Taken to another place

I recently spent a week or two in the Irish village of Faha. I was there in 1962, a time of transition when televisions and electric light were replacing radios and tinsel. The Cuba Missile Crisis has just occurred but Faha is far from there, in another time and another place where time goes round … Continue reading Taken to another place

The end of the world is big right now

The end of the world is big right now. I get it: bushfires, COVID, Trump, Musk, and extremists all over social media. Cyclones in Brisbane! It feels like we live in an apocalyptic or dystopian backstory. Even respected 'literary' writers have been inspired to give us their version of survival after or during the end … Continue reading The end of the world is big right now

Abridged is better (I can’t believe I am saying that)

I was both surprised and rattled to find the Audible version of Lionel Shriver's The Post Birthday World was abridged! What! After a decade of listening to books, I had never come across an abridged version. I don't want an abridged anything. Give me the real deal. Luckily there is a return policy. I purchased … Continue reading Abridged is better (I can’t believe I am saying that)

Capitalism versus Gardeners: A Tragedy

Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood proved more divisive in the Pocket Bookclub than I envisaged. I always read NZ fiction when visiting my in-laws 'back home.' On our Christmas visit, I bought The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey which proved a perfect holiday read for me. (I subsequently heard her speak at the Brisbane Writer's Festival … Continue reading Capitalism versus Gardeners: A Tragedy

Stone Yard Devotional

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is not a plot-driven book, though some 'things' happen. Essentially, a woman who does not believe in God joins a reclusive monastery. Through a collection of her memories and journal-like reflections, the reader gently tip-toes around and through a series of deep questions listed within the back cover blurb. … Continue reading Stone Yard Devotional

The Joy & Guilt of Bingeing and Keeping

I binged this book in a one-day listen. I had other things to do on this Sunday. I was torn between the joy of a page-turner and the guilt of 'not being productive'. On theme with the book, I simultaneously listened and cleaned out my filing cabinet, and boxed up a pile of stuff I … Continue reading The Joy & Guilt of Bingeing and Keeping

Bewildering and Bewitching

After Kafka on the Shore was released, Haruki Murakami's publishers offered readers the opportunity to ask the author questions about the book - like what on earth does it all mean? There were 8000 questions and he answered 1200 of them (which is no mean feat in itself!). Murakami says "Kafka on the Shore contains several … Continue reading Bewildering and Bewitching