March's Hottest Reads

Dan, Sally and Chloe survived the Boxing Day tsunami, so you’d think life would be easy from now on. However, Dan and Sally’s marriage is breaking down as Dan attempts to be the perfect stay-at-home father and Sally feels distanced from their home and child. Meanwhile, Chloe is envious of what she sees as a perfect partnership and on a mission to find her own happily-ever-after. 

 

The background to this story, which is set on the opposite side of the world to the tragic tsunami events, is intriguing. Well-written and engaging, this is much more than your ordinary chick-lit; humorously exploring what it means to be the breadwinner as awoman and that ticking clock that can turn even the most relaxed into a would-be baby-making machine. A great read. Orion, RRP $38.99

 

Now that the ‘Month of Love’ has ended, this little black book is the perfect antidote to pictures of cutesy couples and stories of picnic proposals. In Bad Dates Jordison has collected endless stories of bad dates, from the unusual uses a geek can discover for a milking machine to the fatal effects country-dancing can have on your carpet. Interspersed with hilarious trivia detailing everything from the biggest penis in nature (the rorqual whale) to histories of forbidden love, this book made me laugh until I cried. I particularly liked the one-liners, including such gems as “Do you sleep on your front? Can I?” and “Hello. I think God would want us to be together.”

 

Honor Palmer is trying to save her inheritance. Palmers, once the most luxurious hotel in the Hamptons, is now on the road to ruin, but Honor is determined to let nothing get in her way. However, she hasn’t factored in sexy Lucas Ruiz, who rose from the slums of Ibiza to lead some of the world’s top hotels, her sister Tina, a starlet desperate to be noticed, or the distraction of her very-married lover. Can Honor triumph and raise Palmers from the ashes?

 

This is another hilarious chicklit from Tilly Bagshawe, and features blackmail, adultery and dirty tricks from all concerned. Fantastic entertainment. Orion, RRP $27.99

 

Halima Bashir was born into the Zaghawa tribe in Sudan and grew up in the centre of a close-knit family. Academically talented, she trained in medicine and returned to her people as their first doctor. Her tribe’s peaceful life was savaged when Arab militia began attacking them, raping innocent women and girls. Halima tried to get help by speaking out to media and the UN, but was captured, tortured and raped herself. After her courageous escape, she set out to leave the country where she faced certain death if she was recaptured by the army.

 

Tears of the Desert is a heart-breaking account of the evil people can inflict on one another, but also an amazing story of one woman’s determination to survive. Written with a wry humour, Halima’s story is a must-read. Hodder, RRP $29.99

 

When their father dies, the Beaumont sisters are drawn back together for the first time in many years. Felicity, the war-zone journalist who ran away, Helena, the ageing actress obsessed with appearances and Bramble, who longs to follow in her father’s champion footprints; are all so different. Can they decide on an even split or will they tear themselves, and their families, apart in the arguing?

 

Part mystery, part family drama, The Inheritance is a fascinating book. Set on an English horse stud, it explores the deep-set relationships that remain long after siblings have grown up and gone their separate ways. The book looks at not only at the sisters but also their children, who are beginning to find their own way in the world. Overall, The Inheritance is a beautiful read. Sphere, RRP $27.99