Started this and after 1 chapter I love it.

Read half and ditched it, goes on and on and isn‘t that interesting, voice is common. To begin with although the characters were at times annoying they were a little fascinating but ended up reading as being anyone‘s retelling of their family. Nothing exceptional. Feels like a bit of a waste of money.

Credit to her mother though who doesn‘t pay the father and his grumbles any attention, sings, laughs and generally enjoys herself. Fairly charmed life with husband who earns enough for 2 House helpers.

Hmmm…when in Rome do as the Romans do, this is what I thought when I went into a bookshop in Rome. Rather than buy an English book I thought I should buy a well known Italian one, in translation of course. I‘ve read a bit of Calvino so I went for something different, the blurb sounded great but oh! Not sure now! Honest yes, but the father is unbearable! Can anyone stand him? The vitriol - the amount though makes it meaningless…I think 🤔 urgh

This was a fun read and although it deals with depression it has a nice feel good approach. Life is for living.

I need a rating between so so and pick and if there was one I‘d use it for this. The book was a bit so so to begin with but grew closer and closer to a pick as I read it. Not amazing but a gentle tale of human needs, particularly regrets within relationships. Very much about the power of hindsight.

Devastating and painfully accurate of small town life at the ends of the earth. 😞

This book - all the feels. Having lived in Hobart for close to 40 years this novel rings with reminders of people and places I once knew.

Another book for year 7s at work.

It was alright. Certainly great for readers who need their novels to be like an action movie. Recommend for standard level 12 year olds.

Reading this for work, hmmm…

I take my hat off to Dr‘s, especially those in public health, in A&E, and in the years before becoming a consultant. The end.

If you have an interest in true crime and/or forensics this is an easy read with Laurie‘s conversational style singing the praises of the careful work of VIFM and the police, but beware it‘s not easy with the content. Some truly sad tales that honour the victims of horrific crimes.

If you‘re a CSI fan and like forensics this is super easy reading. Watching the connected web series ‘Afterlife‘ on the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine - on their website is helpful too. Beware though the sound quality of the program not that great, too loud and too soft at times. I had to keep changing the volume. Book is interesting, straightforward but interesting.

I‘ve had a think about this book now and I‘ve concluded that its mostly about colonialism and the environment, about the lengths people will go to control and economise places and the features of that place. The spiritual element of the rain heron takes this further as I feel it represents the desire of people wanting to control other people, especially the original people of a place and the deep connection they have with their environment.

Finished and not quite sure what to say… not quite sure I understand it, which is an uncommon experience, need to sit with it for a bit.

Enjoyed this collection of stories, I feel some could have been more polished but sufficiently thought provoking. Not as good as The Yield.

Only half way through this, loved part 0, not so sure after that, not enjoying it as much as Flames. I think it could have been condensed. Struggling to connect the squid to the heron, I know it‘s about the character Zoe but a connection between the animals would be better. Hopefully there is one.

It was so-so, read it because to have to teach it. It moves on from how hot Achilles is and explores his egotism. And although true to classical times there is so much violence against women that I don‘t much like it. There is not a strong enough message in it in my perspective.

Up to chapter 11 and the only message I‘m getting from this book is ‘Achilles is hot!‘. It‘s nice, has lovely descriptions, reads like a romance but lacks depth in my opinion.

Excellent essay on democracy, a must read for students of political science and democrats everywhere

Favourite poem so far as since I‘m working on a bit of a still life painting at the moment I like this even more.

Super fast, super funny, super easy read. My mother for years was convinced Australians really liked onions ‘good onion, Mum!‘ But yes, as a migrant whose father was a carpenter on arriving to Australia this book gave me a tonne of laughs and nostalgia , it‘s very true to the migrant experience even that of the late 70s, early 80s, the Oz lingo was hard to follow. A lot of dinner time conversations about what things mean. See ya round, good onya!

Not what I would call literature but a good story that is well crafted around an interesting historical event. Without the dancing plague it probably wouldn‘t have held my interest. A solid narrative on womanhood in 16th century Roman Catholic Church empire in Europe.

A great collection of short stories that unpack the complexities of family life, marriage like commitments, parenting, mothering and being female.

Fabulous novel with an adorable yet unreliable narrator who becomes more reliable as the story unfolds. It is the ease with which you can love the narrator Eleanor, he cleverly crafted voice that is so funny that propels you through the novel.

