tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57115291397823339772024-03-13T11:36:16.118+10:00Bouquets of Sharpened Pencilsor 'Goodnight Dear Void'Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.comBlogger423125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-69258662970208680392015-01-11T16:11:00.000+10:002015-01-11T16:15:24.326+10:00Things to do when you have nothing to do<div style="text-align: justify;">
I often struggle with loneliness and boredom when I'm stuck at home by myself. I get my energy from spending time with people. This means that when my friends are busy and I'm home alone for days on end, I start to feel depressed. </div>
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I took these holidays as an opportunity to learn some ways to combat this loneliness. This list is of all the things I like to do with my alone time. Just because I'd rather be spending time with my favourite people doesn't mean I can't have a nice time by myself. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Making bath-time special</span></div>
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I need to remind myself how great a bath can be for self-indulgence. These are my suggestions for how to make your nightly soak special:<br />
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<li>Use <a href="http://www.dusk.com.au/candles/tealights">t</a><a href="http://www.dusk.com.au/candles/tealights">ealight candles</a> for a twinkly twilight ambience.</li>
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<li>Use Lush <a href="https://www.lush.com.au/shop/product/category/path/143_145/bath-bombs">bath bombs</a> or <a href="https://www.lush.com.au/shop/product/category/path/143_146/bubble-bars">bubble bars</a>. They're cheap and can last a long time if used slowly.</li>
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<li>Watch TV on a laptop. I love <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/">SBS On Demand</a> and <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/">ABC iview</a> for great home-grown TV, documentaries, and foreign films. </li>
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<li>Stock up on food and drink! I love taking a cup of tea or Milo into the bath. Also lollies or a packet of bikkies are perfect bath-appropriate snacks.</li>
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<li>Follow up your bath and get ready for bedtime by moisturising your skin and massaging your tired muscles. </li>
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<li>Slip straight into pyjamas and enjoy the soft snuggliness that only flannel can offer.</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At-home indulgences</span></div>
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Here are some small things that I do to make home-alone time less lonely and boring. </div>
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<li>I'm a big tea drinker so one of the biggest indulgences is making fresh <a href="http://www.t2tea.com/shop/tea-2/black-tea/?start=0">loose leaf tea</a>. </li>
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<li>Rent a movie and play it in the background to make any chores you might have more interesting.</li>
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<li>Refresh your <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=nail%20polish&term_meta%5B%5D=nail%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=polish%7Ctyped">nail polish</a>. This is so cliched and girly, but I find it really relaxing to take time out to do something nice for myself. </li>
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<li>Watch Youtube vlogs. My favourite video bloggers are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4R3_LXX1I6SO6SlUYEWYtg">Jim Chapman</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIIH7yHQugaUuoTZDoEUuQ">Tanya Burr</a>. Watching their videos makes me feel like I'm spending time with lovely people even when I'm stuck indoors. </li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Small escapes from the house</span></div>
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I often feel a bit caged up in my house. I always feel better and fresher if I can escape it for a little while. These are some things I like to do to get out of the house:<br />
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<li>Errands might not look like fun, but having something to do can give you a sense of purpose. Small errands like a trip to the shops aren't time-consuming but get you out of the house. </li>
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<li>I often crave coffee but I can't make a good enough cup at home. I love to go for a quick drive to the coffee shop, with my favourite cd pumping in the stereo for an escape from the house. </li>
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<li>Take a book or your lunch to the park or beach, and enjoy the shade and change of surroundings. </li>
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<li>Go for a run or walk the dog. Running especially can improve your energy and motivation levels.</li>
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<li>Spend some time in the library. You can take advantage of the free wi-fi to do your own thing, or enjoy the air-con and comfy sofas for reading. </li>
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So these are my personal favourite things to do when I'm home alone. I hope that you find some of these suggestions helpful if you ever get the short end of the social-committments stick and are feeling lonely. I'd love to hear what you enjoy doing when you're home alone, so leave a comment.</div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-24493325454999994822015-01-01T21:48:00.000+10:002015-01-02T08:22:01.175+10:00What We Read: 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year! Now is the perfect time to look back and reflect on what made 2014 an amazing year of books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What We Read: 2014</span><br />
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<li><i>A Clockwork Orange </i>by Anthony Burgess</li>
<li><i>If on a winter's night a traveller... </i>by Italo Calvino</li>
<li><i>Humans of New York </i>by Brandon Stanton</li>
<li><i>Slaughterhouse Five </i>by Kurt Vonnegut</li>
<li><i>The Gun Seller </i>by Hugh Laurie</li>
<li><i>The Fault in Our Stars </i>by John Green</li>
<li><i>The Meaning of Liff </i>by Douglas Adams</li>
<li><i>Northern Lights </i>by Phillip Pullman</li>
<li><i>How I Live Now </i>by Meg Rosoff</li>
<li><i>Seven Little Australians </i>by Ethel Turner</li>
<li><i>The Hunger Games </i>by Suzanne Collins</li>
<li><i>The Graveyard Book </i>by Neil Gaiman</li>
<li><i>Sleeping Dogs </i>by Sonya Hartnett</li>
<li><i>Catching Fire </i>by Suzanne Collins</li>
<li><i>Mockingjay </i>by Suzanne Collins</li>
<li><i>Bridge to Terabithia </i>by Katherine Paterson</li>
<li><i>Neverwhere</i> by Neil Gaiman</li>
<li><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time </i>by Mark Haddon</li>
<li><i>We Need to Talk About Kevin </i>by Lionel Shriver</li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Lowlights</span></div>
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<b>These are the books from 2014 that I didn't enjoy or I disliked for some reason. Apologies if any of these are your favourite!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUmWfcyhNmnPomYdsd-fu07dHJQRUPlGgGLnNhE1OB7AKrjcwNi0HaDGtmgvNnAEpjORNcTpak57tEAgp-d9x5eb2LJM4FWK9asljqGMoiJ3qdIYI6uYDlf-ib5duzX_m-pCXFSsYqYyP/s1600/BridgeTerabithia6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUmWfcyhNmnPomYdsd-fu07dHJQRUPlGgGLnNhE1OB7AKrjcwNi0HaDGtmgvNnAEpjORNcTpak57tEAgp-d9x5eb2LJM4FWK9asljqGMoiJ3qdIYI6uYDlf-ib5duzX_m-pCXFSsYqYyP/s1600/BridgeTerabithia6.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
<b><i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> by Katherine Paterson </b>is a modern children's classic. I expected to find it magical and moving, but it reminded me of too many other American kid stories. The slow-pace and heavily accented dialogue made me question its appeal. <br />
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<b><i>How I Live Now</i> by Meg Rosoff</b> is a coming-of-age story set in a futuristic World War III. Daisy is a rambling, lackadaisical narrator. She is anorexic and has an incestuous relationship with her cousin. Rosoff's aimed for Daisy<i> </i>to be a fresh viewpoint for discussing the topics of war and growing up. But the narrative treats anorexia as nothing more than a convenient character quirk. The plot jolts to an end with a six-years-later segment which feels shoe-horned in. <br />
