Words can be problematical when it comes to expressing our response to literature, indeed to any of the arts. We are uncomfortable, for example, using the word "enjoy" to express our response to anything that is dark. This is understandable, and yet I think "enjoy" is a perfectly okay word for something that has engaged … Continue reading Johanna Bell, Department of the Vanishing (#BookReview)
Australian writers
Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker, Spirit of the crocodile (#Bookreview)
Aaron Fa'Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker's Spirit of the crocodile is a children's/YA book, which makes it atypical reading for me. However, I'm not averse breaking my rules occasionally, and so I made an exception for this book - mainly because of its collaborative authorship and its setting. Aaron Fa'aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker have … Continue reading Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker, Spirit of the crocodile (#Bookreview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 17, Beatrice Grimshaw
Of all the writers I've researched for the AWW project, Beatrice Grimshaw is among the most documented, with articles in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) and Wikipedia, among others. And yet, she is little known today. This post, like most of my recent Forgotten Writers posts, draws on the one I posted on AWW. However, I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 17, Beatrice Grimshaw
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (16), Garrulity and Gracelessness in AusLit
(Courtesy OCAL, via clker.com) Another post in my Monday Musings subseries called Trove Treasures, in which I share stories or comments, serious or funny, that I come across during my Trove travels. Today's story popped up during my research for a post on Beatrice Grimshaw for the Australian Women Writers blog. It stunned me, and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (16), Garrulity and Gracelessness in AusLit
Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein, The mushroom tapes (#BookReview)
Chances are I'm not telling you anything when I say that The mushroom tapes is about an Australian murder trial that took place over two months in the middle of 2025. However, if you don't know, this trial concerned a woman named Erin Patterson who was accused of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder … Continue reading Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein, The mushroom tapes (#BookReview)
Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Those of us who follow Jessica White have been waiting for the biography of nineteenth century botanist, Georgiana Molloy, that we know she has been researching, but then, almost out of the blue, appeared something a little different, a collection of ecobiographical essays titled, Silence is my habitat. Published under the beautiful Upswell imprint, Silence … Continue reading Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
If you have read Carmel Bird's memoir Telltale (my review), you will know about her love of story, particularly of history, and fairy story, and legends. You will also know about her love of objects, of beautiful objects or strange ones, and of the meanings embodied within them. And, if you have read anything by … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 16, Edna Davies
Of all the forgotten writers I’ve researched, Edna Davies proved by far the most difficult. Even AustLit had nothing on her besides a list of a few works, but she intrigued me so I soldiered on. This post, like most of my recent Forgotten Writers posts, a revision, with a little bit of added information, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 16, Edna Davies
Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Last month, I posted on the winners of the 2025 Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize, of which Angus Gaunt's Anna was one. I am thrilled with this prize, not only because I love the novella form, but because of the variety of stories we are seeing. So far the fiction winners have been an historical … Continue reading Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Mostly for the Year Clubs, I read an Australian short story, usually from one of my anthologies. However, for 1925, I couldn't find anything in my anthologies, so turned to other newspaper-based sources, including Trove, but I mainly found romances or works that were difficult to access. And then, out of the blue, I found … Continue reading Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Whispering Gums 