As has become tradition, I'm writing my completion post for the Australian Women Writer's Challenge, around the middle of the year, though I will continue to contribute until the year's end, and do a final round-up then. I signed up, as always, for the top-level, Franklin, which involves reading 10 books and reviewing at least 6, and as always I've … Continue reading Australian Women Writers 2019 Challenge completed
Australian literature
Monday musings on Australian literature: Listen to Indigenous Australian authors
Some years, I've written an indigenous Australian focused Monday Musings post to start and conclude NAIDOC Week and Lisa's ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week. I have been researching a topic for this year's second post, but it's taking longer than I expected, so have decided to hold it over to next year. Meanwhile, having committed to a … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Listen to Indigenous Australian authors
Tony Birch, The white girl (#BookReview)
We need more novels like Tony Birch's The white girl and Melissa Lucashenko's Too much lip. This is not to say that we don't need all the wonderful Indigenous Australian literature I've read and reviewed here over the years, but some of the books, as excellent (and as beloved by me) as they are, can … Continue reading Tony Birch, The white girl (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: early Indigenous Australian literature
Since 2013, I've written an indigenous Australian focused Monday Musings post to coincide with NAIDOC Week and Lisa's ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week. NAIDOC Week, for non-Aussies out there, occurs across Australia each July "to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples". One way litbloggers can recognise and celebrate it … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: early Indigenous Australian literature
Miles Franklin Award 2019 shortlist
Well, good news for me in that I had read three of the longlist, and two of those have made it through to the shortlist. Interestingly, the one that didn't, Trent Dalton's Boy swallows universe, has been making such a splash that I rather expected it to be shortlisted. But, as we all know, you … Continue reading Miles Franklin Award 2019 shortlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: the Australian Common Reader
The Australian Common Reader is, says its website, "a world-leading database of digitised reading records" which "contains thousands of records of library borrowers between 1860 and 1918." Initiated by Western Australia's Curtin University professor Tim Dolin in 2008*, it was acquired by ANU in 2013, and is managed by its Centre for Digital Humanities Research. It was officially launched … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: the Australian Common Reader
Chris Womersley, A lovely and terrible thing (#BookReview)
Described as "twenty macabre and deliciously enjoyable stories for readers of Fiona McFarlane and Lauren Groff", Chris Womersley's newest book - his debut collection of short stories - wasn't necessarily a natural fit for me. I haven't read Lauren Groff, but I have read and really liked Fiona McFarlane's clever, memorable, The night guest (my … Continue reading Chris Womersley, A lovely and terrible thing (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Books banned in Australia
This week, my reading group will be discussing an American classic, Mary McCarthy's The group. Published in 1963, it sat on the New York Times best-selling list for five months. It also has the honour of having been banned in Australia! I realised that I've never done a Monday Musings on banned books, so now … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Books banned in Australia
World Refugee Day – #StepWithRefugees
World Refugee Day was denoted by the UN General Assembly in December 2000, and has been celebrated on June 20 ever since. Why 20 June? Because this was the date on which many African countries had already been celebrating Africa Refugee Day. The Day's aims, as for all UN International Days, are "to educate the … Continue reading World Refugee Day – #StepWithRefugees
Monday musings on Australian literature: Irish-Australian writers
With yesterday being Bloomsday - at which Lisa (ANZLitLovers) took part in a reading marathon - I thought it might be interesting to talk about writers in Australia who have an Irish background. But, how to define this? Wikipedia lists hundreds of Irish-Australians, although not all are writers of course! The Irish were among the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Irish-Australian writers
Whispering Gums 