I nearly didn’t read this book. When I heard about the Nabokovian inspiration for it, I was immediately daunted. Confession: I have not read Nabokov. I understand his writing is sublime, and that may be the problem. I’m intimidated. Therefore, when I heard that Gail Jones’ A Guide to Berlin was named after one of Nabokov’s short stories and contained…
You know how the Chinese celebrate the lunar New Year? Well, I have a Writing New Year – and I’m celebrating it today! Why this actual day, you ask? Pretty simple. Today is the first day in nearly two months where I’ve had more than one hour of peace and quiet. Yes, the kids have gone back to school/kindy, meaning…
Teenagers are so hard to buy for. Right? Well, I might just have solved at least one of your gift shopping issues for this Christmas. ‘Clancy of the Undertow’ is a brilliant piece of contemporary realist fiction (ie set in the here and now) which would be perfect for any girl (or nuanced boy) aged 15+. You can read more…
READING: After struggling, really struggling to find something great to read, I discovered two highly enjoyable books – both by Australian authors. The first was The Near Miss, a work of contemporary fiction, set in Melbourne and revolving around a near-tragedy that ends up entwining the lives of three complete strangers. The marketing describes it as The Slap meets Love…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about being the reading doldrums. I simply could not find a book that grabbed me. Then, I stumbled across The Near Miss. Oh, praise you reading-Gods. You always seem to deliver at the right time! The Near Miss was exactly what I was looking for – contemporary fiction, written by an Australian woman writer,…
READING: I am in the total reading doldrums at the moment. I can’t seem to be grabbed by anything! And I’ve tried. Really tried. I’ve tried some new literary things, some commercial ones, and I’ve even dipped my toe into some crime fiction. But nothing is doing it for me. I want to be captured. Entranced. Romanced. Hooked. Instead, I…