Wandering the world

This post reviews two novels by British author, Libby Page. Page's stories are a break from my usual psychological crime and thriller fare and a nice palate cleanser for those gritty reads. They are charming and joyous. While a rather romanticised view of the world, Page's novels do make you feel good about people. Sometimes that's just what is needed. I read The lido and The island home towards the end of the pandemic when my faith in humanity was severely tested. That migh

I love Kate Atkinson's writing, and her 2022 outing, Shrines of gaiety , is another great addition to her stable of historical novels. Kate Atkinson always writes interesting and complex characters whom she expertly weaves into plots within plots with typical dry British humour and a strong sense of the time period. Shrines of gaiety | Published September 2022 | Read August 2023 Shrines of gaiety is set in 1920s London. The action centres around ruthless matriarch and owner o

Wild abandon is the second novel by Australian author, Emily Bitto, who has a doctorate in creative writing. Her debut novel, The strays, won the 2015 Stella Prize for Australian women's writing. I tried hard to like Wild abandon as it's based on real events. Read on to see why I didn't... Wild abandon | Published September 2021 | Read August 2023 The story takes its inspiration from real life events: In 2011, a Vietnam veteran kept a (perfectly legal) menagerie of wild anima

On the surface, Sarah Turnbull's adventures in Almost French make for an entertaining read. The book recounts Sarah's experiences as Australian journalist in France with her eventual husband Frederic, a lawyer she met in Bucharest only briefly before joining him in Paris. Sarah faces plenty of challenges in her bid to orient herself in a new place and continue her career as a freelance journalist. Almost French | Published January 2003 | Read August 2023 Sarah's cultural miss