I'm going to have my dinner after which I shan't be thinner (Jane Austen, Juvenilia) Last night was my local Jane Austen Society's eighth annual midwinter feast. We started off small in 2002 as a lunch for members only but, in the last few years, we have expanded it to a night event including members' … Continue reading Jane Austen Regency Feast
Month: June 2009
Seen today
As we were shopping at our local mall today, we saw a mum with her young daughter who was about 8 years old. This little girl was wearing a t-shirt that said: I'm too pretty to do homework. I'll say no more ... because, well, what can I say?
Too many books?
No, this is not one of those "too many books too little time" posts. This is way more serious! This is about something I read in the July issue of goodreading (why I read this magazine is beyond me really, but I do). What I read was this, from one Ken Duncan who is apparently … Continue reading Too many books?
Toni Jordan, Addition
Addition Pb cover, Courtesy Text Publishing (SPOILERS: FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH) Looks like, feels like, is it? Chick lit, that is. Toni Jordan's first novel Addition has all the hallmarks of chick lit. The cover design with its line drawing of a female form invokes chick lit - albeit chick lit with an edge as … Continue reading Toni Jordan, Addition
Alice Munro, Dimension
Alice Munro won this year's Man Booker International Prize. You probably know that she is a Canadian short story writer. I have read many of her short stories over the years, though not as many as I would like. WARNING: SOME SPOILERS! Her short story "Dimension" was published in the New Yorker in 2006, and … Continue reading Alice Munro, Dimension
Diva novels
Have YOU heard of diva novels? I haven't but Mike Ashman, the author of the article "The dawn of the diva" in the July 2009 issue of Limelight magazine, apparentlly has. He writes: The notion of the singer as victim and seductress moved into literature and, in the next 100 years George Eliot, George Moore, … Continue reading Diva novels
My mate the AktiMate
I'm late into mp3 players, mainly because I'm not all that keen on walking around with earbuds stuck in my ears. I like to engage with the world - particularly when I walk - rather than cut myself off. After all, isn't it nice to have some pockets of peace in our otherwise wonderfully connected … Continue reading My mate the AktiMate
Four time winner: Tim Winton wins 2009 Miles Franklin
Tim Winton's fourth Miles Franklin Award in 2009 for Breath means he has equalled Thea Astley's four awards.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This earth of mankind
Nationalism, in today's western world, is pretty much a dirty word - and yet it is the idea of nationalism which underpins Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer's Buru Quartet, of which I have just read the first book, This earth of mankind. Toer's concept of nationalism was formed under colonial rule of his country by … Continue reading Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This earth of mankind
Favourite writers: 2, Elizabeth Jolley
Not, unfortunately, being a time-traveller, I haven't managed to see or hear Jane Austen in person. I am, however, far more fortunate in this regard when it comes to the subject of my next favourite writers post - Elizabeth Jolley. I did get to see and hear her at a literary lunch at the height of … Continue reading Favourite writers: 2, Elizabeth Jolley
Whispering Gums 