Chris Gordon
Chris Gordon is the community engagement and programming manager. She also writes on the topics of gardening and cooking for the Readings Monthly.
Review — 26 Mar 2024
Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan
I found Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan’s last novel, such a cosy read about youth, music, and everlasting friendships. Here, in Caledonian Road, he tackles similar themes, but ‘cosiness’ is…
Review — 25 Mar 2024
The Work by Bri Lee
Bri Lee’s foray into fiction should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following this smart and perceptive writer. Reflected in her nonfiction work are the issues…
Review — 25 Mar 2024
Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll
One of Steven Carroll’s superpowers as a novelist is to look back at history and make very astute observations about how society works. We have seen this skill in his…
Review — 25 Mar 2024
Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan
Should a story, which begins in a suburb you know well, which involves sexual assault, and ends in the middle of nowhere, come with a warning even if there is…
Blog post — 7 Mar 2024
Best food and gardening books of the month, with Chris Gordon
The Mediterranean Cook by Meni Valle
Meni Valle is a teacher and a culinary tour guide in the Mediterranean. This is excellent news because it means her recipes are easy…
Review — 26 Feb 2024
One Another by Gail Jones
A story within another story. A research thesis within a distraction. Layer upon layer, Gail Jones has skilfully woven multiple narratives into a tightly held novel that will undo the…
Review — 25 Jan 2024
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Campus novels are all the rage, aren’t they? That intoxicating mix of students going wild and the power held by academic sorts. Love affairs. Friendships. Enormous questions about life choices…
Blog post — 2 Nov 2023
News from the Readings x Ubud Writers and Readers Festival trip
Recently our own Mark Rubbo and Chris Gordon accompanied a group of Melbourne readers to the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival.
First, and most importantly Mark Rubbo and I were…
Blog post — 21 Nov 2023
The best food and gardening books of the month, with Chris Gordon
Eat Lao by Sam Sempill
Sam Sempill is a Lao-born Australian textile artist and architect with a certain magical cooking skill developed through years spent in the kitchen with her…
Review — 23 Oct 2023
The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey
‘Home is where the heart is,’ says everyone everywhere, but here in this unique novel, Amanda Lohrey asks why people are driven to make a space their own. Fans of…
