It's a long weekend - I've been reading in the sunshine which is lovely...just about to watch the F1 as I'm not an NRL person. But will rush these through....
I have not really got into the other Matt Haig book I read - but I did enjoy this. A friend put it up so I thought I'd give it a go. I listened on Borrowbox. It is the second book set in Ibiza that has environmental themes, and having just been there, I could really flesh it all out. I thought it captured the environment and the little details well - my favourite bit was the taxi drivers being tour guides, as I did find that to be the case. They were lovely. It's a sort of mystical realism mystery. With a bit of finding your way, finding your way back after loss and all the usual Haig themes.
I was so delighted to get this from the library that I tweeted this and started immediately.
I listened to this on Borrowbox as well, read by the author. I'm a huge fan, and as I said, I excitedly started it, only to be devastated when he announced it was his last book. As always, he's smart, funny and engaging. Even on this topic. I think as a book I liked Nothing to be Frightened Of more...but I still like this one. I just really don't want it to be his last...You really can't go wrong with any of his work. Not any I've read, at least. This as a tale within a tale, so there's something for those who are new to Barnes. I loved the discussion on memory, and of course on Proust.
28 minutes from the first tweet to the next....I listened to the book non stop, in part hoping he would say 'it's not really my last book' but he didn't.
I am getting rid of books to feed the street library and ebay, to rehome them. I got this book because I like John Marsden (Tomorrow When the War Began and many other titles) and I liked the format - bullet points with a 1 page explanation on each point. So while I wasn't a single parent, I figured raising boys was raising boys.
Anyway, I reread it out of curiosity before putting it out. I liked it still - only 2 points have maybe dated a little. I did do most of it, whether from the book or innately I don't know.
This H+ was in a street library on my dog walk so I grabbed it, read it and then put it out in mine. It's a little book on happiness and mental health, sort of, dressed as way of living. The first half, I thought 'this is just existentialism dressed up without the depressing part'. Your actions are what matter, and doing good actions are what add up. Helping others and so on, will make you feel better. However, towards the end, about fines and sending money to the headquarters, I couldn't tell if he was joking or a bit kooky. A lot of it is common sense I think, but it was an interesting read until the end.
This was in the library, a little board book with numbers, colours and even fuzzy tactile and shiny dots. Just had to include it as I love her work. Even on this level....
This is part of my AI and chatbot obsession, which prompted these posts on companion bots and dating. This book makes the interesting point that tech companies are owning or storing your data and using your therapy chats or companion chats to train other AI. And more. She tries not to be judgemental, having used it for a sounding board in her grief, so she understands it. I also liked that a lot of the people found real life love in the reddit groups for people with companion bots - that was an unexpected consequence to me but I like the symmetry of it.
I said awhile back that I was going to read more poetry, and I am failing at that. I did read the little poem that came in the Lush bath bombs. That's lovely.
And I did finally start The Odyssey. For everyone that complained about the movie, I can say the movie is the only thing that makes me understand it and keep going. It's not that it's hard, it's just not grabbing me. I've only read book one so will keep going a bit more, but I doubt I will make it to the end. One blogger said it was her favourite poem and a cousin is MAD for it, so I am bearing that in mind and will persist.
I did get this from the library - we have a half booked trip but due to all the illness and other problems at the moment, I'm not sure we'll go. Have another month to make the call. However, will read a bit just incase we go....
My bookclub is doing The Bookbinder of Jericho. I listened to it, and to be fair it may be the same narrator as Dictionary of Lost Words (which I didn't get into at all) but I was an hour or so in and just thought 'Haven't we already read this book?' It just felt like a do over of the previous book, though of course it's set in a different time. My mum read it for her book and she really enjoyed it, especially as her dad was in WWI so a lot of the stories resonated with what he told her.
I listened to this on BorrowBox.
