Having reviewed Yankunytjatjara/Kokatha woman Ali Cobby Eckermann's poetry collection, Inside my mother (my review) for Lisa's ANZlitLovers Indigenous Literature Week, 2017, I decided to also read her 2012 memoir, Too afraid to cry. It filled in a lot of gaps, which is not necessary to appreciate or comprehend the poetry but which does deepen the understanding. The memoir's dedication … Continue reading Ali Cobby Eckermann, Too afraid to cry (#BookReview)
Australian writers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Bill of The Australian Legend
It's been two years since I last published a Guest Post, for no any other reason than that the idea slipped off the radar as other busy-ness took over. However, during a recent email correspondence with (relatively new) blogger Bill, the idea re-popped into my head, and so I asked him, as he explains below. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Bill of The Australian Legend
Ali Cobby Eckermann, Inside my mother (#BookReview)
Ali Cobby Eckermann, a Yankunytjatjara/Kokatha woman, has featured a few times on this blog, including in my review of her verse novel, Ruby Moonlight, and my Monday Musings post on her winning the valuable Windham-Campbell Prize this year. She is now appearing again as I review her poetry collection, Inside my mother, for Lisa's ANZlitLovers Indigenous … Continue reading Ali Cobby Eckermann, Inside my mother (#BookReview)
Kim Mahood, Position doubtful (#BookReview)
Kim Mahood's memoir Position doubtful is a such a stimulating read. That might sound weird for a book whose subtitle is Mapping, landscapes and memories, but the thing is that it hits the spot in so many ways that are central to the issues confronting Australians right now. In other words, it's about our relationship to place. Specifically, … Continue reading Kim Mahood, Position doubtful (#BookReview)
Emily Maguire, An isolated incident (#BookReview)
Emily Maguire's novel, An isolated incident, reminded me of Charlotte Wood's The natural way of things (my review). Sure, An isolated incident is a crime novel, albeit a genre-bending one, while The natural way of things is a dystopian novel, but both deal with the same fundamental issue, misogyny. Wood exposes the scapegoating of women for … Continue reading Emily Maguire, An isolated incident (#BookReview)
Rebekah Clarkson, Barking dogs (#BookReview)
The best way to describe Rebekah Clarkson's debut book, Barking dogs, is that it's a portrait of a community undergoing social change. This community is Mount Barker on the outskirts of Adelaide. Once a farming community, it is now, says Wikipedia, "one of the fastest growing areas in the state", the province of developers, the aspirational … Continue reading Rebekah Clarkson, Barking dogs (#BookReview)
Linda Neil, All is given (#BookReview)
Linda Neil's second book, All is given, is subtitled "a memoir in songs". I wondered if this meant her memoir would be structured around specific songs - but that's probably way too prosaic an idea. Certainly, it's not what I got! I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I didn't know of Linda Neil, who is … Continue reading Linda Neil, All is given (#BookReview)
Jill Roe, Our fathers cleared the bush (#bookreview)
As that old pop song goes, what kind of fool am I? I went, you see, to Macquarie University, which I chose for its then modern approach to tertiary education. It was great, but somehow, I didn't end up in tutorials taught by Thea Astley, nor did I study Australian history in which Jill Roe was one of … Continue reading Jill Roe, Our fathers cleared the bush (#bookreview)
Sara Dowse, As the lonely fly (#BookReview)
Some books grow out of their author's desire to engage the reader in an issue they feel passionate about, such as Jane Rawson on climate change in A wrong turn at the Office of Unmade Lists (my review) and Charlotte Wood on the scapegoating of women in The natural way of things (my review). Sara Dowse's … Continue reading Sara Dowse, As the lonely fly (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: NLA Publishing, and some free e-Books
I was idly following links around the 'net over the weekend and somehow ended up at NLA Publishing's site. For those of you who don't know, they are the publishing arm of the National Library of Australia. I first mentioned them back in 2011 when I referred to publisher Alec Bolton as the person who established … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: NLA Publishing, and some free e-Books
Whispering Gums 