Those who read this blog may have come across DesertBookChick (DBC) before. She's the one who doesn't like Jane Austen! In fact, she admits that, despite being a PhD, she's a bit anxious about classics in general. However, not one to shy away from a challenge, she has declared August Classics Month on her blog. … Continue reading What is a classic: Guest post at DesertBookChick
Reading
Ian McEwan, Solar
I don't know whether I believe your story, but I've enjoyed it. So says McEwan's latest creation, Michael Beard, to a character he has "done wrong". This more or less sums up my feelings about Solar, the novel in which this statement appears. I am a McEwan fan and have greatly liked most of the … Continue reading Ian McEwan, Solar
M.J. Hyland, This is how
If you want to read a book that is quick (and seemingly simple) to read and yet satisfyingly complex, then MJ Hyland's This is how is for you. I've been wanting to read Hyland for a while and, having now done so, this won't be the last. So where to start? The novel is a … Continue reading M.J. Hyland, This is how
Do you marginalia?
I do, but I wouldn't class myself with the likes of Sylvia Plath, Vladimir Nabokov and Mark Twain, to name just a few famous marginalians (if that's not a word, it is now!). And so, I enjoyed a recent article, titled "Marginal", which you can read online in The New Yorker. It's written by Ian Frazier, an … Continue reading Do you marginalia?
Louann Brizendine, The female brain
Beware - the F-word is coming! Yes, Feminism. It might be a dirty word in some quarters, but I regard myself as a feminist - 1970s style - and so I approached Brizendine's best-selling book, The female brain, with my cautionary antennae out. It's not the sort of book I would necessarily have chosen myself … Continue reading Louann Brizendine, The female brain
What my bookgroup will be reading for the rest of 2010
I haven't done this before - that is, discussed my reading group in my blog - but I thought I'd share the schedule my group decided on last night for the rest of the year. Our practice is to make our selections twice a year: 6 books for the first half of the year, and … Continue reading What my bookgroup will be reading for the rest of 2010
Eva Hornung, Dog boy
I first read Eva Hornung when she was writing as Eva Sallis. It was her second novel The city of sealions, which is a pretty passionate and evocatively written exploration of cultural alienation and dislocation brought about primarily by migration. In some ways Dog boy explores similar concerns, but its alienation is played out in a … Continue reading Eva Hornung, Dog boy
Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
This is the second time I have read Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. Much as I enjoyed it the first time around, I probably wouldn't have read it again if it hadn't been scheduled for one of my online bookgroups. However, given that scheduling and the fact that I had recently listened to Simon Armitage's dramatisation … Continue reading Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
Who’s watching you read (and other readerly things)?
Recently I reviewed Andrea Goldsmith's Reunion. It was a less than stellar review, but the book did contain some fun observations about readers and reading. So, I thought I'd share a few with you. The first one is: With books a clearly signed shortcut to the soul, you would have to be either very stupid … Continue reading Who’s watching you read (and other readerly things)?
Andrea Goldsmith, Reunion
Reunion bookcover (Courtesy: HarperCollins Australia) I wanted to love Andrea Goldsmith's Reunion. And I expected to, as I remember enjoying the last book of hers that I read. But, somehow, I found it a bit of chore to read, though it did pick up towards the end. I think I understand why it was not listed … Continue reading Andrea Goldsmith, Reunion
