READING: An extraordinary book is a wondrous thing. But my gosh, it sort of ruins you for whatever book you pick up next. Do you find that? I finished A Little Life last week (read my thoughts here), and have struggled to engage with anything ever since. I’ve downloaded a couple of samples but have realised (thanks again to A…
READING Every so often a book comes along that makes you want to press pause on the world, just so you can finish it. A Little Life is that book. I’m only half-way through this Man Booker Prize Long-listee, but my goodness – what an experience! I will definitely be writing more about this, once I’ve finished. It’s the type…
READING I finished The Goldfinch! Yes, only one year late. But still… 784 pages is a big commitment and quite frankly it’s taken me that amount of time to muster up the courage. To be honest, mid-way through, I did start to rush through it a bit. I did skim sections, yes I did. Every time I would lug The…
Buying books for kids is about as much fun as Christmas shopping gets. A book is fun, inexpensive, easy to store and – of course – educational. It ticks every gift-giving box I know. That said, the choice is extraordinary, so here are a few of my top picks.
We are officially only four weeks from the big day, so I think it’s safe to start talking about Christmas shopping. Needless to say, I think everyone’s stocking requires at least one book in it, maybe more. You know the old saying… Something they want, Something they need, Something to wear and Something TO READ! The last one, obviously, being…
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…
If you end a book & think nothing could be improved-you’re a reader.
If you end a book & think everything could be improved-you’re a writer.
This was a tweet that came through on my feed last week and sparked an interesting conversation between several writers (including me), who largely disagreed.
IN BRIEF:It’s not often a sequel matches the original, but this book is the exception. The crayons are back, and kids aged 3-8 will find them more hilarious than ever.
Reading:I’m in a bit of a reading no-man’s land at the moment. I recently finished The Landing, by Susan Johnson, and really enjoyed it (think Jane Austen – but set in a small, contemporary, coastal Queensland community). But perhaps the more interesting story concerns how I came to read the book.
IN BRIEF:A book that takes an Austen-inspired approach to a small Queensland community, and finds poetry and profundity in everyday life.