Having finally read Wayne Bergmann and Madelaine Dickie's Some people want to shoot me, I am not surprised that it has been shortlisted in the Nonfiction category of this year's Western Australian Premier's Book Awards. It is moving; it is clearly written; and it is informative about big issues. Wayne Bergmann is a Nyikina* man … Continue reading Wayne Bergmann and Madelaine Dickie, Some people want to shoot me (#BookReview)
Review
Andrea Goldsmith, The buried life (#BookReview)
Titles are intriguing things, and we don't always pay them the attention they deserve, but the title of Australian writer Andrea Goldsmith's ninth novel, The buried life, is worth thinking about. It is the third novel I've read by Goldsmith, and, like the others, is a contemporary story focusing on relationships and the stresses her … Continue reading Andrea Goldsmith, The buried life (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge has been around for 17 years, but it's only now that I have managed to read it. And that's because my reading group scheduled it as our June read. It's not that I didn't want to read it - I really did - but other books kept … Continue reading Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Charles W. Chestnutt, Uncle Wellington’s wives (#Review)
Charles W. Chestnutt's long short story is the second in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers sent to me by my American friend Carolyn. I have come across Chestnutt before, in the Library of America's Story of the Week program, but they haven't published this one and I haven't written about him before. … Continue reading Charles W. Chestnutt, Uncle Wellington’s wives (#Review)
Percival Everett, James (#BookReview)
Well, let's see how I go with this post on Percival Everett's Pulitzer Prize winning novel James. I read all but 30 pages of this novel before my reading group's meeting on 27 May. I was not at the meeting as I was in Far North Queensland, but I wanted to send in some notes, … Continue reading Percival Everett, James (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Emma (Vol. 2, redux 2025)
In April, I wrote a post on Volume 1 of Emma, sharing the thoughts that had come to me during my Jane Austen's group's current slow read of the novel. This month, I'm sharing some ideas that Volume 2 raised for me. I wrote in my Volume 1 post that, during this read, what popped … Continue reading Jane Austen, Emma (Vol. 2, redux 2025)
Shelley Burr, Vanish (#BookReview)
With Vanish, the third novel in her Lane Holland series, Burr mixes it up yet again, which appeals to me because my main reason for not liking genre fiction is that it can be formulaic. I know this is why many like it, and I understand that need for comforting reading. It's just not my … Continue reading Shelley Burr, Vanish (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser's latest novel, Theory & practice, is a perfect example of why I should follow my own reading advice, which is that as soon as I finish a book I should go back and read the opening paragraphs, if not pages. I like to do this because there often lies clues to what … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Vol. 3)
Mansfield Park book covers A year ago, my Jane Austen group did a slow read of Mansfield Park, meaning we read and discussed it, one volume at a time, over three months. I posted my thoughts on volume 1 (chapters 1 to 30), and volume 2 (chapters 19 to 31), but I missed the third … Continue reading Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Vol. 3)
Kylie Tennant, The face of despair (#Review, #1952 Club)
Once again, as I've been doing for most to the Year Clubs, I am using it as an opportunity to read an Australian short story, usually from one of my anthologies. For 1952, however, the anthologies came up empty, but I did find one via AustLit, and then tracked it down in The Bulletin. The … Continue reading Kylie Tennant, The face of despair (#Review, #1952 Club)
