Welcome to State Library Victoria's Tablo community – we're here to support emerging Victorian writers and provide a space for readers and authors to connect.
What's on your summer reading list?
We want to know what you're reading this summer 📖 What's top of your list over the holidays?
I've just read Our Magic Hour by Jennifer Down. A beautifully written piece about grief. I'm making my way through a list of five books as recommended by Stella from Readings Bookshop as "Five books I’m still thinking about (months after reading them)".
I am reading one of Leonard Cohen's biogoraphys. I really only got to listen to his music in 2015, fell in love with its poetics, his voice and rhythmn. I've not read any of his books, anyone read any of his prose?
I am usually an avid reader of fiction but I have an interest in life writing so am reading lot of memoir at the moment. I just finished Gardens of Fire: An Investigative Memoir by Victorian poet and historian, Robert Kenny. A very affecting read, analytical and a great deal of insight into his own experience of fighting the Black Saturday fires and his house being burnt to the ground. On the bedside I've got Sian Prior's memoir called Shy and on audio I'm listening to Tim Winton's first memoir, Island Home. In the pile of the desk there;s Flying With Paper Wings by another Victorian write, Sandy Jeffs and then The Orchard by Drusilla Modjeska. There's lots of fabulous stories about Australian lives.
I am halfway through Julia Baird's "Victoria" and finding it absolutely fascinating and very entertaining too!
Also I am in the process of reading all five of the Miles Franklin nominated books for 2016. Our bookclub is reading the five over the summer break and looking forward to reviewing them all together in February.
Fun holiday reading for me last week: Alison Goodman's Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club and its sequel, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact, SD Gentill's Chasing Ulysses, CS Pacat's Captive Prince ... and then I accidentally picked up the first Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin book and now I might have to re-read the lot.
Stan Grant, Talking to my Country. mixed with Alex Miller's Landscape of Farewell. Catching up with Hannie Rayson's Hello Beautiful and following this with Emma Cline's The Girls. I'm excited
Still haven't got through my list, but I read Thomas Friedman's 'Thank You for Being Late', Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna's 'Age of Discovery', Andrea Camilleri's 'A Voice in the Night' (Inspector Montalbano #20), Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza's 'Blackout' and one of HRF Keating's Inspector Ghote books (do you detect a theme here?)
And I'm part way through James Gleick's 'Time Travel' and Mats Alvesson and Andre Spicer's 'The Stupidity Paradox: the power and pitfalls of functional stupidity at work' as well as Trollope's 'Doctor Thorne'.
I've read Sophie's Choice, The Paper House, The Golden Age and Twilight (I had to read it for my Children's Lit unit at uni!) and next on my list is Hope Farm, Jasper Jones and Between a Wolf and a Dog.
Any book of Agatha Christies ( can't refuse a good mystery.) And maybe some Fantasy as well.
Elena Ferrante! I'm a little behind haha but excited to tackle the saga over the hols
As for me I'm reading The end of Alice , just the beginning but can't keep my hands of it . 🤣
I've just read Our Magic Hour by Jennifer Down. A beautifully written piece about grief. I'm making my way through a list of five books as recommended by Stella from Readings Bookshop as "Five books I’m still thinking about (months after reading them)".
I am reading one of Leonard Cohen's biogoraphys. I really only got to listen to his music in 2015, fell in love with its poetics, his voice and rhythmn. I've not read any of his books, anyone read any of his prose?
Just discovered James Patterson and cant get enough.
My top books are all the books by Mary downing Hahn
I am usually an avid reader of fiction but I have an interest in life writing so am reading lot of memoir at the moment. I just finished Gardens of Fire: An Investigative Memoir by Victorian poet and historian, Robert Kenny. A very affecting read, analytical and a great deal of insight into his own experience of fighting the Black Saturday fires and his house being burnt to the ground. On the bedside I've got Sian Prior's memoir called Shy and on audio I'm listening to Tim Winton's first memoir, Island Home. In the pile of the desk there;s Flying With Paper Wings by another Victorian write, Sandy Jeffs and then The Orchard by Drusilla Modjeska. There's lots of fabulous stories about Australian lives.
The new Colm Toibin and Arundhati Roy
I am halfway through Julia Baird's "Victoria" and finding it absolutely fascinating and very entertaining too!
Also I am in the process of reading all five of the Miles Franklin nominated books for 2016. Our bookclub is reading the five over the summer break and looking forward to reviewing them all together in February.
Just starting A Gentleman in Moscow, which was a gift to my husband but he's taking too long to read it, so I've leapfrogged him!
Fun holiday reading for me last week: Alison Goodman's Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club and its sequel, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact, SD Gentill's Chasing Ulysses, CS Pacat's Captive Prince ... and then I accidentally picked up the first Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin book and now I might have to re-read the lot.
Stan Grant, Talking to my Country. mixed with Alex Miller's Landscape of Farewell. Catching up with Hannie Rayson's Hello Beautiful and following this with Emma Cline's The Girls. I'm excited
I am reading the Harry Potter books again i love them sooo much!!
I've been slowly making my way through American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Hopefully I can finish it off before the Summer ends!
Still haven't got through my list, but I read Thomas Friedman's 'Thank You for Being Late', Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna's 'Age of Discovery', Andrea Camilleri's 'A Voice in the Night' (Inspector Montalbano #20), Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza's 'Blackout' and one of HRF Keating's Inspector Ghote books (do you detect a theme here?)
And I'm part way through James Gleick's 'Time Travel' and Mats Alvesson and Andre Spicer's 'The Stupidity Paradox: the power and pitfalls of functional stupidity at work' as well as Trollope's 'Doctor Thorne'.
Clearly I'm a bit confused...
I've read Sophie's Choice, The Paper House, The Golden Age and Twilight (I had to read it for my Children's Lit unit at uni!) and next on my list is Hope Farm, Jasper Jones and Between a Wolf and a Dog.