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<b><i>Sleeping Dogs</i> by Sonya Hartnett </b>focuses on domestic abuse and incest amongst members of the Willow family. It is a disturbing, gritty tale set against an inhospitable outback Australian backdrop. The sharp writing style and grim depictions of the landscape are excellent, but I wouldn't revisit this story.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Highlights</span></div>
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<b>These are the books from 2014 that changed the way I think and feel. They have stayed with me long after the final page.</b></div>
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<b><i>A Clockwork Orange</i> by Anthony Burgess </b>is confronting and violent, and won't fail to impact your perception of human nature. The language is weird and rich, making sure you remember this wild story of a future world of violence and criminal reconditioning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ge0gmBsxrNlNaRLOtwdXPDEJh6gbwkpZOqC0HKZI5rsaqtPibKxadTY4GgY8ZB91KZ3Z8kkH9hTQuXWhrOPYIiQcxVHfain1fk75p5lPGDaszZ4uQryFk51j6vfTX3zKDaZPJlWuDqUz/s1600/41AVVhtHugL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ge0gmBsxrNlNaRLOtwdXPDEJh6gbwkpZOqC0HKZI5rsaqtPibKxadTY4GgY8ZB91KZ3Z8kkH9hTQuXWhrOPYIiQcxVHfain1fk75p5lPGDaszZ4uQryFk51j6vfTX3zKDaZPJlWuDqUz/s1600/41AVVhtHugL.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a><b><i>If on a winter's night a traveller...</i> by Italo Calvino </b>is an adventure in which the reader is the hero. The writing engages the reader directly through second person point of view, leading you deeper and deeper into its web of overlapping stories. No explanation can do this genius narrative justice!</div>
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<b><i>Slaughterhouse Five </i>by Kurt Vonnegut </b>reimagines the classic war story in a way that shocked and inspired me. Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. His narrative of time travel through WWII and an alien abduction discusses war so that readers can reach an unexpected high of empathy. Vonnegut's prose is beautiful, minimalistic, and resonating. Scenes and ideas that we are tired of seeing over and over again are made new in this book. </div>
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<b><i>The Hunger Games</i> series by Suzanne Collins </b>is popular for all the right reasons. The writing is riveting and the story validates young readers' journeys of growth to self-empowerment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99yBgBd2x4s7nD5oBnm3DHjLIilHsMvOoB7yl_K9vlKUVimr2q5Ib1a7dXtQdxB3rGfpK5L3C9EBzqSg3XDkfOdUCkP0J3UbFtSFNbwEwiyrhtlXtJXA13st0TlRaACCR9fq7ncdUCSVz/s1600/We-Need-to-Talk-about-Kevin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99yBgBd2x4s7nD5oBnm3DHjLIilHsMvOoB7yl_K9vlKUVimr2q5Ib1a7dXtQdxB3rGfpK5L3C9EBzqSg3XDkfOdUCkP0J3UbFtSFNbwEwiyrhtlXtJXA13st0TlRaACCR9fq7ncdUCSVz/s1600/We-Need-to-Talk-about-Kevin.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><b><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time </i>by Mark Haddon </b>is brilliant and witty. Readers assume that 15-year-old narrator Christopher has Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. His narration immerses readers into the almost claustrophobic complexity of his hopes and fears. The story is hilarious, nerve-wracking, and thought-provoking.</div>
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<b>We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver </b>is stunning. Eva's son Kevin murdered his classmates in a highschool massacre. Eva narrates the story through a series of letters that reflect on and explain her thoughts and feelings, from before Kevin's birth to current day. In Eva, Shriver has created a human being so full of empathetic fear, guilt, and retrospect that I couldn't escape its intense impact. This book turned my thoughts on human life, love, and relationships upside down. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It may have been a slow year for blogging, but the books of 2014 have taught me and changed me. I hope that your reading continues to excite you. Leave me a comment to share the books you loved from 2014 and let us know what you can't wait to read in the new year!</span></div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-73947132540828334352014-12-15T00:23:00.003+10:002014-12-15T00:23:51.508+10:00The Graveyard Book: a neat and tidy review<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdD5sUwuagALpkVaxfZlY43I6S1fiXeQ9GXCXuRbueInMxgonn17A15bvZ429nBuIWfDbV1Tw-VHair5LDMv0XcOj7PoKpfdYdgAcAdYu_vPduMdvNPQPAOoD8a0T3JEb8c1GiNK-Ve3k/s1600/thegraveyardbookuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdD5sUwuagALpkVaxfZlY43I6S1fiXeQ9GXCXuRbueInMxgonn17A15bvZ429nBuIWfDbV1Tw-VHair5LDMv0XcOj7PoKpfdYdgAcAdYu_vPduMdvNPQPAOoD8a0T3JEb8c1GiNK-Ve3k/s1600/thegraveyardbookuk.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children's cover illustration</td></tr>
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<b><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman is one of the greatest books for children's bedtime reading. </b> <i>The Graveyard Book</i> is a spooky modern reimagining of <i>The Jungle Book, </i>telling the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan raised by the ghostly inhabitants of a graveyard. As Bod explores the side-by-side worlds of the living and the dead, his safety is threatened by the man who murdered his family. This is a classic coming-of-age story that will resonate with both young and older readers.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bedtime reading gold?</span></div>
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What makes <i>The Graveyard Book</i> such a brilliant bedtime read is its structure. Each chapter is an episode, containing a story with a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. Enjoying the story one chapter at a time, children will be excited to continue following Bod's journey, but will sleep soundly at each chapter's end. I think this would also make it a fantastic audio book.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoMJK22z8uM4USe1fAODlYjtcivAHfmB2wZowkq1yj1HdhB1o2YCZhY4JGvAT1sRe85kmgcDgld0_nZ1-SmvbCTK4Dv1r9nioschZVEcnx_4LehpvQAnbpxWzIhvf7AJVsMY305co7B9c/s1600/GY-BOOK-SUB-cover-final-front.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoMJK22z8uM4USe1fAODlYjtcivAHfmB2wZowkq1yj1HdhB1o2YCZhY4JGvAT1sRe85kmgcDgld0_nZ1-SmvbCTK4Dv1r9nioschZVEcnx_4LehpvQAnbpxWzIhvf7AJVsMY305co7B9c/s1600/GY-BOOK-SUB-cover-final-front.jpeg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult cover illustration</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Double demographic?</span></div>
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Neil Gaiman has referred to <i>The Graveyard Book</i> as "a book for adults that children would like too". It is for parents AND for their children. In fact, the book has been published with several different front cover illustrations to highlight its different demographics. </div>
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Two different narratives fit snugly side by side: one of a child's coming of age in a big and scary world; and another of parents struggling with the emotional conflict of letting go as their child outgrows their cotton-wool protection. This double narrative makes <i>The Graveyard Book</i> a rewarding read that validates the experiences and emotions of both young AND older readers. </div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-51537219984801687362014-10-23T20:09:00.001+10:002014-10-23T20:09:40.410+10:00Youth and Children's Writing Prize and Uni Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Shortlists and Prizes!</span></div>
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So a very quick and exciting update for you! Firstly, my short story <i>Eyes and Ears </i>won the <b>2014 QUT Youth and Children's Writing Prize</b>. I might have dropped off the face of the blogging world the last few months, but believe me, I've been busy at work in the writing world. </div>
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Secondly, my poem<i> Getting Late </i>has been shortlisted for the <b>2014 QUT Poetry Prize</b>. The winner is to be announced sometime this week. I'm on tenterhooks. </div>
