Yearning for an escape from her suburban isolation, the teenager loses herself in Walt Whitmanâs poetry and copies of Readerâs Digest. The book is written from Karunaâs quietly furious perspective, addressed to the baby growing within her as she feels her own life vanishing before her.
Pungâs own mother wanted to impose the confinement tradition for the authorâs first pregnancy, she says â but the baby was premature, so she had to go to hospital daily. (âI got the advantages â she made all the great food, but I didnât have to be trapped for a whole month at home,â Pung remembers.)
The delayed debutantes: inside the literary class of COVID-19
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Who needs a book launch when you could have a ball? The pandemic might have derailed plans for their booksâ releases last year, but Australiaâs newest authors will now have a chance to put the âdebâ in debutante.
The COVID-19 class of 2020 will be introduced to literary society at a Sydney Writersâ Festival event on Sunday evening. We discover the stories behind the stories of six very different new authors who will don a sash and sashay into the world of letters.
The delayed debutantes: inside the literary class of COVID-19 smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Phosphorescence: Julia Baird’s bestseller wins book of the year Elissa Blake
A comforting and inspiring read for many during the pandemic lockdown months, Julia Baird’s Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder And Things That Sustain You When The World Goes Dark was awarded book of the year on Wednesday night at the Australian Book Industry Awards in Sydney.
The event brought together publishers, writers and booksellers after a year that saw book sales soar during lockdowns.
Blending science writing and personal memoir, Baird’s bestselling book explores the impact of happiness and contentment on our health, weaving in the story of her cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgeries.
Phosphorescence: Julia Baird s bestseller wins book of the year | Books theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.