No, I'm not going to write weekly "My literary week" posts - my last one was, anyhow, two weeks ago - but sometimes things happen that I want to share, and bundling them up seems the best way to do it. Miles Franklin Award Shortlist The shortlist for Australia's best known literary award was announced last … Continue reading My literary week (2), or so
Author: Whispering Gums
Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)
Washington Irving (1783-1859) is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The legend of Sleepy Hollow", but in fact he was a prolific writer and, according to Wikipedia, is often credited as being America's first "man of letters". I was fascinated to read in Wikipedia that, as well as being a writer, he … Continue reading Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)
Sonya Hartnett, Golden boys (Review)
Although Sonya Hartnett has written a large number of books, for children, young adults and adults, I've never read her, which is something I've been wanting to rectify. My opportunity came in May when my reading group scheduled her latest novel, Golden boys, for discussion. It was shortlisted for several awards last year, including the Miles Franklin Award - … Continue reading Sonya Hartnett, Golden boys (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Charlotte Wood
This is the third in my occasional series of Spotlight posts inspired by Annette Marfording's Celebrating Australian Writing: Conversations with Australian Authors. (See the end of this post for links to the first two.) Since Charlotte Wood won this year's Stella Prize, the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction (NSW Premier's Literary Awards), and has just been shortlisted for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Charlotte Wood
Finlay Lloyd: Celebrating 10 Years of Publishing
This weekend I attended a delightful event run by the National Library of Australia's bookshop. It was an afternoon of author readings to celebrate the 10th anniversary of independent small publisher Finlay Lloyd, which is based in Braidwood, about an hour's drive from here. It is run by two men, author Julian Davies and artist Phil Day. … Continue reading Finlay Lloyd: Celebrating 10 Years of Publishing
Bidda Jones and Julian Davies, Backlash: Australia’s conflict of values over live exports
When co-author and publisher Julian Davies sent me Backlash to review, he described it as "our latest and perhaps most ambitious book so far - non-fiction". Hmm, I thought, that's quite something from the publisher of some very interesting and, it seems to me, ambitious books. But now, having read Backlash, I understand what he … Continue reading Bidda Jones and Julian Davies, Backlash: Australia’s conflict of values over live exports
Monday musings on Australian literature: Explorer’s journals (1, Edward John Eyre)
I have delved before into Australian explorer's journals when researching posts, but I must admit that I've never read one right through. However, I don't think that prevents my sharing some of the things they have to offer ... Project Gutenberg Australia (PGA), which I've described before, is a rich resource of a wide variety of copyright-free works, including, not surprisingly, Australiana. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Explorer’s journals (1, Edward John Eyre)
My literary week (1), in a sense
I say "in a sense" because my reading has been slow this week as Mr Gums and I have been getting back up to speed after our Lake Eyre trip. However, in terms of the literary world, much has been happening and I thought I'd share some with you, documenting it at the same time for … Continue reading My literary week (1), in a sense
Francis Keany, Follow the leaders: How to survive a modern-day election campaign (Review)
I had a little laugh when I picked up Francis Keany's book, Follow the leaders, about his experience as a journalist on the 2013 election campaign, because that very day our current leader Malcolm Turnbull formally announced the 2016 election. It's all a game of course because we already knew when it was to be - the budget … Continue reading Francis Keany, Follow the leaders: How to survive a modern-day election campaign (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Let’s get physical – Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
Last week I wrote my fifth "Let's get physical" post, and chose Adelaide because visiting there was bookending our trip last week to Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. You'll understand, therefore, why I've chosen the subject I have for this week! Lake Eyre was named for explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840, but in 2012 its official name … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Let’s get physical – Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
