‘Hey, what did you mean when you said that thing about your “bad ear” before?’
Frida loops her hair back behind her left ear. And taps it with her finger.
‘Good ear.’
Then she turns her head so I can see her other ear, the one carrying all the heavy metal, and taps that.
‘Bad ear.’
It must be pretty obvious that I’m not quite with her because she repeats the pointing routine with further explanation for me.
‘Ok. So this one hears perfectly. But this one hears not at all.
The Things That Will Not Stand– page 86.
When I was around 19 or 20 I lost the hearing in my right ear.
It happened when one of my friends crash-tackled me into a swimming pool. Unfortunately I hit the water flush on the side of my head and the pressure created punched a hole in my eardrum. I didn’t realise I’d done it at the time and went on swimming for the rest of the afternoon.
End result. Water in the inner ear. Nerve damage. And as Hamlet might say, the rest is silence.
The hearing loss affected my life in different ways. Only one of them was positive.
Early in my writing career I thought about creating a story where the main character loses, or has lost, the hearing in one ear. Write about what you know, right? But I couldn’t come up with anything worthwhile. Even though my own hearing loss was something that had a significant impact on my life, it just didn’t seem substantial enough to base a whole novel around.
Then years later I started writing the story that would become The Things That Will Not Stand and I was trying to work out what the key character of Frida (a girl who a boy called Sebastian meets at a Uni Open day) would be like.
There was only one thing I knew about Frida early on. Her haircut. This haircut …
Besides just liking the style, I wanted Frida to look different from different angles. This was because I wanted her to be a quirky, mysterious character whose real story, personality and feelings were hard to nail down. Her appearance was meant to reflect that.
To emphasize the point visually, I decided that as well as one side of her head being shaved, the ear on that side would also be loaded with jewellery and piercings, while the other ear would be completely bare.
As a result, when the Sebastian first sees Frida from side-on she reminds him – ‘of the main character from Frozen because her hair is bleached and falls in a jagged cut almost to her shoulders.’
But when she turns around Sebastian sees a different vision of Frida: ‘She’s a half a head shorter than me. And I realise now, that she’s also only half-Frozen. At least from the neck up. That’s because the hair on the right side of her head is dark and shaved close and high over her temple. The ear on that side is almost hidden under a load of metal piercings. She pushes her long hair behind her other ear and holds it there. Grey-hazel eyes squint up at me from below dark, full eyebrows.
When I was writing that scene and developing the character in my head, it dawned on me that Frida’s ears would be different in another way as well. Like me she would have complete hearing loss in one of them.
And unlike the first time I tried to put that condition in a story, this time it didn’t feel like it was a gimmick or something tacked on or some pet issue to be explored. It seemed like it belonged.
The hearing loss was a real and essential part of who Frida was.
But what I didn’t know at that early stage of the writing, was how much Frida’s hearing loss and the mystery surrounding its origin, would be a prefect fit for the story.
I also didn’t know that her hearing loss would end up being so crucial to a pivotal moment in the novel’s final scene.
So what was the one positive thing that came from my own hearing loss, I only half-hear you ask?
Well it helped me bring Frida fully to life. And I’m really grateful for that.
Because like Sebastian, I think she’s beautiful.
‘I have a division of labour,’ Frida said. ‘One ear for hearing. One ear for jewellery wearing. So Sebastian, let’s see if you’ve been paying attention. Which ear do you have to avoid if you want to guarantee you’ll be heard?’
I point at the one carrying all the metal.
‘Your “bad” ear.’
‘She’s not really bad,’ Frida says in the voice of a kindly school teacher.
As well as READING books (see previous BLOG) I have also been known to WRITE them!
So this is just a brief PLUG for a few special ones at the moment.
First up, brand spanking-new ‘Australian Classic’ editions of JUST A DOG are OUT NOW!
It’s a CBCA Honour Book and QLD Premier’s Literary Award WINNER.
If you’ve ever loved a dog; if you’ve ever had a dog – even if you weren’t that fussed on it; if you’ve ever seen dog or maybe just heard a dog barking annoyingly in the distance; if you are capable of picking a dog out from a line-up of let’s say, cats or wart hogs; if you have some vague awareness that animals known as ‘dogs’ exist even if you wouldn’t recognise one if you fell over it; if you could have a go at spelling the word ‘dog’ and at least get some of it correct … then THIS is the book for YOU!
