When I bought Louise Erdrich's The bingo palace in 1995, I never expected it to take me 24 years to read it but, there you go. Time flies, and suddenly it was 2019 and the book was still sitting on the high priority pile next to my bed! Truly! It took Lisa's ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week … Continue reading Louise Erdrich, The bingo palace (#BookReview)
American writers
Mary McCarthy, The group (#BookReview)
My reading group has a few loose "rules" for choosing our reads, but one of the more rigid ones is that each year we like to read at least one classic. This year's first classic - yes, another is coming - was Mary McCarthy's The group. As I wrote in last week's Monday Musings, it … Continue reading Mary McCarthy, The group (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: American apologist for Australian literature
If you read my 1965 series Monday Musings post on literary visitors, you will know the subject of this post. It's Professor Bruce Sutherland, who was credited with establishing one of the first university courses on Australian literature in the USA (at Pennsylvania State University, in 1942) and who became the first American Professor of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: American apologist for Australian literature
Amor Towles, A gentleman in Moscow (#BookReview)
American writer Amor Towles' third novel, the best-selling A gentleman in Moscow, generated a surprisingly lively discussion at my reading group last week, because beneath its engaging, accessible exterior are some puzzles. These puzzles relate primarily to Towles' intentions. What were they? Why did an American investment banker write an historical fiction novel about a Count in … Continue reading Amor Towles, A gentleman in Moscow (#BookReview)
Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 2)
I returned to the National Library of Australia today for two more live-streamed events from the Sydney Writers Festival (#SWFLiveAndLocal). As I did last year, I'll write each event up in separate posts, so here is the first of my Sunday events. Andrew Sean Greer: Less (Conversation), Sunday 5 May, 3.00pm Conversation: Andrew Sean Greer with … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 2)
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Once again I have reason to start a book post with a discussion of the title, this time Marilynne Robinson's 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gilead. Gilead, in the context of this novel, has a literal and metaphorical meaning, literal because it takes place in the fictional Iowan town of Gilead, and metaphorical because "gilead" … Continue reading Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Deborah Hopkinson, Ordinary, extraordinary Jane Austen (#BookReview)
Writing biographies for young children - like, for example, Deborah Hopkinson and Qin Leng's Ordinary, extraordinary Jane Austen - is an interesting concept. Interesting, but not new. So, when I was given this gorgeous Jane Austen one for Christmas, I decided to research the topic - and what I discovered is that the picture book biography … Continue reading Deborah Hopkinson, Ordinary, extraordinary Jane Austen (#BookReview)
Rebecca Skloot, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (#BookReview)
In her extensive acknowledgements at the end of her book, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot thanks "Heather at The Book Store, who tracked down every good novel she could find with a disjointed structure, all of which I devoured while trying to figure out the structure of this book." Interesting that she looked … Continue reading Rebecca Skloot, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (#BookReview)
Kate Chopin, Her letters (#Review)
There are a few American authors who, when they pop up as a Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week, I try to read. These include Edith Wharton, Willa Cather and Kate Chopin. I don't always manage to read them, but I have read the latest Kate Chopin story they've published, "Her letters". And my, … Continue reading Kate Chopin, Her letters (#Review)
Carson McCullers, Home for Christmas (#Review)
As you will guess from the title of this Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week, I meant to post on it closer to Christmas Day than I have in fact achieved. I chose it for two reasons - firstly the obvious seasonal one, and secondly because my first Carson McCullers post was an unusual piece and … Continue reading Carson McCullers, Home for Christmas (#Review)
Whispering Gums 