My Best Books for 2022

 

I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has stuck). Continue reading

Quick (very quick) reviews

Yep, running out of time to draw a line under the reviews for the year. Some of these I’ve been meaning to write for eleven months. Lucky it doesn’t actually matter… Continue reading

The Top 54 from the Best Books of 2022 List of Lists

Presenting the 2022 Commonly-Agreed-by-the-People-Who-Publish-Best-of-2022-Book-Lists-Before-December-31 top 54 books.

(This is my annual community service to book-bloggers – a list of the books that appear most frequently on the 52 lists that I listed on Best Books of 2022 – A List of Lists – enjoy!). Continue reading

I’m waiting for… 2022 edition

Proving that I don’t actually care about my never-really-shrinking-TBR-list is this list of new releases that are on my radar for 2022. Continue reading

My Best Books for 2021

I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has stuck). Continue reading

Reading Challenges 2021

It’s technically possible to squeeze in another couple of books before midnight on December 31, 2021 but unlikely, so I think I can safely draw a line under the reading challenges for the year.

I participated in six challenges this year – finished three; one is ongoing; and I failed two – (one miserably, one by a whisker). Continue reading

Things that are making me happy this week

01. Melbourne Writers Festival program – an apt theme, given our uncertain times. In The Comfort Book, Matt Haig quotes film director Jean-Luc Godard who says a story should have a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order. Is it fair to say that we’re all craving classic narratives and conclusive endings, right now?! Continue reading

We’re halfway through the year…

This time last year, I was feeling really worn out as a result of Melbourne’s COVID situation (little did I know how much more was ahead). I certainly wasn’t doing much reading, despite having oodles of time on my hands.

This year, I was supposed to be at Ningaloo Reef, diving, and snorkeling with the whale sharks, before heading to Perth tomorrow. We cancelled the trip a few weeks ago because Melbourne was in another lockdown, and Western Australia have been firm on keeping their borders closed until states have weeks of zero cases. I appreciate the irony that right now, Melbourne is the place to be, given that the bulk of Australia is in lockdown – had we been in Western Australia, we’d be stuck in a hotel room. Continue reading

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart – a literary mix tape

There’s nothing I can say about Douglas Stuart’s 2020 Booker Prize winning novel, Shuggie Bain, that hasn’t already been said. Know that I laughed, I cried, and I ached for Shuggie, his alcoholic mother, Agnes, and his siblings. This story is raw and tender and hopeful and heartbreakingly sad.

In my tradition of not reviewing books that have a squillion reviews on Goodreads, I have instead put together a mix tape, drawing on some favourite passages in the book. Needless to say, I had dozens to choose from in Shuggie.

5/5 Shuggie has my heart. Continue reading