Difficult but handsome (Courtesy: Sydney University Press) I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting the delightful sly wit I found in Martin Boyd's A difficult young man, which, I understand, is the second book in the "Langton Quartet". This novel though can clearly stand on its own - otherwise, why … Continue reading Martin Boyd, A difficult young man
Jane Austen
On outdated books
Most readers at some time or other confront the issue of "datedness" in literature. This book is "dated", we say. The funny thing is that what seems dated to one person is often not so to another. So, what do we mean when we say a book is dated? The writer Fran Lebowitz is very … Continue reading On outdated books
My first book for Christmas
I know that Christmas is still over a week away but last night I received my first book of the season...and that, I think, is a litblog-worthy event! Actually, I tell a bit of a lie, because last week I was sent, by a very kind internet bookgroup friend who knows my likes, the British … Continue reading My first book for Christmas
Jennifer Forest, Jane Austen’s sewing box
...and so the current Jane Austen juggernaut rolls on. The latest that has come to my attention is Canberra writer Jennifer Forest's book Jane Austen's sewing box. Must admit that I was a little sceptical when I first heard of it, but I saw it, bought it, and was pretty impressed. It's a nicely produced book … Continue reading Jennifer Forest, Jane Austen’s sewing box
George Orwell, Bookshop memories
I do like to read a bit of Orwell every now and then - and for that reason, though I have other books of his to read in my TBR pile, I recently bought his essay collection, Books v. cigarettes, in Penguin's delightful Great Ideas series. I blogged about the first essay a couple of months ago. … Continue reading George Orwell, Bookshop memories
BookSeer – is it for you?
What do Jane Austen's Pride and prejudice and Cormac McCarthy's The road have in common (besides the fact that I mentioned both authors in a recent post that is)? Nothing much, really, except that Amazon.com suggests that if you've read Pride and prejudice you may like to read The road. See, I was onto something … Continue reading BookSeer – is it for you?
What do I mean by spare?
If you asked my kids what my favourite mantras are, they would probably include "less is more" as one of them. This is not to say that I don't enjoy flamboyance and "over-the-topness", because I most certainly do, but it is true that I am more often drawn to what I would call "the spare". … Continue reading What do I mean by spare?
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
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
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
Whispering Gums 