Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve been at the Sydney Writer‘s Festival since Wednesday when this photo was taken. It‘s been hectic catching up with friends and family. I didn‘t get to my first lecture due to the current East Coast Low causing havoc so I took the time to have a nice lunch at Fratelli Fresh at Darling Harbour before heading to the Maritime Museum to listen to Why We Swim. I didn‘t realise how many book releases they do outside the fest dates. I‘ll be back.

Gotta say, I've wanted to read this for months and I almost bailed... The grown up part of me was shocked by the transient and neglectful lives, the use of drugs and apathy to do much. But remembering the era and the youth made me re consider. I particularly liked the last 50 pages or so as it felt she was accepting herself and her friends.

Set in Melbourne, Australia, Aisha, Rosie and Anouk are 3 friends with different lifestyles who have kept in touch since school. They are part of a circle of family and friends. When Rosie‘s child is slapped by Aisha‘s husband it unearths the social, racial and class divide. The novel puts under the scope some hard questions.

As a read it‘s not easy, the characters are not likeable and the story meanders and has large cast of characters. cont ...

#TEAMDEADSERIOUS

I was browsing in my local Dymocks when I spotted this monstrosity with a $5 sticker on the cover…

For some reason I picked it up to peruse the blurb AND the main character is a librarian, there‘s vampires BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY it‘s set in Melbourne. Do you know how rare paranormal romance/urban fantasy set in Australia is?! It‘s even got a cover quote from Kerry Greenwood.

Obviously I bought it immediately.

SONG OF SPHERES - Walker Larson

“As an indie author, it's hard to stand out from the crowd. Your reading of the book is a real help. Song of Spheres will appeal to those who like a philosophical/theoretical edge and a character-focused style to their adventure stories. It grapples with questions about our place in the universe and how scientific theories can impact human life. Slow build in first half, action-packed in the second.”

Without any real plot or drive, Monkey Grip didn‘t exactly blow me away – but there are many moments of beautiful prose, like little glimpses of Garner‘s greatness to come. It might not be the best one of hers to start with if you‘re new to her work, but if you‘re already hooked and want to see where it all began, give it a go. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/monkey-grip-helen-garner/

Love how subtle this one is!!

It‘s my weekend to work, the roster has changed - so new branch, new crew… it‘s been pretty quiet… but I had 🌮 for lunch so I‘m feeling good!

A novel that is very much about cricket, but also is about so much more than cricket. Simpson captures the energy of a summer in cricket-loving nation, the pressure of performance, the complexity of competition against people you love, and the art of balancing our passions against the maintenance of our relationships. I‘m really happy that Books on the Go podcast brought this one to my attention, I might not have chosen to read it myself.