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But before you do that (or, hey, INSTEAD of doing that!), let’s get to that short, snappy, possibly weekly roundup of what’s going on round here.
News
For the first time ever, I guested on a podcast - though I’ve been a radio guest before - and it was super fun! You can already tell, if you don’t know me in real life, that I’m quite the chatter, so it wasn’t hard to talk about myself for 25 minutes! (I promise it will be interesting to people who are not my mum or my boyfriend.)
It’s not out yet so I’ll let you know when it is - and other details, like which podcast it was. Quite the cliffhanger…
What I’m reading
It’s a corker! Vicki Laveau-Harvey’s The Erratics won the 2019 Stella Prize, so this is hardly breaking news. But if, like me, you’re resistant to being told what to read by prizes, let me reassure you that this one is worth the library waiting list. (Yes, I often get my books from the library. And yes, library users still support the local publishing industry - authors get a little payment whenever someone borrows one of their books.)
I read this in just two sittings: it’s a cracking memoir about how the author, who lives in Australia, dealt with her ageing parents back home in Canada. Mum is absolutely crackers in a truly frightening way, Dad is stolidly enduring but suffering.
Brilliant, un-self-pitying writing and some fabulous descriptions of the Canadian countryside.
What I’m listening to
I’m quite the pod-cat - to borrow a phrase from The High Low show. (It just means I listen to a lot of podcasts.) The High Low isn’t my recommendation this week, though - or rather, it is if you don’t already listen to it, because it’s fab.
But my actual podcast rec this week is Talking Australia. It’s from Australian Geographic magazine, whom admittedly I do some freelance writing for, but I’d recommend it even if I didn’t. Great guests, great host - great mag, too! Check it out.
Where I’m walking
Did not spot a church. Did spot a point. Very pretty, rather smoky thanks to the bushfires (you can donate here). 10/10, would go back.
That’s all folks, see you next week!