Adeline F. Ries's short story "The scapegoat" is the sixth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Like the previous author, Emma E. Butler, Adeline F. Ries is barely known. Adeline F. Ries The biographical note at the end of the anthology, like that for Butler, … Continue reading Adeline F. Ries, Mammy: A story (#Review)
Review
Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein, The mushroom tapes (#BookReview)
Chances are I'm not telling you anything when I say that The mushroom tapes is about an Australian murder trial that took place over two months in the middle of 2025. However, if you don't know, this trial concerned a woman named Erin Patterson who was accused of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder … Continue reading Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein, The mushroom tapes (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (#BookReview)
My reading group has a tradition of choosing a "big" book for our January read. We also like to do a classic each year. This year the two coincided when we chose Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton, as our 2026 starting book. I have read several Gaskell novels and stories - plus Nell Stevens' … Continue reading Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (#BookReview)
Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Emma E. Butler's short story "Polly's hack ride" is the fifth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Unlike the previous author, Paul Laurence Dunbar, is barely known. Emma E. Butler The biographical note at the end of the anthology comprises three sentences! The first two … Continue reading Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Those of us who follow Jessica White have been waiting for the biography of nineteenth century botanist, Georgiana Molloy, that we know she has been researching, but then, almost out of the blue, appeared something a little different, a collection of ecobiographical essays titled, Silence is my habitat. Published under the beautiful Upswell imprint, Silence … Continue reading Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
If you have read Carmel Bird's memoir Telltale (my review), you will know about her love of story, particularly of history, and fairy story, and legends. You will also know about her love of objects, of beautiful objects or strange ones, and of the meanings embodied within them. And, if you have read anything by … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
In 2023, novelist Kim Kelly was one of the two winners of Finlay Lloyd's inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize, with her 1920s-set historical novel, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room (my review). Publisher Julian Davies had hoped at the time to award one fiction and one nonfiction prize, but there was a dearth of good nonfiction entries. … Continue reading Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
Colum McCann, Twist (#BookReview)
Colum McCann said during the conversation I attended back in May that books are never completed until they are in the hands of readers who tell back what a book is about. This is essentially reception theory, which, referencing Wikipedia, says that readers interpret the meaning of what they read based on their individual cultural … Continue reading Colum McCann, Twist (#BookReview)
Margaret Atwood, Negotiating with the dead: A writer on writing (#BookReview)
My reading for Buried in Print Marcie's annual MARM month has been both sporadic and minimal, to say the least, but this year I finally got to read a book that has been on my TBR shelves for a long time and that I have planned to read over the last few MARMs. It's Atwood's … Continue reading Margaret Atwood, Negotiating with the dead: A writer on writing (#BookReview)
Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Mostly for the Year Clubs, I read an Australian short story, usually from one of my anthologies. However, for 1925, I couldn't find anything in my anthologies, so turned to other newspaper-based sources, including Trove, but I mainly found romances or works that were difficult to access. And then, out of the blue, I found … Continue reading Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Whispering Gums 