A year before I started this blog, Melbourne was designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, something I briefly mentioned in a 2010 post on the Victorian Literary Map. The City of Literature program is part of UNESCO's wider Creative Cities Network which was launched in 2004, and which itself grew out of UNESCO's 2002 … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: UNESCO Cities of Literature
Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
If Australian writer Irma Gold suffered from Second Book Syndrome while writing her second novel, it certainly doesn't show. Her debut novel, The breaking (my review), is well-written and a great read. However, in Shift, I sense a writer who has reached another level of confidence in fusing her writing, story-telling, and the ideals and … Continue reading Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
Six degrees of separation, FROM Knife TO …
And so the year rolls on. It's the first Saturday in April, so here I am again with another Six Degrees. It's autumn here and we are starting to feel the change in the air. Time to get out my cool weather wardrobe again, more's the pity! Now, I'll get onto it ... but first, … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Knife TO …
Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasmanian Literary Awards
While some state literary awards are well established - such as the NSW and Victorian Premier's Literary Awards - others seem to struggle to gain and maintain traction. But, where there's a will, there's usually a way, as we saw in Queensland in 2012 when new premier Campbell Newman cancelled the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasmanian Literary Awards
Writing reviews: How much detail is too much?
Many years ago, I wrote a post on litblog reviews, specifically on what blog readers look for in reviews by other bloggers. That post looked at overall content, and has provided me with a general guide ever since. Today, however, I have a slightly different question. It relates to detail - and was inspired by … Continue reading Writing reviews: How much detail is too much?
Paddy O’Reilly, Other houses (#BookReview)
It's not totally coincidental that this week's Monday Musings post was about a publisher of realist or social novels, that is, of novels which aim to explore social problems of their time. My reading group's March book, Paddy O'Reilly's Other houses, belongs to this tradition. I have been wanting to read it since it was … Continue reading Paddy O’Reilly, Other houses (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: the Australasian Book Society
Back in 2023, I briefly mentioned the Australasian Book Society (ABS) in my Monday Musings post for the 1962 Year Club, adding that the society deserved its own post. Finally, here it is, albeit still introductory. There is a lot to research and tease out about this initiative, and I am not planning to write … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: the Australasian Book Society
World Poetry Day 2025 – a day late
World Poetry Day was declared by UNESCO in 1999. It is a day, says UNESCO "to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media". In … Continue reading World Poetry Day 2025 – a day late
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 2, New novels
Then as now, newspapers regularly announced new Australian novels as they are published. In these year-based series, I've not done a post specifically on the new releases, so have decided to do it for this year. This is not complete but contains books by authors who had some career longevity. New novel releases I've listed … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 2, New novels
Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
Some reading synchronicities - those coincidental connections that happen between books we read in a short period of time - are zeitgeist-related. For example, grief is not my go-to, but it is a common theme in contemporary writing so it's not entirely remarkable that I have written three reviews since January about books focused on … Continue reading Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
