Travellin' Penguin

This week is the national Australia Book Crawl. Book lovers are given a list of participating book stores for readers to visit during the week. I’ll explain…

Yesterday I walked into the city from South Hobart. It was a very dreary, showery day with big gray skies and rain. I knew if I stayed home I’d fall asleep so I packed the umbrella and hit the pavement.

Hobart has four participating shops. First up was Hobart Book shop in the historic district on the waterfront of Salamanca. Salamanca consists of many historic sandstone buildings from the 1800s.

I was given my ‘passport’ and after looking around the shop I had it stamped. There were quite a few people browsing.

I then passed the waterfront area as I headed towards the city centre.

Shop 2 had me heading up to the central business district to see Richard and Em who run Cracked and Spineless. It is a windowless shop, up some stairs and hidden away in an arcade. They sell a lot of new and used books, many to a young crowd. They successfully market books on Facebook. Everything from classic lit, fantasy, contemporary and outright weird. They are always busy.

From there I walked another block away to a shopping centre called Centerpoint to the more commercial shop, Dymocks. It too was busy and the young women behind the counter were busy with customers. Again I got my passport stamped.

I saved my favourite shop, Fullers until last as I needed to get the passport stamped. Then I had to sign the passport and turn it in.

The passports , once turned in will go into a competition random draw. The prize is a large book pack from Penguin/Random House. I was then given a voucher for a free coffee in their cafe. The store was teeming with customers. The line at the cashiers desk was winding back into the main part of the store. I had to wait a couple of minutes to get a seat in the cafe. I think everyone in Hobart was visiting book shops die to the rainy, dark weather.

I enjoyed my flat white and a heated up berry muffin.

I was told quite a few people are participating in the book crawl which is such a great idea. I watched a few videos of people crawling in Sydney on social. Their list of shops was a bit longer. Our population in Hobart is only 200,000 so to see four very busy shops is something to be happy about.

With a hot coffee and muffin, I put my hood up and headed for the bus. The 5 kms walk from South Hobart and around the city centre was a real mood lifter on such a mild, rainy day.

Did I buy a book? No, not this time. I’m too busy and committed to reading the books I own this year.

I hope my friends here have a chance to have some bookish fun of some sort.

I’ve had a mega busy week with books read and outdoor photography. I’ll start with the books.

BOOKS

First up is:

Childhood: The biography of a place by Harry Crews. It is a compelling memoir that delves into the author’s early life in rural Georgia during the Great Depression. Born in a one-room sharecropper’s cabin, Crews offers a vivid portrayal of the hardships and resilience of Southern life, (America), interweaving personal memories with tales from his community. The narrative captures the essence of a bygone era, highlighting themes of poverty, illness, and the indomitable human spirit. 

This memoir is lauded for its raw and unfiltered storytelling, providing readers with an intimate glimpse into the formative years of one of America’s notable writers. The New Yorker has described it as “one of the finest memoirs ever written,” underscoring its significance in American literature. 

Recommend it? Yes. I loved it. When younger I read many books that took place in the American south but haven’t for many years now.

2. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Loved it. New York city in the mid 20th century. It was published in 2011. Set against the backdrop of 1938 New York City, the story follows 25-year-old Katey Kontent, a sharp and ambitious woman navigating the city’s social strata. After a chance encounter with the charming banker Tinker Grey on New Year’s Eve, Katey’s life intertwines with Manhattan’s elite, leading her through a transformative year filled with love, ambition, and self-discovery. 

Towles’s narrative captures the essence of the late 1930s, highlighting themes of class, fate, and the pursuit of the American dream.

Recommended? Yes. I enjoy stories of NYC during this time period. I enjoyed the characters and the elite lifestyle is very similar to those in the Great Gatsby. The time frame was fun.

Next is our May book club read. Australian author Charlotte Wood’s Stone Yard Devotional. I read this when it first came out but it didn’t sink in. The mood was wrong. This time I really enjoyed it.

The unnamed narrator, once an endangered‑species conservation specialist in Sydney, finds herself hollowed out by the looming climate crisis. In despair, she leaves her career—and her husband—to retreat to a remote convent on the Monaro Plains in New South Wales. Initially adrift in the rhythms of monastic life, she gradually participates in daily duties. Her solitude is disrupted by two “visitations”: the arrival of Sister Jenny’s exhumed body (murdered in Thailand) escorted by Helen Parry—a childhood schoolmate turned prominent nun and activist—and a catastrophic mouse plague that overruns the convent, forcing the nuns to summon an excavator to bury the vermin.

