Emily Paull

Mr Wigg Inga Simpson Hachette Publishing 9780733630194 I'm a little bit late to the dinner table with this particular review; I admit, when I first received a copy of this book I was somewhat underwhelmed.   Mr Wigg  has the outward appearance of being a particularly beautiful book, but the blurb failed to engage me.  "It's a lot of work for an old man with shaking hands, but he'll give it a go, as he always has," teases the blurb, and I immediately thought that was all well and good but not really for me.  To quote a young lady I know "Cool story, bro- needs more dragons." Then, last week, I met Inga Simpson.    To put it very plainly, I don't think I would have read this book if I hadn't met Inga.  She is the best possible marketing resource for her work because she is funny, and warm, and generous with her time. In short, she must be a publisher's dream to work with.  While Inga was in the store (Bookcaffe Swanbourne), the...

Cicada Moira McKinnon 9781743315293 Allen and Unwin Some of the best novels I have read have been by first time novelists.  Perhaps this has something to do with how much work goes in to getting a publisher to put their faith in you.  I think that Cicada  by Moira McKinnon is a shining example of this.  It is a lyrical novel full of authentic Australian scenes, and on top of this, it is immensely enjoyable.  It is my great pleasure to invite you all to help my new friend Marlish Glorie to launch this book into the world on March the 7th 2014 at the home of the Fellowship of Australian Writers W.A.  But first, let me tell you more about the book. It is 1919, and Lady Emily Lidscombe is in labour with her first child.  The process is gruelling.  She is assisted only by her dark-skinned maids Wirritjil and Blackgirl, whom she regards as savages, but the women know what they are doing and finally, Joseph Lidscombe is born.  But somethi...

Sadly, today another Perth Writers Festival draws to a close.  It has been an amazing weekend, full of wisdom, and marked most noticeably by discussions which have renewed a zest for reading and literary critique which I have not felt since my time at Murdoch Uni nearly two years ago now.  To put this succinctly; this weekend, I felt smart again. I can now say with a degree of authority that how much you get out of these sorts of events is dependent on how much you put yourself into them.  Being presented with an opportunity, as the people of Perth are at this time each year, to come along and talk to, and more importantly listen to, writers from local and international backgrounds, is an important cultural institution that I hope never goes away or is diminished in any way.  In fact, I wish it were bigger.  This year for the first time I actually purchased tickets to some of the bigger events.  I was lucky enough to put myself in the same rooms as people...

According to this Staples test I read 137% faster than the average reader, and could be done with War and Peace in 17 hours.  Whoa. Take the test by clicking below. Source: Staples eReader Department Thanks to Emma Chapman for sharing this link! You can read Emma's Blog here.