Pakeha New Zealander, trying to read more and be a bit more grounded in the real. Huge Goodreads fan but also a fediverse fan and keen to try this thing out. Grateful to the volunteers with their ethos that have established all this.
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Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of …
On one hand, loved (some of) the writing, read the book within a day- loved (some of) the themes. Passed the placenta test… but the twin trope was awful and the violence and hypocrisy about responses to violence; had too many happy endings for too many difficult topics
Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for precolonial …
I’m hoping in time this book will age out, as criticisms of Australian society become unfair, and further knowledge about aboriginal land management informs new industry and preservation… at times feels a bit brow beating but it’s (for me at least) a new perspective, entirely new and exciting
Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for precolonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists …
Priestley’s new memoir explores the complications of living in a world under threat across two …
A great romp through what was essentially deconstruction, circa 1987. Well written and compelling and an enjoyable read and reflection on NZ society in snapshots; almost 40 years apart. Will be recommending to others
Priestley’s new memoir explores the complications of living in a world under threat across two parallel timelines. Her primary, present-tense …
First up, there are several times where she is astonishingly racist. However, there is such depth and pluck and wonder in so much of her writing that I feel we can learn from her writing and thoughts both good and bad.
A fair amount of this is “well, duh” but where it isn’t it is really helpful for providing tools and ideas for changing how we can cope with situations even if we aren’t able to change the situations. Heavily leans on precepts of acceptance and commitment therapy - being comfortably with being uncomfortable - but also serves well as a reminder of why work is so hard at times. Here’s to having some kind of flow state! 😅
An amazing book, excellently narrated in the audiobook form. I wish I had read it before I went to Fremantle, as many of the objects mentioned are there. A fascinating overview of early European encounters with the land and people of Australia. Best read together with “dark Emu”
Audiobook
I think there were a few key messages out of this book: Whilst orchestrated and 100% the Germans fault, the extent of the horror was not so much manufactured in the end, but allowed to happen. Neglect in the context of structures designs to dehumanise people is a particularly potent mix. The British were aware but not ready. Only so much could be imagined, but some was known; and more could have been done. Much was done. People who have gone through so much cannot be expected to meet expectations of the rescuer. People can be cantankerous and contrary. Starving and starved people make no sense.
A difficult but important read.
It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths …
There’s an occasional Clanger where Terry is incredibly racist even though this is an anti racist book, but overall it still stands up and crackles along as a tale of peace and the stupidity of war.
Despite being curious and picking up tiny little slivers of knowledge through work; I know I know essentially nothing about Aboriginal Australian nations and culture. This book is great; and introduction and invitation written/edited by a proud Koori man named Bruce Pascoe; to know more, to celebrate culture, to reckon with historical and contemporary injustices. I am grateful for this accessible intro and recommend it to anyone who ever lives in or travels to Australia.
From the bestselling author of The Garden of Evening Mists, a spellbinding novel about …
I dunno if I just wasn’t in the mood for it, or if it was just a hard act to follow after the gentleman in Moscow, but I didn’t love this book, and joined through it for book club rather than for any other reason. Maybe it’s my ignorance of malay history. Maybe it’s that I don’t really care about the marriages of white people in history. It hit some sweet notes and I appreciated the theme of what loyalty may mean in the context of friendship and marriage and with lovers. But despite some evocative scenes and clever plot weaving it just felt two dimensional.
When, in 1922, thirty-year-old Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik …
Another book club book and I swear in trying to speed read this I must have missed huge chunks and don’t fully understand what happened at the end! But I loved the descriptions and the main character and would probably happily re-read it on an island. One critique from another in book club which I agree somewhat with is that the main character didn’t feel very Russian; his optimism in particular felt very American. But maybe that’s the point- the internationalists perspective? Or maybe we have too grim a view of Russia? Nonetheless a great read and would recommend.
