When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi #bookreview #tarheelreader #thrbreathbecomes #paulkalanithi @randomhouse #whenbreathbecomesair #buddyread #bibliobeth

jennifertarheelreader's avatarJennifer ~ Tar Heel Reader

20181124_121610.jpgHappy Wednesday! Today I have a review of When Breath Becomes Air, a book I had the pleasure of buddy reading with my dear friend, Beth, at Bibliobeth, which she read as part of her Nonfiction November challenge. Check out her NN posts for lots of interesting fun!


My Thoughts:

When Breath Becomes Air has been on my shelf since I first bought it from Book of the Month over two years ago. I was waiting for the right time, and that never seemed to come. Timing is important for a read like this, and we all have our connections to books or topics that we feel might contribute to poor timing…If Beth hadn’t had this on her reading list for November and offered a buddy read, I don’t know if I ever would have picked it up. Even though I desperately wanted to read it, I was scared.

What…

View original post 658 more words

In Pieces by Sally Field #bookreview #tarheelreader #thrinpieces @sally_field @grandcentralpub #inpiecesbook

jennifertarheelreader's avatarJennifer ~ Tar Heel Reader

20181013_184903.jpgHappy Tuesday!  Today I have a review of In Pieces, Sally Field’s memoir, available now from Grand Central. Friends, when I was invited to read this book by the publisher, I could not believe my eyes. The day before I saw Sally Field on The View promoting her book, and I was one step away from buying a copy because I’ve always been a fan of hers. Please read on for my thoughts on this much-anticipated book!


My Thoughts:

Sally Field…My first introduction being either Steel Magnolias or Forrest Gump? I had heard of Gidget, the happy-go-lucky, girl-next-door, cute, charming, all smiles. 

Sally Field has a story to tell. It took her seven years to write it and a lifetime to live and process it. She could have kept this all to herself; we certainly never would have known. Her family hardly knew.

Some have asked me if In…

View original post 785 more words

Tag: 20 Questions Book Tag

Erin Eliza's avatarUndercover Binge Reader

I was tagged by Bibi @ Bibi’s Book Blog (like 4 months ago, whoops! better late than never!) and you guys should totally check out her blog and give her a follow!

1 – How many books is too many in a series?

Ummm it depends on how obsessed with the series I am. I think anything more than 10 is pretty daunting for starting a new series but doesn’t mean I won’t do it.

2 – How do you feel about cliffhangers?

Well if it’s a series I kind of expect it. I can deal with cliffhangers better when I’m not waiting for the next book to come out in a year and can binge an already released series. Cliffhangers in a stand alone book are cruel and should not exist.

3 – Hardback or Paperback?

Probably hardback cause it’ll less easily damaged but I’m not that picky really.

View original post 528 more words

Readings’ List of 100 ‘great reads’ by Australian women (and some reviews)

Lisa Hill's avatarANZ LitLovers LitBlog

Each year Readings Bookstore compiles a list of 100 ‘great reads’ published in 2018 by Australian women.  The list is a mix of fiction (popular, genre, & LitFic), memoir and non-fiction.

Links on titles are to Readings bookstores, and there are links to my reviews and those of other trusted LitBloggers (if/when I remembered that they’d reviewed the book, additions always welcome!)

And before we start, here are some books that IMO should have been on the list…

It’s always difficult to choose books for lists like this, but these ones are highly recommended, (links are to my reviews):

The Bridge, by Enza Gandolfo

Dustfall, by Michelle Johnston

The Sweet Hills of Florence, by Jan Wallace Dickinson

Little Gods, by Jenny Ackland

Elizabeth Macarthur, a Life at the Edge of the World, by Michelle Scott Tucker

Shadow Sisters, by Shelley Davidow

Book of Colours, by Robyn Cadwallader

We Are Not…

View original post 3,273 more words

The Engagement, by Chloe Hooper

Lisa Hill's avatarANZ LitLovers LitBlog

I was looking forward to reading Chloe Hooper’s second novel.   She burst onto the literary scene with an eerie novel of sex and betrayal, A Child’s Book of True Crime , which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2002 and a New York Times Notable Book.   Since then, however, she has become more well-known as a highly regarded author of non-fiction.  She has won a Walkley Award (Australia’s awards for excellence in journalism) and The Tall Man  won the 2009 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award for Non-fiction, the 2008 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, the 2009 ABIA General Non-fiction Book of the Year Award and 2009 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction. (See my review).

Ten years after her first novel comes The Engagement, another book exploring sex and betrayal, set not in Tasmania as A Child’s Book of True Crime was, but…

View original post 494 more words

The Arsonist, by Chloe Hooper

Lisa Hill's avatarANZ LitLovers LitBlog

One of the most riveting sessions at the recent Word For Word Non Fiction festival in Geelong was Chloe Hooper in conversation with Lisa Waller from Deakin.

Chloe Hooper is the author of two novels, A Child’s Book of True Crime (2002) and The Engagement (2012, see my review) but I think it’s safe to say she is best-known for her incisive non-fiction.  The Tall Man, Death and Life on Palm Island (2008) (see my review) won a swag of awards, and I won’t be surprised if The Arsonist does the same.  It really is a stunning book, one which warns us of an apocalyptic future if we don’t act soon on climate change.  (If it’s not already too late).

This is the blurb:

On the scorching February day in 2009 that became known as Black Saturday, a man lit two fires in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley…

View original post 825 more words