Much as I love watching Julia Baird on The Drum, and much as Mr Gums and I worried about her multiple cancer diagnoses and her extended journey to recovery over recent years, I'm not sure I would have read her book, Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark, … Continue reading Julia Baird, Phosphorescence (#BookReview)
Women writers
Book (Re)Launch: Sara Dowse’s West Block
Way back when, I read Sara Dowse's debut 1983-published novel West Block. It ticked all the boxes - it was by a woman, by a feminist, was set in Canberra (a rare thing), and was about the Public Service within which I also worked. I enjoyed it immensely and have often wanted to re-read it. … Continue reading Book (Re)Launch: Sara Dowse’s West Block
Gay Lynch, Unsettled (#BookReview)
Coincidentally, my first review after this week's Monday Musings on historical fiction happens to be a work of historical fiction, Gay Lynch's cleverly titled Unsettled. Consequently, I'm going to start there, that is, talking about the form. Well, more or less, because I should at least give you a sense of its subject. It is … Continue reading Gay Lynch, Unsettled (#BookReview)
Fannie Barrier Williams, Women in politics (#Review)
It's been months since I posted on a Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week offering, but this week's piece by African American activist, Fannie Barrier Williams, captured my attention. Several LOA offerings this year have been relevant to the times - including stories about infectious diseases - but this one is so spot on for … Continue reading Fannie Barrier Williams, Women in politics (#Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Alison Lester
Saturday, as I noted in my Six Degrees of Separation post, was National Bookshop or Love Your Bookshop Day in Australia (and in Great Britain too, it seems). For last year's day, I wrote a post on author-owned/managed bookshops, most of which were located in places other than Australia. The exception was Australian children's author … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Alison Lester
Balli Kaur Jaswal, Erotic stories for Punjabi widows (#BookReview)
Broadly speaking, Singaporean author Balli Kaur Jaswal's third novel, Erotic stories for Punjabi widows, reminds me of Anita Heiss' choclit books like Paris dreaming (my review). By this I mean it presents as an escapist romcom genre novel but within it is some serious intent. In this case it relates to the oppression of women, … Continue reading Balli Kaur Jaswal, Erotic stories for Punjabi widows (#BookReview)
Bill curates: Favourite writers, no. 2
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. We discovered in August that Thea Astley is Sue's #3 favourite writer. We've always known that Jane Austen (here) is #1. So I thought we should check out # … Continue reading Bill curates: Favourite writers, no. 2
Carol Lefevre, Murmurations (#BookReview)
Murmurations is a beautiful, evocative word, and Carol Lefevre's latest book, titled Murmurations, does beautiful, thoughtful justice to it. It is though an unusual book. Styled by its author as a novella, it reads on the surface like a collection of short stories, except that the stories are not only connected by the various characters … Continue reading Carol Lefevre, Murmurations (#BookReview)
Emuna Elon, House on endless waters (#BookReview)
I've said before that I'm surprised by how many takes there can be on World War II, and on the Holocaust, in particular - and once again I'm here with another such story, Emuna Elon's House on endless waters. I hadn't heard of Elon before but, according to Wikipedia, she's an Israeli author, journalist, and women's rights … Continue reading Emuna Elon, House on endless waters (#BookReview)
Australian Women Writers 2020 Challenge completed
I'm very late with my traditional completion post for the Australian Women Writer's Challenge - it's been a weird and difficult year all round. As always, I will continue to contribute until the year's end, and do a final round-up then, but I do like to get the completion admin done! I signed up, of course, … Continue reading Australian Women Writers 2020 Challenge completed
Whispering Gums 