What we're reading: Wolitzer, Laurain & Shusterman

Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on, or the music we’re loving.


Rosalind McClintock is reading Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer

I’m currently reading Hilma Wolitzer’s Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket and loving it.

It is a series of short stories all written before 1990, except the last one, that still resonate. Many are written around what is seemingly the same central female character, who lives in New York on the 19th floor of a large apartment complex with her husband and two children. Though the details beyond that seem to shift to fit the story, there is a sense of constancy in the character’s inner dialogue. They resonate with me as a woman and a mother in the same way as Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch did. I don’t feel so alone in my feelings, something that is quite special about reading.


Chris Gordon is reading everything that Antoine Laurain has ever written!

This French author writes with an engaging, almost lyrical style. Each book centres on only a handful of characters living in Paris and having the most ordinary yet completely remarkable adventures. Take bookseller Laurant Letellier who stars in The Red Notebook as an example. He finds an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street and feels compelled to track down the owner. The bag contains a notebook and so begins a great love story.

The President’s Hat (my partner’s favourite) begins when Daniel Merceir finds the French President’s hat in a bistro. When he dons said hat, he begins to feel a confidence not imagined before. And so the adventure begins – that of the President’s hat.

My personal favourite is The Reader’s Room which centres on editor Violaine Lepage’s quest to find an author - oh who is this writer- that has just won the highest literary award.

Presently I’m reading Vintage 1954 and am looking forward to reading his very first published and translated novel, The Portrait. Each novel is filled with quirky humour, a deftness of touch that is intoxicating and delightful. This is escapism at its best. Each novel is a brief rollicking joint to Paris and will only take a weekend to read. And I find best enjoyed with a robust red by your side and a raining day.


Lucie Dess is reading Roxy by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman

After reading the Scythe series last year, I knew Neal Shusterman was going to be a favourite author of mine.

I was so excited to begin reading Roxy ahead of our online event with Neal Shusterman (podcast coming soon). The premise is so captivating: What if drugs were actually gods, toying with the fates of mortals? Humans Isaac and Ivy Ramey are about to find out how lethal this toxic wonderland of addiction can be.

I could not put this book down! Each drug has been given its own look and personality to match the way the drug makes you feel and I particularly loved the character of Mary Jane (marijuana) who now wears suits and a ponytail after ‘going legit’ aka becoming legal in the US. If you want an intriguing spec-fic to read, then Roxy is for you! But have tissues ready.

Cover image for Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories

Hilma Wolitzer

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