Australian Writers
- #AusReadingMonth 2017 Q&A
- #AusReadingMonth 2017 WRAP-UP
- #AusReadingMonth 2019 reading list ‘Down Under (…in progress)
- #AusReadingMonth 2019 Q&A
- Sign-Up and reading list: #AusReadingMonth2020
Complete works of Thea Astley
Novels (reviews)
- Girl with a Monkey (1958)
- A Descant for Gossips (1960)
- The Well Dressed Explorer (1962) Miles Franklin winner
- The Slow Natives (1965) Miles Franklin winner
- Boat Load of Home Folk (1968)
- The Acolyte (1972) Miles Franklin winner
- A Kindness Cup (1974)
- An Item from the Late News (1982)
- Beachmasters (1985)
- It’s Raining in Mango (1987)
- Reaching Tin River (1990)
- Vanishing Points (1992) (not read yet…)
- Coda – Thea Astley (1994) (novella)
- The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow (1996) (not read yet…)
- Drylands (1999) Miles Franklin winner
Short stories
- Hunting the Wild Pineapple (1979)
- Collected Stories (1997)
Books 2021:
- Talking To My Country – Stan Grant REVIEW
- Song of the Crocodile – Nardi Simpson REVIEW
- Stories from the Warm Zone – Jessica Anderson (1987) – REVIEW
- Fire Front – edited by Alison Whittaker (2020) REVIEW
- Rebecca Giggs – Fathoms – REVIEW
- A Baker’s Dozen – Dorothy Hewett (2001) REVIEW
- The New Ships – Kate Duignan REVIEW
- Reaching Tin River – Thea Astley REVIEW
- The Lost Arabs – Omar Sakr REVIEW
- Ghostspeaking – Peter Boyle (2016) REVIEW
- Everything Happens for a Riesling – G. de Morgan REVIEW
- Coda – Thea Astley (1994) (novella) REVIEW
- The Year of Living Dangerously – ( 224 pg) Chris Koch (1978) REVIEW
- Always Add Lemon – Danielle Alvarez REVIEW
- Vertigo: A Novella – (144 pg) Amanda Lohrey (2008) (novella) REVIEW
- The Newspaper of Claremont Street – Elizabeth Jolley (1981) (novella) REVIEW
- In Praise of Veg – Alice Zaslavsky REVIEW
- Australian Food – Bill Granger REVIEW
- Basics to Brilliance – Donna Hay (cookbook) REVIEW
- Tea and Sympathetic Magic – Tansy Rayner Roberts (novella) REVIEW
- I’m Ready Now – (156 pg) Nigel Featherstone (novella) REVIEW
- Top End Girl – M. Tapsell – REVIEW
- Always Add Lemon – Danielle Alvarez – REVIEW
Books 2020:
- Wild Sea: a history of the southern ocean – Joy McCann ABIA longlist 2019
- The High Places – Fiona McFarlane (13 short stories) Dylan Thomas Award 2017
- Icefall – Stephanie Gunn Aurealis Award 2018 Best SF Novella
- Marriages – (6 short stories) – Amy Witting
- Transparency – (play) Suzie Miller
- Hazelwood – T. Doig – #AusReadingMonth2020 – #NonficNov 2020
- Fall On Me – Nigel Featherston – #AusReadingMonth2020 #NovNov
- We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know – Sophie McNeill – #AusReadingMonth2020
- Fallen – Lucie Morris-Marr – #AusReadingMonth2020
- Argosy – Bella Li – #AusReadingMonth2020
- Pearly Gates – Owen Marshall – #AusReadingMonth2020
- Nganajungu Yagu – Charmaine Papertalk Green #AusReadingMonth2020
- Comrade Ambassador – S. FitzGerald #AusReadingMonth2020 – #NonficNov 2020
- City On Fire: The Fight For Hong Kong – A. Dapiran #AusReadingMonth2020 – #NonficNov
- Dolores – L.A. Curtis #AusReadingMonth2020 #NovNov
- Things I Thought ToTell You Since I Saw You Last – P. Layland (poetry)
- The Altar Boys – S. Smith #AusReadingMonth2020 – #NonficNov 2020
- Penny Wong – M. Simons #AusReadingMonth2020 – #NonficNov 2020
- Simpson Returns: A Novella – W. Macauley – #AusReadingMonth2020 #NovNov
- Empirical – Lisa Gorton (poetry) – #AusReadingMonth2020 – (poetry)
- Waiting For the Past – Les Murray – #AusReadingMonth2020 – (poetry)
- An Item From the Late News – T. Astley #AusReadingMonth2020
- After the Count – Stephanie Convery #AusReadingMonth2020
Books 2019:
- Trace: who killed Maria Jones? – R. Brown – #AWW2019
- A Woman’s Experiences in the Great War – Louise Mack – #AWW2019
- River in the Sky – Clive James
- Cloudstreet – T. Winton
- True History of the Kelly Gang – P. Carey
- The Hands – S. Orr
- The Life and Work of C.J. Dennis – Philip Butterss
- A Town Like Alice – N. Shute
- Power Without Glory – Frank Hardy
- The Glass Canoe – D. Ireland
- Birds Mind: Cognition and Behaviour of Australian Native Birds (G. Kaplan)…amazing!
