2-3 Nov 25 (audiobook)
Had read the reviews saying this was better than the first, but not for me. Perhaps the characters were a bit more interesting but I don‘t think this series is for me. I do like the occasional spicy romance but the language in these sex scenes is a bit coarse or something. Not exactly sure but not really what I enjoy.

29-31 Oct 25 (audiobook)
Finally got around to the first in this series (having picked up the second as the best of a very small selection at the Bali airport a few years ago).
For anyone unaware, the Club is a quartet of octogenarians living in a retirement village in England reviewing unsolved murder cases. When a number of murders occur in and around the village, they decide to investigate. Quite fun and will probably continue at some point.

23 Oct-1 Nov 2025
I so love these books. Bob Burgess is such a wonderful man and it was lovely to go back to this earlier Strout book to learn more about his life, and that of his two siblings.
Not sure exactly what it is about Strout‘s tales of small-town Maine that makes me feel nostalgic, comforted and happy. Certainly the lives she depicts are not always that comfortable as many are quite lonely and struggling. But I love them.

27-8 Oct 25 (audiobook)
Published a decade ago, but I expect it has not become any less relevant. Flexible work is more normalised post COVID and hopefully there is less stigma for men wanting to reduce hours or work around a family but the central premise - that having a wife is an economic and political asset - remains very true.

25-7 Oct 25 (audiobook)
I think I expected more; only a soft pick for me and possibly only because having come through the English department at Melbourne Uni a little less than a decade later, it felt very familiar. For me, this was a cross between Helen Garner‘s diaries and Miranda Darling‘s Thunderhead (as an example of a fictional work that engaged with Virginia Woolf) but not as compelling as either. Not sure what else was up for the Stella?

25-6 Oct 25 (audiobook)
Decided I needed to read something trashy and this has come up a few times over the past little while, so thought I would give it a go.
The enemies to lovers trope always seems to work for me, as does the billionaire in shining armour. The heroine in this is not completely hopeless and the sex scenes were ok; my main problem is that there was not really much tension. The whole thing could have been half as long really.

22-4 Oct 2025 (audiobook)
An Australian novel that has received good reviews but I expect it was spoiled in audio. The male narrator was just awful - he sounded like he was presenting to toddlers. I should have waited for my hard copy to arrive (had forgotten I had ordered it) as the story itself may have been ok, if a bit predictable. I expect I would have always had problems with the male character being absolutely clueless though.

17-22 Oct 25(audiobook)
I attempted to read this shortly after it won the Booker, but lost focus (busier times). The full cast audiobook worked well, although at times it was difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters.
Loosely based on the story surrounding the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica in the 70s, it is violent, coarse and very disturbing at times but utterly compelling in a Tarantino-esque manner.

11-22 Oct 2025
A well-executed yet uncomfortable sequel to the wonderful Thunderhead. I loved Thunderhead, but could not say I loved this. Winona returns, divorced and granted only supervised access to her children due to her husband‘s construction of her questionable sanity. For me, the disintegration/deconstruction of her mental state echoed the many women throughout literary history who refused to conform: such as Mrs Rochester and Ophelia.

12-16 Oct 25 (audiobook)
Gibson weaves together the stories of a group of women known as ‘Bluestockings‘ - intellectual women in early 18th century England. Her subjects include Elizabeth Montagu, Frances Burney and Hester Thrale. Whilst the stories are engaging, I did find the format somewhat confusing as Gibson jumps back and forth between subjects and chronologically.

27 Sep-12 Oct 2025 (audiobook)
A good second instalment in these loosely connected stories. This predated the Brontë book and was a fun tale of orphans and spoilt boarding school kids learning to work together.
Trix and I enjoyed and moved on to book three.

27 Sep-12 Oct 2025 (audiobook)
A good second instalment in these loosely connected stories. This predated the Brontë book and was a fun tale of orphans and spoilt boarding school kids learning to work together.
Trix and I enjoyed and moved on to book three.

10-3 Oct 2025 (audiobook)
Alarming, fascinating and off putting memoir of someone who worked in Washington PR firms for many years. My favourite story was his babysitting Gadaffi Jr in Las Vegas.
You do wonder how some people sleep at night.

