I was searching around for a light, fun idea for this week's Monday Musings, as life is a bit busy at present, when up popped in my inbox Tony (from Tony's Book World)'s post on novels with city or town names in their titles. That seemed like just the thing: it demanded a little thinking but … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie novels titled with place names
Janette Turner Hospital, Orpheus lost (Mini-review)
Last year I did a mini-review of Elizabeth Jolley's An innocent gentleman using some scrappy notes from when I read the book long before blogging. This post on Janette Turner Hospital's Orpheus lost has similar origins. I'm keen to add it here because I've read several of her novels, but none since blogging, and I really … Continue reading Janette Turner Hospital, Orpheus lost (Mini-review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: 5 Australian novels to theatre
Having recently posted on Alana Valentine's adaptation of Frank Moorehouse's Cold light, I thought I'd explore other theatrical adaptations of Australian novels, because we tend, when thinking of adaptations, to focus mostly on movies - at least, I think we do. Now, I haven't seen many theatrical adaptations of Aussie novels. We get some theatre … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 5 Australian novels to theatre
Six degrees of separation, FROM Room TO The children’s Bach
I'm going to take you on a bit of a wild ride this month, bouncing from title to genre, from setting to risk-taking, and more, so hang onto your hats, because here we go ... Except, oops, I do need to tell you what this is all about. It's the Six Degrees of Separation monthly "meme" again, of course, … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Room TO The children’s Bach
Madelaine Dickie, Troppo (Review)
"Write what you know" is the advice commonly given to writers, and this is exactly what Madelaine Dickie has done in her debut novel, Troppo, which won the City of Fremantle TAG Hungerford Award. For readers, on the other hand, the opposite could be true, as in "read what you don't know." This is certainly what I've done … Continue reading Madelaine Dickie, Troppo (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Boosting women’s entries on Wikipedia
Have you heard or read about the large discrepancy in Wikipedia between biographical entries (or "individual profiles") for women and for men? The actual figure is a bit fluid because, of course, Wikipedia is a dynamic site, but most researchers on the topic come up with a figure of around 15-20% as the percentage of biographical articles … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Boosting women’s entries on Wikipedia
Noah Webster, On the absurdity of a Bill of Rights (Review)
If you've read my last post you may have guessed from the title why I've chosen Noah Webster's "On the absurdity of a Bill of Rights" as my next Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week to discuss. For those of you who haven't read that post, or who, like me, have a memory like a sieve, I discussed the play adaptation … Continue reading Noah Webster, On the absurdity of a Bill of Rights (Review)
My literary week (7), adaptations
With Ma and Pa Gums in the process of selling house and preparing for a downsize move, my time has been taken up with many things besides reading - but I did get out at night in the last week to see a couple of adaptations of novels I've enjoyed in the past. There's still time … Continue reading My literary week (7), adaptations
Monday musings on Australian literature: Whither magazines?
Are you a magazine reader? I was once a big magazine reader and subscriber - Ms Magazine, the Smithsonian, Choice and Australian Gourmet were my favourites in the 1980s and 1990s. In more recent times, I've gravitated to local literary journals like Griffith Review, Meanjin and Kill Your Darlings, but I tend not to subscribe to them. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Whither magazines?
Northanger Abbey musings (2)
A month ago I posted some musings arising from the first part of my current slow read of Northanger Abbey with my Jane Austen group. In this post I'll share some reflections on the rest of the novel, Chapters 20 to 31, which is the part that encompasses our "heroine" Catherine's arrival in and departure from the Abbey. On the art of fiction … Continue reading Northanger Abbey musings (2)
Whispering Gums 