I know I make my people uncomfortable, and embarrass even those who come to hear me sing. It has been a while since I have read a book that I have underlined as much as I have underlined Kim Scott's Benang. It's up there, for me, with The Pea-Pickers and Moby-Dick as being a slow, … Continue reading Benang: From the Heart | Kim Scott #AUSfiction
Honeybee by Craig Silvey is my first book club read for 2021. It has taken Silvey over ten years to write this book, after the huge success of his second book, Jasper Jones back in 2009. “I put everything I have into writing Honeybee. It tore me up, but it filled me with joy. I’m enormously … Continue reading Honeybee | Craig Silvey #AUSfiction
One gets to a time and place when one HAS to be done thinking about a book and what review to write for it. I have reached this point with Our Shadows by Gail Jones. I have done everything I can to put together some coherent, clever thoughts, from attending two zoom author talks with … Continue reading Our Shadows | Gail Jones #AWWfiction
Writing regular blog posts seems to be something quite beyond right now. But thanks to Karen @Booker Talk I've be revisiting some of my older posts to find fresh inspiration. This post about the rather silent author, Randolph Stow, was originally published on the 29th August 2015. I've been thinking about Gabrielle Carey a lot, over … Continue reading Moving Among Strangers by Gabrielle Carey
In Midland still the trains go by. The black smoke thunders on the sky. Still in the grass the lovers lie. And cheek on cheek and sigh on sigh They dream and weep as you and I,In Midland where the trains go by. Across the bridge, across the town. The workers hurry up and down. The pub still … Continue reading In Midland Where the Trains Go By | Dorothy Hewett #AWW
I'm not sure I will be able to adequately sum up my thoughts and impressions about Taboo by Kim Scott, but I'll give it a shot.Scott has been shortlisted for this year's Miles Franklin Award; he has already won it twice. In 2000 for Benang: From the Heart and again in 2011 for That Deadman … Continue reading Taboo by Kim Scott
The Shepherd's Hut is Tim Winton's much anticipated latest novel. I am a fan, but with reservations. I loved Cloudstreet and Dirt Music but hated The Riders (it has the dubious honour of being one of my very first DNF books). Breath was good but a bit blokey and Eyrie was okay, but a bit … Continue reading The Shepherd’s Hut By Tim Winton
As many of you know, my TBR pile is out of control. A bigly number of those books are by Australian authors (I feel safe using bigly now that 1. we know that Trump actually said big league and 2. that bigly is a real work, although archaic and rarely used.)I thought I'd list some … Continue reading My #AusReadingMonth Possibilities
Jandamarra is based on a true story from the Bunuba people of the Kimberley region in far north W.A. This area encompasses Fitzroy Crossing, the Napier Ranges, King Leopold Ranges and the Lennard River.Jandamarra was born in the 1870's but his legend lives on in local folk tales. The white folk saw him as an … Continue reading Jandamarra by Mark Greenwood and Terry Denton
After reading Eyrie recently, I'm feeling more ambivalent about Tim Winton than I've ever felt before. I went through a similar phase after trying to read The Riders - a novel I miserably failed to engage with on any level. It also had the dubious honour of being one of the first books I decided … Continue reading Friday Flashback – Dirt Music by Tim Winton
I've been putting off writing this review, simply because I'm not sure what to say about Tim Winton's Eyrie now that I've finished it. Will this be a positive, negative review or a negative, positive review? I thought if I sat with it for a few days some reviewing inspiration would strike, but it hasn't. … Continue reading Eyrie | Tim Winton #AUSfiction
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