Category Archives: Book

Book review: David Lebovitz’s Drinking French

Posted on 13 April 2020 by andyq

Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes by David Lebovitz My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m a huge fan of Lebovitz’s blog and website, and his regular newsletter, having discovered them around … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Shaun Tan’s The Arrival

Posted on 3 April 2020 by andyq

The Arrival by Shaun Tan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. I’m stunned by this book. I’ve read a lot of comic books in my time, and some graphic novels, so on first glance, I wondered how the format … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Posted on 29 March 2020 by andyq

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was stunned by this book. Immediately, on entering it, it’s clear that the story will be unconventional. A letter to a mother. An autobiography? A … Continue reading →

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Book Review: David Sedaris’s When You are Engulfed in Flames

Posted on 28 March 2020 by andyq

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve enjoyed Sedaris’s writing in the past, and possibly even more so, hearing him speak at a writer’s festival. He’s funny. Occasionally, he produces a … Continue reading →

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Book Review: André Aciman’s Call Me

Posted on 18 January 2020 by andyq

Find Me by André Aciman My rating: 1 of 5 stars A ridiculous, overwritten ode to romanticism and wish fulfilment, it’s so bad it may have ruined my affection for the prequel. If you are reading this, I am guessing … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Posted on 12 January 2020 by andyq

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s an impressive feat, to tell the history of humankind, in a relatively short amount of pages, and Harari does it in a voice … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here

Posted on 12 January 2020 by andyq

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’d seen it on a few top-10 lists, and was intrigued by the praise and the premise. It is immediately engaging with a funny, likeable hero, Lillian, … Continue reading →

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2019 in lists: concerts & shows, theatre, books, movies, TV

Posted on 31 December 2019 by andyq

Concerts, Shows, Theatre, Exhibitions & Words Sasha Velour’s Smoke and Mirrors, the Enmore Theatre. See review here. Jane Siberry in concert at the Camelot Lounge, Sydney. Jane Siberry hosting Songwriters in the Round at the Estonian House, Sydney. Bent Burlesque, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Gabriel Garciá Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Posted on 26 September 2019 by andyq

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez My rating: 5 of 5 stars Published in 1981, the year before he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, this book is slim. But I remember hearing about it, and wondered … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Ali Smith’s How to be both (fiction)

Posted on 10 March 2019 by andyq

How to Be Both by Ali Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m bowled over by this book. I had no expectations and hadn’t heard anything about it. Neither did the cover photo of the singers Sylvie Vartan and … Continue reading →

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