As I was reading Jeanette Winterson's novella Oranges are not the only fruit, the question, rightly or wrongly, that was uppermost in my mind was "What is it with the oranges?" Is there something about oranges that I don't know? Something specific that they symbolise? I racked (wracked) my brain for something in my literary … Continue reading Jeanette Winterson, Oranges are not the only fruit
Jane Austen’s letters, 1811-1813
Early in my blogging career I wrote a post on the letters Jane Austen wrote (well, those remaining anyhow) between 1814 and 1816. This was to coincide with my local Jane Austen group's reading of Emma. This year we are reading Mansfield Park and so decided to read the letters she wrote during her writing … Continue reading Jane Austen’s letters, 1811-1813
P.T. Barnum, In France
When I saw that this week's Library of America story was by P.T. Barnum, I knew I had to read it. Like most people I've heard of Barnum and his travelling shows, but had never read anything by him. "In France" is not a short story, as most of the Library of America offerings are, but … Continue reading P.T. Barnum, In France
On the literary road, in north-east Victoria
Last year I wrote a couple of posts about places of literary interest that we passed through on a road trip. Here is another such post, again using The Oxford literary guide to Australia as my main source. Yarrawonga, Vic Yarrawonga was where, on this trip, we hit Victoria first. It is a twin town … Continue reading On the literary road, in north-east Victoria
So you have a book collection…
... but how well do you care for it? In a recent post, I reviewed (if you could call it a review) Leslie Geddes-Brown's book titled Books do furnish a room. That book focused on the aesthetics of having a book collection, but what about how best to ensure its longevity? The April 2010 edition … Continue reading So you have a book collection…
George Jean Nathan, Baiting the umpire
I haven't posted on the last few Library of America stories, mainly due to lack of time and the fact that they've been by well-known writers anyhow. However, the one that lobbed in this week, "Baiting the umpire" by George Jean Nathan, looked rather intriguing and so I read it. It is really an essay, but … Continue reading George Jean Nathan, Baiting the umpire
The other Jane
Those of you who have read a bit of my blog will know that I am a big Jane Austen fan, and so when you see the name Jane in a post's title you would not be wrong to assume that it's about her. However, over the last decade another Jane has been coming to … Continue reading The other Jane
David Malouf, Ransom
Words are powerful. They too can be the agents of what is new, of what is conceivable and can be thought and let loose on the world. (p. 61) Is risk-taking only the province of the young? Do desperate times call for desperate measures? Or, more to the point, can the impossible be made possible? … Continue reading David Malouf, Ransom
Helen Garner, The children’s Bach
I've said a few times now that I rarely reread books, and then go on to write about something I've re-read. I must look like a liar, but the fact is that if I've liked a book so much that I've reread it it's likely to find its way here. The funny thing is, though, … Continue reading Helen Garner, The children’s Bach
George Orwell, Confessions of a book reviewer
It's been a while since I wrote on a George Orwell essay so it seemed - while I'm still reading my current read - to be a good time to do another. And what better, given my recent "how to write a book review" post, than to do Orwell's essay on book reviewing. Orwell, as … Continue reading George Orwell, Confessions of a book reviewer
Whispering Gums 