When I was 12 my aunt bought me a three-pack of Mills & Boon novels for my birthday. I don't know what she was thinking—maybe she matched my love of books with my newfound 'adulthood' and came up with M&B. I read two of the three books. I sort of liked one of them (it was more romance than raunch) and didn't read the third because I didn't like the look of the girl on the cover or the main character's name or something superficial like that.
I was 19 before I encountered a romance novel again. I took a cultural studies class on writing genre fiction and we had to write analysis reports on the book we'd read that week. One of the genres was romance. I read a nurse/doctor romance novel and wrote my report on the different subcategories in the romance genre. Do you believe there's a subcategory for sheikhs?!?
Anyway, when I saw today's meme topic I thought I could probably take the broader view of a romance novel, which is the simple Shakespearean-style romance: boy/girl meets boy/girl, boy/girl can't have boy/girl due to circumstances beyond their control, the couple overcome the obstacle and marry and/or live happily ever after. This arc includes everything from Jane Austen's books to chick lit.
Turns out I probably don't need to take the broader view because the title that comes to mind is 'Bat', a short story in Tremble: Sensual Tales Of The Mystical And Sinister by Tobsha Learner, although her style isn't all that easy to read (it's a bit jolting—this probably explains why I'm too scared to read The Witch of Cologne, a very thick book).
I read a proof copy of Tremble for a magazine review (our audience was a bit too mainstream, however, so the review never made it into print) and didn't really like most of it because, as I mentioned, the writing style was hard-going for me. But for some reason I really liked 'Bat'—so much so that I ended up cutting it out of the proof and saving it somewhere. Somewhere very safe, I'm sure. All I will say is that it's speculative fiction and a romance between two guys set during wartime.
Another title that popped into my head is Friendly Fire by Patrick Gale, but I can't remember whether that has a happy ending. Good book, anyway, he has a subtle way of revealing things that seems to give the events in the book more weight than a less skilled writer might have been able to achieve.
Incidentally, my favourite Shakespearean romance is Twelfth Night and I have a soft spot for Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing.
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
30 April, 2011
#19: Favourite book turned into a movie
I can tell this answer will turn up in the movie meme I'm going to do after this book meme: it's The Beach by Alex Garland.
It's a fantastic read about a traveller who 'finds himself' (and a whole lot more) on a trip to Thailand in the macro theme of 'paradise' (ideal place) versus utopia (no place). This is an idea I'm currently stealing in my novel (on its second draft—only another four years to go, people) so I'll probably read and watch it again soon.
The movie was widely panned but I thought it captured everything in the book quite well. I'll even forgive Garland's English protagonist suddenly becoming Leonardo DiCaprio (who did a fantastic job, by the way). I also thought Danny Boyle did a great job directing. Highly recommend you read the book and watch the movie (either order, both tops) to decide for yourself.
Honourable mention to Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, which became the movie The Golden Compass. The casting was superb, particularly Nicole Kidman as Mrs Coulter, though I hated how they turned The Church into The Magisterium to avoid controversy.
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
It's a fantastic read about a traveller who 'finds himself' (and a whole lot more) on a trip to Thailand in the macro theme of 'paradise' (ideal place) versus utopia (no place). This is an idea I'm currently stealing in my novel (on its second draft—only another four years to go, people) so I'll probably read and watch it again soon.
The movie was widely panned but I thought it captured everything in the book quite well. I'll even forgive Garland's English protagonist suddenly becoming Leonardo DiCaprio (who did a fantastic job, by the way). I also thought Danny Boyle did a great job directing. Highly recommend you read the book and watch the movie (either order, both tops) to decide for yourself.
Honourable mention to Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, which became the movie The Golden Compass. The casting was superb, particularly Nicole Kidman as Mrs Coulter, though I hated how they turned The Church into The Magisterium to avoid controversy.
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
28 April, 2011
#18: A book that disappointed you
I'm not entirely sure what today's topic is asking. Is it a book that I thought I would like but didn't? Is it a book that I thought would change my world but didn't?
After much thought, I'm going to say Affluenza by Oliver James (not the Clive Hamilton book of the same name and topic, which I want to read but haven't yet). A friend gave it to me as a gift and I read it almost straight away—a rare occurrence.
I found that the data and comparisons he uses seem to be full of holes and too tenuous. This disturbed me because I agree wholeheartedly with the premise of the book (that consumerism leads to unhappiness) and he seems to have drawn the right conclusions, but from information that seems almost irrelevant: a handful of interviews that are not necessarily representative of the culture he is trying to depict.
A book that handles this topic better is Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. And if anyone wants to lend me the Hamilton book, it'd be most welcome.
(It's May 9. I am writing from the future to say that today I remembered another book that disappointed me: The Messenger by Markus Zusak. Zusak is a talented writer and the book has a compelling premise, but the ending was so disappointing I ended up giving the book away to someone who I knew would bitch about it with me afterwards. I can't say what the ending is without spoiling the plot, but it ruined an otherwise good book.)
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
After much thought, I'm going to say Affluenza by Oliver James (not the Clive Hamilton book of the same name and topic, which I want to read but haven't yet). A friend gave it to me as a gift and I read it almost straight away—a rare occurrence.
I found that the data and comparisons he uses seem to be full of holes and too tenuous. This disturbed me because I agree wholeheartedly with the premise of the book (that consumerism leads to unhappiness) and he seems to have drawn the right conclusions, but from information that seems almost irrelevant: a handful of interviews that are not necessarily representative of the culture he is trying to depict.
A book that handles this topic better is Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. And if anyone wants to lend me the Hamilton book, it'd be most welcome.
(It's May 9. I am writing from the future to say that today I remembered another book that disappointed me: The Messenger by Markus Zusak. Zusak is a talented writer and the book has a compelling premise, but the ending was so disappointing I ended up giving the book away to someone who I knew would bitch about it with me afterwards. I can't say what the ending is without spoiling the plot, but it ruined an otherwise good book.)
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
27 April, 2011
#17: Favourite quote from your favourite book
Today's meme topic is trying to trick me into revealing my favourite book!
Alas, I'm actually incredibly bad at remembering quotes. Half my study time for English literature was devoted to trying to remember a bunch of quotes (I was pretty good at all the other bits). I like karaoke because I can never remember the words to songs, not even my favourite ones.
The only quote I can think of right now is from Alice Munro's Lives of Girls and Women, which I studied in Year 12 (see, all that memorising did pay off): "Love is not for the undepilated."
I also like "'Oh well, what the hell,' sang McWatt. And flew into a mountain", which is from Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, which I studied in Year 10 (all that memorising, still paying off!).
And from a recent book I read, I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, there's:
"And where they had gone wrong was in believing , somewhere in their minds, that because two things were different, they must therefore be alike."
Thanks Kindle, for allowing me to clip that.
