Now, here's my conundrum. We (at least I think I can speak for a general "we") want Australians to read widely, because it's important for us to understand cultures that are different to our own. But, given how small the Australian market is, we also want people to read Australian literature (and see, for that matter, Australian films … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their best reads of 2016
Ted Chiang, Story of your life (or, Arrival) (Review)
Whenever I see a film, I go to Arti's Ripple Effects blog to see whether she's reviewed it. Sometimes she has, sometimes she hasn't. As with books, I don't read reviews before I see films, so I can never remember whether I've seen a review post pass through my inbox. Consequently, when we saw the … Continue reading Ted Chiang, Story of your life (or, Arrival) (Review)
Delicious descriptions: Pierre Lemaitre on the artist
I recently reviewed Pierre Lemaitre's The great swindle which is primarily about postwar France - specifically about the way returned soldiers were treated, and more broadly about money and the way it was driving behaviour, values and relationships. I'll share just one little specific reference to this, a description of the scurrilous (and poverty-stricken aristocrat) Pradelle, … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Pierre Lemaitre on the artist
Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie writers name their pick reads of 2016
December is, or has certainly become in recent years, the month of lists. As always, I'll be saving my lists until the end of 2015, which means you won't see them until January. However, that doesn't mean I can't share other people's lists, does it? I've gleaned the list I'm sharing here from a recent article in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie writers name their pick reads of 2016
Six degrees of separation, FROM Revolutionary Road TO Fateless
Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly "meme" hosted by Kate (booksaremyfavouriteandbest). Each month, she nominates a book, and then those who choose to play create a chain of six books, linking one from the other as the spirit moves. Now, I hadn't planned to play this time because I haven't read Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road (nor did … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Revolutionary Road TO Fateless
Pierre Lemaitre, The great swindle (Review)
As I was reading Pierre Lemaitre's literary page-turner, The great swindle, I started to wonder about the endings of books, what I look for, what I most appreciate. What I don't look for is neat, happy conclusions. There are exceptions to this of course. Jane Austen, for example, but she was writing at a different time when … Continue reading Pierre Lemaitre, The great swindle (Review)
What my bookgroup will be reading in the first half of 2017
You may notice that I sometimes identify a review as being for a book I've read with my reading group, but only once before in this blog have I dedicated a post to my reading group's schedule, so I thought it was time to do it again. It's particularly appropriate now because last night my group chose our first 6 books for next year. I … Continue reading What my bookgroup will be reading in the first half of 2017
Monday musings on Australian literature: Arnold Haskell on the Arts (1)
A couple of months ago I wrote a post on British dance critic Arnold Haskell's book, Waltzing Matilda: a background to Australia (published in Australia in 1944). I said then that I'd come back to it, so here I am, focusing this time on his chapter on "The Arts". It comprises 22 pages covering, according to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Arnold Haskell on the Arts (1)
George Augustus Sala, The tyranny of pie (Review)
When I decide to write about a Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week it is usually because it's by a favourite author (like Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, or Edith Wharton), or by an author I want to read but haven't yet (like John Updike or Washington Irving) or on a topic that interests me … Continue reading George Augustus Sala, The tyranny of pie (Review)
The Griffyns … wah! wah! wah!
Last weekend was the last Griffyns concert of the year - and what a delight it was (except for the wah! moment). It was their 10th anniversary concert and they called it Griffyns Go Wilder. Knowing the Griffyns, as you do by now if you've been following my posts, you'll know that that could mean … Continue reading The Griffyns … wah! wah! wah!