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This sudden and overwhelming recognition for my work has taught me a real lesson. Certainly true for me is the axiom that we're our own worst critic. But it's time I stopped undervaluing my work and started believing in it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">General Updates</span></div>
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It's been an amazing semester of learning and opportunity at uni: </div>
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1. I'm growing proficient and passionate about proofreading.</div>
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2. I'm trying to freelance my way into publications.</div>
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3. Poetry is definitely a medium my creative mind makes sense in.</div>
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4. Career counsellors and teachers are helping me to get an idea of what I'll do after graduation.</div>
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I've been absent from Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils for a long while. I'm in the process of rethinking my online presence and I'm not sure yet if this is the best platform for me. You can expect some tweaks sometime in the future. </div>
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Anyway, that's all for now. Take care and I'll fill you in on the results of the Poetry Prize!</div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-46059885501703663882014-07-22T19:56:00.000+10:002014-07-22T19:56:14.476+10:00120 Years of Seven Little Australians<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The opening lines of <i>Seven Little Australians</i> had me hooked. In 1994, Ethel Turner's children's classic was the only book by an Australian author to have been continuously in print for 100 years! That's an enormous feat to boast. And for a kid's book too!</span></div>
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Having heard past students grumble "too old" over this book, I wasn't pumped to read it for uni. Yet in the first lines, I found something homey and familiar I did not expect.</div>
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What do you think?</div>
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<i>Before you fairly start this story I should like to give you just a word of warning.</i><span style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;"> If you imagine you are going to read of model children, with perhaps a naughtily inclined one to point a moral, you had better lay down the book immediately and betake yourself to </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Sandford and Merton</span><span style="text-align: justify;"><i>, or similar juvenile works. Not one of the seven is really good, for the very excellent reason that Australian children never are. </i> </span></blockquote>
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Ethel Turner. 1894. <i>Seven Little Australians. </i>Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc72vYlGY8cGyOPY_i3BiBzS1q9AT8-Krq6AQZBd_OWF_CxoM8yfZ7fFgxEq7TqdTxB4VYTRyS-4X_v4lbeg4tvwHW1hVj6XAXAVkZW-dT4gnBstpF3f2Nt_gIBJw0rwjPWwYpdao1Sm0/s1600/9780670076871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc72vYlGY8cGyOPY_i3BiBzS1q9AT8-Krq6AQZBd_OWF_CxoM8yfZ7fFgxEq7TqdTxB4VYTRyS-4X_v4lbeg4tvwHW1hVj6XAXAVkZW-dT4gnBstpF3f2Nt_gIBJw0rwjPWwYpdao1Sm0/s1600/9780670076871.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a>Remind you of anything? Let me throw around a couple of names... E. Nesbit? Lemony Snicket? <br />
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This sort of writing is so familiar and comfy to me. The first person narrator, addressing the reader in that sweet, motherly way is so full of warmth. This style of storytelling, while boring or unfamiliar to some, gives me the same feelings of safety and ease as it did when I first read E. Nesbit as a child. </div>
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And that "word of warning"... Despite being 120 years old, this is so reminiscent of <i>A Series of Unfortunate Events </i>novel. It feels way too current for a book written two centuries back. </div>
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It's amazing these storytelling styles are evident so far back in time, and are yet so fresh and friendly now too. </div>
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<br />Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-65485743231057349792014-07-19T15:42:00.002+10:002014-07-19T15:42:34.961+10:00Short existential update...<div style="text-align: justify;">
How are you? I haven't written in a while due to a muddle of busyness and boredom. When my reading life isn't inspiring, I hit dry spells in blogging and writing. </div>
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Daunting life changes and new responsibilities have me feeling even more existential than usual. I'm wondering how I can reimagine my writing habits and goals to work better. I'm tantalised by the idea of doing some music reviewing. If you can suggest any favourite reviews as examples, I'd love to read them. </div>
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Sadly uni semester two is about to start. The next six months promise to be tough, but I hope that exciting inspiration and new work comes out of it despite the stress. </div>
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This has been a very brief touch-base sort of post before I get busy again. In the meantime, I hope your reading lives are still fantastic!</div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-92117454243813873332014-06-11T13:17:00.001+10:002014-06-11T13:17:15.495+10:00Bookfest Haul June 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So I have yet another Bookfest haul for you to enjoy! I had an eye out for books from my semester two reading list... </span></div>
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My best friend Kate and I headed down to the June Lifeline Bookfest on its final day. You might remember my January haul. If not, you can catch up <a href="http://bouquets-of-sharpened-pencils.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/bookfest-haul-2014.html">HERE</a>. </div>
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Check out what I got for $21!</div>
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<li><i>The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning</i> by Lemony Snicket</li>
<li><i>The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room</i> by Lemony Snicket</li>
<li><i>Emily of New Moon </i>by L.M. Montgomery</li>
<li><i>The Golden Road</i> by L.M. Montgomery</li>
<li><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime </i>by Mark Haddon</li>
<li><i>Deadly Unna?</i> by Phillip Gwynne</li>
<li><i>How I Live Now</i> by Meg Rosoff</li>
<li><i>Dirt Music </i>by Tim Winton</li>
<li><i>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i> by Junot Díaz</li>
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I'm excited to be growing my Lemony Snicket and L.M. Montgomery collection, and then there are new authors to start collecting too. Junot Díaz is a literary great that my writing tutors rave over. <i>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i> is his first novel so it'll be exciting to see how the voice I remember from his magnificent short story collection <i>This is How You Lose Her</i> translates to a long work. </div>
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Anyway, a funny highlight of the Bookfest was having my picture taken beside way too many copies of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey. </i>The whole length of the table was double-breasted with them! Possibly a bit scary, but mostly hilarious. </div>
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After sating our appetite at Bookfest, Kate and I went and filled our grumbling tummies at Grill'd. Then we got a bit adventurous at the gourmet dessert lounge Cowch, which just opened in the delicious district of South Bank Grey Street. My mouth is watering over the memory of turkish delight ice-cream with fresh strawberries and curls of chocolate. We sat in front of the open fireplace and watched the far side of the street wibbling and wobbling through the heat haze. </div>