- Past Carin’ – (Henry Lawson) – stop and listen to the poem….the hard life in the Outbush.
- The Bridge – E. Gandolfo – #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
- Too Much Lip – M. Lucashenko – #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
- Axiomatic – M. Tumarkin – #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019 (essays)
- Little Gods – J. Ackland – not available in Netherlands! #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
- The Erratics – V. Laveau-Harvie – not available in Netherlands! #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
- Pink Mountain on Locust Island – J.M. Lau StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
- Aunts Up the Cross – R. Dalton – #AWW2019 (memoir)
- Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger – F. Wright
- Can You Tolerate This? – A. Young – #AWW2019 (essays)
- The Everlasting Sunday – R. Luikins ShortlistNSWLitAward2019
- Boy Swallows Universe – T. Dalton – NSWLiteraryAward2019
- Deep Time Dreaming – B. Griffiths – NSWLiteraryAward2019
- Border Districts – G. Murnane – #ShortlistNSWLiteraryAward2019
- Scrublands – C. Hammer – #ShortlistNSWLiteraryAward2019
- The Cage – L. Jones – #ShortlistOckhamNewZealandBookAwards2019
- The Facts – T. Lloyd – (poetry) #ShortlistOckhamNewZealandBookAwards2019
- The Radio Room – Cilla McQueen (34 poems) – #AWW2019 (NZ)
- The Almighty Sometimes – K. Feaver -NSW Lit Award 2019
- Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook – J. Kent – #AWW2019
- Tilt – Kate Lilley – (38 poems) – VictorianPremier’sAward2019
- The Lebs – M.M. Ahmad – NSWLiteraryAward2019
- This Mortal Boy – F. Kidman – Ockham Prize for Fiction 2019
- Black is the New White – N. Lui NSW Lit Prize for Playwriting 2018
- Ritual – Maxine Beneba Clarke (poem) – #AWW2019
- Astonished Dice – G. Cochrane (short stories) – (NZ)
- We Can Make a Life – C. Henry – (NZ)
- The First Casualty – Peter Greste
- No Friend but the Mountains – B. Boochani – National Biography Award 2019
- Wake in Fright – K. Cook
- Driving Into The Sun – M. Polain
- The Shepherd’s Hut – T. Winton
- Are Friends Electric ? – H. Heath – Ockham NZ poetry 2019
- My Name is Revenge – A. K. Blunt
- Fast Talking PI – Selina T. Marsh – Poet Laureate New Zealand
- Lemons in the Chicken Wire – Alison Whittaker – (50 poems)
- Blakwork – Alison Whittaker
- Parang – Omar Musa – (27 poems)
- Everywhere I Look (essays) – Helen Garner – AWW2019
- A Kindness Cup – Thea Astley – #AUSReadingMonth 2019
- The Endsister – P. Russon – WINNER Aurealis 2018
- The Tide of Stone – Kaaron Warren – WINNER Aurealis 2019
- Broken – Mary Anne Butler (play) – #AUSReadingMonth 2019
- Dr Space Junk vs Universe – A. Gorman #AUSReadingMonth
- Sea People – C. Thompson – WINNER NSW 2019 History
- Nine Lives: Postwar Women Writers – S. Sheriden #AusReadingMonth 2019
- The Phoenix Years – M. O’Dea – #AUSReadingMonth 2019
- An Unconventional Wife: – M. Hoban – WINNER QLD Awards
- Adani: Following Its Dirty Footsteps – L. Simpson – WINNER QLD
- It’s Raining in Mango – Thea Astley – #AUSReadingMonth 2019
- Troll Hunting – Ginger Gorman – #AUSReadingMonth 2019
