Nonfiction
Oppositions by Mary Gaitskill
In The Observer’s review of Mary Gaitskill’s new book, Oppositions, Abhrajyoti Chakraborty writes: ‘Gaitskill is gloriously trenchant, but never gimmicky, in these unsparing essays’. There it was, the word I had been futilely casting about for in my own…
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett has made a habit of keeping me company over Melbourne lockdowns. In March 2020, as the world began to shut down, I immersed myself in her multilayered family saga, The Dutch House. In our second lockdown I…
Doing Politics: Writing on Public Life by Judith Brett
In recent years, avid readers have been rewarded with collections of writings by Don Watson, David Marr and Robert Manne. Now, it’s Judith Brett’s turn, with this excellent collection that brings together some of her best written works, from journal…
Another Day in the Colony by Chelsea Watego
Professor Chelsea Watego is a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman who grew up on Yuggera country. She recently joined Queensland University of Technology within the School of Public Health and Social Work to lead a $1.7 million project to…
Adrift in Melbourne: Seven Walks by Robyn Annear
Quite frankly, reading anything written by Robyn Annear is a complete joy. She writes as if it’s just you and her chatting away, strolling through the streets of our wonderful city. I consider this book essential reading for anyone who…
Signs and Wonders: Dispatches from a Time of Beauty and Loss by Delia Falconer
Every now and then, I am completely delighted when a book comes along that seems to be an extension – an elegant and well- crafted extension – of my own thoughts. DeliaFalconer’s Signs and Wonders has found the words for…
The Luminous Solution: Creativity, Resilience and the Inner Life by Charlotte Wood
In the preface of The Luminous Solution, Charlotte Wood muses upon the bookshelf positioned directly behind her writing chair. Wood is unsentimental about keeping the vast majority of books she reads, preferring to release them into the world and…
Fulfillment by Alec MacGillis
On the face of it, Amazon has made consumption very easy for a lot of people in America and elsewhere in the world: order goods online at discounted prices, and the items will arrive at your door before you could…
Lies, Damned Lies by Claire G. Coleman
Noongar writer Claire G. Coleman blazed onto the local literary scene like a comet with her debut novel Terra Nullius in 2017. With its ingenious blend of historical and speculative fiction, it challenged many readers to rethink and reimagine the…
The Right to Sex by Amia Srinivasan
Oxford University academic Amia Srinivasan may be known to some readers for the title essay of this collection, which appeared in the London Review of Books in 2018. The piece uses the grim phenomenon of recent violent crimes committed by…