It’s hard to know what to write about Hot Little Hands. The blurb on the back of the book promises that it ‘contains nine funny, confronting and pitch-perfect stories about stumbling on the fringes of innocence’. Yes, there are nine stories; and yes, they are confronting; but no, they are not funny. Definitely, not funny.

Hot under the collar with Hot Little Hands

5 things I learned about writing, publishing and Seinfeld
Unless you’ve been living under an Uluru-sized rock, or you live outside this land girt by sea, you may have missed that Charlotte Wood did indeed win the Stella Prize, as I predicted

The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion
As I read this book, I could imagine myself crushed up in seat 38C, with my economy overhead light on, engines rumbling in my ears, my eyes scratchy, skin dry, and still 7 hours to go as we pass across Singapore. The Rosie Effect is just the sort of book you want for a long haul flight. It’s humourous, has a plot, some endearing characters and isn’t overly taxing. It would similarly suit a lounge chair in the sun or a short hospital stay. This isn’t damning by faint praise – not every book has its place, but I’m clear that this one does.