Oh all right, here's a funnier one: "Tiffany knew that when people creid, they said boo-hoo—or at least that's how it was written down in books. No one said it in real life. But Letitia did, while projectile crying all over the steps."
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Alas, I'm actually incredibly bad at remembering quotes. Half my study time for English literature was devoted to trying to remember a bunch of quotes (I was pretty good at all the other bits). I like karaoke because I can never remember the words to songs, not even my favourite ones.
The only quote I can think of right now is from Alice Munro's Lives of Girls and Women, which I studied in Year 12 (see, all that memorising did pay off): "Love is not for the undepilated."
I also like "'Oh well, what the hell,' sang McWatt. And flew into a mountain", which is from Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, which I studied in Year 10 (all that memorising, still paying off!).
And from a recent book I read, I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, there's:
"And where they had gone wrong was in believing , somewhere in their minds, that because two things were different, they must therefore be alike."
Thanks Kindle, for allowing me to clip that.
Oh all right, here's a funnier one: "Tiffany knew that when people creid, they said boo-hoo—or at least that's how it was written down in books. No one said it in real life. But Letitia did, while projectile crying all over the steps."
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
26 April, 2011
#16: Favourite female character
As with yesterday, one honourable mention for favourite female character is from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, Lyra. She is brave and insightful and full of passion to do what's right.
But then there's Lirael, the title character in Garth Nix's novel in the Old Kingdom series, which I've mentioned before. She is also brave and insightful, plus a clever magician.
However, once again I will save the honour of favourite female character for someone a bit out of left field: Harriet from Harriet the Spy. I haven't read the novel for maybe two decades (I don't own it) but when I was thinking about today's meme she came through very clearly.
I was eight or nine when I read Louise Fitzhugh's book. I also wanted to be a writer and I had also developed a sense of stealth akin to spying (this is much easier when you're a middle child, I discovered, the eldest and youngest get a lot of attention and one can just slip under the radar). My spy training included studying a book fit for a junior cryptologist and lamenting the fact none of my friends were dedicated enough to learn the codes too.
So in addition to the consequences of having one's spy book stolen nicely laid out for me in Harriet the Spy as a warning, I must have also retained my admiration for the way Harriet got through the flak to find her true friends.
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
But then there's Lirael, the title character in Garth Nix's novel in the Old Kingdom series, which I've mentioned before. She is also brave and insightful, plus a clever magician.
However, once again I will save the honour of favourite female character for someone a bit out of left field: Harriet from Harriet the Spy. I haven't read the novel for maybe two decades (I don't own it) but when I was thinking about today's meme she came through very clearly.
I was eight or nine when I read Louise Fitzhugh's book. I also wanted to be a writer and I had also developed a sense of stealth akin to spying (this is much easier when you're a middle child, I discovered, the eldest and youngest get a lot of attention and one can just slip under the radar). My spy training included studying a book fit for a junior cryptologist and lamenting the fact none of my friends were dedicated enough to learn the codes too.
So in addition to the consequences of having one's spy book stolen nicely laid out for me in Harriet the Spy as a warning, I must have also retained my admiration for the way Harriet got through the flak to find her true friends.
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
25 April, 2011
#15: Favourite male character
I like Will from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, mostly because his coming of age happens while he is also learning that he's going to have to become the hero of his situation.
I also think Rincewind is a great asset to Terry Pratchett's Discworld, an anti-hero if you will. Trouble always finds him and he always manages to squirm out of it in hilariously unlikely ways. Also, he owns the Luggage.
But I think I will opt for Christopher from Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I mean, Christopher John Francis Boone. Haddon writes him so well and there is so much more empathy for this savant character than I would have thought possible in such a deceptively simple book.
The part that always makes me cry is when Christopher's dad holds out his palm to say sorry and Christopher doesn't touch it because he has become afraid of the one person he thought he could trust.
The part that always makes me laugh is, after a section where he explains that he hates brown things but loves red things he is talking to Mrs Alexander, a neighbour, who is walking her dog Ivor:
I'm quite surprised at what today's meme evoked.
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
I also think Rincewind is a great asset to Terry Pratchett's Discworld, an anti-hero if you will. Trouble always finds him and he always manages to squirm out of it in hilariously unlikely ways. Also, he owns the Luggage.
But I think I will opt for Christopher from Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I mean, Christopher John Francis Boone. Haddon writes him so well and there is so much more empathy for this savant character than I would have thought possible in such a deceptively simple book.
The part that always makes me cry is when Christopher's dad holds out his palm to say sorry and Christopher doesn't touch it because he has become afraid of the one person he thought he could trust.
The part that always makes me laugh is, after a section where he explains that he hates brown things but loves red things he is talking to Mrs Alexander, a neighbour, who is walking her dog Ivor:
“Mrs Alexander didn’t say anything. She walked to the little red box on a pole next to the gate to the park and she put Ivor’s poo into the box, which was a brown thing inside a red thing, which made my head feel funny so I didn’t look. Then she walked back to me.”
I'm quite surprised at what today's meme evoked.
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
23 April, 2011
#14: Favourite book of your favourite writer
Ah, if you haven't already guessed it's Wilful Blue by Sonya Hartnett.
Basically it's about a bunch of (male) artists commissioned to produce some work at a atelier by the seaside, where one of the characters dies. The story is told in retrospect by two protagonists to the dead artist's sister.
Wilful Blue is a wonderful character piece, extraordinary in the way it subtly illustrates the complex relationships between the artists. The things I found most interesting: the manner in which young adult males speak and interact with one another when female attention/sex is not at stake; and the secret life of artists.
And as I mentioned in my last post, the pacing in this book is absolutely superb. It isn't a long book, but there is certainly an unhurried, deliberate reveal of each of the characters' traits and behaviour and the events that occur.
The fact that the reader already knows about the death makes the amount of intrigue built into the novel an impressive achievement and the ending has a redemptive quality to it. At least, we feel the narrators have come to the end of their personal journeys.
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Basically it's about a bunch of (male) artists commissioned to produce some work at a atelier by the seaside, where one of the characters dies. The story is told in retrospect by two protagonists to the dead artist's sister.
Wilful Blue is a wonderful character piece, extraordinary in the way it subtly illustrates the complex relationships between the artists. The things I found most interesting: the manner in which young adult males speak and interact with one another when female attention/sex is not at stake; and the secret life of artists.
And as I mentioned in my last post, the pacing in this book is absolutely superb. It isn't a long book, but there is certainly an unhurried, deliberate reveal of each of the characters' traits and behaviour and the events that occur.
The fact that the reader already knows about the death makes the amount of intrigue built into the novel an impressive achievement and the ending has a redemptive quality to it. At least, we feel the narrators have come to the end of their personal journeys.
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
22 April, 2011
#13: Your favourite writer
Sonya Hartnett.
She has the goods: tight character development, plot intrigue, excellent pacing and a beautiful turn of phrase.
