The Girl Aquarium by Jen Campbell is an enchanting collection of poetry exploring bodies and disfigurement, girlhood/womanhood/motherhood, the male gaze, and relationships. If you're familiar with Jen Campbell from booktube, you won't be surprised that The Girl Aquarium is quintessentially "Jen": the style is whimsical and eerie and dreamlike, with motifs of the sea, the … Continue reading Book Review: The Girl Aquarium by Jen Campbell
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Book Review: Star-Crossed by Minnie Darke
How could I resist a contemporary romance with multiple narratives based around astrology? (Heart-eyes emoji forever!) Star-Crossed follows Justine (Sagittarius); a sometimes-shy but driven, hopeless romantic working at the local magazine. Justine randomly runs into her childhood best friend (and fleeting teenage sweetheart), Nick; an Aquarian actor between jobs, bereft in his love life. Justine … Continue reading Book Review: Star-Crossed by Minnie Darke
Book Review: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Jennifer Egan is an auto-buy author for me and when Manhattan Beach came out, I was very excited to read the first book released by Egan in 6 years! I didn't really know what to expect from the historical fiction novel set in the 1930's and 40's, largely around the Brooklyn Naval Yard, following gangsters … Continue reading Book Review: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Where To Start With Poetry
Poetry has a reputation for pretentiousness which puts a lot of people off reading it. I'm lucky that poetry has always been a part of my life. When I was little it was Banjo Paterson (thanks Mum!); in my teen years it was Something for Kate and Pink Floyd and trying to find words for … Continue reading Where To Start With Poetry
Happy Birthday to These Authors Born in January!
As part of my social media strategy for 2018, I started looking into important bookish dates. And when I noticed there were so many authors with birthdays in January, I just had to make a wrap-up 'Happy Birthday' video for them all! In the video, I talk about my favourite books by the authors and … Continue reading Happy Birthday to These Authors Born in January!
6 Amazingly Creative Aussies To Check Out This Year
I love supporting local talent. There are some inspirational Aussies out there! So I thought I would run through just a few creative Australian individuals, businesses and bookish groups that I think you should know about. Check out their websites, subscribe to their mailing lists, follow them on social media, browse through their stores, add … Continue reading 6 Amazingly Creative Aussies To Check Out This Year
7 Books With Strange Narrative Structures
I've always loved books that challenge me; books that make me re-think the ordinary; books that teach me something about writing. Usually those are the books with strange narrative structure. By 'strange', I mean non-linear. Or maybe just told in an unexpected way. Books with time jumps, or multiple perspectives, or cross-mediums. Here are 7 … Continue reading 7 Books With Strange Narrative Structures
4 Books I Did Not Finish Reading (And Why I Want To DNF More Often)
Good luck finding a bookworm who hasn't: given up on a book because it was boring or badly written given up on a book because it was good but they 'just weren't into it right now' forgotten about a book they thought was average and just never finished it It's common. And life is too … Continue reading 4 Books I Did Not Finish Reading (And Why I Want To DNF More Often)
Unboxing “Fateful Fantasy” by Bookcase Australia!
I recently received my first book subscription box from Bookcase Australia! Bookcase Australia pick one Aussie book and a selection of locally-made goodies to send to their subscribers every quarter, which supports homegrown creatives from all over the country. The "Fateful Fantasy" book was Heart of Mist by debut fantasy author Helen Scheuerer, which I loved … Continue reading Unboxing “Fateful Fantasy” by Bookcase Australia!
Writing Life Recap: March 2017
In February I told myself that March would be the month I finished writing my book. I was so adamant that a new month would bring new drive to my work. But the complete opposite happened. The Great Writing Drought of 2017 I fell into a deep writing slump and barely wrote a word for … Continue reading Writing Life Recap: March 2017
Kyra Thomsen 