It is nearly 100 years since Aldous Huxley envisaged a dystopian world of promiscuity, consumerism and genetic engineering. How much like today is the world he built? Fun fact: Huxley was into psychedelic drugs and Hindu philosophy. Less fun fact: Huxley died on the same day as CS Lewis, the same day John F Kennedy … Continue reading Do we live in a Brave New World?
Tag: Book Review
The decade we read a book about Tomorrow When the War Began
Do you remember the books you read to your children? The Cat in the Hat, Slinky Malinki rapscallion cat, and Timid Tim and the Cuggy Theif were part of our end-of-the-day ritual. As a parent, I did not expect the shared reading experiences would continue into adolescence and adulthood. This is why I read the … Continue reading The decade we read a book about Tomorrow When the War Began
Could the Angel Cake be nicer than Angels?
This month the Pocket Book Club did not stray far. Sort of. We read Angela Slatter's Vigil, set in Brisbane but in a world far weirder than our own. Vigil is urban fantasy but owes a great deal to the detective novel. Verity Fassbinder's mother was Normal but her father was Weyrd. (As in child-eating-Weyrd) You … Continue reading Could the Angel Cake be nicer than Angels?
Book Review: A Perfect Square
Two women on either side of the world live almost parallel lives. Both artists with a preference for seclusion, Harriet in the Dandenong Ranges paints abstract scenes of Wessex and Judith in Dartmoor paints and yearns for the Australian landscapes she has never seen. Both have daughters, returned home. Both are not sure what to do with their difficult … Continue reading Book Review: A Perfect Square