The Emporium is a bustle of a place. People come and go. Some see magic everywhere. They have phone messages and answer their phone when it rings. Other people see less magic and a more commonplace shop selling quirky vintage wares. It depends on what they expect to see. A person looking for the impossible […]
contemporary fiction
Review: Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal, by Anna Whateley
I loved this story so much. We’re all conditioned to believe that if we follow ‘the rules’ we’ll be safer and our lives will be happier. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s literally the fabric that glues society together. Of course, the problem is, it’s seldom true. Bad things do happen to good people. […]
Review: The Choke, by Sofie Laguna
I’m working my way through my lovely box of library books while in Melbourne lockdown and finally got around to reading this much-raved-about book. I couldn’t put The Choke down, even though the subject matter is devastating and confronting. Sofie Laguna’s simple writing style evokes simple, yet complex, lives and beautiful Australian landscapes. The theme […]
Review: The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig
I loved the premise of this book so much and I loved reading it even more! This is the perfect book for anyone who has many (or any!) regrets in their life. This is “Sliding Doors” on steroids – what if you could get a sneak peak of what your life would look like if […]
Review: A Lifetime of Impossible Days, by Tabitha Bird
“Wow. Just wow.” These were my first thoughts on reading the final page of Tabitha Bird’s incredible novel. A Lifetime of Impossible Days is, at its core, a heartbreaking love letter to therapy after childhood trauma. I adored the writing, I miss the characters already and I wholeheartedly endorse the argument that you can’t change […]
Review: Better Luck Next Time, by Kate Hilton
Better Luck Next Time, by Kate Hilton, is a light, delightful read with some very funny lines. Set in the U.S., it’s billed as a ‘divorce comedy’ and follows the lives of several related 40-something-year-old women as their lives fall apart and they struggle to put them back together. It’s got a bit of politics, […]