Didn‘t finish this, found it too slow moving. Might be an unreliable narrator but not enough happened to@keep me engaged.

Read this and found the facts fascinating but found that the telling of it by Pybus could have been more compelling. An important read, especially for Tasmanians.

Just loved this book, having lived for almost 40 years in Tasmania I relished the descriptions of both people and place. It is truly a magical island and magical realism works well to express this and the island‘s delightful quirkiness. Plot is a young man is wanting to craft a coffin for his very alive sister as the women in his life don‘t stay dead, truly more to do with grief and it‘s process. A great read and a great ride. ❤️❤️❤️

Lockdown seriously slowed down my reading, I did persist but this book, the voice of Eleanor - so good, so funny is doing the reading live trick for me.

Loved the multiple narratives in this and the magical realism reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Only read 42 of 558 pages, reasonably dense, mostly just creating the character of Morten as he learns all sorts of things (mostly sexual) about life while he studies medicine and for the priesthood. Has a slightly puritanical/Scarlett letter feeling to it but the atmosphere, possibly the harsh Scandinavian setting contributes to this, is much more blunt.

Importance of writers and of artists.

Christmas presents, yay! 🎄 🎁

C for Cameroon. I enjoyed this but it wasn‘t a page turner. It gave good insight to the migrant experience, I would not classify the main characters as asylum seekers as they were not fleeing persecution/war rather they chose to try to achieve a better life in the US. In the end they chose going home over the US and gave a new perspective on the US, not an entirely favourable one - that the great American Dream is dead.

I chose this because I wanted something from Cameroon, I really struggled to get hold of a work in translation out of Cameroon so reading this by a Cameroon author living in NY. Enjoying it and finding that for me it is about the migrant experience, the difficulties, confusions and hopes of those who move to a new place in hope of a better future, just as my parents did when I was 3. #Vegemite is not a powerful chocolate spread. 😱😂

Beautifully descriptive, symbolic and crafted tale of a poor farmer who spent his youth caring for his ailing parents, now 28 and caring for his ‘ailing‘ wife (7 years his senior) when her bright young niece comes to live them due to lack of family and at the same time help his wife. More than hope flickers, is fanned and flames resulting in an action which determines their combined fate. Quick to read and recommended text.

“He would have liked to stand there with her all night in the blackness.” This pretty much sums up the book, and I‘d say he got what he wanted.

I was warned that this book was bleak and rightly so, nonetheless I really enjoyed it, particularly the ending. Responsibility, true responsibility is not for the faint hearted.

Truth! This sentiment profoundly affects me and through it I can appreciate McCandless‘ deep frustration with society and wealth. Although I still find him to be spoilt and inflexible, I understand why such insincerity and superficiality drove him into the wild.

Reading this for work, will have to go over it with a fine tooth comb.

The connectedness between all of the characters is the strength of this book.I did not find it was told with different voices, same voice telling a number of stories over place and time. An enjoyable book tha provoked thought at times.

Just ordered this! Excited!

Another great thing about this book is that every now and then I have to check my inherent bias, this of course, is always a good thing.

It seems almost inappropriate to say that I am really enjoying this text but the truth of the women and the number who have experienced awful behaviour at the hands of men and others resonates, resonates with many revelations of friends. So good to have someone express how terribly common this experience is, vindicating.

So far have loved Yazz, reminds me of my daughters, unfortunately Dominique takes me back to my roller derby days and a friendship with a lesbian couple where one was abusive to the other, complicated and painful. 😖

Well crafted narrative that diverts from the norm when the main plot is a pandemic that kills 99% of the population, has the usual behaviours but it is the focus on humanity that sets it apart.

“On silent afternoons... found himself thinking about how human the city is, how human everything is.” Is it though? Or is our collective narcissism exactly the the problem?

“Hell is the absence of the people you long for.” 😞☹️ so true. I‘m glad covid hasn‘t sorted the human race so severely that we end up stuck with whoever is left. That sounds harsh but if you can‘t imagine the problems with that then read this text. Covid has made it clear who my people are and I am so grateful for them, it hurts.

“Because survival is insufficient” - so true. Having spent days in lockdown in Melbourne brought the truth that just getting through the day eating, sleeping, working is not enough, people are more than just their biological survival. For me I needed creative outlets of drawing, painting, designing, sewing. And some human contact, a good friend phone call and family zooms with those in other states.