I discovered Elizabeth von Arnim (nee Mary Annette Beauchamp, 1866-1941) back in the 1990s when Virago republished her first novel, Elizabeth and her German garden. Published in 1898, this novel, writes Gabrielle Carey, was an immediate hit, turning her, almost overnight, into one of England's favourite authors. It was certainly a revelation to me. I … Continue reading Gabrielle Carey, Only happiness here: In search of Elizabeth von Arnim (#BookReview)
Month: March 2022
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1922: 1, Bookstall Co.
I haven't done many Trove-inspired posts lately, but, I do enjoy pottering around Trove's Newspapers and Gazettes database, so thought that for today's Monday Musings I'd have a little look at what was happening in the Australian book world in 1922. My broad search retrieved around 8,000 articles! I can't read them all, but I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1922: 1, Bookstall Co.
Nella Larsen, Passing (#BookReview)
For last year's Novellas in November, Arti (of Ripple Effects) posted on a book and author I'd never heard of, Nella Larsen's Passing. She also discussed its 2021 film adaptation. Quite coincidentally, that same month, my Californian friend Carolyn wrote positively about the film in a letter to me. It sounded right up my alley, … Continue reading Nella Larsen, Passing (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: World Poetry Day, on anthologies
Last week, Brona (This Reading Life) wrote a post on Eve Langley's poem, "Native-born", in which she shared the statement from Wikipedia that it appears regularly in Australian anthologies. As I responded to Brona, I checked my three "modern" Australian poetry anthologies and only found it in the most obvious one, The Penguin book of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: World Poetry Day, on anthologies
Delicious descriptions: John Hughes on Newcastle
Recently, Bill (the Australian Legend) commented on a post of mine that reviewers rarely talk about place or "think geographically". I'm not sure exactly what he means, but I think, partly, he wants us to discuss whether we think what we are reading accurately depicts place. Now, I love descriptions of place, for all sorts … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: John Hughes on Newcastle
John Hughes, The dogs (#BookReview)
Dogs are mentioned frequently in John Hughes' novel, The dogs, but the most dramatic reference occurs when the narrator's mother, Anna, is hiding in a swamp with other partisans during World War 2. The barking of the Germans' dogs tells them "it was only a matter of time" before they'd be found, causing Anna to … Continue reading John Hughes, The dogs (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian Literature: Colonial Texts series
I came across the Colonial Texts series back in 1988 with the publication of its first book, Ada Cambridge's A woman's friendship. I bought it and read it, and was inspired to read another novel by Cambridge, Sisters. Somehow, though, I lost touch with this series, partly due to my young family busy-ness at the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: Colonial Texts series
Delicious descriptions: Ida Vitale and Byobu on literature and humanity
I couldn't include in my recent post on Ida Vitale's Byobu all the ideas that grabbed my attention. It's impressive how such 85-page book could contain so much, more than I can even include here. However, I do want to share (document) a few more ideas here, for my own benefit at least, before I … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Ida Vitale and Byobu on literature and humanity
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s favourite genres
A week or so ago I received an email from an organisation called Studying in Switzerland. Their main focus, as their name suggests, is helping students who want to study in Switzerland, but it seems that they also do some research of their own. A recent project was to identify the most popular book genres … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s favourite genres
Six degrees of separation, FROM The end of the affair TO …
March. Summer is over and I'm a bit grumpy, as you couldn't call what we've just had, summer. Very few days exceeded 30°C and none exceeded 35°C. But, I can't really complain. I am not facing war or floods, and last month a new grandchild - a healthy baby girl - joined our family circle. … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM The end of the affair TO …
Whispering Gums 