I would like to be a regular Quarterly Essay reader. Every time I read one, I admire the format and find the content fascinating, challenging or enlightening. It's a fairly quick and easy way to absorb a current topic, yet I rarely prioritise them in my reading schedule. Insert shrug. Although it looks like it … Continue reading Lone Wolf: Albanese and the New Politics: Quarterly Essay 88 | Katharine Murphy
The President of the Chamber remained standing until the faint stir caused by his entry subsided. Then he took his seat, saying rather nonchalantly, in a quiet voice:'The sitting is open.' As always, I am facsinated by translation choices. Above are the opening lines from Brian Nelson's recent 2018 translation of Son Excellence Eugène Rougon, … Continue reading Son Excellence Eugène Rougon | Émile Zola #Zoladdiction
What a fascinating premise!What a fascinating story!What an amazing story teller!Rodham: A Novel is hard to define, and even harder to classify or deconstruct. What is real and what is fiction is the thing that haunts you the whole time you're reading this story. At least it did for me.The idea of sliding doors, alternate … Continue reading Rodham: A Novel | Curtis Sittenfeld
La Conquête de Plassans, or The Conquest of Plassans (1874) is the fourth novel in Émile Zola's twenty-volume Rougon-Macquart series that I have been reading with Fanda for #Zoladdiction. My Oxford World's Classics 2014 edition is translated by Helen Constantine and has an Introduction by *Patrick McGuinness. He reminded me that, Like all of Zola's fiction, … Continue reading The Conquest of Plassans | Émile Zola #FRAclassic
Becoming ended up being an epic read for me, simply because I put the book down when I was half way through it in the New Year, when we were away and busy with family and summer and stuff, and then I forgot to pick it up again.Other new, shiny books caught my eye and … Continue reading Becoming by Michelle Obama
From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage by Judith Brett was a surprise bestseller at work in the week leading up to the recent NSW state elections. I'll be curious to see if it has the same surge during the weeks leading up to our Federal elections in May.Brett has written a fascinating and informative book about … Continue reading From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting by Judith Brett
Rusted Off: Why Country Australia is Fed Up by Gabrielle Chan didn't quite live up to my expectations, or to her marvellous Introduction. In fact, the rest of the book was little more than an extended version of the fine points she made early on.I've spent most off my life in rural Australia; this last … Continue reading Rusted Off by Gabrielle Chan
White Houses was my latest book club pick, chosen by me. I felt a weird sense of pressure to enjoy the book on that account. But the best I could summon up in the end was a mild kind of appreciation. It took me a while to pinpoint my disconnect. The first person narrative was a … Continue reading White Houses by Amy Bloom
I can't believe I haven't heard about this before.The West Wing weekly podcast has been going for two years now.It's an episode by episode discussion about every single season of West Wing.Hosted by Joshua Malina (Will Bailey) and Hrishikesh Hirway (musician & composer), with special guest stars every few episodes, they reveal behind the scenes pranks, … Continue reading The West Wing Weekly
Home Fire was longlisted for this year's Man Booker and I so wish it had got the nod for the shortlist. It was a stronger, more consistently interesting story than 4 3 2 1, but perhaps the judging committee felt they had ticked the refugee/migrant experience by including Exit West?Either way it's a shame, because … Continue reading Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
I have no idea how to adequately review Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus and Nauru.Refugees, asylum seekers and offshore processing has polarised politics and opinion in Australia for several years now. A book like this, that attempts to provide an 'uncompromising' overview that 'gets behind the rumours and allegations to reveal what is known' … Continue reading Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus and Nauru by Madeline Gleeson
I don't normally read political non-fiction although I have read the occasional political memoir. Unless it touches on an issue I'm particularly passionate about, I have too many other books I actually want to read! However the media storm and book buying frenzy surrounding Niki Savva's recent book got under my skin. What was it … Continue reading The Road to Ruin by Niki Savva
Topical, relevant and a publishers dream as far as timing goes! The Stalking Of Julia Gillard: How Team Rudd contrived to bring down the Prime Minister was due for August release. Walsh initially planned to document the Gillard governments minority parliament, the first one in Australia since 1939. But she noticed, that despite a "parliament...functioning … Continue reading The Stalking of Julia Gillard | Kerry-Anne Walsh AWWnon-fiction
This book had almost gone unnoticed on our shelves until the recent events in Australian politics. But then, all of a sudden, we're getting double-barrelled requests for this book and The Stalking of Julia. It's funny the difference a week can make! To say I felt anger whilst reading The Misogyny Factor is an understatement. … Continue reading The Misogyny Factor | Anne Summers #AWWnon-fiction
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