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It's about discovery. You'll discover some you like, and some that aren't for you. That's fine!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EHow far along do you have to read before you know that a book isn't even going to \u003Ci\u003Ebecome \u003C\/i\u003Esomething for you?\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EI'm always hearing people tell with perverse pride about how dogged they are about finishing a book, but I've never seen it as a virtue. More admirable to toss it and move on to something better, I say. Does anyone ever talk about a fabulous meal where the first three courses were unappetizing? On the other hand, there can be some hiccups as you get into a book and it can still turn out to be a thrilling read.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ETry the astute rule devised by Nancy Pearl, the American librarian diva, model for the Shushing Librarian action figure and author of the bestselling\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1584117\"\u003EBook lust\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ewhich goes:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EYou only need to read as many pages as the number you get by subtracting your age from 100, to know for sure if a book is worth continuing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EBasically, by the time you're 99, you'll just need to read the first page.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=1570613818\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=1570613818\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"200\" width=\"145\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6739876200834776274\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/great-summer-read-check-out-book-bundle.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6739876200834776274"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6739876200834776274"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/great-summer-read-check-out-book-bundle.html","title":"Great Summer Read: Check out a book bundle"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-1718473938351608779"},"published":{"$t":"2016-12-22T15:55:00.002+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-12-24T00:29:18.316+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#ALgreatsummerread"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Great Summer Read"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"GSR"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"reading challenge"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Great Summer Read: Read a book"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EChallenge #1 is your wild card! You can pick any book at all.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EWhere to start?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EPerhaps an intriguing title you spotted on someone's bookshelf while you were waiting for them to get off the phone? In my experience, it's rare that a book doesn't live up to its title.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2142765\"\u003EThe possibility of an island\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2721540\"\u003EA tale for the time being\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1174764\"\u003EInvisible cities\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1180064\"\u003EThe left hand of darkness\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eand\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1006351\" style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003EHeart of darkness\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;both.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2984492\"\u003EStuff I forgot to tell my daughter\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2576438\"\u003EDon't lets go to the dogs tonight\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2806412\"\u003EThe spirit catches you and you fall down\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003EAll good reads. But if anyone has any examples of annoyingly misleading titles, please tip us off!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EOr how about defying the received wisdom and choosing a book by its cover? Without even flipping it over to see what it says about the author, or if you recognise the names on the blurbs -- you know, those other guys signed to the same publishing conglomerate, or who taught at the author's creative writing programme.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EIn today's publishing world, covers are usually going to tell you just as much as the blurbs, and they will always be more imaginative.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EQuick! Match these adjectives to the books below. Tantalising. Wrenching. Seventies. Surreal. Was that hard?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781439142004\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781439142004\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"200\" width=\"131\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/d\/d1\/Haruki_murakami_hardboiled_9780679743460.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/d\/d1\/Haruki_murakami_hardboiled_9780679743460.jpg\" width=\"141\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781250069795\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781250069795\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"200\" width=\"131\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780224094153\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9780224094153\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"200\" width=\"128\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you're looking for something new to read, the best place to start is with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/EN\/New\/newtitles\/Pages\/newbooks.aspx\"\u003ENew Titles lists\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on our website. Because so many new books already have a waiting list when they are delivered to the library, you won't always see them on the shelves. Browsing the lists you'll find a cover photo and a summary for each title, and be able to request it in two clicks. It doesn't always mean going on a wait list -- it could be available, but just at another library, and you'll get it in short order!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe lists include fiction and non-fiction, audiobooks, ebooks, childrens, teens, DVDs, books in other languages and more. The fiction is divided by genre and there are an awesome 20 different lists, including graphic novels with 113 new titles this month, the second highest total after good old \"general fiction\" (ie non-genre).