When my reading group scheduled Jane Caro's debut novel, The mother, I was, I admit, not exactly enthusiastic, because my sense was that it was not going to be the sort of, shall I say, subtle writing I prefer. My sense was right, but I am not sorry I read it - partly because of … Continue reading Jane Caro, The mother (#BookReview)
Author: Whispering Gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: literary outback Queensland
I started writing this in late August, before we headed off on our outback Queensland trip, revisiting many places from my childhood, as well as seeing some new places. It was while living in Mt Isa, in northwest Queensland that I developed my love of Australian literature and of the Australian landscape. I was 11 … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: literary outback Queensland
Barbara Jefferis Award 2024 Shortlist Announced
I didn't report on this biennial award in 2022, but with the 2024 shortlist just having been announced, and my having read half of them, I am reminding us all again of this interesting award. Worth $50,000, this award, for those of you who don't remember it, has very specific criteria: "the best novel written by … Continue reading Barbara Jefferis Award 2024 Shortlist Announced
Beth H. Piatote, Beading lesson (#Review)
Beth Piatote's "Beading lesson" is the thirteenth of fourteen stories in the anthology, Great short stories by contemporary Native American writers, and with it, we move from the 1990s to the 2000s. Beth H Piatote Anthology editor Bob Blaisdell provides very little information about Piatote. It simply says that she is Nez Perce and a … Continue reading Beth H. Piatote, Beading lesson (#Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: A little Longreach interlude
I am still tripping through Queensland, and had planned a more in-depth post for today - in fact, I'd started working on it before I left Canberra on 31 August - but my energy levels have been sapped by having had COVID for the last week, not to mention by our busy touring schedule. Rather … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: A little Longreach interlude
Sebastian Barry, The secret scripture
What follows here is an edited version of the first ever review post I wrote - back in December 2008 on a Blogger blog I set up for my reading group. I've been meaning for some time to bring it over here because I'd like to have Sebastian Barry represented on my blog! However, my … Continue reading Sebastian Barry, The secret scripture
Monday musings on Australian literature: A little note on the Kalkadoon (or Kalkatungu)
Tonight I am in Kalkadoon (Kalkatunga) country. The Kalkadoons were the first Indigenous Australian people I became aware of as a young pre-pubescent girl living in Mount Isa in the 1960s. What I remember being told is that they were "fierce warriors", but nothing much else, because we didn't learn this history of Australia back … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: A little note on the Kalkadoon (or Kalkatungu)
Six degrees of separation, FROM After story TO …
It's the start of spring down under and, as some of you know, I am on a holiday in outback Queensland. It's a bit of a sentimental journey for me, but it's a region that is worth visiting regardless of personal connections. Anyhow, my holiday is not what you are here for, so I'll get … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM After story TO …
Monday musings on Australian literature: Nettie Palmer on Australian novels
Nettie Palmer has appeared a few times before on this blog, and is likely to appear again, because she was such an active member of Australia's early to mid-twentieth century literary community, and she was a keen supporter and promoter of Australian writing and writers. Three years ago, I wrote about an article she'd written … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nettie Palmer on Australian novels
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five (#BookReview)
While my reading group's main reading fare has, from the start, been contemporary fiction, we also mix it up a bit. We do non-fiction, for example, and most years we try to do a classic. Over the years we've done Jane Austen, Elizabeth von Arnim, Anton Chekhov, EM Forster, and Randolph Stow, to name a … Continue reading Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five (#BookReview)
