I've posted twice on The Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelists, last year, and back in 2013. Bill, in fact, chose that 2013 post in his Bill Curates series on this blog. The award was established in 1997 by the newspaper's then literary editor, Susan Wyndham, making this year its 25th year. An emerging … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Best Young Australian Novelists (3)
Women writers
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
Stella Prize 2021 Winner announced
Unfortunately - though not really - I was not able to "attend" the online announcement as I did last year, as I'm spending a few days in the Snowy Mountains with Mr Gums and two friends. Before I announce the winner, which most of you will have heard by now anyhow, here is a quick … Continue reading Stella Prize 2021 Winner announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 1, Helen Simpson
Do you often wonder how many of the writers we love now will still be read a few decades on? How good are we at identifying those who will continue to be read? So-so, I think you'll agree if you've noticed the many unfamiliar, but well-regarded-at-the time, names amongst the authors mentioned in my various … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 1, Helen Simpson
Margaret Hickey, Rural dreams (#BookReview)
Rural dreams is another collection of short stories from small independent publisher MidnightSun, and it's another good one. I hadn't heard of Margaret Hickey before, but her website says that she's won a number of awards and is a performed playwright. Relevant to this book is that Hickey grew up in small country towns in … Continue reading Margaret Hickey, Rural dreams (#BookReview)
Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
If ever there was a "zeitgeist" book, Bernadine Evaristo's 2019 Booker Prize winning novel, Girl, woman, other is it. It might be an English-set novel about black British women, "the embodiment of Otherness", but its concerns, ranging from ingrained inequality, racism and sexism to newer issues such as globalisation, are contemporary - and relevant far … Continue reading Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Juvenilia, Volume the second (#Review)
Last November, my Jane Austen group read the first volume (my review) of Jane Austen's Juvenilia, with a plan to read the next two volumes during 2021. This month, we read the second volume, which contains pieces written, it is believed, between 1790 and 1793, when Austen was 14 to 17 years old. As with … Continue reading Jane Austen, Juvenilia, Volume the second (#Review)
Leah Swann, Sheerwater (#BookReview)
I've been wanting to read Leah Swann's Sheerwater, having read and enjoyed, a few years ago, her short story collection, Bearings (my review). However, I didn't get around to buying a copy, so was pleased to see it available as an audio book when I was looking for listening matter for our recent Melbourne trip. … Continue reading Leah Swann, Sheerwater (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 