A lot of her books are about death and incest and loneliness—a desolate collection, but I think one that shows her supreme skill; any writer able to write on these topics without letting introspective pity creep into the writing has skill indeed.
I should also add that she is quite versatile, writing for children at the picture book level right through to young adults and adults, although she is best known for being a YA writer, especially after she won the 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The only other writer I know who is that versatile is Catherine Jinks, but unfortunately I haven't read many of her novels.
I once wrote to her to say how much I enjoyed Wilful Blue and to my surprise she wrote back (I just trawled through a whole bunch of kept letters and couldn't find her notecard, which must mean it's in a box with kept cards that I can't access at the moment).
I have also seen her a few times. At the Sydney Writers' Festival a few years ago in a Q&A session I asked how she managed to get into the mindset of a teenage boy as there are a few male teenage protagonists in her books. She said she writes teenage boys as the teenage boy she would have liked to have been.
Benjamin Law, Sonya Hartnett and Alex Miller
I also saw her in a session with Benjamin Law and Alex Miller at the Melbourne Writers' Festival last year talking about the books that influenced them.
After both sessions I talked to her in the signing queue (the first time I had Wilful Blue signed, the second time I didn't have any books but there was no one waiting after about 15 minutes) and asked her a few questions.
During the MWF session I asked the three writers which book of another author's they wish they had written. Law said David Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and anything by David Sedaris, but the moderator didn't let Hartnett and Miller answer, so when I spoke to Hartnett I told her that I wished I'd written Wilful Blue if only for the pacing. She told me that it was the first novel she felt she really 'got' pacing so was really pleased that I'd noticed.
I have, however, heard a few unsavoury things about her. One is that she can appear quite bitter. A friend who once worked in children's publishing went to a writers' festival session that featured Hartnett and a lady who writes a series of books about horses (I think it might have been Bonnie Bryant who writes The Saddle Club series) and said she was shocked at how deliberately dismissive Hartnett was about people who write not only series, but horse books, as "not real writers". Apparently Bryant said to my friend: "That woman is a little bitter, isn't she?"
As for reports about Hartnett being a recluse, I have no problem with that. She makes the occasional appearance at writers' festivals and award ceremonies, and speaks to journalists when required and spends the rest of the time writing. I envy her. She doesn't need to be in your face for her books to sell, there is no author cult required. Win.
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
She has the goods: tight character development, plot intrigue, excellent pacing and a beautiful turn of phrase.
A lot of her books are about death and incest and loneliness—a desolate collection, but I think one that shows her supreme skill; any writer able to write on these topics without letting introspective pity creep into the writing has skill indeed.
I should also add that she is quite versatile, writing for children at the picture book level right through to young adults and adults, although she is best known for being a YA writer, especially after she won the 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The only other writer I know who is that versatile is Catherine Jinks, but unfortunately I haven't read many of her novels.
I once wrote to her to say how much I enjoyed Wilful Blue and to my surprise she wrote back (I just trawled through a whole bunch of kept letters and couldn't find her notecard, which must mean it's in a box with kept cards that I can't access at the moment).
I have also seen her a few times. At the Sydney Writers' Festival a few years ago in a Q&A session I asked how she managed to get into the mindset of a teenage boy as there are a few male teenage protagonists in her books. She said she writes teenage boys as the teenage boy she would have liked to have been.
Benjamin Law, Sonya Hartnett and Alex MillerI also saw her in a session with Benjamin Law and Alex Miller at the Melbourne Writers' Festival last year talking about the books that influenced them.
After both sessions I talked to her in the signing queue (the first time I had Wilful Blue signed, the second time I didn't have any books but there was no one waiting after about 15 minutes) and asked her a few questions.
During the MWF session I asked the three writers which book of another author's they wish they had written. Law said David Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and anything by David Sedaris, but the moderator didn't let Hartnett and Miller answer, so when I spoke to Hartnett I told her that I wished I'd written Wilful Blue if only for the pacing. She told me that it was the first novel she felt she really 'got' pacing so was really pleased that I'd noticed.
I have, however, heard a few unsavoury things about her. One is that she can appear quite bitter. A friend who once worked in children's publishing went to a writers' festival session that featured Hartnett and a lady who writes a series of books about horses (I think it might have been Bonnie Bryant who writes The Saddle Club series) and said she was shocked at how deliberately dismissive Hartnett was about people who write not only series, but horse books, as "not real writers". Apparently Bryant said to my friend: "That woman is a little bitter, isn't she?"
As for reports about Hartnett being a recluse, I have no problem with that. She makes the occasional appearance at writers' festivals and award ceremonies, and speaks to journalists when required and spends the rest of the time writing. I envy her. She doesn't need to be in your face for her books to sell, there is no author cult required. Win.
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
21 April, 2011
#12: A book you used to love but don’t anymore
This one is pretty hard. I'm not fickle about what I love so I'm trying to think about a book I loved and now merely like (rather than hate seeing as 'don't love' could be taken either way).
... still thinking...
... still thinking...
... still thinking...
I'm going to say Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It was 1997 (or was it 1998?) and my brother had kindly bought tickets to the musical for my birthday because one of my best friends at the time was in a choir and practising the songs and we both enjoyed the music.
So I decided to read the book first. It was a massive struggle because apart from being quite long, the prose (or at least translation) is very wordy as well. At last I finished it and thought it was worth forcing myself through the boring bits. I only keep books I want to read again and this one made it onto the shelf so it must have passed the test.
I went to see the musical and found it to be a really insightful and quite accurate version of the 500+ page book. In less than two hours.
Now when I think about reading it again I can't bear the thought of wading through 40 pages of a description of a field that Jean Valjean passes through in about 10 seconds during one of the opening songs. In fact, his 100-page encounter with the bishop gets told in one song.
So in retrospect I think the golden glow of past reads has faded and I'll say Les Miserables is no longer a book I love. If it was ever love at all. That's *so* Eponine...
(I'm now listening to the soundtrack, which I still enjoy and sing along to occasionally. I think my favourite songs are 'Stars', 'On my own' and 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' - yeah, I like the forlorn ones.)
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
... still thinking...
... still thinking...
... still thinking...
I'm going to say Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It was 1997 (or was it 1998?) and my brother had kindly bought tickets to the musical for my birthday because one of my best friends at the time was in a choir and practising the songs and we both enjoyed the music.
So I decided to read the book first. It was a massive struggle because apart from being quite long, the prose (or at least translation) is very wordy as well. At last I finished it and thought it was worth forcing myself through the boring bits. I only keep books I want to read again and this one made it onto the shelf so it must have passed the test.
I went to see the musical and found it to be a really insightful and quite accurate version of the 500+ page book. In less than two hours.
Now when I think about reading it again I can't bear the thought of wading through 40 pages of a description of a field that Jean Valjean passes through in about 10 seconds during one of the opening songs. In fact, his 100-page encounter with the bishop gets told in one song.
