Category Archives: Recommended

June 28, 2026 · 1:49 pm

Whistler – Ann Patchett

Whistler – Ann Patchett

I listened to this one – it is narrated by Ann Patchett!

Here’s the blurb …

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

This was a lovely story – no one had evil intent – it was about ordinary people doing the best they could. It’s about family, forbidden love, sibling relationships, and societal expectations. I do like to read a story where the author is kind to the characters – shows multiple sides so we can understand their behavior.

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June 15, 2026 · 11:15 am

Mrs Osmond – John Banville

Mrs Osmond – John Banville

Is that not a great cover? This is a continuation of Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady. I read Portrait of a Lady years ago – I think it’s my favourite Henry James novel – so this sounded intriguing. I was always disappointed that Isabel married Gilbert Osmond.

Here’s the blurb …

Isabel Archer is a young American woman, swept off to Europe in the late nineteenth century by an aunt who hopes to round out the impetuous but naive girl’s experience of the world. When Isabel comes into a large, unexpected inheritance, she is finagled into a marriage with the charming, penniless, and–as Isabel finds out too late–cruel and deceitful Gilbert Osmond, whose connection to a certain Madame Merle is suspiciously intimate. On a trip to England to visit her cousin Ralph Touchett on his deathbed, Isabel is offered a chance to free herself from the marriage, but nonetheless chooses to return to Italy. Banville follows James’s story line to this point, but Mrs. Osmond is thoroughly Banville’s own: the narrative inventiveness; the lyrical precision and surprise of his language; the layers of emotional and psychological intensity; the subtle, dark humor. And when Isabel arrives in Italy–along with someone else –the novel takes off in directions that James himself would be thrilled to follow.

As I wrote earlier, it has been a while since I read anything by James, but the prose style of this novel feels Jamesian. We have the old characters; Madame Merle, Pansy, Aunt Lydia, Ralph Touchett (just in passing), and Henrietta Stackpole. The settings range from London, Paris, Florence and Rome – quite the Grand Tour.

No spoilers, but I was happy with how this ended.

I do think you need to have read A Portrait of a Lady before tackling this one, but, if you have, then I highly recommend this one.

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June 14, 2026 · 3:46 pm

Slough House – Mick Herron (Slough House #7)

Slough House – Mick Herron

I accidentally skipped this one – I realised while reading Bad Actors, so I have gone back to listen to it.

Here’s the blurb …

A year after a calamitous blunder by the Russian secret service left a British citizen dead from novichok poisoning, Diana Taverner is on the warpath. What seems a gutless response from the government has pushed the Service’s First Desk into mounting her own counter-offensive – but she’s had to make a deal with the devil first. And given that the devil in question is arch-manipulator Peter Judd, she could be about to lose control of everything she’s fought for.

Meanwhile, still reeling from recent losses, the slow horses are worried they’ve been pushed further into the cold. Slough House has been wiped from Service records, and fatal accidents keep happening. No wonder Jackson Lamb’s crew are feeling paranoid. But have they actually been targeted?

With a new populist movement taking a grip on London’s streets, and the old order ensuring that everything’s for sale to the highest bidder, the world’s an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. The wise move would be to find a safe place and wait for the troubles to pass.

But the slow horses aren’t famed for making wise decisions.

I am always completely horrified by the machinations between people who are meant to be on the same side. Lady Di in particular.

Lamb was awful, Catherine Standish sensible and resolute, Dander impulsive, River heroic, Roddy as useless and useful as ever, and Louisa and Lech just trying to get by. The pace is fast, and some of their ‘on their feet’ thinking is hilarious (Lech describing a dead person as pretending to be a corpse for sexual reasons). The descriptions are great, and this one is very current.

I think there is only one more to go – Clown Town.

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June 10, 2026 · 1:34 pm

All the Devils are Here (Gamache #16) – Louise Penny

All the Devils are Here – Louise Penny

I love Gamache novels. I am restricting myself so I don’t run out.

Here’s the blurb for this one …

On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life. 

When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the S ret , Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art. 

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades. 

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized. 

Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family. 

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.

I wondered, after I finished the last book, how things would progress with Jean-Guy and Annie in Paris. But I didn’t need to worry because the action moved to Paris!

This book has a lot going on – conspiracy theorists would be in seventh heaven, but, as per usual, I liked the relationships (particularly between Armand and Daniel), not to mention the Paris scenery. The crime is complicated and many people are involved in solving it – it gets very tense at times. Who can be trusted? And why does Stephen have two nickels glued together? And how can Daniel afford a new appartement and to send his girls to an elite Parisian private school?

It’s so good! And now I need to pause before reading/listening to the next one.

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June 1, 2026 · 12:33 pm

The Things We Never Say – Elizabeth Strout

The Things we Never Say – Elizabeth Strout

I love Elizabeth Strout novels – my favourite is Olive Kitteridge, so I pre-ordered this one.

Here’s the blurb …

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He spends his days teaching history to high schoolers, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbours, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad—at himself and the people around him—and turns a question over and over in his mind: how is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us?
 
 And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear—and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.
 
 With exquisite prose and profound insight, Elizabeth Strout captures the way grief reverberates through decades, the comfort found in deep friendships and the freedom that comes when we break free of our secrets. The Things We Never Say is a stunning new novel from one of our most acclaimed observers of the human heart.

Artie is a good guy in a world gone mad – the election is looming in the US, is it possible that ‘that man’ will be re-elected? He thinks he wants to be gone, but not in a way that would be distressing for others. Then there is a boating incident and he realises that he, in fact, wants to live (this is not the secret). He has a profound impact on two of his students, and develops a relationship with the man who saved him from drowning, is close to his son, but distant from his wife. He is a good man trying to navigate his way in the world – the new principal chastises him for saying ‘boys and girls’ (it’s demeaning and some might not identify as boy or girl).

