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)
Review – Autobiographies/Memoirs
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)
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)
Wayne Bergmann and Madelaine Dickie, Some people want to shoot me (#BookReview)
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)
Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
In 2023, The New Yorker published a piece on Helen Garner. Written by Australian journalist, Helen Sullivan, its title, "The startling candor of Helen Garner", captures exactly what I like about Garner, as does this a little further on: Her writing is elegant but colloquial, characterized by an impulse to say and share things others … Continue reading Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
Andra Putnis, Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me (#BookReview)
Local writer Andra Putnis' book, Stories my grandmothers didn't tell me: Two women's journeys from war-torn Europe to a new life in Australia, was my reading group's February read. Not only was it highly recommended by two members who had read it, but we were told the author would be happy to attend our meeting … Continue reading Andra Putnis, Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me (#BookReview)
Gideon Haigh, My brother Jaz (#Review)
When I posted my first review of the year - for Marion Halligan's Words for Lucy - I apologised for starting the year with a book about grief and loss. What I didn't admit then was that my next review would also be for a work about grief and loss, Gideon Haigh's extended essay, My … Continue reading Gideon Haigh, My brother Jaz (#Review)
Marion Halligan, Words for Lucy (#BookReview)
For my reading group's tribute to Marion Halligan last year, I had planned to read one of her older novels, Wishbone, which I did (my review), and her last book, the memoir Words for Lucy, which I didn't. But, I have now. I guess a book born of a mother's grief for a daughter who … Continue reading Marion Halligan, Words for Lucy (#BookReview)
Sonya Voumard, Tremor (#BookReview)
As I've previously reported, Sonya Voumard's short memoir, Tremor, is one of the two winners of this year's Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize. Earlier this month, I reviewed the fiction winner, P.S. Cottier and N.G. Hartland's novella The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin. Now it's Voumard's turn, with her book on living with a neurological … Continue reading Sonya Voumard, Tremor (#BookReview)
Raynor Winn, The salt path (#BookReview)
While my reading group's main fare is fiction, we do include nonfiction in the mix. In fact, this year has been unusual as we've scheduled three nonfiction books - Richard Flanagan's Question 7 (my review), Anna Funder's Wifedom (my review), and, last month, Raynor Winn's The salt path. I can't recollect how The salt path … Continue reading Raynor Winn, The salt path (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 