I go to the movies reasonably regularly and have seen many movies in the last few months. Some impressed me immensely, such as Spotlight and Brooklyn; some I enjoyed a lot with the odd reservation, such as Carol, The Danish Girl and The Belier Family; and others I could see the skill but they left me a little cold, … Continue reading Hail, Caesar: Not a movie review, not really
Jane Austen on history and historians
Jane Austen, we know from her letters, was a keen reader. She read novels, sermons, plays and poetry, magazines and, of course, histories. Did you know, though, that she also wrote a history? This is her juvenilia piece, The history of England from the reign of Henry the 4th to the death of Charles the 1st (online … Continue reading Jane Austen on history and historians
Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright
I should have written about the Blak and Bright last Monday, as the Festival was held last weekend, but unfortunately I only heard about it - my inattention, I'm sure - a few days ago, via an ABC RN program (which you can listen to online). However, although the actual Festival is now over, I think it's still … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright
Delicious descriptions: Gerald Murnane’s landscape and imagination
A couple of years ago I reviewed Gerald Murnane's The plains. I found it a mesmerising book, but a challenging one to fully get my head around, to grasp and hang onto what I'd grasped. Then a couple of days ago, I reviewed his memoir, Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf. It … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Gerald Murnane’s landscape and imagination
Gerald Murnane: Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf (Review)
When I heard Australian author Gerald Murnane had written a memoir, and even more when I heard its title, Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf, I knew I had to read it. I am not a horse racing tragic, by any stretch, but how could I resist such an intriguing sounding memoir from … Continue reading Gerald Murnane: Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Robert Dessaix
Last year, I published a guest post by Annette Marfording, who was, for many years, the Program Director of the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival. At the time of this post, she had just self-published her book, Celebrating Australian Writing: Conversations with Australian Authors, containing a selection of interviews she'd conducted over many years with a wide range of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Robert Dessaix
Annie Dillard, The Maytrees (Review)
I am not, as I wrote in my recent post on Emma Ayres' memoir Cadence, a big "reader" of audiobooks. In fact, until Cadence, I hadn't listened to one for a few years. However, we do have a few here that we had given Mr Gums' mother as her sight started to fail and which … Continue reading Annie Dillard, The Maytrees (Review)
School friend annual 1964
The things you find when you start to declutter! School friend annual 1964 is a blast from my very distant past. Yes, I know, some of you weren't born then, but I can't resist sharing the sort of books produced for young girls in the olden days! I loved receiving annuals and anthologies, books in my … Continue reading School friend annual 1964
Stella Prize 2016 Longlist
The announcement of the Stella Prize Longlist is a red-letter day for the Australian Women Writers Challenge ... and also for me of course. So, today, I share the list with you. The shortlist will be announced on March 10. The judges look good to me: writer Emily Maguire, memoirist/essayist Alice Pung, author/academic Brenda Walker, … Continue reading Stella Prize 2016 Longlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: National Libraries Day (UK)
Caroline of Book Word blog has written a wonderful post about National Libraries Day in the UK, which took place just this last weekend, on Saturday, 6th February. Caroline provides three witnesses to argue for the value of libraries: Peter Balaba, Head Librarian, Nakaseke Community Library, Uganda, who talks about the outreach programs they provide in a book-poor … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: National Libraries Day (UK)
