Oz Reading Matters

Biggles and The Boundary Riders!

2011-11-22T16:48:00.000+11:00

I popped off to the local op shops with the other half this morning and got a couple of surprises.
Good surprises.
The first one was a Biggles book that is based in Australia, titled Biggles Works It Out (and, no I shant hear any jokes about Biggles, a pencil and constipation) and another which is actually a game book called Biggles Adventure Game of The Secret Night Flyer (based on Capt. WE Johns' book Biggles and The Dark Intruder).

I have a fondness for the Biggles books, even though they're not strictly Australian.

A 3rd surprise I found was the crowning moment of op shop hunting; since grade 4 when my teacher read it out to us students stuck indoors each lunchtime due to highly inclement weather I have been hunting for my own copy of this book.
And now I have it in my hot little hand.
The Boundary Riders by Joan Phipson.

I almost feel like making myself crunchy peanut butter sangas on super soft white bread to eat while reading it just like I did all those years ago!

Goose in The Pond by Earlene Fowler

2011-02-21T05:20:00.000+11:00

Goose in The Pond is actually a quilting pattern; each of the Benni Harper mysteries has a title which is that of a quilting pattern.
The real Goose in the pond pattern is available HERE.
Now that we've sorted out the dedicated quilters, let's get on with the review.
This is book 4 in the series - yes, another one I've picked up without reading the preceeding novels but it matters not - and this time there is a storytelling festival as the background plot.
Not enough storytelling these days, in festival form or otherwise.
Anywho, there's murder galore; both the real murders and the one Benni would like to perpetrate upon her varied relatives who've swooped in to stay sans invites.
Well written, kept me guessing, kept me peddling on the exercise bike (which is its main purpose) and I enjoyed it.
Will happily seek out the many others in the series, check them out at Earlene Fowler's website HERE.

Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries by Carola Dunn

2011-02-20T04:32:00.000+11:00

So far, I've enjoyed two of the Daisy Dalrymple tales; The Winter Garden Mystery and Damsel in Distress, both which I've read completely independent of the first, not needing to (but wanting to!) find the introductory story of Daisy Dalrymple.

They are similar to the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood but sufficiently different to be an entity in their own right.
While Phryne Fisher is the daughter of a Lord who's unexpected ascendancy to the title came about through the deaths of so many during WW1who were in line to inherit a vast estate thus rescuing her from a life of squallor, Daisy Dalrymple is the daughter of a Lord who's son (and heir to the estate) perished in The Great War leaving her to work as a writer based in a share house in Chelsea, solving mysteries as they come her way while her mother dwells in the Dower House of their former family home.
The two characters are book ends; each representing the other side of the coin of how WW1left its stain on the world.

Daisy's brother and fiancee were killed in battle, she worked in a VAD hospital caring for the wounded while many family friends who returned from the war were changed, which is often acknowledged throughout the storylines by Carola Dunn.
The effects of the war and the deadly Spanish Influenza epidemic following is often remarked upon, as it was at the time, a social measuring stick for all who'd survived.

The mysteries are well written and enjoyable, there is nothing far-fetched about them and they also retain subtle humour and secondary storylines running throughout to paint a very realistic picture of life in England in the 1920s.
Can highly recommend this series!

Slick Sisters Motorcycle Club by Michael Joseph Stanton

2011-02-19T17:15:00.000+11:00

I borrowed this from the library and wanted to like it, I really did.
Slick Sisters Motorcycle Club sounded like it had all the elements including reincarnation....
But.
I struggled to get my head around a main character who had not only the smarts to become a surgeon but took on penny-pinching hospital admin... only to then read how she impulsively created a female motorcycle club without realising the dangers involved, how she didn't anticipate a police raid after they'd attacked a randy male, how the other members (who'd previously been painted as strong individuals) turned to water when trouble loomed, making the club house a safe house for abused women and children was just plain dumb and the whole theme was how badly done by females were by men.
Hmm.
I got as far as about 1/3 into the book before I gave it up.
Did not finish, can not recommend.

Rotten to The Core by Sheila Connolly

2011-02-19T16:32:00.000+11:00

Rotten to The Core was another good read, a decent mystery which kept me guessing until about 10 pages from the end of the book, while a romance featuring the main character subtly burbled away in the background, adding to the storyline without overwhelming it or distracting the reader away from the main plot.

Again, it's another that is part of a mystery series by the same author but I found it easy enough to delve straight into the story without wondering who was who, why, what or how anything about the characters; they were deftly dealt with, their backgrounds and previous tales clearly explained.

Check out The Orchard Mysteries by Sheila Connolly, she's brought to life not only the history of fruit growing and the ancient methods and tools used in the past but has managed to make managing an orchard interesting to a layperson who has done nothing more than shove a Granny Smith sapling into the ground and water it.
Recommended!

Blood in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope

2011-02-08T08:44:00.000+11:00

Blood in the Cotswolds is, apparently, the fifth in a series of books but I found it quite easy to pick up and get straight into the story without having known the characters or their previous storylines.
Rebecca Tope is a damn good writer; she combines intrigue with descriptions of a beautiful countryside to make you drool even while reading about a grisly discovery under a tree.
The characters are written as very believeable - a relationship where people are still finding their footing, differing opinions, tastes and slipped discs clashing at inopportune moments, and finding family members of partners a pain in the neck to deal with.
The Cotswolds are gloriously painted here albeit as background for murder, attempted murder, justifiable homicide and house-sitting an escaping snake.
Looking forward to reading more in this series and from Rebecca Tope!

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

2011-02-08T08:35:00.000+11:00

Mariana was a good read; a little on the predictable side but with a few twists and turns to keep it interesting.
The style of the author was similar to that of others in the genre - a romance that is never straight forward with historical context both social and national thrown in for background colour.
It was good, not great but a decent book to while away the hours and keep one's brain from turning to sludge.
I look forward to reading more from Susanna Kearsley.

The Lighthorseman's Daughter by David Crookes

2011-01-28T10:45:00.000+11:00

Yes, there is a thread of romance running through The Lighthorseman's Daughter but it covers politics and historical events both here in Australia and overseas through what could be seen as an ugly period of time.
Looking back there was much sorrow and pain through the Great Depression leading up to the Spanish Civil War; so many were left homeless, without work, harsh measures were used on a daily basis from police on the street up through the corridores of politics and power.

Yet, there is a great deal to recommend both this book and the period of time - people struggled and got through, friendships were forged while marriages broke down under the weight of greed.
This is a good read, driving home the petty little details that greased the wheels of those who would play at being king, those who could have been the victims but refused to lay down and play dead and it shows there was a basic goodness in most people, despite the strictures of the times and laws of the time.

While it is described as a romantic novel the romance is very few and far between, if anything it is better placed in the historical novel genre and, although it does paint the desperation of the Great Depression in Sydney the only fly in the ointment of the tale is the unrealistic part of the financial security in the background.
Overall, it was a nice read.

The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton

2011-01-26T18:07:00.000+11:00

Like her other novel I recently read Kate Morton's The Shifting Fog keeps the reader spellbound til the end.
The delicious descripions of each character and their setting of the early 1900s drips with enough reality as to draw them clearly before you.
The dresses, hair fashions and styles of the mad flapper 20s, the starchy black uniforms of the servants, them below stairs knowing their place and keeping their place, it is a rich tapestry woven by a clever wordsmith for us.
Several mysteries are sown throughout the tale; several tangled stories to unravel and connect loose ends, told from the other end of a long life that finishes but not before the tale is done and the secrets are divulged to the next generation.
I'm really enjoying the quality of Kate Morton's work; each novel is a mystery wrapped up in a delicate illusion of a past age with enough talent for painting the past as to make of her an artist with a sumptuious palette and a historian for the extensive research she has gathered.
Next on the list is her more recently published book The Distant Hours.

Turnham Malpas books by Rebecca Shaw

2011-01-25T10:48:00.000+11:00

I've indulged in 4 of Rebecca Shaw's Turnham Malpas books, a series set in the small English village of Turnham Malpas.
I've loved the simple, easy-going style of the writing, the storyline(s) and the pace at which the village operates.
Certainly there are scandals (Oooo, er that new rector got up to some dreadful mischief! Oh My, the things that dreadful girl from the pub did!) and there's always the gossip tucked away almost as an aside but the way Rebecca Shaw depicts the village's reactions to this and other shocking events is one of taking everything in its collective stride, albeit with one or two little odd behaviours that one would find in most villages/small towns the world over.
I grabbed these books as they came to hand - the first three were in a bumper book together, the 4th was found in the local second hand shop, although I will be hunting down the rest at the local library.
I've gobbled down

The New Rector

Talk of The Village

Village Matters

and
A Village Dilemma

Lies The Government Told You by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

2011-01-19T21:49:00.002+11:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
The style of the author makes for both an easy read and an easy flow onto the next subject, taking the reader into areas one may not usually consider interesting or even entertaining yet Judge Napolitano manages to do both.
Government workings, legislation, law, policy and the like are not my idea of a relaxing read yet he makes it easy to both read, comprehend at a glance and entertaining into the bargain.

