If The yield (my review) was Tara June Winch's passion project, I'd say Bruny is Heather Rose's. It's a very different book to her previous novel The museum of modern love (my review). Not only is it a strongly plot-driven novel, but it's about something that is clearly dear to her heart, the future of Tasmania … Continue reading Heather Rose, Bruny (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Julie Thorndyke, Mrs Rickaby’s lullaby (#BookReview)
Quaint title, eh? I really didn't know what to expect when I accepted this book for review, but accept I did because the publisher is a quality little press and because the author, Julie Thorndyke, although unknown to me, has a track record as a writer, particularly of tanka. Mrs Rickaby's lullaby, however, is her … Continue reading Julie Thorndyke, Mrs Rickaby’s lullaby (#BookReview)
Tara June Winch, The yield (#BookReview)
Tara June Winch's novel, The yield, follows her impressive - and David Unaipon award-winning - debut novel Swallow the air (my review). Ten years in the making, The yield could be described as her "passion project". It makes a powerful plea for Indigenous agency and culture. I wrote about The yield's genesis last year, but will repeat it … Continue reading Tara June Winch, The yield (#BookReview)
Rick Morton, One hundred years of dirt (#BookReview)
Way back in the early 1970s when I was an undergraduate university student, I did some sociology, and one of our set books was The myth of equality by Tom Roper. It, and the courses around it, have informed ever since my understanding of how our society operates. Morton's book One hundred years of dirt … Continue reading Rick Morton, One hundred years of dirt (#BookReview)
David Carlin and Francesca Rendle-Short (eds), The near and the far: More stories from the Asia-Pacific region, Vol. 2 (#BookReview)
This anthology, like the first The near and the far volume, stems from a project called WrICE (Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange), an intercultural and intergenerational program which "brings together Australian and Asia-Pacific writers for face-to-face collaborative residencies in Asia and Australia". The most recent residencies have been in Indonesia (2018), The Philippines (2017) and China (2016). The … Continue reading David Carlin and Francesca Rendle-Short (eds), The near and the far: More stories from the Asia-Pacific region, Vol. 2 (#BookReview)
Carmel Bird, Field of poppies (#BookReview)
There are some writers whose personalities shine through so strongly that I have taken to characterising them in just a word or two. Jane Austen, for example, I think of as wickedly witty, and Helen Garner as heartbreakingly honest. Carmel Bird is another of these. I describe her as seriously cheeky, by which I don't … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Field of poppies (#BookReview)
Madelaine Dickie, Red can origami (#BookReview)
Some writers, I understand, suffer from a thing called "second novel syndrome", which describes the fear of writing a second novel after a successful first one. Well, it's clear that Madelaine Dickie, who won the TAG Hungerford with her first novel Troppo (my review), hasn't suffered from this particular disorder, because her second novel, Red … Continue reading Madelaine Dickie, Red can origami (#BookReview)
Anna Goldsworthy, Piano lessons (#BookReview)
Ever since Anna Goldsworthy's memoir, Piano lessons, was published, I've hankered to read it, but somehow never got around to acquiring a copy. So, when I was casting around for our next road trip audiobook and this one popped up serendipitously in Borrowbox, I grabbed the opportunity. Now, I have to admit that although I … Continue reading Anna Goldsworthy, Piano lessons (#BookReview)
Charlotte Wood, The weekend (#BookReview)
After reading the first few pages of Charlotte Wood's latest novel, The weekend, I was starting to wonder how on earth these women, with "their same scratchy old ways", could be described as "dearest friends". They seemed so different, and so irritated or, sometimes, cowed by each other's differences. Where was their point of connection … Continue reading Charlotte Wood, The weekend (#BookReview)
Steven Carroll, The lost life (#BookReview)
Last year, Mr Gums and I bought a new car to replace our loved but aging 15-year-old Subaru Forester. We've been keen to move into the hybrid world but wanted to stay with the SUV-style for various practical reasons, so, as soon as a reasonably-priced hybrid SUV appeared on the market here - the Toyota … Continue reading Steven Carroll, The lost life (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 