BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
So we live in Dunedin again. The Burns Effect is real.
I start my new job (Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager at the University of Otago) after the long weekend (9 Feb). It's gonna be great.
MUSIC
BOOKS
Turns out moving to a different island is great for your reading/audiobook listening. Lots of cleaning, lots of gardening, lots of books churned through.
Autumn by Ali Smith (novel, 2016, UK, audiobook)
Promised
I’d re-read this after finishing the other three books in the seasonal quartet
in 2020… Still great. My altar to Ali Smith is progressing well.
New Waves by Kevin Nguyen (novel, 2020, US, audiobook)
Strong
debut novel that deals with gender, race and privilege through a fairly
straight-forward narrative set in New York’s start-up scene.
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (novel, 2020 [translation], Japan, audiobook)
Never warmed to this one. These things happen.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (novel, 2020 [translation], Japan, audiobook)
A gem. I loved it from the first sentence. I worried for a bit that it was
going to swerve too much into the territory of Convenience Store Woman,
but it remained enough of it’s own thing to be a triumph!
Sisters by Daisy Johnson (novel, 2020, UK, audiobook)
A short
novel that trades almost completely on an atmosphere of dread. Felt like I’ve
been told this story before.
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (short stories, 2020, US, audiobook)
I’d never heard of Danielle Evans but the title
intrigued me and I was really impressed with these short stories (one of which
is billed as a novella, but it’s just a long story IMO).
Whatever It Takes by Paul Cleave (novel, 2019, NZ, audiobook)
I enjoyed this. Starts off at a rollicking pace and pays off in
the right places.
Rules of Prey by John Sandford (novel, 1989, US, audiobook)
Ugh, it’s official: I never want to read/watch/listen to anything that
includes extended sections from the perspective of the killer ever again. That
shit can fuck right off.
A Neon Darkness by Lauren Shippen (novel, 2020, US, audiobook)
The second Bright Sessions novel. This one is set well before the time period
covered in the podcast (which I haven’t listened to), but ironically I think it
needed that prior investment in the Damien character to fully hit its straps.
The First Bad Man by Miranda July (novel, 201X, US, audiobook)
Did it go on too long, or maybe just take a little long getting there? Maybe the endorphins from the drastic brain re-wiring enacted by the first couple of chapters wore off by the two-thirds mark? Still v. good.
Bluffworld by Patrick Evans (novel, 2021, NZ, physical book)
I’ve reviewed this for The Listener... should hit shelves in early March. Here's the cover, which didn't fit in the collage...
Turns out moving to a different island significantly reduces your screentime. Hurrah! The only thing I can recall is: I May Destroy You - Season 1.
