Quick (very quick) reviews

Yep, running out of time to draw a line under the reviews for the year. Some of these I’ve been meaning to write for eleven months. Lucky it doesn’t actually matter… Continue reading

Sample Saturday – three recommendations from Kim

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.

This week, all three come from Reading Matters 20 Books of Summer reviews. Continue reading

The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine

Firstly, if you’re hungry, proceed with caution reading The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine. It’s not a book about food – it’s actually about a teenager named Margot, the product of a long affair – but I was quite distracted by whatever Margot et al were eating (from mussels in white wine and gratin dauphinois to cheeses, asparagus soup and pear clafoutis).

It’s difficult to say much about this story without spoilers but essentially, Margot is the child of Anouk, a stage actress who is successful in Paris; and Bertrand, a senior politician, who has ambitions to be president. Continue reading

A bunch of short reviews

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

The Postman’s Fiancée by Denis Theriault

The Postman’s Fiancée by Denis Thériault is a story about infatuation, love, haiku, and identity.

Tania moves from Bavaria to Montreal to fine-tune her French and fall in love. Waitressing at a restaurant frequented by ‘regulars’, she meets Bilodo, a shy postman who writes haiku and who is passionate about calligraphy.

He came through the door every day at noon, impeccable in his postman’s uniform. He was tall, rather thin and not exactly handsome, but his gentle eyes and timid smile made Tania go weak inside. Continue reading