The Man in the High Castle Philip K. Dick Pages: Published: 1962 Despite the fact that some seventy years have transpired since fighting first broke out, WWII has remained firmly entrenched in our society’s collective consciousness. And rightfully so – we should never forget the pain, the horror and the sacrifices our forebears were forced [...]
The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway Pages: 127 Published: 1952 Hemingway has always been something of an enigma to me. Respected author, war hero, paragon of masculinity – his work should be pure, unadulterated awesome. But while I have attempted to read a bit of Hemingway in the past, I don’t think I’ve [...]
The Road Cormac McCarthy 2003 Pages: 256 Cormac McCarthy’s most recent novel, The Road, marks an astounding return to form for the celebrated writer, whose previous works include the critically acclaimed Blood Meridian and No Country for Old Men. In The Road, McCarthy imagines a future in which the planet has been stricken by an [...]
American Psycho has attracted more than its share of controversy since its publication in 1991. In Australia, it was the subject of intense public debate when the classification board decreed the book as too gratuitous with its depictions of sex and violence. As a result, the book was slapped with a R18+ rating upon its [...]
The release of Breaking Dawn in June of last year prompted a growing fascination with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga. When combined with the November release of the first book’s long-awaited film adaptation, the ever-growing hype reached a critical mass; sales figures exploded and the series was catapulted from relative obscurity to cultural phenomenon. Meyer’s meteoric [...]
This week, the title By the Bedside is a bit of a misnomer. I moved house this weekend and am yet to put in furniture, so my earthly possessions lay in a heap on the floor. But I can assure you that perched precariously at the pinnacle of the pile is a book perhaps worthy [...]
As part of a new series of articles on Swimming in the Nile, I bring you By the Bedside. Each week, I will discuss a book I’ve recently finished reading. In this way, I hope to strike up some interesting debate with those that have read it as well, or maybe make a recommendation or [...]