- The Thinking Woman – J. van Loon – #AusReadingMonth 2019
- Boys Will Be Boys – Clementine Ford – #AusReadingMonth 2019
- Nine Lives: Postwar Women Writers – S. Sheriden
- The Art of Time Travel – T. Griffiths
- Brett Whiteley: Art, Life and the Other Thing – Ashleigh Wilson
- Drylands – Thea Astley
- Catching Teller Crow – A. and E. Kwaymullina
- True Stories – Helen Garner
Books 2018:
- SHORT STORIES Flame Tip – K. Thompson – READ (short fictions)
- Tracker – A. Wright – READ (NF)
- 1 SHORT STORY You Know How It Is – Anna Spargo-Ryan – READ (short story)
- A Writing Life Helen Garner and Her Work – B. Brennan – READ (NF)
- Feeling the Heat – J. Chandler – READ (NF)
- Extinctions – J. Wilson – READ (novel)
- The Museum of Modern Love – H. Rose – READ (novel)
- From the Wreck – J. Rawson – READ (SF)
- Girl Reporter – T. Roberts – READ (SF novella)
- Dying in the First Person – N. Sulway – READ (novel)
- The Trauma Cleaner – S. Krasnostein – READ (NF)
- SHORT STORIES Rubik – E. Tan – READ (short stories)
- Soon – L. Murphy – READ (horror)
- Psynode – M.J. Ward – READ (YA)
- The Drover’s Wife – L. Purcell – READ (play)
- Do Not Go Gentle – Patricia Cornelius – READ (play)
- Broken – M.A. Butler – READ (play)
- Rice – M. Lee – READ (play)
- Closing Down – Sally Abbott – READ (SF)
- Too Easy – J.M. Green – READ (CF)
- This Mortal Coil – E. Suvada – READ (YA)
- Aletheia – J.S. Breukelaar – READ (horror)
- Who’s Afraid – M. Lewis – READ (horror)
- Her Father’s Daughter – A. Pung – READ (NF)
- Jenna’s Truth – N.L. King – READ (YA novella)
- The End of Seeing – C. Collins – READ (novella)
- Essays: The Australian Face (C. Menzies-Pike) – READ (essays)
- How to Get There – M. Mackellar – READ (memoir)
- SHORT STORIES Hunting the Wild Pineapple – T. Astley – READ (8 short stories)
- The Enigmatic Mr. Deakin – J. Brett – READ (NF)
- SHORT STORIES Like a House of Fire – C. Kennedy – READ (15 short stories)
- The Bed-Making Competition – A. Jackson – READ (novella)
- Atomic Thunder – E. Tynan – READ #AWW2018 (NF)
- An Ordinary Day – Leigh Sales – READ #AWW2018 (NF)
- Kilonova (poem) – Alicia Sometimes – READ #AWW2018
- Axiomatic – M. Tumarkin – READ Melbourne Prize Best Writing Award 2018
- Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia – editor Anita Heiss (NF) – READ
- The Tall Man – Chloe Hooper – READ #AWW2018 2009 Queensland Premier
Books 2017:
- My Place – S. Morgan
- Silk Road – E. Ormsby
- The Grief Hole – K. Warren
- Essay: Why She Broke – H. Garner -Walkley Award 2017 Feature Writing
- Position Doubtful – K. Mahood
- Into the Heart of Tasmania – R. Taylor
- SHORT STORIES Portable Curiosities – J. Koh
- Salt Water – C. McLennan – READ
- Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell – L. Milligan 2017 Walkley Award
- The Evening of the Holiday – S. Hazzard – READ
- Girl with a Monkey (1958) – READ
- A Descant for Gossips (1960) – READ
- The Well Dressed Explorer (1962) – READ
- The Slow Natives (1965) – READ
- A Boat Load of Home Folk (1968) – READ
- The Acolyte (1972) – READ
- Quicksilver – N. Rothwell (essays) – READ
JEAN GLEESON’S TOP 50 Australian books in last 200 yrs: 9/50
1. ‘Robbery Under Arms’ by Rolf Boldrewood
