'Tis the season for book award longlists and shortlists! I've decided to use this season to pull together which books I've read from the various lists and which ones I hope to read. However, the main reason for embarking on this list-making is to 'force' me to tidy up the relevant books posts from last … Continue reading Longlists and Shortlists
I've had a lovely run of Homeric stories retold from a feminist perspective this year - Madeline Miller's Circe and The Song of Achilles, and now Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls. After Miller's wonderful, rich storytelling, I was looking forward to seeing what Barker would come up. I was thrilled that her story … Continue reading The Silence of the Girls | Pat Barker
I recently read and loved The Song of Achilles, and couldn't really understand why I had waited so long to read a book that was so obviously designed to appeal to my reading temperament. Ancient Greek mythology, historical fiction, women's issues and award winning book all packed into one delightful package. I was determined not … Continue reading Circe | Madeline Miller
What a hoot! I wasn't expecting a neo-noir comedy from such a grim title, but I had some genuine laugh out loud moments throughout My Sister, the Serial Killer. Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a punchy, sharp, witty story that blew in like a breath of fresh air in this year's Women's Prize shortlist. One of … Continue reading My Sister, the Serial Killer | Oyinkan Braithwaite
I do love to theme my holiday reads where possible. A recent week long Far North Queensland break in beautiful, sunny Port Douglas on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, gave me a chance to finally read this year's Pulitzer Prize winning book by Richard Power's The Overstory. (I also packed a book of essays … Continue reading The Overstory by Richard Powers
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
I wanted to love Shell so much. I thought it would be easy.I adored the beautiful pearlescent cover on the hardback edition. It's dreamy quality felt nostalgic and apocalyptic at the same time (rather like Sydney last week during the dust storm)!I love historical fiction. The building of the Opera House combined with Vietnam War … Continue reading Shell by Kristina Olsson
It's a long weekend in Australia, and for the first time in over a year, we've enjoyed a lazy, nothing-to-do-but-flop-around-the-house kind of weekend. It has been blissful. Even with the ghastly high temps and even higher humidity, or maybe because of, it has been the perfect time for reading, snoozing and listening to music as … Continue reading Flames by Robbie Arnott
I suspect I'm going to be the lone dissenting voice when it comes to Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.This is a debut Australian novel garnering a HUGE amount of attention and rave reviews. In the lead up to our Christmas rush at work last year, this is the book many, many locals were asking … Continue reading Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Reading Washington Black by Esi Edugyan was like eating a big bag of sweets. Some were good, some not so good. And after gorging myself on the first half, I found the second half a bit too much take.The first half of Washington Black was unputdownable. I loved the engaging voice of the child narrator. His … Continue reading Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
I'm heart broken. And I may just have read my most favourite and best book for 2018. Sally Rooney has written a gut-wrenching, painfully poignant love story about two young damaged souls that will stay with me for a very long time. In Normal People she has captured perfectly all the angst, insecurity and missteps … Continue reading Normal People | Sally Rooney
I finally got around to reading The Green Road thanks to Cathy's #ReadIreland Month. It has been sitting on my TBR pile since 2016. Over my years of blogging, I've come to realise that writing a rave review about a book I really enjoyed, if not loved and adored, is actually harder to do, than … Continue reading The Green Road | Anne Enright
The Shepherd's Hut is Tim Winton's much anticipated latest novel. I am a fan, but with reservations. I loved Cloudstreet and Dirt Music but hated The Riders (it has the dubious honour of being one of my very first DNF books). Breath was good but a bit blokey and Eyrie was okay, but a bit … Continue reading The Shepherd’s Hut By Tim Winton
"Most of us have only one story to tell."One of the things I love about Barnes is his ability to play with memory, perspective and truth. The Only Story begins with the promise of just such a story. An unfulfilled man looking back on the main love of his life, what happened, how he felt … Continue reading The Only Story by Julian Barnes
It's that time of year again when the book world goes crazy with longlists, shortlists and highly commended's! No matter what you think about the various awards, their merits & selection criteria's, it's very difficult not to get caught up in the buzz.In Australia, the Indie Book Award has come and gone... and the Stella longlist has … Continue reading And the Winner Is….
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