Not unusually, I'm late to this book that was all the talk in 2020 - and, I may not have read it at all if it hadn't been for my reading group. I'm talking, as you will have guessed from the post title, of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet. As most of you will know, Hamnet's plot … Continue reading Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet (#BookReview)
Reading
Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain (#BookReview)
How to write about a book that has made such a big splash that it has already been extensively reviewed. What more can one say? This is what I'm facing with Douglas Stuart's debut and Booker Prize-winning novel, Shuggie Bain. I haven't, in fact, read much about it, because I prefer to come to books … Continue reading Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain (#BookReview)
Nardi Simpson, Song of the crocodile (#BookReview)
Nardi Simpson's Song of the crocodile is a tight multi-generational saga set in the fictional town of Darnmoor over the last decades of the twentieth century. It tells the story of the people of the Campgrounds, who are ostracised, exploited and abused by the white townspeople. Between the Campgrounds and the town proper, with its … Continue reading Nardi Simpson, Song of the crocodile (#BookReview)
Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Steven Conte burst on the scene in 2008 when he won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award with his 2007-published debut novel, The zookeeper's war. I always intended to read it but somehow it never happened. Jump to 2020, and Conte's second novel, The Tolstoy Estate, was published. That's a big gap, but what he's … Continue reading Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Favourite quotes: from Marion Halligan’s Fog Garden
Some time ago, I started a little ad hoc Favourite Quotes series but I haven't added to it for some time. This post, I actually drafted back then, but never got around to completely it, but I will now! One of my favourite Australian writers, though I've only reviewed one of her recent books on my … Continue reading Favourite quotes: from Marion Halligan’s Fog Garden
Delia Owens, Where the crawdads sing (#BookReview)
Delia Owens' bestselling debut novel, Where the crawdads sing, is a problematical novel, as my reading group discovered - and yet, I couldn't help being emotionally engaged. It reminded me a little of a childhood favourite, Gene Stratton Porter's A girl of the Limberlost. My heart went out to Owen's protagonist, Kya, the maligned, ignored, … Continue reading Delia Owens, Where the crawdads sing (#BookReview)
Sara Phillips (ed), The best Australian science writing 2020 (#BookReview)
In 2016, my reading group discussed the 2015 edition of The best Australian science writing. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again, and so this month we read the 2020 (tenth anniversary) edition. Our discussion was as engaged as before (and the overall reasons I enjoyed this volume are the … Continue reading Sara Phillips (ed), The best Australian science writing 2020 (#BookReview)
Trevor Shearston, Hare’s fur (#BookReview)
While I want to, I often don't manage to follow up books recommended by Lisa but Trevor Shearston's Hare's fur particularly caught my attention. He was an Australian author I didn't know; the novel is set in the Blue Mountains; and the protagonist is a potter, which sounded intriguing. So, I bought it - over … Continue reading Trevor Shearston, Hare’s fur (#BookReview)
Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
If ever there was a "zeitgeist" book, Bernadine Evaristo's 2019 Booker Prize winning novel, Girl, woman, other is it. It might be an English-set novel about black British women, "the embodiment of Otherness", but its concerns, ranging from ingrained inequality, racism and sexism to newer issues such as globalisation, are contemporary - and relevant far … Continue reading Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
Garry Disher, Bitter Wash Road (#BookReview)
Garry Disher's Bitter Wash Road has been sitting on my TBR pile for over seven years. It was sent to me on spec but, as crime is not my preferred reading, I didn't feel obliged to read it - and yet, I hung onto it, just in case... So, when Kim (Reading Matters) decided to … Continue reading Garry Disher, Bitter Wash Road (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 