tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36556419864724990282024-02-20T02:26:24.838+10:30The Reading ExperimentSharing great reads. One book at a time.The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07400636297011075576noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-87912938830796713342023-05-02T21:25:00.001+09:302023-05-02T21:49:58.123+09:30Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld - Book Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggf9Rt41P5BaEEZatKBY3LmMnFDmNlkJ2l2PT5m8SSgGL9AsOmfqpQtTRPx1B3ErcpEIXvjsiLHeWCgWxbwJr01syZM5BSgmJQoh5PZOMKE8L7lPDqqfmrvvbdAo3tG3-KRPCwelg0oNgx4Np_NRb11Az0LFf2Uw-QJC-g-Ttd-PH1-_nZAEC7S9mF/s2849/Romantic%20Comedy%20by%20Curtis%20Sittenfeld%201%20bright.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2849" data-original-width="2849" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggf9Rt41P5BaEEZatKBY3LmMnFDmNlkJ2l2PT5m8SSgGL9AsOmfqpQtTRPx1B3ErcpEIXvjsiLHeWCgWxbwJr01syZM5BSgmJQoh5PZOMKE8L7lPDqqfmrvvbdAo3tG3-KRPCwelg0oNgx4Np_NRb11Az0LFf2Uw-QJC-g-Ttd-PH1-_nZAEC7S9mF/s320/Romantic%20Comedy%20by%20Curtis%20Sittenfeld%201%20bright.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>I enjoyed this book so much I read it twice in one week. <a href="https://curtissittenfeld.com/" target="_blank">Curtis Sittenfeld</a> is one of my favourite authors and Romantic Comedy one of her most entertaining books. Intelligent, warm and witty with engaging dialogue and a social conscience, this is a fun and satisfying read.</p><p>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/" target="_blank">Penguin Random House</a>: </p><p>Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.</p><p>But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.</p><p>Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right?</p><p>With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.</p><p>Happy reading! </p>Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-83098273837111155992021-09-30T14:18:00.004+09:302021-09-30T14:24:49.288+09:30Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Book Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrYVgYReQ0QNSoHpzHzH_NQ4h5rElHicAw7P9CD5_NaZZyRhClQxb8NTOsz1nuzeZwM4w-68YQkz6tOzSZsxxVAsk1UbWO0xHNH7x6wG-kG_DIK7LdGNvdY1INSTKyf6RrV_kOAOh6GA/s2048/Daisy+Jones+and+the+Six+%2528white%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Daisy Jones and the Six - by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The Reading Experiment" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrYVgYReQ0QNSoHpzHzH_NQ4h5rElHicAw7P9CD5_NaZZyRhClQxb8NTOsz1nuzeZwM4w-68YQkz6tOzSZsxxVAsk1UbWO0xHNH7x6wG-kG_DIK7LdGNvdY1INSTKyf6RrV_kOAOh6GA/w320-h320/Daisy+Jones+and+the+Six+%2528white%2529.JPG" title="Daisy Jones and the Six - by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The Reading Experiment" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>Your inner rock star will thank you for reading Daisy Jones and the Six.</p><p>This book will satisfy the part of you that likes to sing along with the music turned up and had me reaching for my Fleetwood Mac collection.</p><p>Author <a href="https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/" target="_blank">Taylor Jenkins Reid</a> charts the rise of a fictional rock band in the 1970s including singer songwriters Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. Daisy has the voice, style and beauty that young girls idolise and Billy is the celebrity crush they want to marry.</p><p>The band lives in a world of sex, drugs, more drugs, and rock n’ roll. But the lifestyle isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be and also comes with in-fighting, heartbreak and addiction.</p><p>Narrated in a fictional documentary style from the perspectives of band members, their families and those close to them in the music scene, the book also considers how people interpret the same situations in different ways. </p><p>Daisy Jones and the Six is currently being made into a limited TV series by <a href="https://hello-sunshine.com/" target="_blank">Hello Sunshine</a> for <a href="https://studios.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon Studios</a> and <a href="https://www.primevideo.com/" target="_blank">Amazon Prime Video</a>.</p><p>Have you read Daisy Jones and the Six? What did you think?</p><p>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/daisy-jones-and-the-six-9781787462144" target="_blank">Penguin Books Australia</a> - </p><p>Everybody knows Daisy Jones and the Six.</p><p>From the moment Daisy walked barefoot on to the stage at the Whisky, she and the band were a sensation. Their sound defined an era. Their albums were on every turntable. They sold out arenas from coast to coast.</p><p>This is the story of their incredible rise: the desire, the rivalry - and the music.</p><p>Then, on 12 July 1979, Daisy Jones and the Six split up.</p><p>Nobody knew why. Until now...</p><p>Happy reading! </p>Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-10575390267639395532021-01-06T22:23:00.000+10:302021-01-06T22:23:31.390+10:30The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - Book Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFxS5I4RC6lurmzh_HHKtdjqaX4EzUj7n76tWZacRNRzI89lxwGmwloHh7FarbGwKGxs9S1HqY6GvuEh1EYaiLD18nye-wvdHs1d-wvD0aZnhR_I_-4NtLiy6R0EFDY8at-XmEUEAObw/s744/The+Midnight+Library+by+Matt+Haig+Book+Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFxS5I4RC6lurmzh_HHKtdjqaX4EzUj7n76tWZacRNRzI89lxwGmwloHh7FarbGwKGxs9S1HqY6GvuEh1EYaiLD18nye-wvdHs1d-wvD0aZnhR_I_-4NtLiy6R0EFDY8at-XmEUEAObw/s320/The+Midnight+Library+by+Matt+Haig+Book+Review.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Imagine if you could go back in time and revisit your past regrets.
