Stella Charls
Stella Charls is a former bookseller at Readings Carlton
Review — 24 Jul 2017
Pulse Points by Jennifer Down
Jennifer Down’s debut novel, Our Magic Hour, released last year, remains one of the most absorbing works of fiction I’ve had the pleasure of reading. This intimate, emotionally astute…
Review — 26 Jun 2017
The Answers by Catherine Lacey
With The Answers, Catherine Lacey asserts herself as one of contemporary fiction’s freshest young voices; her work captures the anxiety of uncertainty and the challenges of living in a…
Review — 25 Apr 2016
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Olivia Laing’s new book, The Lonely City, explores the connection between loneliness and creativity. Like her previous works, To the River and The Trip to Echo Spring, The…
Review — 26 Apr 2017
The Last Garden by Eva Hornung
The Last Garden is the highly anticipated new novel from Eva Hornung. Her last novel, Dog Boy, was shortlisted for numerous prizes and won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award…
Review — 27 Mar 2017
Universal Harvester by John Darnielle
It’s tempting to search for parallels between John Darnielle’s music (he’s singer-songwriter for The Mountain Goats) and his fiction. Universal Harvester, his highly anticipated second novel, follows the critically…
Review — 23 Feb 2017
Where Am I Going?
South Italian slacker Checco (Checco Zalone) is 39 and still living at home. He’s sexist, selfish and happy with his lot in life, working idly in his cushy public service…
Review — 26 Feb 2017
The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
When Sharon Kisses and Mel Vaught meet in college they bond instantly. Sharon is straight-laced and introspective; Mel manic and the life of any party. Both are from the rural…
Blog post — 15 Dec 2016
Five books I’m still thinking about (months after reading them)
I am not a fast reader. I’m not able to whizz through hefty novels in a week let alone a night, I struggle to keep up with the new releases…
Review — 29 Jan 2017
Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett
Don’t be fooled by the size of Claire-Louise Bennett’s debut story collection, Pond. This slim volume of 20 stories, the shortest of which runs to a couple of sentences…
Review — 29 Jan 2017
The Trapeze Act by Libby Angel
The Trapeze Act, the debut novel from Australian writer Libby Angel, is an expertly layered, lyrical rumination on family and identity. Growing up in suburban Adelaide in the 1960’s…