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Braving the chill wind, we enjoyed the view from the bank of the Brisbane River until after dark. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you got a chance to duck down to the Bookfest, but if not there's always January 2015 to look forward to! Expect to hear plenty about the books I bought as we get busy reading for semester two. </span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-12344890098184050402014-06-04T12:50:00.000+10:002014-06-04T12:53:23.050+10:00Uglier than a carpark<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Who knew the fabulous Hugh Laurie was also an author? I would've clambered on board that train ages ago if only I'd known! His crime novel <i>The Gunseller </i>is a wit-driven comic spoof of the genre. </span></div>
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I was given an excerpt of <i>The Gunseller </i>as a uni reading and the pdf cut off on a terrible cliffhanger after only three pages! The beginning is so dynamic, so rip-roaring that I waited weeks to source my own copy to read on. One of the highlights of the first chapter is this amazing bit of character description. It showcases Hugh Laurie's freshness as a writer. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to read on too:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aw7SG77lHZK5A65HwXN6zv4Pk1mQz_VstRJ1Yth2Vlf2XDhPg_xlag5VSeb6I9jPIBCz9Tc-EpqGZ8ZfpF2Xj3lF6yKcBpsqc65NOGNzC4YNlzQpD7M9dJl9QhzdJNtdkh0xd3AQuzVL/s1600/45234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aw7SG77lHZK5A65HwXN6zv4Pk1mQz_VstRJ1Yth2Vlf2XDhPg_xlag5VSeb6I9jPIBCz9Tc-EpqGZ8ZfpF2Xj3lF6yKcBpsqc65NOGNzC4YNlzQpD7M9dJl9QhzdJNtdkh0xd3AQuzVL/s1600/45234.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a><i>Raymer, I estimated, was ten years older than me. Which was fine. Nothing wrong with that. I have good, warm, non-arm-breaking relationships with plenty of people who are ten years older than me. People who are ten years older than me are, by and large, admirable, But Raymer was also three inches taller than men four stones heavier, and at least eight however-you-measure-violence units more violent. He was uglier than a car park, with a big, hairless skull that dipped and bulged like a balloon full of spanners, and his flattened, fighter's nose, apparently drawn on his face by someone using their left hand, or perhaps even their left foot, spread out in a meandering, lopsided delta under the rough slab of his forehead. </i></blockquote>
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Hugh Laurie. 1996. <i>The Gunseller</i>. UK: Arrow Books. p 4. Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-90849435150958853332014-04-28T11:31:00.002+10:002014-04-28T11:31:17.517+10:00The Meaning of Liff - Douglas Adams' Dictionary<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You know how there's always something you can't quite describe because there's no word for it? It's agonising! But trust Douglas Adams to come to the rescue with his "Original Dictionary Of Things There Should Be Words For." </span></div>
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The "New and Unimproved" edition of <i>The Meaning of Liff</i> was published last year on the book's 30th anniversary. I was surprised and delighted to receive it as a gift. This book is best described as a genius, hilarious gift to the world - you can stop fluffing about for words that don't exist and experience the great relief of knowing that someone else knows exactly what you're talking about.</div>
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If you need any more convincing, here are a few highlights:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHB8ITGypqQCqKszYEGf17_77cL0SI5vOCKTyHOCyW-x4kJk8GcrW-ZMj0Ef8OGGdKfb1RZKmVIda0wYZ_MFP1pCa1MCycFoui3V536cjNX7_X41O7jeoLx9DT_FvzkQqSrLZ70LBwF5_/s1600/19458351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHB8ITGypqQCqKszYEGf17_77cL0SI5vOCKTyHOCyW-x4kJk8GcrW-ZMj0Ef8OGGdKfb1RZKmVIda0wYZ_MFP1pCa1MCycFoui3V536cjNX7_X41O7jeoLx9DT_FvzkQqSrLZ70LBwF5_/s1600/19458351.jpg" height="320" width="182" /></a><b>Abilene </b><i>adj. </i>Descriptive of the pleasing coolness on the reverse side of the pillow</blockquote>
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<b>Beppu </b><i>n. </i>The triumphant slamming shut of a book after reading the final page</blockquote>
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<b>Dewlish </b><i>adj. </i>(Of the hands and feet.) Prunelike after an overlong bath</blockquote>
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<b>Essendine </b><i>n. </i>Long sigh emitted by a fake leather armchair she sat on</blockquote>
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<b>Frolesworth </b><i>n. </i>Measure. The minimum time it is necessary to spend frowning in deep concentration at each picture in an art gallery in order that everyone else doesn't think you're a complete moron</blockquote>
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<b>Kettering </b><i>n. </i>The marks left on your bottom or thighs after sunbathing on a wickerwork chair</blockquote>
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<b>Malibu </b><i>n. </i>The height by which the top of a wave exceeds the height to which you have rolled up your trousers</blockquote>
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<b>Perranzabuloe </b><i>n. </i>The squirty function in an electric iron</blockquote>
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<b>Scosthrop </b><i>vb. </i>To make opening or cutting movements with the hands when wandering about looking for a tin opener, scissors, etc., in the hope that this will help in some way</blockquote>
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<b>Shoeburyness </b><i>n. </i>The vague uncomfortable feeling you get when sitting on a seat which is still warm from someone else's bottom</blockquote>
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<b>Thrupp </b><i>vb. </i>To hold a ruler on one end of a desk and make the other end go bbddbbddbbrrbrrrdrr</blockquote>
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<b>Wigan </b><i> n. </i>If, when talking to someone you know has only one leg, you're trying to treat them perfectly casually and normally, but find to your horror that your conversation is liberally studded with references to (a) Long John Silver, (b) Hopalong Cassidy, (c) the Hokey Cokey, (d) 'putting your foot in it', (e) 'the last leg of the UEFA competition', you are said to have committed a wigan </blockquote>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Adams, Douglas and Lloyd, John. 2013. </span><i style="text-align: justify;">The Meaning of Liff</i><span style="text-align: justify;">. 30th Anniversary ed. UK: Faber and Faber. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you enjoy these as much as I did and rush to procure your own copy. This is a sensational mashup of quirksome ideas. </span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-37007310152695837442014-04-25T12:47:00.001+10:002014-04-25T12:47:48.095+10:00Zadie Smith for Interview Magazine<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Remember how much we fawned over the gorgeously wise and witty Zadie Smith, author of groundbreaking debut <i>White Teeth</i>? Her conversation with Christopher Bollen for <i>Interview Magazine</i> is a must-read. </span></div>
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<b>Follow the link to read the interview:</b> <a href="http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/zadie-smith/#_">Zadie Smith for Interview Magazine</a></div>
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Zadie Smith has come back under my focus for a research paper I'm in the process of writing. This 2012 interview has reaffirmed my adoration for her. Not to mention, it's a profound and challenging insight into her writing career and views on writing. She looks back on her experience of <i>White Teeth</i> to evaluate the change in her writing direction. </div>
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Coming from such an important writer for this generation, the ideas she presents are exciting. Reading this has riled me up with passion for the art form. She reminds me of the supreme power and beauty of writing. </div>
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Please take the time to savour this glimpse into Smith's life. </div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;">Follow the link to read the interview:</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/zadie-smith/#_" style="text-align: justify;">Zadie Smith for Interview Magazine</a><br /><br />
