Read Me: 5 Fantastic Reads

Let’s talk about books!

I’ve read a number of books recently that you MUST READ if you have the time and you’re into that kind of thing. Some are old, some are new, all are awesome.

We’ll start with a local number, set in Brisbane and London, the beautifully written, ‘The Tea Chest’.

The Tea Chest, Josephine Moon, 2014

The Tea Chest by Australian author Josephine Moon is a book that will surprise you. I picked it up at a community bookstore a couple of months ago and let’s face it, I liked the fun and colourful cover and it was set in Brisbane, so what could go wrong?

Photo Credit: GoodReads

It’s a book about three women with some major life and career decisions to make, converging to build a tea store from the ground up in a new London location.

Selling tea to the English? Precisely!

What seemed like a pretty straight forward plot turned out to be quite a read!

It had some mystery and a lot of twists and turns and just when you think it’s all sorted and things are looking up, that’s when the story takes another dramatic turn and slaps you in the face with the feeling of “ahhhh, FUCK!”

Great book, easy to read, women who are looking for inspiration to start a business or open up a tea store in London will love this!

3 ½ triangles (because why do stars get all the fun?)!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris, 2018

I recently did my very first VLOG on this book and I’m writing about it again because it made such an impression on me!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Australian author Heather Morris is a book is about a regular man who had a nice life, until someone decided that he needs to be labeled and tortured and broken until he wasn’t a person any longer, until he was just a number.

Photo Credit: GoodReads

We all know we’re talking about the Holocaust here.

It doesn’t take long for the story to turn horrific, for introduced characters to be shown the door unexpectedly and for our charismatic gentleman to be given the prestigious and unwanted position of being the tattooist who will be numbering prisoners upon their entry to hell.

But here he also meets the love of his life, and together they tell the story of how they survived what can only be described as the black hole in modern history.

It’s written as a novel, but 98% of the story is true and verified via documentation obtained by the author and her publishing team.

What I loved most about this book was the additional information you receive at the end in the form of the epilogue; their story just gets more and more amazing, so much so that you have to keep reminding yourself that this really happened to these people.

Fascinating, but difficult read.

3 ½ triangles!

Sweet Little Lies, Caz Frear, 2017

I loved Sweet Little Lies sooooo much! This is the debut novel by English author Caz Frear, and it is not a bad start – at all!

Half way through the book, I contacted Caz on Instagram and had to tell her how much I was enjoying reading it. Then I had to convince her I was a mother and wife and not some creep trying to get up in her grill.

I just get really excited, ok?

Anyway, this is a murder mystery and I have read a LOT of murder mysteries, they are all the rage right now, no?

Photo Credit: GoodReads

A young Irish girl who went missing 18 years ago, turns up dead in London.

She was living (and died) under a different name, living a different life. Detective Cat Kinsella, who is investigating the case, is horrified because she in fact knew the victim before she went missing – and she always kind of thought her father had something to do with her disappearance!

I could not put this book down. You all know I love a good toilet book (a book I read on the toilet, if that wasn’t clear enough) and this was upgraded to couch read, straight up.

This book had me guessing – and guessing wrong – the entire time I was reading. I could not figure out what the fuck was going on and the suspense was welcome and fantastic!

It was very easy to read and as the book was set in the UK, I could also hear the book in the accent it was intended in, and that gave it an authentic feel.

Thank you Caz, for a wonderful read, cannot WAIT for the next one!

4 triangles!

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi, 2018

“They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.”

I mean, you just know that shit is about to get fucked up.

The Children of Blood and Bone is a debut novel by American novelist Tomi Adeyemi, a fantasy full of magic and grace and written so passionately, you can taste the frustration and constraints of the characters.

In a nutshell, there used to be magic in the world until the current king decided that magic was dangerous and must be killed.

Photo Credit: GoodReads

Cue magic (ethnic) cleansing.

Years later, magic is dead and the would-be magic people, recognized by their startling white hair, are treated as vermin and forced to pay taxes that are simply unachievable.

But what is suppressed must eventually burst out somewhere, and this is where our story begins.

This book will have you questioning society and everything in it. Questioning why we fear people we see as different than us. It is so layered and so beautifully written. It is the first book of the series, a second hasn’t come out yet but is awaited with great anticipation.

A solid 4 triangles.

The Husband’s Secret, Liane Moriarty, 2013

Right from the beginning, I want to tell you that for me – this was a 5 triangle read!

I loved every single page of The Husband’s Secret. You all know that Australian author Liane Moriarty is one of my favourites, and this book is a major reason why.

Essentially, a wife comes across a letter that her husband wrote to her, only to be opened in the event of his death.

Photo Credit: GoodReads

I mean, I was captivated just by that.

Once the contents of the letter are revealed and the figurative shit has hit the figurative fan, what you will be asking yourself is how much do I love this person I married and how much would I stand by them if I read that letter? What is love? What is life? What are you willing to forgive?

What I love about Liane’s books (we’re on a first name basis now) is that she creates so many story different lines, so much depth to her characters, that when they all fold together (like landing that last card in solitaire) it’s just brilliant. There is so much satisfaction when everything comes into place, but the best part of this book is the epilogue, would you believe?!

Much like the Tattooist of Auschwitz, what’s seemingly an unimportant part of this book, turns out to be the dessert you didn’t know you needed.

I had to keep putting this book down so I can talk to the Husband about it and dissect all the feelings I was feeling. It was such a powerful read and we already know that I give it….

5 WHOLE TRIANGLES!