Over the weekend several Australian writers nominated their favourite reads of 2016, and we here at Scribe were very pleased to see some of the fantastic books we’ve released this year represented.
Kim Mahood’s Position Doubtful, a memoir of the Tanami desert country in far north-western Australia, received high praise from Tim Winton: ‘My book of the year … If anyone's written more beautifully and modestly about this country and its people I'm not aware of it. I think it's a treasure.’
Jacinta Halloran called Position Doubtful ‘an eloquent meditation’ and Lisa Gorton said, ‘Mahood's account of mapping that country with its traditional owners is sometimes lyrical, sometimes elegiac, sometimes grouchy, often funny and always alive to complexity.’
Also receiving high praise on the list was Georgia Blain’s moving account of family relationships, love, and loss, Between a Wolf and Dog. Charlotte Wood said, ‘I've banged on all year about Georgia Blain's Between a Wolf and a Dog. Whenever I need reminding of the preciousness of ordinary life I return to this stunning novel of forgiveness and family, which gives clear, beautiful voice to the fierce luck of being alive.’ Toni Jordan called it, ‘a heartbreaking, beautiful novel.’
Abigail Ulman mentioned Melissa Broder’s So Sad Today, and gave a hat-tip to Scribe’s own Associate Art Director Allison Colpoys' stunning cover design: ‘Reading So Sad Today by Melissa Broder feels like eavesdropping on someone's juicy therapy session, without having to give any advice. Incidentally, it also has my favourite Australian book cover of the year.’
Graeme Simsion enjoyed John Elder Robison’s memoir of his experience with neurostimulation treatment for Autism from early in the year, Switched On, calling it ‘a fascinating, if technical, account of his experiences’.
Congratulations to Kim, Georgia, Melissa, and John — and stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter feeds where we'll share more end of year lists as 2017 approaches.