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you're looking for non-fiction, there are 39 categories to choose among, including both a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/EN\/New\/newtitles\/Pages\/newbookslist.aspx?sec=Adult%20non-fiction\u0026amp;cat=Cooking%20-%20Cakes%20and%20Dessert\u0026amp;my=201612\"\u003ECooking - Cakes and Dessert\u003C\/a\u003E and a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/EN\/New\/newtitles\/Pages\/newbookslist.aspx?sec=Adult%20non-fiction\u0026amp;cat=Cooking%20-%20Vegetarian,%20Low-Fat\u0026amp;my=201612\"\u003ECooking - Vegetarian, Low-fat\u003C\/a\u003E, with 27 titles just this month, including one by an Emma Bacon, who clearly does not demonstrate the nominative determinative theory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's also a category called Human Society, to distinguish it from, I suppose, books about bees, penguins, bonobos, tetras and the like. I scrolled through books about violence and borders, terrorism and white supremacy, sex and evolution, which got me wondering about that \"Human\", but I was quickly reassured by encountering a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3276408\"\u003Ebook \u003C\/a\u003Ewhich promised to show me how to turn grocery shopping, lawn mowing and PowerPoint making into \"sources for meaning and joy\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHappy hunting! Happy reading!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1718473938351608779\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/great-summer-read-read-book.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1718473938351608779"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1718473938351608779"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/great-summer-read-read-book.html","title":"Great Summer Read: Read a book"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-1596066118066787146"},"published":{"$t":"2016-12-22T12:38:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-12-24T00:19:55.202+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#ALgreatsummerread"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"challenge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Great Summer Read"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"GSR"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"reading challenge"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"summer reading"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Great Summer Read "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA4DSPwBaDs\/WEKOxxi4wyI\/AAAAAAAABaM\/vnLSA72fsSsrvoEYBxtVukjc8QaBCZdkwCLcB\/s1600\/GSR%2BWebsite%2BHome%2BPage.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"231\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA4DSPwBaDs\/WEKOxxi4wyI\/AAAAAAAABaM\/vnLSA72fsSsrvoEYBxtVukjc8QaBCZdkwCLcB\/s400\/GSR%2BWebsite%2BHome%2BPage.png\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ECall out to everyone taking part -- or thinking of taking part -- in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/EN\/Events\/Events\/Pages\/greatsummerread.aspx\"\u003EGreat Summer Read\u003C\/a\u003E! Yes, you're still in time to start. There's no registration and you can log a challenge at any time, even on the very last day, 30 January.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EAnd from now until then, we'll be posting tips and reading recommendations for the Great Summer Read challenges here on Books in the City.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EAdd your own Great Summer Reading experiences into the mix using the comments feature on any of the posts and you can tick off Challenge #10, \"Share your read\"! (Comments on earlier posts also count - no worries, reader who commented on the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EInto the River\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Epost!\u003Ci\u003E)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ENB Although only Auckland Libraries members can go in the draw for the Great Summer Read prizes, anyone can enjoy trying the challenges and contributing comments. The more the merrier!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EI've been hunting down (aka requesting) and bringing home my candidates for the Great Summer Read challenges and by now have a nice stash:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tPyaglhCsfU\/WEKK3bWE98I\/AAAAAAAABZ8\/s_3NfWFPVRckJmcbbZMFG-9sIL49oraRgCEw\/s1600\/The%2BGreat%2BSummer%2BRead%2Bbedside%2Btable.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tPyaglhCsfU\/WEKK3bWE98I\/AAAAAAAABZ8\/s_3NfWFPVRckJmcbbZMFG-9sIL49oraRgCEw\/s400\/The%2BGreat%2BSummer%2BRead%2Bbedside%2Btable.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"font-size: 12.8px;\"\u003EKaren's bedside table\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EAs you can see, I am a librocubicularist, someone who reads in bed, from the Latin\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Elibro\u003C\/i\u003E, book, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Ecubiculum\u003C\/i\u003E, bedchamber. A term invented by Christopher Morley, author of a book I'm going to be reading for the Great Summer Read, or more precisely rereading-- my choice for completing Challenge #4: \"Reread a childhood favourite\".\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ERecently I saw a comment on social media where \"pastime\" was spelled \"past time\" -- it seems a lovely expression for Challenge #4, where past time and pastime become one and the same.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ENo I'm not going to say -- yet -- what book I'm using for Challenge #4. Also because I'm thinking of using two books from that same year in my childhood, a favourite year, the year I got my first job in a library.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003ESo keep checking in with Books in the City for ideas for your summer reading -- surely one of the finest pastimes ever!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/1596066118066787146\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/the-great-summer-read_22.html#comment-form","title":"27 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1596066118066787146"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/1596066118066787146"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/12\/the-great-summer-read_22.html","title":"The Great Summer Read "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zA4DSPwBaDs\/WEKOxxi4wyI\/AAAAAAAABaM\/vnLSA72fsSsrvoEYBxtVukjc8QaBCZdkwCLcB\/s72-c\/GSR%2BWebsite%2BHome%2BPage.