Regular readers here will know a few things about me. One is that I don't regularly read crime, and another is that for three years, before the pandemic struck, I was the litblogging mentor for an ACT Writers Centre program. One of the last two participants in that program was Shelley Burr, author of the … Continue reading Shelley Burr, Wake (#BookReview)
Women writers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Best Young Australian Novelists (4)
The current winners of this year's Best Young Australian Novelists were announced recently. I haven't seen much publicity, so given I've reported on this award for the last two years, I thought I'd do it again this year. It's a worthwhile award, and one that has seen writers go on to develop good careers. Just … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Best Young Australian Novelists (4)
Stella Prize 2022 Winner announced
The 2022 Stella Prize winner was announced tonight and it's not a surprise, as several of us in the blogosphere rather thought that Evelyn Araluen's Dropbear would be the winner. Indeed, I was so confident I took it with me to Melbourne this month, fully intending to read it. But, there was not much reading … Continue reading Stella Prize 2022 Winner announced
Jess Hill, See what you made me do (#BookReview)
I took me a long time to read Jess Hill's 2020 Stella award-winning See what you make me do, partly because I bought the e-book version which I read in fits and starts and partly because of its content. As the Aussies among you will know, Hill's book is an intense, thorough discussion of domestic … Continue reading Jess Hill, See what you made me do (#BookReview)
Margaret Atwood, Dearly (#BookReview)
Earlier this year, I decided to try audiobooks more regularly - and thought short stories would be a good way to go. Julie Koh's Portable curiosities was my choice. It was, overall, a positive experience. Then I thought poetry might be worth trying given it's such an aural form. I chose Margaret Atwood's latest collection … Continue reading Margaret Atwood, Dearly (#BookReview)
Elizabeth von Arnim, Vera (#BookReview)
After a run of tough reads in 2021, my reading group wanted something gentler, so I suggested that for our "classic" we do a novel by Elizabeth von Arnim, whose works I've loved for their pointed wit, delightful humour, and astute commentary on marriage and the relationship between men and women. As is my wont, … Continue reading Elizabeth von Arnim, Vera (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Sources for early Australian Women Writers
As I think you know, Elizabeth Lhuede (founder of the Australian Women Writers Challenge), Bill Holloway (The Australian Legend), and I, are behind the re-framed Challenge. Our focus is early Australian Women Writers, by which we mean women writers from the nineteenth and early-to-mid twentieth centuries. We are particularly interested in those women writers who … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Sources for early Australian Women Writers
Gabrielle Carey, Only happiness here: In search of Elizabeth von Arnim (#BookReview)
I discovered Elizabeth von Arnim (nee Mary Annette Beauchamp, 1866-1941) back in the 1990s when Virago republished her first novel, Elizabeth and her German garden. Published in 1898, this novel, writes Gabrielle Carey, was an immediate hit, turning her, almost overnight, into one of England's favourite authors. It was certainly a revelation to me. I … Continue reading Gabrielle Carey, Only happiness here: In search of Elizabeth von Arnim (#BookReview)
Nella Larsen, Passing (#BookReview)
For last year's Novellas in November, Arti (of Ripple Effects) posted on a book and author I'd never heard of, Nella Larsen's Passing. She also discussed its 2021 film adaptation. Quite coincidentally, that same month, my Californian friend Carolyn wrote positively about the film in a letter to me. It sounded right up my alley, … Continue reading Nella Larsen, Passing (#BookReview)
Ida Vitale, Byobu (#BookReview)
Uruguayan writer Ida Vitale's Byobu was my reading group's second book of the year. Originally published in Spanish in 2018, with the English translation released in 2021, Byobu is Vitale's first book of prose to be translated into English. Few, if any of us, had heard of her - and yet, this now 98-year-old woman … Continue reading Ida Vitale, Byobu (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 