I was intrigued to read in The Guardian app this morning that Kobo has released a report on patterns in e-reading that they have gleaned from more than 21 million Kobo readers (the devices and, therefore, the readers!) across the world! The report says that retailers had been reluctant to share the data they had been gathering … Continue reading Who’s watching our e-reading behaviour?
Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
I've written about the Prime Minister's Literary Awards before - more than once in fact, as you will see if you click on my link. They were created in 2007 by our then new Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. What heady days they were. These were, at the time, Australia's most lucrative literary awards, and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
Helen Garner, This house of grief: The story of a murder trial (Review)
Well you might ask why you would want to read a book about the trial of a man accused of murdering his three sons by driving his car into a dam and escaping the car himself? Indeed, Helen Garner was asked why she would want to attend such a trial - and write about it. … Continue reading Helen Garner, This house of grief: The story of a murder trial (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The case for …
Back in February, the online journal, The Conversation, about which I've written before, started a occasional series they call The case for .... They described it simply as ... If you had to argue for the merits of one Australian book, one piece of writing, what would it be? That's very open-ended and I did … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The case for …
Delicious descriptions: Eimear McBride is not all grim
Reactions to Eimear McBride's A girl is a half-formed thing, which I reviewed recently, vary greatly. It is, overall, a bleak read and its style is idiosyncratic, which makes it a double whammy. So, for example, it has been called "brutal" (by Sunday Times Ireland) and a "joyous thing" (by Michael Cathcart, RN's Books and Arts Daily). … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Eimear McBride is not all grim
Eimear McBride, A girl is a half-formed thing (Review)
I try very hard when writing reviews to avoid clichés and superlatives, like, say, "achingly beautiful" or "masterful". But I think I'm going to use one for Eimear McBride's multi-award-winning debut novel A girl is a half-formed thing when I describe it as "searing". I can't think of a more apposite word. Yet I fear it too … Continue reading Eimear McBride, A girl is a half-formed thing (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Voss Literary Prize
Did the title of this post grab your attention? It grabbed mine so dramatically when I came across it that I immediately abandoned my plans for today's post - they can wait - to tell you about it. The first thing to say about it is that it's not what you think, if indeed like me … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Voss Literary Prize
Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
I'm pushing it really with my heading, as for many the literary aspect of the National Portrait Gallery's In the Flesh exhibition would be a passingly noticed sideline, but for me it added significantly to my enjoyment. It helped of course that I found the following in the first room: It is not time or opportunity … Continue reading Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
Ethel Turner, Tales from the “Parthenon” (Review)
Hands up if you're an Aussie and didn't read Ethel Turner's Seven little Australians in your childhood. Surely no hands have gone up? Seven little Australians, her first novel, was published in 1894 when she was 24, and was an instant hit, eventually becoming a classic. According to Wikipedia, it was, in 1994 (and may still be), "the only book by … Continue reading Ethel Turner, Tales from the “Parthenon” (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture
A couple of weeks ago, while I was having coffee with Australian Women Writers' Challenge team member, Yvonne (of Stumbling Through the Past), she mentioned a project at the AustLit website, World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture. Given this year is the centenary - have you heard?! - of the start of the First World War, and given … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture
