The 2024 Stella Prize winner was announced last Thursday, the 2nd of May, but that was the also the day my blog turned 15, and I didn't want to flood cyberspace with too many posts. Then this weekend was the SixDegrees meme which meant another post coming at you. So, I decided to do my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Prize 2024 Winner
Literature by period
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
In 2021, I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers, with posts on Helen Simpson and Eliza Hamilton Dunlop. This year I added Marion Simons, who was my first post on the Australian Women Writers (AWW) blog this year. As I explained then, Elizabeth Lhuede and I have decided to focus this year … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Vol. 2)
Mansfield Park book covers As I wrote last month, my Jane Austen group is doing a slow read of Mansfield Park this year, meaning we are reading and discussing the novel, one volume at a time, over three months. This month was Volume 2 (that is, chapters 19 to 31). It starts with the return … Continue reading Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Vol. 2)
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction (2) – and Trove
Karen's (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon's (Stuck in a Book) "Year Club" officially finished yesterday, but I focused so much in last week's post on the issue of the state of Australian criticism, that I didn't get to share some other ideas I found. So, I've decided to bookend the week with Monday Musings posts! … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction (2) – and Trove
Rachel Matthews, Never look desperate (#BookReview)
One of the most appealing things about Rachel Matthews' third novel, Never look desperate, is that it features some decent men. In this #metoo era, which differs little from what came before, there's plenty of fiction which shows men in less than stellar light. And that's fair enough. One of the reasons I read fiction … Continue reading Rachel Matthews, Never look desperate (#BookReview)
Marjorie Barnard, The lottery (#Review, #1937 Club)
This will probably be my only review for the 1937 Year Club but I am thrilled to do it, because it is by Marjorie Barnard, an author whom I have mentioned many times, but have not yet managed to review here. My post is on a short story from her collection, The persimmon tree and … Continue reading Marjorie Barnard, The lottery (#Review, #1937 Club)
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction
Once again it's Karen's (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon's (Stuck in a Book) "Year Club" week. This time the year is 1937, and it runs from today, 15th to 21st April. As I've been doing for a while now, I am devoting my Monday Musings to the week. If the 1960s, from which our last … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction
Thomas King, Borders (#Review)
Thomas King's "Borders" is the eleventh of fourteen stories in the anthology, Great short stories by contemporary Native American writers. Like the previous story by Duane Niatum, it was also written in the 1990s. Thomas King Anthology editor Bob Blaisdell provides some basic information about King, but I am supplementing that with information from Wikipedia … Continue reading Thomas King, Borders (#Review)
Shankari Chandran, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (#BookReview)
Shankari Chandran's Miles Franklin Award winning novel, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens, was my reading group's March book. Unfortunately I was out of town at the time of the meeting, but of course I wanted to read it - and I did, finally! Like many people, I think, when I first saw the book, I … Continue reading Shankari Chandran, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2024 Shortlist announced
For what it's worth, given I've not read any of them, here is the Stella Prize shortlist. The announcement I received via email this morning describes it as comprising: a diverse mix, featuring novels, memoir and an essay collection. Three of these works are by debut authors, showcasing fresh voices in Australian literature. To summarise … Continue reading Stella Prize 2024 Shortlist announced
Whispering Gums 