Since when might a vacuum cleaner, and a cat, be enough to scare a world leader? British Prime Minister Jim Sams is terrified of both. Honestly, you think he would have bigger fish to fry. Steering his country through the then exit process from the European Union would surely be more frightening than the sight …
I came for the book cover, was hooked by the premise. That’s From Where I Fell (published by Allen & Unwin, March 2021), by Susan Johnson, an Australian writer currently based in the Greek Islands. But first the artwork, designed by Sandy Cull. A smorgasbord of colour. Tell me how anyone could miss seeing a …
What’s the average half-life of the run-of-the-mill family secret? Couple of hours? A few weeks? Until the family reunion at the next long weekend? After all, how long do secrets remain secret? But how about something a little darker, more sinister perhaps, than “average”? How long might something like that remain under wraps, before being …
Here’s hoping you’re all well this week, especially if you’re in a lockdown region at the moment. Keep calm and read on seems to be the way to go at the moment. Currently reading On the side table at the moment is Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Forty books recommended by Elena Ferrante …
Italian author Paolo Cognetti, a mathematics student, turned filmmaker, writes with such warmth about the Dolomites, a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy, they almost feel like a person, in his novel The Eight Mountains (published by Simon & Schuster, 2016). At the centre of the story, is Pietro, who first comes to the Alps …
The splash of colour on the cover of Harlem Shuffle (published by Double Day/Penguin Random House, 2021), the latest novel by New York based American writer Colson Whitehead, sets a nostalgic feel for a story which takes place in the 1960s New York suburb of Harlem. Central to proceedings is Ray Carney, who owns a …
What would you do, were you in the following situation? You’ve recently inherited a large sum of money. Your future is financially secure. You no longer need to work. What then will you do with your new found free time? Travel the world? Read every book at the library? Heaven knows, do something that might …
Once There Were Wolves (published by Penguin Books Australia, 2021) is the second novel of Sydney based Australian writer Charlotte McConaghy. Twin sisters Inti and Aggie travel from Alaska to Scotland to assist biologists reintroduce gray wolves into areas of the Highlands. Locals however are not happy to see them, fearing the wolves will be …
Apparently the Olympic Games have been on for the last couple of weeks. Who knew? If I had to stop reading to watch Games coverage, well, I wouldn’t be able to read. Not by the time I do everything else that needs doing. What to do? Skip the Games and keep reading of course. Currently …
Song of the Crocodile (published by Hachette Australia, 2020) is another shortlisted title in this year’s The Age Book of the Year award. The debut novel of Sydney based Nardi Simpson, a musician and performer before she turned to writing, Song of the Crocodile is set in Yuwaalaraay country, in north-western New South Wales. The …
