A fictionalised account of the real life murder of Elizabeth Short in LA in the late 1940's, James Ellroy explores the unsolved case and LA's seedy underbelly in the Golden Age of Cinema. You might recognise James Ellroy's name from his best seller LA Confidential, (which was made into a really good film which I …
Tag: books
At Risk by Alice Hoffman
Back in the 80's, when this novel was written, AIDS was a huge hot topic. It was a new disease, with a great deal of misunderstanding around it, a lot of fear and urban myths. One of the greatest being that it was a disease that only happened to gay men. But people also had …
The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James
A voice over artist with a secret past moonlights as a cleaner to help a friend, but finds herself stuck with an irascible man who is hiding from his former life. As they slowly become friends, the two start to share their secrets, but the man is a writer, and decides to use his new …
The Quick by Lauren Owen
Although it's well written, capturing the mood and language of it's era, this book failed to really grab me. It follows the lives of a brother and sister, James and Charlotte, who have no one in the world except each other, until time and social circumstances pull them apart. But when something supernatural happens that …
The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
I think I've read all of Fannie Flagg's books, and loved every one. The most famous is perhaps Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, which was made into an excellent film. In fact, the author is an actress herself! What I love about her books is that they're about the simple things in life, …
Continue reading The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
Dickens by Peter Ackroyd
Ackroyd is one of those writers who is passionate and knowledgable without ever being dull. Having read his biography of London years ago, I was a fan, and after completing the last few books by Dickens last year that I hadn't already read, I thought it was time to read a biography, and was delighted …
White Horses by Alice Hoffman
Not an easy read, this book follows the story of Teresa, a young girl on the verge of womanhood whose unhappy mother has raised her to look for an idealised heroic man, what her grandfather called Arias, wild men who ride out of the desert on white horses and steal hearts. The image is personified …
48 Doughty Street, the house where Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist.
I grew up on the books of Charles Dickens. I cried when Dora Spenlow died, and was shocked by Miss Havisham in her crumbling wedding dress and her ward Estella. Dickens created such memorable characters and his plots have always kept me on the edge of my seat or glued to the fireside. I guess …
Continue reading 48 Doughty Street, the house where Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
There's nothing quite like getting a book in the post from an old friend, with a handwritten note, especially when you're like me, and live on the other side of the world. I am also very lucky to have friends who have excellent taste in books! This book is about Alice, a 29 year old …
Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman
Divorced single mothers often move to small town Florida, but none of them are aware like the local population, that the moon in March will make crazy things happen. The turtle moon can make the meanest teenaged boy in town run away with a baby to keep her safe. It can make a mother brave …
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