Easy to read but deep & meaningful novella about four queer characters living in modern Nuuk. Niviaq Korneliussen presented her debut novel Crimson at the Sydney Writers Festival, and her poetic oratory of part of the novel in her native Greenlandic tongue was wonderful to witness. The photo is Sermitsiaq mountain, which overlooks Nuuk #sydneywritersfestival #greenland #queerlit

Documenting the severity of the opioid crisis in southern West Virginia, “American Overdose” highlights the failure of big pharma & the complicity of the FDA in an epidemic that claims more lives than road accidents in the US. A sobering read #opioid #americanoverdose

The best novel to read while staying at the E & O, is to the read the novel with scenes set at the E & O #penang #malaysia #malaya #colonialism

David Malouf‘s first novel, written from a semi-autobiographical perspective of his growing up in postwar Brisbane, paints a portrait of the city as an ugly, backward country backwater. The novel‘s fine, I just found the parts outside of Brisbane the most interesting #Brisbane #DavidMalouf #aussielit #toughguybookclub #storybridge

It‘s been my reading goal to read one Franzen per year. I read The Corrections in 2017 and golly, it‘s one heck of a novel. Though all characters are neurotic, make dreadful decisions and life choices, Franzen paints a compelling portrait of post 9/11 Americana that harkens to the zeitgeist of the time. Recommend! Recommend! #jonathanfranzen #franzen #thecorrections #americanlit

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as Maria narrates her autobiography herself. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially for the tennis goss & Maria‘s very pleasing reading voice. Not sure non-tennis fans would enjoy #sport #tennis #audiobook #mariasharapova #sharapova #meldonium #autobiography #biography

The Big Nowhere was a big surprise. The second of James Ellroy‘s L.A. Quartet, the novel follows similar themes of crime, paranoia & a dark Hollywood underbelly amidst the backdrop of Los Angeles in 1950. Probably the most enjoyable crime noir fiction I‘ve read #toughguybookclub #crime #noir #LA

The title is taken from the flag of Biafra, which features Half of a Yellow Sun. What an extraordinary novel. Realist fiction at its finest. Cannot recommend highly enough. Can‘t wait to read Adichie‘s other work #adichie #africanlit #africanliterature #realistfiction #realism #biafra #flawless

Ham on Rye is unrelenting in detailing the setbacks. The heartaches. The feeling of having the whole world against you. And the eventual feeling of indifference to it all. Bukowski tells his story in a brutally simple style. In short blunt sentences. This makes the novel sublime. #toughguybookclub #tgbc #bukowski #hamonrye #breakfast

Lady Melisandre from Game of Thrones agrees #GoT #1984 #dystopia #orwell #georgeorwell

Though highly topical given its release on the same day as the Charlie Hebdo attacks and how close Marine Le Pen actually got to the French presidency,
Submission is highly topical and prescient. I wasn't entirely convinced though, I thought it would have more bite. It wasn't as controversial as expected.

My haul from the Lifeline book fair #toughguybookclub #lifeline #richardflanagan #scifi #orwell

Man Booker prize winning author Richard Flanagan's first novel, Death of a River Guide tells the story of the lineage and mixed heritage of a white water rafting tour guide in Tasmania. Beautiful and lyrical, the novel weaves its way through two centuries of the sad and brutal history of Tasmania. Epic read.
#toughguybookclub #manbookerprize #manbooker #aussielit #australianfiction #australia #tasmania

One of the funniest books I've read in a while, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine is the story of a Rockefeller type heir who leaves New York City, moves to Rosewater, Indiana, gives away his fortune to anybody who asks and loses his mind in the process. The novel introduces Vonnegut's alter ego Kilgore Trout. Highly recommend for an intro to Vonnegut's work #kilgoretrout #toughguybookclub #americanlit #vonnegut

#KILGORETROUT !!!!!!

No not true, I'm not only reading this because of #beyonce !!! #africanlit #novel

This dystopian tale has garnered a heap of well-deserved hype in 2017. Superbly written, Atwood not only explains Gilead in excellent detail, she uncovers the seedy underbelly that belies the repressive values of the society. The TV series only heightens the reading experience #dystopia #margaretatwood #oranges #handmaids #canadianlit

This succinct novella packs a lot of punch in 145 pages. The story of a Korean war veteran who returns to the home he despised all his life, Home portrays the idea of "home" as more than a physical place, but a sense of belonging. Of being wanted, of being able to fulfill a purpose. Definitely want to read more of Toni Morrison's meatier works after this #toughguybookclub #tonimorrison #koreanwar #blackamerica

Delightful coming of age tale of a young stylish girl from London who falls in love with an upper class Jewish intellectual family. Kinda like a bohemian Brideshead Revisited. Superbly written, entertaining and heartbreaking all in the same chapter. For a light and engaging read I highly recommend #barbaratrapido #comingofage #london #rome

TJM presents itself as a story of growing up in a migrant family in suburban Melbourne, however it's far more than that. An unflinching tale of a young man's mental downfall leads him to commit one of the most viscerally gory acts I've ever read in a novel. One of Tsiolkas' lesser known works, I highly recommend if you're up for an immersive reading experience. If you're not in the mood for something explicit af, steer well clear #toughguybookclub

The horrors of the network of Soviet prison camps, laid bare in the Gulag Archipelago, provide a terrifying insight into the dreadful autocratic communism
during the Soviet era. Solzhenitsyn's masterwork is a must read for all. There were times I had to put down the book after reading some particularly grim scenes. I cannot stress how impactful this work is #russianlit #solzhenitsyn #gulag #booksandsocks

A highly engaging read. Shows how far we have to go as a country in dealing with both casual & institutionalised racism. Growing up as part of a minority in Western Sydney, I could definitely relate but her experience of racism was on a whole other level. Can't wait to hear her talk at #sydneywritersfestival #australia #aussielit #sydney #westernsydney #racism #booksandsocks

I loved this part. Reminded me of the golliwog biscuits my best friend would bring to school (which then became scallywags, which now might be teddy bears?) #racism #thehaterace #sydney #westernsydney #aussielit #australia

I completely disliked Good Omens. Not my cup of tea humourwise, plotwise, characterwise, everythingwise. Not my thing. I however did enjoy the fleeting reference to the Eurovision Song Contest.

