[WARNING: SPOILERS IF YOU CARE] Fun but flimsy was my first reaction on reading the short story Liliana by American writer Maile Meloy. But, after reading it a couple of days ago, I found that it kept popping back into my head. What seemed at first to be a funny little story - about a grandmother … Continue reading Maile Meloy, Liliana
Review
Barack Obama, Dreams from my father
I must be about the last person on earth to read Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from my father. However, that's not going to stop me adding my voice to the accolades heaped on the book! When it was originally published in 1995, it was subtitled "A story of race and inheritance". This does not appear on … Continue reading Barack Obama, Dreams from my father
Beautiful Kate?
[WARNING: SPOILERS, PROBABLY] Well, I haven't read the 1982 book by American novelist Newton Thornburg - in fact I hadn't heard of it - but Rachel Ward has managed to produce out of it a stylish and engrossing film, aided by an excellent cast and gorgeous, often eerie, cinematography. It helps too that the film … Continue reading Beautiful Kate?
You know you are hooked
...on blogging when you start writing your blog in your head while you are out and about enjoying something. This is what happened to me last night (and it's not the first time) when I was at a Kate Ceberano concert (sorry Kate - but I did pull myself up quickly and start concentrating again). … Continue reading You know you are hooked
Peter Godwin, When a crocodile eats the sun
[WARNING: SOME SPOILERS] We know it happens - is happening - but it is shocking to come face to face with it, that is, with the experience of living in a situation which was once ordered and safe but which, almost overnight, becomes chaotic and downright dangerous. This is the story Peter Godwin chronicles in … Continue reading Peter Godwin, When a crocodile eats the sun
Jim Crace, Being dead
The old "so many books, so little time" mantra means that I very rarely read a book more than once (other than my Jane Austens of course), but I have read Jim Crace's Being dead twice. I love this book. I know some find the subject matter unappealing but I find it not only fascinating … Continue reading Jim Crace, Being dead
Musica Viva concert: Steven Isserlis & Dénes Várjon
I haven't written about all the Musica Viva concerts I've attended this year because I don't really have any music review skills. However, I can't resist writing a little about this one. This is the third time we've seen the cellist Steven Isserlis, each time accompanied by a different pianist, and we've never been disappointed. … Continue reading Musica Viva concert: Steven Isserlis & Dénes Várjon
Imre Kertèsz, Fateless (or Fatelessness)
[WARNING: SPOILERS, of sorts] Let's get the first thing clear. I like holocaust literature - not because I enjoy the subject matter but because in it I find the most elemental, universal truths about humanity. Depending on the book, this literature contains various combinations of bravery and cowardice, cruelty and kindness, love and hate, self-sacrifice, … Continue reading Imre Kertèsz, Fateless (or Fatelessness)
Julian Barnes, The limner
I'm probably going to show my ignorance here as I'm no expert in short stories. I do however like them and have read a fair smattering over the years. Julian Barnes' The limner is interesting because it is historical, that is, unlike most short stories that I have read, it is set in the past … Continue reading Julian Barnes, The limner
George Orwell, Books v. Cigarettes
We all do it! That is, we say we haven't got the time to do something or we can't afford something when in fact we really could if we changed our priorities. This idea is the inspiration for George Orwell's essay titled "Books v. Cigarettes" (written in 1946). It all started when a newspaper editor told him … Continue reading George Orwell, Books v. Cigarettes