I was surprised and intrigued to read of some of the most blatent falsehoods that have been repeated throughout the years in regards to a number of favoured American icons and people, influencing the written history of the nation towards incorrect notions and assumptions of people in the past.
I, myself, (and possibly many other people) have mental images of several leading figures from American history based on the widely-held beliefs of their motivations and politics which are proved to be quite the opposite by the author.

This is not one of my typical Australian books but it is curious to read of the lies told to the American people by their government as many similar justifications and twisted logic has been (and continues to be) used by the Australian Government.

I'd happily recommend this book!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Beyond The Pale by John Hooker

2011-01-16T13:33:00.000+11:00

beyond the pale (not comparable)
(idiomatic) Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.

source

Beyond The Pale is not an easy read; I'm still working my way through it but I now find it much easier going as I'm waiting for the next dreadful calamity to befall the dire and revolting characters.

Although, 'characters' is being generous, these are more caricatures, an undiluted array of every kind of stereotype from the upper English classes.
There is the wastral drunkard older brother forced from England with the snobbish sister who becomes the talk of the colony as a slapper, their younger, unmarried brother who supports them on his wealthy estate in Victoria but who is as miserable as any of them due to his one true love having joined the priesthood back in Ireland.

Then there are the supporting characters dotted about the society which revolves around the story, each slotting into their well-worn place, prattling their well-known lines with never a surprise or deviation from the long-favoured script.

The only reason I've been able to finally start enjoying this novel is due to waiting to see the next gory outcome for these unlikeable creatures - rats served to the master of the house as roast meat, salt mixed in the mortar for bell towers to fall, the rotting face of the pox-ridden slapper sister, the kitchen maids wringing dirty dishclothes into soup tureens, etc.
Not forgetting the obligatorily debauched sex scene described in fine detail between one of the many monied villains and yet another strumpet from the theatre.

The actions towards the Indigenous People are vile; I cannot fathom if the author was attempting to paint the stereotypical ignorant English people or if some satisfaction was taken from describing such hideous behaviours.
I apologise to the Late John Hooker if I judge him wrong in this instance but the old adage of "Less is more" is apt in this case; leave the reader with the impression of what happens, there is no need to bludgeon them with disgusting details.

I do not like this book as it paints everything as black and black; the Indigenous People and British both are shown to have no redeeming qualities or morals while the common labourers are pulling themselves upwards but only by sly subterfuge with nothing making them likeable, either.
It is a tale of misery and woe which lends nothing to the Australian history, culture or character.
It truly is, as the title suggests, beyond the pale.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

2011-01-11T00:07:00.000+11:00

How many family mysteries have genealogists been stumped by?
Those infernal brick walls in the hunt to fill out the family tree, the ever-silent ancestors sneaking looks from their photos but saying not a word, not a clue as to what really happened back in their day.
And so it goes in The Forgotten Garden; what could be a mundane family tree mystery is a well-told tale from several view points through the years.

The story is well written, based in both Queensland, Australia and Cornwall, UK, transporting the reader to both countries effortlessly while traversing the different eras in both lands, as well as the differing social levels.
A child is left on a ship to sail to the other side of the world on her own with no one claiming her as missing, only a book of fairy tales to give a hint as to who she may have once been.

Kate Morton obviously enjoys her work as this was an easily devoured book, making me stay up til late and reading all day.
There were a couple of too-easily found clues for the characters but that did nothing to detract from the story, and the author has cleverly worked the real Frances Hodgson Burnett , author of The Secret Garden, into the tale.
I'm hoping to get a decent night's sleep tonight before I start her other novel The Shifting Fog: The House at Riverton, tomorrow.

Mosquito Creek by Robert Engwerda

2011-01-10T20:39:00.000+11:00

Set in 1855 Mosquito Creek is the recounting of several (fictional) tales whose threads the author has draped throughout the book, pulling them slowly together until the denouement is complete.

The goldfields are vivid on the page; the sodden clay is left clinging to your feet up to your ankles as you turn each page, the constant dampening drizzle is easily felt down the back of a collar trickling it's despondency downwards towards the never dry boots, dragging spirits with it.
The tiny sliver of hope that gold fever wrought is no longer found in this group of miners who are grateful for the distraction and employment of their talents when the Commissioner decides to build a boat to rescue the diggers trapped on a new island with the sudden rising of the river; but this boat has another purpose close to the Commissioner's heart, unknown to the diggers and even the police.

Desperation over-lays many of the tales; the escaped convicts, the policeman with a reinvented life, the brutal farmer determined not to be parted from his property, even the frightened Commissioner trying to cover his tracks while looking back to his former life - the telling of the tales draws the reader in until the deed is done.
Hope there is a sequel.

Booklover Aussie Author Challenge sign-up for 2011

2010-12-04T18:57:00.001+11:00

Seems I've signed-up to review Aussie books for the Aussie Author Challenge 2011.
Ahuh.
Something I've been doing on this blog but, hey!
This time I get to let loose my competative streak to get to "True Blue" status!
So.
Yeah.
I'm reviewing even more Aussie authors for 2011.
Get on board and start reading!

How many have YOU done?

2010-12-04T18:28:00.000+11:00

I've borrowed this from Cheryl at Kangaroos of the Scrubby Bush who borrowed it from Denise at L'Aussies Writing blog.
The BBC's Big Read, the top 100 books list and what they consider best-loved novels.
Seems I've spent a fair bit of my time reading books.
How many have you done?

Instructions:
• Copy this list.
• Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety.
• Italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt.
• Tag other book nerds.
Denise suggests we underline those books we plan to read in 2011.

1.The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2.Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10.Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

A Lady's Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852-53

2010-12-01T10:51:00.000+11:00

While it's quite a mouthful the author didn't stop there and her book is equally lengthy although it's not a bad thing or noticable even when listening to the talking book form.

Ellen Clacy did visit the gold diggings and noted every.little.detail down in her journal which was published on her return to England in 1853.
Not surprisingly it was sold out very quickly.
There are suggestions she may have been abandoned by her husband and had an 'illegitimate' child but these neither add nor detract from her story, they are a possibility that lends nothing to the tale.
A Lady's Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia is still a damn good read for pleasure, education and to revisit the past in a quiet moment.

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume

2010-11-30T02:38:00.000+11:00

This audiobook version of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, an old Australian classic murder mystery, kept my son awake long after his bedtime, reminiscent of the old radio serial days when boys would fight to stay awake just to hear the next installment of the thriller.

So it was with this; each night was another chapter/CD in the story, describing a Melbourne of long ago but which still peeps through the years every now and then.
The mystery kept my father on his toes, too, demanding to go to bed early just to hear the next CD.

Fergus Hume is a bit of a mystery himself with little publicity or knowledge of his personal life available today and, although he was determined to write and write well, he just never seemed to hit his strides in the publishing world, although his works are still fabulous reads today.
Fergus Hume certainly was a prolific author, judging by the bibliography attributed to him on his entry of Wikipedia.

I'd highly recommend this book, in both paper and audiobook form, for anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Glugs of Gosh by C.J Dennis

2010-11-29T22:38:00.000+11:00

The audiobook version of The Glugs of Gosh was a great little gem.
I was able to download it, copy it to CD and have it playing within 30 mins.
MP3 player? What's that?!
It is read in the spirit the work was originally intended, leaving both my father and son laughing and giggling.
I'd highly recommend this version of the Aussie classic as it was enjoyed by all ages.

Delinquent Angel: Shelton Lea by Diana Georgeff

2010-11-29T11:35:00.000+11:00

Delinquent Angel: Shelton Lea by Diana Georgeff is a lovely yet honest laying out of the Melbourne-based poet's life with no gilding of the lily.
He was adopted into the Melbourne branch of the famous Darrell Lea family but set to fail immediately due to several factors, not the least being the woman who couldn't be a mother.
He broke the law, he stole, took drugs, drank like a fish disappointed many but he did what hadn't been done since the likes of Lawson and Paterson graced our fair land - he proudly stood up and shared his poems to all and sundry up and down the east coast of Oz, he challeneged bored students in schools, he spouted poetry to bikers, he captured many within his net of prose and showed them how relevant poetry was, still, in this day and age.
The author, Diana Georgeff knew Shelton through going to school with his adopted sister but hasn't applied any rose-coloured glasses in this biography.
Turana Boys Home in all its hideous technicolour revolting detail is there, as is C Block in Pentridge (back in the days when prisoners had a cess pool in the exercise yard not a swimming pool), Menzies Boys Home at Oliver's Hill in Frankston, St Joseph's Boy's Home and others, these have all been well covered, researched and painted in the roles they took shaping Shelton Lea's life.
The biography follows the inevitable, sad, conclusion with the early death of the heavy smoking poet but it has already done it's job; it has brought Lea's poetry to life yet again.

