As many of you know by now, Karen (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon (Stuck in a Book) run "reading weeks" in which they nominate a year from which "everyone reads, enjoys, posts and shares wonderful books and discoveries from the year in question". The current year is 1929, and it runs from today, 24 October … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1929 in fiction
Author: Whispering Gums
Telltale, Carmel Bird and me
In my recent post on Carmel Bird's bibliomemoir, Telltale, I hinted that there could be another post in this book. There could, indeed, be many, but I must move on, and I must not spoil the book for others. However, given many blog-readers enjoy personal posts, I've decided to share a few of my particular … Continue reading Telltale, Carmel Bird and me
Carmel Bird, Telltale: Reading writing remembering (#BookReview)
Finally, I have found something to thank COVID for - Carmel Bird's Telltale. Best described as a bibliomemoir, Telltale may never have been written if Bird had not been locked down with her extensive library. What is a lively mind to do in such a situation? I can think of a few options, but what … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Telltale: Reading writing remembering (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Bush Book Club (2)
Last week, I introduced the Bush Book Club. Established in Sydney in 1909, its aim was to get books out to remote areas of New South Wales not supported by other services like Schools of Arts and Mechanics Institutes. In my post I focused on its establishment and aims, but I found it so interesting … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Bush Book Club (2)
In conversation with Craig Silvey
I understand that literary conversation events in Canberra go best when the subject is political. I guess it's the nature of the beast - that is, of living in the national capital. But for me, it's the fiction writers that I want to see, and we do get some interspersed amongst the run of historians … Continue reading In conversation with Craig Silvey
Monday musings on Australian literature: Bush Book Club (1)
I came across a reference to the Bush Book Club during my research for those 1922 posts I've been doing this year. I flagged it for a post in the series - but then discovered that the Club was founded in 1910. It's a fascinating project, and I haven't reached the end of it yet, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Bush Book Club (1)
Kim Vanessa Scott, Growing up … Katherine style (#BookReview)
Growing up .. Katherine style is the second self-published book I have reviewed from this Katherine-based artist and writer, the first being her book about some of Katherine's historical housing, Katherine's tropical housing precinct 1946-1956. There are a few reasons why I have broken my no-self-published-books rule. One is that both books had some Northern … Continue reading Kim Vanessa Scott, Growing up … Katherine style (#BookReview)
Tom Gauld, Goliath (#BookReview)
It's probably just me, but I hadn't heard of Tom Gauld until a member of my little volunteer indexing team sent me a link to some of his "cultural" cartoons in The Guardian. I was immediately enchanted. And then, he lent me one of Gauld's graphic novels, the above-named Goliath. Being primarily a textual person, … Continue reading Tom Gauld, Goliath (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Community novels
Recently, I came across a blogger discussing what she described as "community novels". The blogger is Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home, and the book she was discussing was an English novel, Small miracles by Anne Booth. It got me thinking, because I love community. Community, however, is a word … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Community novels
Six degrees of separation, FROM Notes on a scandal TO …
It might be spring but it's not a particularly appealing one here, with so much grey and rain, which is unusual for my corner of the world. But, Daylight Savings starts this weekend, which is always a plus, and the spring blossoms and bulbs are out which cheer up the grey. What also cheers up … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Notes on a scandal TO …
