Sophie's Little Library

  Well, it’s been about 7 months since my library makeover, and I am still completely obsessed with it. Especially with the addition of my reading chair, I mean…. Look at it! This space has been at least 10 years in the making, from the very first time I ran out of space in a bookshelf. My book collection has just continued to grow, and I spent so much time fantasising about a dreamy reading room in my house. When my husband and I decided to build a house, every single display home we went through or floor plan we looked at had one room we picked out to be ‘the library’. I’m thankful that my husband has always been supportive of this little dream of mine - although part of me thinks he’s just trying to make up for the fact that when we first started dating, he told me “one day I will build you a wall of bookshelves”. So romantic, right? It wasn’t long after that grand statement that I learnt he is not a particularly handy person, and would probably struggle to build me a box ...

  After a salacious scandal in Sydney, Rebecca Wood flees to a small coastal town in the hope of starting a new, inconspicuous life where her past can’t catch up with her. She is taking on the role of postmistress, and on her first day on the job she is disconcerted to learn that the prior postmistress committed suicide – in the very office where she is now to work. The circumstances and events leading to that suicide are very upsetting, and Rebecca finds it difficult to put it from her mind. Before long, other dark and disturbing events become known to Rebecca, and she starts to wonder if there is something more sinister in the underbelly of the town she was hoping to lead a quiet life in. I love stories about small towns, and the secrets, lies and whispered histories within them. Right from the start of The Mystery Woman, we start to get to know the strange and interesting characters in the small town of Shipwreck Bay – some endearing, some abhorrent, and everything in between....

The Paris Secret  By Natasha Lester 1928: Skye Penrose is a free-spirited 10 year old, growing up in an isolated Cornish cottage with her irascible younger sister Liberty and her outcast mother, when she meets 11 year old Nicholas Crawford. They quickly form the kind of close friendship that can only be described as soulmates. 1939: Skye, now a talented pilot, joins the war effort in the limited way she is allowed to by the men who don’t believe women should be able to fly planes. In her dangerous role, she comes across her estranged sister and Nicholas, who she hasn’t seen since she was 14, and who is now engaged to Frenchwoman Margaux Jourdan. 1947: Christian Dior releases his first collection of clothing to a country and world desperate for beauty and extravagance after years of war and utter despair. He names a perfume after his flower-loving, Resistance-fighting sister Catherine. 2012: Kat Jourdan is a fashion conservator, who comes across a wardrobe full of 65 haute c...

The Nightingale is such a popular book, and for good reason. Like most people, I fell completely in love with it. It was beautifully written, with complex and layered characters and a well-paced storyline. I sobbed my little heart out at the end of the book (and I know I'm not alone there!!) If you loved The Nightingale, here are 3 more books I guarantee you will enjoy.  Happy reading! Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon     Why you should read it I love the concept of a fictional story about real people, and Nancy Wake is a brilliant subject. I honestly did not know anything about The White Mouse before I read this book, and I am completely in awe of her. It is incredible to think many of the stories in this book really happened. The writing was truly fantastic. The characters were really lovable, and the storyline was fast-paced. There were a couple of scenes in particular that stuck out, one that was so barbaric it made me feel sick and another so horrifyingly...

It never fails to amaze me how a book can be simultaneously horrifying and beautiful. ⁣ ⁣ This is a story about Róża and Shira, a Jewish mother and daughter, who have fled their home after the Nazis moved through their village, killing the rest of their family. The book opens with Róża and Shira hiding in the loft of a barn desperately trying to hold completely still and not make any noise. Jennifer Rosner details their life hiding in the barn so well, even I was fearful of making any noise while reading. ⁣ ⁣ Shira is 5 years old and a musical prodigy. To help her keep quiet, her mother whispers a story to her about a young girl living in an enchanted garden who must be quiet - but her small yellow bird who is free to sing loudly. Shira expresses her music through this imaginary bird, who she keeps cupped safely in her hands. ⁣ ⁣ For a long time, the story is about life in the barn and keeping as quiet and still as possible. In time, as German soldiers are circling closer to their ...