Regulars know that my annual Reading Highlights post is my version of a Top Reads post. It's my way of sharing highlights from my reading year without actually ranking books or nominating a "best" which I just can't do. I don't, as I say each year, set reading goals, but my "rules of thumb" include … Continue reading Reading highlights for 2021
Month: December 2021
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2021
For the last time, I am devoting my last Monday Musings of the year to the Australian Women Writers Challenge ( in its current form at least, see below). What a couple of years we've had. It's hard to know whether it has affected the challenge or not but, anecdotally, our numbers did not increase over … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2021
My year in books 2021
I did this meme last year but wasn't really thinking of doing it this year. However, here I am on Christmas morning with, for the first time in decades, nothing much to do until we head out to lunch, so why not? The thing about these memes is that they remind us of some of … Continue reading My year in books 2021
Alison Croggon, Monsters (#BookReview)
Alison Croggon's Monsters: A reckoning is a demanding but exhilarating read, demanding because it expresses some tough feelings, and exhilarating because of the mind behind it, the connections it makes and the questions it asks. Coincidentally, it has some synchronicities with my recent read, Sarah Krasnostein's The believer. Both talk about "uncertainty", and both conclude … Continue reading Alison Croggon, Monsters (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2021, Part 2: Nonfiction and Poetry
Last week, as most of you will know, I shared the favourite Aussie fiction books named by writers in the Sydney Morning Herald's Books we loved in 2021 and ABR's Books of the Year 2021. This week, as promised, I'm sharing the nonfiction and poetry favourites. Again, I'm only including Australian titles (as this is … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2021, Part 2: Nonfiction and Poetry
Novel-in-stories, Tara June Winch’s Swallow the air
This is my third post inspired by Reading like an Australian writer, and it involves two First Nations writers, Ellen van Neerven on Tara June Winch's award-winning debut novel Swallow the air. I chose van Neerven's essay for my next post, because, coincidentally, I'd just read Winch's story "Cloud busting" in Flock, an anthology, edited … Continue reading Novel-in-stories, Tara June Winch’s Swallow the air
My reading group’s favourites for 2021
In our now annual tradition, my reading group once again voted for our favourites from our 2021 schedule - and as has also become tradition (see last year's if you like), I'm sharing our reading and findings with you. First, though, here is what we read in the order we read them (with links on … Continue reading My reading group’s favourites for 2021
Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2021, Part 1: Fiction
For a few years now, I've shared favourite Aussie reads of the year, from the ABC and, last year, other sources. This year I'm doing it a bit differently. I'm focusing on the Sydney Morning Herald's Books we loved in 2021 and ABR's Books of the Year 2021. Both these contain favourites from a large … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2021, Part 1: Fiction
Sarah Krasnostein, The believer (#BookReview)
One of the reasons I love reading fiction is to be introduced to lives and cultures I know nothing about. This is less so in nonfiction, but Sarah Krasnostein's latest book, The believer, fits the brief. In it she explores questions concerning what people believe and why through six different people (or groups of people), … Continue reading Sarah Krasnostein, The believer (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Greek-Australian literature
In a Sydney Writers Festival conversation with Michelle de Kretser, Andrew Pippos, winner of the 2021 Readings Prize for his debut novel, Lucky's, said "the fact that we can talk about a Greek-Australian literary tradition is a sign that Australian literature is developing". It made me think about Greek-Australian literature and what I know about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Greek-Australian literature
Whispering Gums 