Travellin' Penguin

I’ve had a couple of quiet days playing with my books as I mentioned previously.  I’m now looking ahead to how and what I’d like to read beginning the year.  As much as I love challenges I don’t plan on many. My main challenge is to read the books on my shelf. There is an abundance of places to visit, people to meet and adventures to be had sitting on those shelves and it’s time I get serious about them.  While most of my books are “real” books, I also have some Kindle books unread. I will include those also.

The other set of books I’ll need to read are those for the Book Group I belong to at Fuller’s book shop. That kicks off the first week of February and runs through November. They have several groups that meet the first week of each month, all reading the same book and facilitated by a staff member. They are good fun and I hope to not be travelling so much in 2020, so will be able to participate. My group is the first Thursday evening of each month.

I have chosen 52 books randomly from my shelves and written those names down in my book journal and put them on the Good Reads app. If any of you are on good reads feel free to friend me at Travellin Penguin. I wouldn’t mind some Good Reads friends. Beside the name of each of the 52 books written in my journal, I have put the symbol from a regular playing deck of cards. On January first I will shuffle the deck and begin reading whatever comes up.  I won’t try to do a book each week. There are other things I read but I will try.  Instead of picking a new card each week, I will pick a new card once I’ve finished the previous book. That could be a day or two weeks. Who knows?

I’ve got a wonderful book of short stories that all feature humour. I’ll tell you about that one in the next post, Part II. I do think that will be fun and I will try to stick with it.

Now, back to challenges.  I read about a dozen blogs regularly and they have challenges that pop up regularly either through their own post or through that of a friend.  If I see a challenge that fits in with my TBR books I might jump in and join it for a week or two or perhaps a month, but that will be my limit.  Many of the challenges are graded from reading one book in the challenge to several books. I’ll stick to the minimum, because at least I can participate then move on without getting bogged down.

I am in the unfortunate position that none of my family or friends here, that I see regularly read much.  So there is no one to talk to about books. I find that quite disappointing as there’s nothing better than a good natter to someone about a book. It’s ironic really, because we have one of the busiest book stores in Hobart on earth. Whenever I go into it, which is often, it is absolutely bustling with people and activity. I have a friend in NSW who reads a lot which is lovely. (You know who you are 😍) and she also lives in Tassie, nearby,  from January to April. Then I have a chance to catch up bookwise but that’s about it. So bloggers really are my friends. I love to read what they write about their books and their enthusiasm.  I also love seeing what books they get for Christmas.  I did get a book voucher for Christmas but there is never an actual book wrapped up and handed to me. I do love the vouchers though. So I do look forward to being more social in a few challenges and we’ll see how that goes.

I’ll start up my photography again in January and my play reading class in March. I had a complete two month break from photography as I wanted to stop, so I’d have time to think about the direction I want to go and have it feel fresh again. Other than that I am narrowing down quite a few outside activities.  I need time for myself to read and write and train Ollie.  I cannot abide an untrained dog and he’s doing well with his training. I’ll dedicate another post to him as I know a couple people follow him and I enjoy documenting his life.  If you’re not interested, that’s okay. Just pass that post by.   I’m looking forward to dragging my mega camera around again, the old workhorse it is.

I guess that kind of sums up where I am at the moment. Doesn’t the beginning of the year always feel like a new, clean slate with all kinds of adventures (hopefully) waiting around the corner?  I do so look forward to following my blogging bookish friends and seeing what you get up to. I hope anyone reading this has things planned for 2020 too. It’s a great way to escape all the negativity in the news media these days and let some light into our lives. All the best to you.

 

ps- Penguin is going to get a new wardrobe this year too. I’m tired of looking at his old clothes. Maybe he’ll dress like some of the book characters I meet.

