Margo Lanagan's Blog, page 19

Causing angst

goes head to head with her uncomfortableness with depictions of casual sex in a review of How Beautiful the Ordinary:

I've got severely mixed feelings about [the anthology:]. My conservative side is screaming that the depictions of sex are too blatant for teenagers, while the side of me that recognizes reality points out that kids know about sex already. And anything that will lead teens to a better understanding of themselves and others is probably a good thing...'A...

My not-very-secret vice

Yes, Twitter. I believe this is becoming for me what some people inelegantly call a 'time-suck'. If you're wondering what I'm up to and want to read a fragmented, indiscreet and frequently outright rude version of things, you can find me over there as @margolanagan.

Horn Book review of TM audio book

Martha Parravano writes:

Entirely appropriate for a story in which sexual politics/oppression plays so great a role, the audiobook is narrated by one male and one female reader, each superb — Page lusty and loud; Flosnik gentle and subdued — and each doing full justice to Lanagan's vivid prose. Those who found the opening chapters too brutal to read in print should, with this outstanding audio version, be propelled all the way through to the life-affirming ending.

(via @sixboxes on Twitter)

Home from hols...

...and facing the new year. *takes deep breath*

Okay, things I know will happen:Harry will do his HSC.Tender Morsels will come out as a YA paperback here in Australia and in the US, and as an adult trade paperback in the UK, in February.I'll work at UNSW until the end of March.I'll go to Perth in February, New Zealand in March and Byron Bay in May.I'll finish the selkie novel (by end March, I hope).I'll start that historical novel that I got the NSW Writer's Fellowhsip for—fortunately, I've...

Later

Yes, well, the reading pace has slowed down, as we had house guests for a couple of days. But I'm enjoying Joan London's The Good Parents, and wondering if I can cram in Ann Enright's The Gathering before Saturday when we leave.

Guests have gone now, weather is perfect. The Summer People have descended, so it's not as peaceful as it was, but there are compensations in seeing the tiny children discovering the delights of the beach.

Three more days...

Happy New Year, everyone!

Holiday blog

It's going well, weather changeable, bit damp at the moment. I'm sitting in Ulladulla Macca's, aka The Madhouse, among all the Boxing Day travellers. Rain falling outside.

I've been reading like a glutton:David Metzenthen's Black WaterSophie Cunningham's Geography Charlotte Wood's The Submerged CathedralJennifer's Draft-Swap novelE. L. Doctorow's Homer and Langleyi've also drafted a short story, swum in the sea, walked on the beach, driven around with Harry to get the hours up in his Learner's...

Off to the beach

I'm off on holidays now. It probably won't make a lot of difference, blogging-wise, but just so you know. I'll be checking emails maybe twice during that time, so it'll be a few days before I get back to you, if you need to get in touch.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

'Grisly relish'—curses, she's onto me!

Here's a great review by one of Raych's mates:

But the sort of suppressed sexuality barely hinted at in the original is in Lanagan's book explored with a great deal of confidence (and sometimes rather grisly relish) for the book begins and ends with gang rape and there's a whole bunch of alternately compelling and disturbing looks at human-animal sex in between.

If you're disturbed by the notion of human-animal sex being compelling, just make yourself feel better by thinking of this book as...

Useful recipes

Included with a piece of Viagra spam:

TO MAKE CLEAR GELLY OF BRAN Take two pound of the broadest open Bran of the best Wheat, and put it to infuse in a Gallon of Water, during two or three days, that the water may soak into the pure flower, that sticks to the bran. Then boil it three or four walms, and presently take it from the fire, and strain it through some fine strainer. A milky substance will come out, which let stand to settle about half a day. Pour off the clear water, that swimmeth...

Dani made me do it

'You haven't updated your blog since the 27TH OF NOVEMBER!' she said. Also, she was cranky that I hadn't mentioned her by name. So here I am, salving my conscience on two counts.

Today I am writing selkies (Dani knows about the selkies—she read about them back in, when was it, Dani? February? Early, anyway.), specifically, the first third of the novel, which is the witch Messkeletha's story—and actually, she gets the best deal out of the whole selkie matter, but of course she can't get away wi...