So in retrospect I think the golden glow of past reads has faded and I'll say Les Miserables is no longer a book I love. If it was ever love at all. That's *so* Eponine...
(I'm now listening to the soundtrack, which I still enjoy and sing along to occasionally. I think my favourite songs are 'Stars', 'On my own' and 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' - yeah, I like the forlorn ones.)
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
20 April, 2011
#11: A book you hated
Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
I'm not quite sure about the past tense for today's meme topic because it implies that I don't hate this book any more or something. Maybe my hate has lessened, who knows? I'm sure as hell not going to read it again to find out, even though there is a copy at my local Vinnies for $2 and there's a 50% off book sale on.
This is because this was THE most boring book I had to read for high school. The plot follows the quest of a young English woman in search of the truth about her great aunt's life in India.
It should be exotic and scandalous and meaningful. It is not. I didn't care at all for the characters and since characters were all that were holding this book together (apart from the "cultural elements"—if you're after literature on colonial India, read Kipling's Kim or something) it fell apart.
I have no idea why it won the 1975 Booker Prize. It put me off Booker Prize winners until Alan Hollinghurst's Line of Beauty (I only read Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things because my cousin recommended it to me; before I knew it had won a Booker).
Okay, okay, boring yes but why hate? Because I was forced to read it all. If I don't like a book a few chapters in, I don't want to waste precious reading time so I move on. And because I was forced to extract meaning from this tedious work and that kind of makes readers turn on a book.
Despite this vitriol, my friend and I did end up naming her toy orangutan 'Chidananda' after one of the minor characters. It was that kind of novel.
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
I'm not quite sure about the past tense for today's meme topic because it implies that I don't hate this book any more or something. Maybe my hate has lessened, who knows? I'm sure as hell not going to read it again to find out, even though there is a copy at my local Vinnies for $2 and there's a 50% off book sale on.
This is because this was THE most boring book I had to read for high school. The plot follows the quest of a young English woman in search of the truth about her great aunt's life in India.
It should be exotic and scandalous and meaningful. It is not. I didn't care at all for the characters and since characters were all that were holding this book together (apart from the "cultural elements"—if you're after literature on colonial India, read Kipling's Kim or something) it fell apart.
I have no idea why it won the 1975 Booker Prize. It put me off Booker Prize winners until Alan Hollinghurst's Line of Beauty (I only read Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things because my cousin recommended it to me; before I knew it had won a Booker).
Okay, okay, boring yes but why hate? Because I was forced to read it all. If I don't like a book a few chapters in, I don't want to waste precious reading time so I move on. And because I was forced to extract meaning from this tedious work and that kind of makes readers turn on a book.
Despite this vitriol, my friend and I did end up naming her toy orangutan 'Chidananda' after one of the minor characters. It was that kind of novel.
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Context-free highlights from short stories
So I've been doing some volunteer work for the Sydney Writers' Festival and for the past couple of days I've been stuck in a room with a bunch of others doing the preliminary judging for the WriteNow! short story competition, open to year 7, 8 and 9 students.
The students receive a choice of three story starters provided by established children's authors. You'd be surprised how many entrants totally ignore explicit details of the plot already given to them in the starter.
Unfortunately a lot of teachers set this as an assessment task and don't bother to filter the quality work through so we get a lot of clangers, which we need to weed out before the winner and runner-up for each year are decided from our shortlist.
Below are some context-free highlights (all malaprops, misspellings, lack of grammar and punctuation belong to the original work).
A lover is described as "like a brother/father to her"
"The crowd was breathless from shock but still managed to gasp loudly"
"Most people call me Bunyip. I don't really care for my proper name, Aloysius Hercules Fotherington-Snipe"
"The dead dog was standing on its hind legs and staggering towards them like a zombie"
"then they saw an old house, maybe made in the 90s"
"he looked around to find himself face-to-face with some sort of ugly fish/spider"
"The berries could contain poison but they had to try them"
"Her trail through the fog seemed like a knife cutting through a soft spongy sponge cake"
"Then before you know it they had changed the subject, now talking about the food they are allergic to"
"she was losing her patents"
"A fake realisation swooped over Tamin, instantly convincing her"
"A hand out of know where covered her month"
"WOW! Are you series?"
"she brought a new house witch is very big"
"Tamin kept wearing one glob..."
"I fell over like a dead pig"
"my head was full of dough"
"Tamin wasn't sure it was defiantly him"
"Think thinks through thoroughly"
"apparently she was really popular she had like billions of friends"
"The boy's name was Charlie. He was a boy."
"He was murdered by my mother and her lover Harry Pitchmuck"
"Tamin looks up and slice, her throat has just been slit by a German Nazi spy"
(A character in a cell explains why he is there)
"Mr Jackson next door was a formidable man. Fiercely protective of his apples..."
"His eyes started to boil and you look away as a body exploded into pieces"
"You are hanging from the sealing standing on an ice cube"
"You're pretty. I'm Luke."
Next year we plan to draw up a bingo grid featuring elements such as vampires, werewolves, ninjas, Nazis, dragons, sea monsters...
The students receive a choice of three story starters provided by established children's authors. You'd be surprised how many entrants totally ignore explicit details of the plot already given to them in the starter.
Unfortunately a lot of teachers set this as an assessment task and don't bother to filter the quality work through so we get a lot of clangers, which we need to weed out before the winner and runner-up for each year are decided from our shortlist.
Below are some context-free highlights (all malaprops, misspellings, lack of grammar and punctuation belong to the original work).
A lover is described as "like a brother/father to her"
"The crowd was breathless from shock but still managed to gasp loudly"
"Most people call me Bunyip. I don't really care for my proper name, Aloysius Hercules Fotherington-Snipe"
"The dead dog was standing on its hind legs and staggering towards them like a zombie"
"then they saw an old house, maybe made in the 90s"
"he looked around to find himself face-to-face with some sort of ugly fish/spider"
"The berries could contain poison but they had to try them"
"Her trail through the fog seemed like a knife cutting through a soft spongy sponge cake"
"Then before you know it they had changed the subject, now talking about the food they are allergic to"
"she was losing her patents"
"A fake realisation swooped over Tamin, instantly convincing her"
"A hand out of know where covered her month"
"WOW! Are you series?"
"she brought a new house witch is very big"
"Tamin kept wearing one glob..."
"I fell over like a dead pig"
"my head was full of dough"
"Tamin wasn't sure it was defiantly him"
"Think thinks through thoroughly"
"apparently she was really popular she had like billions of friends"
"The boy's name was Charlie. He was a boy."
"He was murdered by my mother and her lover Harry Pitchmuck"
"Tamin looks up and slice, her throat has just been slit by a German Nazi spy"
(A character in a cell explains why he is there)
"Mr Jackson next door was a formidable man. Fiercely protective of his apples..."
