As I've done for a few years now, I am sharing my reading group's top picks of 2022. This is, after all, the season of lists, but also, I know that some people, besides me, enjoy hearing about other reading groups. I'll start, though, by sharing what we read in the order we read them … Continue reading My reading group’s favourites for 2023
Reading group book
Holly Throsby, Clarke (#BookReview)
My reading group's last book of the year, Holly Throsby's third novel, Clarke, was a popular end-of-year choice. It's a straightforward but compelling read that was inspired by a story we were all across, the Lynette Dawson story. Inspired, though, is the operative word, as Clarke is not Lynette Dawson's story. For a start, while … Continue reading Holly Throsby, Clarke (#BookReview)
Patrick Modiano, Sundays in August (#BookReview)
Disappointingly, I ended up missing my bookgroup's discussion of the book I had encouraged us to read, Sundays in August by 2014 Nobel prize-winner Patrick Modiano. I have no-one else to blame but myself, since I did the schedule and should have remembered that I was going to be in Hobart for my brother's exhibition. … Continue reading Patrick Modiano, Sundays in August (#BookReview)
Pat Barker, The women of Troy (#BookReview)
I shocked my reading group last week when I announced during our discussion of Pat Barker's novel, The women of Troy, that I was tiring of feminist re-imaginings of historical women. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the novel, and it is definitely not to say that I am not interested in … Continue reading Pat Barker, The women of Troy (#BookReview)
Debra Dank, We come with this place (#BookReview)
First Nations people are advised that this post contains the names of deceased people. It has been my reading group's tradition for some years now to read a book by a First Nations writer in July, the month in which NAIDOC Week occurs. Coincidentally, NAIDOC Week’s 2023 theme was “For our elders”, which worked beautifully with our … Continue reading Debra Dank, We come with this place (#BookReview)
Edwina Preston, Bad art mother (#BookReview)
Edwina Preston's Bad art mother was my reading group's June book, replacing our previously scheduled book because we'd heard Bad art mother was to be the featured book in the Canberra Writers Festival session, Canberra's Biggest Book Club. This suited me, as, coincidentally, I'd just started reading it! Bad art mother has been shortlisted for two … Continue reading Edwina Preston, Bad art mother (#BookReview)
Maggie O’Farrell, The marriage portrait (#BookReview)
I have mentioned Author's Notes a few times recently, because I have read a few works of historical fiction. Maggie O'Farrell's latest novel, The marriage portrait, is another historical novel and so here I am again talking Author's Notes. The marriage portrait, as you probably already know, is based on the life of Lucrezia de' Medici, … Continue reading Maggie O’Farrell, The marriage portrait (#BookReview)
Robert Drewe, Nimblefoot (#BookReview)
Nimblefoot is Robert Drewe's eight novel, but is the first of his that my reading group has done. Drewe is a prolific and versatile writer, having written memoir and other nonfiction, as well as short stories and novels, both. contemporary-set and historical. In other words, he is not easy to compartmentalise. He has appeared before … Continue reading Robert Drewe, Nimblefoot (#BookReview)
Robbie Arnott, Limberlost (#BookReview)
Where should I start my discussion of Robbie Arnott's third novel, Limberlost? Perhaps with the epigraph. It's by Gene Stratton Porter, and says, "In the economy of Nature, nothing is ever lost". I have posted on Porter - on her essay, "The last Passenger Pigeon". She was, says Wikipedia, an author, nature photographer, naturalist and … Continue reading Robbie Arnott, Limberlost (#BookReview)
Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land (#BookReview)
There was a collective cheer from the four librarians in my reading group when one of our members read Anthony Doerr’s dedication for his latest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. It goes like this “For the librarians then, now, and in the years to come”. Thank you Anthony! Cloud Cuckoo Land, at over 600 pages, is … Continue reading Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 