All I can remember, and this is what I told the police over and over again, is that there was a party at the house and I'd been drinking. It took me several weeks to read Benang in preparation for Indigenous Literature Week. It was intense, demanding and confronting. I'm very grateful to have finally … Continue reading After Story | Larissa Behrendt #AWWfiction
Returning home after a journey is always a little weird. I'm struggling to let go of that wonderful feeling of being on the road, with nothing but unhurried time up my sleeve and where to eat tonight, the most pressing thing on my mind. Mr Books and I love exploring the back ways and byways, … Continue reading A Poem For A Thursday #HomeAgain
Happy Birthday Ernestine! My Love Must Wait by Ernestine Hill was a bestseller when it was first published in 1941, which puts it neatly in the middle of Bill @The Australian Legend's Gen III of Australian Women Writers. I can see why this story about the adventurer and explorer, Matthew Flinders attracted a lot … Continue reading My Love Must Wait | Ernestine Hill #AWWfiction
Well, I did it!My seven-month #slowread of Moby-Dick is officially done and dusted.If you've ever wondered if you should make the time to read this classic chunkster, then I say yea!And I cannot recommend highly enough the #slowread approach.Moby-Dick is improved and enhanced by taking your time.The Atlantic | Aug 20, 2013 | David GilbertYou … Continue reading Moby-Dick | Herman Melville #Classic
Following on from my recent post featuring several fabulous Australian junior fiction titles, I thought it was time to venture further afield to see what the rest of the world (or at least the US, UK and Japan) were doing in this field.The Afterwards is a new story by U.K. poet A. F. Harrold, illustrated … Continue reading Junior Fiction – the rest!
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 have a vague recollection of seeing the 1984 movie version of The NeverEnding Story in my late teens. It was a bit too juvenile for my sophisticated, desperate-to-be-grown-up self at that time, so other than a shaggy white flying dragon and a boy clinging to its neck, I remember nothing. And felt no need to … Continue reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
I like to think that I have taken my 'what to read whilst travelling' choices to an inspired level of brilliance, but I really outdid myself with our recent trip to Japan. Reading Murakami in Japan now feels like the ONLY place to read Murakami!Not only does the usual Murakami weirdness make sense when you're … Continue reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
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
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree has been attracting my attention for several months now, however it took its recent longlisting for this year's Stella Prize to finally make me pick it up. I'm nothing but a Stella groupie!The cover alone might have been enticement enough (a collage of three of Azar's art works), but … Continue reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
I am a fan of the Moriarty sisters - Liane, Nicola and Jaclyn - they have all gone off in different directions, genres and target audiences but the one thing they have in common is thoroughly engaging stories, believable characters and the ability to suck me into their world.Jacyln's previous series that wowed my socks … Continue reading The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty
Once Upon A Rhinoceros is my kind of picture book.As a child I dreamed of setting off into the big, wide world to explore. I've always wanted to see what there was to be seen. I couldn't wait to be grown up so that I could finally just go.Small rhinoceros has the very same dream; she … Continue reading Once Upon A Small Rhinoceros by Meg McKinlay
I was feeling a little cautious about reading Lincoln in the Bardo. Anytime I had heard someone talk about the book, they would mention the ghosts, the many, many voices and the grief. It sounded like it might be hard work or a bit too clever for its own good. Fortunately, though, a reading copy … Continue reading Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders
I had planned to write two posts about this, the second part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as it actually begs to be considered in its two separate sections. In fact, Tolkien originally wrote the book as one big book with six parts. He planned to name part III The Treason of Isengard … Continue reading The Two Towers by J R R Tolkien
One of my recent #readathon reads was the delightfully eccentric Yours Sincerely, Giraffe by Megumi Isawa (ranslated by Cathy Hirano). When my eyes started to get tired and words began to blur on the page, the simple but fun illustrations from Jun Takabatake were just the eye candy I needed. The premise of the story … Continue reading Yours Sincerely, Giraffe | Megumi Iwasa
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