As an aside, a friend took me to the STC season launch - I thought it was a stupid thing to go to but was being a team player. However, it was really fun and exciting! A few years ago they did a very successful stage adaption of The Dictionary of Lost Words and there was a roaring cheer in the audience when they announced they were doing The Bookbinder of Jericho, so assume it's just me and my criticism is not valid, as I am definitely the odd man out on this book. Sydney people the tickets and dates are here.
This Jerome K. Jerome is a series of essays on life. They are at times hilarious. The one on babies was so funny and insightful - how everyone know the first baby requires so much more attention to look after than the sixth. He touches on love, marriage, work, money and more. At times he had surprisingly feminist views (unless he was being satirical and he thought those opinions ridiculous, but I took them at face value). He seems very modern though quite kooky in his humour. I listened to this on Hoopla.
I read this on my phone, borrowed from Hoopla - it's another in the graphic novel series. It's vol 24 but the library only has 3 I can borrow. I enjoyed this one and will try to source more, however, as they take about 45 minutes to read, I'm reluctant to pay the $$ to buy them. I do like that you can get comics online like this, while at times I have to enlarge the pictures to take it all in, which is disruptive a little to the flow, I'm getting a broader range of comics and I always have something to read while waiting, even if I've not carried my book with me (I am a paper reader, not kindle, so there is a downside there). I thought this one was a little better than the first one I read but I did work it out well before the end).
Back on my Josh Silver crush. He talked about this title at the Writers festival so finally got to it. I think Happy Head is better but I did enjoy this too. A little darker but I felt more menace in Happy Head. So if you haven't read any Josh Silver, start with those. If you have, you won't be disappointed. I listened to it on Audible.
I don't really know why I thought I wanted to read this. I realised after I started it, I didn't love American Marriage. This is good but I don't love it (nor do I hate it), I'm just sort of rolling through it. It's interesting enough, and there's a few pretty awful segregation stories so far, that we find pretty shocking over here but I guess we ignore our own segregation history as we didn't call it that. Still a bit to go, and it could also be my mood (as I have a lot going on) so I'd go with someone else's review.
I am very much enjoying my recent discovery of Jerome K. Jerome and have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole....
First up I listened to this on Audible & it was free. It's Ghost Tales by Bram Stoker, Sir Walter Scott and Amelia B. Edwards as well as Jerome K. Jerome. These are serious ghost stories, and while I hadn't read any of them, they all felt very familiar. There is one little bit of nuttery at the end of J.KJ's one, otherwise it didn't really seem like his other works.
However, the above was good background for what I listened to next.
This is sort of 2 books in 1. The first is very funny, and dissecting the formula of the Victorian Ghost Story genre. It's classic Jerome K. Jerome nuttiness and I laughed out loud more than once. It also highlighted why all those stories seemed so familiar. They are all built with the expected tropes and traditions of the classic ghost story in literature at the time. The second half is just ghost stories - a few by Poe, Kipling and other well known authors.
Cat (Wire) recommended the Tim Curry, Michael Palin movie of Three Men in a Boat, free on Youtube. It's dramatised by Tom Stoppard so you know it's a good adaptation. I thought it was missing my favourite bit but it appears later in the film, so the movie is sort of mixed around a bit. Tim Curry made a comment that it was sort of the last moments for the Victorian man where idle happiness was possible for the upper classes and life was idyllic, before the world changed forever with the build up to war. Three men in a boat (reviewed here) was written in 1889 but the humour is as whacky as anything today. It was meant to be a serious travelogue with some humorous elements but apparently the editor kept throwing out any of the serious guide references.
If you like classic movies, Cat's Wire is all over it, reviewing films from the Golden Age of Cinema and more.
