Christine Balint's Water music was a joint winner of the 2021 Viva La Novella Prize with Helen Meany's Every day is Gertie Day (my review), but they are very different books. Meany's is contemporary, perhaps even near-future, and tackles some up-to-the-minute issues regarding fact, truth and authenticity, while Balint's is historical fiction, a coming-of-age story, … Continue reading Christine Balint, Water music (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Cindy Solonec, Debesa: The story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez (#BookReview)
Cindy Solonec's Debesa is one of those curious hybrid biography-memoirs that are appearing on the scene. Its subtitle describes it as The story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez, implying biography, but in fact, Frank and Katie are Solonec's parents and so the book also incorporates some of her own story as part of the family. … Continue reading Cindy Solonec, Debesa: The story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez (#BookReview)
Alison Croggon, Monsters (#BookReview)
Alison Croggon's Monsters: A reckoning is a demanding but exhilarating read, demanding because it expresses some tough feelings, and exhilarating because of the mind behind it, the connections it makes and the questions it asks. Coincidentally, it has some synchronicities with my recent read, Sarah Krasnostein's The believer. Both talk about "uncertainty", and both conclude … Continue reading Alison Croggon, Monsters (#BookReview)
Novel-in-stories, Tara June Winch’s Swallow the air
This is my third post inspired by Reading like an Australian writer, and it involves two First Nations writers, Ellen van Neerven on Tara June Winch's award-winning debut novel Swallow the air. I chose van Neerven's essay for my next post, because, coincidentally, I'd just read Winch's story "Cloud busting" in Flock, an anthology, edited … Continue reading Novel-in-stories, Tara June Winch’s Swallow the air
Sarah Krasnostein, The believer (#BookReview)
One of the reasons I love reading fiction is to be introduced to lives and cultures I know nothing about. This is less so in nonfiction, but Sarah Krasnostein's latest book, The believer, fits the brief. In it she explores questions concerning what people believe and why through six different people (or groups of people), … Continue reading Sarah Krasnostein, The believer (#BookReview)
Omar Musa’s Killernova book launch, with Irma Gold
Local performance poet-novelist-artist Omar Musa's latest book, Killernova, had two launches in Canberra this weekend, one with Polly Hemming and the other with Irma Gold. Being Gold fans, Mr Gums and I booked her session, and it was both engaging and illuminating, but I have it on good authority that Polly Hemming's session, though different, … Continue reading Omar Musa’s Killernova book launch, with Irma Gold
Helen Meany, Every day is Gertie Day (#BookReview)
Helen Meany's Every day is Gertie Day is the third Viva La Novella winner that I've read and posted about on my blog, the other two being Julie Proudfoot's The neighbour (my review) and Mirandi Riwoe's The fish girl (my review). All are memorable reads, and do this award proud - and no, I am … Continue reading Helen Meany, Every day is Gertie Day (#BookReview)
Alf Taylor, God, the devil and me (#BookReview)
It was a complete coincidence that, as I was writing last week's Monday Musings post on diversity and memoir, I was also reading a First Nations memoir, but such is the reading life, eh? The memoir, Alf Taylor's God, the devil and me, is, however, both very much a memoir but also its own thing, … Continue reading Alf Taylor, God, the devil and me (#BookReview)
Sofie Laguna, Infinite splendours (#BookReview)
Those of you who know the subject matter of Sofie Laguna's latest novel, Infinite splendours, will not be surprised to hear that it drew a mixed reaction from my reading group, particularly coming on the heels of recent reads like Nardi Simpson's Song of the crocodile (my review) and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain (my review). … Continue reading Sofie Laguna, Infinite splendours (#BookReview)
Helen Garner, One day I’ll remember this: Diaries, Volume 2, 1987-1995 (#BookReview)
I loved volume 1 of Helen Garner's diaries, Yellow notebook (my review), last year, and equally enjoyed this second volume, One day I'll remember this. As with my first volume post, I plan to focus on a couple of threads that particularly interested me. First though, it's worth situating these diaries in terms of Garner's … Continue reading Helen Garner, One day I’ll remember this: Diaries, Volume 2, 1987-1995 (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 