Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novella, Orbital, is one of those novels you want to keep by your side after you've finished it, hoping that its calm beauty and quiet provocations will stay with you just that little bit longer. And here, in this opening sentence, I am channelling the "you" voice that she slips into occasionally … Continue reading Samantha Harvey, Orbital (#BookReview)
Novellas
Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
In 2023, novelist Kim Kelly was one of the two winners of Finlay Lloyd's inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize, with her 1920s-set historical novel, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room (my review). Publisher Julian Davies had hoped at the time to award one fiction and one nonfiction prize, but there was a dearth of good nonfiction entries. … Continue reading Kim Kelly, Touched (#BookReview)
Novellas in November 2025
Last Novellas in November I wrote two posts, besides my reviews, but this year I will only manage one. However, I just want to put it on record that I do appreciate the work put into it by Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck), because novellas feature highly in my most memorable … Continue reading Novellas in November 2025
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)
Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2025: Winners announced
In August I wrote a progress report on Finlay Lloyd's 20/40 Publishing Prize, a prize in which I have special interest because I love novella-length writing and the publisher behind this prize, Finlay Lloyd. So just a quick recap on the prize: 20/40 is a manuscript award, with the prize being publication. It is not … Continue reading Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2025: Winners announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Finlay Lloyd’s 20/40 Publishing Prize, progress report
Nearly three years ago, I reported on a new literary prize, the 20/40 Publishing Prize which was being offered by the non-profit publisher, Finlay Lloyd. It has now been awarded in both 2023 and 2024, and preparations for announcing the 2025 winners are well under way. Briefly, the aim of the award is to "encourage … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Finlay Lloyd’s 20/40 Publishing Prize, progress report
Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser's latest novel, Theory & practice, is a perfect example of why I should follow my own reading advice, which is that as soon as I finish a book I should go back and read the opening paragraphs, if not pages. I like to do this because there often lies clues to what … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (#BookReview)
Melanie Cheng, The burrow (#BookReview)
You may have heard the announcement by Sean Manning, of Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint in the US, that he will “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”. Australian media academic Julian Novitz discussed the decision in The Conversation in a piece titled "Brilliant, moving, thought-provoking! Simon & Schuster is dispensing with book … Continue reading Melanie Cheng, The burrow (#BookReview)
Shirley Hazzard, The bay of noon (#BookReview)
Shirley Hazzard's novella, The bay of noon, has been in my sights for a long time, but finally, this Novellas-in-November year, I managed to get it out of my sights and into my hands. It's the first of two novellas I read for the month, but the second to review. Such was my November (and … Continue reading Shirley Hazzard, The bay of noon (#BookReview)
Novellas in November 2024, Part 2 (New to my TBR)
November is over and, as I expected, I didn't get to post much for Novellas in November. However, I did read a couple of novellas and started another short form work (ie nonfiction), and, more to the point, I did read some participants' posts which resulted in my noting some "New to my TBR" options. … Continue reading Novellas in November 2024, Part 2 (New to my TBR)
Whispering Gums 