Recommend? If mice don’t bother you then yes. I really enjoyed the quiet days following the daily life of the convent life. Throw in an old murder and all the thousands of mice I kept turning pages.

Last but not least I cannot recommend this book by Barbara Kingsolver enough. Demon Copperhead. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023. It is a modern version of Dicken’s David Copperfield.

Demon Copperhead follows Damon Fields—nicknamed “Demon Copperhead” for his shock of red hair and fiery spirit—born to a teenage single mother in a trailer park in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. After his mother’s untimely death, Demon endures a series of foster homes, each more punishing than the last. Along the way, he forms a lifelong bond with fellow orphan “Maggot” Peggot, discovers solace in school sports, and confronts the opioid epidemic that ravages his community. Narrated in Demon’s own wry, resilient voice, the novel is both a coming‑of‑age tale and a searing social commentary. 

Recommend? Yes! It is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I loved it.

As you can see three of the four books are based in America. I wanted to relive in America during a time before people heard about D Trump. I have very fond memories of living in the “old” America. It seemed a much simpler time but no doubt that isn’t true. We just didn’t have the net. The current America is not mine and I want little part of it. These books were a joy and I felt as though I had time travelled.

Now I’m back living my current life in Tasmania, I will tell you about what photography has been happening too.

PHOTOGRAPHY

A couple weeks ago three of us were invited to go to a Pony Club south of here to photograph the young people with their horses. I can only share a couple of horse photos with you as we are not allowed to share any faces on social media. The photos have been provided though for the kids.

It was an extremely bright sunny day, right smack in the middle of the day. The worst time of day and weather to get good photos. The light was blinding with little shade. But we had fun. Having had horses when I was younger I just loved being around them again and being able to stroke their lovely heads.

I also did a Derwent Valley day trip for fall colours but that will come later.

Extra-extra.

We had a Fullers event this past month and also an evening at the Theatre Royal to see the musical play, Come From Away. It is the story of the 200 airplanes that had to land in Newfoundland during the 9/11 terrorist attack on America’s World Trade centre when America closed all air space across the country. We really enjoyed the story and the Theatre Royal in Hobart is always a fun time in such a beautiful building.

There is more but I have rambled long enough. Let me know if you have enjoyed this play or any of the books I mentioned.

Coming up this next week….a local book crawl. Here’s the article from the paper with the owners of four local book stores participating in this event. (You’ll need to tap photo to enlarge enough to read)

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Easter with friends and/or family.

I am back from my quick trip to New South Wales to see two of my friends. It was so nice to have a catch up with them. Lunches out, a bit of shopping and long talks never go astray. Not to mention the extra reading time one gets while flying, while encased in sound proof headphones that block the noise of conversations behind you or squealy toddlers.

BOOKS

One

Claire Keegan’s debut short stories book, Antarctica, 1999, that will be discussed at our upcoming book group this week.

‘ In the titular story, “Antarctica,” a married woman ventures out of town with the intention of experiencing an extramarital affair. What begins as an exploration of desire takes an unexpected and dark turn, highlighting the unforeseen consequences of her actions. 

Another notable story, “Love in the Tall Grass,” follows Cordelia as she travels along a coastal road on the last day of the twentieth century to meet a lover she has awaited for nine years. This narrative captures themes of longing and the passage of time. 

Keegan’s writing is characterized by its clear vision and exploration of how dreams, memory, and chance can have profound and often crippling consequences for her characters. The stories are frequently enveloped in a palpable atmosphere, drawing readers into the emotional depths of the narratives. ‘ Good Reads

This book is a definite YES. The writing is so enjoyable. The themes connect well from story to story and the cover is beautiful. I really enjoyed it.

Two

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson is another YES recommendation. The story-

‘When Will There Be Good News?” is a 2008 crime novel by British author Kate Atkinson. It is the third book in the Jackson Brodie series, following “Case Histories” and “One Good Turn.” The narrative intricately weaves together the lives of multiple characters in and around Edinburgh, Scotland.