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"27"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-4804965365126408610"},"published":{"$t":"2016-10-19T19:00:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-11-08T10:54:01.843+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"book dedications"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gloria Steinem"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Jerome K Jerome"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ogden Nash"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sherman Alexie"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tony Ross"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuyi Morales"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Day of the dedications"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OJ413AHpYFk\/V-2gxPSoa5I\/AAAAAAAABWs\/s-t7aGtXX5kIcd4mOpGe4InuR_rXcks3gCLcB\/s1600\/SFPL%2Bdedication.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"292\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OJ413AHpYFk\/V-2gxPSoa5I\/AAAAAAAABWs\/s-t7aGtXX5kIcd4mOpGe4InuR_rXcks3gCLcB\/s320\/SFPL%2Bdedication.JPG\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E(photo: @sfpubliclibrary Instagram 15 September)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETime for the book dedications of the year! Not written this year, or not necessarily, but the best I've come across this year. It's a tradition dating back to my very first post for Books in the City, in which -- with the whole world of books available to me as subject matter -- I chose to celebrate the art of the well-written book dedication. That tells you something about my affection for those little solitaires twinkling and winking at us from the centres of white pages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'm talking about the best dedications, of course, the ones that speak from the heart with the tongue of a writer, that neither surfeit us with lists (how did that start, those endless pages of acknowledgments in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Enovels,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Efor God's sake!) nor starve us of landmarks, the ones that, despite us knowing they are for a certain someone, we discover are magically also for us.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are this year's finds:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1. \u0026nbsp;Yuyi Morales in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3153051\"\u003EThunder Boy Jr\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETo the Western Addition library in SF where, as a new mother and immigrant, I found my first home in the USA. Nancy, I hope you remember me. You changed my life forever when you put books in my hands.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003EA book dedication to a library! I had to start with this one. I've shared dedications to an author's typewriter, and to an airlines whose delayed flight inspired the book in question, but this is the first dedication to a library I've come across, via the San Francisco Public Library's Instagram feed @sfpubliclibrary (Western Addition is one of their branches).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs a librarian, I'm going to say that I'm sure Nancy remembers her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe post went up as we were counting down to Banned Books Week, which was appropriate given that the author of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThunder Boy Jr \u003C\/i\u003Eis\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003ESherman Alexie, whose\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2265322\"\u003EThe absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eis one of the most challenged books in libraries in his country, the USA. The dedication in that semi-autobiographical work also makes a point about home: \"For Welpinit and Reardan, my hometowns\", it goes, the first being where Alexie grew up, on an Indian reservation in Washington State, and the second the town where he went to High School, his first time off the reservation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThunder Boy Jr \u003C\/i\u003Eis Alexie's first picture book, about a boy looking for a name of his own; Yuyi Morales is the illustrator. \u0026nbsp;Here's a short trailer from the publisher:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;  \u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mlJM4Py_RQo\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2. Gloria Steinem in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb3083694\"\u003EMy Life on the Road\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGloria Steinem was asked by her interviewer at the Auckland Writers Festival this year to talk about the dedication to her new memoir, \u003Ci\u003EMy life on the road. \u003C\/i\u003E\"Shall I read it out loud?\" she rejoined. \"I don't want to assume everyone has read my book!\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHer reading of it made exactly my point: great dedications have it all there; they don't need to be commented on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis book is dedicated to:\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Dr. John Sharpe of London, who in 1957, a decade before physicians in England could legally perform an abortion for any reason other than the health of the woman, took the considerable risk of referring for an abortion a twenty-two-year-old American on her way to India.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Knowing only that she had broken an engagement at home to seek an unknown fate, he said, “You must promise me two things. First you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life\".\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Dear Dr. Sharpe, I believe you, who knew the law was unjust, would not mind if I say this so long after your death: I’ve done the best I could with my life. This book is for you.