You are never too old to try something new - and so it was that my 30-year-old reading group tried something new for our April meeting. The idea was that we would all read Garner, but our individual choice of Garner. We've discussed five Garners over the years, and many had read other Garners besides … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: My reading group does Garner
Reading group book
Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Helen Garner must have loved prize-winning book designer WH Chong's cheeky cypress-dominated cover for the Text Classics edition of her two screenplays, The last days of chez nous and Two friends. You'd only realise this, though, after reading her Preface, in which she explains that she had incorporated cypresses into her screenplay for their "freight of … Continue reading Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Claire G. Coleman, Terra nullius (#BookReview)
Claire G. Coleman's debut novel, Terra nullius, was my reading group's third book for this year. The first two - An unnecessary woman (my review) and The sympathizer (my review) were well liked - but not so Coleman's book. In fact that I was the only one who liked it. So, instead of my usual review, … Continue reading Claire G. Coleman, Terra nullius (#BookReview)
Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Lebanese-born American writer Rabih Alameddine's novel, An unnecessary woman, is tailor-made for readers. It was fittingly, therefore, my reading group's first book for 2018. The novel is told first person in the voice of 72-year-old childless, divorced Aaliya Saleh, who lives alone and spends her time reading and translating books. Set in an apartment in Beirut … Continue reading Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
My reading group’s top picks for 2017
This year was my reading group's 30th year, and for the first time ever we decided to vote on our top picks for the year. Will it become a tradition? Who knows? Anyhow, in the spirit of end-of-year lists, I thought you might be interested to see the result, because you will know some of … Continue reading My reading group’s top picks for 2017
Caroline Moorehead, Dancing to the precipice (#BookReview)
Unusually, my reading group read two biographies about non-Austrian women this year, Jane Fletcher Geniesse's book on Freya Stark (my review) in January and now, this month, Caroline Moorehead's book Dancing to the precipice: Lucie de la Tour du Pin and the French Revolution on the French aristocrat Henriette-Lucy, Marquise de La Tour-du-Pin-Gouvernet. Interestingly, Moorehead has … Continue reading Caroline Moorehead, Dancing to the precipice (#BookReview)
Stan Grant, Talking to my country (#BookReview)
History is, in a way, the main subject of my reading group's October book, Stan Grant's Talking to my country. I'm consequently somewhat nervous about writing this post, because discussions of history in Australia are apt to generate more emotion than rational discussion. I will, though, discuss it - through my interested lay historian's eyes. … Continue reading Stan Grant, Talking to my country (#BookReview)
Heather Rose, The museum of modern love (#BookReview)
As I neared the end of Heather Rose's Stella Prize-winning novel The museum of modern love, I slowed down. I wanted, of course, to know how it was going to resolve, but I wanted to savour it too. It doesn't seem right to rush the end of thoughtful books like this. But, I have to … Continue reading Heather Rose, The museum of modern love (#BookReview)
Min Jin Lee, Pachinko (#BookReview)
If you are looking for a big, engrossing read that takes you into a little-known world, then I offer you Korean-American author Min Jin Lee's Pachinko. It tells a story about the Korean diaspora in Japan over a period of 80 years, and was my reading group's pick for August. There wasn't a bored person … Continue reading Min Jin Lee, Pachinko (#BookReview)
Ian McEwan, Nutshell (#bookreview)
Like Carmel Bird's Family skeleton, which I reviewed recently, Ian McEwan's Nutshell has a narrator who won't appeal to those who don't like devices like skeletons in cupboards or babies in wombs. However, repeating what I said in my review of Bird's book, it all depends on the writer's skill, and McEwan, like Bird, is … Continue reading Ian McEwan, Nutshell (#bookreview)
Whispering Gums 