Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of the most intelligent and enjoyable audiobooks I have ever listened to. Read on for our full review To Say Nothing of the Dog Book Synopsis Connie Willis’ Hugo and Nebula…
Juliet Naked Synopsis Annie and Duncan are a mid-30s couple who have reached a fork in the road, realising their shared interest in the reclusive musician Tucker Crowe (in Duncan’s case, an obsession as well as an academic career) is…
Julia Stuart’s The Matchmaker of Perigord is a wonderfully quirky mix of opposites – old and new, hilarity and melancholy, mystic fancy and pragmatism.
The Big Ask as with other titles in Shane Maloney’s Murray Whelan Series is a wonderful mix of thrilling action and caustic wit.
Murray Whelan is an underdog who seems to just get up everytime life knocks you down. He makes mistakes – big ones – but he inevitably figures out a way to deliver a bit of his own Robin Hood justice to those who mistake him for a patsy.
I really enjoyed Australian author Toni Jordan’s debut novel Addition because of its quirkiness and refreshing approach to chick lit (read my review), and so I eagerly awaited the publication of her second novel.
In Fall Girl Toni Jordan has created an interesting premise and quirky characters for the reader to be engaged and surprised by.
There is so much packed into this novel that I won’t even try to explain the plot line because I wouldn’t do it justice. Suffice to say this darkly satirical novel was a pleasure to listen to. Narrator Paul Bhattacharjee’s delivery finds just the right balance – playing up the deadpan and ironic humour to great effect while reserving a poignance for elements intended as deeper social commentary.
Annabelle is tired of being the lone failure in a family of overachievers. She’s endured dead-end jobs and a broken engagement. But that’s going to change now that she’s taken over her late grandmother’s matchmaking business. All Annabelle has to do is land the Windy City’s hottest bachelor as her client, and she’ll be the most sought-after matchmaker in town.
Connie Willis’s short novel Bellwether is a wonderfully intelligent romantic comedy.
Researchers Dr Sandra Foster and Dr Bennett O’Reilly, with specialties in fad/trend analysis and chaos theory respectively find themselves thrown together in the chaotic and fad driven HiTek Corporation. They are your classic fish out of water. Add to this melting pot an infuriating admin assistant (sorry, interdepartmental communications liaison), a 60+ page simplified grant funding application form and a flock of sheep and you have ample fodder for comedic moments.
One Day by David Nicholls oozes humour, depth and compassion. Why I recommend the audiobook, consider the movie a poor substitute but love the TV series also.
Has a novel ever made you laugh and want to cry at the same time? One Day did that to me.
Nicholls forces us to fall in love with his lead characters, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, as we check in with them each year on the anniversary of their first liaison. How can one not feel a connection to these characters when they think the same things we have all thought? How can one not feel empathy for these hapless individuals when we have all made similar mistakes in our own lives?
Jess Walter’s novel The Financial Lives of the Poets is a refreshingly real and humourous look at the financial crisis and the trouble we thinking beings can get ourselves into.
When my reviews outstanding hit four I have decided I just have to stop procrastinating on the perfect way to describe my feelings about the books and post my thoughts quickly otherwise I will never keep up with my reading pile! So…
Toni Jordan’s Addition was… Winner, Indie Awards, Best Debut Fiction, 2008 Longlisted, Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2009 Shortlisted, Australian Book Industry Awards, Best General Fiction Book, 2008 Addition Synopsis Grace Lisa Vandenburg counts. The letters in her name (19). The steps she…
BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 4 / 5 BOOK DETAILS: Manic Streets of Perth (Amazon) BOOK REVIEW: Original and darkly comical, Manic Streets of Perth is a tale that is sure to make anyone laugh in…
Irresistibly irreverent. The title of Carl Hiaasen’s novel Sick Puppy, says it all really. Having just come from reading some dystopian fiction, this novel’s black humour was a real ‘cleansing of the palate’ for me. While black humour is not everyone’s cup of tea, I think Hiaasen does in his novels what we all wish we could do in everyday life once in a while – say what we really think, politically correct or otherwise!
BOOK RATING: Story 4 / 5 ; Writing/Narration 5 / 5 BOOK REVIEW: This was my first experience with both an audiobook and Alexander McCall Smith’s writing, and I was very impressed on both accounts. What a great story framework, setting and group…