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781863957922\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.php?isbn=9781863957922\/lc.jpg\u0026amp;client=elgar\" height=\"320\" width=\"212\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E3. \u0026nbsp;Jerome K Jerome in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2516431\"\u003EIdle thoughts of an idle fellow\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003EAfter two new books, here's an old one, published in 1886. I knew about this dedication but for the longest time I was mixed up, thinking it was by Italo Svevo, so I could never find it. It could have been by Svevo, who had in common with Jerome K Jerome a love of what in Svevo's native Trieste was referred to with the Austrian term witze, meaning witty paradoxes and contradictions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETHE VERY DEAR AND WELL-BELOVED\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;FRIEND\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EOF MY PROSPEROUS AND EVIL DAYS--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO THE FRIEND \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EWHO, THOUGH IN THE EARLY STAGES OF OUR ACQUAINTANCESHIP\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;DID OFTTIMES DISAGREE WITH ME,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHAS SINCE BECOME\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO BE MY VERY WARMEST COMRADE--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO THE FRIEND\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;WHO, HOWEVER OFTEN I MAY PUT HIM OUT,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ENEVER (NOW)  UPSETS ME IN REVENGE--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO THE FRIEND \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EWHO, TREATED WITH MARKED COLDNESS BY ALL THE FEMALE\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;MEMBERS OF MY HOUSEHOLD,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAND REGARDED WITH SUSPICION\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;BY MY VERY DOG, NEVERTHELESS SEEMS DAY BY  DAY\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;TO BE MORE DRAWN BY ME, AND IN RETURN  TO\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMORE AND MORE IMPREGNATE ME WITH  THE\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EODOUR OF HIS FRIENDSHIP--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO THE FRIEND  WHO NEVER TELLS ME OF MY FAULTS, NEVER WANTS TO  BORROW\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;MONEY, AND NEVER TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETO THE COMPANION  OF MY IDLE HOURS,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETHE SOOTHER OF MY SORROWS,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;THE CONFIDANT OF MY JOYS AND HOPES--\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMY OLDEST AND STRONGEST\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPIPE,\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETHIS LITTLE VOLUME\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EIS GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDEDICATED.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EItalo Svevo also had a close relationship with tobacco, but in his case it was the cigarette, and in particular the last cigarette. In his book \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1174480\"\u003EThe confessions of Zeno\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003C\/i\u003Eone of\u0026nbsp;his alter ego Zeno's neuroticisms is to repeatedly smoke the last cigarette, in order to re-experience the joy of quitting. When Svevo was mortally injured in a car accident, he asked at the hospital if he could have a cigarette. His request was denied. Ah, he sighed, that really would have been the last cigarette.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EIn addition to the dedication, Jerome K Jerome also wrote a fine preface for his book, which I would love to hear read out loud by John Cleese.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOne or two friends to whom I showed these papers in MS. having observed that they were not half bad, and some of my relations having promised to buy the book if it ever came out, I feel I have no right to longer delay its issue. But for this, as one may say, public demand, I perhaps should not have ventured to offer these mere \"idle thoughts\" of mine as mental food for the English-speaking peoples of the earth. What readers ask nowadays in a book is that it should improve, instruct, and elevate. This book wouldn't elevate a cow. I cannot conscientiously recommend it for any useful purposes whatever. All I can suggest is that when you get tired of reading \"the best hundred books,\" you may take this up for half an hour. It will be a change.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. \u003Cb\u003ETony Ross in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2618588\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESticky ends: twenty-six cautionary verses with sticky end\u003C\/i\u003Es\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETo my dear mum and dad -- they always thought that I would come to one. T.R.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bVIa2-H6N2Y\/V_HtiEF9ODI\/AAAAAAAABXc\/lK_XhFMG2gow6lxSujuh5wJbtRm2xjP4wCLcB\/s1600\/Tony%2BRoss%2Bdedication.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bVIa2-H6N2Y\/V_HtiEF9ODI\/AAAAAAAABXc\/lK_XhFMG2gow6lxSujuh5wJbtRm2xjP4wCLcB\/s320\/Tony%2BRoss%2Bdedication.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5. Ogden Nash in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb1494147\"\u003EThe Face is Familiar\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis collection of poems by the man who gave us \"I never saw a purple cow...\" and \"If called by a panther, don't anther\" is a treasure I found in the Central City Library basement. Although the book was first published in the USA in 1940, our copy is the Australian Edition of May, 1943, a fact which some librarian of the past underlined by recovering the book in wallpaper featuring red and blue stripes interspersed with golden crowns. Not that this would have been her only foray into book preservation. Recovering books in serviceable wallpaper was once a thing in public libraries. I imagine this librarian's ghost floating around in our basement checking up on all her handiwork.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PqK3XRjbJMI\/V_HuQ4RLPtI\/AAAAAAAABXk\/YcRQD69DQEUdxEyfyDT5drz7TttSOmhvgCLcB\/s1600\/Ogden%2BNash%2Bwallpaper.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-PqK3XRjbJMI\/V_HuQ4RLPtI\/AAAAAAAABXk\/YcRQD69DQEUdxEyfyDT5drz7TttSOmhvgCLcB\/s320\/Ogden%2BNash%2Bwallpaper.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore disposing of the original cover, the librarian cut out the blurb on its flap and pasted it into the book, turning the book into a sort of time-capsule:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn re-issuing this book in an Australian edition, the publishers are confident that it will add considerably to the gaiety of this land at a time when our sense of humour is in danger of being submerged in a total war effort.