AGE: 9 to ADULT (Warning: some adult themes)
Untitled design – 1
Also there are almost brand spanking-new ‘Australian Classic’ editions of ALL THREE of the ISHMAEL SERIES currently available!
Books 2 and 3 haven’t been reprinted for quite a while and IMHO they are both better than Book 1. (Which I’ve heard is actually sensational and hilarious!)
So get in while they last and update or complete your set if you haven’t done so!
AGE: 12 to ADULT
Your paragraph text – 1
And lastly, but not leastly, don’t forget that ROBBIT the JOB-HOPPING FROG was only released in 2025.
So why not HOP into your nearest bookshop and grab a copy? Or two? Heck, why not go crazy and buy a bunch (an army?) of them?
Normally a picture book suitable for kids aged 3-7 BUT If you have an unemployed grown-up son or daughter living at home, this could just be the gentle HINT and MOTIVATION they need!
BRAIN TEASER: One of the images below is a photograph (or it could be AI. Is anyone really that handsome?) and the other image is actually a drawing by my amazing granddaughter?
For my first post of 2026 I thought I’d have a look back on how I did in my ’25 in 25′ Reading Challenge.
I’m pleased to say that I reached and passed my target by reading … wait for it … 31 Books! (Yay me! Although I do realise this is small fry compared to some people.)
It was a varied list including old and new books, fiction and non-fiction, short stories and graphic novels.
This was my 2025 mixed bag of books:
How to Avoid a Happy Life – Julia Lawrinson – NF Auto
Juice -Tim Winton – F
1984 (George Orwell) – Fido Nesti Graphic Novel F, GN
All Star Superman – GN
Woody Allen: Apropos of Nothing – Auto
Billy Connolly: Windswept and Interesting – Auto
The Boat – Nam Le – F short stories
Mel Brooks: All About Me! – Auto
First Person – Richard Flanagan – F
The Monkees – Tom Kempler NF
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray F
Boy Friends – Michael Pedersen – F
Curtain Call To Murder – Julian Clary – F
Muckle Flugga – Michael Pedersen – F
Neil Finn: Don’t Dream It’s Over – Jeff Apter – Bio
The Lamplighters – Emma Stonex- F
Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Stroud – F
Ghost Cities – Siang Lu – F
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller – F
A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian – Marina Lewycka – F
The Road (Cormac McCarthy) – Manu Larcenet – GN F
John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs – Ian Leslie – NF
Such Stuff – Michael Morpurgo – NF
Hello I Must Be Going (Groucho Marx) – Charlotte Chandler – Auto
Smoke and Mirrors – Barry Jonsberg – F Mid Grade
Male White Standup – Alan Davies – Auto
On The Road To Find Out – Yusuf/Cat Stevens – Auto
A Gentleman In Moscow – Amor Towles – F
Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs – F
Rules of Civility – Amor Towles – F
Husband Replacement Therapy – Kathy Lette – F
Overall I didn’t read anything I really disliked but obviously some appealed more than others.
12 of the books were non-fiction in the form of biographies and autobiographies most of which I really enjoyed.
The remainder of the books were fiction. (A few of these were re-reads or graphic novels of books I’ve read before – Catch 22; The Road; 1984 – so I won’t include those in my 2025 selections.)
Anyway, here are my 2025 Reading Challenge picks.
BEST FICTION BOOK READ IN 2025:
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW – Amor Towles (I also enjoyed his Rules of Civility) Wonderful, stylish writer.
SPECIAL MENTIONS:
Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Stroud A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian – Marina Lewycka
2. BEST NON-FICTION BOOK READ IN 2025:
JOHN & PAUL: a love story in songs – Ian Leslie (It’s the Beatles. Of course I loved it.)
SPECIAL MENTIONS:
How to Avoid a Happy Life – Julia Lawrinson Billy Connolly: Windswept and Interesting Mel Brooks: All About Me! On The Road To Find Out – Yusuf/Cat Stevens
3. MOST DISTURBINGLY RELEVANT BOOK READ IN 2025:
1984 (George Orwell) – Fido Nesti Graphic Novel
And what was the book I enjoyed reading the most in 2025 I pretend to hear you ask?
