booklovers | simply good books

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: 'ladies, design your own future'

Feb 24, 20233 min read

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: 'ladies, design your own future'

A funny, thought-provoking story of 1960s chemistry, cookery and chauvinism told through unwitting trailblazer and resolute, Elizabeth Zott.

92 views0 comments

Should you finish a book club pick you're not enjoying?

Christine Southern

Feb 10, 20233 min read

Should you finish a book club pick you're not enjoying?

It's up there with Marmite and cats versus dogs; should you finish a book club pick you're not enjoying?

13 views0 comments

What is a good audiobook series? The compelling Rivers of London

Christine Southern

Feb 3, 20232 min read

What is a good audiobook series? The compelling Rivers of London

What makes a good audiobook series? A highly accomplished narrator reading compelling stories of appealing characters in evocative setting

90 views0 comments

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: a quest for love and acceptance

Annette Peppis

Apr 7, 20222 min read

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: a quest for love and acceptance

A young girl is abandoned in a shack on a marsh in North Carolina. A murder investigation takes place in the nearest town 15 years later....

61 views0 comments

The Maid by Nita Prose: people are a mystery that can never be solved

Christine Southern

Feb 27, 20223 min read

The Maid by Nita Prose: people are a mystery that can never be solved

Ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world you cannot fully decipher? One where you struggle to interpret people’s motives...

51 views0 comments

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews: dark and funny

Annette Peppis

Oct 22, 20211 min read

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews: dark and funny

All My Puny Sorrows is a funny but tragic tale of two bright, sharp, witty sisters, Elf and Yoli, who are very different.

48 views0 comments

In The Name Of by Ben Dunn: unforeseen revenge and redemption

Christine Southern

Oct 12, 20212 min read

In The Name Of by Ben Dunn: unforeseen revenge and redemption

A woman bent on revenge for her husband's death. An old flame endures brutality and unrequited love. Together they face a terrifying ordeal.

102 views0 comments

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman: the classic innocent abroad

Christine Southern

Jun 14, 20212 min read

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman: the classic innocent abroad

An unwitting actor plunged into the harsh world of Hollywood. Her dogged determination to resolve a puzzling disappearance. The dangerous...

95 views0 comments

Unexpected Companions by Nicole Stout : to give these women a voice

Christine Southern

Jun 2, 20212 min read

Unexpected Companions by Nicole Stout : to give these women a voice

A teenager struggling to be accepted by toxic social peers. The ghostly reappearance of ancestors offering guidance and perspective.

76 views0 comments

Kololo Hill by Neema Shah: I'm alone, I'm alone

Christine Southern

May 20, 20213 min read

Kololo Hill by Neema Shah: I'm alone, I'm alone

Compelled to forsake your homeland in just 90 days. Plunged into a strange, unwelcoming country of weird food, weather and customs.

41 views0 comments

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: the questions were not whether or why but how soon

Christine Southern

Apr 30, 20213 min read

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: the questions were not whether or why but how soon

The Sparrow, a thought-provoking, beautifully written good read that explores faith and humanity through compelling events and characters.

123 views0 comments

Nighthawking by Russ Thomas: what was lost will always be found

Christine Southern

Apr 21, 20212 min read

Nighthawking by Russ Thomas: what was lost will always be found

A detectorist’s grisly find uncovered in Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens. A cold case detective searching for long-awaited answers. An...

60 views0 comments

Christine Southern

Apr 13, 20212 min read

Book club good reads blogger roundup

Here is a selection of good book recommendations from the book club I belong to, with a roundup of reviews by fellow book bloggers. Let...

37 views0 comments

Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed: a riveting read, jam-packed with interesting facts

Annette Peppis

Apr 7, 20212 min read

Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed: a riveting read, jam-packed with interesting facts

Rebel Ideas is jam-packed with interesting facts and reading it has made me think deeply about unconscious bias and how necessary diversity.

19 views0 comments

Confessions of an African Safari Guide by Lloyd Camp: ‘out of Africa there is always something new’

Christine Southern

Mar 7, 20212 min read

Confessions of an African Safari Guide by Lloyd Camp: ‘out of Africa there is always something new’

Want the authentic inside story on what really happens on an African safari by someone who’s genuinely lived the life? I first met Lloyd...

54 views0 comments

The Weeping Pussy Willow by Tamara Frankel: childhood memories

Christine Southern

Mar 5, 20212 min read

The Weeping Pussy Willow by Tamara Frankel: childhood memories

The Weeping Pussy Willow evokes wistful childhood memories mingled with an adult realisation of a deeper meaning. Recently our family...

132 views0 comments

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: folie à deux?

Christine Southern

Mar 4, 20212 min read

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: folie à deux?

From a valuation of $10 billion to zero, how did Elizabeth Holmes’ health tech company, Theranos, collapse into agonising disgrace so...

24 views0 comments

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale: Inventive, witty, and moving

Christine Southern

Mar 3, 20212 min read

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale: Inventive, witty, and moving

An oblivious Reverend searching for the mystical Garden of Eden. A Manx crew compelled by dubious circumstance to accept despised English...

24 views0 comments

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: truly worth it

Christine Southern

Mar 2, 20212 min read

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: truly worth it

I know what you’re thinking. What else could possibly be said about Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (and Bring up the Bodies) that hasn’t...

17 views0 comments

Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde: bonkers but brilliant

Christine Southern

Mar 1, 20211 min read

Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde: bonkers but brilliant

Jasper Fford’s Something Rotten is crammed with comical characters, witty literary allusions and fast paced eccentric action.

32 views0 comments

Subscribe Form