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003EIt goes on to cite a poem in the book, a dig at Japanese expansionist tendencies on the eve of Pearl Harbour, which the Australian publishers - how realistically I don't know - hoped the Australians would still be finding funny in 1943.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the other hand, I myself found a comment apropos of Ogden Nash's death funny enough to note down - or maybe I actually came up with it?\u0026nbsp;It's scribbled in my own hand next to my notes for this post.\u0026nbsp;It'd be nice to think I could be so witty as to quip \"Merde! Improperly prepared!\" in reaction to learning that one of the most famous rhymers in the history of poetry died from eating improperly prepared coleslaw. Googling brings up nothing. If anyone knows the origin of this genial epigram, please let me know!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI was taking notes because I had discovered that a postage stamp honouring Ogden Nash made history by being the first US postage stamp to contain the word \"sex\"- \"although as a synonym for gender\", Wikipedia tells us. Whew!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"It appears under the letter O\" the wikipedia pundit continues. With my librarian skills I was able to quickly unearth a reproduction of the stamp, just to check that fact. The pundit had it right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-T9BSzHt6YN8\/V_Hn2KcYm6I\/AAAAAAAABXM\/4R7uDaVQI5ovPwGIrMc4qzoGPSr2uJIHgCLcB\/s1600\/Ogden%2BNash%2BStamp.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"193\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-T9BSzHt6YN8\/V_Hn2KcYm6I\/AAAAAAAABXM\/4R7uDaVQI5ovPwGIrMc4qzoGPSr2uJIHgCLcB\/s320\/Ogden%2BNash%2BStamp.JPG\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut I could not believe my eyes when I saw the price of the stamp and realised that this could not have happened in the fifties as I had assumed. In fact, it turned out to be issued in 2002, on the centennial of Nash's birth! What, the word sex made history in 2002? Are we kidding?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Amarillo, Texas newspaper article where I found this information contained, further along, a telling insight. The other set of new stamps to come out that year was \"Discover Canada\", highlighting popular tourist attractions. So, images of Foggy Cove and the Icefields Parkway and Buffalo Jump, vying for attention with Nash's racy poem \"The Turtle\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe turtle lives 'twixt plated decks\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Which practically conceal its sex.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;I think it clever of the turtle\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;In such a fix to be so fertile.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe dedication I found in the book, to Nash's wife, is not scandalous, antic or clever. It's sentimental, a bit reminiscent of the classic era poetry schoolboys of Nash's time (and of my father's, although he was a generation later) used to learn. \"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by...\" But it's definitely going straight to the book dedication wall in my pool room.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EFor Francis\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAnd now to settle for the years,\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThat flew like frightened birds;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAs fee for ten of happiness\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EI offer ten of words.\u003C\/i\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4804965365126408610\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/10\/day-of-dedications.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/4804965365126408610"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/4804965365126408610"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/10\/day-of-dedications.html","title":"Day of the dedications"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OJ413AHpYFk\/V-2gxPSoa5I\/AAAAAAAABWs\/s-t7aGtXX5kIcd4mOpGe4InuR_rXcks3gCLcB\/s72-c\/SFPL%2Bdedication.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-3199311969431416923"},"published":{"$t":"2016-02-11T22:30:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-29T14:07:23.695+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"#aklpride"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"GLBTIQ"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"GLBTIQ literature"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pride"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pride 2016"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Review Revue"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Celebrating Pride 2016 with a rainbow Review Revue"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-M6p2bx9Jipo\/VrxcSiBPTmI\/AAAAAAAABF8\/lLnuu0nruc4\/s1600\/Museum%2BPride.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-M6p2bx9Jipo\/VrxcSiBPTmI\/AAAAAAAABF8\/lLnuu0nruc4\/s400\/Museum%2BPride.JPG\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Auckland Museum lights up for Pride 2016\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYesterday evening at Central Library we celebrated Pride 2016 with our annual \u003Ci\u003EReview Revue\u003C\/i\u003E, an evening of stand-up reviewing with a focus on the world of\u0026nbsp;GLBTIQ literature. \"You get up with a book and you have seven minutes to make it notorious\" is how we describe it to people we invite to join our line-up of reviewers. And no one says no, which gives you an idea of the atmosphere.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EAnd for an idea of the content, well, you're in for a treat! One of last night's reviewers is a fellow librarian, so he also couldn't say no when I asked him to turn his notes into a post for Books in the City. Here he is and here you go!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cimg height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/669976908881248257\/l8tS922O.jpg\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cimg alt=\"syndetics-lc\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9781444743968\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMorgan Borthwick on \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2731221\"\u003ECinnamon toast and the end of the world\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI have never been to a Review Revue before. When my colleagues discovered an ancient book review of mine and asked me to speak, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to sit here and listen to me waffle on about that book I read one summer that I sort of liked because it had a hot guy in it.