Apologies to those of you who look forward to my Monday Musings post, but I've gazumped this week's edition, because the Stella Prize longlist was announced this evening, and I do like to report on that. I attended the online streamed announcement. As I say every year, I don't do well at having read the … Continue reading Stella Prize 2022 Longlist announced
Australian literature
Jane Sinclair, Shy love smiles and acid drops (#BookReview)
Jane Sinclair's hybrid biography-memoir, Shy love smiles and acid drops: Letters from a difficult marriage, is an unusual book. Covering around two years in her parents' life, this book comprises, mostly, letters sent between her parents between April 1960 and July 1962 when Sinclair and her mother were in England while her father remained in … Continue reading Jane Sinclair, Shy love smiles and acid drops (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Two new indies
This month - February* - has been designated #ReadIndies month by two British bloggers, Karen (kaggsysbookishramblings) and Lizzy (Lizzy's Literary Life). The rules are simple: "read anything you like, in any language you like, as long as it was published by an independent publisher". This is not a difficult reading month for me to take … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Two new indies
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Guardian Australia’s Unmissables (2)
Two years ago, I wrote a post on The Guardian Australia's Unmissables series, which was initiated in 2019 and aimed to highlight 12 new releases they deem "significant". The series was supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. I wondered at the end of my previous post whether the project would continue after the initial … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Guardian Australia’s Unmissables (2)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Posthumous publishing
The literary world is replete with works published posthumously. Jane Austen had two completed works published after she died, but there are many many others including Kafka, Tolkien and more recent giants like David Foster Wallace. In some cases, the writer had finished the work but time or some other reason resulted in its not … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Posthumous publishing
Monday musings on Australian literature: Unfinished books (2)
"Literary history is replete with unfinished novels which ought never to have seen the light of day." (Alan Taylor, Scotland's The Herald.) Back in 2018, I wrote a Monday Musings post on unfinished novels. I was more interested there in why they were published and what the authors may have intended. This time, I'm focusing … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Unfinished books (2)
Amy Witting, Isobel on the way to the corner shop (#BookReview)
My first reading group book of the year, Amy Witting's Isobel on the way to the corner shop, nicely doubles as a (late) contribution to Bill's AWW Gen 4 week. Winner of the 1993 Patrick White Award, Amy Witting is one of those much-admired Australian writers who had not then and still has not received … Continue reading Amy Witting, Isobel on the way to the corner shop (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Untapped (The Australian Literary Heritage Project)
I have Lisa (ANZLitLovers) to thank for this Monday Musings because, commenting on my recent Margaret Barbalet post, she mentioned this Untapped project, which, embarrassingly, was unknown to me. Then, seeing our discussion, novelist Dorothy Johnston joined in, and offered to send me some information, which she did. So, I now have a copy of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Untapped (The Australian Literary Heritage Project)
Epiphany in Harrower’s “The fun of the fair”
With Bill's AWW Gen 4 Week still in play, I hoped I'd find something relevant to share from Reading like an Australian writer. And there was, a discussion by novelist Emily Maguire of a short story by Elizabeth Harrower. The short story, as you can probably guess, is titled "The fun of the fair" and … Continue reading Epiphany in Harrower’s “The fun of the fair”
Margaret Barbalet, Blood in the rain (#BookReview)
When I thought about Bill's AWW Gen 4 week, I knew I'd have some hard choices to make as I have many eligible novels on my TBR shelves. However, the choice wasn't too hard because there was one author who just doesn't seem to be talked about and I wanted to include her on my … Continue reading Margaret Barbalet, Blood in the rain (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 