When my 2018 New Territory blogging mentee Amy (of The Armchair Critic) suggested that we do some sort of joint end-of-year blog post I loved the idea. The only question was what would we talk about, and how would we do it? It wasn’t too hard to decide former, as the subject matter was obvious: … Continue reading New Territory Litbloggers’ Year in Review, 2018
Books given and received for Christmas, in 2018
In what is becoming a Boxing Day tradition - I have many end-of-year traditions it seems - I am doing, again, a post on the books I gave and received this Christmas. There weren't many as it's becoming hard to pick the right books for people, somehow, even though we are a reading family. Here are the … Continue reading Books given and received for Christmas, in 2018
Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their 2018 summer picks
Last Monday, I posted the best picks for 2018 by ABC RN's Book Show presenters and some of their guests. I considered not posting at all this Monday. After all, it's Christmas Eve and most of us are busy, but then, yesterday, I saw that the ABC had posted "2018's best summer reads" recommended by … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their 2018 summer picks
Rodney Hall, A stolen season (#BookReview)
Rodney Hall is one of those Australian authors who deserves more attention than he seems to get. Consequently, I'm thrilled to at last include him in my blog, with his latest novel A stolen season. I was introduced to Hall back in the late 1980s when my reading group read his surprising novel, Just relations, … Continue reading Rodney Hall, A stolen season (#BookReview)
My reading group’s top picks for 2018
Having enjoyed doing our top picks last year, my reading group decided to repeat the exercise this year. I'm assuming that, in the spirit of end-of-year lists, you might be interested to see the results, particularly as you will all know at least some of these books. I'll start, though, by listing what we read in the … Continue reading My reading group’s top picks for 2018
Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their top 2018 reads
In recent years, I've shared ABC RN presenters' suggested summer reads, but this year I'm sharing Best Reads of 2018, from the two presenters of The Bookshelf program, and some of their guests. For more lists, and related links, you can check out the webpages for their December 7 and December 14 radio shows. Nicole Abadee (literary consultant … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their top 2018 reads
The Griffyns “play” music
We always say that musicians play music, or play their instruments, but the Griffyns took this to a whole new level last weekend when they presented their "Giant All-Ages Instrument Playground" concert. Were we surprised? No, because this was the Griffyns, after all ... However, being prepared to be surprised also meant that we didn't … Continue reading The Griffyns “play” music
Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT’s literary awards
Last week, I attended the ACT Writers Centre's Christmas Party and Awards Night. It was a lovely, relaxed affair - just the sort I like. Not too much ceremony, but much good will and conviviality. I loved seeing writers, and others from our little territory's literary community, mingle with each other, commending each other's achievements. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT’s literary awards
Clare Wright, You daughters of freedom (#BookReview)
Well, that was a tome and a half! And in saying this I'm referring less to the length of Clare Wright's new history, You daughters of freedom: The Australians who won the vote and inspired the world, than to its depth and richness. There are, in fact, two main stories going on here - the story of … Continue reading Clare Wright, You daughters of freedom (#BookReview)
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2018, announced
The Winners of the the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for 2018 were announced this morning at Parliament House ... an event I followed via their Twitter Live Feed ... and it contained the BEST of ALL POSSIBLE news that Gerald Murnane won the Fiction prize. I haven't read the novel, so perhaps my approval is … Continue reading Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2018, announced
Whispering Gums 