Leanne, on the "Gone with the Wind(Mill)" weblog, gives a short review of Tim Winton's Cloudstreet: "Some parts are comical and others quite touching. Winton has a poetic descriptive manner with an Aussie twang giving the story a realism it deserves. Would read again. Highly recommended."
In rounding up his October reading, Tim, on his "Sternezine" weblog, gives his impressions of Shane Maloney's first novel, Stiff (second last entry): "I have read some of the later Murray Whelan books, so it is a bit weird to go back to the first book in the series. It's still Maloney, and it's still Whelan, but it's not quite the same." He comes to the conclusion that it suffers from being a first novel in the main. The latter ones in the series are much better. I'd agree with the comment that it's a bit rough in places but it is still pretty funny.
Margo Lanagan is back at her weblog, explaining that "real life" (read as the paying stuff) intervened, hence her enforced absence. She gives
Ben Peek gives a good run-down on how a doctorate thesis is marked, in this case a novel.
It looks like the Patrick White Readers' Group is going to hold off on reading a new novel of White's in November. No decision has been finalised as yet, but as it's now November and nothing seems to be going on I suspect we can draw down the curtain on this month.
