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)
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)
Irma Gold, The breaking (#BookReview)
I have broken a golden rule! That is, I am reviewing Irma Gold's debut novel, The breaking, out of the order in which I received it for review, which is something I (almost) never do! But, I am attending an author event on this book this weekend, and I really wanted to have read it … Continue reading Irma Gold, The breaking (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Juvenilia, Volume the third (#Review)
This month my Jane Austen group completed our reading of Jane Austen's Juvenilia. (Click the links for my thoughts on the first and second volumes.) Volume the third is a little different to the other two, as it contains just two unfinished works: EvelynCatharine, or The bower Both were written in 1792, when she was … Continue reading Jane Austen, Juvenilia, Volume the third (#Review)
Jane Austen, Lesley Castle (#Review)
I mentioned in my post on the second volume of Jane Austen's Juvenilia, that I might do a separate post on one of its longer pieces, Lesley Castle. It's one of her three longer pieces in that volume, and is often published separately or in other compilations, so warrants some attention, methinks! Lesley Castle Lesley … Continue reading Jane Austen, Lesley Castle (#Review)
Erik Jensen, On Kate Jennings (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
It took Kate Jennings' death for me to finally pick up one of Black Inc's Writers on writers books, Erik Jensen's On Kate Jennings. The series, says Black Inc, involves leading authors reflecting "on an Australian writer who has inspired and influenced them". It continues, "Provocative and crisp, these books start a fresh conversation between … Continue reading Erik Jensen, On Kate Jennings (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
Marian Matta, Life, bound (#BookReview)
In August 2020, small independent publisher MidnightSun sent me two short story collections, Margaret Hickey's Rural dreams (reviewed last month), and Marian Matta's Life, bound. I enjoyed Rural dreams, as some of you may remember, for its exploration of rural lives from multiple angles and points of view. Life, bound is a very different collection. … Continue reading Marian Matta, Life, bound (#BookReview)
Sara Phillips (ed), The best Australian science writing 2020 (#BookReview)
In 2016, my reading group discussed the 2015 edition of The best Australian science writing. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again, and so this month we read the 2020 (tenth anniversary) edition. Our discussion was as engaged as before (and the overall reasons I enjoyed this volume are the … Continue reading Sara Phillips (ed), The best Australian science writing 2020 (#BookReview)
Bill curates: Best Young Australian Novelists
Bill Curates is an occasional series where I delve into Sue’s vast archive, stretching back to May 2009, and choose a post for us to revisit. Today, what I'd like to know is where do all the Best Young Novelists go? Emily Maguire, who's featured in this post from 2013, wrote one about Gundagai a few years … Continue reading Bill curates: Best Young Australian Novelists
