My days are usually spent reading for work. Proofreading can be tedious at times (cookbooks, finance texts), but I whoop with glee when a corker of a novel, memoir, collection, etc. lands on my desk. Standouts this year have been: Heat and Light, by Ellen van Neervan—a collection of unique, real/mythical short stories—and Gap, a crime novel in verse by Rebecca Jessen (reminiscent of Dorothy Porter). Another was Cracking the Spine (Spineless Wonders), featuring ten short stories from ten Australian writers, accompanied by an essay from each author offering insights into their writing process.

Proofreading is a different type of reading experience. It’s hardly a romp. More of a careful plod. I’ve been asked if ‘normal’ reading, or reading for ‘pleasure’, is possible for a proofreader. Truth is, I relish the time when I can read for fun and not be on the lookout for misplaced apostrophes.