What would you do differently? And how would those possibilities play out?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Midnight Library by <a href="http://www.matthaig.com/">Matt Haig</a> is a comforting and heart-warming book
about the choices we make, set in a world of parallel lives with a broader theme around
mental health. It was voted Best Fiction for 2020 in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fiction-books-2020" target="_blank">Goodreads Choice Awards.</a> Now that I’ve read it I’d like to read all of Haig's books,
including his memoir about his own mental health journey.
Haig also features in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7kz7cRLYAcPiWxqiKw1nlG" target="_blank">Archewell Audios podcast on Spotify.</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Synopsis from <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/The-Midnight-Library-Matt-Haig-9781786892720" target="_blank">Allen and Unwin</a>:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;">Between life and death there is a library.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;">When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight
Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been
full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including
herself. But things are about to change.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;">The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to
live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she
can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect
life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her
choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;">Before time runs out, she must answer the
ultimate question: what is the best way to live?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Happy reading!</p>Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-47315582408620384162021-01-05T15:07:00.001+10:302021-01-05T15:07:50.041+10:30Louis and Louise by Julie Cohen - Book Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTctt4PFRMRi38-kNjT3HSfnpTxqs6NAmjNEozDM-RcjV7Z89XlHMswaB2kDyXQDt4-HKW89PJuQ9Ewo8Xh7xA21YuSngP0ptLTzVyuSHCX5eUV9mitqzyT-BPGDSzF9Bz0c7bUCPULo/s2048/Louis+and+Louise+by+Julie+Cohen+-+Book+Review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTctt4PFRMRi38-kNjT3HSfnpTxqs6NAmjNEozDM-RcjV7Z89XlHMswaB2kDyXQDt4-HKW89PJuQ9Ewo8Xh7xA21YuSngP0ptLTzVyuSHCX5eUV9mitqzyT-BPGDSzF9Bz0c7bUCPULo/s320/Louis+and+Louise+by+Julie+Cohen+-+Book+Review.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Louis & Louise is a sliding doors story about gender.</p><p class="MsoNormal">A baby is born. In one telling of the story he’s a boy (Louis). In another telling, she’s a girl (Louise). Author Julie Cohen gradually reveals what each life has in store.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Cleverly written, this book was a little different to my initial expectations (in a good way). I thought it would be more about external influences on gender equity. Instead it focuses on the concept of gender itself and how it shapes our personal identity.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Coincidentally, my name is Louise. I wonder what I’d be doing right now if I was a Louis?</p><p class="MsoNormal">Synopsis from <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/julie-cohen/louis-and-louise" target="_blank">Hachette Australia:</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Two people.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Two lives.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>One chance to see the same world differently.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different lives. They are separated only by the sex announced by the doctor and a final 'e'.</p><p class="MsoNormal">They have the same best friends, the same red hair, the same dream of being a writer, the same excellent whistle. They both suffer one catastrophic night, with life-changing consequences.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Thirteen years later, they are both coming home.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Happy reading!</p>Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-78903562699256101862019-06-29T14:19:00.001+09:302019-06-29T14:39:21.258+09:30A Lifetime Of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you read A Lifetime of Impossible Days an actual person will do a little happy dance. I know because I’ve been following <a href="http://tabithaannbird.com/" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">Tabitha Bird</a> on her journey to become a published author.<br />
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It has been a delight to share in her excitement in bringing her book to life. I’m so pleased for her that I’m not quite sure who is doing the dancing – Tabitha, or me, or both!<br />
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This book is a take on time travel in which the main character, Willa, at 33 years old, meets herself at a<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ges 8 and 93. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Tabitha has a whimsical way with words that reminds me of Kate Morton and brings a smile despite the darker themes in her story. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Tabitha’s book has its origins in her own childhood experiences. She has created a work of fiction with big-hearted characters that explores how we heal from trauma and hold onto hope.<br /><br />Thank you Tabitha for sending me an advance copy of your book.<br /><br /><b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/a-lifetime-of-impossible-days-9780143792260?utm_expid=.nIywxqyASHCa5KpnTueQsQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penguin.com.au%2Fsearch%2F%3Fq%3DA%2520Lifetime%2520of%2520Impossible%2520Days%26type%3Dall" target="_blank">Penguin Books Australia</a>:</b><br /><br />Meet Willa Waters, aged 8…33…and 93.<br /><br />On one impossible day in 1965, eight-year-old Willa receives a mysterious box containing a jar of water and the instruction: ‘One ocean: plant in the backyard.’ So she does - and somehow creates an extraordinary time slip that allows her to visit her future selves.<br /><br />On one impossible day in 1990, Willa is 33 and a mother-of-two when her childhood self magically appears in her backyard. But she’s also a woman haunted by memories of her dark past – and is on the brink of a decision that will have tragic repercussions…<br /><br />On one impossible day in 2050, Willa is a silver-haired, gumboot-loving 93-year-old whose memory is fading fast. Yet she knows there’s something she has to remember, a warning she must give her past selves about a terrible event in 1990. If only she could recall what it was.<br /><br />Can the three Willas come together, to heal their past and save their future, before it’s too late?<br /><br />Happy reading!</span></span></div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-84311344562795089762019-03-03T20:49:00.000+10:302019-03-03T20:49:52.316+10:30Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Hands up who loves this book! 🙋♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏾♀️ </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Isn’t it wonderful? