The good thing about reviewing Stephen Orr's latest book Incredible floridas is that you know the end at the beginning, so there's no need to worry about spoilers. The end, the one that you read at the beginning that is, is that Hal, the 22-year-old son of artist Roland and his wife Ena, commits suicide. … Continue reading Stephen Orr, Incredible floridas (#BookReview)
Historical fiction
Diana Blackwood, Chaconne (#BookReview)
Does a book set in the early 1980s qualify as historical fiction? Does a book about a twenty-something woman's romantic adventures, and search for direction, qualify as coming-of-age? The answer is probably yes to both. Certainly, it is within these parameters that it's appropriate to discuss Diana Blackwood's debut novel Chaconne. Chaconne, as you can … Continue reading Diana Blackwood, Chaconne (#BookReview)
Min Jin Lee, Pachinko (#BookReview)
If you are looking for a big, engrossing read that takes you into a little-known world, then I offer you Korean-American author Min Jin Lee's Pachinko. It tells a story about the Korean diaspora in Japan over a period of 80 years, and was my reading group's pick for August. There wasn't a bored person … Continue reading Min Jin Lee, Pachinko (#BookReview)
Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 2, Pt 1: A conversation with Tony Jones
Choices, choices. Such a surfeit of riches across such dispersed venues made today a difficult one. In the end I had to make the tough decision to not see Jane Rawson, whose session was across the lake, though it broke my heart. My decision was made harder by the fact that as I was drafting … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 2, Pt 1: A conversation with Tony Jones
Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 1: A panel and a conversation
It's on again - the newly revamped Canberra Writers Festival, I mean. Due to a family commitment in Melbourne, from which I only returned at midday today, I didn't get to some of the first day's prime events. I missed, for example, a conversation with Graeme Simsion. I also missed a wonderful sounding panel titled … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 1: A panel and a conversation
Sara Dowse, As the lonely fly (#BookReview)
Some books grow out of their author's desire to engage the reader in an issue they feel passionate about, such as Jane Rawson on climate change in A wrong turn at the Office of Unmade Lists (my review) and Charlotte Wood on the scapegoating of women in The natural way of things (my review). Sara Dowse's … Continue reading Sara Dowse, As the lonely fly (#BookReview)
My literary week (7), adaptations
With Ma and Pa Gums in the process of selling house and preparing for a downsize move, my time has been taken up with many things besides reading - but I did get out at night in the last week to see a couple of adaptations of novels I've enjoyed in the past. There's still time … Continue reading My literary week (7), adaptations
Festival Muse: Question time – Robyn Cadwallader with Irma Gold
Cadwallader (L) and Gold in the Muse bookshop Introducing the first event of their Sunday afternoon program, Dan, co-owner of Muse, commented on a peculiarity of Canberra: when they offer sessions on politics or history, they are packed out, but when the focus is fiction, the events are more intimate. Fine by me! I love small, … Continue reading Festival Muse: Question time – Robyn Cadwallader with Irma Gold
Olive Ann Burns, Cold Sassy Tree (Review)
As I explained in my post last year on Annie Dillard's The Maytrees, we are slowly listening to some of the audiobooks we gave Mr Gums' mother in the last years of her life, and have just finished Olive Ann Burn's epic-length, Cold Sassy Tree. From what I've read in Wikipedia, Olive Ann Burns was another late … Continue reading Olive Ann Burns, Cold Sassy Tree (Review)
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)
Whispering Gums 