Emily Paull

The Woman Next Door Liz Byrski Pan Macmillan 2016 (I own a copy courtesy the publisher) Best-selling West Australian fiction writer Liz Byrski is back in July 2016 with her eighth work of fiction, The Woman Next Door , which tells the story of a cast of characters who live or have once lived on fictional Fremantle location, Emerald Street.  As is to be expected, Byrski has created a colourful cast of characters who subvert the traditional tropes about what older characters should be like.  Emerald Street is a loving environment, where neighbours pop in and out of each others' houses with ease, and gates connect backyards to facilitate easier sessions for drinking and gossiping on the veranda.  At the beginning of the book, we meet our four households; Joyce and Mac who have decided to experiment with living apart for a year to pursue separate goals without actually separating; Dennis and Helen, whose move to a picturesque East Fremantle apartment hasn't brought them...

The Sidekicks (9780143309031) Penguin Books 2016 (I own a copy) A few weeks ago, I went along to a session of the Boffins Books Young Adult Book Club featuring Will Kostakis and Shivaun Plozza (author of Frankie ).  I had already bought a copy of The Sidekicks  when it had first come out a month or so earlier, intrigued by the concept behind the book. What if three people all had the same best friend, but weren't friends with each other?  What if the best friend died?  Where would that leave the other three people? These are the questions that Ryan, Harley and Miles must face after the death of their best friend Isaac in an accident.  From the outset, Miles is adamant that the three of them are not friends, but without Isaac around, each of them discovers that the world is a much lonelier place, even if not all of them are totally alone.  Ryan is the school's champion swimmer, a golden boy whose mother also happens to be Head of English at the s...

Today was a good writing day. Not necessarily because I did any good writing. It was the kind of day, which, at the end of it, left me feeling as if I would actually make progress on my book, if only I could string a few more of these good writing days together. Every writer is different in their approach to writing.  There are all sorts of bits of advice floating around the internet, everything from "Write in bed" (which I was once a fan of, but now cannot accomplish because I fall asleep) to "Treat it like a job."  I've tried both approaches.  I've tried writing in pyjamas and I've tried writing in a pencil skirt and high heels.  The truth is, all of that is just another way of procrastinating.  And in all projects, there comes a time when the only way to get the book written is to do the work. I typically have one day a week at the moment which is my Writing Day, and I am fiercely protective of it in the sense that I don't make social enga...

While I didn't have time to do a video last month for my reading wrap up, I had a few requests for another recording, so for May's reading round up, I thought I would record a podcast! (Upside of a podcast is I don't even have to bother changing out of my pyjamas if I don't want to.) I'm trying out Soundcloud, though I don't know if that's the best service to be going with so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know in the comments. As I say in the video, I only read seven books in May (and three of those were actually in the last week.)  In June, I am hoping to read ten or more. Books mentioned: The World According to Garp by John Irving The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester Dear Vincent by Mandy Hagar The Art of the Novel ed. Nicholas Royle The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte Brooklyn by Colm Toibin Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody Best book of the month: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte Have you read any ...