I came across the beautifully named Hope Prize over the weekend via some online service. Was it Twitter? Was it Facebook? Perhaps even Instagram though I think not, but I really can't recollect. Such is our online lives, eh? Anyhow, the Hope Prize, was, according to the website, established by the Brotherhood of St Laurence "thanks … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Hope Prize
Author: Whispering Gums
Josephine Rowe, A loving, faithful animal (Review)
How many novels have you read featuring the Vietnam War? I've not read many I must say, but last year I did review Charles Hall's Summer's gone, and now this year I've read Josephine Rowe's A loving, faithful animal. It's a debut novel but, from its form, you can tell that Rowe is an accomplished short story writer. I … Continue reading Josephine Rowe, A loving, faithful animal (Review)
Six degrees of separation, FROM Never let me go TO The paper house
I rather enjoyed playing Kate's #6Degrees "meme" last month so, while I don't expect to play every month, November's starting book, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go, was far too tempting to let go! Once again, read on to see why ... I read Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian Never let me go before I started blogging, and have only reviewed one of his works since … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Never let me go TO The paper house
Monday musings on Australian literature: Women writers on the outback
After I posted my completion of the AWW Bingo Card yesterday a discussion ensued on Lisa's ANZLitLovers blog regarding her comment on the dearth of books written by women "set in the outback". That got me thinking ... and it seemed like a good topic to play with in a Monday Musings. There's a question to resolve … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Women writers on the outback
AWW Bingo 2016 Challenge Completed
For a blogger of more than 7-years standing who doesn't take part in memes and challenges, I'm doing a good job this month. First it was 6 degrees of separation earlier this month, and now it's a bingo game. I have good reasons for these exceptions, but I don't expect you really want to know those, … Continue reading AWW Bingo 2016 Challenge Completed
Bruce Pascoe, Dark emu, black seeds: Agriculture or accident? (Review)
Indigenous author Bruce Pascoe's Dark emu, black seeds: Agriculture or accident? was my reading group's October book, and a very interesting read and discussion it turned out to be. It's not a simple book to discuss and really got us thinking, eliciting a variety of responses, though we all agreed with Pascoe's basic premise that we Australians need … Continue reading Bruce Pascoe, Dark emu, black seeds: Agriculture or accident? (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Novels about objects
This weekend I went to the National Museum of Australia's current visiting exhibition, A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum. The promo describes it thus: "Explore the history of humanity — how we have shaped the world, and how the world has shaped us — in this major exhibition. Witness compelling stories … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Novels about objects
Oliver Wendell Holmes, The deacon’s masterpiece: Or the wonderful “one-hoss-shay” (Review)
Oliver Wendell Holmes is one of those wonderful names that, once you hear it, you can't really forget it - at least, I can't. But, the thing is, I often hear wonderful names of people who've "done things" without actually knowing what they've done. Oliver Wendell Holmes is one of these, and so when he … Continue reading Oliver Wendell Holmes, The deacon’s masterpiece: Or the wonderful “one-hoss-shay” (Review)
Anna Spargo-Ryan, The paper house (Review)
I hadn't heard of Anna Spargo-Ryan's novel, The paper-house, when it was sent to me for review, which is not surprising given it's a debut novel. However, I loved the cover - designed by one of Australia's top book designers, Sandy Cull - and so was more than willing to give it a go. It traverses some … Continue reading Anna Spargo-Ryan, The paper house (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Patrick White (Literary) Award
I was thrilled to hear on the radio this morning that Carmel Bird had won this year's Patrick White (Literary) Award. Bird is such a worthy winner for this award, but more on that anon. The Patrick White Award* is named, obviously, for one of Australia's most significant writers and only, to date, Nobel Laureate in Literature. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Patrick White (Literary) Award
