Saturday, December 1, 2012

Ramona Koval at Hawthorn Library


As part of our National Year of Reading programme, it was a great pleasure to host an evening talk by Ramona Koval at the Hawthorn Library on 27 November.
Her new book 'By the Book: A Reader's Guide to Life' is a testament to both a deep personal and professional passion for literature. Ramona spoke of the many books which had made an impact on her and caused her to reflect on events and relationships in her own life. Her description of a range of books, fiction and non-fiction, would provide us with an intriguing list to perhaps broaden our own reading choices.
By the Book also contains observations on some of the writers Ramona Koval interviewed across her career as a broadcaster and journalist. The audience at the library talk had been devoted listeners of The Book Show on ABC Radio National and obviously appreciated the considerable curiosity, intelligence and impressive research skills that underpinned her interviews. It was interesting to hear her impressions of certain writers. People could also follow this aspect of her career through a previous publication Speaking Volumes: Conversations with Remarkable Writers, a collection of her international literary interviews.
Ramona gave a warm, generous and engaging presentation which extended into lively discussion at supper time with those who attended the talk.
Sharing a love of literature does allow wonderful, uplifting conversations to happen.

Blog post written by Carol.