I had a little chuckle when, fairly early in Emma Ashmere's novel, The floating garden, we discover that our main character, Ellis Gilbey, writes a gardening column under the name Scribbly Gum! Good name, I thought. If it hadn't been for my school song inspiration, this would have been the name for me! There's another … Continue reading Emma Ashmere, The floating garden (Review)
Month: June 2015
Monday musings on Australian literature: Black Inc’s Best 100 Poems
I've been feeling rather guilty about a book sent to me in late 2013 by Black Inc. I'm usually very conscientious about reading and reviewing books that I've accepted for review - not so much for those sent to me "on spec" - but I slipped up with Black Inc's The best 100 poems of Dorothy Porter. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Black Inc’s Best 100 Poems
Delicious descriptions: Kate Llewellyn on Aussie authors
Since I couldn't cover everything in my review of Kate Llewellyn's letters, First things first, edited by Ruth Bacchus and Barbara Hill, I decided that a follow-up Delicious Descriptions on a specific aspect of the book, her discussion of her reading, would be in order. I'm making the assumption that, like me, you're interested in what writers think about the work … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Kate Llewellyn on Aussie authors
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Conversation’s Writing History
This is the post I planned for last week, when Jessica White hijacked me. Like that post, this one too was inspired by another person, this time my historian brother who sent me a link to an article in a new series by The Conversation called Writing History. This series aims to "examine the links, problems and dynamics of writing, recording … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Conversation’s Writing History
Bacchus, Ruth & Hill, Barbara, First things first: Selected letters of Kate Llewellyn 1977-2004 (Review)
It might look like I've suddenly hired myself as author Jessica White's PR Consultant as this is the second post in a row that I've opened with her, but the coincidence was too great for me not to. You see, this week, White posted on her Facebook Author Page that she'd received funding for a novel from … Continue reading Bacchus, Ruth & Hill, Barbara, First things first: Selected letters of Kate Llewellyn 1977-2004 (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: On what women write about
I had planned another topic for today, but a tweet from Australian novelist Jessica White this morning sharing a link from The Conversation changed my mind. The link was to an article by Natalie Kon-yu, a lecturer in Creative Writing and Gender Studies at Victoria University. This article explores Nicola Griffith's statement that "when women win literary awards … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: On what women write about
Australian Women Writers 2015 Challenge completed
As most of you have heard now ad infinitum, I only do one challenge - the Australian Women Writer's Challenge. As in previous years, I signed up for the top level, Franklin-fantastic, which required me to read 10 books and review at least 6. I have now exceeded this. Although I plan to continue to add to the challenge, … Continue reading Australian Women Writers 2015 Challenge completed
Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie Rules football in Australian literature
If you live in Melbourne I've heard, you must have an AFL (Australian Football League or Aussie Rules) football team. There are those who tell me they survive without it, but if you are new to Melbourne it probably helps your integration to take an interest. Consequently, when Son Gums chose Melbourne for his home … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie Rules football in Australian literature
Virgil Thomson, Taste in music (Review)
There are several reasons why now seemed an opportune time to write my first Library of America (LOA) post for 2015. The first reason is obvious. It's June and I haven't featured one yet. The second is because my last post was on music, so writing about an article by American composer Virgil Thomson seemed apposite. The … Continue reading Virgil Thomson, Taste in music (Review)
The Griffyns take us north – way north
The time has come, I think, to talk about disclosures. I have been blogging for just over six years now, mostly on literature but also, occasionally, on other cultural experiences - including the Griffyn Ensemble. The thing is that Canberra is a small place and we who move around it start to get to know each other. This … Continue reading The Griffyns take us north – way north
Whispering Gums 