‘list’ again, here it is, the 2016 Commonly-Agreed-by-the-People-Who-Publish-Best-of-2016-Book-Lists-Before-December-31 top 36 books. Continue reading
I was thrilled to spot Kayla Rae Whitaker’s debut, The Animators. By all indications, it was exactly my kind of book – a contemporary story about two women, Sharon and Mel, who meet in a university art class. Both outsiders, the women become friends, bonding over their mutual love of underground cartoons. Ten years later, they are still working together, as animators. Their first feature film, based on Mel’s dysfunctional childhood, is a hit but in the middle of celebrating their success, tragedy strikes, testing their working relationship and friendship.
“I scowl at Mel, irritated. Maybe I should just be honest and tell everyone that me cleaning up from the night before has become our truest form of collaboration.” Continue reading
I won’t pretend otherwise, I was lured by the cover of Caroline Leavitt’s Cruel Beautiful World. It was something about the muted retro colours, the curl of smoke, the lazy dreaminess it conveyed. But I postponed reading it, purely because of all the hype surrounding Emma Cline’s The Girls – based on the blurbs alone, there seemed to be many similarities between the books – set in the late 60s/early 70s; mentions of the Manson murders; teenage girls losing their way; peace, love and communes; hitch-hiking and breaking rules… In fact, the books are very different. Continue reading
I’ve done a lot of grizzling on this blog about the implausibility, and ultimately the predictability of thrillers (most recently, Second Life and Girl on the Train). So it’s with great excitement that I actually recommend a thriller – Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty. Continue reading
In what’s probably a new record, I spotted the first ‘Best Books of 2016’ list on October 28. Yes, a full two months left in the reading year but what the hey, if there are mince pies in the supermarket and tinsel hitting me in the face at my local shopping centre in September, why not do the yearly wrap in October?!
If you are yet to discover THE BEST BOOK OF 2016, then know that you still have oodles of reading time. Here are some ‘Best of…’ lists. It’s a list of lists – go forth and add to your TBR stack and/or get busy reading before the end of the year. Continue reading
Two consecutive days in Melbourne, two lovely novellas read. Continue reading
Do you look at Goodreads ratings when choosing a book? Or when starting a book? I sometimes do, particularly when it’s an author I haven’t come across before. Do I let the ratings influence me? Maybe a smidgen. Which is how I came to read (listen to) The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss – I was lured by its massive 4.17 rating on Goodreads. And no, that wasn’t because there were only six reviews, five of them done by the author’s friends. There was a respectable 443 ratings and 82 reviews. The novel had also received glowing reviews when it was released in July. I was sure I was on a winner. Continue reading
The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang is presented as a classic road trip story, however, there’s more to this novel than car troubles, backseat squabbles and greasy truck-stop meals.
Immigrant businessman, Charles Wang, is mad at America (or more specifically, its financial crisis). He’s lost his cosmetics empire, his house, and all the trappings of his luxury lifestyle.
“Payback for ancient crimes. Alright, let’s call it that. A karmic kung fu kick to the balls. But you know who’s getting kicked in the balls? Is it the descendants of those missionaries? The Anglo Saxons who profited from that original theft? No, they remain in their Martha’s Vineyard mansions, eating lobster and fighting over who gets to give Bill Clinton handjobs. And who really gets jacked off? ME!” Continue reading
Yo, Lila – sisters before misters.
3/5 I enjoyed the second installment more than the first. I’ll be reading on, hoping that Elena’s EQ begins to match her IQ.
I’ve talked about Ian McEwan and my reading previously. I know some think he writes only one character (that being himself) and that the ever-present moral twist in his stories is predictable – but I’m okay with that. And Nutshell goes on my list of McEwan Worth Reading*.