I have a number of tenets - if that's not too grand a word for it - according to which I read. These include that I don't read series books and I don't read crime. However, the best rules are made to be broken, aren't they? And so, I break mine for our family holiday tradition which is to … Continue reading Alexander McCall Smith, The Saturday big tent wedding party (Review)
Anna Funder, Stasiland (Review)
Anna Funder's Stasiland, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, is one of those books that can be reviewed from multiple angles, and I know that when I get to the end of this review I'm going to be sorry about the angles I didn't get to discuss. But, I can only do what … Continue reading Anna Funder, Stasiland (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Two favourite literary journals
I've been wanting for some time to write about two of my favourite Australian literary journals (that is, not specifically book review journals). I don't read every issue - too much to read, too little time, and all that - but I'd love to. I admire people who manage to subscribe to magazines and journals … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Two favourite literary journals
Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
'Of course we are mad,' Bet wrote to Mary, 'but we live in a mad place.' Brenda Niall's True North (Courtesy: Text Publishing) The mad place that Bet - Elizabeth Durack - refers to is the Kimberley region of north-west Australia and the book this quote comes from is biographer Brenda Niall's True north: The … Continue reading Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some favourite Aussie film adaptations (2)
A couple of Monday Musings ago I shared some of my favourite Australian films adapted from novels. Today, it's the turn of Aussie plays. I'm no expert in adapting works but it seems to me that it would be easier to adapt a play to film than it would be a novel. I wonder if … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some favourite Aussie film adaptations (2)
Dame Mary Durack, Lament for the drowned country (Review)
Near the end of her book True north about Mary and Elizabeth Durack, biographer Brenda Niall writes of Mary Durack's poem, "Lament for the Drowned Country", which she says "has been judged her finest poem". Of course, with such a statement, I had to read it. I could have Googled* it, but I decided to check my … Continue reading Dame Mary Durack, Lament for the drowned country (Review)
The Griffyn Ensemble’s paean to the weather
It's pretty much a given that a Griffyn Ensemble concert will be both entertaining and challenging - and their latest concert, Cloudy With a Chance of Rain, was no exception. But this concert had an added fillip: it was unashamedly political in addressing the thorny (for some) issue of climate change. Good on the Griffyns … Continue reading The Griffyn Ensemble’s paean to the weather
Monday musings on Australian literature: National Bookshop Day (Belated)
Saturday 11 August was National Bookshop Day here down under but I decided to delay writing about it until this week's Monday Musings as it seems a worthy subject. However, Lisa of ANZLitlovers and Louise of A Strong Belief in Wicker did their posts in a more timely way. National Bookshop Day is a new concept … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: National Bookshop Day (Belated)
Delicious descriptions from Down under: Mary Durack on Patrick White
I am slowly - very slowly - reading True North, Brenda Niall's biography of Mary and Elizabeth Durack. Life is rather getting in the way of reading at present so, contrary to my normal practice, I am going to post a Delicious Description from it before, rather than after, my review. For those of you … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down under: Mary Durack on Patrick White
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some favourite Aussie film adaptations (1)
In support of Australia's National Year of Reading the National Film and Sound Archive is, later this year, holding an exhibition on film adaptations. And that made me think about my favourite film adaptations, which in turn made me think it might be a good Monday Musings topic. So, here I am. This post will … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some favourite Aussie film adaptations (1)
Whispering Gums 