"His eyes started to boil and you look away as a body exploded into pieces"
"You are hanging from the sealing standing on an ice cube"
"You're pretty. I'm Luke."
Next year we plan to draw up a bingo grid featuring elements such as vampires, werewolves, ninjas, Nazis, dragons, sea monsters...
19 April, 2011
#10: Favourite classic book
Okay, my boyfriend and I have argued about this one, that is to say on the topic of what makes a 'classic' book.
The other problem I have of course is I haven't read very many 'classics' and most of those I have read I don't like very much. This tends to surprise people because I look a studious sort so many assume I read 'War and Peace' when aged 12 or something. I assure you that's not the case. I have more 'classic' books on my 'to read' list than on my 'have read' list...
Anyway, if we're talking pre-20th century classics I'm going to say Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Despite being a mathematician, old Charlie was quite a clever linguist.
If I'm allowed to include modern classics, I'm opting for Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, so elegantly written with the grace of a child protagonist, and Joseph Heller's Catch 22, the satire many other satires want to be.
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
The other problem I have of course is I haven't read very many 'classics' and most of those I have read I don't like very much. This tends to surprise people because I look a studious sort so many assume I read 'War and Peace' when aged 12 or something. I assure you that's not the case. I have more 'classic' books on my 'to read' list than on my 'have read' list...
Anyway, if we're talking pre-20th century classics I'm going to say Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Despite being a mathematician, old Charlie was quite a clever linguist.
If I'm allowed to include modern classics, I'm opting for Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, so elegantly written with the grace of a child protagonist, and Joseph Heller's Catch 22, the satire many other satires want to be.
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
18 April, 2011
#9: A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Down Under by Bill Bryson. I thought I might not like it because when English Americans or American Englishmen traverse my home country they tend to whinge a lot and unfortunately the whinging isn't very fun or funny. And there's nothing worse than a travel book that is also a memoir that is also supposed to be funny but isn't.
Let's not mention The Simpsons. (I mean, seriously Americans, that episode resembled Australia in the same way as The Simpsons on a regular basis represents the USA, which is to say as a parody. Also, if you knew anything about our toilets they flush down, not clockwise or anti-clockwise. Ours is a dry land and we don't have a lot of water to spend on waste receptacles.)
I'd long heard that Bryson's observations are sharp and hilarious and belie a certain affection for everywhere he visits, and this was true of the Australia he depicted in Down Under, the first book of his I'd read. I reserve particular fondness for his chapter on Canberra, which still holds true despite being more than a decade since he visited.
I'm looking forward to sending this book to my international friends as a gift.
The other book I would probably note is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I don't LOVE it but seeing as I thought I would loathe it (I read it at school and a lot of the classes that had read it before us spoke daggers about it) I think liking it qualifies for today's meme.
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Let's not mention The Simpsons. (I mean, seriously Americans, that episode resembled Australia in the same way as The Simpsons on a regular basis represents the USA, which is to say as a parody. Also, if you knew anything about our toilets they flush down, not clockwise or anti-clockwise. Ours is a dry land and we don't have a lot of water to spend on waste receptacles.)
I'd long heard that Bryson's observations are sharp and hilarious and belie a certain affection for everywhere he visits, and this was true of the Australia he depicted in Down Under, the first book of his I'd read. I reserve particular fondness for his chapter on Canberra, which still holds true despite being more than a decade since he visited.
I'm looking forward to sending this book to my international friends as a gift.
The other book I would probably note is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I don't LOVE it but seeing as I thought I would loathe it (I read it at school and a lot of the classes that had read it before us spoke daggers about it) I think liking it qualifies for today's meme.
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
17 April, 2011
#8: Most overrated book
I'm sorry, it's F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
It's considered a modern classic for no apparent reason: the writing isn't particularly great. The plot isn't particularly compelling. I didn't care too much for the characters. The only thing that stays with me is that the narrator's name is Nick and there's a girl called Daisy that Gatsby is keen on.
I extracted no sense of wonder, no satisfaction, no literary ephiphany from this book. I heartily envy all you people out there who revere this book, who found something in it that I could not. To me it's just "not bad", which in the context of its status makes it overrated.
I much prefer Nicki Greenberg's version, which I won at a National Young Writers' Festival event a few years ago.
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
It's considered a modern classic for no apparent reason: the writing isn't particularly great. The plot isn't particularly compelling. I didn't care too much for the characters. The only thing that stays with me is that the narrator's name is Nick and there's a girl called Daisy that Gatsby is keen on.
I extracted no sense of wonder, no satisfaction, no literary ephiphany from this book. I heartily envy all you people out there who revere this book, who found something in it that I could not. To me it's just "not bad", which in the context of its status makes it overrated.
I much prefer Nicki Greenberg's version, which I won at a National Young Writers' Festival event a few years ago.
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
16 April, 2011
#7: Most underrated book
It's also the one with the weirdest name: I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty.
Moriarty is better known as a writer for young adults, particularly girls at high school age. She has a great sense of humour and likes to use different formats, particularly letter writing, in her books. Her protagonists are all beautifully quirky and lovable.
For whatever reason, I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, which was marketed as a fairytale for grown-ups, never got the attention it should have. It may have been the title, it may have been the fact that the story is sort of hard to describe in one sentence, or it may have been the fact that she's not known for writing for adults.
Well, I'm glad I was reviewing books at a shopping centre magazine when this came by. My editor laughed derisively at the title and then put it on my desk. "Review this," she instructed, probably thinking it would've been punishment. When I looked at it, the only thing it had going for it was the hot air balloon on the cover. I love hot air balloons.
But lo and behold, I LOVED it and I still love it. But my review didn't end up going in. Since then I bought the book and gave my advanced reading copy to a friend I thought would like it (she went and bought the real thing), and I also lent my bought book to another friend (who also bought her own copy), and they have slowly been spreading the word.
I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes is not a book you can easily describe. It is sort of a mystery/fairytale/character study with funny, quirky stuff thrown in. It gains its fans through word-of-mouth and tends to be for people who trust the recommender enough to accept a fat novel that costs (in most cases) $30 and is rarely found in libraries.
Moriarty has since adapted I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes into a young adult version, The Spell Book of Listen Taylor, using just one of the three original protagonists, 12-year-old Listen Taylor. I've heard that although it is tighter, it isn't as good - and that's not just because they've taken out the sex and the blue language.
Read I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, even if you are a teenager (there isn't anything in there you don't know). Highly underrated.
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Moriarty is better known as a writer for young adults, particularly girls at high school age. She has a great sense of humour and likes to use different formats, particularly letter writing, in her books. Her protagonists are all beautifully quirky and lovable.
For whatever reason, I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, which was marketed as a fairytale for grown-ups, never got the attention it should have. It may have been the title, it may have been the fact that the story is sort of hard to describe in one sentence, or it may have been the fact that she's not known for writing for adults.
