Category: Fiction

Posted in Fiction

Be Able To Be Alone. Lose Not The Advantage of Solitude -Thomas Brown (1605-1682)

Posted on by TravellinPenguin

From my shelf…….

Today I am going to share a recently purchased book with you. It’s not the regular type of book I buy but I think it will be lovely. That is why I want to share it with you.

These Ranunculus brighten anybody’s day.

How many of you are familiar with the Danish magazine FLOW? I subscribed to it or just picked it up when I saw it. It could be quite difficult to find. Then with all that’s happening in the world they stopped printing it in English and the library I only had Danish copies. The editors have a love affair with books, bookmarks, cooking lovely treats, paper in all it’s forms, self wellness, little trips, big trips and beautiful art work. I have kept most of my back copies simply to cut apart for my art postcards I share with others around the world.

But it disappeared for a long time. Then walking through my home away from home, Fullers bookstore in Hobart, their little icon caught my eye at a book as I passed it. I stopped in my tracks , grabbed it off the shelf before I saw they had more than one copy tucked away behind the display book. I loved it.

It has been designed to continue sharing everything I loved in the magazine. It has postcards in it, a nature journal to fill up, a biscuit (cookie) recipe and a page of lovely tear apart bookmarks.

It gives fun advice for dealing with darker moods. Not full on depression but those days when one feels lethargic, out of sorts and full on contrariness. It recognises compassion, loneliness, self image and encourages activities for doing the small things in your community to get out of your own head as we deal with global warming, war and Covid to name a few. Little things to just get you moving that is guaranteed to get you out of your head on those funky days. Go to a museum, have a coffee and chat to someone, exercise with a walk in your neighbourhood or in nature. Pick up some colours and draw. Get back in touch with enjoying child like wonder. It is completely illustrated with beautiful artistic illustrations. It really is a happy book, impossible to leaf through without perking up and having a few, “I could do that”, “awwww” and “that looks yummy”. Bottom line….just MOVE!

I’ll leave you with some photos and as I progress through it on the days I’m so sick of rainy days where I deal with wet, muddy dogs, standing at the bus stop with the sound of rain on my hood, on those days I can’t get out with my camera…..this little book just may pop up again as I consider their advice and get moving to counteract the annoyances of our world.

I’d enjoy hearing about a book or activity that pulls you out of the doldrums. Stay well.

Posted in Fiction

The Book Events I’ll Be Attending…

Posted on by TravellinPenguin

For the most part. I am looking forward to meeting a lot of interesting writers in the coming months. The authors here will be of interest to Australian readers but I’d like to encourage readers in other states to attend author events.

There are always a lot of speakers one can go to but I find writers are the most interesting. The authors speak for 30 to 40 minutes with 15 or 20 minutes for questions. Fullers time keeping is impeccable and I appreciate that.

One day I might hear about Antarctica. Another day I might hear how another writer came up with the fantasy idea that is in his or her novel. Sometimes it’s political or environmental. Often times I have enjoyed an artistic conversation or seen some wonderful photography.

Writers encompass all subjects and thoughts and I often walk away from these events having learned something new to this old brain. Writers make me think. Sometimes I disagree with their points of view but I hear about the issue in a different way. Many times I am entertained such as hearing the music of the late Archie Roach.

There are author events in many cities around the world and if you are fortunate enough to live near these events I’d encourage you to attend, even if you aren’t familiar with the person. It is an inexpensive way to support your local book shop and have a different kind of an evening.

Australians will appreciate the agenda in Hobart this next month.

Posted in Fiction

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” — James M. Barrie

Posted on by TravellinPenguin
Our cat enclosure we call the lockup.

I am back and hope to be back again sooner this time. I had a great many things to catch up on in life and I gave films and books a complete miss for almost a month. I just put my head down and moved forward with a myriad of chores, new structures, health jobs and all that’s worth doing around here.

Now I look ahead to the rest of spring and summer with more spare time and a new reading area in our back “lockup”. Our lockup is a lanai type area behind our house and we enclosed it with lattice panels and laser light ceiling. It has a large passion fruit vine just cut back a bit as it was taking over. It is a lovely area for our cats to be outdoors as we don’t believe in letting cats roam outdoors, especially in Australia where so many native animals are small and cars are often driven by hoons.

So this post is pretty book free….but not entirely. I bought a small electric folding bike and I need to learn to ride it. Approaching age 73 next month, my balance is not great and although I work on it in the gym and at home, I think riding a bike will help. Waiting for a mirror to arrive as I hate being on roads around here without a mirror. I never understood why bicyclists don’t use mirrors like motorbikers.

I have done a bit of photography and magazine reading but no books. I have attended several book launches.

Today I received a lovely, short book by Sarah Bernhardt called In The Clouds from my Renard press subscription. I think I will ease back into reading with this 95 page novella published in 1878 to the utter dismay of Gustave Flaubert, when it replaced his.

I hope everyone has stayed well and has been enjoying hearing about the Booker Price announced today. The Sri Lankan book looks very interesting as were the other books it was up against. They were certainly different from each other. I would hate to be a judge.

Well that is me for the moment so I am happy to be online again.