One novella and one novel (so far) for German Literature Month XV. Continue reading
Tag Archives: historical
A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike
A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike was the latest pick for my book group. Have I mentioned my new book group? I love it. It’s hosted by a local independent book shop and we’ve had enough meetings now that faces are familiar. The format for the evening is basically – mingle; break into chat groups (light and casual at one end of the shop, deep-divers at the other – I hang with the deep-divers); then another little mingle and browse at the end of the evening.
In the mingling bit, one of the other deep-divers asked if I had liked the book (she hadn’t). I said I loved the chapter headings and this was greeted by shrieks of laughter. Yes, that sounds like a harsh review, but I genuinely liked the chapter headings – they were a great snapshot of Pike’s style of humour. Some favourites: Continue reading
Sample Saturday – friends, an interpreter, and a wife

Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye. Continue reading
Six Degrees of Separation – from The Safekeep to Joe Cinque’s Consolation

It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up. Continue reading
Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week

01. Most of my picks for the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs weren’t on the master list… anyway, these songs will always have me singing. Continue reading
Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week

01. It’s time for Melbourne’s winter arts festival, RISING. We started with Swingers – it’s an art installation, with mini-golf as an added bonus. Such fun. The hole designed by Miranda July, Wave of Fortune, which finished with your ball landing in a ‘fortune’ was my favourite, closely followed by Soda Jerk’s ‘Algorithmic K-Hole and the Techno-Serfdom of Simulated Entrapment Under Slop Capitalism’ (which features the Teletubbies and scenes from Heathers). Continue reading
Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week

01. It’s Melbourne Writers Festival! I went to four events over the weekend. Continue reading
In Cars: On Diana by Leanne Shapton

I think about Leanne Shapton’s 2012 memoir, Swimming Studies, often. I sometimes wonder if I ought to drop Leanne an email to tell her what a deep impression Swimming Studies left on me… in fact I will. *adds to to-do list*
Like Swimming Studies, In Cars: On Diana, is an interesting blend of art and prose. Described as a ‘visual essay’, Shapton focuses on Princess Diana getting out of cars. Stepping out of the car highlights a transitional space – moving from the privacy and safety of the vehicle to being on show, where her identity was fought over, flash bulbs popped, she was scrutinised and criticised, ‘on duty’.
Diana stepping out of a car,
cab and curb. Concealment and exposure. Continue reading
My Latest Listens

Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key Continue reading
Longlist Listens

So many ways to focus ones reading in March: Women’s Prize, Stella Prize, Reading Ireland Month… I try to do a little of each. This time, two audios (the wait-list on hard copies at the library was impossibly long for both). Continue reading