Page 361 of our blog posts
Q&A with Belinda Castles, author of Hannah & Emil
Belinda Castles chats with Jessica Au about her novel, Hannah & Emil.
Tell us about writing*Hannah & Emil* – where did the idea start for you?
Hannah and Emil is based on the lives of my grandparents. As a child I knew bits and pieces about their lives but there were two secrets that emerged when my German grandfather died. One was that my grandmother was Jewish, and so then were her sons,…
Rereading childhood favourites with the new Vintage Classics
The new collection of Vintage Children’s Classics from Random House is a perfect excuse to return to a book you once loved.
Last year Patricia Meyer Spacks released, On Rereading, a fascinating exploration of the motivations behind, and the enjoyments and disappointments found in reading books more than once.
Of childhood titles she wrote: ‘The sense of having it both ways, of preserving t…
Roadtasting: Simon Bryant’s Vegies
Our resident foodie Chris Gordon takes Simon Bryant’s Vegies for a road test in her own kitchen.
Firstly could I commend the designers for the front cover of this wonderful collection of recipes by Bryant. What is there not to love about a man holding spring onions and a lettuce wearing a very cheeky smile? It certainly got my attention. That image and the title - Vegies. No beating around …
Q&A with Liza Klaussmann, author of Tigers In Red Weather
Liza Klaussmann tells us some books that she loves.
What’s the last book you loved, and why?
Dare Me by Megan Abbott: sinister, funny and sharp as hell.
Which literary character do you secretly wish you were?
Lady Brett Ashley, from The Sun Also Rises. What a woman.
What was your big rite-of-passage book as a teenager?
The Collected Works of Anne Sexton. Confessional poetry dovetails ni…
Classical Music Books
Our classical music specialist Kate Rockstrom talks us through books about music, and shares some of her favourites.
We talk a lot about music but there’s something to be said for books about music - whether you agree that descriptions of music are accurate or not. With the release of another book to add to Andrew Ford’s already impressive library, Try Whistling This, I found myself thinking of…
Helen Garner’s Recommended Reads
Helen Garner shares her recommended reads with us in preparation for her appearance at Carlton for National Bookshop Day.
To celebrate National Bookshop Day - this Saturday the 11th of August - Helen Garner will be reading from her favourite books. Helen is an extraordinary writer: sharp, original, and bristling with intelligence. She has previously received a Walkley Award for journalism in…
The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Shortlists 2012
The shortlisted titles for this year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced.
A big congratulations to all the authors and publishers. This year’s shortlist features plenty of favourites including Anna Funder, Gillian Mears, Frank Moorhouse and Alice Pung. All category winners will go in the running to win the Victorian Prize for Literature, worth $100,000.
Here are the sh…
Andrea Goldsmith’s Recommended Reads
Andrea Goldsmith shares her recommended reads with us in preparation for her appearance at Carlton for National Bookshop Day.
To celebrate National Bookshop Day - this Saturday the 11th of August - Andrea Goldsmith will be reading from her favourite books. Andrea originally trained as a speech pathologist and was a pioneer in the development of communication aids for people unable to speak befo…
The Story of My Book: Kim Kane on The Unexpected Crocodile
Kim Kane tells us the story behind her new picture book - illustrated by Sara Acton - *The Unexpected Crocodile.*
Kim Kane with her (adorable) twin boys and an ‘expected’ crocodile.
Some of my storybook ideas brew for a number of years and others sweep to the page, fully formed. Fortunately, The Unexpected Visitor was one of the latter.
When my twins were babies, I emerged from a hazy bre…
Paddy O’Reilly talks with Jacinta Halloran about Pilgrimage
Melbourne writer Jacinta Halloran talks about medicine, growing up Catholic and gentle reincarnations of belief in her second novel, Pilgrimage.
If a pilgrimage is a journey guided by a moral or spiritual imperative, what then is a pilgrimage undertaken by one who doesn’t believe? Jacinta Halloran’s new novel asks that question when Celeste, a paediatrician who has long ago abandoned her Cat…
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