Back at my desk from time-out in Sydney and Bali. Sydney was a very enjoyable family time, a meeting with our latest grandchild, young Tom, and the chance to attend some terrific performances: the opera Tosca at the Sydney Opera House, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead with Tim Minchin – a laugh a minute.
Bali was a stay at the lovely Aquaria on Bali’s East Coast (view from our balcony pictured), which set the scene for a spell of unprecedented indolence. To (partly) combat this idleness, I set off to read some of the Man Booker contenders with a view to predicting the winner, probably easier to pick the Melbourne Cup. Charlotte Mendelson’s Almost English resonated with me in a particularly salutary way. Five Star Billionaire was interesting for its take on loneliness; loved Jim Crace’s style in Harvest – a book to be savoured rather than read. Currently reading The Spinning Heart. So far, I think Jim Crace might be slightly ahead of the field for me. But I’m a big fan of Colm Toibin who’s been in the running a number of times and has yet to win. Testament of Mary is not available digitally and therefore didn’t make my holiday reading list. But that’s my next read and may well be my pick…primarily because I enjoy his style. Anyone else game to guess?
I’ve attached the link to a recent interview conducted by Varuna’s alumni news editor Diana Jenkins with author Catherine Lee. If you’re considering a digital publishing venture you will find this particularly interesting. Click here to read http://www.varuna.com.au/varuna/index.php/alumni/monthly-feature.
Until next time, I wish you a lot of reading pleasure and writing success.