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Every once in a while a book comes along that touches your heart and stays with you. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is one of those books. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I read it back in 2017 and when someone asks me for a book recommendation it’s still at the top of my list. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s a bundle of contradictions rolled into one - heartbreaking yet heartwarming, sad yet uplifting, serious but with a good sense of humour. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Many of you will have read it by now, but if you haven’t – please put it at the top of your </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tbr/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #003569; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">#tbr</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> list!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Have you read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine? I’d love to know what you think. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008172114/" target="_blank">HarperCollins Australia</a></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she's avoided all her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Happy reading!</span></div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-72138071613767777832019-02-16T21:42:00.001+10:302020-10-27T21:19:55.763+10:30An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH1vd0EfuD8j1doXzhC3e7DrpK6eBOBZzo8-4-kvZDb4FWD7l4BjoHOhQ-2Bh66epgdHIJSxwJ9RYkprDvJ5g707YMSE7uLWmRUKOiSjlEYUq3yXTKLsC8CysOv3SpVjs6J2DWAeBpmk/s2048/An+Absolutely+Remarkable+Thing+by+Hank+Green+-+Book+Review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH1vd0EfuD8j1doXzhC3e7DrpK6eBOBZzo8-4-kvZDb4FWD7l4BjoHOhQ-2Bh66epgdHIJSxwJ9RYkprDvJ5g707YMSE7uLWmRUKOiSjlEYUq3yXTKLsC8CysOv3SpVjs6J2DWAeBpmk/s320/An+Absolutely+Remarkable+Thing+by+Hank+Green+-+Book+Review.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Insta-fame. If you’ve ever had it, wanted it or been intrigued by the viral potential of the internet, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is an absolutely remarkable read.<br />
<br />
This is a great little book written by <a href="https://www.hankgreen.com/" target="_blank">Hank Green</a> who is no stranger to Internet fame himself, with more than three million subscribers to the Vlogbrothers channel he created on YouTube with his brother <a href="http://www.johngreenbooks.com/" target="_blank">John Green</a> (author of A Fault In Our Stars and other young adult fiction).<br />
<br />
The premise of this story is fantastical but enjoyable – imagine if the mysteries and riddles of the Da Vinci Code involved a giant Transformer named Carl and played out in front of the entire world.<br />
<br />
At its heart, this is a story about humankind’s ability to use the Internet to unite or divide us. I understand a sequel is currently in the works.<br />
<br />
Have you read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing? What did you think?<br />
<br />
Synopsis from <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/hank-green/an-absolutely-remarkable-thing" target="_blank">Hachette Australia</a>: If you came across an absolutely remarkable thing at 3 a.m. in New York City, would you walk away . . . or do the one thing that would change your life forever?<br />
<br />
The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship - like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armour - April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world, and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the centre of an intense international media spotlight.<br />
<br />
Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.<br />
<br />
Happy reading! </div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-54568856667105663252019-02-06T14:56:00.001+10:302020-10-27T21:27:08.629+10:30The Lost Man by Jane Harper - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX7X1WHARpR2NNgvVILJ0JY29YFo_3_PEDWHMjw9H385CohORXMj_tLL09-SXaBkFWFDevc9TcAi9nFQzkhN_Oo1ytsT7KWqmNGb6_kELuBe3n4zI7-3ilE-pRq4KBysoD-tNCkmCS5M/s2048/The+Lost+Man+by+Jane+Harper+-+Book+Review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX7X1WHARpR2NNgvVILJ0JY29YFo_3_PEDWHMjw9H385CohORXMj_tLL09-SXaBkFWFDevc9TcAi9nFQzkhN_Oo1ytsT7KWqmNGb6_kELuBe3n4zI7-3ilE-pRq4KBysoD-tNCkmCS5M/s320/The+Lost+Man+by+Jane+Harper+-+Book+Review.JPG" /></a></div></div><br />
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My home town of Adelaide has been HOT these past few weeks, reaching
as high as 46.6C (116F) to become Australia’s hottest capital city on record. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"> So
I’m thinking <a href="http://janeharper.com.au/" target="_blank">Jane Harper</a> will feel right at home weather-wise when she
visits in March for <a href="https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/writers-week/" target="_blank">Adelaide Writers' Week</a> (I’m hoping to take the
morning off work – any other Adelaideans planning to attend too?) </div>
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Harper’s
latest book, The Lost Man, reaches similar temperatures set in the relentless
heat of a remote station in the vast Australian outback. She writes with a vivid
sense of place and her depiction of distance, space, heat, isolation and
loneliness oozed into my pores as I read this book, adding to the mystery as it
unfolded.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781743549100/" target="_blank">Pan MacMillan Australia</a>:</b> <i>The man lay still in the centre of a dusty grave under a monstrous
sky.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties
under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; text-align: left;">
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old, no one can
remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last
chance for their middle brother, Cameron.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt; text-align: left;">
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and
anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and walk to his
death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few
suspects...</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Happy reading!</span></div>
</div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-40202687253395329542019-01-23T15:58:00.002+10:302020-10-27T21:28:09.637+10:30The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQFszJc1cu3X04zbDQ7p9bKlYS-COdE3PALIBNO4IFg0gSrpBcEYwNUu4DPg-0eFzPxqCcjbeyDti1fgRVPjYSCLD5rQMiPVH6O49hu2-nvpE3vDPXUqNPWB1HEerr8kUcGaKtXmUscE/s1080/The+Seven+Deaths+of+Evelyn+Hardcastle+by+Stuart+Turton+-+Book+Review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQFszJc1cu3X04zbDQ7p9bKlYS-COdE3PALIBNO4IFg0gSrpBcEYwNUu4DPg-0eFzPxqCcjbeyDti1fgRVPjYSCLD5rQMiPVH6O49hu2-nvpE3vDPXUqNPWB1HEerr8kUcGaKtXmUscE/s320/The+Seven+Deaths+of+Evelyn+Hardcastle+by+Stuart+Turton+-+Book+Review.JPG" /></a></div></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I feel like I’ve just played a game
