I admit to a brief feeling of déjà vu when I started Dominic Smith's latest novel, The electric hotel, because it starts by telling us that its protagonist 85-year-old Claude Ballard has been living in the Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles for over thirty years. Not another man living in a hotel like our gentleman … Continue reading Dominic Smith, The electric hotel (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
A week or so ago, I wrote a post to commemorate this year's Indigenous Literacy Day. In that post I noted that the book I saw we saw was going to be launched at the Sydney Opera House that day. It was written and illustrated by students from Nhulunbuy Primary School, up on the Gove Peninsula, … Continue reading Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
Jocelyn Moorhouse, Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood (#BookReview)
Although it is quite a traditional memoir, style-wise, Jocelyn Moorhouse's Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, she's an artist who had a happy childhood. Who knew that could happen? Secondly, while most memoirs focus on one aspect of the writer's life - such as … Continue reading Jocelyn Moorhouse, Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood (#BookReview)
Grace L. Chao and Amanda Ambinder Shapiro, Bookclub social: A reader’s guide to online book clubs (#BookReview)
Back in 2016, I completed a survey about online bookclubs, and answered some supplementary questions about "my" sort of club. I also took part in a follow-up telephone interview with the two American researchers involved, Grace Chao and Amanda Shapiro. Now, three years later, they have completed their research and self-published it in their book, … Continue reading Grace L. Chao and Amanda Ambinder Shapiro, Bookclub social: A reader’s guide to online book clubs (#BookReview)
Sebastian Smee, Net loss: The inner life in the digital age (#BookReview)
If you've been reading my blog recently, you'll already know why I am reviewing Sebastian Smee's Quarterly Essay edition, "Net loss: The inner life in the digital age", but to briefly recap, it's because it inspired a member of my reading group to recommend we read Anton Chekhov's short story, "The lady with the little … Continue reading Sebastian Smee, Net loss: The inner life in the digital age (#BookReview)
Stan Grant, On identity (#BookReview)
Stan Grant seems to be the indigenous-person-du-jour here in Australia. I don't say this disrespectfully, which I fear is how it may come across given Grant's views "on identity", but it feels true - particularly if you watch or listen to the ABC. He pops up regularly on shows, sometimes as presenter, other times as … Continue reading Stan Grant, On identity (#BookReview)
Tony Birch, The white girl (#BookReview)
We need more novels like Tony Birch's The white girl and Melissa Lucashenko's Too much lip. This is not to say that we don't need all the wonderful Indigenous Australian literature I've read and reviewed here over the years, but some of the books, as excellent (and as beloved by me) as they are, can … Continue reading Tony Birch, The white girl (#BookReview)
Chris Womersley, A lovely and terrible thing (#BookReview)
Described as "twenty macabre and deliciously enjoyable stories for readers of Fiona McFarlane and Lauren Groff", Chris Womersley's newest book - his debut collection of short stories - wasn't necessarily a natural fit for me. I haven't read Lauren Groff, but I have read and really liked Fiona McFarlane's clever, memorable, The night guest (my … Continue reading Chris Womersley, A lovely and terrible thing (#BookReview)
Nigel Featherstone, Bodies of men (#BookReview)
Nigel Featherstone's latest novel, Bodies of men, is a brave book - and not because it's a World War 2 story about love between two soldiers at at time when such relationships were taboo, though there is that. No, I mean, because it's a World War 2 story that was inspired by Featherstone's three-month writer-in-residence … Continue reading Nigel Featherstone, Bodies of men (#BookReview)
Sayaka Murata, Convenience store woman (#BookReview)
Convenience store woman, which won Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize, is Sayaka Murata's 10th novel, but her first translated into English. Hopefully, it won't be the last. A rather unusual book, it elicited a stimulating discussion at my reading group last week. The convenience store woman of the title is 36-year-old Keiko Furukawa. She isn't "normal", and her … Continue reading Sayaka Murata, Convenience store woman (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 