I hope you’ve had a wonderful week, full of books and reading, warm coffee and snuggly blankets…..yep it’s winter here and I have spent many, many hours curled up on the couch with a book in my hand. Happy days!
Books read:
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton ★★★★★ – Loved it! A brilliantly written coming of age story about two brothers living in poverty; surrounded by violence and crime; told with humour and heart. This book was utterly captivating; leaving me torn between devouring it in one sitting and wanting to stretch it out for as long as I could. When I did allow myself to finish it, I was eager to learn more and did a little google research. I was surprised to learn that this novel was based on the author’s own childhood experiences, growing up in suburban Brisbane – this little titbit only made me love it more. Highly recommend.
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez ★★- Disappointing; I was left feeling completely mislead by the blurb on the back. I expected the book to mostly be about the relationship between the woman and the Great Dane named Apollo; how they came to be in each other’s lives; helping each other through the grief of losing a loved one to suicide. And partially it is about that. The rest is a disjointed discussion on writing, literature, adultery, sexual harassment and divorce that was a complete struggle to get through. Thankfully, this book is only 212 pages or it would definitely have become my first DNF this year.
Currently Reading:
The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves (Audiobook) – Still listening to it, still loving it, still probably going to have to purchase a physical copy to keep on my shelf. Hoping to have it finished this week …audiobooks always take so long because I mostly listen to them in the car when I can’t physically hold a book…but also only if my daughter isn’t in the car.
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I’m so glad I found this author; this being the third book of hers I have read this year. I absolutely loved Daisy Jones & the Six (5/5) and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (4/5) and it’s looking like this book will be no different. I only opened it this morning and I’m halfway through already. Have you read it? Are you a fan of TJR too?
In other bookish news, I completed my 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge; reading my 50th book this week. Not bad for someone who only read 2 or 3 books the whole of last year.
How are you going with your Goodreads Reading Challenge?
bookish-me.com 
So glad you loved Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe. It was my favourite read of 2018 and I know the suburbs he writes about so well. It is a unique book and the new cover shows ten award-winning medallions and the accolades keep on coming. Impressive!
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