1. Last week I mentioned that I had a few too many balls in the air. I dropped some. Feels good.
2. The Stella Prize is a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. The shortlist for the 2014 Stella Prize was announced last week. I would like to say I’ve read them all and can therefore offer my opinion but no. I’ve read one and a half (the half being Night Games… oddly, this didn’t grab me but I will pick it up again before the Prize winner is announced on April 29). I’ve heard fantastic things about The Night Guest but at this stage, I’ll be cheering for the beautiful, memorable, heart-breaking Burial Rites.
3. On the topic of Burial Rites, check out Hannah Kent’s playlist for the book.
4. I’m on a book-buying ban. Earlier this week I completely forgot about it (honestly) and accidentally bought a book (Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill after reading this review).
5. I always have two or three books on the go at any one time. And I always notice odd links between seemingly unrelated books. For example, most recently I was reading The Virgins, The Light Between Oceans and March at the same time. The Virgins and March both have New England in common, while March and The Light Between the Oceans both have soldiers as a main character. This is one example of many. I’m going to keep track of the links and see if I can find stepping stones between everything I read.
6. It was the 30th anniversary of the day the ‘Breakfast Club-ers’ went to detention this week. That made me feel spectacularly old, particularly given that I remember going to see the film (my nana was going to take me but a last-minute change of plans saw us at The Gods Must Be Crazy instead. Probably lucky, as there are parts* I wouldn’t have wanted to sit through with my nan. Ended up seeing it with friends).
7. During my lab session at uni this week we had to observe colours of solutions in test-tubes. My lab-partner looked at the orange solution and said “In my heart of hearts, I’d like to record it as Burnt Sienna… But I’m sure they’re looking for just orange.” I think we’ll get along just fine.
8. On the topic of uni, I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. Thinking about the membrane on the nucleus of a cell** boggles my mind (in a really good way). It’s the same when I think about infinity and outer space – I know it’s ‘true’ but it’s brain-stretching.
9. And finally, this story about a tree filled me with happiness. I’ve watched the video a dozen times already – it’s stunningly beautiful.
Christine at Bookishly Boisterous started this meme – get amongst it.
* This bit for example.
** That’s really quite small.
I do love how you forgot you were on a book buying ban! Your post has reminded me I must read Burial Rites, there were posters up for this in London when I visited last week and I vowed to make a place in my schedule for this one…
I honestly forgot! And it’s just so easy to click ‘buy’ on your Kindle…
Burial Rites was my favourite book of 2013 – really, really beautifully written. And so, so sad.
Even more reason to put it to the top of the pile then! I just need more reading time 🙁
I need to put myself on a book buying ban!!!
For the ultimate book-buying-ban, check out http://746books.wordpress.com/ – AMAZING RESTRAINT! 😉
Regarding #5, I was just judging my local library’s Tournament of Books, and the last couple rounds books were matching up like that. The final round is between Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed and Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park… which are both about very different kinds of love. Interesting how books you’d think couldn’t be more different from each other can share certain themes.
I call it ‘synchronicity’, weird and unexpected links between books or my life and books 🙂 The Breakfast Club by the way was my favourite movie as a teen, Ive sen it about elevenbillion times andI still love it!
Agree, Breakfast Club still holds up 🙂
I love The Breakfast Club. I wanted to be Molly Ringwald for a long time.
I was thinking The Night Guest sounded familiar, it has a very different cover over here. Also, in the Australian literature front, I just got a copy of The Untold (I believe it was called The Burial).
I have too many balls in the air this week, none can be dropped at this point (soon, I hope). I’ll be stark raving mad within a week, at this rate. Today’s task: car shopping. The depth with which I hate car shopping is remarkable.
You probably hate car shopping as much as I do. Basically, I have zero interest in cars apart from “Can it get me from A to B safely?”. Thankfully, we have a friend who LOVES car shopping so we give him our list of requirements, he does the research and tells us what to get. Which we do.
Good luck with the juggling. (I dropped some major balls – life changing. Such relief)
#7- Ha!
I have way too many balls in the air right now, too, and unfortunately they can’t be dropped, but instead must be whatever the equivalent to finishing them off would be with this metaphor. It’s just so easy to take on too much…
#4 – I’ve, err, fell off the book-buying ban wagon last week. I’m back on it again xD The book you bought sounds interesting, will have to check it out
#5 – That’s cool! I’m reading several books right now but I don’t think there’s any links–odd or not–amongst them right now, lol
#8 – Glad to hear you’re enjoying uni! 😀