#Bookerlonglist2025
And I am done! I think it is the first time I have finished before the winner is announced, although it did help that I allowed myself to listen to the longer novels (anything over 10 hours) on audiobook.
There were some great novels longlisted this year. My favourites are Seascraper, Misinterpretation, Sonia and Sunny and Flesh. And perhaps I am overly influenced by Jaclyn Crupi, but expect Flesh will take the prize.

29 Sep-10 Oct 2025
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 13
An impressive debut, Xhoga follows the life of an Albanian interpreter living in NYC. The narrator reminded me a great deal of a family friend from Bulgaria who seemed to take in all kinds of Eastern European strays (before the fall of the iron curtain) much to the dismay of her conservative, ENT husband.
The tension and underlying violence Xhoga creates is remarkable and disarming. Another great novel.

8-9 Oct 2025 (audiobook)
Listening to this audiobook increased my admiration of Ardern. Throughout her political career, she maintained kindness and dignity in a world where they are not characteristics commonly associated with politicians. Her five years as the NZ PM were challenging, not least because she discovered her pregnancy whilst waiting to hear whether she would take government and then dealt with terrorist attacks, a volcano and COVID.

7-8 Oct 25 (audiobook)
An English couple at crossroads in their life spend a summer in Greece. Wanting to try something new, they invite a young Greek women into their relationship with tumultuous results.
A tense, tightly written novel which, despite its somewhat salacious plot, raises interesting questions about identity, trust and love.

3-6 Oct 25 (audiobook)
Another great ‘memoir‘, although Faulks may object to that characterisation. I appreciated this did not attempt to be the all encompassing story of a life, but rather a series of essays. In particular, I respect that for the most part he did not detail his personal relationships. Like Graydon Carter, it is his work life that fascinated me - the career of a journalist and writer. Perhaps I will re-discover some of his books.

25 Sep-2 Oct 25 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 12
A sprawling tale of loneliness, love and longing. I do not remember anything about Inheritance of Loss, others than so enjoyed it and read it as part of the Booker longlist many years ago.
I enjoy sprawling family sagas, which seems to be a genre at which some modern writers from India excel, and this deserves it place in the shortlist.

16-28 Sep 25
#Bookerlonglist25 No 11
A coming of age story of the teenage Jay spending a month on his family‘s dilapidated farm in 1990s Malaysia. Tash explores the conflicts between Jay‘s parents, between the urban and rural, and the paths open to the children of the middle class and the rural poor.
I enjoyed this easy read and its depiction of rural Malaysia, although it would not make my shortlist.
Interesting contrast with The Line of Beauty.

15 Aug-26 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Read this aloud to Polly quite a few years ago and decided it would be a good series for Beatrix and I on the commute.
I enjoy Brontë‘s voice - both the actual narrator‘s voice and her view of the world. She is bright, funny and quite English. Her quest to visit her ten aunts in accordance with the instructions in her parents‘ magical will is fun and a little silly. And it is long, making it good value on audio.

23-4 Sep 25 (audiobook)
A short and concise look at the atrocities being committed in Gaza and the ability of much of the world to ignore it. One of those books that will unfortunately primarily be read by those who share the author‘s view.
Particularly important given the events of the past week at the UN. Very pleased that Australia was amongst those to recognise the Palestinian state.

18-22 Sep 25 (audiobook)
A re-read that may as well have been a first read as I remembered very little except that I enjoyed it.
A young girl drowns and the explanation of how and why involves many years and hundreds of pages.
I loved reading this after Roy‘s memoir as many characters and experiences are reflections of her life.
A worthy Booker winner.

15-8 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Fascinating memoir about the far from ordinary life of Arundhati Roy.
I read God of Small Things twenty-something years ago and did very much enjoy it, as I do many novels set in India. But I knew very little about its author. Her life quite fascinated me: her relationship with her mother, far from conventional attitude towards marriage, relationships and love, and her activism.
Beautifully written.

14-5 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Silly but very fun YA alternative history depicting the three children of Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey. Unlike the recent TV series (of which I have only watched one episode but will now resume), this is perfectly suitable for my history-loving 10 year old. I loved the elements of magic and that [spoiler alert], unlike the true history, many of my favourites get happy endings.

A lovely break from my Booker reading.

