It was while my reading group was discussing Niall Williams' This is happiness that a certain penny finally dropped, and it happened like this. My reading group's practice is to start our meetings with each of us sharing our first impressions of the chosen book. The first three at this meeting said they had trouble … Continue reading Niall Williams, This is happiness (#BookReview)
Coming of age novels
George Kemp, Soft serve (#BookReview)
George Kemp's debut novel, Soft serve, explores big themes in a quiet, compassionate little package. Coming-of-age is tough enough, but when young people are confronted with the devastating loss of one of their own, it becomes an almost insurmountable challenge. Put this terrible grief against a backdrop of climate-change-fuelled bushfire and you might expect something … Continue reading George Kemp, Soft serve (#BookReview)
Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
I have not read Ann Patchett for a long time. In fact, I've only read one novel, Bel Canto, way before blogging, and one nonfiction piece, “The bookshop strikes back” (my review). So, when I saw all the love her latest novel, Tom Lake, was getting in 2023's end-of-year lists (including Kate's annual compilation), I … Continue reading Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker, Spirit of the crocodile (#Bookreview)
Aaron Fa'Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker's Spirit of the crocodile is a children's/YA book, which makes it atypical reading for me. However, I'm not averse breaking my rules occasionally, and so I made an exception for this book - mainly because of its collaborative authorship and its setting. Aaron Fa'aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker have … Continue reading Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker, Spirit of the crocodile (#Bookreview)
Winnie Dunn, Dirt poor Islanders (#BookReview)
When my reading group chose our books for the second half of the year, the shortlist for the Miles Franklin Award had not yet been announced. However, wonderfully, the three books we chose from the longlist, all ended up on the shortlist. One of those was Winnie Dunn's debut novel, Dirt poor Islanders. It is … Continue reading Winnie Dunn, Dirt poor Islanders (#BookReview)
Rebecca Burton, Ravenous girls (#BookReview)
When I announced the two winners of Finlay Lloyd's inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize, a few days ago, I said I planned to read them for the Novellas in November challenge/meme/reading month. (What do we call these things?) So here, now, is my post on the first I've read, Rebecca Burton's Ravenous girls. Rebecca Burton, as … Continue reading Rebecca Burton, Ravenous girls (#BookReview)
Eleanor Limprecht, The Coast (#BookReview)
I love to read Author's Notes, Afterwords, or whatever they are called, at the end of novels, and particularly so when the novel is historical fiction. This is because these notes will often explain the author's thought process, the line they have drawn between fiction and fact, the sources used, the level and type of … Continue reading Eleanor Limprecht, The Coast (#BookReview)
Nell Pierce, A place near Eden (#BookReview)
Nell Pierce's debut novel, A place near Eden, won the 2022 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award. It was my reading group's last book of the year, and it engendered a lively discussion, partly because our response was mixed and partly because its setting on the south coast of New South Wales is well-known to us. Part … Continue reading Nell Pierce, A place near Eden (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 3, redux)
I've called this post "Vol. 3, redux", although it is my first post on volume 3. The reason is that for my Jane Austen group's 2011 slow read of Sense and sensibility, I wrote posts on volumes 1 and 2, but not on volume 3 as I missed the meeting, and never did write up … Continue reading Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 3, redux)
Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 1, redux)
In 2011, my Jane Austen group started a slow read of her novels in chronological order of publication, which meant that we started with the 1811-published Sense and sensibility. By slow read, we meant that each month we'd read a volume of the chosen novel, given most novels in those times were published in three … Continue reading Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 1, redux)
Whispering Gums 