Yes, you read right, this very brief Monday Musings post is about what Jane Austen might have said - did say in her way - about the Stolen Generations. What makes great literature great is its timelessness. By this I mean the fact that what is said in, say 1815, is still relevant in, say, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Jane Austen and the Stolen Generations
Lynette Washington, Plane Tree Drive (#BookReview)
Lynette Washington's debut collection of short stories, Plane Tree Drive, reminded me a little of Rebekah Clarkson's Barking dogs (my review). Both are collections of stories revolving around a location, and in both the location is in the Adelaide region. There are differences though. Clarkson's book is a little grittier with an overall theme of … Continue reading Lynette Washington, Plane Tree Drive (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2018 Longlist
I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of its announcement, and in fact last year I'm ashamed to admit that I'd read none. Terrible really for someone who's supposed to be interested in Australian women's writing, but there you go. My excuse is that I'm always behind in … Continue reading Stella Prize 2018 Longlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: AusLit Women Academics on Colonial Women Writers
Over January, some of us Australian litbloggers - as the result of Bill's (The Australian Legend) AWW Gen 1 Week - have been talking about early Australian women writers. It's a topic of great interest to me, ever since the 1980s when I became interested in these writers. There seemed to be a flurry, at … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: AusLit Women Academics on Colonial Women Writers
How to read difficult books
There was a quote I really wanted to use in my review last week of Rabih Alameddine's An unnecessary woman, but I couldn't find a place to fit it in. Sometimes reviews take off in a direction and they just can't be reined in, I've found! This quote is, however, too good not to share … Continue reading How to read difficult books
Six degrees of separation, FROM Lincoln in the Bardo TO …
The Six Degrees of Separation meme, currently hosted by Kate (booksaremyfavouriteandbest), is, I'm starting to realise, an effective marker of passing time - and I'm not sure I like it. This passing of time I mean, not the Six Degrees meme, which I enjoy! If, perchance, you are not familiar with this meme, please click … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Lincoln in the Bardo TO …
Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Lebanese-born American writer Rabih Alameddine's novel, An unnecessary woman, is tailor-made for readers. It was fittingly, therefore, my reading group's first book for 2018. The novel is told first person in the voice of 72-year-old childless, divorced Aaliya Saleh, who lives alone and spends her time reading and translating books. Set in an apartment in Beirut … Continue reading Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading aloud in colonial Australia
At the end of last week's Monday Musings post on literary culture in colonial Australia, I commented that author Elizabeth Webby had also discussed the practice of reading aloud, and that I might do a future post on that. Well, not only might I, but I've decided to do it this week because I was fascinated. (Just … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading aloud in colonial Australia
Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
When Tony Park's The cull was sent to me for review last September, I knew it wasn't really within my normal ambit but every now and then I try something new, so thought I might give it a go. However, as time passed and more books came, I realised that I had to let it … Continue reading Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
Delicious descriptions: Tasma’s country town
It's some time since I wrote a Delicious Descriptions post, but these three paragraphs from Tasma's Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill (beginning of Pt IV, CH 3, "Laura does penance"), which I reviewed a few days ago, are too delicious not to share: THE remark that Voltaire made about the great Russian Empire, when he compared … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Tasma’s country town
Whispering Gums 