Tag Archives: Christos Tsiolkas

Top Picks for Book Groups

Posted by Kate W in Fiction, Non-fiction, Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

book club

I’ve mentioned my book group previously. I love them all dearly but they’re not flash at reading the book. That would drive some people mental but, after 15 years, I’m okay with it. On the upside, whenever my book group actually does talk about the book for more than a few minutes, the book was obviously a good pick.

Over the last month or so, two of my Twitter buddies have asked for book group recommendations. Here’s what I suggested (all being books that got my book group really talking) – Continue reading →

Books for Australian states

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last week, Annabel Smith tweeted a link to a fantastic article, The Literary United States: A Map of the Best Book for Every State. It got me thinking about an Australian equivalent.

Strictly speaking, an Australian literary map isn’t quite as crowded (not as many states in comparison to the US). It would be nice to do an Australian one that reflected cities and regional areas but that’s a big project (and for that matter, actually put it on a map…). For the time being, here are my favourite books set in different states.

Victoria: for Melbourne, The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. For regional Victoria, Carrie Tiffany captures the Mallee perfectly in Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living.

the-slap-christos-tsiolkas

everymans-rules-for-scientific-living Continue reading →

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

In your twenties, a good test of a friendship is travelling with someone. In your thirties and forties? Add kids to the mix. Watching how others parent is revealing – friendships become either rock-solid or they quickly dissolve. I can think of lots of personal examples. Lots*.

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro exposes differences in parenting styles and how these differences influence relationships. Fierro takes a playgroup (the parents are all thirty-something hipster couples from Brooklyn) and sends them for a family weekend away at a modest beach house on Long Island (‘modest’ equals thin walls and shared bathrooms). Continue reading →

Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , ,

King-Valley-Victoria-1

I should be studying for my mid-semester exam. Instead I’m doing this. I’ll be quick.

1. Annabel and Emma are starting a new meme – Six Degrees of Separation. I love the idea behind this and can’t wait to get started. Join in everyone!

2. The Miles Franklin 2014 longlist was announced today. Some people got their undies in a twist because Barracuda was left out.

3. We spent last weekend in Victoria’s beautiful King Valley. In my life BC (Before Children) I worked in catchment and water management. My work was all about rivers. Sometimes I forget the restorative power of rivers until I’m sitting next to one.  Speaking of restorative, the trip also included wine, cheese and spectacular views. Continue reading →

Top Ten Books for 2013

Posted by Kate W in Fiction, Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

top ten books 2013

It’s that time of year (the last reading day of 2013) where I pick my favourite and bests. The first nine are in no particular order: Continue reading →

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , ,

“He would be first, everything would be alright when he came first, all would be put back in place. When he thought of being the best, only then did he feel calm.”

Barracuda is a story about winning, shame, society, identity, family and friendships. It picks at the Australian obsession with sporting heroes – how quick we are to hold them up and equally, cut them down. Continue reading →

Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with ,

barracuda-christos-tsiolkas

Christine at Bookishly Boisterous started this meme – get amongst it.

1. Last night I had the great pleasure of hearing Christos Tsiolkas speak about his new novel (released today), Barracuda.

Tsiolkas is the best-selling author of The Slap and is somewhat of a Melbourne champion. Although his topics are varied, his themes centre around class, sexuality and family politics.

I wish I’d taken notes last night because he gave insights into Barracuda that I’m sure I’ll want to revisit as I’m reading. Notably, he told the audience that he chose sport as the stage for Barracuda (specifically a teenage boy striving to become an Olympic swimmer) because sport offers a clean and tangible success that is denied artists. His thinking was prompted after the phenomenal success of The Slap, when he asked himself “Am I a good writer?” (yes, Christos!). Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday – Settings I’d Like to See More Of

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , ,

new york

My first thought when I saw The Broke and The Bookish’s topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was “I don’t favour particular settings when picking a book!” (read between the lines here – “I’m so open-minded that I’ll read about any topic!”). But then I had a little think about it. *ahem* I am actually more likely to pick up a book if it has any of the following –

1. A New York city setting – it may not be terribly original but I really, really love New York. Continue reading →

Top Ten Australian Books

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We have an ace tv show in Australia called the First Tuesday Book Club. It’s essentially a televised book group. I like it because it’s not always agreeable (just like book group).

To celebrate the National Year of Reading, First Tuesday Book Club has compiled a list – the Ten Aussie Books You Must Read Before You Die. Everyone had a chance to put in their two-cents during the year and the results are now in. Continue reading →