A bunch of short reviews

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with 2018, 2019, Alice Thomas Ellis, Allison Pearson, audiobook, Australian, AWW, AWW2018, AWW2019, book review, books that made me cry, British, Delphine de Vigan, fiction, French, Holly Throsby, Magda Szubanski, memoir, nonfiction, reading challenge, review, translated, Welsh, young adult, Zoya Patel February 1, 2019

I am painfully behind in my reviews – the longer they go unwritten, the less likely it is to happen. These reviews hardly do justice to some of the books I’ve read (sorry Magda) but at the very least provide me with a record. Continue reading →

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with 2018, American, book review, fiction, review, Stephanie Danler, television January 16, 2019

When I was fourteen, my best friend’s older sister said, “You know you like a boy if you think about him when you’re getting dressed.” Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is the grown-up book version of those words (finding your way with unfamiliar rules). Continue reading →

My Best Books for 2018

Posted by Kate W in Fiction, Non-fiction and tagged with 2018, Biff Ward, Bri Lee, Bruce Springsteen, Cheryl Strayed, Curtis Sittenfeld, E. F. Benson, Georgia Blain, Jessica Lee, Jessie Cole, John Boyne, Kate Atkinson, Magda Szubanski, Paula Keogh, Richard Yates, Rose Tremain December 31, 2018

I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has stuck). Continue reading →

2018: What I Read

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with 2018, Bri Lee, Cheryl Strayed, Christine Mangan, E. F. Benson, Galt Niederhoffer, Jessie Cole, John Boyne, Kate Atkinson, Krissy Kneen, Tara Westover, Tracy Barone, William Boyd December 30, 2018

Here’s my year in books (with thanks to the Goodreads record keeping tool): Continue reading →

Turning by Jessica J. Lee

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with 2018, book review, Canadian, German, memoir, nonfiction, reading challenge, review, swimming December 28, 2018

Sometimes, all the things you love combine in one perfect story. Such was the case with Turning by Jessica J. Lee. If you appreciate swimming, Berlin, hydrology (specifically limnology), the nuances in the German language, and memoirs, then read on (it’s not a niche audience, is it?!). Continue reading →

Three novellas

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with 2018, Alan Bennett, book review, British, fiction, Hanne Ørstavik, Meike Ziervogel, Norwegian, novella, review, thriller, translated December 20, 2018

The Blue Room by Hanne Ørstavik Continue reading →

Four Quick Reviews

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with 2018, American, Anita Shreve, book review, British, Emma Donoghue, fiction, Ian McEwan, Irish, review, short story, Tracy Barone December 17, 2018

It’s getting to that stage where every spare moment is spent on ‘end-of-year’ stuff, leaving precious little time for writing reviews. I’m taking a short-cut. Continue reading →

The Top 50 from the Best Books of 2018 List of Lists

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with 2018, A. J. Finn, Akwaeke Emezi, Andrew Roberts, book list, Chloe Benjamin, Curtis Sittenfeld, David Sedaris, Denis Johnson, Esi Edugyan, Gary Shteyngart, Idra Novey, Kristin Hannah, Lauren Groff, Leïla Slimani, Leslie Jamison, Ling Ma, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Lisa Halliday, Luis Alberto Urrea, Madeline Miller, Meg Wolitzer, Melissa Broder, Michael Ondaatje, Michelle Obama, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Olga Tokarczuk, Olivia Laing, Ottessa Moshfegh, Pat Barker, Patrick deWitt, R. O. Kwon, Rachel Cusk, Rachel Kushner, Rebecca Makkai, Richard Powers, Rumaan Alam, Sally Rooney, Sarah Perry, Sayaka Murata, Sheila Heti, Shobha Rao, Sigrid Nunez, Susan Orlean, Tara Westover, Tayari Jones, Tommy Orange, William Trevor, Zadie Smith, Zora Neale Hurston December 9, 2018

This is my annual community service to book-bloggers – a list of the books that appear most frequently on all of the lists (37 of them) I listed on Best Books of 2018 – A List of Lists.

Here it is, the 2018 Commonly-Agreed-by-the-People-Who-Publish-Best-of-2018-Book-Lists-Before-December-31 top 50 books. Continue reading →

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Posted by Kate W in Book vs Film, Fiction and tagged with 2018, Australian, AWW, AWW2018, book review, fiction, film, historical, movie, New Zealander, review December 8, 2018

There’s no shortage of Holocaust literature, and yet every so often one story rises to the top of the best-seller lists – why is one story more ‘appealing’ than another? I don’t know. Why does one story capture attention over others? I don’t know. The current critics’ favourite is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

Morris has recorded the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who was transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1942. When the guards at the camp discovered that Lale spoke several languages, he was put to work as a Tätowierer (tattooist), tasked with ‘numbering’ his fellow prisoners.

Day has become night, and still men line up to be numbered for life, be it short or long. Continue reading →

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with 2018, book review, British, fiction, historical, Kate Atkinson, review December 7, 2018

It was a great risk to read Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins, so soon after I finished the extraordinary Life After Life. It was a risk that paid off.

A God in Ruins is the sequel to Life After Life, but a sequel in the loosest sense. Atkinson turns her focus to Teddy, Ursula’s beloved younger brother and the family darling.

‘Out of all of them, you are my favourite,’ and he knew it was true and felt bad for the others. (It was a relief, Sylvie thought, finally to know what love was.) Continue reading →

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Tag Archives: 2018