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I’ve just read The Coal Curse, the new Quarterly Essay from Judith Brett. This is a terrific analysis of Australia’s post war economy and of the …

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If you feel like your head will explode if you hear the phrases ‘unprecedented times’ or ‘new normal’ again, then you are in the right place. Welcome to an experience that will take you back to a more comfortable era, delivering a familiar kind of ‘old normal’ that should bring you some feeling of nostalgic relief: perusing an excellent edition of the Readings Monthly. This month’s issue is overf…

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You might recall that in my last column I contemplated what the impact of the escalating COVID-19 crisis might be and grappled with how we would cope. As we went into lockdown, I was going to read Middlemarch and hoped that some of you might go on a similar journey. Our shops might have been closed but, wonderfully, many of you shifted to buying from us online. It was so heartening, but the numbe…

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The Power of Suffering by David Roland
Unpregnan…

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It feels like it has been quite some time since I poured you a glass of wine, ducked behind a bookcase to talk shop, or checked that the shop’s microphone was working and that you could hear me loud and clear. Lately, my time has been spent looking at authors’ bookcases, or kitchens, or very tidy lounge rooms. We ‘pivoted’, my friends, and the outcome has been glorious. The Readings’ events progr…

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Nerd Zeke, punk Charlie, and footy hero Hammer don’t appear to have anything in common. But appearances can be deceiving, and these three boys are all coming to terms with their homosexuality in a town where it is much safer for them to keep aspects of themselves invisible.

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