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SarahM

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So far SarahM has created 134 blog entries.

Kate’s reviews: three fab books in five minutes

2021-09-01T16:17:57+10:00Categories: Episodes|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
Word of Mouth TV's Kate Forsyth offers three inspiring book reviews to keep the lockdown demons at bay. There's a choice of The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers by Kerry Turner, Fury by Kathryn Heyman and Only Happiness Here - In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim by Gabrielle Carey. Enjoy!

Kate’s review – A Universe of Sufficient Size

2020-09-28T16:32:34+10:00Categories: Episodes|Tags: , , , , , |

Kate's review
We hope all our followers are faring well during Covid-19 and that perhaps books are proving a great comfort to those in isolation. Kate reviews Miriam Sved's latest novel, A Universe of Sufficient Size. Kate reads many books but felt this one really deserved a review. It follows the fortunes of five mathematicians as the Holocaust presses in.

Hello Ladies! … and Gents … farewell for now

2020-03-15T13:12:34+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , |

What's up and coming
Hello Ladies! and Gents ... Thank you for joining us for our season finale with Debra Oswald and Richard Glover – and what a season it’s been. We’ve interviewed such a wonderful range of Australian writers, from debut writers to seasoned pros, and covered so much ground. Now that the season is over, we intend to celebrate – over lunch and champagne of course – and plan the future of Word of Mouth TV. We intend to continue but there will be a few changes. In the meantime: Good reading!!

Straight from the authors’ mouths

2020-03-07T14:57:44+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Recommended Reads
One would think upon reading Crazy Rich Asians that it is too shallow and stereotyped to be worthy of a recommended read. But that's the whole point. For those who know anything about Singapore, where the book is set, this book couldn't be closer to the truth - and there lies the humour and literary merit. Meanwhile, Kate has taken the high-brow road and recommends Tracking the Seven Sisters by Margo Neale, explores the history and meaning of songlines, the Dreaming or creation tracks that criss-cross Australia.

Sylvia Plath’s adoration of the avocado

2020-02-27T16:08:59+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
To celebrate Richard Glover's book, The Land Before Avocado, set in Australia in the 1970s, we have opted for another modern author, Sylvia Plath, as the subject of our iconic literary food moment. Plath never experienced the 1970s, having committed suicide in 1963, not long after she published her novel The Bell Jar. But it is a fairly safe bet that she would have found the prospects for women in the 1970s just as dreary as for women in the 1950s and 1960s. As Richard stresses in his book, we have come a long way.

Straight from the authors’ mouths

2020-02-25T20:28:38+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Recommended Reads
Our guest Debra Oswald, author of The Whole Bright Year has chosen An Odyssey by Daniel Mendelsohn as her recommended read for Word of Mouth TV. A novel that echoes the themes and circularity of the original Homerian epic; the second oldest surviving work of Western literature and the sequel to the Iliad, which is the oldest, An Odyssey reminds us of the universality of themes surrounding fathers and sons, trickery and truthfulness.

Remember me avocado, prawn and fennel cocktail

2020-02-24T22:09:19+11:00Categories: Recipes|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Portrait of a recipe
We chose to kick off our 1970s menu with Richard Glover and Debra Oswald with a prawn avocado and fennel cocktail, because it was the universal starter at restaurants around the world during the decade. Its popularity proved its downfall and these days it is considered incredibly retro, despite being a wonderful, classic dish. It tastes best served with champagne, so of course we found it irresistible. According to the website loveFood, it owes its origins to a California miner, although this is hotly disputed.

Straight from the authors’ mouths

2020-02-25T20:36:59+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Recommended reads
Prepare to take your seats (or beds) whatever the case may be as we have a slew of recommendations for our season finale. Richard Glover kicks off with You Daughters of Freedom by Clare Wright, a momumental history of the suffragist movement. Both Kate and Sarah are strong feminists, so it was right up our alley. Usually, we just run the publisher's blurb but to celebrate the finale, Kate has reviewed both Richard's and Debra Oswald's suggestions. Enjoy!

Richard Glover’s oh-so-70s Steak Diane

2020-02-29T15:45:03+11:00Categories: Recipes|Tags: , , , , , , |

Portrait of a recipe
We are having a 1970s and Auguste Escoffier double this episode. Not only did the chef Escoffier invent the Peach Melba, which we featured for Debra Oswald's novel The Whole Bright Year, he was also the first chef to mention sauce a la Diane in 1907, which we are featuring here to celebrate Richard Glover's book The Land Before Avocado. The dish of Steak Diane derives from the myth of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and hence its designated pairing with meat. Its modern incarnation is believed to have its genesis in the United States, and it was a very popular dish in restaurants in the 1970s.

Richard Glover’s take on 70s life and food

2020-02-25T18:32:00+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Author Q&A
ABC talk-radio presenter and author of The Land Before Avocado, Richard Glover, shares his thoughts on the 1970s with Word of Mouth TV. After incorporating extensive research and personal experience, he reminds us that the Australia of 50 years ago is not the great place that nostalgic, dewy-eyed boomers would have us believe: it was boring, insular, authoritarian and intolerant. Nor is our country going to the dogs; life has improved on nearly every metric. On the upside, he says going back in time offers a great opportunity to laugh at ourselves and to appreciate just how far we've come.