Book Club: January

Hand me down world (Lloyd Jones) - Lloyd Jones tells the story of the immense lengths a woman will go to in order to be with their child. The seas she'll cross, the acts she'll do all in the name of motherly love and a longing to be reunited with her baby boy. This story is told in such a beautiful way and unfolds so well through the words of everyone involved, I found myself reading this and feeling overwhelming emotions as I heard my own daughter playing and laughing in the background, reminding myself how lucky these moments are, how to never take these times for granted, asking myself what I would do given this woman's circumstances. Jones writing made it possible for me to feel what this woman was experiencing when she breathed in her little one, where her head must have been when she did the things that were necessary to get her to where she needed to be. This is a tale of love and loss and courage and you'll have a very hard time putting this one down. 

Barracuda (Christos Tsiolkas) - You may have heard of Tsiolkas from his best selling novel The Slap (If not pick it up read it - then watch the series - amazing). After you finish that and have successfully fallen in love with his style, grab a copy of Barracuda. This is a great interpretation of the class divides in modern Australia. This book takes you into the head of an adolescent boy in Melbourne from a working class household who is given a scholarship into an elite private school and the life that comes along with that. The emotions are so well depicted I was shaken after finishing this novel, the way he is able to make me, a 31 year old woman, feel so deeply the frustration and angst of a teenage boy is unbelievable. Christos has been quoted as being the most important writer working in Australia today and after reading this I'm sure you will agree.

The book with no pictures (B.J. Novak) - When Lottie received this book for Christmas from a dear friend of hers I was secretly delighted. As a fan of the American version of The Office I knew the authors name right away and couldn't wait to open it up. As the title goes, there are no pictures in this kiddies book, just text and silliness. In our household you can often hear Peppa Pig books being read to the voice of Gollum and other such absurdities, so this book suited us just fine. In this tale you'll have to pull out your silliest of voices, read all the ridiculousness printed on the pages and you will all ended up laughing hysterically by the end.

What are you reading?