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-76200245212702983392014-04-12T16:05:00.000+10:002014-04-12T16:05:08.240+10:00Theatre Review: "Cimarrón" at Brisbane Metro Arts<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sallylewry.com/about-1/">Sally Lewry's</a> brave new performance work <i><a href="http://www.sallylewry.com/work/cimarr%C3%B3n/">Cimarrón</a> </i>is a call to the wild. I wrote this review for uni after going to see it in March, but I thought I might as well share it with you too! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When I read that Sally Lewry’s new performance
work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cimarrón</i> hoped to reveal its
audience’s inner “savage beast”, I felt a touch of dread that my viewing
experience might involve eating dirt and making animal noises at my fellow
theatre-goers. I’m a shyish person so
audience participation is exactly the sort of thing I like to avoid. <a href="http://metroarts.com.au/"> </a><a href="http://metroarts.com.au/">Brisbane’s Metro Arts</a> celebrates risk-taking
theatre and often hosts unconventional works with confronting messages. With this in mind, I arrive more scared than
excited about what is in store for me. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">The Sue Benner Theatre is
mood lit with plush red chairs sloping to a dirt floor.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">It makes me think of a horse corral.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">My friend and I make up one third of the
audience for tonight’s performance: the brave few?</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">When the lights dim, the small room seems to
grow huge.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Despite my wariness, I find
myself squinting into the shadows for signs of life.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">A wild woman (played by
director Lewry) tiptoes into view.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Wearing
a hessian mask and a fur coat back-to-front to expose her semi-nakedness, she represents
the pure and primal </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">animal</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> part in us
all.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">A hunter (Tamara Natt) lures and
captures the wild woman.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">She strips her
of her mask and coat and begins the gruelling process of breaking her spirit
into submission.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Observing ranchers
breaking in wild horses inspired Lewry during the process of creating </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón.
</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">This analogy is central to the narrative.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Clever control of the lighting transforms the
space into a cage or corral where the performers’ silhouettes on the walls heighten
the sense of entrapment.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Like the use of lighting,
the costuming choices also help to convey meaning.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">With so little else present on stage and only
minimal dialogue, the costumes work overtime to double as props.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">There is a great deal of symbology at
work.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">As the wild woman is gradually
‘broken in’ (horse analogy) she becomes more and more like her captor until she
finally adopts the same uniform her captor wears.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">This uniform consists of a black sack-dress
with two sashes attached at the neck.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">These sashes act like horse’s reins to control both women, revealing
their submission to a higher power.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">This
begs the question, does climbing higher on the social ladder mean becoming more
enslaved by the system that structures that society?</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">This is one of many challenging questions </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimmarón</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> prompts its audience to
consider.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Lewry’s goal as a
performance artist and director is to create “evocative” and “original” works
that wrestle with socio-political issues.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">She achieves this through physical and visceral theatre, of which </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimmarón </i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">is representative.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Lewry and Natt’s performances in </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> are highly physical.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">There is an exhausting amount of galloping
around and digging involved.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Because there
is so little use of dialogue in the work, it puts faith in strong physical movement
to impart the narrative.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">I doubt it
would have been nearly as successful in presenting its poignant message if the
story had depended on dialogue.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Like all
English teachers will tell their classes, it is better to show than to tell.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
tackles complex issues and puts forward a powerful message without leaning on
the use of dialogue as a crutch.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">The
experience of puzzling the meaning from the visual clues is much more engaging
and memorable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">The title of the work, </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón,</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> is a Spanish word meaning
“that which cannot be tamed”.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Lewry
points out it is also a word used to refer to slaves that have escaped
captivity to live on the edges of society.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">In a crucial scene near the end of the performance, blaring music stirs
the wild woman into a gallop on the spot.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Her abandonment of self-control is infectious.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">She allows her primal instinct to run wild,
spitting, sighing, hair flicking, completely freed.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">This is an intimate moment that has a
remarkably immersing quality.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">If there was
a real horse galloping onstage it could not have been any more
captivating.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">For the first time during
the performance, the tension in my body relaxes and I feel completely at
ease.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">If only she could gallop forever.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">If only I could join her.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">I realise this moment unlocked a small part
of my own inner animal.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">When it ended, I
felt disappointed to leave it behind.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">It
speaks to the ability of </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> to
inspire a visceral reaction and stir up from within a bit of “savage beast”:
that which cannot be tamed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">I entered Metro Arts
timid of having to do things that made me feel uncomfortable.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">I left that shyness behind.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Practically galloping down the stairs and out
into the Brisbane twilight, I felt riled up inside with an animal energy I
couldn’t yet explain.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Through its narrative
of domestication, </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Cimarrón</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> urges its