Well, I’m a hopeless romantic, so I love a good love story.
Particularly one set in Liverpool.
Here’s to my ’26 in 26′ Reading Challenge!
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe …
It might come as surprise to some people but this little book about the Ingram family and their dog called Mr Mosely is probably my most controversial.
Not that it hasn’t been popular. On Goodreads for example where it’s had 860 ratings, 76% of people have given it 4 or 5 stars out of 5 which is lovely.
But then there’s the 6% who gave it ony 1 or 2 stars. They reeeeeally didn’t like it!
So while I’m pleased that most readers love the story, it does have its critics.
Some of the criticisms are relatively minor. For example:
Some people find the writing style a little annoying at times citing the repetition of certain words (like ‘like’and ‘anyway’) and a few sentences that end with ‘but’. (The narrator is an eleven year old boy but!)
Other people believe that a couple of the incidents involving Mr Mosely are ‘unrealistic’ – a dog wouldn’t/couldn’t do that! (Ironically the incidents cited were actually based on real events involving the dogs I grew up with. So there!)
But the major criticism of the book comes from readers who feel that some parts of the story are “disturbing” or “inappropriate”. Onereader was so offended that they threw the book into the fire. Yikes!
Most of this controversy arises from confusion/disagreement over what might be the appropriate age for readers of the book.
Although it was first thought the story might be more suited to Young Adults, after some scenes and language in the original manuscript were slightly toned down, the book was finally marketed as a mid-grade novel – suitable for readers from 8 to 12 yrs.
Personally I think Just a Dog works best for adult readers.I’ve always thought of it as an adult story but one told in the simple vocabulary of a young boy and filtered through his somewhat innocent eyes and his sometimes limited understanding.
But in any case Just a Dog is definitely not a book meant for very young children. While it does have plenty of funny light-hearted moments and chapters that can be enjoyed on their own, overall it’s not a just ‘happy doggy story’.
I actually think that’s pretty obvious from the opening paragraph and from the rest of the short first chapter. Maybe even from the opening sentence.
The day my Dad said Mister Mosely was ‘just a dog’ my Mum punched him.
Not a punch like the one Dad gave Uncle Gavin that time when Uncle Gavin’s tooth came out and there was all the blood and everything. But not a girl punch or a mucking around punch either. My Mum really meant it. You could tell by the way she scrunched her face right up and made her eyes go small.
‘Don’t you say that! Don’t you dare say that!’
As the narrator, eleven year old Corey’s focus is on telling the stories of the family dog Mr Mosely. That’s why every chapter title includes Mr Mosely’s name.
But serious family dramas and tensions play out in the background of those stories that Corey doesn’t always understand fully, or understand at all. Older readers will. Younger readers, like Corey himself, may or may not depending on their age and maturity. I do like that the story can be read on different levels and will reveal different things at different ages.
But since the story does contain scenes that involve fighting and some level of violence, as well as marital tension, alcohol use, loss, sadness and some bad people, discretion is definitely needed when buying or recommending the book for any young person.
Artwork from the Korean edition
My advice?
# If you are thinking of buying a copy for a young person, whatever their age, I think you should definitely read it first.
# Depending on their age and maturity it may be better for a parent or adult to read the book with or to a young reader that way certain sections can be discussed and explained or even left out entirely if needed.
Way back when I submitted the original manuscript my publisher asked me who I thought the story was aimed at. It was a tough question because I really wasn’t sure. But I’ve always believed that the first and most important audience for any author, is themself.
So in the end my answer was, “Maybe it’s just for me.”
I was wrong. I’m very glad and thankful that a whole range of readers have felt that it was for them too.
If I had to submit a Goodreads review for this little book, it would be this:
I haven’t written anything that I’d rate more highly than Just a Dog – and I doubt I ever will.
Cheers Michael
PS: Brand spanking new editions of Just a Dog are now available hot off the presses! Maybe it’s time to update your old copy? OR if you’ve never read it perhaps you should buy a copy or two to see what all the (minor) controversy is about and judge for yourself!
PPS: New editions of the ISHMAEL TRILOGY are also out now!
Michael Gerard Bauer Author 