\u0026nbsp;But hey, I’m here and I’m queer and I’m here to talk to you about a book!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI thought long and hard about a book to read, do I go the popular route and review a classic you’re probably pretending you’ve read? Do I choose a best seller like \u003Ci\u003EA little life (\u003C\/i\u003Ewhich by the way, is totally fantastic and everyone should read)? Do I spend all night extolling the virtues of Maggie Smith (hint, it’ll be longer than 7 minutes)? Do I get up on my soapbox about the gay erotica that the library stocks and why I find it hideous (the inability of so many writers to accurately write gay sex scenes)? Or do I find a hidden gem that many people wouldn’t have heard about and bang on about it for seven minutes until I’ve convinced you to read it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou guessed it. I’m going to speed review for you a hidden treasure of a book that I read in one night, with lots of tears and smiles, \u003Ci\u003ECinnamon toast and the end of the world\u003C\/i\u003E by Janet E. Cameron.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPicture yourself as a Russian-Ukrainian Jewish gay teenager in a dead-end small town in Nova Scotia 1987. Can’t do it? Well, meet Stephen Shulevitz, our hero. Three months before graduation he realises that he is in love with his best friend Mark. Mark is straight, dyslexic, from the wrong side of the tracks and doesn’t know what he’d do if he ever met a queer. ‘Probably kill them if they touched me’ is one of his many sweet lines in the book.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat follows from this realisation is Stephen’s coming of age, interspersed with flashbacks to his childhood, to his adolescence with an absent father, and to his ever changing relationship with his dreamy mother. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don’t really want to tell you any more than that, because it is a fucking fantastic book that should be read by as many people as possible. At times hilarious, at others heartbreaking, it never fails to be unflinchingly honest. From Stephen’s experiences with sex to the horrors of -- and attitudes towards -- AIDS in 1987 to the clichéd but ever fascinating topic of gay men and their mothers,  this book covers it all in vivid, graphic detail.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat I do want to focus on in this review is the truth behind this book. I have read many, many novels about gay teenagers discovering who they are, starting at around age 12 when I was first discovering who I was beyond the Saddle Club novels and Cleo magazines. They veered between two extremes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESome were nauseatingly cutesy romantic (Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the Universe, Fan Art, Rainbow Boys, Simon vs The Homo Sapiens agenda) where funnily enough, the best friend is in love with them or SHOCK GASP the cute guy at the back of the bus is actually gay and has been stalking them too. This is heart-warming to read but it is simply not true. These books should come with a \"Don’t try this at home\" warning, as they’re setting poor questioning teenagers up for failure or worse.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOne the other end of the spectrum there is a range of teen reads where life is shit, high school is shit and the focus is on themes of suicide, depression, prostitution and runaways (Money Boi, Bait, Suicide Notes). While again a very real thing in the world for many gay teenagers, it is not always like that, nor is it helpful for books to perpetuate stereotypes and offer ideas like the ones some of these do.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVery few books find that rarely discussed but commonly experienced middle ground in exploring what being a gay teenager is like, and for me it's important to get up on my soapbox about one that does. I find it ironic that I had to go to a book set in 1987, in the middle of the AIDS crisis to do so, but there you go. Without spoiling it for you, it is an open ending, it has a bittersweet tone and it showcases that life for gay teenagers isn’t always about extremes. Often, writers forget that with gay teenagers, and trying to describe their life experiences, the drama is already there,\u0026nbsp;honey. You don’t need to add to it, we’ll do that for you. I love books that focus on the character, rather than the circumstances surrounding them and this book nailed that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor me, that was my life. As a gay teenager, I didn’t struggle, there were problems, bullies, unrequited crushes and awful experiences with girls -- I won’t lie. But there was no happily ever after as a 15 year old with that cute guy at the back of the bus; there were also no suicide attempts or drug overdose and years in rehab. That’s not to say those things don’t happen or take away from the struggles that people have, but for me, there was none of that.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere was just me, an ordinary gay teenager, trying to find his way in the world with not a lot of advice, a lot of alcohol and plenty of hormones. That’s what this book is about. Simple, plain honest life regardless of sexuality, written in the most beautiful of ways that understands sometimes life is messy, definitely not straight, but with a bit of grit and the odd tear, you’ll get there. I recommend you all read this book, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll all wish you knew a small town gay Ukrainian-Russian Jewish teenager like Stephen Shulevitz.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E(Podcast of the entire Revue coming soon!)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3199311969431416923\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/02\/celebrating-pride-2016-with-rainbow.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3199311969431416923"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3199311969431416923"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2016\/02\/celebrating-pride-2016-with-rainbow.html","title":"Celebrating Pride 2016 with a rainbow Review Revue"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-M6p2bx9Jipo\/VrxcSiBPTmI\/AAAAAAAABF8\/lLnuu0nruc4\/s72-c\/Museum%2BPride.