"Well, there’s so much to read, and I’m so far behind." Wallace Stegner
Books first published: 1996 | 2000 | 2008 | 2001 | 2016 There are beings who are overwhelmd by the reality of others, their way of speaking, of crossing their legs, of lighting a cigarette. They become mired in the presence of others. After Annie Ernaux won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022, five … Continue reading A Girl’s Story | Annie Ernaux #ReadtheNobels
The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback I collected two reading copies from the Penguin Monarchs series towards the end of last year - in fact, before the Queen died on the 8th September. I forgot that I had them until I went looking for another … Continue reading Penguin Monarchs #BitesizedHistory
That day was no different than any other. High school was as cruel as ever. Many teenage stories are ultimately about belonging. It's something we all want, of course - to belong to someone or something, to feel connected to a group, a family, a tribe who makes us feel like we're not alone, like … Continue reading The Color of the Sky is the Shape of the Heart | Chesil #JPNfiction
I had wanted to be a writer. But after the events I am about to describe, I studied engineering geology and became a building contractor. This was my first Orhan Pamuk. I had fairly high expectations. To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. We start with a young man, fatherless for all intents and … Continue reading The Red-Haired Woman | Orhan Pamuk #ReadtheNobels
There was a time, and it was many years ago now, when I had to stay in hospital for almost nine weeks. When planning my summer holiday reading, I wanted a mix of books. I wanted short stories, I wanted some Australian authors, particularly Gen IV Australian Women Writers, I wanted a Japanese book, a … Continue reading My Name is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout
From the best-selling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo comes a collection of playful, delightful, delectable Japanese micro-fiction. Take a story and shrink it. Make it tiny, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. Carry the story with you everywhere, let it sit with you while you eat, let it watch you while … Continue reading People From My Neighbourhood | Hiromi Kawakami #JPNshortstories
It seemed like it was the right time to finally read this book. The Fire This Time was first published in 2016, but my edition is a 2019 Bloomsbury publication. The collection of essays and poems is edited and introduced by Jesmyn Ward. I like to give space to every essay or article in a … Continue reading The Fire This Time | Jesmyn Ward #USAnonfiction
I'm loving Japanese literature more and more. The modern stuff in particular, appears deceptively simple, but as you read, and for weeks afterwards, you become aware of layers of meaning. The Convenience Store Woman is no exception. On the surface it appears to be a light tale about the life of a young woman who … Continue reading Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
A Gentleman in Moscow has been on my radar ever since it first came out in 2016 simply because I thoroughly enjoyed Amor Towles first book, Rules of Civility. It took my book club assigning it as our October read though, to finally force me to fit it into my reading schedule. And I'm so glad … Continue reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Thankfully Jane Lawson's book, Tokyo Style Guide is more of a walking tour of Tokyo than a pure style guide, as my interest in shopping is minimal. Unfortunately, it's also a hardback book, so it didn't get to come on holidays with me. I browsed it a little before leaving, but have thoroughly enjoyed going … Continue reading Tokyo Style Guide by Jane Lawson
I had a rather unexpected, almost obsessive response to Jonathan Jones' installation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney last year. It touched me in ways that I'm still finding hard to catch and define. My fascination kicked in at several levels: the fire the architecture the history the cultural aspect the loss the healing the … Continue reading barrangal dyara (skin and bones) Jonathan Jones
The Last Days of Ava Langdon has been shortlisted for this year's Miles Franklin award, that fact, and it's striking cover, brought it into my life at this time. I have yet to read Eve Langley's The Pea-Pickers (1942) - it has been on my TBR pile for quite some time though. Reading O'Flynn's fictionalised account … Continue reading The Last Days of Ava Langdon | Mark O’Flynn
As most of you know, the past couple of months or so has been rather trying for me and my family. As a result I've been searching through my rather extensive (okay, out of control) TBR piles for comforting, cosy, entertaining reads to ease me through this time. The Essex Serpent came highly recommended to … Continue reading The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry
During my recent blogging malaise, Maisie Dobbs kept me sane and calm. She is familiar, comfortable and cosy. Although some of the crimes are getting a little nasty now that Hitler is involved, Winspear still avoids gory details and gruesome forensic descriptions, for which I am eternally grateful! Journey to Munich is book 12 in … Continue reading Journey to Munich | Jacqueline Winspear
My Name is Lucy Barton might seem like just another simple mother/daughter story, but like all of Elizabeth Strout's stories there is much more going on under the surface than first meets the eye. Lucy Barton is in hospital for an extended medical procedure. Her husband, busy with his work and their two young girls, arranges … Continue reading My Name is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout
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