The most beautiful book I’ve read in awhile…

The Blurb

One summer evening in the town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on a bridge, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond.

The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which our lives are changed by the most unexpected of people. When Hai takes a job at a diner to support himself and Grazina, his fellow workers become the family he didn’t expect to find. United by desperation and circumstance, and existing on the fringes of society, together they bear witness to each other’s survival.

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Eighty year old Grazina is such a character and the stories she tells of her past when her dementia kicks in are both touching and hilarious. Hai is a beautiful young man but has a secret from his mother that prevents him going home so he lives with Grazina. He works in a diner with more people who live on the edges of society, each with their own story. I love this book.

What’s happened this week? Well, my neighbour’s sister and her daughter arrived in Hobart to arrange everything for D’s funeral, which is private.

We had them over later in the week for afternoon tea and heard some wonderful stories of their family and some South Hobart history. They also knew the people who built the house we live in. We heard all about them. We are only the second occupants of this house and have been here since 1989. So that was fun.

There is a wake in our local pub for D next week. It will be a small gathering but I am happy there will be something. Then the sisters fly back to Victoria and that is that. Life may get back to normal though who knows what that means.

On the other hand look who ventured out of her room, got over her gate and visited me while I sat in my reading chair and read. I was so surprised to see Pickles. She is now ok with our cats. To my surprise, Eddie and Grizzy pretty much ignore her. Our little girl dog, Peanut (Peanny) is very caring towards Pickles. Ollie wants to play so he is still on a leash around her. Even more so he wants to play with Pickles’s toy mice. He is a Jack Russell after all.

MORE BOOKISH INFO

On another note my friend and I went to the Fullers launch by Adam Ouston and Richard Flanagan who have launched the first literary publisher in the history of Tasmania called Evercreech. They want to publish new authors not only in Tasmania but from anywhere they find good books and authors. It is all very exciting.

The book launched was Konrad Muller’s ‘My Heart at Evening’, the first book published by new Tasmanian literary publisher, Evercreech Editions. Konrad will be in-conversation with Geordie Williamson, and Adam was there to say a few words about Evercreech. Set on Tasmania’s remote northwest coast in the early 19th century, My Heart at Evening recreates the final days of colonial surveyor, artist and amateur botanist Henry Hellyer, whose 1832 suicide left many questions unanswered. The story is told by several perspectives and I understand it is quite a mystery.

Fullers was packed with more than 80 people, standing room only and it was a wonderful evening.

PHOTOGRAPHY?

Cousin Eddie makes a good prop.

Yes, I’ll be kicking it off again in another week or so. I have a street photography project book that has 124 pages of assignments of what to look for when going out with a camera. I’m going to get the random generator out and see what it chooses for me to do. I’ll be sure to share the photo with you as I go. I may mix it up with some landscape photography here and there as we all know too much of any one thing gets stale. Some examples from SNAP! are:

Zoom In

Follow the Light

Go where noone else goes

Immerse yourself in the daily routine

It should be fun and interesting as some of the topics are quite difficult to look for and find, then get a photo that actually comes out!

The first one I’m starting with, not this week but next is No 33- Zoom Out! It reads Step back! Open up a wider perspective by moving the attention from the details to the whole. This one should be a good start as it;s not too hard.

That’s it now until the next time. Have a good week.