The Fern Tattoo

2010-11-20T11:02:00.000+11:00

The Fern Tattoo by David Brooks is a fabulous tale that meanders through many short stories and entices you in further with each sentence.
Set in Australia it is written in the fashion of a man, Benedict Waters, discovering the truth about his family tree from a distance after his mother's death and is related to the reader in the voice of the eccentric elderly woman who imparts these short stories each time Benedict visits her and her equally strange companion, Sim.
Not to spoil the tale Benedict makes several discoveries along the way with the reader, hindsight and scrabbling back through the pages pieces everything together with a gentle denouement gathering all the loose ends into a final, almost bitter-sweet summary that leaves you satisfied yet wishing for more.

The Antipodes Observed

2008-05-25T20:38:00.002+10:00

Published in 1974 this book illustrates the changing style of prints of the surrounds and people of Australia in the very early years.

There are some fantastic pictures included in here that would be difficult to find in a museum or library and, if ever found in an op shop, this is a nice little reference book to keep on hand - for both research and simple interest purposes.

Wandering Girl

2008-05-25T20:28:00.002+10:00

Glenyse Ward's tale of 1 year of surviving working for pig-ignorant, horrifying upper class white people is both hair raising and an eye opener.

Published in 1987 the author was removed from her Aboriginal parents at birth in 1949 and brought up through a series of orphanages, missions and types of schools until she left to work for the white people at age 16.

Her refusal to be considered as a lower class of person - as the thought had probably never occurred to her before - was probably the one thing that stood her in good stead and helped her retain her sanity while working for these people.

Australian Zen

2008-05-25T20:22:00.002+10:00

This humourous little book was published in 1999 and is still a ripper.

Full of very funny zen-like pronouncements and sayings , but with an Aussie flavouring, it's a great mirth-inducing read to tuck into a pocket or handbag when out battling public transport travel and arrive with your sanity intact, due to this little book.

The Art of The Engine Driver

2008-05-25T20:04:00.003+10:00

First published in 2001 I did not stop reading this book until it was completely finished - at some ungodly hour like 4am.

Set in a time period when steam trains are still running strong but the urban sprawl of Melbourne is creating new housing estates to spring up from former farms, this book parallels the on-coming possible train wreck of a marriage with the on-coming possible train wreck.

Told through the eyes of the engine driver's son from memories of that one night when, in hindsight, life paths and history was changed forever it is a tale of fiction but could be the memories of anyone and everyone.
LOVED it!

Camouflage

2008-05-25T19:50:00.002+10:00

This is actually 2 short stories by the author Murray Bail, Camouflage and The Seduction Of My Sister, published in 2000.

Camouflage tells the tale of an unassuming piano tuner from Adelaide who is sent north to do his bit during WW2, while The Seduction Of My Sister takes the reader on a journey of odd twists and turns when a new family moves into an average suburban street.

Gateways to Gold

2008-05-25T19:31:00.002+10:00

Published in 1969 this book is a mixture of reminiscences, history and then-present observations of the Murchison goldfields in Western Australia.

The author lived in the area as a child and, coupled with her memories, are the tales of the pioneers she has researched like the chap who found gold and celebrated by shouting his horse champagne, a drunk Russian the police had to manacle to a log but who still managed to drag himself - and the log - to the nearest bar, the women who were also working just as hard as the men on these harsh goldfields and who helped carve out, not just an existence, but the townships that sprang up.

The Alice- The Story of Alice Springs

2008-05-25T19:20:00.002+10:00

First published in 1960 this great little book is a time capsule of buildings, faces, maps and a multitude of long lost things unique to The Territory.

This was republished in 1964 by the Country Women's Association to help celebrate the Centenary of Exploration in the Northern Territory.

Camel trains, wild eagles being caught and readied for dinner, these are just a few of the fantastic photos and items included in this book.

Flying Doctor

2008-05-25T19:11:00.002+10:00

First published in 1947 this is one of the funniest true books you're likely to find.

Clyde Fenton was a doctor who taught himself to pilot a plane and he covered the NT outback for 6 years before WW2.

While not, strictly speaking, an autobiography it is a book of his factual recollections of adventures, mishaps and miraculous escapes with many a chuckle along the way.

Clyde Fenton was a folk hero in the Top End long before he "had nothing better to do" and published his exploits for the first time in 1947; after that his was a well-known name for the sheer enjoyment this book brought to all readers.

A Beer with Bob Burkett

2008-05-25T19:03:00.003+10:00

This biography was first published in 1999, written by the subject's daughter, Roberta Edwards.

Bob Burkett was a larger than life character who wore many hats during his lifetime - racehorse owner, hotelier, hotel broker, councilman and mining entrepreneur but is best remembered as the owner of the Potshot Resort Hotel in Exmouth.

Bob passed away in 1992 but his daughter has spent untold hours interviewing and tracking down old friends and workmates who knew her father and here she has presented a humourous and wildly entertaining biography of a bloke you may have never known personally but will feel that you did after reading this book.

Reminiscences Of Early Dandenong

2008-05-25T18:48:00.002+10:00

This is a fantastic book that I'm still working my way through.
Although first published in book form in 1935 and then reprinted in 1984, the author's memories were actually serialised in the local Dandenong newspaper, Dandenong Journal, that his family then owned.

The photos in this 1984 reprint are just as brilliant as any earlier ones may have been in the newspaper.
Each section is a fascinating snippet of an earlier age being painted clearly to the reader not from dry dusty descriptions garned from bland history notes but from a first-hand eye witness account.

It is the sort of book the reader can dip into from time to time or read it in full in one sitting, gobbling it whole like a ripe peach, but return to it for second helpings at any time and find them just as filling as the first reading.

Recollections of a lost pioneer cemetery from the 1850's on private property, the early pubs being built, pulled down and rebuilt in quick succession as owners were in fierce competition, and the local creeks overflowing and turning the main streets into fast flowing rivers replete with wild ducks that were quickly hunted with guns from the balcony of one of pubs; these are the brilliant sort of gems covering each and every page.

Alien Son

2008-05-25T17:03:00.002+10:00

This book, although published in 1952, traces the arrival of the author's family in Australia from Russia, pre-WW1.

It vividly paints the immigrants fear of change in this strange new land as they cling to the old ways and ideas but how their child, the author Judah Waten, felt no such compunction and happily subscribed to his new peers' code of dress and behaviour.

The Lawsons

2008-05-25T16:54:00.002+10:00

A lovely old hardback book, written by the author of the Blue Hills radio serial Gwen Meredith, The Lawson's is the complete story based on her other radio serial by the same name.

First published in 1948, the book is faithful to the radio serial that ran from 1944 - 1949.
Following the lives of the Lawson family living on their farming property, the story gathers all the characters together once more to see who's up to what, when, how and with whom!

No picture with this one as there is no dust jacket.

Island In The Sun

2008-05-25T16:50:00.002+10:00

A nice little book found tucked away in an op shop, it was first published in 1978 and provides both entertaining verses and great sketches of Kangaroo Island and it's environs.

The Generations of Men

2008-05-25T16:43:00.002+10:00

First published in 1959, Judith Wright has given the world a great snapshot of history with the biography of her family.

This is a factual account of her family and the daily struggle her grandparents faced in outback Australia.
Gaining her intimate knowledge from diaries, letters and oral history, the author is able to show the personal life up against the then bigger events which effected the nation as a whole.

A good book to look out for on your travels!

Beechworth Sketchbook

2008-05-25T16:36:00.002+10:00

First published in 1972, this is just one of the wide and varied "Sketchbook" series.

This, obviously, illustrates and highlights the many interests to be found in and around the Beechworth area, both historical and quirky.

The preservation of the town and it's wonderful buildings are thoroughly covered, as is the infamous tale of the golden horseshoes and the very heavy influence gold played in the settlement of the region.

This, and the other books in the "Sketchbook" series are worthy little gems for any bookcase!

Australian Graffiti

2008-05-18T15:06:00.002+10:00

Published in 1975 this book has actually preserved a lost Aussie art - that of our home grown graffiti.

Long before "tagging" and art galleries coloured the walls and fences around metropolitan cities, some witty buggers took pen in hand and scribbled their deepest thoughts on toilet doors, in wet cement, and on the odd wall or 3.

Far from merely "claiming" or "tagging" an area with illegible doodles, these clever clogs came up with witty and topical (for the day) political rhymes that gave a giggle or a mild smirk to those reading their efforts.

I woz 'ere,
'Ere I woz,
Woz I 'ere?
I guess I woz.

Apathy is a big problem, but who cares?

Bill Posters Will Be Prosecuted - Bill Posters is innocent!

Owing to disinterest this door will not be published in paperback.

