I was keen to read Melanie Myers' debut novel, Meet me at Lennon's, because it is set during the Brisbane of my mother's early teens, that is, wartime Brisbane when her school, Somerville House, was commandeered in 1942 by the Australian Military Forces and served as a US Army Headquarters for the rest of the … Continue reading Melanie Myers, Meet me at Lennon’s (#BookReview)
Literature by period
Amanda O’Callaghan, This taste for silence (#BookReview)
Short story collections are rarely recognised in literary fiction awards, but Amanda O'Callaghan's debut collection, This taste for silence, was shortlisted for this year's Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. The judges described it as "inventive in its themes and by an author unafraid to enfold her readers into unsettling reading experiences". I would agree. This … Continue reading Amanda O’Callaghan, This taste for silence (#BookReview)
Kim Scott, Katherine’s tropical housing precinct 1946-1956 (#BookReview)
Do you have a favourite house that you lived in? I do. It's the lovely old Queenslander my family lived in for most of my primary school years. It was in Sandgate, Brisbane, and I still have vivid memories of those days, and that house and garden. Kim Scott, the author of Katherine's tropical housing … Continue reading Kim Scott, Katherine’s tropical housing precinct 1946-1956 (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Random thoughts from the mid-1930s
I've written a few posts in recent months about Australian literary culture in the 1930s - on moving beyond "gumleaf and goanna", on setting vs character, and two (here and here) on where Australian literature was heading. This week, I'm returning to the topic to share a random selection of comments made about Australian fiction in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Random thoughts from the mid-1930s
Elizabeth Kuiper, Little stones (#BookReview)
Announcing their 2019 longlist back in February (see my post), the Stella Prize judges said that they "wished for more representations of otherness and diversity from publishers: narratives from outside Australia, from and featuring women of colour, LGBTQIA stories, Indigenous stories, more subversion, more difference". Elizabeth Kuiper's debut novel, Little stones, may not exactly fulfil this wish … Continue reading Elizabeth Kuiper, Little stones (#BookReview)
Tim Winton, The shepherd’s hut (#BookReview)
Tim Winton and Christos Tsiolkas have to be Australia's foremost contemporary writers about men and boys, Tsiolkas doing for urban/surburban males what Winton does for small town/rural ones. Winton's latest novel, The shepherd's hut, continues his exploration of males in extremis. It's strong, gritty, page-turning, and yet reflective too, which is not easy to pull-off. … Continue reading Tim Winton, The shepherd’s hut (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: University of Canberra Book of the Year 2020
I wasn't necessarily planning to announce the University of Canberra's Book of the Year again this year, having written about it three times already - in 2012 when it was initiated, in 2014, when I checked to see how the program was going, and in 2018 to announce this year's book. However, next year's book … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: University of Canberra Book of the Year 2020
Jessica White, Hearing Maud (#BookReview)
Hybrid memoir-biographies take many forms. For a start, some are weighted more to biography while others more to memoir. As I wrote in my post on Jessica White's conversation with Inga Simpson, most of those I've read "have been mother-daughter stories, the biography being about the mother and the memoir, the daughter. White’s book is … Continue reading Jessica White, Hearing Maud (#BookReview)
Helen Garner in conversation with Sarah Krasnostein
To say I was thrilled when Son Gums' partner offered to buy tickets for us to see Helen Garner in conversation (last Saturday) would be an understatement. I have never seen Garner live before so that would be one bucket-list item ticked had I a bucket list! The fact that the conversation was to be … Continue reading Helen Garner in conversation with Sarah Krasnostein
Monday musings on Australian literature: Whither Australian literature, 1930s (Pt. 2)?
As I wrote last week, I apologise to those of you not interested in the history of Australian literature, because yes again I am continuing my little survey of contemporary writing about Australian literature in the 1930s. This week I plan to look at some another discussion about the place of and interest in Australian … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Whither Australian literature, 1930s (Pt. 2)?
Whispering Gums 