I reviewed The Rosie Effect, Graeme Simsion's follow-up to The Rosie Project for the Weekend Australian. It's a warm read, and a successful sequel. Following is an extract from the review. — As with the first book, these incidents are humorous and cause cringing; the reader observes the miscommunication, the unravelling, and longs to step in as an … Continue reading Review of The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion in The Australian
book reviews
Review: Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame in Readings Monthly
I reviewed Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame (released with a new foreword by Margaret Drabble in the Text Classics series) for Readings Monthly, with the book still ringing in my head (hence the style of the review). When I read Frame I am reminded, too, that a writer might deliberately eschew grammar rules, in aid of rhythm or … Continue reading Review: Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame in Readings Monthly
Reviewing books
This is cross-posted from Southerly, where I am blogging in December. I thought, for this post, that I would share some of my own personal mantras/guidelines for reviewing books. I’ve been reviewing books for about 4.5 years. That means, really, I’m still pretty new at it. I started out with LiteraryMinded and mini-reviews in Bookseller+Publisher magazine. I have now … Continue reading Reviewing books
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
Sending out your books for review: a few tips
I'm a very lucky person. I receive several books in the mail each week and several more offers via email. There are a lot of books being published every day, and many that interest me or that I think would interest the readers of this blog. Literary editors, freelance reviewers, magazine and journal editors, and other … Continue reading Sending out your books for review: a few tips
Review of Ali Alizadeh's Iran: My Grandfather up at Mascara
My review of Ali Alizadeh's wonderful book Iran: My Grandfather (Aus, US) has been published in Mascara Literary Review. You can read the review here. While you're there, have a look at the poems, reviews, stories, photographs and translations in this elegant bi-annual which focuses on the work of contemporary Asian, Australian and Indigenous writers
On writing, blogging and social media: an interview from Victorian Writer
After reading A.S. Patric's thoughts on blogging, in an interview he did for Nigel Featherstone at the Canberra Times, I thought I'd reprint a recent interview I did for Victorian Writer, the Victorian Writers' Centre magazine, to add to the conversation. Enjoy! And please share your thoughts in the comments, or via the Facebook fan page, Twitter, your own blogs, … Continue reading On writing, blogging and social media: an interview from Victorian Writer