Digging Up Deep Time

2008-05-18T14:58:00.002+10:00

Published in 2004 this is a brilliant book for anyone; from a budding junior paleontologist to an armchair traveller who enjoys reading about Australia.

The book covers digs all around Oz, covering the evolving cycle of life from bacteria through to dinosaurs and onto today's fauna such as wombats, possums and koalas.

A fantastic snapshot of the rise and changing forms of life on Earth have been preserved here in Australia and presented for all in this book.

Mail For The Back Of Beyond

2008-05-18T14:45:00.002+10:00

First published in 1986, this book highlights the early drivers of the isolated tracks of Oz.

John Maddock, the author, was an editor of a national magazine, "Truck & Bus Transportation", for 26 years and he knows his onions when it comes to interviewing the now retired mechanical transport pioneers of Australia's lonely outback.

The adventures these drivers experienced were all in a day's work, like being bogged for several weeks, having to construct new engine parts from a 44 gallon drum in the desert, dealing with 50 degree C first thing in the morning, every morning - these were not considered as anything out of the ordinary but were shrugged off as part and parcel of the job.

The Vedgymight History Of Australia

2008-05-18T14:39:00.002+10:00

This fun book, published in 1983, was found tucked away at the back of an op shop for 50 cents and has wrought it's value, and much more, in laughter.

A very droll retelling of Aussie history in pocket book form, the facts are still presented but with a dry wit to curry up what is sometimes taught as a bland and boring time line of events and happenings that occurred to shape Australia.

The Road To Mount Buggery

2008-05-18T14:23:00.003+10:00

First published in 2001 and again in 2002 this is a great road trip book detailing the travels to investigate the oddly named places around Australia.

Taking 12 months out of their busy working lives, the 2 journalists, Mark Whittaker and Amy Willesee, researched extensively and then explored the places marked on maps with such curious monikers as Mount Disappointment, Starvation Lake and Mount Unapproachable, to name but a few.

Told from each author's perspective in almost a diary format, the reader is taken along with them on their travels through searing heat, being bogged on roads deemed passable and in towns isolated by floods.

A great book that illustrates the very extremes that shaped, and still influences today, the Aussie psyche.

Daisy Chains, War, Then Jazz

2008-05-18T14:15:00.003+10:00

This is the autobiography of celebrated Aussie painter Frederick McCubbin's youngest child, published in 1984.

Kathleen Managan has shared here her memories of growing up in the early years of the 20th century, with a lively and often humorous look on life.

Recalling her family, including her famous father, the author shares accounts of the family houses filled to the rafters with the famous and unknown, giving equal time to Dame Nellie Melba's visits as she has done with Miss B.

Another great op shop find, full of tales from an eye witness to the changing years of our country and her famous artist father.

By Packhorse And Buggy

2008-05-18T14:03:00.003+10:00

Published in 1996 this is a great autobiography of a Central Australian pioneer.

Pearl Powell, with the help of her daughter Eileen McRae, recalled the disappearing history of those pioneers who, at the beginning of the 20th century, helped open up Central Australia.

Some lovely photos accompany the detailed text, illuminating the hardships but also the good times people had in that era.
Another great little history book found in an op shop.

The Most Amazing Story A Man Ever Lived To Tell

2008-05-18T13:42:00.003+10:00

Geoffrey Maslen published this study of the notorious story-teller Louis de Rougemont in 1977 but it remains a fascinating read today.

Louis de Rougemont was in fact a Swiss butler by the name of Henri Grin and his wild adventures in Australia actually consisted of being employed as a butler for the West Australian governor for less than a year.

But this did not stop him, nor the publishers of the Wide World Magazine, from serialising his "adventures" in the Aussie outback in 1898 which included living for 30 years with cannibal Aborigines, surviving a shocking shipwreck, being worshipped as a god and witnessing flying wombats.

Readers soon found many holes in de Rougemont's exploits and he was eventually exposed as a fraud but not before he had begun giving lectures at scientific meetings.
Henri Grin died a penniless old man in London in 1921, but this researched account by Geoffrey Maslen can still transport the reader, albeit only momentarily, back to a time when the world was still fresh and new with wonders still able to amaze, even those purported by frauds.

The Golden City and its Tramways

2008-05-18T13:31:00.002+10:00

The author, Alan Bradley, began researching the history of Ballarat's trams in 1981 due to his love and work for the Ballarat Tramway Museum.

This is a fantastic gem of a book, written from, and meticulously researched, by an author who cares deeply for his subject and who has presented this wonderful book that should take it's place alongside the many other books on Australia's public transport.

The images between the pages are a delight, invoking memories and nostalgia for when Ballarat had a larger tramway system.
The fact that any part of the system survives today is a testament to the volunteers, like Alan Bradley, who secured and saved some of the tram cars and track at the time of the system's closure due to a vision of retaining a vital part of Ballarat's history.

The Railways Of Australia

2008-05-11T20:57:00.002+10:00

First published in 1984, The Railways Of Australia traces the story of the current-day extensive railway system we enjoy from it's very birth.

First proposed in 1846, the eventual building of the railways helped to further build and contribute to the growth of the nation as a whole, with railways opening up isolated areas, allowing industry to expand and to increase business and employment in many areas apart from just passenger services.

The various stages of the railways throughout Australia are here for the reader to discover; the different colonies determining their own track gauges, private railway companies buying up land and opening train lines, the narrow gauge and broad gauge systems stopping and starting travellers at the borders of each state, and much more.

A Pictorial Guide To Identifying Australian Architecture

2008-05-11T20:46:00.002+10:00

Published in 1994 this book covers the 6 main periods from the time of the First Fleet's arrival through to current day, with each period split up into styles.

Filled with over 700 photos, the descriptions and details make learning the differences of architectural styles easy and enjoyable, giving the reader an appreciation for approximate ages of houses they may pass by on the train or bus every day.

A great book for history buffs or architecture students alike, this is a wonderful resource to help extend learning about Aussie history and the attitudes surrounding the birth of each housing period.

Firewood Tramways of The Walhalla Mines 1865-1915

2008-05-11T20:34:00.003+10:00

Terry and Brenda Jenkins have meticulously traced and mapped all of the firewood tramways in and around the isolated mountain township of Walhalla.

Published in 1998 this book is a testament to their love for the area, the detailed maps and years of research are shared with the reader.

Due to it's isolation and the impassable tracks in Winter, the supply of firewood needed to power all sorts of equipment in the mining town had to be brought in by the specially constructed tramways.
Traversing creeks and rivers, steep mountain sides and gulls, many of these firewood tramways were buried under metres of soil and undergrowth, forcing the Jenkins' into many a historic archaeology dig to find the evidence of the former tramway lines.
Some iron rails were still in place, the landslides and soil covering them having preserved them from the passing years.

Filled with many maps and photos, this is a fascinating book, tracing the ingenuity and sheer hard work of those early pioneers against the rugged mountains.

The First Electric Road

2008-05-11T20:25:00.003+10:00

Those living in the Doncaster area of Melbourne are still waiting for train and tram services to be built yet once upon a time they actually had the first electric tramway in the whole Southern Hemisphere.

Published in 1989, the author Robert Green has traced and researched probably the world's most controversial tramway and presented it's short life, along with some fantastic photos, in this book.

A must-have for any tram or train enthusiast, it follows the threats with axe and shotgun, court room battles and physical violence to the very tram cars themselves as the first electric road in Australia struggled against heavy opposition.

How To Trace The History Of Your House

2008-05-11T20:18:00.002+10:00

Another great history resource, this book was published by the Council of Adult Education in 1990.

10 easy to follow lessons broken up into chapters guide the reader through the many and varied resources available to trace the history of a dwelling, including land titles, maps, the style of the building, local council records and the numerous gas/water/electricity records.

Written by two CAE tutors, Des Regan and Kate Press, with plenty of experience and knowledge to share, this is one of the first books someone should consider using when trying to trace a history of their house and/or locale.

An Australian Murder Almanac

2008-05-11T13:12:00.003+10:00

Published in 1993, this book covers 28 murders over a 150 year period of Australia's changing growth.
Some of these murders have been extensively covered in other books, while some have not rated more than a footnote before so it is another great op shop find to add to my collection of gruesome crimes.

Have yet to get The Swamp Lady mystery book, with not a whisper of it in all these other murder mystery books at all!

Scandals Strange But True

2008-05-11T13:06:00.003+10:00

Published in 1984 this is a great book for those who enjoy a bit of titillation and a giggle over what was (in the past) considered a scandal but which we barely blink an eyelid at these days.

The odd bods existed in every corner of the globe, with Australia being no exception. The things the eccentrics got up to provided fodder for the media and gossip mongers to delight and gasp over.

Royalty, murders, eccentrics, loose women and plain strange people all went into the mix to keep our ancestors on their toes and out of the type of mischief this lot managed to get up to!