of Cluedo while experiencing some form of mind-altering substance*. There’s
some weird stuff going on in this book and I loved it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Author Stuart Turton describes The
Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle** as a “time-travel, body-hopping, murder
mystery novel”. It has been likened to Agatha Christie meets Gosford Park meets
Inception meets Black Mirror meets Groundhog Day. What a combination!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This is a refreshingly original murder
mystery with a clever and intricate plot. I had no idea what was going to
happen from one page to the next and it kept me guessing to the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Concentration is required to keep up
with the time changes and body-shifting, and it’s helpful if you can read it in
large chunks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Have you read The Seven Deaths of
Evelyn Hardcastle? I’d love to know what you think. Happy reading!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">*Disclaimer: I have never played
Cluedo in the presence of a mind-altering substance. But if I did, I imagine
the experience would be similar to reading this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">**Interesting side note: In the US,
this book has been released with the title The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
The additional 0.5 is to avoid confusion with a similarly named (but completely
different) book released last year, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. An odd coincidence!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Synopsis
from Bloomsbury Publishing: </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We have work to do,' he says. 'I have a
puzzle which requires a solution.'<br />
<br />
'I think you've mistaken me for someone else,' I say. 'I'm just a doctor.'<br />
<br />
'You were a doctor,' he says. 'Then a butler, today a playboy, tomorrow a
banker. None of them are your real face, or your real personality. Those were
stripped from you when you entered Blackheath and they won't be returned until
you leave.'<br />
<br />
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden can identify her
killer.<br />
<br />
But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different
person. And some hosts are more helpful than others...</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-81751585607074844302019-01-13T21:53:00.000+10:302019-01-13T22:03:19.254+10:30The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-tVQH7OAxJKGv2BVyNtxAijVOrQapEUw_aYj-bPYxnzZhcG0M3xfvWnsWEXmuu389TV6ZRmWjbBZAH5wMEGpQAp5yo7OODUhNOwOUSikWtWVkFICVj9ZXDjMKGlOKYwZMCRFAyuUoOE/s1600/The+Family+Next+Door+by+Sally+Hepworth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-tVQH7OAxJKGv2BVyNtxAijVOrQapEUw_aYj-bPYxnzZhcG0M3xfvWnsWEXmuu389TV6ZRmWjbBZAH5wMEGpQAp5yo7OODUhNOwOUSikWtWVkFICVj9ZXDjMKGlOKYwZMCRFAyuUoOE/s320/The+Family+Next+Door+by+Sally+Hepworth.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
I’d love to meet Sally Hepworth, I think she’d be a lot of fun (note to Pan Macmillan Australia: please include Adelaide in Sally’s upcoming book tour!)<br />
<br />
The Family Next Door is a gem of a book. It’s easy to read with likeable characters experiencing everyday challenges of motherhood and career, with a few curveballs thrown in.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed Hepworth’s empathetic approach to her characters mixed with her sense of humour and gentle wit.<br />
<br />
I particularly recommend The Family Next Door for mothers with newborns to provide reassurance that your experiences are normal and comfort that you’re not alone.<br />
<br />
I’m looking forward to Hepworth’s new book, The Mother-In-Law, to be released later this month.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760781118/" target="_blank">Pan Macmillan Australia</a>:</b> Do you ever really know your neighbours?<br />
<br />
The safest suburbs often hold the deepest secrets. Such is the case for Essie, a mother of two. In a moment of maternal despair she once made a terrible mistake, one she will always regret. Essie has since recovered, but she fears what may still lurk inside her.<br />
<br />
Her neighbours in Pleasant Court have their own issues. Driven and organised, Ange appears to have everything under control, except perhaps her husband. Practical, intellectual Fran can't stop running. For exercise, or something else.<br />
<br />
One day in February, during an unprecedented Melbourne heatwave, someone new arrives. Isabelle is single and childless, when everyone else is married with kids. She is renting, when everyone else owns. Her job is mysteriously vague. Strangest of all, Isabelle is very curious about her neighbours. Too curious, some might say.<br />
<br />
It soon becomes clear that Isabelle's choice of neighbourhood was no accident. And her presence might bring even more secrets to light...<br />
<br />
Happy reading!</div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-55892117240893601702019-01-07T22:05:00.000+10:302019-01-07T22:05:22.995+10:30Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I’ve rewritten this review so many times. Oh, the pressure of doing this book justice! So in the interest of just getting it out there, here are three things I want to share about Where The Crawdads Sing:<br />
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1) Every summer for the past 30-plus years I have been fortunate to holiday on the south coast of South Australia, in a town called Goolwa by the Coorong. It’s where the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean, a landscape that includes river, ocean, sand dunes and wetlands, inhabited by birds and marine life. Where The Crawdads Sing has given me a greater appreciation for this coastal wilderness on my doorstep.<br />
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2) The Coorong is also the setting for one of Australia’s best loved children’s books. If you enjoyed Storm Boy by Colin Thiele as a child, you will love Where The Crawdads Sing as an adult. Delia Owens tells the story of Marsh Girl, a young woman who lives in the coastal marshlands of North Carolina in 1950s America. It’s a story about loneliness, resilience, coming of age, the beauty of our natural world….and a possible murder.<br />
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3) This is a beautiful, stunning, wonderful book. Please read it! As my first book for 2019 I’ve set the bar high. Have you read Where The Crawdads Sing? I’d love to know what you think.<br />
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<b>Synopsis from <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/delia-owens/where-the-crawdads-sing" target="_blank">Hachette Australia</a>:</b> For years, rumours of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl.<br />
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But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved.<br />
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When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.<br />
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Happy reading!<br />
