Book Bites
Bite-sized Reviews
“A Nearly Normal Family” by M.T. Edvardsson
How far would you go to protect your loved ones? | Thriller
This page-turning story features five women whose lives become entangled in rumours and gossip within their community, leading to a suspense-filled story that keeps you totally hooked. It deals with serious issues such as bullying, abuse and infidelity - and shows how these impact each of the characters, and the fatal consequences that lies can have.
A good psychological thriller that I found hard to put down. It's the story of Anna Fox, an agoraphobic woman who spends her days drinking wine and watching old movies and her neighbourhood through her window. One day she sees something shocking - was it real or did she imagine it? This question along with her mental health struggles will keep you reading and reading…
I read this one while going through an unexpected change in my life, so it really resonated with me. It’s a good and light read about change - interesting and helpful in these unpredictable times. Gets you thinking… how ready are you for change?
This is one of my favourite books and movies. A thriller in which the life of three young Boston boys - Dave, Jimmy and Sean - changes dramatically the afternoon when Dave gets on a couple of strangers' car and goes missing for four days. Although they grow apart with time, twenty five years after that defining day they are brought back together when Jimmy's 19-year old daughter is murdered.
I've read several books by Gladwell and I've always found them interesting and well supported by research and scientific data. This book is no exception. Using real life events, such as the Amanda Knox trial and the Bernie Madoff scandal, Gladwell explores the assumptions and judgements we make when we interact with someone we don’t know and how misinterpreting and failing to communicate with one another can lead to things going wrong - tragically wrong in many cases.
This is one of those leadership books that you can read at some point and go back to it again and again. In it, the former President of Starbucks International shares 10 principles that guided his leadership as a senior executive at the company. None of them have to do with coffee; they have to do with establishing a strong brand like Starbucks with a people-first approach, and building a corporate culture that's driven by recognizing employees as human beings.
I first heard about this book through a former mentor of mine, after I shared with her that some people describe me as "quiet". "That’s because you're an introvert, and there's nothing wrong with it, read the book", she said. Truly enough, this book really resonated with me. Being an introvert herself, Cain walks the reader through her findings on introversion - obtained through research, facts, and case studies, and arguing how introverts are usually undervalued. But don’t get me wrong, Quiet is not only for introverts - it’s also a good read for extroverts and parents, colleagues, managers or friends of introverts, so they can get to know what really goes on with us.
He made us laugh for decades and moved us with movies like Dead Poets Society and Awakenings (I clearly remember crying with Patch Adams). His passing shook the entertainment industry and audiences around the world. You would think that finding a biography that can capture the life and essence of such an iconic and talented actor like Robin Williams would be hard, but this one does it really well. It's emotional, detailed and well-researched, providing us readers with a deep look into Williams' childhood, beginnings, success and struggles. I enjoyed reading every page and came to appreciate him as actor and as a human being even more.
If you've ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule, it was most likely from someone who's read this book. In Outliers , Gladwell digs deep into the reasons behind the success of high-achievers, including The Beatles and Bill Gates. We tend to think that people are born with special skills or abilities which set them apart from the rest, however, in his book Gladwell explains that factors such as opportunity, hard work, the month you were born in, and cultural nuances can also have an effect on someone's success.
Life had a different plan | Memoir
Living in paradise? | Fiction
The story behind the story | Non-Fiction
Courageous women that helped win the war | Non-fiction
Building resilience from within | Memoir
How far would you go to protect your loved ones? | Thriller
Speaking up to make a difference | Fiction