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
Jane Austen Regency Feast
I'm going to have my dinner after which I shan't be thinner (Jane Austen, Juvenilia) Last night was my local Jane Austen Society's eighth annual midwinter feast. We started off small in 2002 as a lunch for members only but, in the last few years, we have expanded it to a night event including members' … Continue reading Jane Austen Regency Feast
Seen today
As we were shopping at our local mall today, we saw a mum with her young daughter who was about 8 years old. This little girl was wearing a t-shirt that said: I'm too pretty to do homework. I'll say no more ... because, well, what can I say?
Too many books?
No, this is not one of those "too many books too little time" posts. This is way more serious! This is about something I read in the July issue of goodreading (why I read this magazine is beyond me really, but I do). What I read was this, from one Ken Duncan who is apparently … Continue reading Too many books?
Toni Jordan, Addition
(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 the heels aren't quite high enough … 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
Diva novels
Have YOU heard of diva novels? I haven't but Mike Ashman, the author of the article "The dawn of the diva" in the July 2009 issue of Limelight magazine, apparentlly has. He writes: The notion of the singer as victim and seductress moved into literature and, in the next 100 years George Eliot, George Moore, … Continue reading Diva novels
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
Whispering Gums 