Barbara Kingsolver's latest - and multi-award winning - novel, Demon Copperhead, was inspired, as I'm sure most of you know, by Charles Dickens' autobiographical novel, David Copperfield. Indeed, Demon Copperhead opens with an epigraph from that novel: “It’s in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present.” This could be … Continue reading Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Gloomy books
As I did last year for 1923, I plan a series of posts through this year about Australian literature in the year 1924. What I write about will be driven by what I find. So far, I've found articles on the Platypus Series, but I wrote about that inititiative last year, and of course about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Gloomy books
Al Campbell, The keepers (#BookReview)
Al Campbell's debut novel, The keepers, is a complex and ambitious novel about parenting, specifically about parenting children who are deemed too difficult by society, leaving their mothers, or carers, to survive, or not, as best they can. It's confronting but, unfortunately, all too real. That this is its theme is obvious from the novel's … Continue reading Al Campbell, The keepers (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: My favourite (Australian) fictional character(s)
Over the last twelve months or so, The Conversation has published occasional articles titled "My favourite fictional character". In each article the writer names a character and justifies their choice. As far as I can tell, there have been six so far, and most have chosen non-Australian characters. The choosers and their choices have been: … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: My favourite (Australian) fictional character(s)
Nell Stevens, Mrs Gaskell and me: To women, two love stories, two centuries apart (#BookReview)
It's a bit of a stretch, I admit, to submit Nell Stevens' strange hybrid biography-memoir, Mrs Gaskell and me, as my second contribution to Bill's (The Australian Legend) Gen 0. But, having read Elizabeth Gaskell's two novellas, Lizzie Leigh and Cousin Phillis, for the week, and having had Stevens' book on my TBR for a … Continue reading Nell Stevens, Mrs Gaskell and me: To women, two love stories, two centuries apart (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Gaskell, Lizzie Leigh AND Cousin Phillis (#BookReviews)
This year, Bill (The Australian Legend) has framed his usual January "Gen" (short for generation) week, as Gen 0. Zero? How can that be? Well, let's get it from the horse's mouth. Bill says, "I am using ‘Gen 0’ as a designation for those writers – necessarily not Australian – whose work influenced, predated or … Continue reading Elizabeth Gaskell, Lizzie Leigh AND Cousin Phillis (#BookReviews)
Monday musings on Australian Literature: the Story Factory
In last week's Monday Musings on Parramatta's inaugural Laureate for Literature, I mentioned that Parramatta had been chosen as the second location for the non-profit organisation, the Story Factory. I said I'd do a separate Monday Musings on it, and have decided it might as well be now. So, who or what is the Story … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: the Story Factory
Rebecca Campbell, Arboreality (#BookReview)
Arboreality, by Canadian writer Rebecca Campbell, won the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. However, not being much of a speculative fiction reader, I didn't discover this book through this award. Fortunately, some bloggers I follow, like Bill (The Australian Legend), do follow this genre, and his review convinced me that this climate change dystopian … Continue reading Rebecca Campbell, Arboreality (#BookReview)
What would you recommend?
Last week, Mr Gums and I drove back from Melbourne where we had spent the holiday season with family. Having spent over two weeks in the city - very lovely because we saw family - I did want a little country respite before hitting our own (much smaller, admittedly) city. Bright, in Victoria's Alpine Shire … Continue reading What would you recommend?
Monday musings on Australian Literature: Parramatta’s inaugural Laureate for Literature
This week's Monday Musings is one I've been waiting to post ever since I saw the announcement a month ago. This time of year is so busy and I have my traditional little suite of posts that I wanted to keep to, so this post had to wait. The announcement, as you have guessed from … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: Parramatta’s inaugural Laureate for Literature
Whispering Gums 