Life: So happy winter is over. Although we did some wonderful overseas trips the rest of the winter has had me down and out with illness after illness. I won’t write about how I lost my lunch at the Hadley’s Hotel where I was trying to attend the Readers and Writers festival. Never mind, there will be another one.
Book Life: I dropped out of my book club for awhile as it was just too much. Too many books I wasn’t enjoying made me rethink the myriad of ones on my shelves I really want to read. I find reading takes more effort lately outside of blog pages, newspapers and magazines. Films are hard competition too. So if I am going to embrace my books then I need to read the ones I have bought over the years or the ones that really hit a note from blogs I read.
Films: Nothing at the theatre but yesterday I sat down and watched To Sir With Love. It was made in 1967. I was in grade 11 at the time. I loved and still love Sidney Poitier. I cannot believe this is the 50th anniversary of this film and I really enjoyed it. So much time has gone by. When?
And who knew one of the other teachers portrayed in the film was Patricia Routledge. (Hyacinth Bucket of all people amongst other important roles) and James Clavell (The Asian series, Shogun, King Rat, Tai Pan) did the screenplay from the book by E.R. Braithwaite
Books on the Go: I have two on the go, both very different. Talking With Cats by W. Lee Nichols. Mr. Nichols was raised and home schooled in Appalachia in the U.S. . Now he is at the pointy end of his life, he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer. He had the operation. Surgeons recommend radiation and maybe chemo. He says, “No, I want to walk the El Camino Trail…all 500 miles of it.” He begins. This is the story. He describes the wonderful food he encounters, the trail he takes, the accommodation, the hip pain. I have just begun it but am enjoying it thoroughly. I assume he will also reflect on his past and talk about other things. Being raised in Appalachia, the other foods and cultures he has studied. He advocates for senior health and the healing power of joy and nature. He wants to be known as “the Poster Boy for Walking”.
The other book I am almost finished with is one from Audible.com. Tim Winton’s book of short stories. Tim Winton, The Boy Behind the Curtain. He states, ‘Being a copper’s son, I’ve always got one eye out for trouble. I can’t help it. But I don’t go looking for it anymore.’
Published 2017 by Penguin books. I love the writing of Tim Winton. I feel as though someone has put me into Western Australia during the 1960’s and left me there. This book reflects a great deal on the life of being the son of a copper during this time. Many of the stories reflect his experiences with his dad. His dad’s bad car accident that nearly killed him. Coming across a motorbike accident while in the car one evening with his dad. Growing up in church and his views on that institution. He discusses the conflicted impact those days had on his Sundays, when he loved the memories of community and family but yearned to use those Sundays to go surfing with friends. Every time I hop in the car and take the 10 to 15 minutes to drive into town or take the dogs to the beach I hear yet another tale of his, narrated by him as I become a Western Australian again.
Both books are full of thoughts, ideas, good writing and in Tim’s case quite a bit of humour.
Travel: I seem to travel mainly to the dog beach with Odie and Molly. They love it and as tourists flock here from other places I can always pretend I am on an exotic holiday just by living in Tassie.
Until next time…
A Penguin's Journey- Books, Travel, Photography 
50 years! I don’t there is a bad Sidney Poriier movie, maybe Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner but with that cast you enjoy it anyway. And I do want to give honorable mention to it’s theme song. It’s the grooviest theme song any movie ever had. 😉
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That’s a shame about your bookclub. I love the community of face-to-face readers, but you do have to find a group that reads books that you like to read. Every now and then mine might read one that I would prefer not to read, but that’s actually very rare. We are pretty rigorous about choosing books that have meat. The value of the club is that I’m sometimes introduced to a book I hadn’t considered reading – such as Passionate nomad early this year about Freya Stark. And last year, Best science writing. Wow, that was an eyeopener. Just saying that bookgroups can be great – if you find the right one and if, fundamentally, you love the idea of spending time discussing books with other booklovers.
Oh, and I’m with you, I am so glad daylight savings has started (and warmer weather too.)
Hope you have a healthy summer.
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Thank you. I am looking forward to warmer weather and daylight.
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My reading friends used to laugh at me when, decades ago, I had a ‘dead authors’ rule of thumb. I still pretty much stick to that, except for mysteries. I’ve seldom enjoyed contemporary ‘literature’. It always seems so self-important. I don’t like book clubs for the same reasons you don’t like them. I’m sorry you’ve had so many illnesses this winter. I hope the dogs and the warmer weather will get you back to good health. Do what you like, do what you want to do.
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No worries on that front Joan. Dogs are the best medicine for everything. Especially my two little nurses. One of whom indulges me everything and the other who is like a country matron and makes me get up and do things. Books are a close second.
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sorry to hear about the ill health… i hope things improve over the summer… i’ve been perplexed off and on for the last ten years or so about what to read: i’ve felt that i should read the “should read” books, but have constantly been drawn off track by more interesting mysteries and sci fi and travel books… now i think i have about decided that i might as well read what i want, as there’s not much more to expect in the aged learning curve… i’m 74 and am limited in the things i do, so i’ll concentrate on those and try to not feel guilty about not reading what i used to think i should read… i’ve never joined book clubs for the reasons you state… following my own weird seems most important at this time of my life… Odie and Molly and our Albert probably know best, anyway: eat good things and watch the world of nature…
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I agree totally. So many of the books I have been told I must read have been total disappointments. Giving up on most recommendations. Maybe others should be more serious about following what we read !!
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Yup, I’m with you on book clubs. I’ve belonged to a few, and in fact my little blog started out in life as a place for the online book group focussing on OzLit I co-founded (with a lovely lady called Kim Dwyer). But as with all of them I ended up reading books that I didn’t like and didn’t want to spend time or effort discussing, and I think that as we get older we value our reading time more than ever and want to spend it reading books we really like.
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So true. I love the social side of it but too much time on boring books does not inspire.
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