Dogs are mentioned frequently in John Hughes' novel, The dogs, but the most dramatic reference occurs when the narrator's mother, Anna, is hiding in a swamp with other partisans during World War 2. The barking of the Germans' dogs tells them "it was only a matter of time" before they'd be found, causing Anna to … Continue reading John Hughes, The dogs (#BookReview)
Review
Ida Vitale, Byobu (#BookReview)
Uruguayan writer Ida Vitale's Byobu was my reading group's second book of the year. Originally published in Spanish in 2018, with the English translation released in 2021, Byobu is Vitale's first book of prose to be translated into English. Few, if any of us, had heard of her - and yet, this now 98-year-old woman … Continue reading Ida Vitale, Byobu (#BookReview)
Jane Sinclair, Shy love smiles and acid drops (#BookReview)
Jane Sinclair's hybrid biography-memoir, Shy love smiles and acid drops: Letters from a difficult marriage, is an unusual book. Covering around two years in her parents' life, this book comprises, mostly, letters sent between her parents between April 1960 and July 1962 when Sinclair and her mother were in England while her father remained in … Continue reading Jane Sinclair, Shy love smiles and acid drops (#BookReview)
Julie Koh, Portable curiosities: Stories (#BookReview)
I've decided to try reading more audiobooks this year, despite not being a big fan of this mode of consuming books. I'm a textual person. I like to see the print on the page, how it is set out. I like to see the words. I like to see how the names are spelt. Given … Continue reading Julie Koh, Portable curiosities: Stories (#BookReview)
David Foster Wallace, How Tracy Austin broke my heart (#Review)
Many readers here, I know, are not the slightest bit interested in sports. You know who you are and I'm not going to out you, but you are welcome to do so in the comments. Meanwhile, this is for the rest of you who enjoy watching sports. For me, watching sports aligns well with being … Continue reading David Foster Wallace, How Tracy Austin broke my heart (#Review)
James Weldon Johnson, Stranger than fiction (#Review)
Several months ago, I bookmarked a Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week offering - as I often do for later use - but, despite its being a very brief offering, I've only got to it now. It's on James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938), and was timed, 17 June 2021, to synchronise with the 150th anniversary of his birth. … Continue reading James Weldon Johnson, Stranger than fiction (#Review)
Amy Witting, Isobel on the way to the corner shop (#BookReview)
My first reading group book of the year, Amy Witting's Isobel on the way to the corner shop, nicely doubles as a (late) contribution to Bill's AWW Gen 4 week. Winner of the 1993 Patrick White Award, Amy Witting is one of those much-admired Australian writers who had not then and still has not received … Continue reading Amy Witting, Isobel on the way to the corner shop (#BookReview)
Epiphany in Harrower’s “The fun of the fair”
With Bill's AWW Gen 4 Week still in play, I hoped I'd find something relevant to share from Reading like an Australian writer. And there was, a discussion by novelist Emily Maguire of a short story by Elizabeth Harrower. The short story, as you can probably guess, is titled "The fun of the fair" and … Continue reading Epiphany in Harrower’s “The fun of the fair”
Margaret Barbalet, Blood in the rain (#BookReview)
When I thought about Bill's AWW Gen 4 week, I knew I'd have some hard choices to make as I have many eligible novels on my TBR shelves. However, the choice wasn't too hard because there was one author who just doesn't seem to be talked about and I wanted to include her on my … Continue reading Margaret Barbalet, Blood in the rain (#BookReview)
Janette Turner Hospital, The inside story (#Review)
Between 1985 and 1990, Janette Turner Hospital wrote four books which had one-word titles - Borderline (1985, novel), Dislocations (1986, short stories), Charades (1988, novel) and Isobars (1990, short stories). I've read the novels, and they imprinted on my mind Hospital's love of metaphor. In these works, her titles clearly herald her concerns, and I … Continue reading Janette Turner Hospital, The inside story (#Review)