Jon Ronson's The Castle is out, and he's touring Australia with it. I adore Jon Ronson so have been eagerly awaiting it. It's on the unravelling men that we currently seem to be seeing - through the manosphere and beyond. It's crazy yet true insights into all sorts of aspects, starting with a creepy castle that his son was lured to. When he was last out he mentioned this anecdote at his talk, and since then, has built a book around it. What I like about Jon Ronson is that he goes in without judgement. I find Louis Theroux has a bias that he sets out to present. Ronson, on the other hand, seems to see the best in everyone until they prove otherwise, even if they are white supremacists, for example. It leads to a more interesting investigation. Anything by Jon Ronson is fascinating and funny. He is an extraordinary talent these days in the culture war times.
Things Fell Apart - note there is a new series coming of this podcast, and lucky me discovered a series I hadn't listened to, so currently enjoying that here.
Also a quick shout out to Get Lost magazine going into Print - my copy turned up (they had a subscription special so I treated myself to a year to test it out). A little more interesting than normal travel mags & at a glance, a lot less ads.
As I mentioned before I went to his talk and it prompted me to get the book. I really loved his dad and a few comments in the talk made me sad. However, the timeline was a bit messed up so it didn't end as terribly as I thought it did for him, and that made me happy. It is a lot of stories about famous people but there's more to it than that. There's insight and really touching moments, and arrestingly upsetting ones. Griffin Dunne is very open and there's a real connection in the lack of judgement in his family recollections. I recommend this one.
As you know, I am on a Ryu Murakami roll. I have read three others so far. I'm about to order another....he's so clever and writes a different book each time. This one is much softer than the others, and while still terrible people. But suddenly at page 110, there's one single line and I thought "Oh, there it is." Ha! It was like he lulled you into thinking it was a different kind of book. I enjoyed it but it's not as mind blowing as In the Miso Soup or Piercing, not playing with the reader as much, except for that one line. It is, however, much less horrific than the others as well.
I got this from the street library. I didn't know her or her artist father (though when I googled, I did recognise some of the works). It's very sad and at times difficult. Trigger warning on child abuse and sexual assault. It clearly shows the problems that caused for her, not in a sensational way. Very matter of fact. It is her normal. The book is working through that, while also catching Sydney in the 80s. I thought it was a good book, though I wouldn't describe it as "enjoyable", very interesting and engaging, yes. And I read it in a weekend.
This was also in the street library. I'll admit I didn't know of 8 Passengers though I do vaguely recall the story on the news. It's really interesting to see the slippery slope both SM can have, and also cult style influence. Also how hard getting away from that is for a young person and getting help for children left in it.
I really didn't understand the Dad. I found that bizarre but I guess that's how that all works, The mind gets distorted. I found it really interesting and very engaging.
This was picked at random while I was looking for a Shakespeare. It was on Borrowbox (I think) from the library. I loved this. It's junk crime reminiscent of Horowitz and Hawthorne vibe. Funny, bumbling(ish) and lessons in Mindfulness. New Age Murder, so to speak. Delightful. I was showing a friend and noticed the Netflix N. Yes, there is a German series of it. Can not wait to watch it. Thoroughly recommend!
This is really just a short story (a long one, maybe a novella, I guess). I loved it. I loved the series but I think I would have loved it even if I hadn't watched it. I will definitely track down more of her works. It's delightfully fun. I have noticed while grabbing the pic there is also a full cast audio version. I might even get that to listen to.
What a fitting memoir for Stan Lee! A comic about comics (and his life). It's written in his voice, with many asides to the reader - I could hear him talking. I'm a long time fan so it was really charming - even writing this I'm smiling. He was extraordinarily talented and generous to fans and readers. I didn't know he had a gay soldier character (hero) way back in the early 70s. It was interesting to learn how the 'propaganda' aspect started. I didn't know he worked along side Charles Addams and Dr Seuss (in his Theodor Geisel days) or that his wife wrote a best selling book. They were married for 69 years. It covers the origins of many of the characters we love.
He does touch on the rift with Kirby and Ditko but overall it's a charming celebration of an incredible talent and drive to create a Marvel(lous) universe. Excelsior!
