Travels With Charley is a travel memoir written by the famous Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck. Steinbeck piles some books, shotguns, tinned food, and his poodle Charley into a truck/camper van and sets off around the U.S. The book was first published in 1962 which was an interesting time for the U.S. and the … Continue reading
Tag Archives: books
A Review of Raymond Carver’s “Fat”
The beauty of the short story is that it is short. If you want some fantasy, fiction, drama, suspense, or action but don’t have the time, then the short story is actually perfect. You can often read them in one sitting. Collections of short stories are very rare in popular fiction. If an author writes … Continue reading
A review of Kate Bolick’s “Spinster”
I’m married. Yet after reading Kate Bolick’s book I proudly call myself ‘Spinster’ in all its glory. Glory might seem like a strong word for a term that is often associated with old wrinkly women and hundreds of cats, but being a spinster is so much more. A very dear friend of mine sent me … Continue reading
A review of Rosie Garland’s “Vixen”: what happens when we don’t check our beliefs
I read this book on my flight from Switzerland to Australia. Usually long haul flights tend to soften the sparkle of most reading experiences, in fact one could argue that they soften the sparkle of almost every experience. It is something about the snoring, the crying babies… not to mention the recycled stale air and … Continue reading
“The Age Of Magic”: a review of Ben Okri’s magic realist novel
There are two reasons why I bought this book: I had a gift voucher and the setting of the book was Switzerland (the country I call home). I wasn’t sure what to expect because I had not read anything by Ben Okri before and I must admit that I felt a bit apprehensive about magic … Continue reading
Bookish New Year’s Resolutions 2016
READING, READING, AND THEN SOME MORE READING For the past three semesters (1.5 years) I have been studying my Masters at the University of Zurich. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and learning, and despite the stress of assignments and those deadly deadlines, I have enjoyed myself. I have read books that I never … Continue reading
“Tricky Twenty-Two”: the latest Plum installment from Janet Evanovich
The latest Stephanie Plum book, “Tricky Twenty-Two” was released in November this year. I’ve been following the series since book number one, “One For The Money” and every November, which is usually the release month for the Plum series, is like a Crime Fiction Christmas. And so here we are again with another review of … Continue reading
Books about London
The last time I was in London I was 20. It’s been about eight years between jaunts, but I will be returning to London very soon. For many Australians, London represents the pinnacle of the ‘lost homeland’, but for many people with Scottish heritage, I was brought up to treat London and England with caution … Continue reading
The Fall of Serious Money: a review of John Lanchesters, “Capital”
This book started off like a small rock slowing rolling down a snowy hill that eventually turns into an avalanche. What you are left with at the end of the novel is silence and white powder. John Lanchester’s novel borrows its title from the famous Karl Marx and his “Das Kapital”. Although, the book is … Continue reading
Fight fear and the unknown with literature
The first time I heard the word “Africa” was from my Mum. We were sitting at the dinner table and I wouldn’t eat my peas. They smelled funny and there was no way she was going to convince me otherwise. She told me in a stern strong voice, “There are children starving in Africa you … Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.