#toughguybookclub #eurovision #gaiman #booksandsocks

On The Road came highly recommended as a novel exemplifying the "road trip" genre. Everybody knows someone like Dean Moriarty, person with a fuck all
attitude to life who you either love or hate. For me the highlight was the road trip across the border and the hedonism in Mexico. I enjoyed the ride.

#toughguybookclub #novel #kerouac #roadtrip #booksandsocks

I'm continually having to put the book down and exclaim "this is all so FUCKED UP!!"

On this day in 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was deported from the Soviet Union to West Germany after the release of the Gulag Archipelago. No better time to start reading one of the most impactful books of the 20th Century #russianlit #russianliterature #solzhenitsyn

What can I say? This was my designated summer read and it absolutely consumed me. While difficult to read and horrifying in the relentlessness of the abuse upon Jude, the moments of happiness, tenderness, companionship and friendship against all odds is uplifting. Can't wait for the miniseries! #summerread #manbooker

Saw this at the local library and thought... that's ok I'll pass #truecrime #fritzl #nothanks

The audiobook's different Jamaican patois accents are brilliant ... read both audio and paperback for excellent perspectives of ABHO7K #jamaica #toughguybookclub #audiobook #novel #manbooker

The vitriol that I have for Brother Luke right now knows no bounds

I'm not sure if it's just my taste level, but I found the characters and plot of Sons and Lovers overbearing. The acai bowl was good though #sonsandlovers #novel #dhlawrence #englishlit #acai #acaibowl

Read it in print earlier this year ... now giving the #audiobook a go ... loving the Jamaican accents!! #jamaica #marlonjames #manbooker

Undoubtedly the most violent book I have ever read. The incredibly beautiful prose helps to stomach the intensity of the violence. To me, the judge represents the devil, who never sleeps, and is forever out to cause mayhem, destruction and endless war #toughguybookclub #americanlit #epic #novel #beer #classic

Kate Tempest is an amazing talent. The Bricks That Built the Houses is a culmination of her award winning poetry and Mercury Prize nominated album Everybody Down. Highly recommend listening to the album to complement reading the novel #southlondon #sydneywritersfestival #london

Such exquisite prose from Cormac McCarthy #toughguybookclub #prose

A surrealist novella presented in short vignettes, mainly about the struggle of life in rural America, but also about the simple beauty of a bucolic pastoral life, TFIA is written like no other novel. Well worth an afternoon's read for something different #americana #toughguybookclub

A harrowing account of 4 generations of a displaced Palestinian family, Mornings in Jenin describes the incredible hardships of the Palestinian people in often brutal detail. Strongly recommend as a background to the current political situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories 🇵🇸🇵🇸

I love walking around London. You don't know when you might just walk past a former residence of one of yore literary heroes, this one in Hampstead Heath #orwell #1984 #london

At the 2014 Sydney Writers Festival, Shavit did a joint discussion with Reza Aslan, in which I recall Shavit was resoundly booed by the crowd for not giving Aslan enough time to speak and for vociferously defending Israel's right to defend itself against its many enemies. My Promised Land is an outstanding account of modern day Israel. Anyone looking for an insight into every aspect of the Israeli psyche should not go past this 🇮🇱🇮🇱 #israel

At the 2011 Sydney Writers Festival, I attended a talk featuring Izzeldin Abuelaish & Ingrid Betancourt discussing the topic of suffering. Remembering that there was not a dry eye in the house following Abuelaish's shattering account of the deaths of his daughters following a rocket attack in Gaza, I decided to read his book in anticipation of a trip to Palestine. Abuelaish has the greatest amount of patience of any human being I've come across.

Today is Indigenous Literacy Day. Indigenous people in remote communities have disproportionately low literacy levels to the rest of Australia. I donated these books for our office bookswap to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a noble cause #bookstack #bookstacks

Lotsa beers drunk in tough guy book club meet up for A Farewell to Arms

Lotsa beers drunk in tough guy book club meet up for A Farewell to Arms

Now I had to read Casino Royale for my book club (Tough Guy Book Club) if you haven't heard of it. It's rare to find a book (or a film or any sort of story) where the climax happens in the middle. Don't bother with this one, there are no characters to root for, James Bond is an atrocious narcissist & sexist, and the supporting characters offer little. Much prefer the film (primarily for Eva Green).

Well who doesn't love a bit of overt sexism?! 😫😫

1Q84 was my first Murakami, it was a present from a friend. Although Murakami tends to describe everything in excruciating detail, I was captivated from start to finish ... from the moment Aomame stepped off the expressway right to the end. 1Q84 particularly resonated because I was in a relationship when I started reading it, two months later when I finished it the relationship had ended.

My next novel to read, thankfully considerably shorter than Murakami.

Kaya madeleines and Hemingway