Introducing last week's Monday Musings, I mentioned that the article I was sharing in that post contained a clue to a curly identification I was working on for my upcoming Australian Women Writers blog post. I said that I might share that puzzle this week, and that is what I am doing. I will get … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Untangling the tangles
Author: Whispering Gums
Six degrees of separation, FROM Butter TO …
Today is the first day of winter here in Australia, and we can feel the chill in the air here in Ngunnawal/Ngambri country (or Canberra). I don't like winter, but my new home (apartment) has the best aspect and we get sun streaming in most of the day in winter (if there is sun, as … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Butter TO …
Monday musings on Australian literature: Queensland’s women writers, 1920s
Yesterday, as I was trying to untangle a curly identification for my next Australian Women Writers blog post, I came across an interesting article in The Brisbane Courier. Published on 15 October 1927, and penned by one W.M., the 1300-word article is titled "Queensland Women Writers: Poets and Novelists". Of course, it caught my attention, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Queensland’s women writers, 1920s
Anton Chekhov, The lottery ticket (#Review)
Back in April I posted on Majorie Barnard's short story "The lottery" for Kaggsy's and Simon's 1937 Year Club. Commenting on that post, my American friend Carolyn said that in looking for Barnard's story she found Chekhov's "The lottery ticket", written fifty years earlier in 1887. Of course, I had to read it too. There … Continue reading Anton Chekhov, The lottery ticket (#Review)
Michael Fitzgerald, Late (#BookReview)
Australian author Michael Fitzgerald's novel Late owes something to what is known as the alternate (alternative) history genre, or what I call "what if" novels. Here, the underlying story is, what if Marilyn Monroe had not died in 1962 but, instead, had instead escaped Hollywood's oppressive celebrity culture and moved to Sydney, Australia? It's hard … Continue reading Michael Fitzgerald, Late (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (12), A rare humorous novel
I was unsure about whether to make this post part of my Trove Treasures or Forgotten Writers series, but Wikipedia tells me that in 2006, the historian John Hirst, writing in The Monthly, included this author's book, The colonial Australians, in a brief list of the best Australian history books of all-time. That probably means … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (12), A rare humorous novel
Shankari Chandran in conversation with Karen Viggers
Shankari Chandran's conversation with Karen Viggers is the second Meet the Author event I've managed to attend this year, and it reminded me how much I wish I could get to more of these sessions. This one featured Shankari Chandran, author of the Miles Franklin winning novel, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (my review), in … Continue reading Shankari Chandran in conversation with Karen Viggers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading groups aka bookgroups
Many litbloggers, I know, also belong to reading groups or bookgroups. (I use the terms interchangeably.) Jonathan (Me fail? I fly!) regularly writes engaging posts about his groups and their discussions, such as this most recent one on Paul Murray's The bee sting. And I often refer to mine, though not with the same detail … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading groups aka bookgroups
Anna Funder, Wifedom (#BookReview)
Anna Funder's Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's invisible life is a book with a mission, a mission that is implied in its full title. That mission is to examine the notion of "wifedom", and the way patriarchy works to construct it, through the example of the invisible - or, as Funder also calls it, erased - life … Continue reading Anna Funder, Wifedom (#BookReview)
Fifteen Year Blogiversary Giveaway Winners
As promised, I drew the two winners of my fifteen year blogiversary giveaway today, May 10. There were 4 entries in the non-Australian draw and 12 in the Australian draw. I used the random number generator at mathgoodies.com, and it generated 3 in the non-Australian draw, and 8 in the Australian draw. The winners are: … Continue reading Fifteen Year Blogiversary Giveaway Winners