6-13 Sep 2025
#Bookerlonglist2025 9
Another book I enjoyed, but did not love, from the longlist.
On the death of her father, Teresa returns to the Greek seaside village she visited on the death of her mother nine years earlier to find some things change and some stay the same.
Perhaps it is just that I am more introverted than Teresa but I did find the depth of her discussions she had with the villagers somewhat unlikely. But some lovely writing

12-3 Sep 25 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 10
Having dropped his youngest off to college, Tom makes good on his resolution 12 years ago to leave his wife after she had an affair.
I related to many of the questions facing Tom as my oldest nears the end of her schooling, although fortunately not in relation to my marriage.
Not a book I would ordinarily read and I would not expect it to make the shortlist, but I nevertheless enjoyed it.

9-11 Sep 25 (audiobook)
This certainly held my attention - hopefully out of the audiobook rut.
A story focussing on the women brutalised by Ted Bundy, both those murdered and those who survived to mourn them. Knoll debunks the myth of the brilliant, handsome serial killer, refusing to even name him but instead highlighting his insecurities and failures.
A gripping read.

5-9 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Recommended by a bookseller I trust completely, I expected to love this, but I found my current listening rut continues.
I expect the format had a lot to do with it - too many Russian names made it difficult to keep track of characters and the surrealism just seemed absurd. I could not keep track of jumps in timelines or really what was happening. Persisted to about 70% but will give the hard copy (which I have) a go later.

1-5 Sep 2025
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 8
Far from a perfect book but I was entertained and found that I read through it quickly.
The initial feature article engaged me the most - the various POV narratives that followed less so. Perhaps it was a bit laboured in its point that truth in journalism cannot be taken for granted.
Anyway, given so many poor reviews I expected to enjoy it less.

1-4 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Obama summer reading list
I seem to be struggling with audiobooks at the moment, although I was more engaged with this than the books I listened to either side of it.
I enjoyed Klein‘s earlier work about the polarisation of politics. In this book, he partners with Derek Thompson to make the argument that the left side of politics has forgotten how to build things that people want. We need to adopt an abundance mindset.

28-31 Aug 2025
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 7
A beautiful cover for a beautiful book. I loved Wood‘s delicate portrait of Thomas, whose life is constrained by his class, circumstances and the drudgery of his life as a shrimp fisher, yet who still shows such depth of character and manages to take an artistic view of his world through his music.
Reminded me of many of the quiet books I have enjoyed in the recent years: Clare Keegan, Clear, Lucy Barton.

26 Aug-1 Sep 25 (audiobook)
Obama‘s summer reading list
Perhaps it was the audio format, or just the wrong book at the wrong time, but this was beyond me and I should have bailed. I found it very difficult to follow the different characters and timelines, and how their stories interconnected. I did not even really listen to the last 30 minutes or so.
Rated so-so because I do think the problem was me. And I enjoyed the Hannah Arendt sections.

13-27 Aug 25
Funny and devastating, often at the same time.
Nadia flees a lecturing position and broken heart in the UK for her dream job founding a program to deradicalise ISIS brides held in Iraqi camps. Her naivety and the complexity of issues of radicalism, accountability and belonging leads to some madcap situations. My favourite part was the other UN workers recalling their various hysterical, frustrating and heartbreaking failures.

23-5 Aug 2015 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist25 No 6
What starts as a somewhat quirky story about the Ukrainian bridal industry and endangered snails, turns into a work of quite absurdist metafictjon
An interesting and entertaining read that I expect will be shortlisted and perhaps even win this year‘s Booker.

19-22 Aug 25 (audiobook)
A father and his three children have only a handful of weeks left on the isolated island where they have lived the past eight years when a shipwrecked woman is washed ashore. All parties have secrets and McConaghy does a good job of building tension as their departure draws nearer. Another to add to the remote island collection. A popular trope it would seem.

18 Aug 2025 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 5
I am not sure I enjoyed this book, but I appreciated the discomfort it made me feel as a reader and that it truly went somewhere unexpected. In that way, it reminded me a little of All Fours. Not entirely sure what it was about.
I had not intended to listen to audio, and expect hard copy would have been better, but inadvertently purchased and could not return. Strange how that sometimes happens.

15-7 Aug 2025 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 no 4
A 16 year old from a wealthy family in Trinidad is encouraged to put her baby up for adoption and then moves to the UK where she builds a seemingly successful life but is never able to stop searching for her first baby.
Whilst small parts of this were well-written, I found the overall structure and pacing a bit of a mess. Not sure why it made the longlist, but expect it won‘t be shortlisted.