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-4256842566321086884"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-27T14:00:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2015-11-22T17:02:25.947+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers and Readers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWRF 2013"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ramona Koval"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"reading"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Page Turning with Ramona Koval at AWRF 2013"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-l0RcpX6wTOU\/UaNxuVKvMnI\/AAAAAAAAAOA\/ujV4uXGbthA\/s1600\/Koval_BytheBook_300.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-l0RcpX6wTOU\/UaNxuVKvMnI\/AAAAAAAAAOA\/ujV4uXGbthA\/s200\/Koval_BytheBook_300.jpg\" width=\"130\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDubbed by \u003Ci\u003EThe Times Literary Supplement \u003C\/i\u003E\"Australia's literary microphone mistress\", the journalist Ramona Koval has written a book (\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2738175\"\u003EBy the book\u003C\/a\u003E) \u003C\/i\u003Ein praise of the art of reading. -- From the AWRF 2013 brochure.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENot having lived in these latitudes long enough to have been acquainted with \u003Ci\u003EThe Book Show\u003C\/i\u003E and its star Ramona Koval, I ducked into this session more or less on a whim, after bumping into (literally) two librarians I'm fond of, who were happily queuing to see it, and told me why.   A book (\u003Ci\u003EBy the Book)\u003C\/i\u003E in praise of the art of reading? I'll queue to that! Ramona Koval? Her as well! Ramona is the name of one of my all time favourite book characters, a strong early influence on my world view: Ramona Quimby, persistent, independent, exasperating, always wanting to know more than she needs to, and, of course, all round annoying little sister to Beezus.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut when Ramona Koval walked out, it was someone else she reminded me of, and it was... Colette! And no sooner had I realised that, than there she was telling the session chair Carole Beu of the Women's Bookshop (you might want to keep that in mind for later) that she \u003Cu\u003Eloves\u003C\/u\u003E Colette, that in fact on her computer she keeps a photo of \"Colette at 83, with a cake\". \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhy don't you talk more about yourself in your book? asks Carole, perhaps sensing in the sharing of this confidence an aperture towards the personal. \"Well,\" smiles Ramona, a bit sphinxlike, \"The people with whom I've had arrangements are all still alive...\" Now that is definitely not channelling Colette, who never let something like that stand in the way of a good story.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VHhM2f_EN40\/T6pOaYmxxrI\/AAAAAAAAGFI\/xw1TQwvTMfo\/s1600\/Colette+ca+1907.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VHhM2f_EN40\/T6pOaYmxxrI\/AAAAAAAAGFI\/xw1TQwvTMfo\/s400\/Colette+ca+1907.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"decoded\" height=\"163\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VHhM2f_EN40\/T6pOaYmxxrI\/AAAAAAAAGFI\/xw1TQwvTMfo\/s200\/Colette+ca+1907.jpg\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EColette\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-T0cdQyA4PkE\/UaNKSrcN91I\/AAAAAAAAANw\/NrrTK4_93eQ\/s1600\/Koval_JamesPenlidis_3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-T0cdQyA4PkE\/UaNKSrcN91I\/AAAAAAAAANw\/NrrTK4_93eQ\/s200\/Koval_JamesPenlidis_3.jpg\" width=\"142\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ERamona Koval\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut what are the good stories, and why are they good? Here we were treated to some enjoyable skirmishing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003ECarole: \"I read women's fiction. You don't mention any of the women's fiction I've been reading in the last 20 years.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERamona says that she likes to read any kind of book - for example, she has lately been reading about Robert Scott!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarole, firmly: \"I would never read a book about Robert Scott.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERamona: \"How about Marie Curie?\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen we had:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarole, commenting on Koval's book \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2522612\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESpeaking volumes: conversations with remarkable writers\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: \"As the owner of the Women's Bookshop I couldn't help noticing that out of 29 writers, only 9 are women. Why is that?\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERamona: \"Well, I picked the best interviews, I don't know, maybe the women weren't as interesting.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarole: \"I'm constantly aware that the balance is skewed in the favour of men.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERamona: \"If somebody's written a book that chimes with me, I don't care who's written it.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EColette: \"Women, men, \u003Ci\u003EJe m'en fous!\u003C\/i\u003E\" and takes a bite of cake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of the 29 writers included, by the way, are John le Carré, Harold Pinter, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Amos Oz, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jeanette Winterson, PD James, and Hanif Kureishi, who makes a \"matter-of-fact revelation that he never reads a book beyond the first 100 pages\". Now that chimes with me -- it happens to me, okay, not quite always, maybe two out of three books!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd now, from the series \"Every miller draws water to his own mill\":\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.textjournal.com.au\/april11\/knight_rev.htm\"\u003Ereview \u003C\/a\u003Eof \u003Ci\u003ESpeaking Volumes \u003C\/i\u003Efrom which I gleaned the above information, the work of an Australian journalist named Anneli Wright, ends with this observation: \"The single disappointment is the dearth of  Australian writers represented among Koval’s handpicked selection of those she deems  remarkable.