The Unfinished Bookshelf | Page 3 of 23

Who’s That Girl? by Mhairi McFarlane

February 20, 2017, by Michelle2 comments0

When Edie is caught in a compromising position at her colleagues’ wedding, all the blame falls on her – turns out that personal popularity in the office is not that different from your schooldays. Shamed online and ostracised by everyone she knows, her boss suggests an extended sabbatical – ghostwriting an autobiography for hot new acting talent, Elliot Owen. Easy, right? Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a man who probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ in a decade, but also suffering an excruciating regression to her teenage years as she moves back in with her widowed father and judgey, layabout sister. When the world is asking who you are, it’s hard not to question yourself. Who’s that girl? Edie is ready to find out.

Whenever I’m feeling a little down or in a bit of a reading slump, Mhairi McFarlane is my go-to girl. Her books are the perfect contemporaries; just the right mix of drama, romance and comedy. Who’s That Girl? was brilliant and helped me through a tough time at the end of last year. I haven’t stopped recommending it since. Read More

Talking Points: My ever-growing book collection

February 19, 2017, by Michelle0 comments0

Since I started blogging, my book collection has exploded. I’m buying more than I ever did before, but I’m also being sent dozens of new books for review. Unfortunately I’m not as ruthless as I’d like to be when it comes to my own little library. Really, I’m rather sentimental and it takes a lot for me to let go of books. Read More

Blog Tour: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard (review, Q&A and giveaway)

January 20, 2017, by Michelle0 comments0

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.

There are very few books I’ve related to quite as much as A Quiet Kind of Thunder. Honestly, it was as though Sara Barnard was inside my brain as she perfectly described the anxiety-driven stream of thoughts which can flood the brain, immobilising and taking control. Read More

Conversations with McCartney by Paul Du Noyer

January 17, 2017, by Michelle0 comments0

In June 1989, Paul Du Noyer was contacted by Paul McCartney’s office in London and asked to interview the star as they had met once before and enjoyed a good rapport. In the years that followed, Paul Du Noyer continued to meet, interview and work for Paul McCartney on a regular basis, producing magazine articles, tour programmes, album liner notes, press materials and website editorial. It’s likely that Du Noyer has spent more hours in formal, recorded conversation with McCartney than any other writer. Conversations with McCartney is the culmination of Du Noyer’s long association with McCartney and his music. It draws from their interview sessions across 35 years, coupling McCartney’s own, candid thoughts with his observations and analysis.

Those who know me well know I’ve read plenty Beatles books and seen almost every documentary out there on the Fab Four. After years of casual research, some would (perhaps rightly) say obsession, it’s fairly unusual for me to read or watch something which gives me new information. Conversations with McCartney was pleasantly surprising in this respect, giving me more information and analysis on my favourite Beatle than I expected. Read More

That Burning Summer by Lydia Syson

January 9, 2017, by Michelle6 comments0

Romney Marsh, July 1940. When invasion threatens, you have to grow up quickly. Sixteen-year-old Peggy has been putting on a brave face since the fall of France, but now the enemy is overhead, and the rules are changing all the time. Staying on the right side of the law proves harder than she expects when a plane crash-lands in the Marsh: it’s Peggy who finds its pathetic, broken pilot; a young Polish man, Henryk, who stays hidden in a remote church, secretly cared for by Peggy. As something more blossoms between the two, Peggy’s brother Ernest’s curiosity peaks and other secrets come to light, forcing Peggy and Henryk to question all the loyalties and beliefs they thought they held dear. In one extraordinary summer the lives of two young people will change forever, in a tense and gripping historical drama from Lydia Syson, the author of the acclaimed A World Between Us.

I’ve always been fascinated by the Second World War. I’ll read anything on the subject, but I love books which explore some lesser known elements or tell women’s stories. Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire are perfect examples; featuring female pilots. That Burning Summer was another brilliant addition to my reading on this time period. Read More

Talking Points: Reading resolutions for 2017

January 1, 2017, by Michelle6 comments0

Don’t forget to blog This year I’m pretty excited to be starting a Masters of Arts (Writing and Literature). However, I’ll be juggling this with my full time job as as journalist and trying to (hopefully) maintain some sense of a social life and fitness routine. We’ll see how that goes! I would like to try and publish at least one blog post a month or 12 in the year. When I was doing my undergrad, my blog was my happy place and I would hate to lose that in the midst of everything I’ve got planned this year. Read More

What a Time to be Alive by Mark Di Stefano

December 5, 2016, by Michelle0 comments0

What a Time to be Alive: That and other lies in the 2016 campaign is the ugly and un-sanitised diary behind the curtain of the double dissolution election campaign. A poll fought between two wildly ambitious men who want to win their first election, whatever it takes. Mark Di Stefano finds out what is happening behind the scenes and how the two campaigns manufacture, massage and manipulate their parties, policies and principles. What a time to be alive documents the daily ride of an historic election campaign, week by long week, taking you into the bizarre world of staged photo ops, booze-drenched regrets and dirty direct messages. The exposure of the unscripted moments with political leaders, their over-worked staff and secretive minders, shows how the sausage that is this Australian election, is made and reveals what is really inside.

I wouldn’t expect anyone but a political nerd or journalist to enjoy this book as much as I did. It was an even better read for me because I covered the election at a regional level for the majority of the campaign, including 12-hour shifts I pulled writing about visits by both Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten to our electorate. Read More

On Screen: Spotlight

November 28, 2016, by Michelle0 comments0

I’m not usually one for watching movies over and over. But since it was released at the start of the year, I’ve watched Spotlight at least five times. That is definitely a record for me. This film, this story, is incredible. In all my re-watching, it’s never failed to leave me feeling completely inspired. Read More

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

November 20, 2016, by Michelle0 comments0

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one. Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas? Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong? Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

I love a good, sweet contemporary and The Book of Broken Hearts was in many ways the perfect fit. What I wasn’t expecting was its depth. Along with a cute romance, Ockler delves into difficult family issues with a heartbreaking exploration of a loved one’s slow descent into dementia. Read More

On Screen: Happy Valley (seasons one and two)

November 7, 2016, by Michelle0 comments0

There’s a brilliantly dark and harsh quality to many of the British crime dramas I’ve come to love. The somewhat softer Heartbeat and New Tricks will always be favourites, there’s something undeniably gripping about those shows which aren’t afraid to go deeper, no matter how unsettling it may be for the audience. Read More

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