Thanks to the 2015 Stella Prize, I picked up Ellen Van Neervan's book, Heat and Light to discover the most extraordinary and eclectic collection of stories. I still think about them five years later. So I was thrilled when she published a book of poetry entitled Throat last year. It did not have an easy … Continue reading Throat | Ellen Van Neerven #Poetry
I started this post on the 27th January to commemorate/commiserate the one year anniversary of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Australia. But these posts always take me longer to write than I think they will. The last Covid Chronicles was in mid December, just as the Northern Beaches cluster was starting. Over the Christmas/NY … Continue reading The Covid Chronicles #10
The very first thing I want to know is how does Emily pronounce her middle name? Does she say it as it looks, 'saint john', or does she use the English pronunciation 'sinjin'? I have no idea, or any good reason, why it has taken me so long to get around to reading this terrific … Continue reading Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel #PlagueLit
The Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Readalong runs from the 1st Feb until the 31st May 2021. I first read Wolf Hall in 2011. I remember that I took it our summer holiday to the beach. After exhausting ourselves in the waves every morning, I would look forward to an hour or so every afternoon, lying in the … Continue reading Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong Master Post
I spotted this book tag initially as one for books in translation. But after an amazing few months of reading mostly Australian books, I wanted to keep the green and gold momentum going. To join in though, simply change the country to one of your choosing. It could be your country of origin, where you … Continue reading Australian Literature Book Tag
One month ago I made the decision to move from Blogger to WordPress. In some ways it was a spontaneous, reactionary move after losing my third post in as many months, thanks to changes being rolled out in the editing area. But in other ways, it was a long thought about, much mulled over decision. … Continue reading What I learnt when I moved from Blogger to WordPress #bloggingtips
Dearly: Poems by Margaret Atwood was a book I savoured slowly over the Christmas/New Year period. I tucked the lovely slim volume into my work backpack to read one or two before work over my morning coffee, or to take with me to lunch. I would read a few more each time, sometimes rereading lines, … Continue reading Dearly: Poems | Margaret Atwood #Poetry
Last year, my friend at the Writer's Centre NSW, now called Writing NSW, was planning on hosting an Honouring event for Katharine Susannah Prichard. It's an annual event, of which I have managed to attend about half so far. I had just popped my name on the expressions of interest list early last year, when … Continue reading The Wild Oats Of Han | Katharine Susannah Prichard #AWW
Happy Birthday Ernestine! My Love Must Wait by Ernestine Hill was a bestseller when it was first published in 1941, which puts it neatly in the middle of Bill @The Australian Legend's Gen III of Australian Women Writers. I can see why this story about the adventurer and explorer, Matthew Flinders attracted a lot … Continue reading My Love Must Wait | Ernestine Hill #AWW
My first illness was that one most common to the children of the poor...a bad education and, like the bite of a goanna, it was incurable and ran for years. Ethel Jane (Eve) Langley was born in Forbes on the 1st September 1904. After her father, Arthur died in 1915, her mother, Myra moved her … Continue reading The Pea-Pickers | Eve Langley #AWW
February will be the beginning of my Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong. If you'd like to join in, here are some of the why, when and how details. The Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Readalong: Feb – May 2021 I first read Wolf Hall in 2011 and Bring Up the Bodies in 2012.It is now nine years since I read them. Before … Continue reading Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong
What a hoot! Outlawed by Anna North was the perfect summer holiday book. Light and easy to read, with an interesting premise and an uncomplicated storyline. And a great cover! The story opens in late 19th-century America, though not quite the Old West we know. In this version of our past, the Great Flu of … Continue reading Outlawed | Anna North #USfiction
