Cloudland Revisited by SJ Perelman review – the humorist who broke the mould
Book of the day
On the Couch: Writers Analyze Sigmund Freud review – the shrink’s shrink engagingly examined by Siri Hustvedt, Susie Boyt and others
June 2024
Books interview
Maggie Nelson: ‘I was overwhelmed with grief when Prince died’
The American author of The Argonauts on her latest collection of essays, how the Purple Rain star shaped her sexual development and the risks she takes in her writing
May 2024
Writing is lonely work but connecting with other novelists on zoom keeps me motivated
Jodi Wilson
It’s not pretty but conference calls at dawn keep us showing up. We’ve got novels to write, which is the only work we really want to do
Australian book reviews
Peripathetic by Cher Tan review – essays on punk, work and the internet are incredibly good fun
Tan’s fast-paced, acidic essays are guided by big ideas, drawing on her personal story to speak to the invisible, powerful forces that shape us all
Audiobook of the week
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin audiobook review – from the civil rights frontline
Book of the day
Like Love by Maggie Nelson review – music, passion and friendship
Australian book reviews
Excitable Boy by Dominic Gordon review – punchy tales of masculinity, sex and violence
March 2024
Book of the day
All Things Are Too Small by Becca Rothfeld review – bracing and brilliant essay collection
Audiobook of the week
A History of Women in 101 Objects by Annabelle Hirsch audiobook review – from hatpins to glass dildos
No Judgement by Lauren Oyler review – pointed views
The Performer: Art, Life, Politics by Richard Sennett review – all the world’s a stage, for better or worse
February 2024
Book of the day
Wrong Norma by Anne Carson review – unjoined-up thinking at its best
The poet’s new collection of mainly prose pieces on subjects as diverse as Flaubert, snow and Roget’s Thesaurus is a nonstop triumph
Book of the day
No Judgement by Lauren Oyler review – modish observations from a rarefied world
Despite occasional displays of wit and insight, the buzzy US critic’s ironic essays can feel airless and small
Namesake by NS Nuseibeh review – the pen and the sword
In a remarkable series of essays the Palestinian academic reflects on identity, religion, and her emancipated ancestor
January 2024
‘There is joy, and there is rage’: the new generation of novelists writing about motherhood
From the shock and awe of labour to domestic isolation, a wave of recent novels captures the transformative nature of being a mother
The Vast Extent by Lavinia Greenlaw review – a cabinet of curiosities
The poet’s kaleidoscopic essay collection asks ‘How do we make sense of what we see?’ – from photographs and sculptures to weather and human faces
There Is No Blue Martha Baillie review – a tough and tender family memoir
‘I want some light in my life’: eight writers make their new year reading resolutions
Ultimate summer reads
The ultimate summer reading list: 15 funny books to make you laugh
