What Am I Reading?
Bruny – Heather Rose
Who blew up the Bruny Bridge? From Heather Rose, the Stella-prize winning author of The Museum of Modern Love, comes her latest novel Bruny (Allen and Unwin 2019): a political satire, a fable, an allegorical tale about climate change and globalisation, about the...
The M Word (How to Thrive in Menopause) – Dr Ginni Mansberg
The author of The M Word (Murdoch Books Allen and Unwin 2020) is Dr Ginni Mansberg, the host of television shows Medicine or Myth? and Embarrassing Bodies Down Under. The subtitle on the cover is ‘How to survive in Menopause’ but the word ‘survive’ has been crossed...
The Sense of an Ending – Julian Barnes
There are so many great books I have somehow missed over the years and Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape 2011) is one of them (now rectified!) Awarded the Man Booker Prize that year, this slim novel is an entirely engaging account of one man’s...
In the Clearing – J.P. Pomare
J.P. Pomare’s debut crime thriller Call Me Evie was good, but his next book In the Clearing (Hachette 2020) is even better, on a whole other level. This is a truly page-turning and unputdownable story that will keep you on edge as the plot thickens, the tensions...
There Was Still Love – Favel Parrett
Favel Parrett’s much anticipated third novel There Was Still Love (Hachette 2019) is a slim, literary exploration of family, memory, sacrifice and culture. Informed by her autobiographical knowledge of her own grandparents and their stories, and her recollections of...
Darkness for Light – Emma Viskic
What a delight to return to the life of Caleb Zelic in Emma Viskic’s latest crime thriller Darkness for Light (Echo Publishing 2019), the third in the series following Resurrection Bay and And Fire Came Down. Caleb, a Private Investigator, is trying to live a quiet...
Field of Poppies – Carmel Bird
I had heard of author Carmel Bird of course, but I had not read her work until now. Her latest novel Field of Poppies (Transit Lounge 2019) is a literary wonder (and isn’t Transit Lounge producing some great literature?) Field of Poppies is an almost dreamlike account...
Turn Left at Venus – Inez Baranay
Turn Left at Venus (Transit Lounge 2019) is a literary, utopian, feminist, science fiction novel that explores the patriarchy, gender, the artistic life, writing, relationships, friendships, aging and death. Author Inez Baranay, who has lived and written all over the...
Burger Force – Jackie Ryan
Before I read Burger Force, I assumed I was not cool enough to read it or understand it. After I’ve now read Burger Force (Parentheses Press [1] 2016; [2] 2017; [3] 2018]) I still think I’m not nearly cool enough to read it (and perhaps that’s the best review I could...
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett’s books are consistently great – beautifully written, with complex plots and storylines, fully-realised characters, authentic dialogue and the intricate details of place and setting that complete the scene. I’ve read all but one (my favourites to date...
New Australian Fiction – edited by Rebecca Starford
What an absolute joy to read samples of stories from some of the best current writers in New Australian Fiction 2019 published by Kill Your Darlings (2019). This brilliant selection is an outstanding collection of the creativity of our writers in the world of fiction,...
Overland 237 – (ed) Jacinda Woodhead
The latest edition of the quarterly literary journal Overland has hit the presses and it is a thought-provoking mix of fiction, poetry, critique and essays covering many different topics. This summer 2019 edition is the last to be edited by Jacinda Woodhead before new...