It's Monday, and I did have a post planned, until I remembered that this Monday has a very particular date, 26th January. So, I decided to postpone that post in order to make a brief statement about this date which, for many decades, has been designated Australia Day. And we have a public holiday in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Invasion Day/Australia Day (2026)
Month: January 2026
Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Emma E. Butler's short story "Polly's hack ride" is the fifth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Unlike the previous author, Paul Laurence Dunbar, is barely known. Emma E. Butler The biographical note at the end of the anthology comprises three sentences! The first two … Continue reading Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Eco-literature, Redux
Nearly five years ago, I wrote a Monday Musings on a branch of writing dubbed "eco-literature". Since then I have reviewed a few works that I have tagged "eco-literature", including, just yesterday, Jessica White's collection of essays, Silence is my habitat: Ecobiographical essays. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, critic/artistic director/literary judge Beejay Silcox sent … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Eco-literature, Redux
Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Those of us who follow Jessica White have been waiting for the biography of nineteenth century botanist, Georgiana Molloy, that we know she has been researching, but then, almost out of the blue, appeared something a little different, a collection of ecobiographical essays titled, Silence is my habitat. Published under the beautiful Upswell imprint, Silence … Continue reading Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
I did have another plan for today's Monday Musings, but it seemed wrong to ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the dire situation facing the Adelaide Festival's Writers Week. Australians will not need me to explain what has happened, but for those of you not across the events, I'll briefly explain. The Adelaide … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
If you have read Carmel Bird's memoir Telltale (my review), you will know about her love of story, particularly of history, and fairy story, and legends. You will also know about her love of objects, of beautiful objects or strange ones, and of the meanings embodied within them. And, if you have read anything by … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some New Releases in 2026
For some years now, my first Monday Musings of the year has comprised a selected list of new Australian book releases for the coming year. For many years, the bulk of this post came from a comprehensive list prepared by Jane Sullivan for the Sydney Morning Herald. Last year that changed to something more selective, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some New Releases in 2026
Six degrees of separation, FROM The third chopstick TO …
And so we start another year. I do hope it's a good one for us all. I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am, but wouldn't it be wonderful if leaders around the world cared about their people and made the right decisions to keep us all safe and healthy. Meanwhile, I'll … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM The third chopstick TO …
Blogging highlights for 2025
Yesterday, as per my tradition, I posted my annual Reading highlights, which means tonight it's time for my Blogging highlights. This is of more interest to me, really, but being a librarian/archivist by training I love to keep records and my blog is the best place to keep my blogging records - duh! My main … Continue reading Blogging highlights for 2025
Whispering Gums 