13-5 Aug 25 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 3
Epic story of a broken American Korean family‘s lives in various locations in the American mid-west, Korea and Japan. Each character battles with isolation, exile, disability and the tension of family ties.
I found this to be a gripping story which provided some further insight into 20th century Korea. Interesting that Korean stories seem to be trending in the past few years.

12-3 Aug 25 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 no 2
Set in the West Country, two couples battle through the blizzard of 1962. Despite many differences between them - class, wealth and the nature of their marriage - the women bond, being newly pregnant.
The depiction of the bleak winter and its isolation and dreariness is lovely and, for someone living where winters seem warmer than ever, somewhat appealing. Wishing for an excuse to stay in and read.

5-12 Aug 25
A beautiful and devastating memoir of the days after the sudden death of Brooks‘ husband and the period after when she was finally able to grieve. Made me appreciate how short life can be and how much I am blessed by my own husband, and that there is much to look forward to in the years after your children have grown up that my parents missed out on. I enjoy tales of long and happy marriages - I wish they appeared more in fiction.

9-11 Aug 25 (audiobook)
No 1 #Bookerlonglist2025
My favourite bookseller mentioned some time ago that this is her pick for the Booker prize, and it did not disappoint.
In episodic fragments, we are given glimpses into the life of Ishban. Ishban is inarticulate (‘okay‘ and ‘all right‘ being his catchphrases) and mostly passive, other than two episodes of extreme violence. Raises interesting questions about masculinity ams disconnection.

6-8 Aug 25 (audiobook)
As a young woman, Evelyn Hugo was determined to achieve fortune and fame as a Hollywood actress at almost any cost but now reflects upon the relationships she entered and destroyed along the way including her many, many marriages.
Entertaining enough but I don‘t think I am as much a fan of TJR as many others. Her books don‘t seem to have much of an emotional impact for me.

3-5 Aug 25 (audiobook)
A comprehensive look at the policies and actions that have led to the current immigration crisis in the US. This is undoubtedly well-written and thoroughly researched, but it did lose me at times.
Still, many of the stories shocked me - how can a government deport teenagers to countries they left as babies? And the stories of children being separated from their parents at the border is absolutely heartbreaking.

29 Jul-4 Aug 25
Reminiscent of Clear, The Colony and The Island. O‘Connor deftly portrays the disruption caused when outsiders enter isolated communities.
Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, two anthropologists arrive on an island just off the coast of Wales with the intention of documenting its inhabitants. They employ, Manod, a young bilingual woman to assist, making her promises they do not keeo.

30 Jul-3 Aug 25 (audiobook)
I realised listening to this that I am not really much of a Cher fan - I know very few of her songs, have hardly seen any of her movies and only knew of her marriage to Sonny. She has had an interesting life with many financial and personal ups and downs, it would appear. I will probably listen to part two but did not inspire me to listen to her music. Her outfits are probably the most interesting aspect to me.

27-9 Jul 25 (audiobook)
A shocking memoir by a former director of public policy at Facebook that leaves one wondering where the world is headed. And seriously wondering whether to delete Instagram. Regardless of how much is true or how out of date some of the information is, there are some truly frightening revelations. And the fact that so many of her colleagues simply did not care about the ramifications of their actions is devastating to me.

2-28 July 25
I loved this book about the terribly dysfunctional Lambert family coming to grips with the already irascible father‘s dementia. Each family member - Chip, Denise, Gary, Enid and especially Alfred - was quite unlikeable and made terrible choices and yet I found them compelling and continued to hope for a better outcome than they no doubt deserved.
Franzen writes the type of book I love. I am amazed at how many negative reviews he gets.

25-6 Jul 25 (audiobook)
A story of the first female astronauts allowed by NASA during the 80s. I really enjoyed Joan‘s story - her difficult family and, in particular, exasperatingly selfish sister, her beliefs about god, space and life, and her difficulties in coming to terms with her sexuality and love for Vanessa. I do wish we had heard more about her time in space, but loved all the details of space travel and training.

23-4 Jul 25 (audiobook)
If I could choose my dream career it would have been magazine editor during the golden age of magazines in the 1980s and 90s. I loved them and spent many teenaged hours reading from cover to cover and then selecting images to decorate my school books and college room walls. So this memoir, read by the author, was fascinating to me. I don‘t think I would have had the requisite ego to be editor in chief at Vanity Fair though