Books

(courtesy Harper Collins Publishers Australia) One of the kinds of festive romcoms I love the most are where someone’s life falls apart – no, that’s not the movable; I’m not a sadist, thank you – and they flee back to their hometown in England or Ireland (this happens in U.S. Continue Reading

(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) On the top ten list of things that would wreck your Christmas, absolutely and completely and without a hint of celebratory salvation, surely having your ex turn up would be very high on the list? That’s certainly the way Mia Robinson feels when, after braving a Continue Reading

(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) With 2025 being the 250th birthday of one Jane Austen, it seems entirely fitting that this delightful The Austen Christmas Murders by Jessica Bull find pride of place in the festive reviews section of SparklyPrettyBriiiightmas. Now, as far as we know, and primary evidence is not Continue Reading

(courtesy St. Martin’s Griffin) This seems to be the Christmas for festive romcoms with cleverly out-there premises and one of the best so far has to be Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer. In this sparklingly fun but emotionally grounded novel, Jill Jacobs, a wannabe screenwriter based in L.A. who’s had Continue Reading

(courtesy Hachette Australia) Life, for all its glorious moments, rich opportunities and heartwarming interludes, can also be a cold and brutal place. We all know that; we’ve been there, seen it doing its dark and uncaring thing and wondered how something that can be so good, so uplifting and wondrous Continue Reading

(courtesy Harper Collins Booksellers Australia) Giving your inner festive child a reviving taste of what it should be like when Christmas rolled around is never a bad thing. That’s why this reviewer often reads books aimed at kids because they perfectly capture the joy and exhilaration of being a kid Continue Reading

In a world that always feel a little bit broken, a little less than wonderful and a whole lot disappointing, depending on the day, perfection seems like a wholly alluring idea. Especially when, like vintage goods store owner Henry Aster, you have recently found the man you were convinced was Continue Reading

(courtesy McCabe Media Ltd) Firsts are a curious thing. They can either be the stuff of liberation and exhilarating novelty; a chance to ditch the status quo, throw ruts out the window and to experience in ways that have never been part of your life before. But equally, depending on Continue Reading