25 Illustrated Australian Crimes

2008-05-11T12:56:00.004+10:00

First published in 1994 this is a follow-up book to Alan Sharpe's previous book, Australian Crimes.

Again covering a large range of years, this book contains many other Aussie crimes not previously covered by the author and is up to date (at the time of publishing) with more current-day criminals.

Another for the murder mystery crowd of readers.

Australian Crimes

2008-05-11T12:49:00.004+10:00

First published in 1979 this book would still spark an interest in those of us who enjoy a good "whodunit" mystery.

With the various crimes outlined on the cover, it gives you an idea of the history and crime scenes reported in this book, with many an accompanying picture or both the victim and the villian.

Billiant Careers ; Women In Australian Cinema

2008-05-11T12:40:00.004+10:00

First published in 1986, Andree Wright has compiled a great book on just a few of the leading ladies who shone on the silver screen.

With a collection of photos of these women who carved a path for today's actresses, their stories have been well-researched and deserve a place on any bookcase as not only an interesting read but also to illustrate how some women had more freedom in careers "on the stage" than her sisters in everyday life.

Lottie Lyell, known as The Sentimental Girl, had a lifetime lover affair with Raymond Longford who's wife refused to divorce him (similar to that of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) until it was obvious Lottie was dying.
Lottie was also probably the great director and producer behind many of their collaborative film efforts, a fact not made public until long after her death.
Many Aussie actresses, who's names and films have been forgotten with the march of time, are put back into the spotlight with this book, which would appeal to many.

Australian Transport

2008-05-11T12:34:00.003+10:00

This is a great reference book for kids or anyone interested in the way us Aussies got ourselves around this large lump of land.

Published in 1972 it covers everything from bullocks to camels and bicycles, from horses to paddle steamers and whaling boats, ferries and trams with everything else in between.

Full of numerous photos from many a bygone era, it's another excellent look at our ever-changing challenge with transport in Australia.

A Vintage Year For Steam

2008-05-11T12:23:00.002+10:00

As part of the Bicentenary celebrations back in 1988 the Flying Scotsman was brought to Australia .

Combined with preserved working steam locomotives from Victoria, South Oz and NSW the public was faced with a stunning display of these majestic beauties that will probably never be repeated again.

Published in 1992, the fantastic photos almost speak for themselves despite the huge amount of reading material on every page.
The details and pictures make the reader yearn to see these wonderful machines in full flight again; this is a definite must-have book for any rail enthusiast.

Gold, Graves and Glory

2008-05-11T12:14:00.003+10:00

Jackie French has done it again with this latest installment in her history series published in 2007.

She makes Aussie history very interesting and funny for readers of all ages, taking the facts and presenting them in a far-from-dull manner.
Covering gold, trade unions, riots, bushrangers and many more rich parts of Aussie history, this is another fantastic book with the dry humoured cartoons of her previous works.

Some tid-bits are -
where the name cocky farmer came from, that women's crinolines were so large kids could play hide and seek under them, that the Eureka Flag was made from an old petticoat, and many more wonderful pieces that make up the great jigsaw of Aussie history.

No Job For A Girl

2008-05-11T12:04:00.004+10:00

Published in 1993, this is almost in a diary format of 1 year in the author's life.

Susan Swaney is still a practicing vet and this book begins with her purchase of the old RSL building in Birregurra, near Victoria's Otways and shares her travels over that year of establishing her practice, working right up to the birth of her 3rd child, those pre-mobile phone era late night farming call outs highlighted in James Herriot books and trying to establish a farm with her husband.

A great book that is a snap-shot of not only the author's life but of our recent past with improvements in communication technology, farming practices that have (and haven't) changed and the prejudice that still lurked in some nooks and crannys towards a female vet.

The Best Of Railway Trivia

2008-05-11T00:00:00.004+10:00

Another book on transport from Marc Fiddian, published in 2005 and the perfect gift for those rail fans who have almost every thing - including a length of track in their backyards!

This is a collection of facts, figures, quotes and a few ironic photos from all over the world but with an emphasis on Aussie rail trivia.

Photo's of advertising boards made only for rail staff eyes, destination rolls on trains -like Mulgrave, East Doncaster and City Circle - that have yet to come into being provide a light chuckle for the reader.

A fun little book to keep your eyes open for, even if you have no interest in train travel beyond getting to the next station on time.

Trains, Tracks and Travellers

2008-05-10T23:48:00.003+10:00

First published in 1997, Trains, Tracks and Travellers; A History of The Victorian Railways, is a must-have for any transport enthusiast.

Tracing the birth and growth of the railway systems in Melbourne that eventually came under the eagle eye of the Victorian Railways, this book is a testament to the author's patience in his meticulous research.

Beginning with the private syndicates that built many miles of track before they went bankrupt and encompassing the 4 narrow gauge railway lines throughout Victoria, this makes for a great history lesson in the changes that railways brought to many an area and the impact easier travel had upon the local residents.

As well as the inclusion of the great photos we've come to expect from Marc Fiddian, there are chronological lists of the dates lines were both opened and closed, with some stations reopening at later dates.

Australasia's Tramways

2008-05-10T23:37:00.003+10:00

Marc Fiddian penned this book in 2002 and it is another fascinating read while being a handy reference book on the tram way systems built throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Covering the different preferred styles - horse trams in Adelaide while cable was the flavour of Melbourne's liking - this book reminds the reader just how dependent emerging businesses and population growth was on the then new style of public transport.

Another well-researched book with fantastic photos illustrating the changing styles, and different places, of the evolving tramway systems.

Clang, Clang, Clang

2008-05-10T23:27:00.004+10:00

This is a great little book by prolific author Marc Fiddian.
Although it is a nice pocket sized book that traces the history of trams in Melbourne, it contains some wonderful old photo's and is quite substantial in it's content.

How To Guzzle Your Garden

2008-02-17T16:04:00.003+11:00

Jackie French published How To Guzzle Your Garden in 1999 and hooray for it being included in the Premier's Reading Challenge list.

This book shows kids how to have fun while growing their own food, an especially apt book at this time with so much media dealing with the increasing obesity problem with children.

Step by step the book takes kids through how to set up a garden, what to plant in which temperate area, what to plant where and how to tell when fruit/vegies a ready for picking.

Container gardening gets the once and twice over, with details on how to grow goodies in old shoes, spuds in buckets, tubs, computers and anything you could possible think of and then some.

Jackie has even included the how-to on growing a choko vine over an old outside dunny.
Now I just need an old outside dunny...

Pilawuk - When I Was Young

2008-02-17T15:52:00.002+11:00

Published in 1996 this is one of a series of 3 books of oral histories.

Included in the Premier's Reading Challenge, this is the story of a young girl who was removed from her aboriginal family in the Daly River area.

Considering it is rated for grades 5 and 6 this book is written and presented in a very simple style which might lose the message in the haste with which it can be read.

Pilawuk was placed with non-aboriginal families after living in a mission but has since been able to trace her family.

Amazing Facts about Australian Dinosaurs

2008-02-17T15:41:00.003+11:00

This is a wonderfully presented book by Scott Hocknull and Dr Alex Cook from the QLD Museum.

The colourful pictures showing the many and varied species of Aussie dinosaurs that once roamed and roared their way across the outback is a fantastic inspiration for children of all ages but it also combines the science of archaeology and years of research to give an educational understanding of each dinosaur.

This is one of the many great books on the Premier's Reading Challenge list.

Unreal Banana Peel

2008-02-17T15:20:00.002+11:00

Back in 1995 June Factor's book hit the shelves and it was just as popular as her previous 2 collections of Aussie kids' chants/ rhymes.

Many are familiar chants and rhymes countless generations have grown up with in the schoolyard and these books are a fun reminder of oft-forgotten chants and something new for current-day kids to enjoy.

Who remembers -

Copycat from Ballarat
Went to school and got the strap
For sitting on the teachers lap.

Hey diddle diddle
The cat did a piddle
Behind the kitchen door.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
So the cat did a little bit more.

Captain Cook chased a chook
All around Australia.
Lost his pants in the middle of France
And found them in Tasmania.

Go borrow the books from the library like we did for a good giggle or 3

The Long Walk

2008-02-17T15:02:00.003+11:00

Once again Kerry Greenwood has given us a brilliant novel that incorporates factual history and events to both entertain and educate.

The Long Walk, published in 2004, tells of a family of children who face being split up and placed into foster care when their mother becomes ill and is admitted to hospital.
Telling porkies to the authorities, the kids set out to find their father who is working on the construction of The Great Ocean Road, a considerable walk for anyone at anytime but even harder during the Great Depression when what little a person owns is priceless and few have the generosity to share.

But along the way they do find those who are willing to share what little they have and the arduous journey helps shape and change each child's character as they walk further into a maturity that was thrust, sometimes too early, onto young shoulders during this period of Australian history.

