Read / October 24th, 2018
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a short novel that has stuck with me since I finished it. Here is the delightful opening paragraph. “My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all…
Read / September 19th, 2018
Not that it was planned in any way, but the theme of the month appears to be non-fiction/memoir. I began with Get Up Mum by Justin Heazlewood, an account of his experience as a 12-year-old, finishing primary school while also taking care of his mother during chronic periods of her mental illness. His writing is warm,…
This month’s reading pile features three very different books (poetry, essays, a novel), each resonating with its own heartbeat. I’ll begin with Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin. It’s a new release and I’d heard a lot of advance buzz, so feel fortunate I got my hands on a library copy when I did. Word of mouth has only…
This month is about finishing off books. I needed a few psychological ‘wins’ and moving titles from my Goodreads ‘currently reading’ to ‘read’ list usually provides a nice mood boost. (Tell me I’m not alone here.) This required my having to re-borrow these Twin Peaks titles (twice!) from the library, but I got there in…
No, don’t worry. June isn’t almost over already. I know this post usually comes out at the end of the month, but I’ve moved it forward for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that I have a lot of books on my pile at the moment and it’s helpful to stop and reflect on…
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a verse novel about a Harlem high school student, Xiomara, who is struggling with her faith, the Church and her mother – all while beginning to navigate the waters of first love. As one who’s struggled with my own issues with being brought up within Catholicism, I recognised…
If you’re familiar with local (and international) bestselling book lists of late, you’ll recognise the title The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This widespread regard is well-deserved, for the novel handles the balance between the intimacy of the central love story while accounting for the atrocities that were occurring at the same time. As I was…
There will be no new podcast episode of The Creative Life this week – I’ve been wrestling with a headache that refuses to go away and threatens, at any moment, to turn into a migraine. The tasks I’ve been able to do – such as writing this post – have been fit into the pockets of…
Read / February 22nd, 2018
Looking back over this month’s reading, I think there’s a common theme among all of the titles: that through resilience and self-examination humans can endure hardship. Whether these experiences come through the death of a loved one, the solo trek across a desert or unpacking the mysteries within our brains we can learn so much about our nature….