Well, I'm glad I was reviewing books at a shopping centre magazine when this came by. My editor laughed derisively at the title and then put it on my desk. "Review this," she instructed, probably thinking it would've been punishment. When I looked at it, the only thing it had going for it was the hot air balloon on the cover. I love hot air balloons.
But lo and behold, I LOVED it and I still love it. But my review didn't end up going in. Since then I bought the book and gave my advanced reading copy to a friend I thought would like it (she went and bought the real thing), and I also lent my bought book to another friend (who also bought her own copy), and they have slowly been spreading the word.
I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes is not a book you can easily describe. It is sort of a mystery/fairytale/character study with funny, quirky stuff thrown in. It gains its fans through word-of-mouth and tends to be for people who trust the recommender enough to accept a fat novel that costs (in most cases) $30 and is rarely found in libraries.
Moriarty has since adapted I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes into a young adult version, The Spell Book of Listen Taylor, using just one of the three original protagonists, 12-year-old Listen Taylor. I've heard that although it is tighter, it isn't as good - and that's not just because they've taken out the sex and the blue language.
Read I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, even if you are a teenager (there isn't anything in there you don't know). Highly underrated.
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
15 April, 2011
#6: A book that makes you sad
Anyone who has read it will agree: Sonya Hartnett's Butterfly.
Oh. My. God. That book makes me sad on so many levels. There's the terrible ache of loneliness and desolation. The cruelty of peers, especially at the sensitive time of adolescence when it stings the most. And just the fact that this sort of emotional isolation probably happens to thousands of people every day.
Other books that make me sad are also Hartnett books: Of a Boy and Surrender. A cheerful writer she ain't, but I'm still compelled to read her novels because they are so well written, so subtly does she twist the knife.
Here's a great interview Jo Case did with Hartnett for Readings Bookshop on Butterfly.
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
Oh. My. God. That book makes me sad on so many levels. There's the terrible ache of loneliness and desolation. The cruelty of peers, especially at the sensitive time of adolescence when it stings the most. And just the fact that this sort of emotional isolation probably happens to thousands of people every day.
Other books that make me sad are also Hartnett books: Of a Boy and Surrender. A cheerful writer she ain't, but I'm still compelled to read her novels because they are so well written, so subtly does she twist the knife.
Here's a great interview Jo Case did with Hartnett for Readings Bookshop on Butterfly.
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
14 April, 2011
#5: A book that makes you happy
I just had to go and have a look at my bookshelves just then because nothing came to mind straight away. I mean, there are plenty of books that satisfy me, make me content, make me laugh, make me cry, but books in themselves don't make me happy. I think I'm the only one who can make me happy - or is that just a bit too philosophical?
So anyway, the book that comes the closest to making me happy is The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (here's the Wikipedia blurb). It also makes me cry buckets, which I why I've only read it a couple of times.
I guess it makes me happy because it shows the interconnectedness of all things, as well as the value of life, no matter who you are.
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
So anyway, the book that comes the closest to making me happy is The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (here's the Wikipedia blurb). It also makes me cry buckets, which I why I've only read it a couple of times.
I guess it makes me happy because it shows the interconnectedness of all things, as well as the value of life, no matter who you are.
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
13 April, 2011
Adventures with Australia Post
I left St Leonards Station at 9.20am, having come out from The Forum Medical Centre on Herbert Street. I walked down to the North Side Centralised Collection Point. I found out there was nowhere to cross the road so it was either walk back up to the Pacific Highway and cross at the lights or choose a spot that had a good visual of both sides of oncoming traffic. Unfortunately the facility is next door to Royal North Shore Hospital so there's a fair bit of traffic. If you come from the station I recommend you cross at the lights.
I arrived in front of the facility. What they don't tell you is that there is an entrance for cars and an entrance for pedestrians. I got halfway up the driveway before I met a sign telling me there was a pedestrian entry on the south side of the building.
Not having a working compass on me, I was confused because I thought the whole of the facility on Herbert Street IS south-facing if you take the Pacific Highway as a north-south road (turns out that particular part of the Pacific Highway goes east-west). Anyway, I wandered up Herbert Street (in the right direction, I discovered later) and couldn't find another entrance so followed the green line on the driveway into the facility.
Another thing they don't tell you is that it's another 200m into the facility to the window where you collect your parcel.
I must have had the worst luck this morning because at the doctor's I was after one of those patients that take an inordinately long time. You know how your consultation always seems to take five minutes but the one before you takes like, 20?
Anyway, I happened to be in line behind a bloke whose parcel they couldn't find (he ended up leaving his name and number because he had to go to work) and a girl who had moved and was trying to collect a parcel from her old address that they also couldn't find.
Eventually, it was my turn. There was a clipboard with a customer survey on it. Open clipboard! I wrote down exactly what I thought of this new service. Behind me are two ladies who are in a hurry and "don't have time" to fill in the survey, although by the time they wait for the guys to retrieve their parcels they probably could have. Both of them don't think it's a good idea to have this collection point and they both came in cars. One of them says she's afraid to do the survey because she'll only say bad things (lady, that's what surveys are for!).
I sign for my packages. "Where are you parked?" asks the retriever dude, obviously trying to be helpful. "Nowhere. I'm on foot," I reply. He looks uncomfortable, then I see the enormous box he has behind him. It's about 60 cm x 60cm x 50cm. "I'm guessing it's not that heavy," I say. "But this is exactly why I don't like this new system. I live 250 metres from Artarmon post office. I have to walk at least a kilometre to get this home today, even if I take the train."
He brings it out for me and I get him to put the big box on a chair so it's easy to lift. I open it up and distribute some of the contents into my backpack (which already contains my laptop and a litre of water). The rest goes in a reusable shopping bag and I end up carrying the Signature Scrabble set on its own.
I take the pedestrian path out of the facility. It isn't very well marked (they could have done with some big arrows from the driveway, for example) and looks like you're entering the parking lot, which is why I couldn't distinguish it earlier.
I decide instead of walking uphill to St Leonards Station and then uphill from Artarmon Station to my place (yes! uphill both ways!) I'll walk the gentle slope down from the facility to my place, which usually takes about 15 minutes but takes 20 because I'm encumbered.
I arrive home at 10.20am. That's an HOUR to collect the packages, without counting the first leg, the train trip from my place to St Leonards Station. Even on a bad day of bumbling the folks at Artarmon Post Office couldn't top that.
Thumbs down, Australia Post. Bring back local PO pickup and extend your hours a little.
I arrived in front of the facility. What they don't tell you is that there is an entrance for cars and an entrance for pedestrians. I got halfway up the driveway before I met a sign telling me there was a pedestrian entry on the south side of the building.
Not having a working compass on me, I was confused because I thought the whole of the facility on Herbert Street IS south-facing if you take the Pacific Highway as a north-south road (turns out that particular part of the Pacific Highway goes east-west). Anyway, I wandered up Herbert Street (in the right direction, I discovered later) and couldn't find another entrance so followed the green line on the driveway into the facility.
