Author Archives: susan

Comfort reading. Better for you than comfort eating! But maybe both, together, are called for at the present time. Ukraine, climate crisis, the Morrison LNP government, covid, my sore back…let’s stop there. You get the picture. Elizabeth Goudge is one … Continue reading →

‘Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening,’ wrote George Orwell in 1940. I will read anything by the American essayist Rebecca Solnit. Her writing is lucid and intelligent and playful; often travelling in unexpected directions to … Continue reading →

When I was a young teenager, I just couldn’t get enough Gothic. They were captivating, thrilling; a perfect package of romance, mystery, suspense. I loved Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Moonstone and when I ran out of literature I … Continue reading →

I have a long-standing fascination with Britain during WWII and the decade afterwards. I’m not sure where it began; perhaps with my parents’ memories of post-war expat life in London, or old movies like Mrs Miniver, or the novels of … Continue reading →

Resonate. Now, there’s a word. I Didn’t Do the Thing Today: On Letting Go of Productivity Guilt rang so many bells for me I’m still hearing them. Madeleine Dore begins: While I don’t know the particular shape your days take, … Continue reading →

January’s been a good month for reading. Hot weather, a holiday… An Extra Pair of Hands Kate Mosse I’ve reviewed in these pages – moving and with our current aged care distasters continuing to unfold, lots to think about. Gift … Continue reading →

I’ve been inspired by Kate Constable’s annual book accounting (with pie charts! heaven!) to be diligent about recording my reading in 2022. I’m off to a good start, but I am wondering if I should add a category; ‘Started, not … Continue reading →

Book Group, for the past couple of years, has been a bit of a bust. Evening meetings via Zoom instead of in a member’s home, with the hostess providing (it’s the rules) red and white wine, biscuits and cheeses – … Continue reading →

I have just devoured Helen Garner’s How To End a Story. Read it in a day and a night. Couldn’t put it down. And luckily I didn’t have to; I was on holiday. Garner’s diaries from 1995-1998 detail the disintegration … Continue reading →