Author Archives: andyq

Book Review: Anne Tyler’s Back When We Were Grown Ups

Posted on 26 November 2011 by andyq

Back When We Were Grown Ups by Anne Tyler My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’ve read a few Anne Tyler novels, way back when, and obviously liked them enough to keep returning to them. She creates memorable, fully-dimensional characters … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Anita Desai’s The Zigzag Way

Posted on 21 November 2011 by andyq

The Zigzag Way by Anita Desai My rating: 3 of 5 stars At university, with the incomparable Geoffrey Eathorne as our professor for our Commonwealth Literature course at Trent University in Canada, I read Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day. … Continue reading →

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Film Review: We need to talk about Kevin

Posted on 17 November 2011 by andyq

The film, ‘We need to talk about Kevin’, has gotten some great reviews – I’d heard the buzz, so when my buddy John told me about free tickets to a preview here in Sydney, I readily agreed. Tilda Swinton is … Continue reading →

Posted in Stuff, Theatre/Concert Review | 4 Comments

Restaurant Review: Spiedo, Sydney

Posted on 23 October 2011 by andyq

Monday is the night that restaurants often close in Sydney, so a fantastic option is to wander to the new Westfield in the CBD and try some of the hot new restaurants that are open. We chose Spiedo, mostly because … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Michael Chabon’s Gentlemen of the Road

Posted on 23 October 2011 by andyq

Michael Chabon is one of those names that I scan bookshelves for, all on the basis of one book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was a big, substantial novel with ideas and history, whimsy and sadness, and … Continue reading →

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R.I.P. Visual Library, hello Goodreads?

Posted on 20 October 2011 by andyq

Through facebook I discovered the application ‘Visual Library’ and I really did like it. You typed in a book name, and it showed up on your screen where you could not only click that you’ve read it, or owned it, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr

Posted on 11 October 2011 by andyq

A while back, I read an article in The Guardian about two perfume experts who fell in love and wrote a guide called ‘Perfumes: A-Z’. I made a mental note to buy the book sometime. I’m not passionate or well-versed … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Books | 4 Comments

Postcards

Posted on 9 October 2011 by andyq

Remember postcards? That you send through the post? I still see them for sale, but does anyone send them anymore? I certainly don’t. I remember a short phase where e-postcards were created. But it was still easier to just find … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Things Done, Stuff | Leave a comment

Best recipes of 2011

Posted on 3 October 2011 by andyq

OK. I know that 2011 isn’t over yet, but I’m not sure I can wait til the end of the year to share these recipes. They almost fit together as a meal (a ridiculously large meal) as there is an … Continue reading →

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Farewell, goofball.

Posted on 16 September 2011 by andyq

I remember the same instinct from when J— died: if I could write it all down —the connections between the present and past, the mundane and grand, the private and public— maybe it would somehow make some sense. We knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Writing | 1 Comment