Emma Ashmere's short story collection, Dreams they forgot, is different again from recent short story collections I've read. Certainly very different from the most recent, Adam Thompson's Born into this (my review). One of the things that makes it different is its breadth in terms of time and place. Thompson's collection, for example, is mostly … Continue reading Emma Ashmere, Dreams they forgot (#BookReview)
Literature by period
Jonathan Shaw, None of us alone (#BookReview)
Some of you will know of Jonathan Shaw as the blogger at Me fail? I fly! If you read his blog, you will also know that he loves poetry: he writes it, he reviews it. None of us alone is his first commercially published collection, though he has self-published five collections and has had a … Continue reading Jonathan Shaw, None of us alone (#BookReview)
Stan Grant, On Thomas Keneally (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
Stan Grant's On Thomas Keneally is the second I've read in Black Inc's Writers on writers series, Erik Jensen's On Kate Jennings (my review) being the first. As I wrote in that post, the series involves leading authors reflecting "on an Australian writer who has inspired and influenced them". Hmm ... the way Keneally inspired … Continue reading Stan Grant, On Thomas Keneally (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
Adam Thompson, Born into this (#BookReview)
When my brother gave me Tasmanian author Adam Thompson's Born into this earlier this year, I told him I'd save it for Lisa's ILW 2021, which I did - and which means I can now thank him properly for a yet another well-chosen gift, because this is a strong, absorbing and relevant read. If you … Continue reading Adam Thompson, Born into this (#BookReview)
Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Steven Conte burst on the scene in 2008 when he won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award with his 2007-published debut novel, The zookeeper's war. I always intended to read it but somehow it never happened. Jump to 2020, and Conte's second novel, The Tolstoy Estate, was published. That's a big gap, but what he's … Continue reading Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
When I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers a couple of months ago, I had a few writers in mind, including the first one I did, Helen Simpson. However, a couple of weeks ago, The Conversation published the latest in their Hidden Women of History series, and the subject was an Irish-Australian … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
Malcolm Knox's sixth novel, Bluebird, comes with some impressive endorsements. On the front cover is "Charlotte Wood, author of The weekend", while the back features "Christos Tsiolkas, author of Damascus and The slap" and "Adam Gilchrist, former test cricketer and beach-goer". Hang on, Adam Gilchrist? What the? Some of you will know why, but I … Continue reading Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
George Orwell, My country right or left (#Review)
Having recently posted on the fourth essay, "The prevention of literature", in my book of George Orwell essays, I've decided to plough on and try to finish it. The next essay is the short, cleverly titled, "My country right or left". It was first published in Autumn 1940 in Folios of new writing. It's a … Continue reading George Orwell, My country right or left (#Review)
George Orwell, The prevention of literature (#Review)
One of the reasons a work becomes a classic is its timelessness, its continued relevance to each period in which it is read. This is certainly why many of George Orwell's works are seen as classics. Scarily, there is nothing more relevant now than his writing on the impact of totalitarianism - of which his … Continue reading George Orwell, The prevention of literature (#Review)
Delia Owens, Where the crawdads sing (#BookReview)
Delia Owens' bestselling debut novel, Where the crawdads sing, is a problematical novel, as my reading group discovered - and yet, I couldn't help being emotionally engaged. It reminded me a little of a childhood favourite, Gene Stratton Porter's A girl of the Limberlost. My heart went out to Owen's protagonist, Kya, the maligned, ignored, … Continue reading Delia Owens, Where the crawdads sing (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 