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-18701944994948241002019-01-05T14:26:00.000+10:302019-01-05T14:26:24.355+10:30This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What would you do if your child told you that he or she wanted to live as a she or he? </div>
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This Is How It Always Is explores this journey through the eyes of two parents wanting to do the right thing by their child. It’s such a delicate topic which Laurie Frankel addresses with empathy, warmth and compassion. </div>
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Every parent should read this.</div>
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<b>Synopsis from Hachette Australia:</b> This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.</div>
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This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.</div>
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This is how children change…and then change the world.</div>
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This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess. When he grows up, Claude says he wants to be a girl.</div>
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Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.</div>
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Happy reading! </div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-61284458431239689232018-12-30T15:10:00.000+10:302018-12-30T15:10:28.195+10:30One Day In December by Josie Silver - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you feel like reading a good love story, One Day in December by Josie Silver </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">will hit the spot. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s sweet and endearing and, while a little corny at times, I couldn’t put it down. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A great holiday read that’s reminiscent of Jojo Moyes and One Day by David Nicholls with a little bit of Love Actually and Notting Hill.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Synopsis from Penguin Books Australia: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist. After all, life isn't a scene from the movies, is it?</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Laurie thinks she'll never see the boy from the bus again. But at their Christmas party a year later, her best friend Sarah introduces her to the new love of her life. Who is, of course, the boy from the bus.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Determined to let him go, Laurie gets on with her life. But what if fate has other plans?</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Happy reading!</span></div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-60212166467092044762018-11-10T16:19:00.001+10:302018-11-10T16:19:53.282+10:30Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Boy Swallows Universe is an ode to 1980s suburban Australia
and a coming of age story told through the eyes of a teenage boy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some are touting this book, published by
Harper Collins Australia, as the best Australian fiction in years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story will at once be familiar to anyone who grew up in the
80s with references to such delights as mullet haircuts, stubbie shorts, Dunlop
volleys, Malvern Star bicycles, Pasito soft drink and Atari video games.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It also has a dark underbelly, set against the backdrop of
drugs, violence and crime.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Main character and narrator Eli Bell has drug-addict-turned-drug-dealer
parents, a convicted murderer for a babysitter and comes into regular contact
with a cast of druglords. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Author Trent Dalton explores the intersection between good
and bad – at what point does a person decide to be bad instead of good? <o:p></o:p></div>
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After reading this book I was intrigued to learn it is
semi-autobiographical, loosely based on the author’s own family relationships and
parental influences but with an imagined plot. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You might like this book if you enjoyed Puberty Blues,
Jasper Jones, anything by Tim Winton and the recent slew of 80s Australian
biopics such as Hoges.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Happy reading! </span></div>
Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-33482464251836418952018-09-17T22:01:00.000+09:302018-09-17T22:01:21.110+09:30Normal People by Sally Rooney - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Normal People by Sally Rooney will be one of this year's best loved books. It's on the Man Booker Longlist for 2018 and is my favourite of the eight contenders I have read so far.</div>
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Normal People is a coming of age story about Marianne and Connell who can't quite seem to get it together. Sally Rooney recreates the angst, insecurities and social dilemmas of young adulthood - remember those days? (If you don't this book will bring them rushing back.)</div>
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Normal People reminds me of One Day by David Nicholls with a dash of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep and Tom Wolfe's I am Charlotte Simmons mixed in.</div>
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<b>Thank you for being part of The Reading Experiment. Happy reading!</b></div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-12110997330290609632018-07-29T15:07:00.000+09:302018-07-29T22:45:01.718+09:30The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton - Book Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.thereadingexperiment.com/2018/07/the-shepherds-hut-by-tim-winton-book.html" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6OGXhW5lW0jyNEGHVXpvll8jZrfutStyczgQFX4b3pKvoRPNvn-gem-uXqn_8zTofsLD6iRu4Jr8jbR0rJ3nWkaNT1LVUjfU0oajkSY4ZGKLetQw6EqWboBWkV91-_qWknE6lecexpk/s320/The+Reading+Experiment+-+The+Shepherd%2527s+Hut+by+Tim+Winton+I.JPG" title="The Reading Experiment - The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn’t realise how much I would enjoy The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton. I thought
it might play out slowly but it was a surprisingly exciting read.</div>
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Teenager Jaxie Clackton has been dealt a tough hand in life
and unexpected events see him venture into the Australian bush. He’s pretty
rough around the edges but endears himself to the reader as his strength and
depth of character are revealed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is a certain quality shared by good Australian fiction
that brings the natural environment to life in a way that engages all of the
senses. I place this alongside my other favourite Winton reads, Dirt
Music and Breath.<o:p></o:p></div>
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P.S. It’s been a long time between book recommendations but
I’m back! Thanks for staying with me all this time, I hope you’ll stick around.