Another thing they don't tell you is that it's another 200m into the facility to the window where you collect your parcel.
I must have had the worst luck this morning because at the doctor's I was after one of those patients that take an inordinately long time. You know how your consultation always seems to take five minutes but the one before you takes like, 20?
Anyway, I happened to be in line behind a bloke whose parcel they couldn't find (he ended up leaving his name and number because he had to go to work) and a girl who had moved and was trying to collect a parcel from her old address that they also couldn't find.
Eventually, it was my turn. There was a clipboard with a customer survey on it. Open clipboard! I wrote down exactly what I thought of this new service. Behind me are two ladies who are in a hurry and "don't have time" to fill in the survey, although by the time they wait for the guys to retrieve their parcels they probably could have. Both of them don't think it's a good idea to have this collection point and they both came in cars. One of them says she's afraid to do the survey because she'll only say bad things (lady, that's what surveys are for!).
I sign for my packages. "Where are you parked?" asks the retriever dude, obviously trying to be helpful. "Nowhere. I'm on foot," I reply. He looks uncomfortable, then I see the enormous box he has behind him. It's about 60 cm x 60cm x 50cm. "I'm guessing it's not that heavy," I say. "But this is exactly why I don't like this new system. I live 250 metres from Artarmon post office. I have to walk at least a kilometre to get this home today, even if I take the train."
He brings it out for me and I get him to put the big box on a chair so it's easy to lift. I open it up and distribute some of the contents into my backpack (which already contains my laptop and a litre of water). The rest goes in a reusable shopping bag and I end up carrying the Signature Scrabble set on its own.
I take the pedestrian path out of the facility. It isn't very well marked (they could have done with some big arrows from the driveway, for example) and looks like you're entering the parking lot, which is why I couldn't distinguish it earlier.
I decide instead of walking uphill to St Leonards Station and then uphill from Artarmon Station to my place (yes! uphill both ways!) I'll walk the gentle slope down from the facility to my place, which usually takes about 15 minutes but takes 20 because I'm encumbered.
I arrive home at 10.20am. That's an HOUR to collect the packages, without counting the first leg, the train trip from my place to St Leonards Station. Even on a bad day of bumbling the folks at Artarmon Post Office couldn't top that.
Thumbs down, Australia Post. Bring back local PO pickup and extend your hours a little.
#4: Favourite book of your favourite series
If you couldn't already tell, it is Lirael from Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series.
I formed an attachment to this book mainly from the first half, a character study full of action, drama and magic. The character of Lirael is 14, a daughter of a female sect (?) known as the Clayr. All of them are Seers and they are all pale with blue eyes. Lirael is not. She is dark-haired and much older than everyone else who first gets the Sight and therefore feels out of place - to the extent that she goes to kill herself.
Not only that, while the Clayr can See the future of everyone, they cannot See Lirael's future. In the novel you find out why. It's an astonishingly beautiful piece of character-driven plot, so accurate in the internal workings of a teenage girl.
I'm fascinated by writers who can so precisely pin down the angst that makes teenage angst teenage angst, especially that of the opposite sex. Nix does this very well for someone who has never been a teenage girl; I'd also like to mention Sonya Hartnett who does the same for boys, though I'm not sure how accurate she is given that I've never been a teenage boy.
There was a session at Worldcon 2010 that was just a Q&A on YA spec fic featuring Michael Pryor, Kate Forsyth, Juliet Mariller and Garth Nix so fortunately I was able to ask Nix on how he managed to get into the head of a teenage girl.
He said it was about getting into the character like a method actor: "It's called imagination." He said he wrote with the adventure in mind rather than to reveal the character's deep personal thoughts, and that a writer can fool a reader by revealing just enough, making the reader think that the writer knows more than they actually do. He also asked friends and family.
So there you have it; Lirael is a great character and a great book.
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
I formed an attachment to this book mainly from the first half, a character study full of action, drama and magic. The character of Lirael is 14, a daughter of a female sect (?) known as the Clayr. All of them are Seers and they are all pale with blue eyes. Lirael is not. She is dark-haired and much older than everyone else who first gets the Sight and therefore feels out of place - to the extent that she goes to kill herself.
Not only that, while the Clayr can See the future of everyone, they cannot See Lirael's future. In the novel you find out why. It's an astonishingly beautiful piece of character-driven plot, so accurate in the internal workings of a teenage girl.
I'm fascinated by writers who can so precisely pin down the angst that makes teenage angst teenage angst, especially that of the opposite sex. Nix does this very well for someone who has never been a teenage girl; I'd also like to mention Sonya Hartnett who does the same for boys, though I'm not sure how accurate she is given that I've never been a teenage boy.
There was a session at Worldcon 2010 that was just a Q&A on YA spec fic featuring Michael Pryor, Kate Forsyth, Juliet Mariller and Garth Nix so fortunately I was able to ask Nix on how he managed to get into the head of a teenage girl.
He said it was about getting into the character like a method actor: "It's called imagination." He said he wrote with the adventure in mind rather than to reveal the character's deep personal thoughts, and that a writer can fool a reader by revealing just enough, making the reader think that the writer knows more than they actually do. He also asked friends and family.
So there you have it; Lirael is a great character and a great book.
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
12 April, 2011
#3: Your favourite series
The 'Abhorsen/Old Kingdom' series by Garth Nix.
I read Sabriel at university when doing an assignment on the fantasy genre. I had decided to focus on fantasy for young adults because I was looking to write spec fic for that demographic myself. I unashamedly love young adult fiction because in the main it's a helluva lot better written than a lot of adult fiction. Young adult fiction also tends to have a clearer plot and clearer characters, and I rate both highly in a book.
It was fortunate I picked up Sabriel at that time because shortly after, Nix released Lirael, set several years later in the same kingdom.
Since Sabriel is a standalone book, I thought Lirael would be too. I won't repeat what I said after I found out it was 'to be continued'*. I waited two long years for the third book, Abhorsen.
I hear he will release another book in the series, a prequel called Clariel, and is working on another as-yet-untitled book that takes place after Abhorsen.
I met Nix at Worldcon 2010 in Melbourne (aka Aussiecon 4) and got him to sign Lirael, which I had toted interstate for the occasion. Since the signing was a sort of last minute thing, there were very few people around so I managed to ask him about what made him base a world around the nine gates of hell and the Abhorsen's bells.
He said he was influenced by Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors and decided to name the bells based on Norwegian long ships, which just goes to show you should read widely because you could end up writing bestselling novels based on a scion of an idea.
Honourable mentions go to Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series and Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy.
* I just want to mention that I didn't want to start Nix's 'Keys to the Kingdom' series until all the books came out.
