Category Archives: Book

Book Review: Michael Merzenich’s Soft-Wired

Posted on 21 May 2018 by andyq

Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life by Michael Merzenich My rating: 2 of 5 stars Soft-wired is an odd mix of relentlessly cheery home-spun wisdom and science. While the scientific basis for being able … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Elena Ferrante’s The Story of a New Name

Posted on 6 May 2018 by andyq

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante My rating: 5 of 5 stars My Brilliant Friend was childhood and the end of childhood. The Story of a New Name takes us and our two heroines from this point … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Susan Cain’s Quiet

Posted on 4 May 2018 by andyq

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain My rating: 3 of 5 stars I happened to win the book ‘Quiet’ as a Christmas party book giveaway; everyone got a book, though we … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend

Posted on 22 March 2018 by andyq

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante My rating: 5 of 5 stars There was no question on finishing this book that I’d be reading the rest of the novels… but I was surprised at how I swept into it. First, … Continue reading →

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2017 in lists (Concerts & shows, theatre, books, movies, TV)

Posted on 31 December 2017 by andyq

Concerts, Shows, Theatre & Words Ladies in Black, Lyric Theatre, January: An Australian homegrown musical with music by Tim Finn of Crowded House, this show got great reviews when it was being developed a year go… though the reviews of … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Simon Fitzmaurice’s It’s Not Yet Dark

Posted on 8 October 2017 by andyq

It’s Not Yet Dark: A Memoir by Simon Fitzmaurice My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a filmmaker, Simon Fitzmaurice knows how to tell a story. His memoir ‘It’s Not Yet Dark’, is written with an engaging narrative and voice … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell’s The Disaster Artist

Posted on 7 October 2017 by andyq

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero My rating: 3 of 5 stars A friend brought me to a screening of “The Room”, a terrible movie, this generation’s Rocky Horror … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things

Posted on 2 October 2017 by andyq

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber My rating: 4 of 5 stars Sometimes a story about a book is enough to get me to read the book itself… and a Guardian profile, describing how Faber has decided … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Jack Viertal’s The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built

Posted on 5 June 2017 by andyq

The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built by Jack Viertel My rating: 3 of 5 stars If you’re a fan of musicals, this is a fun book, for have you ever really stopped to ponder … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Edmund White’s Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris

Posted on 5 June 2017 by andyq

Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris by Edmund White My rating: 2 of 5 stars I bought Edmund White’s Inside a Pearl almost as a reflex action. I was at Sydney’s gay bookstore, The Bookshop Darlinghurst, and like to … Continue reading →

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