As we got ready for our recent Melbourne trip, I was thinking about the then upcoming announcement of the Stella Prize shortlist, so I packed the two longlisted books I already had. But then, en route, we listened to the Secrets of the Green Room interview with Tasma Walton about her longlisted novel, I am … Continue reading Tasma Walton, I am Nannertgarrook
Literary awards
Stella Prize 2026 Shortlist announced
Past performance, they say, is no indicator of future performance, but when it comes to me, past performance is often a very good indicator. What I mean is that once again I have not done well at having read the Stella Prize shortlist at the time of its announcement. In recent years, the most I've … Continue reading Stella Prize 2026 Shortlist announced
Johanna Bell, Department of the Vanishing (#BookReview)
Words can be problematical when it comes to expressing our response to literature, indeed to any of the arts. We are uncomfortable, for example, using the word "enjoy" to express our response to anything that is dark. This is understandable, and yet I think "enjoy" is a perfectly okay word for something that has engaged … Continue reading Johanna Bell, Department of the Vanishing (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2026 Longlist announced
As I say every year, I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of its announcement. In recent years the most I've read at the time of the announcement has been two (in 2019). Last year I'd read one. I have read 9 of the 13 winners to date, … Continue reading Stella Prize 2026 Longlist announced
Samantha Harvey, Orbital (#BookReview)
Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novella, Orbital, is one of those novels you want to keep by your side after you've finished it, hoping that its calm beauty and quiet provocations will stay with you just that little bit longer. And here, in this opening sentence, I am channelling the "you" voice that she slips into occasionally … Continue reading Samantha Harvey, Orbital (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Walter Scott Prize
Some of you will have come across the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction already. Brona (This Reading Life) recently posted on it, and I have mentioned it in passing a few times on this blog. Wikipedia provides good overview, as does the Prize's own website, so I am sharing information from both these sites. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Walter Scott Prize
Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
In 2023, novelist Kim Kelly was one of the two winners of Finlay Lloyd's inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize, with her 1920s-set historical novel, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room (my review). Publisher Julian Davies had hoped at the time to award one fiction and one nonfiction prize, but there was a dearth of good nonfiction entries. … Continue reading Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Last month, I posted on the winners of the 2025 Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize, of which Angus Gaunt's Anna was one. I am thrilled with this prize, not only because I love the novella form, but because of the variety of stories we are seeing. So far the fiction winners have been an historical … Continue reading Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 1, ACT Book of the Year
A preamble The Canberra Writers Festival is back in 2025, with a new Artistic Director, author Andra Putnis whose biography-memoir, Stories my grandmothers didn't tell me I reviewed earlier this year. The Festival's theme continues to be "Power Politics Passion", albeit not as dominating in promotion as it used to be. The ACT Book of … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 1, ACT Book of the Year
Olga Tokarczuk, House of day, house of night (#BookReview)
About 30 pages into Olga Tokarczuk's novel, House of day, house of night, I turned to Mr Gums and said, I have no idea what I am reading, which is unusual for me. I certainly don't pretend to understand everything I read, but I can usually sense a book's direction. However, something about this one … Continue reading Olga Tokarczuk, House of day, house of night (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 