Despite the fact that I am still working through 2011's challenge (20 classics) I am going to add books by Australian women (for reasons laid out in the Australian Women Writers 2012 Reading & Reviewing Challenge page, here) to my 'challenges' for 2012. 2012 also happens to be the National Year of Reading in Australia. I've … Continue reading 2012: National Year of Reading & my reading challenges
Australian authors
Recently read: non-reviews of The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, Flying with Paper Wings, The Cook
This is cross-posted from Southerly, where I am blogging in December. The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll, UQP (Aus), 9780702238468, July 2011 (paperback) This book has been near the top of my pile since July and I finally picked it up to start reading on a flight to Sydney recently. I am an … Continue reading Recently read: non-reviews of The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, Flying with Paper Wings, The Cook
The poetic & the profane: an interview with Miles Vertigan, on Life Kills
Sleepers Publishing 9781742701851 October 2011 (paperback) This interview was first published in Bookseller+Publisher magazine. Life Kills is a slim novel but I imagine many hours went into its construction. Can you talk a bit about how it came together? For a number of years I’d been writing rants; stories told in single, unpunctuated paragraphs that … Continue reading The poetic & the profane: an interview with Miles Vertigan, on Life Kills
An Emotional Landscape: Laurie Steed reviews The World Swimmers by Patrick West
ICLL, August 2011 available at selected bookstores & through the author ($25, postage free, email: patrick.west@deakin.edu.au) review by Laurie Steed Australia’s literary landscape seems scarred by an increasingly commercial approach to what constitutes quality literature. Yes, publishers need to make a profit, but in chasing said profit, publishers close the door on any number of quality … Continue reading An Emotional Landscape: Laurie Steed reviews The World Swimmers by Patrick West
Review of Animal People by Charlotte Wood in the Age today
I reviewed Charlotte Wood's new novel Animal People for the Age and it looks like it has already found its way online, on the SMH website (not sure if it was in their print version as well). It is definitely one of the best Australian books I've read this year, and I do encourage you to … Continue reading Review of Animal People by Charlotte Wood in the Age today
Between worlds: Dominic Smith on Bright and Distant Shores
Allen & Unwin, 9781742374161, 2011 (Aus paperback, ebook + US/Kindle) Bright and Distant Shores is hugely imaginative historical fiction. It’s set just before the dawn of the 20th century in Chicago and the South Pacific. Owen Graves is sent by Hale Gray, the president of Chicago First Equitable, to collect some ‘special items’ to … Continue reading Between worlds: Dominic Smith on Bright and Distant Shores
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
Some of my short stories available as ebooks
I decided to extend the life of some of my short stories that have been published in journals/magazines over the last few years, by publishing them digitally. It's a bit of a (fairly safe) experiment in self-publishing and the world of ebooks. I'm loving reading on my Kobo eReader, and I've made these stories available … Continue reading Some of my short stories available as ebooks
Whole-hearted lovers and layers of history: an interview with Mardi McConnochie, author of The Voyagers
Viking, May 2011 9780670075966 (Aus, ebook) Stead, a sailor, arrives in Sydney Harbour in 1943. He hasn't seen Marina for five years, and yet he can't forget the three days they spent together prior to the war. Some undeniable connection had been forged. He finds out she failed to enrol in the music school she was … Continue reading Whole-hearted lovers and layers of history: an interview with Mardi McConnochie, author of The Voyagers
Mystery, strangeness and coming-of-age: an interview with Christopher Currie, author of The Ottoman Motel
Text Publishing, May 2011, 9781921758164 (Aus, US, UK) The parents of a young boy disappear in a small, strange town called Reception, in Christopher Currie's atmospheric debut novel The Ottoman Motel. The townfolk don't seem to be trying too hard to find Simon's parents, and it isn't the first disappearance in the area. Currie's debut … Continue reading Mystery, strangeness and coming-of-age: an interview with Christopher Currie, author of The Ottoman Motel
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