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El 47 - Film Review

Spanish Film Festival is on in Melbourne, and this beautifully crafted true-life drama about a bus driver from the outskirts of Barcelona was a good pick. Continue reading El 47 – Film Review

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MSO: A Reflection in Time @ Hamer Hall

Another wonderful night with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, featuring the ultimate tearjerker, a local violin wunderkind, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Continue reading MSO: A Reflection in Time @ Hamer Hall

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The Martian by Andy Weir - Book Review

“The movie was better than the book” is not something I say often, but to my surprise that’s how I felt about Weir’s red planet bestseller. Continue reading The Martian by Andy Weir – Book Review

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Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser - Book Review

I felt like revisiting one of my favourite historical biographies, exploring the relationships between the greatest monarch of his age and the women in his life. Continue reading Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser – Book Review

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Quote of the Day - Reading

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.“ — Gustave Flaubert

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Beth Gibbons @ Hamer Hall

I’m glad I had a chance to see the elusive Portishead lead singer live, but I wish I found the concert more emotionally engaging. Continue reading Beth Gibbons @ Hamer Hall

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12 Angry Men (1957) - Film Review

This blistering courtroom drama from director Sidney Lumet held me in such thrall from start to finish I didn’t dare pause it once. Continue reading 12 Angry Men (1957) – Film Review

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Top Ten Tuesday - Animal Companions

This week’s topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is all about the animal companions, whether they’re loyal, cuddly, amusing or terrifying. Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday – Animal Companions

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Le Chat Noir by Théophile Steinlen

This Art Nouveau poster, advertising a 19th-century Parisian cabaret, has been reproduced endlessly on mugs, cushion covers, tote bags and fridge magnets. Though it’s iconic to the point of cliché, I could not resist hanging a framed copy in my own living room.

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Challengers - Film Review

This Zendaya-starring, sweat-drenched tennis drama is stylish and luscious, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Continue reading Challengers – Film Review

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Born Yesterday - Film Review

This 1950 comedy-drama doesn’t quite overcome its stage origins, and its political satire may feel tame by today’s standards, but it’s elevated by Judy Holiday’s irresistible performance as a smart dumb blonde. Continue reading Born Yesterday – Film Review

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Rodrigo y Gabriela @ Northcote Theatre

My first time seeing the genre-bending Mexican guitar duo, who put on one of the most riveting and virtuosic live performances I’ve ever seen. Continue reading Rodrigo y Gabriela @ Northcote Theatre

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Intermezzo by Sally Rooney - Book Review

I remain unconvinced that this tale of two grieving brothers and their messy relationships with women in their lives needed to be told over four hundred pages, but all in all I enjoyed Sally Rooney’s latest. Continue reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney – Book Review

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Orbital by Samantha Harvey - Book Review

I had an interesting experience with this unusual novel, showing that sometimes you need to be in a right frame of mind to appreciate a book. Continue reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey – Book Review

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Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - Book Review

This collection of impressively varied sci-fi short stories is dry, cerebral and at times challenging, but ultimately I found it rewarding and stimulating in the best way science fiction can be. Continue reading Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang – Book Review

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Top Ten Tuesday - Books with Springy Covers

We’re actually moving into autumn down here in the southern hemisphere, but that’s no reason not to have fun with the spring theme from That Artsy Reader Girl. I won’t lie, I still miss the proper European spring I grew up with, especially all the beautiful wildflowers. Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Springy Covers

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MSO: Vivaldi and More @ Hamer Hall

Who doesn’t love Vivaldi’s Four Seasons? It’s one of my favourite pieces of classical music, and it was amazing to hear it live as performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Continue reading MSO: Vivaldi and More @ Hamer Hall