This Week

Melbourne Writers Festival

Over the weekend I attended Melbourne Writers Festival. I always try to make sure that I attend something at the festival, and this time I was able to attend three events.

On Saturday, we attended an In Conversation with Anita Heiss which was facilitated by Shelley Ware. This was a wide ranging conversation from being a method writer to the inclusion of indigenous people in Australian stories to the plight of children in the current situation. Heiss' latest book, which was originally an Audible original, is called Red Dust Running and features an Indigenous cowboy so both of the presenters were dressed up in jeans, boots and cowboy hats. I have met Anita Heiss before and she is always engaging too listen too, very funny, and yet covering important topics!

On Sunday, I attended two sessions. The first was too hear Japanese author Asako Yuzuki who was interviewed by cookbook author and TV host Alice Zaslavsky. The conversation covered topics from food, the roles and expectations of women in modern Japanese society, and so much more. Like last year when we saw Toshikazu Kawaguchi in conversation, this was a translater assisted session, and she did an amazing job. There was a lady behind us who spoke Japanese relatively well and at the end of the session she was gushing about how well the translator did!

The final session was Australian author Jane Harper In Conversation with Irish author Marian Keyes. Keyes got a rapturous welcome from the moment that she walked on stage and she kept the audience engaged from the outset. I am pretty sure Harper could have asked just one question and just let Marian Keyes talk for the whole hour. One of the highlights of the conversation included the news that there is a TV series being made of the Walsh sisters books which has been sold to an Australian streaming service. It is going to be shown in Ireland later this year so hopefully we won't have to wait too long for it here! The audience laughed and clapped all the way through the hour and there was a real buzz in the room. I am so glad to have had the chance to hear her talk live. Now I wish I had time to go back and re-read all the Walsh sisters books!

I have some other photos from the two days on my Bookstagram account - Intrepidreaderandbaker.

While the festival doesn't feel the same as it did a few years ago when it was over two weekends, it was heavily promoted as a city event and there was a real buzz in the host locations, it is an event that really fills my cup. And the bonus is we get to visit some iconic Melbourne locations as well. One if the Capitol Theatre which usually isn't open to the public. This place is gorgeous! And the ceiling - amazing art deco style!

I'm reading

I mentioned last week that I was reading The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson as it is the current selection for Cook the Books. I finished that book this week, and I know what I am going to cook for the cooking part of the equation. Now I just need to find the time to make it, hopefully this week. 

I also finished The House At River's Edge by Rachel Burton, which I reviewed here.

The other book that I had to read last week as I had committed to a review date was Booked for Summer by Kathryn Freeman. I reviewed that book here. 

Even though I have two books to review this week that I haven't started yet, I started reading An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack. I really like this author's books and so far this is a good one too. 

I also started The Madamoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester. I went and heard her speak a couple of weeks ago and the story that she told about the main character in this book was fascinating. This is one of the two book club books that we will be talking about at the Rachael Johns Readers Retreat this coming weekend. I think that there is every chance that I might be reading the other book on the plane on the way over to Perth!

I'm watching


We are very lucky here as there are often film festivals which bring movies to the big screen that I would otherwise never hear about. The German Film Festival is currently on, and one of the two movies that I really wanted to see was the book to screen adaptation of the Door to Door Bookstore. I read the book last year and liked it. I was a bit surprised to see that it had been made into a very family friendly movie and I thought it a sweet movie. There was almost a cartoonish feel to it from some of the costumes to the sets and more. It also shared the magic of books and story, about the importance of found family and the impact of grief. 

On Saturday night my husband and I went to see Thunderbolts, the latest Marvel movie, and it was really good! Definitely felt like a return to form. 

We also watched a new Netflix documentary called Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. Before watching this show I had no idea what a pangolin even looked like. It is made by the same people who made My Octopus Teacher and once again it is a really nicely made documentary. 

Here's the trailer:

Life

Not much more to add here really

Posts from the last week



Top Ten Tuesday: Authors Attending the Rachael Johns Readers Retreat

Blog Tour: One More Day of Us by Shari Low

Blog Tour: The House at River's Edge by Rachel Burton

Blog Tour: Booked for Summer by Kathryn Freeman

Weekend Cooking: The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe by Catherine Greer

Sunday Salon: Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - April stats






I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz