I’ve been reading Helen Garner’s diaries before going to sleep. It’s fun to dip into the entries of this famous Australian writer. Like Janet Malcolm she is known for writing about a criminal trial in This House of Grief, which I am also reading right now.

I recently read the novel John of John by Douglas Stuart. He is the author of Shuggie Bain, which won the Booker prize and which I also loved. If you are interested in life on the islands of Scotland, or just like extraordinary writing, you might want to try this book. I happen to have friends from the MacLeod clan...that is what first drew me to the book, when I read a review. But there are many other features to recommend the book.