The story begins with a harrowing event: six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses the brutal murder of her mother and siblings in a rural area of Devon. Thirty years later, Joanna, now Dr. Joanna Hunter, is a successful physician in Edinburgh with a baby and a husband, Neil. She employs sixteen-year-old Reggie Chase as a nanny. Reggie, recently orphaned, becomes concerned when Joanna and her baby disappear unexpectedly. Her worries are dismissed by others, prompting her to seek help from former detective Jackson Brodie. Brodie, who inadvertently finds himself in Edinburgh after a train accident, becomes entangled in the search for Joanna. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, investigating unrelated cases, also becomes involved as the characters’ paths intersect’ Good Reads

Overall I enjoyed this book though there are a couple of ‘wobbles’ in it where I had to backtrack as confusion set in but easily remedied. I have now read two of her Jackson Brodie novels. He is such an unusual character to many crime detectives.

Three

This book was the most serious of the three. It was gifted to me earlier in the year. I had looked at it in the book shop a couple of times but did not pick up. But when a close friend handed it to me I decided to read it.

There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak.

It was published in 2024. The narrative intricately weaves together the lives of three individuals across different eras and locations, all connected by the element of water. The novel begins in ancient Mesopotamia with King Ashurbanipal, who possesses a vast library containing the Epic of Gilgamesh. In 19th-century London, Arthur, born into poverty along the River Thames, rises to become a translator of ancient texts. In 2018, Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves onto a houseboat on the Thames following her divorce, contemplating significant life changes. The overarching theme explores how water serves as a conduit for memory and connection across time and space. 

Good Read comments

The novel has received critical acclaim for its ambitious narrative and lyrical prose. The Guardian describes it as “an ambitious, multi-perspective novel about the politics and preciousness of water.”  BookPage highlights Shafak’s ability to intertwine the characters’ lives, noting that “as the characters’ lives unfold on the pages of this remarkable book, readers gradually learn how they’re tied together.”  However, some reviews mention that the novel’s elaborate style can be overwhelming at times. Kirkus Reviews comments that “Shafak is overly reliant on certain stylistic mannerisms,” which may detract from the reading experience for some. 

Overall, “There Are Rivers in the Sky” offers a profound exploration of humanity’s relationship with water, memory, and interconnectedness through time. Chat GPT

Recommendation Maybe

I enjoyed the story and the connection to water and the poem of Gilgamesh throughout the centuries. However the section of the grandmother and grand daughter was quite tense as the wars happened and encounters with ISIS.

It is a hard slog in parts but the story of 1800s with Arthur was enjoyable though the poverty he came from is troubling. I’m glad I read it and I certainly will remember the characters for a long time. The more recent tale that takes place of Zaleeka who lives on the houseboat along the Thames was more tedious or so I thought. However there is a connection with water throughout the centuries these characters reside in. Maybe a few too many these introduced throughout that could have been omitted.

BOOK EVENT

Fullers bookshop had a fun launch of Jane Rawson’s non fiction book Human/Nature. She is an Australian author who resided in Melbourne for several years but has now relocated to Tasmania to escape the noise of Melbourne. Having moved to a small cottage in the Huon valley, surrounded by wildlife she has written about the questions she has of how people perceive nature. This includes everything from space to forests. It is a book of questions and her reactions to it. The event was interesting and boisterous as she has many followers who were in the audience and an enjoyable time was had by all. An hour well spent.

Photography

Black and white photography is the type of photography our club members are focusing on lately. We will meet this week to share our photos on the big screen and discuss things such as composition, 8 layers of contrast that is attempted and adventures we had taking them. I took these photos one day travelling on back roads with my camera. Such a fun day. Tasmania is a photographers paradise in many ways. Enjoy our rural scenes.

Other good news is I entered a national Camera House competition. The theme was COSTUME. I won first prize and a $200.00 gift certificate to Camera house with a photo I took of a Native American woman at a festival in California several years ago. It was a lovely surprise.

LIFE

I had to chuckle at an article in the paper today about the Jellycat Revolution. It seems with all the stress and bad news that surrounds everyone these days people are finding comfort in these lovely stuffed toys. Those of all ages are giving them hugs, cuddling up with them to sleep and maybe collecting too many of them. I don;t have one but can certainly see their appeal as I have a very plush rabbit I reach for at times as his lovely material is like a warm hug. And don’t get me started on how often I have travelled with a small penguin who snuggles in my suitcase.

The article talks about the embarrassment people feel when owning up to these comforts but I’m at an age I don’t care what people think. If I want to hug a plush rabbit I will do. I also hug Mr P, my dogs and my cats, but sometimes they’re doing something else and the rabbit is relatively quiet.

Can anyone else out there relate?

We’re now off to another week and we have also changed our clocks. No more light at night I’m sorry to say. Hope your week goes well.