Thursday 17 March 2022

What's on my bookshelf

This month I finished Before I Go to Sleep for bookclub. It's really good until the ending, which is bizarrely out of step with the quality of the rest of the novel. I had low expectations when I saw we were doing it, but couldn't really remember the film. The book is extremely clever and I really enjoyed the journey (as you are led along in the confusion of the narrator).









I chose Jon Ronson's What I Do - More true tales of Everyday Craziness for the plane. I kept giggling and laughing uncontrollably, annoying all the passengers near me, but it's that sort of book. It's not his best but it is enjoyable. It's the second in this collection of his magazine stories, however, if you haven't read Ronson, I would start by listening to Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect - and then devour all the others like I did. He has an odd voice initially but it becomes part of the charm, so stick with it. I am desperate for him to write more books, and was devastated when COVID cancelled his trip here for FODI.





I got Growing Up Queer from the Dymocks Mardi Gras display in part because I want to make my fiction less hetronormative (and less white & ableist but that's another story). I'm only a third of the way in. There have been two excellent stories by authors I don't know, so I will be tracking down their work. Cindy Zhou was one, so if anyone knows where to find her work, let me know. I am aware I am reading these stories incorrectly, but as a mum, I just find them so sad. I grew up in the 70's and went to a private school so I am aware of how backward my societal view of LBGT people was (hushed whispers, slurs etc were normal behaviour). What makes me sad is the discomfort and bullying the authors experienced in these stories, even those that grew up in the 90's and 2000's. I know I'm meant to see these stories as growth or positive change but all I see is how backward we still are and how little has changed in 50 years.  Australia needs to take a long hard look at itself. It's embarrassing. Good book for writers to see different styles. As an aside, I wrote a Mardi Gras themed (sort of coming out to oneself) story for Furious Fiction this month. It's not great due to lack of time but hopefully it was executed well enough. We shall see.


Lastly, just started Violeta by Isabel Allende. So far, so good. As I'm only in Chapter 2, I can't recommend it but it's opened with the Spanish Flu, so at a guess, it will end with COVID. I have written a story with that structure (it came fourth in a Canadian short story competition), so I'm curious to see where she goes in the middle of it....(My writing got infected by COIVD over the last two years so I am pleased to see I'm not the only one!).


That's what's on my bookshelf at the moment, and thanks to the hosts for the link up. I do love talking about books!

Linking with #UnlimitedLinkUpParty  #WhatsOnMyBookshelf, 





bookworms monthly linky

26 comments:

  1. And we love reading about books! Violeta sounds interesting & I'll scout out some Jon Ronson and give him a listen. Thanks for linking up.

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    1. Hes a nut but I adore his books sooooo much!

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  2. Thank you for joining us at What's on your Bookshelf. Your comment on Before I Go to Sleep really resonated with me. LOVING a book most of the way through and then being disappointed with the ending has (sadly) happened to me so often that one of my bookclub now calls it the 'Donna syndrome'. :D

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    1. It is that weird moment where you think 'did you just kget your teenager to finish it for you?' or did the editor say you had to whack a happy ending on it and you couldn't be bothered? It's so odd how often that happens. It's like they run out of steam and just saty "That will do"

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  3. Hi Lydia, thanks for joining us for What's On Your Bookshelf? I love reading everyone's posts and what they are reading. What they liked and what didn't grab them. Violeta sounds like something I might enjoy. I hope to see you at next month's link up. Happy reading!

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    1. I will try to be organised and prepare another one in time

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  4. I hate when a great book has a "meh" ending... I always feel so let down.

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  5. I've just started reading one called "the tattooist of auschwitz" seems good so far. I'm encouraged that people these days though are a bit more open minded about gay and lgpt people and their rights, I have a few family members who are sadly a bit homophobic.

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    1. I am embarrassed now by some of the things I said when I was younger. Not hugely anti-gay just that careless societal bigoty (I guess we'd call it microaggressions now?). But I guess I can see the error of my ways and educate myself. I also need to do it with other thinking (old wiring I call it). Ableist thinking etc...all we can do is be open to learning more.

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    2. What I came to say was I read that. I didn't love it as much as the rest of the world - I sort of felt I'd read it before and she didn't add much BUT I just read her new book, Cilka's Journey and I thought it was much better. I recommend that one. If you enjoy the Tattooist, def read Cilka's Journey. It's a much more complex book. Heather Morris is doing a lot of writers festival stuff at the moment - she does great media.

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  6. Violeta sounds interesting and is new this year so I'll wait for the e-book version at my library. Thank you for your #weekendcoffeeshare.

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  7. It truly sucks when a great book has a poor ending. It happens way too often, in my experience. Growing Up Queer sounds really interesting. I'm also going to check out Violeta.

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    1. It is really interesting. I do wonder if I was gay if I'd read it differently. I tend to find it a little depressing. All these stories are unnecessarily sad. If we (society) weren't still such jerks, it wouldn't even be a thing. The one I read last night talked about the privilege in your narrative and it got me thinking about my own backstory and how things happened because I was white, middle class, able-bodied and all the other things we take for granted. I do think writers should read broadly and this book is giving me lots of food for thought in all sorts of ways (not just on the growing up queer in Australia bit)

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    2. Oh, thanks for sharing that. Yes, these stories can be quite sad. I know I am privileged in so many ways. I mean, I used to feel that I belonged to a little too many minority groups to be believable as a story character (I mean, if I were to write an autobiographically-based novel), but now that I know the Internet, I know there are people who are far more marginalized than I am.

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  8. Hi Lydia,
    Okay - you gave me one line in the middle of your post that's going to keep my mind busy the rest of the day (and it's only 6:40am here). You said,"My writing got infected by COVID over the last two years...".
    This thought is going to take some chewing to digest, because I've wondered the same, not just about my own writing but the many others out there who took hits themselves via impacted friends or family or jobs or changes in their own markets and thus income, etc. . .
    It may take me more than a day. . .
    Thanks
    I think.

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    1. So many of my short stories became about covid or lockdown, even if they were about grief or love or something else....it was just weird.Even my historical fiction ended up in the Spanish flu time...so odd. No conscious intent on my part.

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  9. Love seeing what everyone is reading, thanks for sharing

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  10. I listened to a Jon Ronson audiobook a few years ago. I never quite got used to his voice (his actual voice and his literary voice) but it was interesting.

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    1. I have a total crush on his voice (both)! He's so kooky!! and I love that he doesn't prejudge topics (which i find Louis Theroux reports with an agenda, where as Ronson tries to be blank and let the topic speak for itself - until his neurosis steps in).

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  11. Thanks Lydia, your reviews are always good to read and I am definitely going to add Violeta to my list. Best of luck for the entries you've got going on.

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  12. Hi Lydia - lots of variety in there! Shame the first book didn't end well though - nothing beats a satisfying ending (except a follow on book in a new series!)

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  13. I've heard good things about "Violeta" it's on my TBR. It's also my mom's name lol.

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  14. Coming back for #DreamTeam.

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  15. Ah what a great set of books. I remember reading Before I go to sleep and I have to admit that I was completely gripped from start to finish. The movie wasn't too bad either. Thank you for sharing what's on your bookshelf with the #dreamteam xx

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  16. I'm quite tempted to find that SJ Watson book and Isabel Allende one as I've enjoyed the latter's books in the past. Thanks for linking up with #DreamTeam

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  17. I really enjoyed Before I Go To Sleep, but there are some books with some rather rushed endings, I don't think this is one of the worst. I like the sound of Violeta and the cover is so pretty. Thanks for linking up to book worms monthly

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