Well, Kim (Reading Matters) and Cathy's (746 Books) "A year with William Trevor" project is all but over, and I've only done one post - on the titular story in the little The dressmaker's child collection. The second story, "The hill bachelors" (as in bachelors living in the hills), was first published in his collection … Continue reading William Trevor, The hill bachelors (#Review)
21st century literature
Claire Keegan, So late in the day (#BookReview)
In her final Novellas in November post, Cathy (746 Books) wrote about Claire Keegan's short story "So late in the day", and included an online link to the story. Having not read any of Keegan's writing, to that point, and feeling the lack, I pounced - and was not disappointed. "So late in the day" … Continue reading Claire Keegan, So late in the day (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List, 2023
December is when I start my round of regular end-of-year posts, and a new one I'm adding to the fold is the The Grattan Institute's annual Prime Minister's Summer Reading List. The institute is an Australian non-aligned, public policy think tank, which produces readable, reasoned reports on significant issues, like, most recently, the role of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List, 2023
Holly Throsby, Clarke (#BookReview)
My reading group's last book of the year, Holly Throsby's third novel, Clarke, was a popular end-of-year choice. It's a straightforward but compelling read that was inspired by a story we were all across, the Lynette Dawson story. Inspired, though, is the operative word, as Clarke is not Lynette Dawson's story. For a start, while … Continue reading Holly Throsby, Clarke (#BookReview)
Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2023 Winning Books Launch with Conversation
I have written about Finlay Lloyd's 20/40 Publishing Prize a few times now, so I hope I'm not imposing too much on your precious time. However, this weekend was the launch here in Canberra, and it involved a conversation led by a favourite Canberra journalist, Virginia Hausseger, with the two winning authors. I had to … Continue reading Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2023 Winning Books Launch with Conversation
Kim Kelly, Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room (#BookReview)
Early in the month I reviewed the first of the two winners of Finlay Lloyd's inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize, Rebecca Burton's Ravenous girls (my review). It was set in Sydney in the 1980s. Now, as promised, I bring you the other winner, Kim Kelly's Ladies' Rest and Writing Room. It is also set in Sydney, … Continue reading Kim Kelly, Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room (#BookReview)
Chris Hammer in conversation with Jack Heath
Apologies for those of you expecting a Monday Musings. I did think about it, as this conversation turned out to be a bit of a Chris Hammer retrospective so it could have worked as one of my Monday Musings spotlight-on-an-author post. However, after considering my options, I decided to call this post what it is, … Continue reading Chris Hammer in conversation with Jack Heath
Carmel Bird, Love letter to Lola (#BookReview)
In her prose piece, "Ocean of story" (my post), Christina Stead wrote that It is only when the short story is written to a rigid plan, or done as an imitation, that it dies. It dies when it is pinned down, but not elsewhere. It is the million drops of water that are the looking-glasses … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Love letter to Lola (#BookReview)
Pat Barker, The women of Troy (#BookReview)
I shocked my reading group last week when I announced during our discussion of Pat Barker's novel, The women of Troy, that I was tiring of feminist re-imaginings of historical women. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the novel, and it is definitely not to say that I am not interested in … Continue reading Pat Barker, The women of Troy (#BookReview)
J.D. Vance, Hillbilly elegy (#BookReview)
I did something recently that I haven't done for a long time. I picked up a book from a remainder table. It was at the National Library bookshop, and I was waiting to meet a friend for lunch. The book was J.D. Vance's memoir Hillbilly elegy: A memoir of a family and culture in crisis, … Continue reading J.D. Vance, Hillbilly elegy (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 