In my recent post on Jessica White talking about her hybrid memoir-biography Hearing Maud, I commented that I'm intrigued by the ways in which biography is being rethought in contemporary literature. When I wrote that, I not only had White's book in mind, but Sue Ingleton's Making trouble. You can probably guess why from its sub-sub-title: "an … Continue reading Sue Ingleton, Making trouble: Tongued with fire (#BookReview)
Review
David Brooks, The grass library (#BookReview)
OK, I'm going to show my hand here. I love animals - and hate animal cruelty - but I am not vegan. More to the point though, I am cautious about animal rights activists because they can sometimes act out the very violence and cruelty on humans that they condemn for non-human animals. I was, … Continue reading David Brooks, The grass library (#BookReview)
Lafcadio Hearn, Yuki-Onna (#Review)
I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted on a Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week. I usually "do" a few a year, but this is the first for 2019, even though I've identified several that I've wanted to do. However, when Lafcadio Hearn popped up last week - and with a Japanese story … Continue reading Lafcadio Hearn, Yuki-Onna (#Review)
Ros Collins, Rosa: Memories with licence (#BookReview)
Memoirs are tricky things. There are readers who love them, readers who hate them, and readers like wishy-washy me who sit in the middle. I sit in the middle because, for a start, I don't like to say "never" when it comes to reading. I sit in the middle because I couldn't cope with a … Continue reading Ros Collins, Rosa: Memories with licence (#BookReview)
Dominic Smith, The electric hotel (#BookReview)
I admit to a brief feeling of déjà vu when I started Dominic Smith's latest novel, The electric hotel, because it starts by telling us that its protagonist 85-year-old Claude Ballard has been living in the Knickerbocker Hotel in Los Angeles for over thirty years. Not another man living in a hotel like our gentleman … Continue reading Dominic Smith, The electric hotel (#BookReview)
Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
A week or so ago, I wrote a post to commemorate this year's Indigenous Literacy Day. In that post I noted that the book I saw we saw was going to be launched at the Sydney Opera House that day. It was written and illustrated by students from Nhulunbuy Primary School, up on the Gove Peninsula, … Continue reading Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
Jocelyn Moorhouse, Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood (#BookReview)
Although it is quite a traditional memoir, style-wise, Jocelyn Moorhouse's Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, she's an artist who had a happy childhood. Who knew that could happen? Secondly, while most memoirs focus on one aspect of the writer's life - such as … Continue reading Jocelyn Moorhouse, Unconditional love: A memoir of filmmaking and motherhood (#BookReview)
Sir Walter Scott, Waverley, Vol. 1 (#BookReview)
I admit it, I'm defeated - not because I'm not enjoying it, but because it needs more attention than my distracted brain can give it right now. Consequently, I am posting on just the first volume of Sir Walter Scott's first novel, Waverley. I read it for my Jane Austen meeting last weekend. We did … Continue reading Sir Walter Scott, Waverley, Vol. 1 (#BookReview)
Grace L. Chao and Amanda Ambinder Shapiro, Bookclub social: A reader’s guide to online book clubs (#BookReview)
Back in 2016, I completed a survey about online bookclubs, and answered some supplementary questions about "my" sort of club. I also took part in a follow-up telephone interview with the two American researchers involved, Grace Chao and Amanda Shapiro. Now, three years later, they have completed their research and self-published it in their book, … Continue reading Grace L. Chao and Amanda Ambinder Shapiro, Bookclub social: A reader’s guide to online book clubs (#BookReview)
Sebastian Smee, Net loss: The inner life in the digital age (#BookReview)
If you've been reading my blog recently, you'll already know why I am reviewing Sebastian Smee's Quarterly Essay edition, "Net loss: The inner life in the digital age", but to briefly recap, it's because it inspired a member of my reading group to recommend we read Anton Chekhov's short story, "The lady with the little … Continue reading Sebastian Smee, Net loss: The inner life in the digital age (#BookReview)