You can also find me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thereadingexperiment/" target="_blank">Instagram here</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Reading-Experiment/198185006871348" target="_blank">Facebook here</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-size: 10.0pt;">Would you like to read this
book? Buy it here online:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 10.0pt;">*Please note: You won't pay
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">Thank you for being part of The Reading Experiment. Happy reading!</span></b></div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-31157182386718429322013-07-09T17:10:00.000+09:302013-07-09T17:10:21.582+09:30Review - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yJlxThk8fZwudVugMm3lYErwwUkXqLHJo6Y55lUNNF4BiDXEGi-UkTPFLjM8huKepZyHETrANdUIvCCL5hkx6PEKv7dTmDM8te6157xFHytpKHsvCxmx5Q4xBvwB6UIQg5K8wnG0xOY/s1600/The+Rosie+Project+-+Graeme+Simsion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yJlxThk8fZwudVugMm3lYErwwUkXqLHJo6Y55lUNNF4BiDXEGi-UkTPFLjM8huKepZyHETrANdUIvCCL5hkx6PEKv7dTmDM8te6157xFHytpKHsvCxmx5Q4xBvwB6UIQg5K8wnG0xOY/s1600/The+Rosie+Project+-+Graeme+Simsion.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">The Rosie Project is funny, clever
and has a big heart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's one of the best books I've read
in a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It tells the story of Don Tillman, a
university professor, and his quest to find the ideal wife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along comes Rosie, an unsuitable
match, who threatens to throw his carefully scheduled life into disarray. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early on it becomes apparent that Don
has Asperger’s syndrome and it is fascinating to see the world through his
eyes. While I’m not sure what sort of research author Graeme Simsion did for this
book and how accurate his depiction is of Asperger’s, he has given me a greater
appreciation for people with autism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simsion also uses humour to great
effect but in a respectful way. Don’s literal perspective on life provides
many laughs – look out for his Standardised Meal Plan. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Sarah and Bronte for recommending this book to me.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would you like to read this
book? Buy it here online:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Please note: You won't pay
more if you purchase via these links, but they will give me a small
referral fee (5%).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for being part of The Reading Experiment. Happy reading!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-68138058579915566882013-05-28T21:00:00.000+09:302013-05-28T21:00:57.871+09:30Review - Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures by Amber Dusick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilom_8M5nLpBD6GdgMdAuuy7aO1AAooyhXhe4tMJCcqVlXXJ6cHDLWasLhzl34huJPSOY6Yam1egukoBkBib9800aZZ_5h2k5BtbzI9VoQtQwLTyCYiCz3q8LHhv8ONKKvuQmjJa1ka9Q/s1600/Parenting+Illustrated+with+Crappy+Pictures+by+Amber+Dusick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilom_8M5nLpBD6GdgMdAuuy7aO1AAooyhXhe4tMJCcqVlXXJ6cHDLWasLhzl34huJPSOY6Yam1egukoBkBib9800aZZ_5h2k5BtbzI9VoQtQwLTyCYiCz3q8LHhv8ONKKvuQmjJa1ka9Q/s1600/Parenting+Illustrated+with+Crappy+Pictures+by+Amber+Dusick.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most wonderful
thing has happened. I’ve become a mum. My husband and I celebrated the arrival
of our little boy in March. We love him to bits.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To mark the
occasion, this recommendation is a book about the fun and games of parenting –
Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures by Amber Dusick<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amber is the mother
of two young boys and author of a very funny blog, <a href="http://www.crappypictures.com/">www.crappypictures.com</a>,
where she shares her stories about the humorous side of parenting, illustrated
with (crappy) hand drawn pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first subscribed
to this blog long before I ever became pregnant, I was so amused by Amber’s
tales of sleepless nights, child logic and endless poo. I often laugh out loud
when I read it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven’t
encountered Amber’s blog, you can <a href="http://www.crappypictures.com/" target="_blank">find it here</a>. It’s worth a read and will give you an idea as
to what her book is about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parenting:
Illustrated with Crappy Pictures isn’t a novel but a collection of Amber’s
tales of parenting, similar to what you can find on her blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’ve ever spent
any time around kids, you’ll appreciate this book. It would make a good gift
for a new or seasoned mum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would you like
to read this book? Buy it here online:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Please
note: You won't pay more if you purchase via these links, but they will
give me a small referral fee (5%).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for being part of The Reading Experiment. Happy reading!</span><span style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-40660153330497725082013-02-03T14:43:00.000+10:302013-02-03T14:43:03.811+10:30Review - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever experienced this dilemma? </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of your favourite authors releases a new book. You buy it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It sits on your bedside table, calling out to you.
All you want to do is read it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But you know that once you do, you’ll have a long wait until the author’s next book comes along.
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you read it now or savour the anticipation for as long as possible? </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tried my best to hold out when Kate Morton released The Secret Keeper.
I lasted eight weeks.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thereadingexperiment.com/2011/06/my-favourite-authors-kate-morton.html" target="_blank">As discussed previously on this blog,</a> I love Kate Morton’s books and The Secret Keeper is no exception. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story starts in 1960s England when sixteen year-old Laurel sees her mother commit a shocking crime. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fifty years later, Laurel attempts to unravel the events which led to that day. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In typical Kate Morton fashion it’s a tale of mystery, relationships and long-held family secrets.
