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)
Women writers
Lisa Kenway, All you took from me (#GuestThoughts)
With my Review TBR pile teetering on the brink, I decided to call in a favour from Mr Gums, and handed him Lisa Kenway's debut novel, All you took from me, thinking it might be up his alley. Now, a word about Mr Gums. He is an engineer by training, and not the world's biggest … Continue reading Lisa Kenway, All you took from me (#GuestThoughts)
On the comedy of Jane Austen (1905)
A regular part of my Jane Austen group's monthly meeting is a show-and-tell which means of course that we share anything new we've acquired, seen or heard about relating to Jane Austen. At our February meeting, a member brought along a first edition (I think) of a book a friend had given him as a … Continue reading On the comedy of Jane Austen (1905)
Melanie Cheng, The burrow (#BookReview)
You may have heard the announcement by Sean Manning, of Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint in the US, that he will “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”. Australian media academic Julian Novitz discussed the decision in The Conversation in a piece titled "Brilliant, moving, thought-provoking! Simon & Schuster is dispensing with book … Continue reading Melanie Cheng, The burrow (#BookReview)
Alice Ruth Moore, A carnival jangle (#Review)
Over the last two years I worked my way through the anthology Great short stories by contemporary Native American writers that was sent to me by my American friend Carolyn. It introduced me to many writers I hadn't read before, and, valuably, to the issues and concerns facing some of America's first peoples. Many of … Continue reading Alice Ruth Moore, A carnival jangle (#Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 9, Dulcie Deamer
Dulcie Deamer, like my most recent Forgotten Writer, Jessie Urquhart, has retained some level of recognition - or, at least notability, with there being articles for her not only in Wikipedia and the AustLit database, but also in the Australian dictionary of biography (ADB). I have briefly mentioned her in my blog before, in Monday … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 9, Dulcie Deamer
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)
Shirley Hazzard, The bay of noon (#BookReview)
Shirley Hazzard's novella, The bay of noon, has been in my sights for a long time, but finally, this Novellas-in-November year, I managed to get it out of my sights and into my hands. It's the first of two novellas I read for the month, but the second to review. Such was my November (and … Continue reading Shirley Hazzard, The bay of noon (#BookReview)
PS Cottier and NG Hartland, The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin (#BookReview)
Earlier this month, I posted on a conversation with the winners of the 2024 Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize, P S Cottier and N G Hartland, who wrote The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin, and Sonya Voumard, who wrote Tremor. On the surface, these books look very different, but conversation facilitator, Sally Pryor, found some … Continue reading PS Cottier and NG Hartland, The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 8, Jessie Urquhart
While some of the forgotten writers I have shared in this series are in the category of interesting-to- know-about-but-not-necessarily-to-read, others probably are worth checking out again. Jessie Urquhart is one of these latter, though I've not read any of her novels, so don't quote me! However, there are articles for her in Wikipedia and the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 8, Jessie Urquhart
Whispering Gums 