audience to ask if we have become slaves to the socio-political structure we created.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">Lewry argues we have.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">The story of the wild woman is a cautionary
tale, warning against letting the conventions and structures of society enslave
our inner animals.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">But it is also a call
to the wild to stop silencing that inner beast.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;">It may not have been as confronting as I dreaded beforehand, but what I
didn’t expect was to be quite so moved.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Bibliography</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Artist – Sally Lewry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accessed
March 14, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://metroarts.com.au/artist/sally-lewry/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Metro Arts Brisbane – Artistic Statement.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accessed March 20, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://metroarts.com.au/artistic-statement/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Metro Arts Brisbane – Cimarrón.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Accessed March 14, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://metroarts.com.au/posts/cimarron/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Huxley, Matt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“The Domestication of the Human: A Review of Cimarrón.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accessed March 11, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://www.moustachemagazine.com/2014/03/the-domestication-of-the-human-a-review-of-cimarron/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lewry, Sally. 2014. <i>Cimarrón</i>. Writer Sally Lewry. Performed Brisbane, Sue Benner Theatre: Metro Arts. Performance: Theatre (viewed 12 March, 2014).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Lewry, Sally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“About.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accessed March 14,
2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://www.sallylewry.com/about-1/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<span lang="EN-US">Lewry, Sally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Cimarrón.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accessed March 12,
2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://www.sallylewry.com/work/cimarrón/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-7381701995225928152014-03-14T10:42:00.000+10:002014-03-14T10:42:01.563+10:00Metaphors We Live By<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Metaphors aren't just a device of language. They are part of everyday life in a bigger way than I realised. </span></div>
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There are everyday concepts that are metaphorical and structure our perceptions, thoughts and actions. ARGUMENT IS WAR is a great example given by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in <i>An Introduction to Literary Language </i>(1988). </div>
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"Your claims are <i>indefensible. </i>He <i>attacked every week point</i> in my argument.<br />I've never <i>won</i> an argument with him.<br />You disagree? Okay, <i>shoot</i>!<br />He <i>shot down</i> all of my arguments" p 81.</blockquote>
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See how we talk and think about arguments in terms of war? This is a metaphorical concept that we live by in our culture, which structures the entire way we perceive arguing. </div>
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The second part of this idea really grabbed my attention. Imagine a culture where arguments aren't viewed in terms of war, but rather as a dance. Just picture it! Instead of warring opponents, the participants are performers - harmonious, balanced, aesthetically pleasing. </div>
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We would find it weird to even call what they are doing "arguing". It's so different to our perception of what an argument <i>is. </i>That's because in our culture, we have a discourse form structured in terms of war, not dance. </div>
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"The concept is metaphorically structured, the activity is metaphorically structured, and, consequently, the language is metaphorically structured" p 82. </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lakoff and Johnson provide more excellent examples to help you grasp the idea. As I read on, I was surprised by how invisible and ingrained these metaphors are. I use them constantly! They are just part of the way our culture perceives the world. </span></div>
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<br />"Theories and Arguments are Buildings:<br />Is that the <i>foundation</i> for your theory?<br />We need to <i>construct</i> a <i>strong</i> argument for that.<br />So far we have put together only a framework of the theory" p 82</blockquote>
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"Understanding is Seeing:<br />I <i>see </i>what you're saying. <br />It <i>looks</i> different from <i>my point of view</i>.<br />Now I've got the <i>whole picture"</i> p 84. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Love is a Patient:<br />They have a <i>strong, healthy</i> marriage.<br />The marriage is <i>dead </i>- it can't be <i>revived</i>.<br />It's a <i>tired</i> affair" p 85. </blockquote>
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"Significant is Big:<br />He's a <i>giant</i> among writers.<br />That's the <i>biggest</i> idea to hit advertising in years.<br />It was only a <i>small </i>crime.<br />His accomplishments <i>tower over</i> those of <i>lesser</i> men" p 86. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Emotional Effect is Physical Contact:<br />His mother's death <i>hit</i> him <i>hard</i>.<br />That really <i>made an impression </i>on me. <br />I was <i>touched</i> by his remark.<br />That <i>blew me away" </i>p 86. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Life is a Container:<br />Life is <i>empty</i> for him.<br /><i>Get the most out of life.</i>Live your life <i>to the fullest" </i>p 87.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This read was eye-opening and quite beautiful. The metaphors that structure our cultural perceptions can be thoughtprovoking when you stop to consider them. </span></div>
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Bibliography:</div>
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Scholes, Robert, Comley, Nancy R., and Ulmer, Gregory L. 1988. <i>An Introduction to Literary Language. </i>New York: St Martin's Press. </div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-18844111002661713512014-03-07T10:49:00.001+10:002014-03-07T10:58:45.918+10:00Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been desensitised to war stories. I can read or watch them with the same level of emotion as drinking a glass of water. But <i>Slaughterhouse Five</i> changed my apathy and made me feel something. </span></div>
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"LISTEN: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time."</div>
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<i>Slaughterhouse Five</i> by Kurt Vonnegut is a contemporary classic that tells the surreal and poignant story of Billy Pilgrim, a soldier, optometrist and time-traveller. Billy's story centres around the 1945 bombing of Dresden, a point in time he seems never able to escape. His life flashes forwards and backwards in apparent chaos, sometimes with fantastical sidetracks that caused me to question reality and review my attitudes towards the causes and value of war and love. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-cEOnQ7IwzS5JcETS6tv5tfyjnhHDb7XQqM58e3AQBk9EYyrr4iVJcx26RG3W4C__HuGk49lhoHVt8Fv4z49p_Ly333ixqWNwKx6P_tUrGbmEajRolcRSmLq9JAYW1jf9uRlBZXex4ya/s1600/slaughterhouse+five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-cEOnQ7IwzS5JcETS6tv5tfyjnhHDb7XQqM58e3AQBk9EYyrr4iVJcx26RG3W4C__HuGk49lhoHVt8Fv4z49p_Ly333ixqWNwKx6P_tUrGbmEajRolcRSmLq9JAYW1jf9uRlBZXex4ya/s1600/slaughterhouse+five.jpg" /></a>At times this novel is dawdlingly slow and at others hectic and suspenseful. But it <i>always</i> provides an insanely fresh interpretation of topics that have grown dusty and clichéd. I enjoyed the experience of being reawakened to the emotional impact of subjects so over-analysed they grew helpless to inspire feeling from modern readers. <br />