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story travels back and forth in time between the present day and 1940s London during the Second World War and the Blitz. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate Morton is a beautiful storyteller. The Secret Keeper is an intriguing story which kept me guessing, if not to the last page, then fairly close to the end. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have not yet read The Secret Keeper – or any of <a href="http://www.thereadingexperiment.com/2011/06/my-favourite-authors-kate-morton.html" target="_blank">Kate Morton’s books</a> – and still have the opportunity to experience them for the first time, I envy you. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Would you like to read this book? Buy it here online: </b></span><br />
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-73951221892783223402013-01-13T09:54:00.001+10:302013-01-13T09:54:43.147+10:30Review - The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmkLJ-6hgukqWOAkiUEqa9mvdAJuSgbaxzIcadgxbdCrOLn3LVcKzBRNeiYXUe_jC780uSuiG-l98yGpBJiVIZLx9fX27g-wdneft8LuK8x3mRxCiHWSyhyyKUUd4hP0ADccDKp1Qjwg/s1600/The+Light+Between+Oceans+-+ML+Stedman+(small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmkLJ-6hgukqWOAkiUEqa9mvdAJuSgbaxzIcadgxbdCrOLn3LVcKzBRNeiYXUe_jC780uSuiG-l98yGpBJiVIZLx9fX27g-wdneft8LuK8x3mRxCiHWSyhyyKUUd4hP0ADccDKp1Qjwg/s1600/The+Light+Between+Oceans+-+ML+Stedman+(small).jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven’t cried this much over a book in a long time. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set in the 1920s, The Light Between Oceans tells the story of lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel, who live on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia.
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One day a small rowboat washes up to shore. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It contains the body of a dead man and a crying baby. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having suffered a series of miscarriages, Tom and Isabel decide to raise the child as their own. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the story plays out, the consequences of their decision unfold. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My book cover describes The Light Between Oceans as “story of right and wrong and how sometimes they look the same”. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t’s also about parental love and loss, choice and the consequences of our decisions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s a lot of moral ambiguity in The Light Between Oceans which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
I felt so sad for the characters as I tried to figure out whether Stedman could give them all a happy ending. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">True, I am currently six months pregnant and my emotions are in overdrive (probably not the best time to be reading about miscarriages and infertility). </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But if you’re a parent, parent-to-be or have ever been faced with the prospect of being unable to have children, it would be difficult not to be affected by this book. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Would you like to read this book? Buy it here online: </b></span><br />
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-77952125970856787382012-11-25T16:21:00.001+10:302012-11-25T16:25:33.350+10:30Review - The Dinner by Herman Koch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My grandfather was Dutch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever he finished a good meal he would rest his hands on his belly with great satisfaction and announce, “I’m plofft”. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After reading The Dinner by Dutch author Herman Koch I, too, was plofft. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dinner is a dark novel that takes place over the course of one evening. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two couples meet for dinner in a restaurant. There is underlying tension between them. As the evening transpires, it becomes clear they are here to discuss an unspeakable act committed by their teenage sons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what have their sons done? And what do the two couples plan to do about it? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started The Dinner with a set of assumptions. My enjoyment of the book stemmed from the way in which Koch first plays along with those assumptions, then begins to challenge them and eventually turns them on their head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Koch writes with the theatre of a waiter making his way around a table, removing the silver cloche from each meal with great flourish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the dinner progresses from aperitif to dessert, he lifts the lid on his characters and the back stories that have led to the evening. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It will also give parents pause for thought – what would you do if your child committed the unspeakable? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-74255458166334892562012-10-21T18:38:00.000+10:302012-10-21T18:38:03.221+10:30Book Review - The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DymjCQFnHtZ9w1O81081NxxwYdB052Umi09YYMjGWL0Sjhzn3NPJNv0AcXT89nqEMp6agvUUvbBZA-ajJ3dJ_4FldXEgV-o3S4_NxTcLiU9hP54UEsCIfNDriq-9U0cu7a7Silmr-EU/s1600/The+Casual+Vacancy+-+JK+Rowling+(small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DymjCQFnHtZ9w1O81081NxxwYdB052Umi09YYMjGWL0Sjhzn3NPJNv0AcXT89nqEMp6agvUUvbBZA-ajJ3dJ_4FldXEgV-o3S4_NxTcLiU9hP54UEsCIfNDriq-9U0cu7a7Silmr-EU/s1600/The+Casual+Vacancy+-+JK+Rowling+(small).jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">JK Rowling’s first novel for adults is as far removed from
Harry Potter as you can get.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s not a wizard or magic spell in sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set firmly in the world of humans, The Casual Vacancy reveals
the ugly side of a cast of characters living in a fictitious English town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Essentially, it’s a book about not-very-nice people being horrible to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s also a story about attitudes towards people who are less
fortunate than ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The novel begins with the death of Pagford parish
councillor, Barry Fairbrother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barry’s death leaves a vacancy in the local council, calling
into question the fate of a local housing trust estate and the families living
within it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Casual Vacancy has received mixed reviews. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, despite my dislike of many of the characters, I really
enjoyed this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before reading The Casual Vacancy I had watched an interview
with JK Rowling in which she revealed her inspiration for writing it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We discuss the poor
as this faceless, lumpen mass….<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I was one of those
people. I know how it feels to be talked about in that way….You lose your
individuality.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“For a long time in my
head, the novel was called Responsible….I’m very interested in how responsible
we are, each of us individually for our own personal happiness [and] how
