For some years now, I've made my first Monday Musings of the year, a "new releases" post. As in previous years, my list is mostly drawn from the Sydney Morning Herald, whose writers do a wonderful job of checking out publishers large and small, but I have found a couple of extras on my own! Also, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some New Releases in 2021
Book lists
Reading highlights for 2020
For newbies here, my annual Reading Highlights post is my answer to other bloggers' Top Reads posts. In other words, I don't do a ranked list of the books I consider my year's "best", but instead share my "highlights", which I define as those books and events that made my reading year worthwhile. I don't, … Continue reading Reading highlights for 2020
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020
Once again I am devoting my last Monday Musings of the year to the Australian Women Writers Challenge*. Last year in my opening paragraph, I wrote that I loved the sound of 2020 - and I wished you all a wonderful year to come in whatever form you would like that to take. My, oh my, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020
My reading group’s favourites for 2020
In what is becoming a tradition, my reading group once again voted for our favourites from our 2020 schedule. Given many of us like hearing about what other reading groups do, I'm sharing the results as I did last year. First, though, here is what we read in the order we read them (with links … Continue reading My reading group’s favourites for 2020
Monday Musings on Australian literature: ABR’s 2020 Books of the Year
The Australian Book Review (ABR) recently published its annual books of the year as selected by 34 of its contributing critics and reviewers, who include novelists, poets, historians and literary critics. Most are known to me, but there are a few newbies too. I know we discussed the pros and cons of lists in my … Continue reading Monday Musings on Australian literature: ABR’s 2020 Books of the Year
My life in books 2020
As I started reading other people's contributions, I said that I might play the "my life in books" meme - and I have not decided that I will! So, thanks to Lisa for bringing it to my attention and to Annabookbel for managing this fun meme. It's a simple meme, and goes like this: Using … Continue reading My life in books 2020
Monday musings on Australian literature: Summer picks 2020
For a few years now, I've shared ABC book journalists' top Aussie reads of the year, but this year I'm doing something a little different. I'm sharing picks from three different sources. Most of these include non-Australian books, but I like to share them in a Monday Musings post and focus on the Aussie books … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Summer picks 2020
Monday musings on Australian literature: Bookprint, Australian-style
Have you heard of the term or concept of bookprint? I came across it in a December 2019 article in The Conversation titled "5 Australian books that can help young people understand their place in the world". The Conversation credits the term to African-American educator Alfred Tatum who, according to the University of Illinois' Today website, coined … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Bookprint, Australian-style
Monday musings on Australian literature: Nurses in Australian fiction
As some of you may know, last Tuesday, 12 March, was International Nurses Day, the date chosen because it was Florence Nightingale's birthday. The day's aim is, in Wikipedia's words, "to mark the contributions that nurses make to society". Each year, apparently, has a theme. This year's - presumably chosen long before COVID-19 - seems quite prescient: … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nurses in Australian fiction
Stella Prize 2020 Shortlist announced
Well, lookee here, the Stella Prize shortlist was announced this morning while I was at Tai Chi so I am just getting to it now. And, I am rather pleased because, although I've only read one of the six, I am currently reading another, and have a third on my reading group schedule, so that's … Continue reading Stella Prize 2020 Shortlist announced