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The narrative voice of <i>Slaughterhouse Five</i> is simple and eccentric, succeeding in lullabying its reader into a dreamlike mood - much like Billy himself who is passive to the twists and turns of his bizarre fate. The continually repeated phrases act as fingerposts in Billy's life, so strange and yet always reimagining the same images and scenes again and again. In this way, the narrative structure reflects the cyclical rollercoaster of its readers' own lives. This short book manages to encompass so much of life. <br />
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I was impacted by Vonnegut's depiction of post traumatic stress disorder. There are so many interpretations of Billy's reality, but I found that looking past the question of fact versus fiction, his time travel was effective in unpacking the experience of PTSD in a way that allowed me to empathise. Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time, but he can never escape it. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I realise reading <i>Slaughterhouse Five</i> has expanded my understanding and perception of many topics. Its universality and evocation of emotional empathy makes it moving and memorable. </span></div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-90051488634856217342014-02-26T20:33:00.001+10:002014-02-26T20:33:58.933+10:00Advice from Kurt Vonnegut<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reading Kurt Vonnegut's modern classic <i>Slaughterhouse 5 </i>(review to come shortly) has given me huge admiration for his talent. Here are his 8 keys to being a great writer:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqaXhE72dRfwahKUL7hmrn1USjl6QPhky_qwY3vEvXAZU2gS_Ia4MAeHQ3zmOoZUanMqTjKvHPqjLTTh2Ba_kK2buQccF3hyphenhyphenpHOIO6A25ELR8LYm94QRq5bcyaBNaPs-61YI-EUOAkbUL/s1600/Kurt_Vonnegut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">1. Find a subject you care about</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element of your style. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">2. Do not ramble though</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I won't ramble on about that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">3. Keep it simple</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were more profound. 'To be or not to be?' asks Shakespeare's Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long. Joyce, when he was frisky, could put together a sentence as intricate and as glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, by my favourite sentence in his short story 'Eveline' is just this one: 'She was tired.' At that point in the story, no other words could break the heart of a reader as those three words do. Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but even sacred. The Bible opens with a sentence well within the writing skills of a lively fourteen-year-old: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">4. Have the guts to cut</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It may be that you, too, are capable of making necklaces for Cleopatra, so to speak. But your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqaXhE72dRfwahKUL7hmrn1USjl6QPhky_qwY3vEvXAZU2gS_Ia4MAeHQ3zmOoZUanMqTjKvHPqjLTTh2Ba_kK2buQccF3hyphenhyphenpHOIO6A25ELR8LYm94QRq5bcyaBNaPs-61YI-EUOAkbUL/s1600/Kurt_Vonnegut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqaXhE72dRfwahKUL7hmrn1USjl6QPhky_qwY3vEvXAZU2gS_Ia4MAeHQ3zmOoZUanMqTjKvHPqjLTTh2Ba_kK2buQccF3hyphenhyphenpHOIO6A25ELR8LYm94QRq5bcyaBNaPs-61YI-EUOAkbUL/s1600/Kurt_Vonnegut.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">5. Sound like yourself</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child. English was the novelist Joseph Conrad's third language, and much that seems piquant in his use of English was no doubt coloured by his first language, which was Polish. And lucky indeed is the writer who has grown up in Ireland, for the English spoken there is so amusing and musical. I myself grew up in Indianapolis, where common speech sounds like a band saw cutting galvanised tin, and employs a vocabulary as unornamental as a monkey wrench... I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seems to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I have? The one most vehemently recommended by teachers has no doubt been pressed on you, as well: to write like cultivated Englishmen of a century or more ago. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">6. Say what you mean</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I used to be exasperated by such teachers, but am no more. I understand now that all those antique essays and stories with which I was to compare my own work were not magnificent for their datedness or foreignness, but for saying precisely what their authors meant them to say. my teachers wished me to write accurately, always selecting the most effective words, and relating the words to one another unambiguously, rigidly, like parts of a machine. The teachers did not want to turn me into an Englishman after all. They hoped that I would become understandable - and therefore understood. And there went my dream of doing with words what Pablo Picasso did with paint or what any number of jazz idols did with music. If I broke all the rules of punctuation, had words mean whatever I wanted them to mean, and strung them together higgledy-piggledy, I would simply not be understood. So you, too, had better avoid Picasso-style or jazz-style writing if you have something worth saying and wish to be understood. Readers want our pages to look very much like pages they have seen before. Why? This is because they themselves have a tough job to do, and they need all the help they can get from us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">7. Pity the readers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Readers have to identify thousands of little marks on paper, and make sense of them immediately. They have to read, an art so difficult that most people don't really master it even after having studied it all through grade school and high school - twelve long years. So this discussion must finally acknowledge that our stylistic options as writers are neither numerous nor glamorous, since our readers are bound to be such imperfect artists. Our audience requires us to be sympathetic and patient teachers, ever willing to simplify and clarify, whereas we would rather soar high above the crowd, singing like nightingales. That is the bad news. The good news is that we Americans are governed under a unique constitution, which allows us to write whatever we please without fear of punishment. So the most meaningful aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8. For really detailed </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">advice...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For a discussion of literary style in a narrower sense, a more technical sense, I commend to your attention <i>The Elements of Style </i>by Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. E.B. White is, of course, one of the most admirable literary stylists this country has so far produced. You should realise, too, that no would care how well or badly Mr. White expressed himself if he did not have perfectly enchanting things to say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to try implementing this advice when I write this week. I'm attracted to the recurring concept he introduces of being as simple and truthful to yourself and your idea as possible. I feel that this could be a powerful and liberating way of telling stories I really care about, but may have struggled to write about in a way I felt was "good enough". What do you think?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Looking back I realised I haven't done a post about words I love in ages! It's about time to get back to the origin of logophilic bliss! </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">aureole</span> </b>noun: the circle of light surrounding something especially around the head of someone represented as holy</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>beetling</b></span> adjective: projective or overhanging (especially a rock or a person's eyebrows! <i>How random is it that they specified <u>eyebrows</u> of all things? This really made me laugh but I love the onomatopoeic sound.