The Luminous Solution
By Charlotte Wood
Allen & Unwin 2021

Charlotte Wood is an Australian writer with a succession of fiction and non-fiction novels. Her work includes The Writer’s room and The natural way of things. She has also had success with articles featured in The New York Times and The Guardian, among others. The Luminous Solution is a book that draws from Wood’s doctoral studies in creativity, experience with her own writing journey and her many interviews with other creative writers. It is a series of essays that discuss creativity, resilience and the inner life. On top of that, there is an underlying theme of gender equity and political progress. Looking through a writer’s lens, Wood explores ideas around mentorship, despair and creative thinking, and uses her honed skill of metaphor to explain hers and those she admires’ approach to solving creative puzzles.

Intuition Vs Pragmatism, a resonating piece, describes two approaches to writing: “There’s the dreamer, the mystery seeker… and there’s the pragmatist who trusts in hard work and grit.” Pg 99 Further to this, Wood confesses to abandonment of a piece when the struggle becomes impossible: “perseverance wasn’t helping me,” pg 102. She describes her conflict with ‘giving up’ versus the need to give herself space. Eventually the “melancholy ache” brings her back and she returns to the work in “pure pragmatist mode.” Pg 103.

Further in the book, Wood’s articles turn to rage as she discusses issues of feminism. She describes the rage as ultimately exhausting. She then finishes her collection by posing questions such as “How should we think about growing old?” and discussing her thoughts.
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A diverse collection of essays that thread together logically and result in an insightful and thought provoking book. 

More rules for life- a special volume for enthusiasts
By Kitty Flanagan
Allen & Unwin 2021

I suppose I must be an enthusiast! I was given the gift pack (both books) for Christmas and it has been a pleasure to pick them up at varying intervals throughout the beginning of this year and have a laugh. Flanagan is an Australian comedian that appears both on the stage and TV. More Rules for Life is her third published book and both ‘rules’ books were written during the multiple lockdowns caused by the pandemic.

Both books are the perfect accompaniment while muddling through a deep or technical book. When reading something heavy, it’s nice to have something light on standby. Much like scrolling through a phone but far more satisfying, these books create the perfect tool for procrastination.
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In ‘More Rules for Life’, Flanagan has logically ordered her rules into chapters such as leisure and lifestyle, and holidays and travel. There are rules for each generation, which tickled my fancy- it is always enjoyable to poke fun at other generations while ignoring the quirks of your own. She has also included different sections about the pandemic such as mask wearing, and zoom etiquette. Rule number 631 ‘always state your whereabouts when talking to someone on the phone’ had me laugh out loud but I won’t dare to summarise it as my execution wouldn’t do Flanagan’s humour any justice.

Flanagan’s dry wit is exactly what you might need on a dull day, in a dull zoom meeting, or just when you need a laugh.