Ada's Marked Man

I finished Looking for Alibrandi last night. That was a good book. Funny and moving. Now to Ada Cambridge's book, my copy with its "plain pack" cover and reproduction-style print. I hope the book isn't as serious as Ada looks but then, she lived and wrote around the turn of the century. I think she lived quite a fascinating life!

Bleak

I have just finished The Long Prospect, a terribly bleak book by Elizabeth Harrower which has been described as "an elegant evocation of the oppressive and damaging life in Australian suburbia during the 1950s" (Open Learning Radio National programme on Australian literature since 1950). All hope of a happy family life for Emily seemed to be dashed by the end in this book; dreadful.

Now to Melina Marchetta's Looking for Alibrandi "now a major film" and from the YF (youth fiction?) section of the library. Let's hope it's a bit of fun as the cover suggests; please?

Bad Seed

I finished Nick Cave's book a couple of nights ago. Pretty hard going. Just as well it was well written. I can't put it any better than this review from The Modern Word.

I've pick up The Long Prospect again and enjoying it now that I'm past the clumsy and confusing opening.

And the Ass Saw the Angel

My Junior Fiction book was a lovely read - it won Australian Children's Book of the Year in 1986 and I can see why. So far, it' probably the funniest book I've read from the list. Some cracking dialogue and very funny family moments all through the book. But of course it was also a very moving book. It would be a lovely book to read in the early teens but nice to read at any age, actually.

Now to Nick Cave's book and I suspect it will be a huge contrast to what I've just read (understatement of the year, I reckon ...). The title comes from Numbers 22.

Junior Fiction

Having finished Sundowners this morning (nice read) we made a trip to the library after Dominic's swimming lesson and picked up lots of books for DJ and a couple for me that I'd reserved. The Green Wind by Thurley Fowler is a Junior Fiction book and it's not the only one on the list,
of books for children. SnugglePot and CuddlePie, for instance and I'm pretty sure the Morris Gleitzman one is for kids. I don't mind in the least - there are some really great kids' books around. The Green Wind is also published with its sequel The Wind is Silver so I'll read both.


While DJ had his swim, I dipped into The Long Prospect, the book I picked up in Melbourne. But it's odd - I kept getting confused between the two characters. So will come back to it in another gap between library books.

This is the other book I got from the library today.

Praise, Remembered. Kind of...

I was trawling through the ABR FAN poll list over the weekend and realised I had another book on my shelf, that's on the list. I barely remember reading Praise which I bought some time around 2000, perhaps. Curious to think what might have posessed me to buy - and read - this book! Not sure I thought it was all that fab. Better re-read it! But not yet. I'll save books like this until last I think. Which means I might yet re-read Thornbirds and Nevil Shute's On the Beach.

But each time I go through the list, I find it incredibly tantalising ... can't wait to discover all these authors and all these favourite books!

Thank You, Fiona Capp

Gorgeous book, Musk and Byrne. I finished this sad story this morning. Such a moving tale and I am very grateful to its author. I will be warmly recommending this book.

Now to The Sundowners. This book was amongst my Christmas stash, not this particular edition, although this image looks more like it's been lifted from a movie blurb. I have reached the end of my current library stash but have one or two on reserve, still awaiting availability.