Book Chat #98
'Tis the season to be jolly' and maybe find a quiet corner for a little read
Hello readers and eaters!
It’s Christmas Day here in Australia, so if you’re celebrating, I hope your day is not too hectic and you find a moment to sit quietly and take a few deep breaths. I will be enjoying the day with my family, eating good food, and feeling grateful.
This is my last newsletter for the year, and as promised, I’m doing a little round-up of my favourite books. I’ll also include links to some of my favourite food-related newsletters.
What I’ve been reading: the cream of the crop
I deliberated about doing this round-up as it feels like I’m going over old ground and who needs another list?
Well I do, for one!
I love finding out what other people have picked as their favourites, so here are mine. I also thought it might be convenient for you to have all the links in one place.
This list is in order of the issue they featured in, as I couldn’t possibly rank them. They were all wonderful reads.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn. Issue #84
Leaving by Roxana Robinson. Issue #88
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Issue #92
Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary. Issue #95
Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire. Issue #97
What was your favourite read this year?
Favourite foodie newsletters
I haven’t been cooking much lately as it’s been too hot, but here are some of my favourite food-related newsletters for your reading pleasure. I always look forward to these arriving in my inbox.
International book club
Our next read is You Are Here by David Nicholls and I’m really looking forward to getting started.
We’ll be meeting in early March, so try to get hold of a copy soon, so you can join the discussion.
Book club is free for subscribers, so if you have reading friends who would enjoy meeting other book enthusiasts, please share this email and ask them to subscribe.
That’s it for this year folks. I’ll be back in the New Year with some wonderful new book recommendations to share.
Until then, keep safe and happy reading.
Marg xxx
My favourite read this year was Stone Yard Devotional (Charlotte Wood) - I'm sorry she didn't win the Booker but at least it was nominated. Other high scorers were Standard Deviation (Katherine Heiny) and The Skeleton House (Katherine Allum). Of those you nominate, I have only read 2 but have them on my request list at the library. With everyone publishing their favourite 2024 reads, my TBR list gets longer and longer.
I also loved Margo’s Got Money Troubles this year- thanks for the recommendation, it was a real highlight. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley was fantastic, and I also adored My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown, Anita de Monte Laughs Last, The Husbands, and Green Dot by Madeline Grey.