At the beginning of this year I reviewed Frank Moorhouse's Cold light (my review) which commences with the arrival of his protagonist, Edith Campbell Berry, in Canberra in 1950. The Petrovs, the subject of Lesley Lebkowicz's The Petrov poems (my review), arrived in Canberra in 1951. Lebkowicz's description of Canberra accords very much with Moorhouse's. The … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down under: Lebkowicz and Moorhouse on 1950s Canberra
21st century literature
Lesley Lebkowicz, The Petrov poems (Review)
Canberra poet Lesley Lebkowicz has made a couple of brief appearances in my blog: first in my post on The invisible thread anthology, and then when she won this year's ACT Poetry Award. I was consequently more than happy to accept for review her latest book, The Petrov poems. It's intriguing that nearly 60 years … Continue reading Lesley Lebkowicz, The Petrov poems (Review)
Bianca Nogrady, The end: The human experience of death (Review)
Have you thought about your death? About how and where you want to die? These are the questions Australian science journalist Bianca Nogrady asks us to consider in her recent book, The end: the human experience of death. I'm not a morbid person, but when Nogrady contacted me to ask whether I'd consider reviewing her … Continue reading Bianca Nogrady, The end: The human experience of death (Review)
Murray Bail, The voyage (Review)
It took me a while to read Murray Bail's latest novel The voyage. I started it before we went overseas but didn't quite finish it, and decided not to carry it with me. So, 8 weeks later, I picked it up and found it surprisingly easy to continue. I say surprising because it is a rather … Continue reading Murray Bail, The voyage (Review)
Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
A few months ago I wrote a Monday Musings on the Australian Society of Authors' digital publishing initiative, Authors Unlimited e_Book portal. At the time I decided to try it out and bought Dorothy Johnston's collection of short stories, Eight pieces on prostitution. The collection comprises 7 short stories and a long story or novella. One … Continue reading Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, The novel cure: An A-Z of literary remedies (Review)
I don't usually blog about books before I've read them cover to cover, but I'm making an exception for Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin's The novel cure because it's one of those books that's best read in small doses (no pun intended). You see, it is a book of bibliotherapy, a book that recommends novels … Continue reading Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, The novel cure: An A-Z of literary remedies (Review)
Ann Patchett, The bookshop strikes back (Review)
I'm not normally an impulse buyer except, it seems, when I visit the bookshop at the National Library of Australia! I tell myself I'm not interested in little books - you know, the sort bookshops put on their sales counters - but somehow the National Library of Australia regularly manages to break down my resolution. … Continue reading Ann Patchett, The bookshop strikes back (Review)
Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Romy Ash has made quite a splash with her debut novel, Floundering. It was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, among others. I haven't read it yet, but I have read a couple of her short stories that have appeared in the Griffth Review, one of which is "The basin". … Continue reading Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Every now and then a book comes along that is so sweeping in its conception, that it almost defies review. Such a book is this year's Miles Franklin Award winner, Questions of travel by Michelle de Kretser. Consequently, I'm going to focus on one aspect that particularly spoke to me - and that is her … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Anita Heiss's Am I black enough for you? is a challenge to categorise, so I'll start with writer Benjamin Law's description on the cover of my edition. He calls it "part family history, part manifesto" to which I'd add "part memoir" because "family history" does not really cover the self-description aspect of the book. For … Continue reading Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Whispering Gums 