The Great Ocean Road was built, mainly by hand, with the hard work of men who were on the susso - an early form of work-for-the-dole. Many were returned soldiers from WW1 and this road was the only work many were able to get during this difficult time, with almost all of the small amount of money being sent home to wives and families the men hadn't seen for months while they lived in tent cities beside the road.
The official records of the Great Ocean Road construction were deliberately destroyed during WW2 but Kerry Greenwood has been able to source excellent facts and figures, as always, on this momentous road building endeavour.

The Real Matilda

2008-02-10T13:58:00.000+11:00

Miriam Dixson published this in 1976, after researching the attitudes and social standing of the women who helped build this nation from 1788 up till 1975.

Is it outdated? No.
This book defines how women were the last in the pecking order, with down-trodden male convicts and lower class male workers using women to keep themselves from being the lowest rung on the social ladder.

With a fresh look at our pioneering history finally including the female contribution in the last 20 years, this book highlights not only the male dominated attitudes towards the girls and women in the past but also the importance placed on male achievements in the retelling and educating of our history that overlooked the women for so long.

While our explorers and leaders were once highly lauded from the schoolroom to Parliament, no one thought to ask what the women were doing at these momentous times and this book attempts to show how the men were often gaining recognition on the backs of the hard working women who were expected to remain faceless and voiceless.

Beyond The Bitumen

2008-02-10T13:29:00.000+11:00

William Winter-Irving was brought up on the second largest pastoral property in Victoria as a 4th generation Aussie and this is but one of his books retelling his life and experiences.

First published in 1971 it's a book that is easy to loose yourself in; the descriptions are vivid, bringing both the surrounds and characters to life under the very eyes of the reader.

The author was a sharp observer during his lifetime of people, animals and the country in which he lived.
After being raised in rural Victoria and finishing his education at Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne and Cambridge Universities, Winter-Irving then travelled to Qld to work on the family properties, areas and a countryside he was not familiar with but soon learned to love very well, with his intense love of all wildlife evident throughout.

Far from being a dull repetition of day to day life as a jackaroo, this is an entertaining account of life in the first half of the 20th century in both rural Victoria and outback Qld, painting for the reader the wide ranging events, both locally small and nationally large that shaped and changed the working life of the almost-gone pastoral era.

The Passing of The Aborigines

2008-02-10T13:13:00.000+11:00

First published in 1938, this account of Daisy Bates' life living and studying aborigines is still relevant today.

Daisy was a self-taught anthropologist, which gave her a head start in many ways on her professional peers, in that she had no preconceived ideas to bias her to what she observed for 35 years.

At the age of 41 Daisy went to live with the aborigines in Western Australia and by the time she retired aged 76 she could speak 188 dialects, had spent a small fortune on helping those she lived amongst and had protected them with a fierce fighting attitude.

This book details everything she lived and breathed for those 35 years; the beliefs, customs, ceremonies and mundane daily chores of Indigenous Australians, leaving us a legacy to both learn from and admire but also to reflect on what has and hasn't been saved from such a rich and diverse culture.

Getting Kids To Read.

2008-02-09T23:44:00.000+11:00

I've mentioned the Premier's Reading Challenge in the various states around Australia; these challenges are obviously to encourage kids to read and discover a love for books, to improve literacy and options for their future.

But, despite all the reading programs schools have in place and the encouragement and ample opportunities kids are given to pick up a book to explore its pages, some kids just won't read.

Oh these kids can read just fine, they "choose" not too and it ends with parents and/or teachers having arguments with each other and the aforementioned kid.
With everyone feeling wrung out like a dishrag and the kid STILL not reading.

In most kids this is called self-preservation.
These kids know when to call time out and nothing will shift them.
With the ever-increasing mental stimuli bombarding their brains on top of increased homework loads as they grow, increasing subjects in the school, peer pressure to conform with everyone else, competitive sports and constant bombardment from media in all shapes and sizes, some kids just can't cope with a mere 24 hour day!

And don't forget, in amongst all of that these kids need to relax and actually sleep.

I've known a number of kids who, at the end of the day, point blank refuse to read the books sent home from school simply because they're unable to focus on a single sentence.
They are so tired from being mentally wired all day they cannot process the words they're reading. It's all a jumble of meaningless letters to them.
This then starts a vicious circle; poor reading coupled with poor spelling and grammar skills result in poor marks on reports with parents and teachers at logger heads and blaming each other for not taking this child in hand and making him/her read a book.

Parents need to take a step back and reassess their child's current routine and use it and the child's interests to positively encourage reading; coz with all the arguments up till then reading has been anything BUT positive!

If a child is more able to focus in the morning then get up earlier and help them with a couple of pages of a book or let them read some appropriate articles from the newspaper.

If a kid likes drawing then ask them to read a single chapter from a book and draw the storyline and put the drawings into a folder to be added to with drawings from the following chapters.
Read to them in bed; it's an oldie but a goodie.
Set a time limit not a page limit. 10 mins to start and soon a kid will be reading the book more than watching the clock.

Get books on subjects that interest a child; little Johnny isn't going to be too keen to read a book on table manners or flower arranging but he might if it's dinosaurs or cars.
Make it a treat for a day out to the local library, every week. If there aren't many books at home being surrounded by the choice of books at the library will whet a kids appetite.
Go on a tour of your State Library.
Instead of a new toy as a treat, ask the child to choose a book. If they're undecided suggest they discuss it with their friends. It'll surprise the parent how much another child talking about a favourite book/author will influence their own child positively.
And don't forget ebooks! If a child finds it easier to read from a monitor than a book then hunt up the many free online ebooks available.
Turn the TV off for 30 mins each night and talk to the kids; get them to sit at the table to eat, discuss their day, what they've got planned for the next but REALLY listen. It's a very simple way for everyone to relax and build communication foundations - if you're listening to them then the kids will listen to you.
And reading is just another part of the communication process.

Undone!

2008-02-01T16:52:00.000+11:00

Although published in 1993 this book of Paul Jennings remains a firm favourite of any reader who knows his work, as does this collection of 8 short stories.

Paul Jennings is able to capture the attention of any child and keep him/her enthralled until the last page is turned. His unpredictable stories , with twists and turns throughout, ensure the reader is always glued to the page and is entertained by outlandish happenings that have become Paul Jennings' trademark.

Rain Stones

2008-02-01T16:42:00.000+11:00

Another brilliant Aussie author is Jackie French who published this collection of short stories in 1991.

Rain Stones is about the drought baking the Australian land to a crisp and a child's belief in old Aboriginal rain stones to bring the long-craved moisture to save everything she loves.

The other 4 stories also paint the country as a magical place where people only need open their eyes and imaginations to see the possibilities beyond the edge of their existence.

Another book that will have children returning to it as an old favourite.

Storm Boy and Other Stories

2008-02-01T16:29:00.000+11:00

Colin Thiele first published Storm Boy as The Rim of The Morning in 1966 but, by whichever name you call it, it remains a wonderful story about the changes in life that happen when a child grows up.

Storm Boy is the son of a fisherman who lives and works along the coast of South Australia. Storm Boy rescues a pelican and the close ties that bind them in friendship are the constant thread running through this magical tale, right up to its heartbreaking conclusion.

The other short stories included in this book are equally as enjoyable, full of Colin Thiele's observances of the, sometimes, confusing and conflicting experiences of people on their journey towards adulthood.

Journey To Eureka

2008-02-01T16:17:00.000+11:00

Once again Kerry Greenwood's mastery of both history and story telling is combined into a fantastic book for all ages.

Published in 2005, Ms. Greenwood takes the reader on the journey of a boy from Great Britain to Australia and the volatile goldfields of Ballarat.
Beginning with his sea voyage, the reader is able to experience, through the authors vivid descriptions, the lengthy ocean travel, arrival and then the long journey ahead of new immigrants before their final destination is reached.

After finding Ballarat and those who went ahead to prepare a home, Llew Jones discovers through casual conversations and whispered secrets the impending explosion that became The Eureka Stockade.

Far from glorifying the fighting, Kerry Greenwood places the reader within the smoke-filled confines as a witness to the bloody battle that saw fatalities on both sides.

Dodger

2008-02-01T13:02:00.000+11:00

Libby Gleeson, a wonderful Aussie author, penned this in 1990.

Written off as a bludger by his teachers who have no faith in him whatsoever, Dodger takes the reader as an observer along for a ride in a boy's life as he finally comes to terms with his mother's death while finding his talent for acting in a school play.

Libby Gleeson has combined the narrative from both Dodger and his teacher, using letters from his teacher Penny to illustrate her view point of the events in each chapter.

Silver Brumbies of the South

2008-02-01T12:50:00.000+11:00

First published in 1965 the Silver Brumby books have lost none of their appeal for many generations of children.

Silver Brumbies of the South is only one of many books in the Silver Brumby series Elyne Mitchell penned, writing from the horses perspective and giving people a glimpse into the High Country surrounds in which these particular wild horses, and the author herself, lived.

