Christine at Bookishly Boisterous started this meme – get amongst it.
1. Yesterday I went to see Diana, the movie. It’s crap but I knew that going in. It didn’t stop ALL THE TEARS.
2. So all the bookish news is about the Man Booker Prize. I’m quite pleased that the only book I was tempted by on the shortlist, actually won – yay Eleanor Catton.
3. But what I loved most was this email regarding the Man Booker Prize winner – fields of literary wheat, one head remaining standing, warm breezes… Er, what?!
4. Something happened last week that was a first for me – I met someone IRL that I had originally ‘met’ on Twitter. It was an exciting, bizarre and most excellent experience.
Had you told me ten years ago that I would be having dinner with people I’d met on social media (oh wait…ten years ago…what’s ‘social media’?) I would have thought you were a little loopy. And yet, as soon as I saw @nicmclachlan’s tweet many years ago – “Baby in a cart! Baby in a cart” (about a newborn in a wedding ceremony on a reality tv show) I knew we’d be fast friends. She never fails to crack me up and we’ve bonded over a bunch of things (notably #notcoit, #pleasehold, #nits and #divorceeyes).
Our IRL meeting got me thinking – is meeting through social media really any different from meeting your seventies pen-pal? I never really sustained any pen-pal relationship long enough for a meeting, but not through lack of trying (I suspect my problem was that I was a little too enthusiastic with the letters and was therefore filed under ‘crazy pen-pal-er’).
5. I’m a bit in love with this South Australian tourism campaign. Who knew dirt and carcasses could be so goddamn sexy.
6. It’s not really a Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts post without reference to something I’m coveting. Pop over to Make Me Iconic for FAIRY BREAD PILLOWCASES. I know, adorable.
7. Tomorrow night I’m going to see Kim Wilde and Nik Kershaw in concert. Let’s file it under #ace.
Did you see Gruen Planet’s analysis (dissection?) of the Barossa campaign? Can’t say I agreed with Wil’s point of view, but the rest of the panel thought it was genius. Maybe you should plan your next no-kids trip there, but make sure you stay at The Louise!
Excellent, still on iView – http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/43082 (the Barossa discussion starts at the 23.30min mark)
My favourite quotes – “…this is 90 seconds about fertility…”
“…This is almost pagan ritual…”
“I love this ad – it’s a cinematographer’s wet-dream…”
“You might think a line like ‘You know you’re never coming back” would rule the song out for a tourism ad but apparently not.”
“Nick Cave represents the Barossa…a middle-aged guy eating and drinking…” “Oh no, he’s a bit cooler than that!”
“What would happen if you changed the music to something a little less chainsaw-massacre?”
My favourite was “Go to the Barossa and give your red right hand a rest.”
Hilarious
Yes, brilliant. Maybe I need to post a pic of those wretched big red hands for my overseas readers?
Now I want to visit South Australia!
Gosh, can’t remember if the missing Beaumont children got a mention in there somewhere, but they usually are referenced whenever anyone on the eastern seaboard mentions SA. Did you see the bit where they put the Nick Cave music to the One Direction perfume ad? Love Gruen. Very witty.
Oooh, now I really want to go to Australia! (it’s always been on the list but that commercial is great)
lol about that excerpt about the Catton winning–quite the embellished article there! 😀
Well there is lots to see in Australia, apart from eating runny cheese with your hands and plucking chickens! If you do come, you have to promise to stop by me and say hi!
lol will do! 🙂
I personally don’t like dry weather, lots of dirt and wheat but that South Australia commercial does make me want to go sometime!
Now that the Man Booker Award has been given, I think we’re all focused on the National Book Award winner since the short list just came out recently. Super happy to see Jhumpa Lahiri on it!
Also, the fairy bread pillow is so cute!
Lahiri’s book also grabbed my attention on the Booker shortlist – I think it’s a more manageable length as well.
That commercial, the food, the song. I want to go. And although I’ve never been the type to lay down in the dirt in a white dress, I would do it if I looked that doing it.
I need to visit all of Australia (well, most of it). I don’t know what I’m going to do about the spiders and snakes – walk around terrified?
The ad is actually for a very, very beautiful (and delicious) part of Australia.It’s the home of my favourite pate that is so good I could just eat it with a spoon.
Spiders not a problem – they don’t go after you. Snakes, you just walk along stomping and they get out of the way 😉
Wow, double-take at Naomi Watts. Holy crap.
Apparently she wore a fake nose!
Love that commercial – and now I’m hungry.
Diana died when I was 7 so I hardly even knew who she was (before the news hit I don’t think I even knew that there were still real live princesses around) so I went on a Diana spree. I’ve lost count of the Diana books I read. Don’t think I’ll watch the movie though… I’ve cried too much over her already.
I was obsessed with Diana when I was little and was lucky enough to see her (and the whole Royal Family) when I was 12 at Trooping the Colour. I was an adult when she died – can still barely think about it without crying. There is a bit of footage of her greeting her boys after being away from them for some time – they’re on a boat and they run up the gang plank into her arms – makes me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME.
The Luminaries was the sole book I was intrigued by on the Book shortlist too. Although that doesn’t mean I’m in any rush to read that giant monstrosity, gah what a commitment. Speaking of giant monstrosities, I just picked up The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and it’s only about 40 pages shorter than The Luminaries.
*sigh* I really can’t do two huge books. Suspect the Tartt will win for me.
Tartt is definitely my next massive book. The Luminaries can be patient and wait.
It might be waiting a long time for me…
Since there are a bajllion holds and I only have 3 weeks before I have to return it I’m not sure I’ll be able to get through it so I may hold off on it too.
Yeah, wait for the frenzy to die down.