The amazing the Book Thief is a book no one should NOT read, it is a delight and written by death itself! For me it was the standout read of 2006. I have just finished reading the incredibly spare and brutal 'The Broken Shore' by Peter Temple which still haunts me. Other recent reads worth a look The last Harry Potter, Saturday, Q and A, Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Whitethorn, the Tab Hunter autobiography and Talk to the Hand
10/01/06
You will go a long way to find a better read, a more emotional ride or a better crafted novel than 'The Kite Runner', have the tissues available though! If you want something lighter you can't go past the 'No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' books by the delightful professor Alexander McCall-Smith. Take a journey around the South Sea Islands with Pamela Stephenson in her 'Treasure Islands', apart from some very wanky moments it's a terrific read. You can have your fill of tawdry show biz goss with the Bernard King memoir 'A Marvellous Party' or use your time better with the very funny memoir of Jacki Weaver 'Love Jac'. A terrific look at Australian Theatrical history is Frank Van Stratten's biogrophy of Hugh D McIntosh 'Huge Deal'. Finally, last year's Travel Book of the Year 'Lost in Transmission' is a wonderful, moving book by ABC Foreign Correcpondent Johnathan Hartley and tell s of his time in the Middle East. Truly a fantastic read.
Hon Mentions: Vernon God Little, Memory of Running, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, The Five People You Meet in Heaven,
10/12/03
Minette Walters strikes gold again with the terrific 'Fox Evil', I was tremendously moved by Colm Toibin's Booker winning 'Blackwater Lightship' and 'Gould's Book of Fish' was a delight.
20/08/03 last updated 20/08/03
A couple of Australian icons have been my focus recently. Graeme Blundell's absorbing biography of Graham Kennedy 'KIng' filled in a lot of the blanks about this sadly missed pioneer of Australian TV and his years on Melbourne radio. Fascinating book which probably takes us no closer to knowing the 'real' Gra Gra but is nonetheless a worthwhile read. The other was Raelene Boyle's terrific autobiography. I couldn't put it aside it was so well written and terrifically told. She has such a great attitude to life amidst the knockbacks she's faced. I could challenge some of her applications of her attitude but she is an inspiration. Remember Old Rose (Gloria Stuart) in 'Titanic'? I picked up a cheap copy of her autobiography 'I Just Keep Hoping' and loved it. She was a huge star back in the twenties and thirties, an artist and a book binder. Lots of juicy gossip and a couple of 'shocking' passages.