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETake that, Ramona! (I don't think she will.) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/4256842566321086884\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/page-turning-with-ramona-koval-at-awrf.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/4256842566321086884"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/4256842566321086884"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/page-turning-with-ramona-koval-at-awrf.html","title":"Page Turning with Ramona Koval at AWRF 2013"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-l0RcpX6wTOU\/UaNxuVKvMnI\/AAAAAAAAAOA\/ujV4uXGbthA\/s72-c\/Koval_BytheBook_300.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-3274804660930095729"},"published":{"$t":"2009-01-01T05:30:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-09-04T00:20:18.350+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"bookshops"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Papeete"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tahiti"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"What books? Papeete stopover"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I love ports, I collect them like poets collect rivers or some women collect shoes, but they have to be working ports, none of those docks redeveloped into shopping malls for me. I want cargo ships, dirty water slapping on wood pylons, the smell of tar. Papeete, where I was lucky enough to have a stopover this week on my way back from a California Christmas, has always been one of my favourites. I love its gorgeous inhabitants, its slightly shabby air, the sidestreets with the dimly lit haberdashery shops run by incredibly old Chinese couples and bars exuding French pop ballads, the rusting iron work of the waterfront balconies, the market with its tables of pies and rows of pig heads in plastic sacks, bedecked with tinsel now for the holidays.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhenever I go to another country, I always buy a local paper to read over my first coffee. This can drive people who are with me crazy, for instance if the newspaper is in Greek and they have to listen to my enthusiastic etymological detective work. On this trip, I stopped in Papeete both coming and going, so on my return leg, having already read up on the fisherman who got bitten in the face by a shark and the Tahitian boy who won the French National Under 10 Chess Championship, I went out hunting larger prey. And reader, I found it. La Maison de la Presse, with its natty storefront advertising Tabac-Cigars, Curios-Photos and so on, down to the intriguing Press-Wines.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-A4ecH-W5A3Y\/UMUMhdm7y6I\/AAAAAAAAKFA\/9Df6UoCsFN8\/s1600\/maison.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-A4ecH-W5A3Y\/UMUMhdm7y6I\/AAAAAAAAKFA\/9Df6UoCsFN8\/s400\/maison.jpg\" height=\"210\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EInside, behind the calendars and souvenir cigarette lighters, were two stands of very dusty books. Incredibly, it was a Papeete version of the Take 5 promotion we have going at the library over the holidays, where you check out a bundle of 5 books and see what surprises you get. In La Maison de la Presse the books were all tied together in pairs with string. In Take 5, we like to tempt readers with a theme, like “Great love stories”. I couldn’t tell what strategy lay behind these bundles. I noted Gide’s \u003Ci\u003ELes Caves du Vaticane\u003C\/i\u003E tied to \u003Ci\u003EPost Mortem\u003C\/i\u003E by Patricia Cornwell, \u003Ci\u003ETreasure Island\u003C\/i\u003E tied to a Victoria Holt novel; and \u003Ci\u003EVoyage au bout de la nuit\u003C\/i\u003E, Celine’s dark masterpiece, tied up with \u003Ci\u003ERendezvous a New York\u003C\/i\u003E by someone named Veronica Bald (if I read my scrawl correctly), a “danseuse francaise”  who according to the back cover, had made the bad choice to take risks \"that had nothing to do with the professional\". Celine loved a couple of dancers; in fact, \"Voyage to the end of the night\"  is dedicated to one. Was this intelligent design?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI asked the French shopkeeper sweeping the footpath outside if I could take a picture of the books. “What books?” he said. It was like the “What hump?” moment in Young Frankenstein.Those interesting books over there, I said, pointing. “Oh no no no” he said, clicking his tongue.  “Go to Vaima (the big shopping centre in Papeete, where I have never set foot) if you want to take pictures of books”. I thought, what am I not getting?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA few things, I guess, here and there. “Did you go to a porn shop in Papeete?” asked my husband looking at my just downloaded photos on my return. I went to look over his shoulder. It was a photo I’d taken of the back room of another dusty little tabac-curios shop further up the street, where two blond female mannequins trapped in plastic boxes were stacked one on top of the other. I snapped it because it looked so surreal, a parable for token wives or sports girlfriends. In the foreground, unnoticed by me at the time, loomed a cardboard box bearing the words “Exciting love cushion”, complete with bright red illustration. And all I had been looking for was a pack of tissues to deal with the congestion the vicious airplane air conditioning had brought on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe best part is that I had thought \"Isn't it lucky I remembered the word \"mouchoirs\" so I don't have to mime it\". Who knows what I might have been offered. Anyway the mouchoirs were great, folded origami-like in tiny cubic packs. \"I love travelling\" I thought, and bought two. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3274804660930095729\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2008\/12\/what-books-papeete-stopover.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3274804660930095729"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3274804660930095729"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2008\/12\/what-books-papeete-stopover.html","title":"What books? Papeete stopover"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"tosca"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"28","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DKeaBNqmKUo\/VBStvJvL4cI\/AAAAAAAAR4M\/ZsfOjoSDymI\/s1600\/*"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-A4ecH-W5A3Y\/UMUMhdm7y6I\/AAAAAAAAKFA\/9Df6UoCsFN8\/s72-c\/maison.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});