Archive (Page 3) • Topic Sentence • Buttondown

Bibliopath #9: In which we aspire to Indian giving

September 30, 2016

Dear reader, There's a book that keeps on coming up in my conversations, but, I don't know, maybe you wouldn't be interested. Maybe it's not quite for you....

Bibliopath #8: In which we get our Hebrides on

September 16, 2016

Dear reader, I wonder if you'd like The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith? Actually, no, I'm pretty sure you will. I stole this recommendation from a...

Bibliopath #7: In which a girl gets magic

September 2, 2016

Dear reader, You know, I was wondering if you'd like Uprooted by Naomi Novik? It was originally recommended via Katharine as part of the ebook secret Santa...

Bibliopath #6: In which an eldest sibling siblings

July 22, 2016

Dear reader, A friend linked to this fascinating article, "Too Fast, Too Furious" from n+1. It is one part screed against the hastening pace of postmodern...

Bibliopath #5: In which we bask in the love of a woman of letters

July 7, 2016

Dear reader, This book is for Casey, and anyone else who loves sharing in a love of books. It's 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, and before you ask,...

Bibliopath #4: In which a boy's life is *actually* changed by bird paintings

June 30, 2016

Dear reader, Sharp-eyed readers might have noticed a mismatch between the subject line and last week's Bibliopath, simply because I changed my mind about the...

Bibliopath #3: In which a boy's life is changed by bird paintings

June 24, 2016

Dear reader, Contentment is a strangely fading treasure. Like humility, as soon as you think you have it, that your quest is over, it fades away again in...

Bibliopath #2: In which a priest battles Communists, talks with Jesus

June 16, 2016

Dear reader, Thank you for your surfeit of replies about the reboot and rebaptism of Bibliopath. I really do enjoy getting emails from all of you, but...

Bibliopath #1: The Email Newsletter formerly known as Things I've Read

June 10, 2016

Dear reader, In reply to my last email, Sonia emailed me about bibliotherapists at last month's Sydney Writers' Festival. Like a therapist, you booked in an...

Things I've Read, June 2016: Tear It Down (and important bits)

June 3, 2016

Dear reader, Reasons I've been procrastinating about this letter: I somehow have both more things to do and less things to do than I have for a while;I...

Things I've Read, March 2016: Matters

March 30, 2016

Dear reader, I've just managed to catch March by the tail, in bringing this to you. It was a long and somewhat forlorn summer, one in which I read, one in...

Things I've Read, December 2015: Content (and annual eBook Secret Santa swap!)

December 10, 2015

Dear reader, It's been sort of a strange year. And lately, I've been reminded and reminding myself of the simple things: - No really, you should exercise. -...

Things I've Read, November 2015: Pathfinding

November 19, 2015

Dear reader, I think sometimes about how stories shape us. In this Michael Jensen article, "Stories We Live By", he posits a thought experiment about what we...

Things I've Read, October (!) 2015: Escaping the Fraud Police

October 2, 2015

Dear reader, Let's begin with the fear. I fear that people won't want to read this after a long silence. I fear that I won't have admirable things to say. I...

Things I've Read, May 2015: Stuck and um, stuck

June 22, 2015

Dear reader, I've been a little bit stuck. So stuck that I completely missed last month's letter, and for that I apologise. I have no shame in saying that I...

Things I've Read, April 2015: Things of Quiet Beauty

April 23, 2015

Dear reader, This one is later than usual, and I apologise for that. Partly I've been reading less widely this month since I've started digging into the book...

Things I've Read, March 2015: Finding Rhythm

March 12, 2015

Dear reader, I've been thinking about colour. People of colour to be exact. About the way that race is perceived, and the inherent racism of the comment "I...

Things I've Read, February 2015: Mostly about stories really

February 10, 2015

Dear reader, A terrible thing happened in this last month. I looked up from my Kindle and admitted it to Mary: "I don't feel like reading." It's been that...

Things I've Read, January 2015: Misspent titles and Newbery winners

January 14, 2015

Dear reader, It's been sort of a strange summer for reading. Maybe that's because we haven't been able to make it away on holidays yet, but I have such a...

Things I've Read, Dec 2014: Best Presents for Writers

December 11, 2014

Dear reader, Gosh, this is hard. I own a lot of books about writing. I own twenty-two books about writing, which is a little embarrassing, especially since...