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What we're reading: Stephanie Bishop, Monica Dux, Krissy Kneen and Christopher Bollen
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on or the music we’re loving.
Nina Kenwood is reading The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop
I’m going to be annoying and write about two novels that aren’t out yet (sorry). Right now, I’m reading an advance copy of The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop, an upcoming Australian novel that’s out in July…
The Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards 2015 Longlists
The longlists for this year’s Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards have been announced. The Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards are open to Australian women writers who have published a book of fiction or nonfiction classifiable as ‘life writing’. The Kibble Literary Award recognises the work of an established Australian woman writer and the Dobbie Literary Award recognises the work of a first-time published Australian woman writer.
The longlisted titles for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award are:
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Coal Face by Tom Doig
The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and His Ex by Gabrielle Williams
Dear Life - On Caring for the Elderly (Quarterly Essay 57) by Karen Hitchcock
Falling in Love Donna Leon
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
One Life: My Mother’s Story by Kate Grenville
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
What we're reading over the long weekend
Our staff share the books they’re planning to read over the coming long weekend.
Stella Charls is reading The Life of Houses by Lisa Gorton
A long weekend feels like an opportunity to take some time to challenge myself (at least in regards to what I’m reading). I’m looking forward to starting The Life of Houses – poet Lisa Gorton’s debut novel that Helen Garner calls, ‘shadowy, rich and restrained, a work of high literary sophistication and power’. I normally…
Children's books to tackle childhood worries
As adults with complex worries of our own we can forget what scared us as children, how large those things loomed when a single day seemed so long. Here are some picture books, a short story collection and a junior novel that our children’s specialists love for the special attention they pay to childhood anxieties and the messages of hope they bring in funny, observant and beautiful packages.
I’m too shy at parties and things…
The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade by…
On reading Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson is most well-known for her children’s series of illustrated Moomin novels, but I’d argue that her fiction for adults is an under-appreciated treasure.
In Fair Play, Jansson fictionalises her initially secret life with her partner, Tuuliki Pietilä, in adjacent apartments in Helsinki. The episodic novel presents two playful, sympathetic, sometimes moody women, Mari and Jonna, a writer and an artist. Both are attempting to contain their frustrations with the world of fans, publishers, critics and old friends…
A defence of the classics
Some of our staff recently shared the classic novels and authors they believed were overrated (you can find their thoughts here). This week, some of our other staff defend these same classic novels and authors…
In defence of Shakespeare…
‘I can see he’s not in your good books,’ says I.
‘No, and if he were I would burn my library,’ says Bronte.
Keep at it Bronte and give the dude another go. He’s a true master of pop culture…
Introducing our event program for April
In the lead up to Mother’s Day in early May, we’re getting together to talk about all things motherhood and celebrate two new anthologies featuring women writing about their experiences of being – and not being – a mother. Mothers and Others will be launched at our Carlton shop on Monday 13 April and Mothermorphosis at our Hawthorn shop on Sunday 19 April.
If you’re more interested in politics, economics or Australian studies come along to see Father Bob launch…
Vale Betty Churcher
Betty Churcher has died aged 84.
During her career as an arts administrator, Churcher made history as the first woman to be appointed director of the National Gallery of Australia. After she retired from this position, Churcher continued to advocate passionately for the arts as the host of television programs, Take Five and Hidden Treasures, and through the publication of her notebooks of her drawings and recollections about her favourite paintings.
She will be sadly missed by many at…
The Miles Franklin Longlist 2015
The 2015 Miles Franklin longlist has been announced!
The ten longlisted books are:
In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower – Read our review
Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett – Read our review
The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna – Read our review
The Golden Age by Joan London – Read our review
The Lost Child by Suzanne McCourt – Read our review
Here Come the Dogs by Omar Musa – Read our review
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