Emily Paull

The Bit in Between  by Claire Varley is published by Macmillan (RRP$29.99) A review of this book was published on August 14th. Over to Claire! I buy more books than I can afford and will no doubt end up in the poor house because of it. Online bookstores are my drug of choice and oftentimes books arrive at my door that I have completely forgotten I ordered, thus is the extent of my problem. Every book is special to me – I get upset when people want to borrow books and become anxious they won’t give them back. I share books like a four-year-old only child – begrudgingly and only after being promised sweeties. Because of this addiction, I have taken to calling my bedside table my BOOKside table (chuckles to self). I am aware that it is actually a chair. We repurpose things in this house because I spend all the actual money on books. Also repurposed are the books propping up my bedroom mirror because there’s no more room on the bookshelves and we aren’t going...

Feet to the Stars (and other stories) Susan Midalia UWA Press, 2015 Susan Midalia's third collection of stunning short stories takes its title from a poem by Sylvia Plath-- a poem, which she stressed at the launch of her book, was not about death, but about childhood, and a joyful sense of enjoyment which we seem to lose or forget as we age. Clownlike, happiest on your hands, Feet to the stars, and moonskulled (From 'You're' by Sylvia Plath) This seems to me an apt metaphor for life, and a moment in time so keenly felt it demands to be captured.  In a sense, this is what a short story is, a moment in time or an intense feeling or a fleeting glimpse of a happening.  Midalia's characters range in ages and are from various backgrounds.  They are female, male, gay, straight, happy, sad, confident, confused, heartbroken and bereft, and it is the variety of this chorus of voices which makes this collection a joy to read.  Combined with the writer'...

The Bit in Between Claire Varley Macmillan,  (RRP $29.99) August 2015 'Writing a love story is a lot easier than living one.'  So reads the tag line on the cover of The Bit in Between , a novel that sits somewhere on the spectrum of modern romantic comedies.  Like 2013's phenomenal breakaway bestseller The Rosie Project , The Bit in Between is an insightful exploration of the ups and downs of the modern relationship, and follows two twenty-somethings just trying to find their way.  The writer referred to is Oliver, a Greek-Australian whose first novel was published to critical acclaim but with an ending he felt lacked literary integrity.  After a trip to Greece to visit family and work on his second novel takes a tragi-comic turn, he returns home.  In the airport in Malaysia, he meets Alison, herself returning from a failed romantic experiment in China with a dreamy but self-absorbed poet.  Their meet-cute is anything but; as they wait for the...

Thanks to Lauren and Simon for accompanying me on this bookish odyssey! Bookshops are an important part of every community.  They are a place where you can find a book to pique any interest, and answer questions that you didn't know you needed to ask.  They are places to escape, places to explore and places to experience.  They are magic.  They cure sadness and loneliness and sometimes even stomach aches!  (True story, I swear) We didn't make it to all the amazing bookshops in Perth today, as there are only so many hours in a day and that would have been an expensive exercise, but here are some of the places we went. STOP 1:  Beaufort Street Books, Mount Lawley The staff at Beaufort Street Books are some of the most well-read in Perth, and they're also responsible for a heck of a lot of great events.  From author talks to movie nights to bookshop yoga and cooking book club, you'll find something fun to do on every visit.  You may even find...

I'm a bit late getting this one done.  For some reason July is always my least favourite month.  It's so busy, and it occurs at a point in the year where I can see how few of my goals I have achieved and how many things I still have left to do.  That's not to say some amazing things did not happen this month; for example, I ran an event at work with Stephanie Bishop, whose book The Other Side of the World I really enjoyed.  But on the whole, July was a month of adjusting and stress. I still found some time to read, so here is a lovely picture of the books I read last month. Island Issue 136 I bought this issue a shamefully long time ago and it's been my gym book... yes, I do read on the treadmill when I go to the gym and I am sure the other people there are staring at me.  I wouldn't know, I'm too busy reading.  Highlight in this issue is the story by Laurie Steed, which is framed as an interview with Deborah Triesman  from the New Yorker Fict...