I do read plays, but for Shakespeare I tend to only go and see the tragedies. I will occasionally see the comedies (like at the Pop Up Globe) or Sport By Jove's brilliant Taming of the Shrew but I feel the tragedies just have better stories, better characters and the comedies are a bit stupid (aged badly). I chose to listen to it, and went with Sir Rex Harrison's lovely voice. I have seen it (and I often mix it up with All's well that ends well) so I know the plot. I did laugh a few times but give me Richard III or Macbeth any day. I am waiting on a modern reading to come into the library and will give it a second go.
As for reading plays, I love to read plays and always have. As a kid, I read the complete works of J. M Barrie and read The Will and Dear Brutus over and over - making me cry every single time. I've reviewed Grace Petrie's and Samuel Brewer's scripts recently in my monthly reviews. I used to love reading the plays of Tennessee Williams as you felt the heat off the page - the humidity, I guess. Interestingly when I saw Sweet Bird of Youth for the first time (with Lauren Bacall no less!) my first thought when the curtain opened was 'that wall paper is wrong' - I was genuinely surprised at how much I'd visualised when I read it. I love reading plays (and comics) because they cut to the chase. They furnish a whole world in an hour or two without filler. No ambling, because they can't. So if this Shakespeare isn't to your fancy, don't let it put you off reading plays. You just haven't found the one that speaks to you.
I saw this in the street library and I was so excited, as I love this couple and follow them on Instagram. But it was just a series of interviews with older couples so I put it back once I realised. The cover does make me smile.
This book is not the best on it, but I found it really interesting, especially my reaction to the story about the dog. I found that shocking and my emotional reaction was unexpectedly severe (compared to the loss of her husband). Some good practical things to consider in the fall out of loss too.
Worth reading if you are far enough into your grief, or if you are interested in that literary circle.
As an aside, this is one of my favourite songs of loss.
I came across this when trying to remember what the fairy story comic books were called (review here for Far Out Fairy Tales). It intrigued me after I got over my initial recoil at what I thought was an offensive slur. Anyway, it's a very interesting book of a family whose father came out in the 1980s. I learnt a bit about Canadian history (and that Margaret Atwood has been fighting the good fight since forever). She divides it into how it was for her as a kid, how it was for him, how it was for her mother and then how it is for them all now. It's an interesting insight into a complex life in a conservative society,
My bookclub is reading Goodbye to Berlin which is in part what the musical Cabaret is based on. The chapter on Sally Bowles is very familiar, including much talk of Prairie Oysters. The characters are strange and quirky and overall oblivious to the rising menace that the reader sees, beyond the talk of inflation and growing poverty. I really enjoyed it and it's worth a read. My favourite of this month, and I'll read the other book in the collection, Mr Norris Changes Train when I get the chance.
I read this so I could listen to the Stunners Bookclub podcast on it. I'd not read any Chopin and it's quite short. As a novel, it wasn't really for me, but I can see it was a very important book, and the fact that it's still relevant today means it must have been incredibly scandalous at the time - having a wife and mother have her own desires and *gasp* being a sexual being. It raises a lot of interesting ideas, especially as it is almost all the women in the story encouraging her to stick in the role and duties of wife and mother that are drowning her. So while I wouldn't say it was a book I loved, I do think it's a book you should read, in that classic sense. (Even writing this, I think I like it more than when I was reading it).
This is a little book of poetry that plays with the themes and poetry of Shelley, Coleridge and other Romantic poets. It's a sci-fi influenced look at poetry, and thus makes it great for teachers wanting to make fun comparisons with the classic works. Ozymandias is one of my favourite poems (obviously appealing to the existentialist in me) and I couldn't help smiling when I read Forbidden City in this book. It's funny how some images or words are burnt into our memories, instantly recognisable even when the words and context are different.
I get a smile every time I walk past these little books lying all over the house at the moment. The fav booking part begins (as the money comes in).
This was in the library, a little board book with numbers, colours and even fuzzy tactile and shiny dots. Just had to include it as I love her work. Even on this level....
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