I really want to see the new Australian film, Last Ride, and the film of J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace, but as State of Play is coming to the end of its run and we hadn't yet seen it, that's what we went to see today. Apparently, the film is an adaptation of a well-reviewed 6-hour British … Continue reading State of the investigative journo film
Review
Haruki Murakami, What I talk about…
Haruki Murakami (By Wakarimasita, Wikipedia, using Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0) What a strange little book! I guess it's not surprising that Haruki Murakami's notion of a memoir is not quite that of the rest of us. This is not because it has any of the, shall we call it, weirdness you find in his … Continue reading Haruki Murakami, What I talk about…
The challenge of the biopic
I do love a biopic - essentially, a movie dramatisation of the life of a real person - but I also know that I must always keep in mind that it is a dramatisation. That is, it is not a biography but more like a biographical novel. The challenge with this is that when I … Continue reading The challenge of the biopic
J.M. Coetzee, Diary of a bad year
J.M. Coetzee is one of those rare novelists who pushes the boundaries of what a novel is. The progression from his mid-career novel, the spare but terrifying Disgrace (1999), through Elizabeth Costello (2003) to Diary of a bad year (2007) is so dramatic that there are those who question whether these last two are even … Continue reading J.M. Coetzee, Diary of a bad year
What I didn’t know about flamenco
Until tonight, if you'd asked me what flamenco was I probably would have said a Spanish dance accompanied by percussion and I might have said there's flamenco music too. After all, I have heard flamenco guitar! Tonight, though, we attended a performance by Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, and I learnt more about flamenco in … Continue reading What I didn’t know about flamenco
Orhan Pamuk, Snow
One of my rules of reading is that when I have finished a book I go back and read the first chapter (or so) and any epigraphs the author may have included. These can often provide a real clue to meaning. This rule certainly applies to my latest read, Snow, by Nobel Prize winner, Orhan Pamuk. … Continue reading Orhan Pamuk, Snow
Toni Jordan, Addition
Addition Pb cover, Courtesy Text Publishing (SPOILERS: FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH) Looks like, feels like, is it? Chick lit, that is. Toni Jordan's first novel Addition has all the hallmarks of chick lit. The cover design with its line drawing of a female form invokes chick lit - albeit chick lit with an edge as … Continue reading Toni Jordan, Addition
Alice Munro, Dimension
Alice Munro won this year's Man Booker International Prize. You probably know that she is a Canadian short story writer. I have read many of her short stories over the years, though not as many as I would like. WARNING: SOME SPOILERS! Her short story "Dimension" was published in the New Yorker in 2006, and … Continue reading Alice Munro, Dimension
My mate the AktiMate
I'm late into mp3 players, mainly because I'm not all that keen on walking around with earbuds stuck in my ears. I like to engage with the world - particularly when I walk - rather than cut myself off. After all, isn't it nice to have some pockets of peace in our otherwise wonderfully connected … Continue reading My mate the AktiMate
Four time winner: Tim Winton wins 2009 Miles Franklin
Tim Winton's fourth Miles Franklin Award in 2009 for Breath means he has equalled Thea Astley's four awards.
