There are some writers whose personalities shine through so strongly that I have taken to characterising them in just a word or two. Jane Austen, for example, I think of as wickedly witty, and Helen Garner as heartbreakingly honest. Carmel Bird is another of these. I describe her as seriously cheeky, by which I don't … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Field of poppies (#BookReview)
Reading group book
Charlotte Wood, The weekend (#BookReview)
After reading the first few pages of Charlotte Wood's latest novel, The weekend, I was starting to wonder how on earth these women, with "their same scratchy old ways", could be described as "dearest friends". They seemed so different, and so irritated or, sometimes, cowed by each other's differences. Where was their point of connection … Continue reading Charlotte Wood, The weekend (#BookReview)
My reading group’s top picks for 2019
In what is becoming a tradition, my reading group once again voted for our top picks from our 2019 schedule. Given many of us like hearing about what other reading groups do, I'm sharing the results as I did last year. First, though, here is what we read in the order we read them (with … Continue reading My reading group’s top picks for 2019
Tim Winton, The shepherd’s hut (#BookReview)
Tim Winton and Christos Tsiolkas have to be Australia's foremost contemporary writers about men and boys, Tsiolkas doing for urban/surburban males what Winton does for small town/rural ones. Winton's latest novel, The shepherd's hut, continues his exploration of males in extremis. It's strong, gritty, page-turning, and yet reflective too, which is not easy to pull-off. … Continue reading Tim Winton, The shepherd’s hut (#BookReview)
Anton Chekhov, The lady with the little dog (#Review)
"The lady and with the little dog" was an out-of-left-field recommendation for my reading group for two reasons. One is that it is a single short story - not even a whole collection which we have done before. And the other is that the member who recommended it did so on the basis of its … Continue reading Anton Chekhov, The lady with the little dog (#Review)
Mary McCarthy, The group (#BookReview)
My reading group has a few loose "rules" for choosing our reads, but one of the more rigid ones is that each year we like to read at least one classic. This year's first classic - yes, another is coming - was Mary McCarthy's The group. As I wrote in last week's Monday Musings, it … Continue reading Mary McCarthy, The group (#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)
Amor Towles, A gentleman in Moscow (#BookReview)
American writer Amor Towles' third novel, the best-selling A gentleman in Moscow, generated a surprisingly lively discussion at my reading group last week, because beneath its engaging, accessible exterior are some puzzles. These puzzles relate primarily to Towles' intentions. What were they? Why did an American investment banker write an historical fiction novel about a Count in … Continue reading Amor Towles, A gentleman in Moscow (#BookReview)
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Once again I have reason to start a book post with a discussion of the title, this time Marilynne Robinson's 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gilead. Gilead, in the context of this novel, has a literal and metaphorical meaning, literal because it takes place in the fictional Iowan town of Gilead, and metaphorical because "gilead" … Continue reading Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Rudyard Kipling, The Janeites (#Commentary)
The topic for my local Jane Austen group's March meeting was "Jane Austen in the trenches" which, I realise, sounds a bit anachronistic, given she died in 1817, nearly a century before the trenches we're talking about. But, you see, Jane's fame didn't start in 1995 with Colin Firth and that wet shirt. No, her … Continue reading Rudyard Kipling, The Janeites (#Commentary)
Whispering Gums 