The Last Anniversary — An entertaining summer read by Liane Moriarty

Checking out my library books this week, I noticed someone returning The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. You might recognise Moriarty’s name as the author of the novel behind the TV series Big Little Lies. Although it’s been a while since I last read any of her books, I remember enjoying The Husband’s Secret and Truly, Madly Guilty, both of which I previously reviewed on this blog.

The Last Anniversary is about a group of women whose lives, one way or another, are connected to the ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ — an incident that took place 70 years previously on Scribbly Gum island.

Two sisters, Rose and Connie Doughty, found an abandoned baby, whose parents, Alice and Jack Munro were renting a house on the island up to the day they disappeared, leaving a marble cake on the table and a half-finished crossword behind them.

Connie and Rose named the baby Enigma and decided to raise her as their own, subsequently developing a tourism business around the Munro baby mystery. Enigma, her daughter Margie, and grand-daughter Grace all join them in the venture, hosting tours of the Munro mystery house and organising an annual festival to mark the anniversary of the scandal.

Family relationships and secrets are at the heart of this novel which has likeable characters, a decent story line and some good twists, particularly towards the end. Perfect for an easy summer read.

The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan

Although Claire Allan has at least 8 other novels to her name, I hadn’t come across her until I picked up The Liar’s Daughter in the library this week. This is a fast, suspenseful read told from the perspective of two women – Heidi and Ciara – who both bear scars from the impact Joe McKee had on their childhood. When Joe, who has terminal cancer, is murdered, the question is who killed him? Heidi and Ciara both have motives, but did they do it? A page-turner from start to finish.

Dr Sabina Brennan’s practical tips on beating brain fog

From time to time, Dr Sabina Brennan pops on the radio discussing topics like brain health, ageing and dementia. She has the knack of making science accessible and explaining how it can help people navigate practical problems in their daily lives. So, when I saw her new book in to the village bookshop, I had to pop in for a browse. It took me less than a minute to decide to buy it.

Beating Brain Fog promises a ’30-day plan to think faster, sharper and better’. It’s a very easy read—well-organised and packed with checklists and practical advice to help you understand and improve how your brain works.

Dr Brennan explains how learning to manage sleep, stress, exercise and nutrition helps achieve better brain health. She provides tools to identify issues that the reader may need to work on, whether that’s improving memory and decision-making or controlling anxiety and managing stress. She suggests lots of practical actions that can easily be incorporated into daily activity and even includes a couple of nutritious recipes to support brain-health.

This is a fascinating read. Even if you don’t have brain fog, it’s thought-provoking. I recommend it.

Beating Brain Fog : Your 30-day plan to think, faster, sharper, better is published by Orion Spring.