As many of you know, I recently became a grandmother - and if you know anything about becoming a grandparent you'll know that THE critical question is "what are you going to be called?" Well, I would like to be called Gummie - the name given me here by one of my favourite bloggers Guy … Continue reading Tania McCartney and Christina Booth, The Gum Family finds home (#BookReview)
Month: August 2018
Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 2
Continuing last week's brief survey of war-time reading habits... World War 2 And then we come to the Second World War. Here's The West Australian again, this time in July 1940, less than a year after the war had started (a bit like our 1915 World War 1 report last week.) The article is headed, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 2
My literary week (13), it’s (mostly) all about Aussies
This last week or so we've been on the road again, severely cutting into my reading time, but literary things have been happening, nonetheless. National Bookshop Day, 2018 Yesterday, August 10th, was, as many of you know, National Bookshop Day and I did, in fact, visit a bookshop, Readings in Carlton, Melbourne. I bought Gerald … Continue reading My literary week (13), it’s (mostly) all about Aussies
Canberra Writers Festival and the Griffith Review 60: First things first
Yesterday (9 August) was, as you probably know, the UN's International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. I had planned to get this post completed by then, but, being on the road (again), it didn't happen. I don't think that matters a lot, though, as we should be caring about Indigenous Peoples every day until the … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival and the Griffith Review 60: First things first
Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 1
For the longest time I've understood that during war-time people turn to lighter forms of entertainment, to musicals in film, for example, or to escapist books in their reading. However, the truth - of course - is more complex, as I discovered in Trove's digitised newspapers. I was fascinated by how often the matter was, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 1
Vale Jill Ker Conway
Just before Mr Gums and I set off for our Arnhem Land holiday in early July, I came across an obituary for the Australian-born academic, educator and writer Jill Ker Conway (1934-2018). She had died on June 1, but I hadn't heard. Why not? Her first memoir, The road from Coorain, was a best-seller, and … Continue reading Vale Jill Ker Conway
Six degrees of separation, FROM Atonement TO …
It's August and the last official month of winter. I'm happy, happy, happy. I'm also happy that it's time again for Six Degrees of Separation. How quickly it comes around. And, like last month, I've read the starting book. First though, the formalities. Six Degrees of Separation is a meme that is currently hosted by Kate … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Atonement TO …
Michelle de Kretser, The life to come (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser's Miles Franklin shortlisted novel, The life to come, makes for great reading but difficult blogging because, like her Miles Franklin Award winner, Questions of travel (my review), it is big, and covers a lot of ground. Where to start is the problem. However, I'll give it my best shot, starting with its form. … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, The life to come (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 