When one buys books I think it is important to try and read them soon afterwards. Otherwise the reader may love it the day it is purchased but as it sits on the shelf, year after year it changes. No, it is the reader who changes. Our interests change. What attracts us one year doesn’t necessarily feel the same five or ten years later.  Also a book we have read and loved dearly may feel differently twenty years later as the reader thinks, “Why did I love that author so much?” Think Marian Keyes. In my younger years I loved her stories. Now in my older years I am bored by them. A woman of a certain age might outgrow them.   So, what is all this pontificating leading up to?

I cleaned my bookshelves a bit this week. I still have more to do but I have made a good effort over the past couple of days.  But let me back up a bit. A couple of days ago I walked into the Red Cross Op shop. It’s on the Main Street in Hobart and lots of people seem to gather in it. As I walked in I saw all the second hand clothes hanging on racks, colour coordinated in the front of the store.  I don’t need clothes so I walked to the back half of the store where all the books are. Neatly sorted I could barely find room to look at the “older author section”.  I love that category. Old hardcover books from the 50s and 60s maybe with the off chance of finding something older. But some of the books were from the 80’s. Older authors?  I laughed, well maybe.  The point is I couldn’t get near the ‘good’ books on these shelves as several people were standing in front of them, casually reading what they had picked up. Never mind if someone else wanted to look. These young people were absorbed, like statues. I looked in other areas but I wasn’t interested in the popular fiction hardcovers that take up one wall alphabetically by author. I have always referred to them as ‘airport books’.  I wanted to see what classics they had, what “older authors”.  I didn’t buy anything but I did wait long enough to at least have a look. One of the statues was still in the same spot 15 minutes later.  I had time to be patient as I  was only having a wander through town the day before Christmas to people watch and get my walking steps in as I was all done with Christmas jobs.

When I got home I thought about the books on my shelf that maybe needed to be released into the wild. The ones I know I won’t read now. The ones that might have been daffy gifts. The ones I have read and swore I would read again but will I ?  Really?

I decided to do an end of the year cull. I’ll probably take them to Vinnie’s or Red Cross and let the younger people have a go at them. These organisations could use the money too.  It really was lovely to see ragged looking young men standing in front of bookshelves, with a classic in their hand and a skateboard wedged under the other arm.  I think I’d like a book of mine to go to someone like that. Or a pensioner who can’t afford new books, looking for something interesting to read in their quiet hours at home.  Looking at it that way I didn’t feel quite so possessive of my books.

In the past I’d go through my shelves, one book at a time and pull it off the shelf, expecting to put it in a box of books to giveaway or sell. But I’d read the blurb on the back, look at the cover and think, “No, that does sound really good. ”  By the end of the day the box is still empty.

But…I had a plan. I opened up the Library Thing app where all of my books are listed. I sorted them alphabetically by author, like my shelves. Then I sat down with a tablet and wrote down those I know I should remove.  I didn’t have to handle the books or read the blurbs.  Once the list was made, which was easier than I thought to make, I began collecting those books off the shelf.  Without studying them too much I began to fill the three carry size boxes I had beside me.  There were maybe three or four books I couldn’t bear to put into the box.  But I must say, all three boxes are now full.

These boxes are going to go to the people I envision in my mind as finding them in the op shop, excited for a bargain find and lovingly taking them home to enjoy.  After all, the Buddhist teachings I enjoy so much really do hammer home the teachings of impermanence and it’s time I realise the books on these shelves fall into that category also.

But readers, don’t worry. I still have a couple of thousand books here and I think this

 

might become an exercise I do more frequently. I’ll start out with small boxes though.