responsible we are towards other people.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3599768.htm" target="_blank">JK Rowling interview on ABC1 - First Tuesday Book Club: Jennifer Byrne Presents 27 September 2012<o:p></o:p></a></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Knowing what Rowling was trying to achieve gave me a greater
appreciation for her book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also admired her ability to inject humour into a sobering
story without detracting from her message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rowling has a skill for creating characters with
personalities that jump off the page and I liked the way she revealed the inner
workings of their minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some were so grotesque as to be quite comical. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At times I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-72211646528376474752012-09-23T10:26:00.000+09:302012-09-23T10:26:02.844+09:30Review - Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_ZwVqOLsq75_pnmIRzuqPzc-yoh_pMMcPTafGshovHB52uEDd1exdPAzjF9R7J5D03z6m4FbCsPNILhbjnYOtvYvNjNzzkIWa3OYA-YTPGUQV3c6ysxL9r9p_OC9lL5wnY_xBm9joU/s1600/Sweet+Tooth+-+Ian+McEwan+(small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h_ZwVqOLsq75_pnmIRzuqPzc-yoh_pMMcPTafGshovHB52uEDd1exdPAzjF9R7J5D03z6m4FbCsPNILhbjnYOtvYvNjNzzkIWa3OYA-YTPGUQV3c6ysxL9r9p_OC9lL5wnY_xBm9joU/s1600/Sweet+Tooth+-+Ian+McEwan+(small).jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt like a literary detective reading Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was certain there was more to this book than meets the eye. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent the entire book analysing every character, every conversation and every scene, looking for clues. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how it was going to end. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet Tooth tells the story of Serena Frome, a college graduate who joins Britain’s MI5 in the early 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serena is sent on a secret mission and begins an affair with the subject of her undercover task. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took me a little while to get into this book – the story doesn’t really take off until around 80 pages in.
I also didn’t know whether I would recommend it until about 20 pages to the end.
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as fans of Atonement will know, Ian McEwan knows how to write a good ending. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After giving Atonement a five star rating, I’d award Sweet Tooth four stars. </span><br />
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-1921304161085106092012-09-04T20:29:00.000+09:302012-09-04T20:29:08.520+09:30Book Review - We The Living by Ayn Rand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first discovered Ayn Rand's novels while backpacking through Europe with a friend in my early 20s when we found a copy of The Fountainhead in Spain. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A number of years later I read Atlas Shrugged while holidaying in Vietnam. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More recently I came across her first novel, We The Living, while travelling through India. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it is coincidence that I read all three books while travelling, it is also fitting. Rand wrote fiction to illustrate her own personal philosophy so it's helpful to approach her writing with an open frame of mind.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rand was born in Russia in the early 1900s. She lived through the Russian Revolution and oppressive conditions of Soviet rule before escaping to America in her early 20s. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her subsequent and fierce anti-collectivist stance is reflected in all of her books. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of Rand’s three novels, Atlas Shrugged (first published in 1957) is the best, although at more than 1000 pages it's not for the faint hearted. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We The Living is an easier (and shorter) read and I liked the characters more. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First published in 1936, it tells the story of a young woman, Kira, and her struggle against communist rule in 1920s Soviet Russia. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rand wrote We The Living at a time when the western world was oblivious to hunger and oppression in Russia and the communist movement was starting to gather pace in America. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a love story with a twist, as well as a criticism of dictatorships and the nature of collectivist ideals. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rand's writing isn't for everyone, but if you read this book and enjoy it, give Atlas Shrugged a go. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Sarah for helping me to discover Ayn Rand in a bookshop in Spain all those years ago. </span><br />
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Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655641986472499028.post-35542655968062877542012-08-06T18:30:00.000+09:302012-08-06T18:30:21.397+09:30Book Review - The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Did you know?</b> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tower of London was once home to a Royal Menagerie of animals including lions, tigers, polar bears, elephants, alligators and kangaroos. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This piece of trivia inspired Julia Stuart to write The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise (published in the UK under the title Balthazar Jones and The Tower of London).
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a lovely little book. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It tells the story of Balthazar Jones, a Beefeater who lives in the Tower of London with wife Hebe Jones and Mrs Cook, the world’s oldest tortoise. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Balthazar is tasked with the responsibility of reinstating to the Tower Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Menagerie.
Hilarity and calamity ensue. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise has a lovable cast of characters. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stuart writes with a similar style of humour to Alexander McCall Smith (The 44 Scotland St series and The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite being set inside the Tower, my favourite parts take place in the London Underground’s Lost Property Office, where Hebe Jones and her colleague Valerie Jennings reunite an intriguing array of objects with their owners. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coincidentally enough, The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise has inspired its own piece of trivia. It achieved fame and broke into the top 25 of the New York Times hardback fiction list after US President Barack Obama and his family took it on holiday in 2010. </span>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s where you can buy it online: </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=the+tower+the+zoo+and+the+tortoise&search=search/?a_aid=thereadingexperiment">Book Depository US</a> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Please note: You won't pay more if you purchase via these links, but they will give me a small referral fee (5%).
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for being part of The Reading Experiment. Happy reading!</span><br />
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</div>Louise at The Reading Experimenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059816156186270540noreply@blogger.com4