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
I read Sabriel at university when doing an assignment on the fantasy genre. I had decided to focus on fantasy for young adults because I was looking to write spec fic for that demographic myself. I unashamedly love young adult fiction because in the main it's a helluva lot better written than a lot of adult fiction. Young adult fiction also tends to have a clearer plot and clearer characters, and I rate both highly in a book.
It was fortunate I picked up Sabriel at that time because shortly after, Nix released Lirael, set several years later in the same kingdom.
Since Sabriel is a standalone book, I thought Lirael would be too. I won't repeat what I said after I found out it was 'to be continued'*. I waited two long years for the third book, Abhorsen.
I hear he will release another book in the series, a prequel called Clariel, and is working on another as-yet-untitled book that takes place after Abhorsen.
I met Nix at Worldcon 2010 in Melbourne (aka Aussiecon 4) and got him to sign Lirael, which I had toted interstate for the occasion. Since the signing was a sort of last minute thing, there were very few people around so I managed to ask him about what made him base a world around the nine gates of hell and the Abhorsen's bells.He said he was influenced by Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors and decided to name the bells based on Norwegian long ships, which just goes to show you should read widely because you could end up writing bestselling novels based on a scion of an idea.
Honourable mentions go to Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series and Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy.
* I just want to mention that I didn't want to start Nix's 'Keys to the Kingdom' series until all the books came out.
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
11 April, 2011
The package deal
So I ordered some stuff off Catch of the Day last week and today received a delivery slip from Australia Post advising me that instead of picking up my packages from Artarmon Post Office, a mere 250m away (closer than the train station, which is 550m away), I am to go to the North Side Centralised Collection Point at St Leonards, more than a kilometre away, as they are trialling a collection point.
This makes sense on many levels. It cuts down on distributing undelivered parcels to each of the suburb's post offices as the driver has to return to the distro centre anyway. The Collection Point is also open 24 hours a day on weekdays and quite generous hours on weekends so it's convenient for parcel recipients too.
Sort of. For you see, I don't own a car.
When I worked full-time I had parcels delivered to work because my local post office (North Sydney at the time) wasn't open on weekends. And that was because I had an understanding workplace that tolerated that kind of thing.
Now, the reason I get my parcels delivered to me at home is because I work part-time and am more likely to be home than not when it is delivered. If I am not, then it's just a 5-min round trip to the local post office to collect it. Even I can handle big parcels for just 250m.
This Collection Point trial means I'm going to have to either walk or get on a train to St Leonards and then, package/s in arms, somehow get back home. It may not seem like much, but it's either 550m to Artarmon Station and then 500m from St Leonards Station to the Collection Point or a 1.1km direct walk and then back again. Either way I have to walk a kilometre carrying a package.
Mostly this is okay. I don't tend to order heavy and/or bulky items. But damned if I'm ordering wine again. And then there are those mysterious birthday packages which could be any size...
Australia Post, if you had been SMART, you would have asked customers what they wanted from your package delivery service to move uncollected parcels. I would have told you 'open the post office outside office hours one day a week'. It only takes opening until 6pm on a weekday or a few hours on a weekend to be more convenient.
*sigh*
I'll let you know how long it takes to collect my two parcels.
*** UPDATE HERE ***
This makes sense on many levels. It cuts down on distributing undelivered parcels to each of the suburb's post offices as the driver has to return to the distro centre anyway. The Collection Point is also open 24 hours a day on weekdays and quite generous hours on weekends so it's convenient for parcel recipients too.
Sort of. For you see, I don't own a car.
When I worked full-time I had parcels delivered to work because my local post office (North Sydney at the time) wasn't open on weekends. And that was because I had an understanding workplace that tolerated that kind of thing.
Now, the reason I get my parcels delivered to me at home is because I work part-time and am more likely to be home than not when it is delivered. If I am not, then it's just a 5-min round trip to the local post office to collect it. Even I can handle big parcels for just 250m.
This Collection Point trial means I'm going to have to either walk or get on a train to St Leonards and then, package/s in arms, somehow get back home. It may not seem like much, but it's either 550m to Artarmon Station and then 500m from St Leonards Station to the Collection Point or a 1.1km direct walk and then back again. Either way I have to walk a kilometre carrying a package.
Mostly this is okay. I don't tend to order heavy and/or bulky items. But damned if I'm ordering wine again. And then there are those mysterious birthday packages which could be any size...
Australia Post, if you had been SMART, you would have asked customers what they wanted from your package delivery service to move uncollected parcels. I would have told you 'open the post office outside office hours one day a week'. It only takes opening until 6pm on a weekday or a few hours on a weekend to be more convenient.
*sigh*
I'll let you know how long it takes to collect my two parcels.
*** UPDATE HERE ***
#2: A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. I first read it in high school and like parts of it and didn't understand other parts, then upon repeat readings I've grown to understand and appreciate more and more. Sad to say I have read other Heller books and nothing comes close to this one.
I've probably done a deep reading of it seven or eight times and am likely due for a re-read. It has been about 3-4 years since I last picked it up.
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
I've probably done a deep reading of it seven or eight times and am likely due for a re-read. It has been about 3-4 years since I last picked it up.
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
10 April, 2011
#1: The best book you read last year
This is hard. I read a lot of good books last year, including a whole bunch entered into the Hugo Awards and books presented at various writers' festivals.
But the one that sprang to mind first was Elliot Perlman's Seven Types of Ambiguity. My friend Dan gave the book to me for my birthday, more to read as a writer than a reader. I couldn't put it down. I admired the way all the characters came through so distinctly and the utter manipulation of emotions as the point of view changed and forced me to empathise with characters I despised.
I'll give a shout-out to Alain de Botton's How Proust can change your life as the best non-fiction book I read. That man has pretty much the best job in the world: wonder about something, research it, gather some thoughts and write them down, sell lots of books and travel to writers' festivals.
As for a book that actually came out in 2010, I'd pick the Machine of Death anthology. An interesting premise, well selected stories and high quality writing meant it was all win.
I wrote a piece from the starter as a writing exercise, but it doesn't come close to what was published. I thank my friend Dina for tipping me off about the availability of the collection.
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
But the one that sprang to mind first was Elliot Perlman's Seven Types of Ambiguity. My friend Dan gave the book to me for my birthday, more to read as a writer than a reader. I couldn't put it down. I admired the way all the characters came through so distinctly and the utter manipulation of emotions as the point of view changed and forced me to empathise with characters I despised.
I'll give a shout-out to Alain de Botton's How Proust can change your life as the best non-fiction book I read. That man has pretty much the best job in the world: wonder about something, research it, gather some thoughts and write them down, sell lots of books and travel to writers' festivals.
As for a book that actually came out in 2010, I'd pick the Machine of Death anthology. An interesting premise, well selected stories and high quality writing meant it was all win.
I wrote a piece from the starter as a writing exercise, but it doesn't come close to what was published. I thank my friend Dina for tipping me off about the availability of the collection.
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time
I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.
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