2. ‘Such is Life’ by Joseph Furphy
3. ‘The Sick Stockrider’ by Adam Lindsay Gordon
4. ‘His Natural Life’ by Marcus Clarke
5. ‘The Chosen Vessel’ by Barbara Baynton
6. ‘The Man From Snowy River’ by Banjo Paterson
7. ‘Nationality’ by Mary Gilmore
8. ‘The Drover’s Wife’ by Henry Lawson – READ
9. ‘Lilith’ by Christopher Brennan
10. ‘Seven Little Australians’ by Ethel Turner
11. ‘The Getting of Wisdom’ by Henry Handel Richardson
12. ‘The Gentle Water Bird’ by John Shaw Neilson
13. ‘My Brilliant Career’ by Miles Franklin – READ
14. ‘The Magic Pudding’ by Norman Lindsay
15. ‘Coonardoo’ by Katharine Susannah Prichard
16. ’10 for 66 and all that’ by Arthur Mailey
17. ‘Lucinda Brayford’ by Martin Boyd
18. ‘A Fortunate Life’ by AB Facey
19. ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ by Joan Lindsay
20. ‘Five Bells’ by Kenn
21. ‘Capricornia’ by Xavier Herbert
22. ‘The Man Who Loved Children’ by Christina Stead
23. ‘The Pea-pickers’ by Eve Langley
24. ‘A Letter from Rome’ by AD Hope
25. ‘Voss’ by Patrick White – READ
26. ‘My Brother Jack’ by George Johnston
27. ‘Woman to Child’ by Judith Wright
28. ‘Tirra Lirra by the River’ by Jessica Anderson
29. ‘Power Without Glory’ by Frank Hardy – READ
30. ‘No More Boomerang’ by Oodgeroo Noonuccal
31. ‘Storm Boy’ by Colin Thiele
32. ‘The Lucky Country’ by Donald Horne
33. ‘Milk and Honey’ by Elizabeth Jolley
34. ‘The Acolyte’ by Thea Astley – READ
35. ‘The Glass Canoe’ by David Ireland – READ
36. ‘The Tyranny of Distance’ by Geoffrey Blainey
37. ‘The Transit of Venus’ by Shirley Hazzard
38. ‘An Imaginary Life’ by David Malouf
39. ‘The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith’ by Thomas Keneally
40. ‘Visitants’ by Randolph Stow
41. ‘Grand Days’ by Frank Moorhouse
42. ‘The Buladelah-Taree Holiday Song Cycle’ by Les Murray
43. ‘The Fatal Shore’ by Robert Hughes
44. ‘The Plains’ by Gerald Murnane
45. ‘Monkey Grip’ by Helen Garner
46. ‘Our Sunshine’ by Robert Drewe
47. ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’ by Peter Carey – READ
48. ‘Lilian’s Story’ by Kate Grenville
49. ‘My Place’ by Sally Morgan – READ
50. ‘Cloudstreet’ by Tim Winton. – READ
Australian/NZ Books on Long List Dublin Literary Award 2019
- The New Animals – Pip Adam (New Zealand)
- A Long Way From Home – Peter Carey (Australia)
- Marlborough Man – Alan Carter (New Zealand)
- Terra Nullius – Claire G. Coleman (Indigenous Australian)
- The Life to Come – Michelle de Kretser (Australia)
- Her – Garry Disher (Australia)
- Decline and Fall on Savage Street – Fiona Farrell (New Zealand)
- First Person – Richard Flanagan (Australia)
- Sleeps Standing Moetu – Witi Ihimaera, (Maori, New Zealand)
- Baby – Annaleese Jochems (New Zealand)
- The Choke – Sofie Laguna (Australia)
- Incredible Floridas – Stephen Orr (Born in New Zealand, Australian resident)
- Through the Lonesome Dark – Paddy Richardson (New Zealand)
- The Fish Girl – Miranda Riwoe (Australian)
- See What I Have Done – Sarah Schmidt (Australian)
- Taboo – Kim Scott (Indigenous Australian)
- The Necessary Angel – C.K. Stead (New Zealand)
- And Fire Came Down – Emma Viskic (Australia)
- Clear to the Horizon – Dave Warner