Tag Archives: Stephanie Bishop

The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop

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

In The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop, author J.B. Blackwood, takes her husband, Patrick, a famous film director, on a cruise to celebrate their anniversary. J.B. is nursing a secret – she has won a yet-to-be-announced major literary prize. A storm hits, and Patrick falls from the ship. That might sound overly dramatic, but actually, this book is a moral thriller, and the story unfolds from that point onward (and there’s a lot more to it).

In a story… the feeling of not knowing what happens next is often a thing of pleasure: the cornerstone of our delight… But the same feeling of not-knowing, as it happens in one’s real life, is rarely so pleasurable… Continue reading →

Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop

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

Stephanie Bishop’s third novel, Man Out of Time, tells the story of a family – parents Leon and Frances, and their daughter, Stella – and the impact of Leon’s chronic mental illness.

The story spans decades, beginning with Stella’s ninth birthday when her father’s failure to buy the doll she coveted resulted in his unravelling.

The argument that followed was inevitable. It was not about the gift, but that was the only thing they could bring themselves to talk about, a cause to latch onto in order to expel something else.

Hospital stays and unexplained absences follow and as Stella becomes a rebellious teen, she wonders if, like her father, she will also struggle to exist. Continue reading →

The 2019 Stella Prize Longlist

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

I was at a school information night tonight, surreptitiously looking at Twitter for the announcement of the 2019 Stella Prize longlist.

And as the books were announced I had to focus on VCE assessment and ‘good study habits’ rather than sending congratulations messages to lovely authors (go Jenny, you little ripper!); hitting my library’s online reservation system; and marking books on Goodreads… I’m home now and I’m ready to start reading. Continue reading →

The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop

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

Homesickness is a peculiar thing. Unpredictable and urgent or gently tugging and constant. I have never really experienced homesickness (even as a 16-year-old exchange student in Germany) – not as an overwhelming sensation, anyway. But my brother would, even on our month-long family summers at McCrae – he just wanted his own bed and his usual routines. I was thinking a lot about people’s different experiences as I was reading Stephanie Bishop’s The Other Side of the World. Continue reading →

Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

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

solar-eclipse-2016

1. Eclipses are ace, aren’t they?

2. Looking for a new meme to get involved in? I was reminded of the Meme Directory that Bookshelf Fantasies curates this week (and submitted 6 Degrees of Separation, naturally). Continue reading →

The Stella Prize 2016 Longlist

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

Stella-Prize-2016-longlist

I’m not a book-prize-tart* but I have warm-fuzzies for the Stella Prize.

The 2016 Stella Prize longlist was announced half an hour ago, so this news is fresh via Twitter. Here ’tis –

1. THE WOMEN’S PAGES by Debra Adelaide
2. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD by Stephanie Bishop
3. PANTHERS AND THE MUSEUM OF FIRE by Jen Craig
4. SIX BEDROOMS by Tegan Bennett Daylight
5. HOPE FARM by Peggy Frew
6. A FEW DAYS IN THE COUNTRY: AND OTHER STORIES by Elizabeth Harrower
7. A GUIDE TO BERLIN by Gail Jones
8. THE WORLD WITHOUT US by Mireille Juchau
9. A SHORT HISTORY OF RICHARD KLINE by Amanda Lohrey
10. ANCHOR POINT by Alice Robinson
11. THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS by Charlotte Wood
12. SMALL ACTS OF DISAPPEARANCE: ESSAYS ON HUNGER by Fiona Wright

I’ve only read one but have another four lined up in the TBR stack. And I’m busting to read Small Acts…

It’s going to be a great reading year.

*I just made that up but it’s someone who only reads book-prize winners so that they can pontificate loudly at dinner parties.