This is embarrassing but I really can't remember how and when I first met Nigel. Actually let me rephrase that: I do remember when I met him in person because I've only met him once (at a literary event earlier this year), but who stumbled across whose blog first I have no idea. I'm glad … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Nigel of Under the counter or a flutter in the dovecot
Australian writers
Elliot Perlman, The street sweeper (Review)
Elliot Perlman's latest novel, The street sweeper, is a complex book with a pretty simple message. It's complex because of its multiple interconnecting storylines that move back and forth between World War II, the American Civil Rights era, and contemporary times. It has multiple themes, about which I'll write further, but the underlying message is … Continue reading Elliot Perlman, The street sweeper (Review)
Zane Lovitt, The midnight promise (Review)
Zane Lovitt's debut book, The midnight promise, is one of those books for which I can't decide how to start my review. I could go with the point, previously made in this blog, that I'm not a reader of crime and so cannot speak with authority on the subject. Or, I could write about the … Continue reading Zane Lovitt, The midnight promise (Review)
Paddy O’Reilly, The salesman (Review)
I've been wanting to read Paddy O'Reilly for the longest time but somehow haven't managed to get to her so, as is my wont, I decided to read a short story of hers in the Griffith Review. She made her name, I think, with her short stories, but has also written novels/novellas and a screenplay, … Continue reading Paddy O’Reilly, The salesman (Review)
Dorothea Mackellar, Elena Kats-Chernin and the Vienna Boys Choir
I'm guessing most of you have heard of the Vienna Boys Choir, but you may not, particularly if you're not Australian, have heard of Dorothea Mackellar and Elena Kats-Chernin. Mackellar (1885-1968) was an Australian writer, best known for her poem "My country". Kats-Chernin (b. 1957) is an Australian composer who was born in Tashkent (in what was … Continue reading Dorothea Mackellar, Elena Kats-Chernin and the Vienna Boys Choir
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s pioneer novelists
One of the reasons I started this Monday Musings series was to encourage me to read, think and/or learn about my country's literature, but in doing so I mostly write about books and authors I know and have read. Occasionally though I explore authors and works that are not so familiar to me. Today's post … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s pioneer novelists
Toni Jordan, Nine days (Review)
Toni Jordan's latest novel, Nine days, is somewhat of a departure from her first two novels which are more in the chicklit vein, albeit chicklit with a difference. The thing is, I don't generally read chicklit, but I did enjoy Addition and Fall girl, so I was more than willing to read Jordan's next offering. I … Continue reading Toni Jordan, Nine days (Review)
Anna Funder, Stasiland (Review)
Anna Funder's Stasiland, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, is one of those books that can be reviewed from multiple angles, and I know that when I get to the end of this review I'm going to be sorry about the angles I didn't get to discuss. But, I can only do what … Continue reading Anna Funder, Stasiland (Review)
Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
'Of course we are mad,' Bet wrote to Mary, 'but we live in a mad place.' Brenda Niall's True North (Courtesy: Text Publishing) The mad place that Bet - Elizabeth Durack - refers to is the Kimberley region of north-west Australia and the book this quote comes from is biographer Brenda Niall's True north: The … Continue reading Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
Dame Mary Durack, Lament for the drowned country (Review)
Near the end of her book True north about Mary and Elizabeth Durack, biographer Brenda Niall writes of Mary Durack's poem, "Lament for the Drowned Country", which she says "has been judged her finest poem". Of course, with such a statement, I had to read it. I could have Googled* it, but I decided to check my … Continue reading Dame Mary Durack, Lament for the drowned country (Review)
Whispering Gums 