01. We have beach. We have picnics.
02. …and buys #ALLTHESTRAWS
03. Melbourne Writers Festival was hardly what I had hoped for but I very much enjoyed online events with Rachel Cusk and Sigrid Nunez. Particularly liked when Nunez discussed her writing process, saying that she never knows how her books will end until she gets there – “It’s part of the risk.” (What a contrast to John Irving who writes the last sentence first.)
04. Surprised by a-ha The Movie (on ABC in Australia) – the dynamic between the three of them was not what I expected, and the doco highlighted the changing role of the media. I was obsessed with a-ha in the eighties and my only real source of information about them was Smash Hits magazine – I never knew my heartthrob stayed with his high school girlfriend, married her, and that she toured with him. That level of privacy is unheard of now.
05. Can’t wait for: Love Life S2; and trying to work out how I can see this drama, Help, in Australia…
06. Negroni Week! We’ve done our due diligence and the winner this year is… Adelaide Hills Estate Negroni.
07. And it was only appropriate that we had Negroni Rigatoni for dinner last night (spicy and delicious).
08. German Literature Month has been announced – I have a copy of Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky on the way, and checking my TBR list for other possibilities (there’s some Schlink, Erpenbeck, Zweig, Fricke and Würger there).
09. Two people in my house are fully vaxxed, and four have had their first dose. I’m a little less stressed now…
10. New phone case (incredibly, I still have my ‘sticker book’ from primary school days and the Scratch’n’Sniff stickers still have a scent – god, they must be toxic!)
Straws (non-plastic) are definitely the answer 😀 Happy beach and picnic days to you!
Now we just need some proper spring weather!
Thursday is looking good:)
So interesting to read about Nunez’s composition. I’ve always remembered seeing John Irving speak in c. 2008 and him saying, like you mention, that he writes the last line first — and within each chapter he has the last line in mind before he sets out.
If you’ve got any German works of under 200 pages on your shelves, you could combine challenges and join us for Novellas in November 🙂
It sounds like the vaccination process has been slow where you are. That must be frustrating! I know they’re starting on younger teens here now. Unfortunately, the uptake has been lower among UK youth…
I would give anything to hear Irving speak – Australia never on his book tour schedule!
Was thinking about doubling up on the German lit and novellas – have put together a long list of novellas and have a post almost ready.
Vaccination has been very slow here – because our idiotic PM decided it ‘wasn’t a race’ and therefore didn’t buy enough. 12-15yo only just now eligible and uptake has been good – don’t think many parents are keen on sending kids back to school without being vaccinated (I certainly don’t want that!).
Yes, I am fully vaxxed and all three teens had their first dose last week. Definitely peace of mind setting in and so much gratitude to science that we can do it.
Agree, and will feel even better after second dose (which we haven’t been able to get until late October).
The boys are three weeks to the day from the 1st dose. My daughter has a bit longer down in Brisbane, must be just appointment availability because Queensland has done 3 weeks between Pfizer shots from the start.
Oh I attended the Sigrid Nunez event too and found her as fascinating as her books.
And I watched the A-ha doc. I was a big fan too but knew very little about them. It wasn’t until I was in my 40s and wondering around Notting Hill that someone pointed out the house they had once lived in! I found the dynamic between them all very interesting — all that tension! It made my anxiety levels go up just hearing them “squabble” 😂
Hahaha, I love your idea with the straw but I doubt a picky controller would tell you that’s alright. LOL
Being close to a beach would be heaven for me. Not in this lifetime …
I never heard of German literary month but since I’m German, I have German literary month all the time, I always read at least one in German.
Happy Reading.
One of my goals (and it’s a very, very long way off) is to read a novel in German… I’ll keep practicing!
To be fair, most parks are alcohol free zones anyway 😉
Love the phone case! I still have some old (as in 40yo) school work with scratch & sniff stickers on them.
For better or worse alcohol permitted in parks where I live! 👏
I paid for some MWF events including I know the Cusk, and then forgot to attend. It was all so weird – were you able to stream the sessions anytime you felt like it over the two weeks? Oh, well, I donated to a good cause I feel.
I have noted the Negroni as a possible Xmas gift for Daughter Gums and partner.
So, you can go to a park but not picnic. We are allowed to picnic here.
Anyhow, I this week looked particularly challenging for Melbournians, so I look forward to seeing how you made some happiness through it all.
Thankfully we can picnic as of this week. And we have 🙂
Yes, the MWF sessions could be watched at any time – I left them to the last day and then watched one after the other – not ideal.