There was a quote I really wanted to use in my review last week of Rabih Alameddine's An unnecessary woman, but I couldn't find a place to fit it in. Sometimes reviews take off in a direction and they just can't be reined in, I've found! This quote is, however, too good not to share … Continue reading How to read difficult books
Author: Whispering Gums
Six degrees of separation, FROM Lincoln in the Bardo TO …
The Six Degrees of Separation meme, currently hosted by Kate (booksaremyfavouriteandbest), is, I'm starting to realise, an effective marker of passing time - and I'm not sure I like it. This passing of time I mean, not the Six Degrees meme, which I enjoy! If, perchance, you are not familiar with this meme, please click … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Lincoln in the Bardo TO …
Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Lebanese-born American writer Rabih Alameddine's novel, An unnecessary woman, is tailor-made for readers. It was fittingly, therefore, my reading group's first book for 2018. The novel is told first person in the voice of 72-year-old childless, divorced Aaliya Saleh, who lives alone and spends her time reading and translating books. Set in an apartment in Beirut … Continue reading Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading aloud in colonial Australia
At the end of last week's Monday Musings post on literary culture in colonial Australia, I commented that author Elizabeth Webby had also discussed the practice of reading aloud, and that I might do a future post on that. Well, not only might I, but I've decided to do it this week because I was fascinated. (Just … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading aloud in colonial Australia
Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
When Tony Park's The cull was sent to me for review last September, I knew it wasn't really within my normal ambit but every now and then I try something new, so thought I might give it a go. However, as time passed and more books came, I realised that I had to let it … Continue reading Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
Delicious descriptions: Tasma’s country town
It's some time since I wrote a Delicious Descriptions post, but these three paragraphs from Tasma's Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill (beginning of Pt IV, CH 3, "Laura does penance"), which I reviewed a few days ago, are too delicious not to share: THE remark that Voltaire made about the great Russian Empire, when he compared … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Tasma’s country town
Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary culture in colonial Australia
National Library of Australia, from the other side of Lake Burley Griffin Bill of The Australian Legend's AWW Gen 1 Week, which has just finished, focused on the authors and the books they wrote about colonial Australia. However, what about the readers? I've been planning to write a post on literary culture in colonial Australia for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary culture in colonial Australia
Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
The first thing to say about Tasma's debut novel Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill is that it's rather wordy, speaking to a literacy different from that of today's readers. For this reason, Uncle Piper won't appeal to readers who like short simple sentences, and a plot which moves along at a good clip with little … Continue reading Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
On Reading Pleasures, and not being alone
For my birthday last year, a friend who knows me well gave me a delightful little book titled Reading pleasures. I hadn't planned to blog about it but, upon looking at it again this week, I changed my mind - mainly to share one idea that recurs in the book. First, though, some background. The book … Continue reading On Reading Pleasures, and not being alone
Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasma (aka Jessie Couvreur)
Tasma, c. 1890. (Public Domain, from the State Library of Victoria, via Wikipedia) This week Bill (of The Australian Legend) is running an Australian Women Writers Gen 1 Week, through which he plans to highlight Australian women writers from our first generation of writers, which he defines as "those writers who came before the 1890s … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasma (aka Jessie Couvreur)
Whispering Gums 