Spent the morning writing and editing. Checked my email. Read a press release on Tim Sinclair's new poetry book Re: Reading the Dictionary. Clicked the link. Bought it. Downloaded it. Read it from A to Z. Loved it. Wanted to tell you about it right away. Each piece from 'Afflatus' to 'Zombie, Philosophical' takes a … Continue reading Read just now: Re: Reading the Dictionary by Tim Sinclair
Reviews + Analyses
Books, poetry, journals and the occassional film…
Guest review: Portia Lindsay on Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten
Scribe Publications, 9781921844140, July 2011, Australia Melanie Joosten’s debut novel is a taut and intimate psychological thriller. Clare meets Andi while on a working holiday in Berlin and they immediately share a strong attraction. At Andi’s behest, Clare decides to delay travelling on to Dresden, but their intense connection quickly morphs into a more sinister … Continue reading Guest review: Portia Lindsay on Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten
Review of The Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook in the Australian
First, let me apologise for the recent lack of fully formed blog posts. From next week I may have a bit more time for that (staying in the country). I'm giving my paper in a couple of days in London and have been super busy with work, sightseeing and drinking too much. I promise I'll … Continue reading Review of The Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook in the Australian
The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps by Eric Hazan reviewed for Bookslut
My review of Eric Hazan's The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps (translated by David Fernbach) can be found in the July issue of Bookslut. I completed the review while in Paris a few weeks ago. It begins: 'I'm sitting in an apartment in the twelfth arrondissement of Paris, and because I've finished Eric … Continue reading The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps by Eric Hazan reviewed for Bookslut
Guest review: Greg Westenberg on The Geometry of Flight by Angela Smith
Pulse Publications, 2010, 9780646540443 In naming her poetry collection The Geometry of Flight Angela Smith, like Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade, ‘chose wisely’. More wisely, more selflessly, than perhaps she realised. She has given multiple doorways to her work with the single phrase: porticos that set the reader’s path through the work, paths that … Continue reading Guest review: Greg Westenberg on The Geometry of Flight by Angela Smith
Guest review: Raili Simojoki on The Amateur Science of Love by Craig Sherborne
Text Publishing, June 2011 9781921758010 (trade paperback, ebook) Reviewed by Raili Simojoki If you’ve read any of Craig Sherborne’s writing, you’ll know not to expect a rosy-eyed view of the world. The Amateur Science of Love follows the grim journey of a love affair gone wrong. Colin leaves the unglamorous environs of his parents’ farm … Continue reading Guest review: Raili Simojoki on The Amateur Science of Love by Craig Sherborne
Guest review: Jordi Kerr on Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Hardie Grant, 9781921690624, June 2011 (Aus) See also UK, US London Lane can remember the future, but not the past. This is the simple yet compelling basis for Cat Patrick’s debut YA novel, Forgotten. Each morning at 4:33am London’s memory is reset, erasing all events from the previous day. London relies on her knowledge of … Continue reading Guest review: Jordi Kerr on Forgotten by Cat Patrick
The epic qualities of outwardly ordinary lives: By Nightfall and Michael Cunningham in Australia
By Nightfall, Michael Cunningham, HarperCollins (Aus pb, Aus ebook, US and Kindle, UK) Over the past few days I’ve been in the audience of four sessions featuring my favourite American author Michael Cunningham. Cunningham’s latest novel is By Nightfall. I've drafted a few posts on it since I read it, but was never able to adequately … Continue reading The epic qualities of outwardly ordinary lives: By Nightfall and Michael Cunningham in Australia
Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Embassytown by China Miéville
9780230754317 Pan Macmillan, May 2011 (Aus, UK, US/Kindle) Reviewed by Lyndon Riggall I admit defeat. I’ve been trying to present these events with a structure. I simply don’t know how everything happened. Perhaps because I didn’t pay proper attention, perhaps because it wasn’t a narrative, but for whatever reasons, it doesn’t want to be what I want to … Continue reading Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Embassytown by China Miéville
Brief review of The Kid on the Karaoke Stage in this month’s ABR
Just a quick note to say that I wrote an 'in brief' review of the excellent short story collection The Kid on the Karaoke Stage and Other Stories, edited by Georgia Richter (Aus), for this month's Australian Book Review, out now in print and online. Here's an extract: 'While the stories in The Kid on the Karaoke … Continue reading Brief review of The Kid on the Karaoke Stage in this month’s ABR
LiteraryMinded 