Titles are intriguing things, and we don't always pay them the attention they deserve, but the title of Australian writer Andrea Goldsmith's ninth novel, The buried life, is worth thinking about. It is the third novel I've read by Goldsmith, and, like the others, is a contemporary story focusing on relationships and the stresses her … Continue reading Andrea Goldsmith, The buried life (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge has been around for 17 years, but it's only now that I have managed to read it. And that's because my reading group scheduled it as our June read. It's not that I didn't want to read it - I really did - but other books kept … Continue reading Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Percival Everett, James (#BookReview)
Well, let's see how I go with this post on Percival Everett's Pulitzer Prize winning novel James. I read all but 30 pages of this novel before my reading group's meeting on 27 May. I was not at the meeting as I was in Far North Queensland, but I wanted to send in some notes, … Continue reading Percival Everett, James (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2025 Winner announced
The 2025 Stella Prize winner was announced tonight at a special event at the Sydney Writers' Festival, and the winner is ... Michelle de Kretser's Theory & practice How happy am I that a book I reviewed only last week won the award! It is a provocative and thoroughly engrossing book in all the ways. … Continue reading Stella Prize 2025 Winner announced
Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser's latest novel, Theory & practice, is a perfect example of why I should follow my own reading advice, which is that as soon as I finish a book I should go back and read the opening paragraphs, if not pages. I like to do this because there often lies clues to what … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
In 2023, The New Yorker published a piece on Helen Garner. Written by Australian journalist, Helen Sullivan, its title, "The startling candor of Helen Garner", captures exactly what I like about Garner, as does this a little further on: Her writing is elegant but colloquial, characterized by an impulse to say and share things others … Continue reading Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
If Australian writer Irma Gold suffered from Second Book Syndrome while writing her second novel, it certainly doesn't show. Her debut novel, The breaking (my review), is well-written and a great read. However, in Shift, I sense a writer who has reached another level of confidence in fusing her writing, story-telling, and the ideals and … Continue reading Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
Some reading synchronicities - those coincidental connections that happen between books we read in a short period of time - are zeitgeist-related. For example, grief is not my go-to, but it is a common theme in contemporary writing so it's not entirely remarkable that I have written three reviews since January about books focused on … Continue reading Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2025 Longlist announced
Last year the Stella Prize longlist announcement took place on a Monday, gazumping that week's Monday Musings. This year it's a Tuesday, and it was again streamed online from the Adelaide Festival Writers Week ... As I say every year, I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of … Continue reading Stella Prize 2025 Longlist announced
Andra Putnis, Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me (#BookReview)
Local writer Andra Putnis' book, Stories my grandmothers didn't tell me: Two women's journeys from war-torn Europe to a new life in Australia, was my reading group's February read. Not only was it highly recommended by two members who had read it, but we were told the author would be happy to attend our meeting … Continue reading Andra Putnis, Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 