The editors of Joyful Strains: Making Australia Home talk about the book, about choosing the essays and working with the 27 authors, about their own migration experiences, about the relationship between writing and migration, and lots more.
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A review of All Those Things We Never Said by Marc Levy
Part sci-fi, part magical realism, and all suspension of disbelief, Levy then pulls the reader into a globetrotting journey with Julia and her father, Anthony–or what’s left of him. The android looks exactly like Julia’s father, and she cannot resist asking a few questions along the way.
A review of Dancing at the Shame Prom: Sharing the Stories That Kept Us Small, edited by Amy Ferris and Hollye Dexter
Dancing at the Shame Prom: Sharing the Stories that Kept Us Small is a powerful nonfiction anthology by 27 professional women who share their real stories (and use their real names) to inspire others to become unafraid of the shadows that haunt their lives, and to shed the feelings that promise them they will never be good enough for the kind of life they want or ought to have.
A review of Love And Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
Buzo doesn’t offer a short and sweet, neatly packaged ending, but as the reader learns more about these characters, that type of conclusion wouldn’t fit their situation. Amelia also gains some valuable insight into her family life along the way, as well, and realizes that perhaps things aren’t quite as grim as she’d thought.
A review of Joyful Strains: Making Australia Home, edited by Kent MacCarter and Ali Lemer
Most of the writers included have become, as Val Colic-Peisker puts it, reasonably domesticated. The displacement and bullying is mainly in the past, but the sense of self and how the settled adult relates to the life left behind, is something that continues to transform.
A review of Talk Up Your Book: How to Sell Your Book through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More by Patricia Fry
As a writer, we know the importance of self-marketing and it can be overwhelming. By utilizing Talk Up Your Book: How to Sell Your Book through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More we can take on this subject with the professional guidance of many authors who have been there, done that, and made it easy for the rest of us.
A review of Adventures Of A Waterboy by Mike Scott
The ups and downs of Scott’s career have been honestly explored in this book, and the first person narrative is cozy and accessible. For Waterboys fans, Adventures of a Waterboy is a bracing, utterly enjoyable read that will illuminate the many turns and twists of Mike Scott’s life and music. But you don’t need to be a Waterboys fan to enjoy this book.
A review of The Guardian Angel’s Journal by Carolyn Jess-Cooke
As I read this book, I kept thinking of the films City of Angels and Wings of Desire, both of which focus on the idea of angels walking among us. While Jess-Cooke’s story is actually a bit darker than either of those films, I think the basic premise is the same.
A review of The Modern Reti: An Anti-Slav Repertoire by Alexander Delchev
Perhaps Black’s best response is 2…d4, taking the opportunity to gain space in the centre. In The Dynamic Reti (2004), Nigel Davies recommends 3.g3 with a reversed Benoni set-up. This is how the late Bent Larsen played the position and Jon Speelman has played this way also.
A review of Winning Pawn Play in the Indian Defenses by Henrique Marinho
The rigour of Marinho’s writing is to be commended and his systematic presentation of the plans and possibilities available to both sides is impressive. But his game annotations are too light, leaving one all too often perplexed as to what the turning points in a particular game actually were.