The dialogue is fabulous – very natural sounding.

I think it would be nice to get this story again, but from Evie’s point of view. Let’s just say the reader (or this reader) doesn’t warm to her.

A review

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May 22, 2026 · 3:15 pm

The Society of Literary Marauders – Sasha Wasley

The Society of Literary Marauders – Sasha Wasley

Miss A and I saw this at Boundless Books. And we were sold at ‘Austen for our times’!

I ended up listening to it – it was beautifully narrated by Eleanor Howell.

Here’s the blurb …

At Oxford University, 1928, four young women make a secret pledge: ‘I hereby undertake to take and read any book kept away from nice young ladies.’

They’ve come from unlikely corners of the British Empire: brickworker’s daughter Annie, wealthy flapper Ridley, refined Parsi aristocrat Dorelia and disheartened schoolteacher Norma. They call themselves the Society of Literary Marauders and the price of entry is having stolen a book.

Their illicit meetings rapidly become a lifeline in a world where knowledge is power, and women are fed lies and half-truths. They start with small misdemeanours – getting their hands on banned books, stealing back historical records claimed by the men’s colleges. But over time, they become aware of a true literary injustice – and they slowly formulate a plan to put this historical wrong to right…

This was very enjoyable. I loved all of the Oxford references, and all of the Western Australian references. The letters to Annie from her mum and Alf were hilarious. And Kit? What a fabulous character.

I have to admit that I thought Annie’s dislike of Kit went on a bit long (here I am talking about the characters like real people).

It was clearly well-researched, but that was just background to a good story.

Here is an interview with Sasha Wasley

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May 14, 2026 · 2:09 pm

Holding – Graham Norton

Holding – Graham Norton

I started listening to this one on a road trip and finished it later at home. It’s narrated by Graham Norton! This is the second of his novels that I have read – I have also listened to A Keeper.

Here’s the blurb …

From Graham Norton—the BAFTA-award-winning and hugely popular BBC America television host—comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. “With its tale of provincial life, gimlet-eyed spinsters, and thwarted love…it feels almost like a Miss Marple mystery written by Colm Tóibín” (New York Times).

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.

Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit” (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

This was great – witty and moving with a lot of insightful observations about small towns, relationships, etc.

How is it possible for people to be so talented in a number of fields? His talk show is fabulous and now he is a wonderful author. Although, I suspect his ability to engage with people makes him good at both.

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May 13, 2026 · 2:09 pm

Nonesuch – Francis Spufford

Nonesuch – Francis Spufford

I have read two other Spufford books – Golden Hill and Light Perpetual, and I liked them both. So when a friend said she had this one, I was keen to read it.

Here’s the blurb …

It’s the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC’s nascent television unit.

What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit – into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.

And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.

Mr Spufford has such a wonderful way with words. His descriptions, in particular, are fabulous. I could see the cluttered attic, Iris’s flat in Chelsea, etc. I also think Iris and Geoff’s relationship is lovely – a grownup relationship with ups and downs and doubts.

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May 8, 2026 · 2:13 pm

A Better Man (Gamache #15) – Louise Penny

A Better Man – Louise Penny

I really like these Gamache novels – I think there is 21 altogether, so I am catching up.

Here’s the blurb …

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he returns to the S ret du Qu bec in the latest novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny. 

It’s Gamache’s first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Flood waters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter. 

As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father. 

Increasingly hounded by the question, how would you feel…, he resumes the search. 

As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made. 

In the next novel in this “constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves” (New York Times Book Review), Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question. 

What would you do if your child’s killer walked free?

As usual, this was beautifully written, with literary references and a few surprises. I cried when Jean-Guy and Annie headed off to Paris – I am intrigued as to how that will all be handled in the next book.

The solution to the crime(s) was intriguing, particularly after the ‘poisoned fruit’ made them start investigating again. This was also a love letter to the Armand Jean-Guy relationship.

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April 25, 2026 · 2:24 pm

The Hiding Place – Kate Mildenhall

The Hiding Place – Kate Mildenhall

I heard Kate speak at Beaufort Street Books and obviously I had to buy her book.

Here is the blurb …

When Lou sees an ad for a long-abandoned mining town up for sale, it doesn’t take her long to convince her sister and their oldest friends to go in on the idyllic property buried in the bush – a place where the four families can hide away on weekends, get back to nature and unstick the kids from their screens.

But things start to go wrong before they even arrive for their first camping trip – a rogue deer sends a trailer off the road, a neighbour complains about the fence line and squatters have set up camp down by the river. Soon none of that will matter, though, because by the end of the first night someone will be dead.

At first it seems that hiding a body is easier than keeping other sorts of secrets: a lost job, an illegal crop, an outrageous affair, a little embezzlement. But what’s buried has a way of coming to the surface, and even in the bush, it’s hard to remain unseen.

I think the comparison to White Lotus is very apt – none of these characters are particularly likeable. I thought it was going to be Australian Noir, but it’s not that. The story is told from different view points – and each of these characters has a secret (and they are all going to be outed by the end of the weekend). There are terrible decisions – a secret that spreads through the group and finally explodes into the light of day. A creepy neighbour, an even creepier squatter with a gun, and a group of self-absorbed entitled people – what could go wrong?

The writing is good and the sense of place superb – I could picture the pub and the creek, and the creepy man from next door (haven’t we all meet one of them?).

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