Some have criticised the author for anthropomophising animals in her stories but, as this has become a common practice with many subjects in recent years, it doesn't detract from the underlying tale in each of her books which is to share the driving factors behind behaviours of wild animals.

Many of Elyne Mitchell books are on the Reading Challenge lists, each of them a wonderful story for kids to escape into.

The Sun on the Stubble

2008-02-01T12:18:00.000+11:00

The Sun on the Stubble was first published in 1961 but it has lost none of its humour with the years.

Colin Thiele was a brilliant children's author and his sharp observations of even the most mundane or smallest detail paint a complete picture of life on a farm in South Australia from the perspective of 12 year old Bruno.

This is a book any kid (and adult) will enjoy, wheather part of the Reading Challenge or not.

Premier's Reading Challenges 2008

2008-02-01T12:01:00.000+11:00

The various State Premier's Reading Challenges are beginning so I thought I'd include the links to the various webpages and some reviews of books on some of the reading lists.

Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge

NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

SA Premier's Reading Challenge

QLD Premier's Reading Challenge 2008 details yet to be updated

WA Premier's Summer Reading Challenge

Solid Bluestone Foundations

2008-01-21T23:01:00.000+11:00

First published in 1983 Kathleen Fitzpatrick paints for the reader a 20 year period of her childhood and growing up in Melbourne.

Set in 1908 until 1928, the author describes in detail her family and their various homes, the main one being Hughenden the Italianate mansion built by her grandfather, John Buxton, founder of a well-known real estate firm.

Kathleen Fitzpatrick had a childhood enveloped in a richness of a long gone era with an extensive but close family of relations who always viewed Hughenden as the centre of activities and saw it as their right to visit and stay whenever they wanted.

Solid Bluestone Foundations: and Other Memories of a Melbourne Girlhood 1908-1928 is a wonderful time capsule of a Melbourne immediately recognisable to the reader but slightly different, as if seen through a foggy window looking back, with not a little yearning, to a gentler Melbourne since disappeared.

Don't Take Your Love To Town

2008-01-21T22:33:00.000+11:00

This is Ruby Langford's first book and autobiography.

First published in 1988, Ruby worked for over 2 years with her editor Susan Hampton to write her story to share with the world.

Don't Take Your Love To Town paints a picture of what it was like growing up in Australia from the 1930's onwards, in a society divided between black and white, in both rural and urban areas.
Beginning life on a mission in NSW, Ruby grew up surrounded by the love of her father, sisters and extended family which helped her develop her deadly sense of humour in the face of the many hardships and heartbreaks she experienced in her life.

She has observed and lived the changes wrought on Aboriginal communities , the poverty and tragedies that found their way to her doorstep and yet she managed to find a way to keep smiling while bringing up her 9 children mostly on her own.
Ruby Langford has lived a life rich in both sadness and joy; she has a very easy style of writing for the reader to find themselves drawn into the pages within minutes and, peppered with her wit, her story captures and holds the reader within its grasp until the end.

Real Deadly

2008-01-21T22:26:00.000+11:00

Real Deadly is Ruby Langford's second book and it's just as thought provoking, humourous but sharp and deadly as her first.

These are 26 short stories and poems, observed and written by a woman who has found her voice and has a great deal to share.

Ruby Langford tells the reader her stories with a wry humour that assures us that, while she can see the injustices and tragedies, she is also able to clearly see a funny twist in everything life has thrown at her.

My Henry Lawson

2008-01-21T22:12:00.000+11:00

Bertha Lawson, widow of Australian poet Henry, penned this pretty little book in 1943.

It's an interesting read in that it does reveal some personal occurrences and details not generally known or simply ignored by biographers, and yet on the other hand, with hindsight courtesy of meticulously researched biographers , Bertha has managed to polish up and sweep away several landmark events during her famous husband's life.

It is no longer in print and by today's standards it may not even be considered by any publisher but nevertheless Bertha lived with the legend and had her tale to tell.
This is not a love story but the affection she so obviously had for him, and that it remained even after his death and her remarriage, is evident in the way she has tried to excuse and hide Henry's alcoholism while pointing out his many shining pieces of work, his humour and his affable nature towards all.

A Different Sort Of Real

2008-01-21T22:01:00.001+11:00

A Different Sort Of Real: The Diary Of Charlotte McKenzie is another brilliant book from Kerry Greenwood.

Published in 2001 this is a pseudo- diary of a girl at the end of WW1, before and during the deadly influenza epidemic that swept Melbourne, Australia and the world.

Charlotte McKenzie is an assistant to the neighbouring doctor and her narration brings the terrified confusion, desperate superstitions and pain of death that controlled everyone everywhere at this moment in time.

Whole streets, towns and states quarantined, people refusing to answer their front doors, returned soldiers struggling to find a meaning and place for themselves in the alien world they now found and everyone praying for a cure.

Kerry Greenwood has written this for adolescents but anyone interested in history would find this account a fantastic treasure, bringing the facts to life for the reader where they remain in the memory long after the book is finished.

Handing Out Change

2008-01-21T21:44:00.000+11:00

Published in 1994, Handing Out Change is a journey of extremes with a gentle man.

Frank Cooney, the author, describes being without work during the Great Depression and the shame, desperation and, sometimes, anger that was part of daily life.

Turning 14 he immediately left school to find work, as so many others did at that time, to help support the whole family.
He wasn't too proud to turn his hand to anything available and this he did. The variety of jobs saw him educated in areas never touched on in school and he, again like many others his age, matured beyond his years.

Frank takes us with him as he retells being an actor, a swaggie, working with explosives, training as a tram driver and his years as a conductor, all with the humourous and faithful way he has of regarding life.

The Last Of The Lunatics

2008-01-21T20:45:00.000+11:00

This is one of my favourite books, from a man who worked with and remembers the people who really were the last of the lunatics.

Published in 1998, John Cawte, a retired psychiatrist, tells us of psychiatry in its infancy in Australia; the attitudes from both the public and other medical professionals towards this new branch of medicine, the common practices that make us cringe in horror today and the "lunatics" themselves.

This is a fascinating read from the social, historical, medical and political aspects. The evolution of all these subjects have influenced each other as this book illustrates, from the 1950's to the present day.
The author was there, seeing these changes taking shape on an almost daily basis, with new therapies being put into practice, new medications and even just new ways of approaching a problem, patients were improving and able to function in society, families were intact, patients were gaining previously-unknown senses of self-esteem and, ultimately, pride.

The political aspect was that Australia was awash with patients suffering (and dying) from several kinds of mental illnesses, caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies from alcoholism, that could have been easily prevented. Unfortunately every other country in the Western World had fortified its good old every day baking flour with vitamins B1 and B3...but not Australia.
Lobbying from several quarters took 20 years for a law to be finally passed.

This book would appeal to a wide range of people and is a very easy read, written, as it is, for a layperson to understand and comprehend the massive leaps that have been achieved in psychiatry in such a short time.

What Next You Bastard?

2008-01-14T21:31:00.000+11:00

As Ken Hall and his family were reassured by doctors that he was bound to die young, he spent most of his childhood in hospital and, as a consequence of not obliging the medical staff by turning up his toes, he was never taught to read or write.

Published in 2001, this is Ken Hall's story; growing up surrounded by a ward full of dying men, joking and mucking about with family and friends, of struggling to get work that didn't involve literacy, constantly hiding his inability to read, finding the good with the bad but never feeling miserable for himself.

Far from being lazy or stupid, Ken is an articulate man and Monica McFerran has merely lent the printed words to Ken's voice.

Many times, throughout his adult life, Ken has tried to learn to read and write but is unable. Until this biography of his exciting larrikin life was published, his own children were unaware of his illiteracy, so well had he hidden it.

What Next You Bastard ? was the question Ken would laconically throw towards the heavens whenever something had turned sour but he didn't wait for any answers; he simply got on with living.

Australian Cavalcade

2008-01-14T21:16:00.000+11:00

Australian Cavalcade, first published in 1962 for the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, is still relevant today as when it was first printed.

P.R Smith has collected this anthology of Australian prose that reflected the changing scene of Australia from its earliest time to the 1960's.

Divided into 4 main groups dealing with bush, towns, war and peace, it covers a wide range of subjects and time periods; from a bush cricket match in country Victoria to the larrikin pushes of Sydney to a soldier writing home in 1794, this innocent looking book has a great deal to offer all ages.

The 17 authors are well respected also including Elizabeth O'Conner, Henry Parkes and Ivan Southall, to name only a few.

A handsome little find in an op shop priced at $1.00 but worth a great many times that amount for the rich gems between the covers.

The Ballad of The Fat Bushranger

2008-01-14T21:06:00.000+11:00

Written by D'Arcy Niland, The Ballad of The Fat Bushranger is a collection of funny short stories.

