01. I’m sure Australia’s bushfires have made world news. The stats* are staggering and almost incomprehensible. I won’t turn this into a rant about our government’s lack of action (no, even acknowledgment) on climate change but this article is worth a read.
“Australia is the canary in the coal mine.”
01. I did get to the German Film Festival – Balloon was brilliant. Tense, but brilliant (and I drove home feeling like the Stasi were following me). Hoping to get to at least one more Festival film. Continue reading
See above for my reading theme song.
Truly, I rarely abandon a book. In fact, I can list the books I marked DNF on one hand – Continue reading
At the end of last year, Bill, of The Australian Legend, asked me what seemed a straightforward question – how do you choose what to read next?
I’ve been thinking about my answer since, trying to tune into what is driving my choice of books and I’ve realised that it’s a really difficult question to answer.
There are a number of things at play – Continue reading
No secret that I love the Royal Family. And I love stories about books. Stands to reason then, that Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader was a smashing success for me.
The story is simple – late in Her Majesty’s life, she discovers a love for reading. This new hobby is somewhat annoying for her staff because she’d rather be reading than cutting ribbons/ giving speeches/ opening buildings.
…she had begun to perform her duties with a perceived reluctance: she laid foundation stones with less élan and what few ships there were to launch she sent down the slipway with no more ceremony than a toy boat on a pond, her book always waiting. Continue reading
Last week I denied my nine-year-old son some triviality – staying up late/ chips/ ice cream/ whatever – it was minor but he was really tired. This is what happened: Continue reading
Before I start throwing words like ‘cliché’ and ‘stereotypical’ around, I should probably say that Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler just wasn’t the book for me. Continue reading
I’ve been a bit all-over-the-shop with blogging lately – heaps of posts one week then big stretches of nothing. A meme here, a reading challenge there. So when you’re on a good thing (randomness), stick to it. I’m joining in Kerri Sackville’s #MyFirst challenge this week, simply because when I saw the topic I knew EXACTLY what I would write about.
My First Act of Rebellion Continue reading
Recently, two different people, on two separate occasions, have made similar comments to me that have made me think about what books I’ll read in the future.
The first person, commenting on their travel plans said something along the lines of “I go overseas every two years. I figure I have about twenty years left where I’ll be fit enough to travel independently. So I’m down to choosing my last ten holidays.” Good grief, that’s depressing.
Then a few days ago, a friend commented that after ordering invitations for her 40th birthday party, she realised she was probably halfway through her life. Also bloody depressing.
But these two things made me think. I have passed the 40th milestone and don’t care about ‘getting older’ or aging however I do fear failing eyesight. On discussing aging with my husband, I said that my greatest fear would be not being able to read (thank goodness for my Kindle with its gigantic font setting, should it come to that).
Reassuringly, based on the fact that I could get through at least 70 books a year (more than 70 when I retire and spend my days reading) and I might bet on another 40 years, that’s 2,800 books I can still read. Phew.
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It’s really tiresome when people moan about the weather.
So I’ll keep it brief.
It’s bloody hot in Melbourne. It’s meant to be autumn and yet we’re having a heat wave. We’re on our tenth consecutive day of 32 degrees plus (that’s 90F for my northern hemisphere friends). Overnight the mercury is hovering around 26 degrees (79F). Yesterday when I got into my car the dashboard read 48 degrees (118F). So what do I do? Buy some scarves, of course. Continue reading