Phillip Stamatellis' Growing up café is the third book I've read in publisher Finlay Lloyd's fl smalls collection. Unlike the previous two, by established creators Paul McDermott and Carmel Bird, it is a debut work by an unknown writer. According to the author bio provided at the beginning of the book, Stamatellis is studying writing at the University of … Continue reading Phillip Stamatellis, Growing up café: a short memoir (Review)
Australian literature
Delicious descriptions: Emma Ayres on music
If the bicycle trip gives Emma Ayres' travel memoir Cadence its chronological spine, it is music which provides its skeleton. However, before I discuss music, I need to respond to those commenters on my review who noted that "cadence" is also a cycling term. As I'd heard the book rather than read it, I couldn't quite recollect … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Emma Ayres on music
Monday musings on Australian literature: June Wright, Crime novelist
Regular readers here may be surprised to see this subject for a Monday Musings given I'm not known as a crime aficionado, but never let it be said that I'm not open-minded. I came across June Wright last year in my role as convener of the Literary and Classics area of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: June Wright, Crime novelist
Emma Ayres, Cadence: Travels with music (Review)
Although Emma Ayres' memoir Cadence had been passed around my reading group with much enthusiasm over the last year or so, I wasn't intending to read it - not because I wasn't interested, but because there were other books I wanted to read more. However, when I found the audiobook at my aunt's house while … Continue reading Emma Ayres, Cadence: Travels with music (Review)
Delicious descriptions: Stephen Orr’s farm family
When I reviewed Stephen Orr's farm-set novel, The hands, last week, I didn't share many quotes as the post was getting rather long. I decided I'd use my Delicious Descriptions series instead! So, here are three excerpts to show you more of what I so enjoyed about Orr's writing. One aspect I really enjoyed was his dialogue, but it's tricky choosing … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Stephen Orr’s farm family
Monday musings on Australian literature: Regional differences in Australian English
While dining in Thredbo this weekend, we were served by a waiter who, when I asked for a certain ingredient to be excluded from my dish, repeated it back with the order, "and no to-mAY-to" she said. Her accent wasn't strong but this stood out, so when she returned to our table, we asked whether … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Regional differences in Australian English
Stephen Orr, The hands: An Australian pastoral (Review)
As promised, here is my review of a farm novel, Adelaide-based Stephen Orr's The hands: An Australian pastoral. It is his sixth novel but the first that I've read. Where have I been? The hands is such a good read I wonder why I haven't read him before. Among the review excerpts for his previous novels provided at the beginning … Continue reading Stephen Orr, The hands: An Australian pastoral (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Best books of 1975
Given we're all looking at best reads, I thought it might be fun to look at best reads of a past time? My initial thought was 1965, a neat 50 years ago, but I couldn't find any appropriate lists. Google found a 1965 New York Times bestseller list on Wikipedia and a couple of 1965 lists in GoodReads, but they weren't quite what … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Best books of 1975
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2015
For the fourth year now, I'm devoting the year's last Monday Musings to the Australian Women Writers Challenge*. The challenge continues to be supported by a wide range of reviewers. This year we moved to a self-hosted site which enabled us to produce a single searchable database of all reviews logged since the challenge started in 2012. We now … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2015
Eleanor Limprecht, Long Bay (Review)
One of the things that interests me about historical fiction, of which Eleanor Limprecht's Long Bay is an example, is why the author in question chooses to write his/her story as fiction rather than non-fiction. As I've written before, this is an issue with which Kate Grenville grappled when she wrote The secret river. That book was initially going to … Continue reading Eleanor Limprecht, Long Bay (Review)