First published in 1961, Niland humped a swag over most areas of Australia and collected the characters he has polished and presented in this edition.

15 stories that weave the ridiculous with the witty until the reader is left giggling and snorting through each page.

The fat bushranger of the title is too fat to even sit on a horse, a practical joker who entered his legs in a beauty contest- and won... these are all simple stories that are vastly complicated with the talent Niland wended on each subject.

Hunt it down and buy it, it's worthy in any house for the pleasure it will give.

A Bottle of Sandwiches

2008-01-14T20:53:00.000+11:00

Denis O'Grady, son of the comedic genius John O'Grady, wrote about his adventures as he worked his way around Australia and the many characters he met.

First published in 1968 and reprinted many times after, A Bottle of Sandwiches captures the Aussie dialect and affords the reader a laugh on almost every line.

John O'Grady famously wrote under the pseudonym of Nino Culotta in his well-known novel "They're a Weird Mob" where he observed Australians and their way of life from the view of an immigrant unused to Australia.
His son Denis has given us his take on people from all the off-beaten tracks and out-of-the-way places he was fortunate to meet, as they have given him, like his father, a rich source of humour and wit , while not insulting anyone along the pages.

Great Convict Escapes

2008-01-14T20:37:00.000+11:00

First published in 1998 and again in 2003, Warwick Hirst has meticulously researched 11 tales of convicts' successful escapes.

Hundreds of convicts escaped and ,while most were captured, died a lonely death in the bush or became desperate and returned, others managed the impossible.

Some lived with the aborigines, some tried the bushranging game but others ,through wits and good luck, made it to distant ports and even back home to England.

These tales are almost beyond belief; these adventurous souls rolled the dice and took their chances. They succeeded or they perished but they refused to be beaten and forged part of the national identity when they treated the authorities with contempt.

A riveting read, Great Convict Escapes in Colonial Australia draws vivid pictures of life as it once was, with Warwick Hirsts' penmanship and attention to details teaching more about the foundations of Australia through individual convicts than most books of this ilk.

Crow On A Barbed Wire Fence

2008-01-14T20:27:00.000+11:00

Crow On A Barbed Wire Fence, first published in 1973, was deemed a classic in Aussie literature shortly after it was first printed.

Harold Lewis penned a road trip type novel that incorporates the culture shock of new immigrants, Australia in 1910 and relationships between friends that ripens like a fine wine.

Bluey and his 3 mates arrive in Australia in 1910 from the poorest parts of industrial Britain and set off, humping their blueys, around NSW and QLD, searching for a place where they can call home.

A must have on the bookcase at home, this story incorporates the last lingering air of Australia's explorers seen through the eyes of newly arrived young men who struggle to settle down in this strange but beautiful land

Windmill Hill

2008-01-11T15:33:00.000+11:00

Windmill Hill, by Michael Jacobson, is another gardening novel but very different to Our Man Arty.

The central character, Blink Johns, created beauty and delight where he worked as Head Gardener in the cemetery. So enthralling were the results of his carefully planned plantings that many families found themselves as regular visitors to the final resting place of their dearly departed.

But Blink has grown old and is trapped in a nursing home until his grandson busts him out for a road trip that diverts down memory lane for Blink and unfamiliar territory for his grandson.

First published in 2002, this novel, that is both enchanting and tragic, is set in Tasmania and brings to life some of the glossed over lives and facts of a not-so long ago period many would be happier to forget.

Our Man Arty

2008-01-11T14:53:00.000+11:00

Our Man Arty is a novel about a gardener who proves to be better than his "betters'.

Set in the 1930's in outer Melbourne, Arty is a gardener who takes on the gardens of the very different residents in a cul-de-sac and becomes part of the mute chorus in the background of their lives.

First published in 1994 the book's author, Lawrence Eager, was told by numerous publishers for over 10 years that no one would be interested in his novel. He wrote with the experience he'd gained during his working life, which included being Chief Propagator at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens and overseeing gardens for the Public Works Dept, and his knowledge of people.
He cleverly imparts down-to-earth gardening knowledge throughout the book to the reader, reflecting his belief in the then-growing maturity of Australians towards gardening in general.

It's a great little novel that encapsulates the social mores and attitudes of the between-the-wars period of time which also had its effect upon gardens and the way in which they were seen, dealt with and considered part of the social bearing upon the owner.

Unfortunately, Mr Eager lived just long enough to know that his "unpublishable" gardening novel was going to be published; I say unfortunately because it is a book that leaves you wanting to know more about Arty, his family and those who came to look upon the gardener as a font of wisdom in more areas than just their flower patch.

The Golden Shanty

2008-01-10T11:10:00.000+11:00

The Golden Shanty : Short Stories by Edward Dyson, first published in 1963, is a selection of Dyson's works by Norman Lindsay.

The Golden Shanty was first used in The Bulletin's Christmas anthology in 1889, prompting Dyson to become a regular contributer to The Bulletin.

Many of his humourous tales are based on anecdotes he collected around the goldfields as a boy, while others, based around factories and the like, are from his own observations.

A rollicking good laugh can be had from this book, but please be aware some might be offended by the racial intolerance depicted in some stories.

The Blue Dress

2008-01-10T10:58:00.000+11:00

The Blue Dress, first published in 1991, is a collection of short stories by Aussie authors with a slight twist - each writer was asked to look at the painting, The Blue Dress, and write a short story about it.

Libby Hathorn, who's daughter is the subject in the painting, selected the 16 very different stories for this collection.

16 of Australia's finest authors have given us 16 different tales to ponder, showing how one painting can be viewed and considered in many varied fashions.
There are narrations of the past, mystery, the future, death, a fairytale, magic and more to captivate the reader with each turning of the page.

Where The Dead Men Lie

2008-01-10T10:15:00.000+11:00

The title of this biography-novel, first published in 2002, is taken from the same name of Barcroft Boake's most famous poem.

Barcroft Boake was a brilliant poet who could have been the foremost Australian poet, had he only lived.
The small glimpses of his talent in the oh-so-few works he completed have been claimed to have been bigger,brighter and better than all who came before him- including Henry Kendall, Lawson, Paterson, and others.

A drover and stockman, Boake travelled as far as Queensland, chased brumbies in the Snowy Mountains, skied at Kiandra and fell in love with a sister of Charlie McKeahnie on whom Banjo Paterson based The Man From Snowy River.

The author, Hugh Capel, is the great, great nephew of Barcroft Boake and has written of his uncle's life sympathetically but with honesty.

The depression of the 1890's spurred Barcroft into submitting his poems to The Bulletin, where many lauded his talent, including Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson.
The question still remains on what made Barcroft take his own life just 12 months after he began being recognised as a poet of great merit, but Hugh Capel gives some evidence pointing to the possible reasons in this book.

A great book that gives some insights into the motivations of the poetry, the man and the very sad end.

More information on Barcroft Boake available at Hugh Capel's site HERE

Permanent Addresses

2008-01-10T09:25:00.000+11:00

If, like me, you had a slumber party in the local cemetery, you'll appreciate the wealth of untapped resources quietly crumbling amidst the graves of those who went before us.

First published in 1987, Permanent Addresses: Australians Down Under is a book compiled from the travels the author and his wife took all over Australia, visiting cemeteries to unearth the legends behind the headstones.

Similar to the New Zealand TV show 'Epitaph', Dr. Brasch has documented the stories of both the celebrated and over-looked Australian pioneers.

In cemeteries all over this wide brown land are tales of bravery, tragedy, humour and romance with sometimes only a few lines on a gravestone to tempt the casual reader into delving into archives to scratch that curiosity itch.

This is a passionately but thoroughly documented and researched book valuable in many ways; it shines a spotlight on ways of life mentioned in history books but clarified when put into context with life and death and it brings to life very real people who reside beneath the soil but who still have stories to share with the passer-by.
Far from being maudlin or morbid, the character of this book is to celebrate the lives of these long-dead people.

Dr. Brasch mentions William Gladstone's words that are now in Fawkner Cemetery,which sum up this book-
Show me the manner in which a nation or country cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.

A Journey of Discovery

2008-01-08T15:40:00.000+11:00

A Journey of Discovery: On Writing For Children is both a personal statement and a collection of celebrated author Ivan Southall's lectures on children's literature.

In this book, first published in 1968, the author discusses and questions the responsibilities a writer has towards his/her audience, whether books should be aimed at a particular age group,the boundaries between children's and adult literature and what subjects should be included in books.

He also describes the process by which he explores his own imagination to create a fictional world for children to delight in between the pages of his works. Ivan Southall is an world-renown children's author whose works have received acclaim, not only here in Australia but in many countries.
Read for both pleasure and in school text lists, Ivan Southall's books have an enduring quality that have stood the test of time and continue to enthrall his readers everywhere.
This book provides a wealth of insight into both the author and his understanding of his audience.