Helen Meany's Every day is Gertie Day is the third Viva La Novella winner that I've read and posted about on my blog, the other two being Julie Proudfoot's The neighbour (my review) and Mirandi Riwoe's The fish girl (my review). All are memorable reads, and do this award proud - and no, I am … Continue reading Helen Meany, Every day is Gertie Day (#BookReview)
Australian writers
S-S-S Snake, Kate Jennings’ Snake, that is
I thoroughly enjoyed Tegan Bennett Daylight's essay on Helen Garner's Cosmo cosmolino (1992) in Reading like an Australian writer. Consequently, I plan, over time, to read and share other essays in this book - at least those discussing books I've reviewed here. As it happens, there is an essay by Debra Adelaide on Kate Jennings' … Continue reading S-S-S Snake, Kate Jennings’ Snake, that is
Alf Taylor, God, the devil and me (#BookReview)
It was a complete coincidence that, as I was writing last week's Monday Musings post on diversity and memoir, I was also reading a First Nations memoir, but such is the reading life, eh? The memoir, Alf Taylor's God, the devil and me, is, however, both very much a memoir but also its own thing, … Continue reading Alf Taylor, God, the devil and me (#BookReview)
Consider Helen Garner’s Cosmo cosmolino
Commenting on my post on Helen Garner's One day I'll remember this, Bill (The Australian Legend) wrote that he'd hoped I'd mention Cosmo cosmolino (1992). It's one of the novels Garner was writing during the period covered by these diaries, and Bill had struggled with it. I don't blame him because, while I loved reading … Continue reading Consider Helen Garner’s Cosmo cosmolino
Sofie Laguna, Infinite splendours (#BookReview)
Those of you who know the subject matter of Sofie Laguna's latest novel, Infinite splendours, will not be surprised to hear that it drew a mixed reaction from my reading group, particularly coming on the heels of recent reads like Nardi Simpson's Song of the crocodile (my review) and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain (my review). … Continue reading Sofie Laguna, Infinite splendours (#BookReview)
Helen Garner, One day I’ll remember this: Diaries, Volume 2, 1987-1995 (#BookReview)
I loved volume 1 of Helen Garner's diaries, Yellow notebook (my review), last year, and equally enjoyed this second volume, One day I'll remember this. As with my first volume post, I plan to focus on a couple of threads that particularly interested me. First though, it's worth situating these diaries in terms of Garner's … Continue reading Helen Garner, One day I’ll remember this: Diaries, Volume 2, 1987-1995 (#BookReview)
Chrystopher J. Spicer: Cyclone country: The language of place and disaster in Australian literature (#BookReview)
I love thinking about place in literature, so I was intrigued when Chrystopher Spicer, cultural historian and adjunct senior research fellow at North Queensland's James Cook University, offered me his book Cyclone country: The language of place and disaster in Australian literature for review. Unfortunately, I've taken a while to get to it. Place can … Continue reading Chrystopher J. Spicer: Cyclone country: The language of place and disaster in Australian literature (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Jolley, Hilda’s wedding (#Review, #1976 Club )
One of Elizabeth Jolley's biggest fans is Helen Garner, as I have said before. Garner often mentions Jolley, and my current read, the second volume of her diaries, One day I'll remember this, is no exception. She writes: Elizabeth Jolley's new novel, My father's moon [my review]. She re-uses and reworks images from her earlier … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, Hilda’s wedding (#Review, #1976 Club )
Monday musings on Australian literature: Writers’ notebooks
If you've attended writers festivals, you are sure to have heard writers talk of using notebooks to jot down ideas on the run, to record conversations overheard on public transport, cafes, etc, to capture the thoughts of the writers they read, and so on. These notebooks are not works of art in themselves, but part … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Writers’ notebooks
Nancy Jin and Rosalind Moran, These strange outcrops (#BookReview)
Bagging Canberra - often used synonymously for the Federal Government - is almost a national sport, but in recent years anthologies have appeared to counter this with more complex stories about this place. The first two I've read - The invisible thread, edited by Irma Gold (my review) and Meanjin's The Canberra issue (my review) … Continue reading Nancy Jin and Rosalind Moran, These strange outcrops (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 