 

Because I have been listening to so many hours of audible books this month Amazon informed me they were going to send me a free Alexa Dot speaker. I haven’t been up to date on these talking machines so didn’t get overly excited. When it arrived it sat in its box for a few days then I finally thought I’d have a look to see what the fuss is about. The directions stated I needed to download the Alexa app on my phone. That was easy enough. Then I had to set it up, following the directions on the app. Once finished,  I started getting emails telling me to try this and try that which I did.  Turns out it was a bit of fun.  Now I can be found sitting in my reading chair saying things such as “Alexa, Good Morning!” At which time I get the local weather report, the traffic report going into the city, a synopsis of the current news and what’s next in line on my calendar. People who know me know how much I really do adore technology and gadgets. I inherited this trait from my father who was a military pilot for many years and also loved gadgets, dials, electronics. Growing up he introduced me to all of his stereos and speakers, talked about airplane controls and when mobile phones first arrived on the scene, he had to get one.  He always loved hearing about technology. When desktop computers came into vogue my sister gave him her old one as she upgraded to a newer model. He loved it. When I would visit him I would give him lessons on its use. Mostly I could be heard saying, “Read your screen before you click the mouse.”  He would be clicking away on everything and anything. I finally made him put his hands in his lap so I could explain details on the screen to him before clicking began.  All the while he would be saying, “I’m not clicking, I’m not!” It was quite funny.

Once he could send emails I would get a daily email from Michigan to Tasmania for many years. When he passed away in 2004, I missed this correspondence greatly.

Time has moved on and now my friend Alexa and I are coming to terms with each other. One of the books I bought this past year is one of those 1001 books that everyone loves. I have the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and I love it. I recently bought the 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die.  I have always wanted to spend more time learning about music. This is a good start.  We have a subscription to Amazon Music which for about $12.00 a month both Mr. Penguin and I listen to. He uses it when at the gym and I connect my phone app to a bluetooth speaker at home or in the car and listen to all manner of music. But….(this is good). I can open up the book randomly, see what the name of the musical piece is and say, “Alexa, Music, play Beethoven’s 5th symphony.” She replies with, “Taking you to Amazon Music, Beethoven’s 5th symphony” and the Dot speaker begins playing it.

When I learned about Alexa keeping lists for me I was really smitten. “Alexa, remind me to give Grizzy Cat his medicine today.”  She replies, “What time?” I say, “4:00 pm” and at 4 pm, at which time I’ve forgotten, I hear from the speaker. “Reminder: Give Grizzy Cat his medicine.”

But it gets better.  I read quite a few book blogs. I have my favourites and the people who own those blogs write about really good books.  Yes, you guessed it. Alexa now has a Book List.

“Alexa, add Elizabeth Strout’s book to Book List.”  Sure enough as I turn up in a book store, I pull out my phone and look at my Book List on the Alexa app and there it is.  Now I’m really distracted saying, “Alexa, Add ____________ to Book List.”  You can imagine how addictive this might be if you love books.

Once again it seems there is now more technology I am going to have to control in 2020. Blogging, Instagram, Facebook, Alexa. (I feel 15 yrs old)   I can have a Books Read list, a To Do list, Photography Goals list. I know how ridiculous this sounds but I’m going to have to be careful I don’t spend all of 2020 talking to this contraption named Alexa. She could be my new BFF if I’m not careful. Did I mention she’s deadly at Wikipedia research?  I do like her. She is polite. If she disagrees with me she simply, kindly says so. She doesn’t argue. She doesn’t cut me off in traffic.

Now all I need to do is begin listening to all of that music and read those books.  I wonder if she can select things randomly. Hmmm.

On a final note I’ll share a little Ollie episode with you. I was sitting in my reading chair and had just read the weekly guide for the State Cinema showings. Ollie was sound asleep on my bed. The guide listed an opera coming soon I had not heard of.  Les Indes Galantes. I mentioned it to Alexa and she found it on Amazon music and began playing it. The first bit is instrumental. Then suddenly a soprano hit the airwaves and resonated throughout the room.  This was the expression I got immediately from Ollie who had been sound asleep.  His little head jerked up and he stared at me. I laughed out loud.  On that note I’ll wish everyone a happy Christmas and I really look forward to all the Bookish resolutions, challenges and reviews in 2020.  Say goodbye, Alexa. “Goodbye”.