What we're reading: Meg Wolitzer, Weike Wang & Drew Rooke

Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films and TV shows we’re watching, and the music we’re listening to.


Ellen Cregan is reading One Last Spin by Drew Rooke

This week I read Drew Rooke’s One Last Spin, which interrogates the questionable ethics of the presence of poker machines in Australian bars and pubs. I have to be honest – this is a pretty depressing book. But it is also a very fascinating and important one. In the process of writing it, Rooke interviewed industry professionals, gambling addicts and publicans from all over the country, and while the picture he paints Australia is grim, it also feels holistic and balanced. I was completely intrigued by the mindset of most of the poker machine industry professionals – they all seem to suffer from an acute case of cognitive dissonance, and admit that the pokies can be harmful, but also deny any responsibility.

This book isn’t all doom and gloom though. We also meet a number of people striving to undo the damage the pokies has caused in their communities, including club owners and publicans who have removed poker machines from their venues in favour of more space for live music, dance classes and other community activities. This is a harrowing read that will teach you a lot about gambling addiction, the history behind the pokies in Australia, and maybe a little about its future.


Annie Condon is reading Chemistry by Weike Wang

I’ve just finished Chemistry. This is a sparely and beautifully written novel about a millennial asking herself, ‘what now?’, and looking for meaning in the everyday.

The narrator declines her boyfriend’s marriage proposal and has a breakdown in the chemistry laboratory in which she is a PhD student. The university arranges for her to see a psychiatrist, and her traumatic background is gradually revealed to the reader.

This book is interspersed with chemistry and other scientific facts that at first seem random, but ultimately illuminate the narrator’s place in the world. She attempts to restart her life as a single woman, and tries to gain an understanding of who she is without the title of PhD student. This involves the slow process of separating out her desires from those of her ambitious immigrant parents.

This novel is a quick read, but one that won’t leave me for a long time. Ann Patchett says ‘I loved this novel’ and I have to agree.


Chris Gordon is reading The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

I’ve finally read Meg Wolitzer’s new novel and what a bloody treat. The Female Persuasion is a wonderful portrait of second-wave feminism, and where we all are now. Through the story of two friends and an older woman, Wolitzer uncovers the realities of how to live a good and meaningful life. There are shades of similarities with Nick Hornby’s novel, How to be Good, which also explored the need to be virtuous. However here, the focus is on the meaning of feminism – how it is changing all the time and yet, women are still left bereft. Tired and angry, but together.

I’m looking forward to reading Wolitzer’s backlist. The Female Persuasion is her eleventh book so I have a delicious path laid in front of me.


Bianca Looney is reading The Kingdom of Fantasy series

My daughter has been obsessed with the The Kingdom of Fantasy middle fiction series featuring mouse journalist Geronimo Stilton since she was eight – she usually picks one up when she’s looking for a really relaxing read. Geronimo works at the Rodent’s Gazette and even though he’s a bit of a fraidy mouse, he constantly finds himself getting dragged out of his comfort zone and into crazy adventures, mostly with his nephew, cousin or sister Thea. (Thea also has her own series of books – think Charlie’s Angels teenage mice cracking mysteries in haunted Scottish castles.)

In The Kingdom of Fantasy series, Geronimo travels to a magical land on a quest to save the Queen of the Fairies. Key words on the page pop out in special fonts, making the reading experience more exciting. The books can be read independently or together as a read aloud, and are great for reluctant readers. You don’t have to read them in any particular order, but it is great to start with the first book and go from there. The two stand-alone special edition books, The Phoenix of Destiny and The Dragon of Fortune, are a real treat too, with luscious gold foil edges.

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Cover image for Chemistry

Chemistry

Weike Wang

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