</i>)</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>cosmogyral</b></span> adjective: whirling around the universe (<i>does this make you think of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?</i>) </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>catoptric</b> </span>adjective: relating to a mirror, reflector or reflection </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>emollient</b></span> adjective: having the quality of softening of soothing skin</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>frisson</b></span> noun: sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill (<i>I need to learn to use this word more often, it's so fabulous.</i>)</blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">genuflection</span> </b>noun: the act of bending the knees in worship or reverance</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>inveigle</b></span> verb: persuade via deception or flattery (<i>not only is this word fun to say, but I can imagine contexts where I could whip it out</i>: <i>"stop INVEIGLING me Sharon!"</i> <i>etc.</i>)</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>kenopsia</b></span> noun: the eerie and forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet (<i>I LOVE this word. It often reminds me of schools on holidays or shopping centres after closing hours. It's enchanting.)</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>miasm</b></span> noun: oppresive or unpleasant atmosphere that surrounds or emanates from something</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>nacreous</b></span> adjective: consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl (<i>I'm delighted there's a word for this!)</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>roister</b> </span>verb: enjoy oneself in a noisy or boisterous way</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>sonder</b></span> verb: the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own (<i>this breaks my heart, this is so true!)</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>sillage</b></span> noun: the scent that lingers in air; the impression made in space after someone has been and gone (<i>what a poetic concept with an oddly unfitting word to describe it...)</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>verdigris</b></span> noun: bright bluish-green crust or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Taking the time to leaf back through my book of words did fill me with happiness. I must remember to do that more often! Which of these words do you adore and what others fill your heart with gladness? I'd love to hear what words make your poetic heart burst!</span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-52511736011038901532014-02-06T07:28:00.000+10:002014-02-06T07:28:42.169+10:00How to enjoy a clockwork orange<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I shy away from BIG books with BIG statements. Think dystopian classics like <i>1984, Brave New World</i> and <i>The Handmaiden's Tale</i>. How can I <i>enjoy</i> a book that isn't meant for pure entertainment? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrnOQfJID2CdIXamhzl-IrC0licMGSxBxPJYEhx5MVOAP2RaK3aKexj3DjiBDm20wrLJOHxijlu85PJ7-EWwost676XW8YTRTM02zdeTbsAdkUcBU3wRkbGTweCP3rl8vZljS-j5KeorQ/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrnOQfJID2CdIXamhzl-IrC0licMGSxBxPJYEhx5MVOAP2RaK3aKexj3DjiBDm20wrLJOHxijlu85PJ7-EWwost676XW8YTRTM02zdeTbsAdkUcBU3wRkbGTweCP3rl8vZljS-j5KeorQ/s1600/Unknown.jpg" /></a>I've found dystopian novels daunting in the past because they aren't meant for pure entertainment like so many books. <b> I've had to learn to slow down my consumption of entertainment in order to unlock pleasure in expanding my perspective. </b></div>
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I read <i>A Clockwork Orange</i>. I would like to make one thing clear before I continue: It is<i> </i>written amazingly. I did enjoy it immensely as a piece of great writing aside from its content. </div>
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And then when you add the story and themes... Well. Even as an anti-hero, main character Alex was still someone I could empathise with. Through his journey I experienced a journey of learning too. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Expanded consciousness</span><br />
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<b>I'm unsure if this reading experience <i>changed </i>my mind or if what it prompted in me was rather the ability to hold onto several different ideas without having to settle for one "true" one. </b> My understanding of notions like free will and freedom was certainly challenged. Through Alex I gained insight into a perspective that resonated with me. <br />
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What then remained was for me to engage in reflection, link and connect these ideas with things around me - things I saw on tv and read in other books - <b>and thus employ this expanded consciousness in my life. </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Damaging self-doubt</span><br />
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When I started reading <i>A Clockwork Orange, </i><b>I worried that my "enjoyment" would be damaged by the pressure of having to <i>gain</i> something from the reading</b>. <i>If it's provoked so much debate over the decades, there's surely some deep stuff in there I need to understand</i>, I reasoned. <b>I was daunted by the thought that I wouldn't be able to glean anything from it, and therefore be less of a reader. </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">As it turned out, learning was the part I enjoyed THE MOST </span><br />
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I misplaced my fears as I fell into step with the great writing. Because I was immersed in the reading of a story, the BIG ideas that I was so daunted by came naturally to me. This taste of learning was invigorating. <br />
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When I finished reading, I felt a deep sense of achievement. There is something fantastic about reading a book that teaches new ideas, as if it was more than a book. <b>My experience was like walking out of an optometrist with new glasses - what I saw was the same old, but my perception was clearer, more informed, more vibrant. </b><br />
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<b>This thrill is something I am becoming addicted to.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reading <i>A Clockwork Orange</i> was an exercise in enjoying the process of learning. The expanded consciousness I gained within its pages has made me excited to seek new ideas and perspectives. </span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-70890318146795421292014-02-05T14:23:00.000+10:002014-02-05T14:23:21.362+10:00New Bookshelves!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been saving up all my Christmas and birthday money from the rellies to buy two beautiful bookcases. What do you think?</span></div>
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I've longed for glass-doored bookshelves for ages. My pokey little childhood shelves used to gather so much dust that I resorted to bagging my books to preserve them, which was frankly depressing. </div>
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My room still stinks like Ikea but every time I walk in I get to experience a flush of happiness. I now have a (small-scale version) private library like those I've always envied in photographs! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxvTb8wzuR9Ioro8z5UowrD1aaRXskd1UmxTaG_BgZO9kKAdIpsm8D94cVqFCrBBjArZPDl7sNVTVhbORsdaMJt1V7U1EiMbX295uBH36Y5p-LgauIdN2DE3-XLsk2-7iDqJh8IITGAcM/s1600/2014-02-05+14.02.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxvTb8wzuR9Ioro8z5UowrD1aaRXskd1UmxTaG_BgZO9kKAdIpsm8D94cVqFCrBBjArZPDl7sNVTVhbORsdaMJt1V7U1EiMbX295uBH36Y5p-LgauIdN2DE3-XLsk2-7iDqJh8IITGAcM/s1600/2014-02-05+14.02.19.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8afN6iyyeHdhCfa0keJixAYdDHCQpVKTIJ3YeW22gn_3Uea8Cg9eMxZhBr820SUGeyjuh_4m-SSNYnyHY2oLzahsNt68A0bKTb5L3bsbIf6B7SMRTo7LD98ZI33PUCETfLxjVg02WT6xJ/s1600/2014-02-05+14.01.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8afN6iyyeHdhCfa0keJixAYdDHCQpVKTIJ3YeW22gn_3Uea8Cg9eMxZhBr820SUGeyjuh_4m-SSNYnyHY2oLzahsNt68A0bKTb5L3bsbIf6B7SMRTo7LD98ZI33PUCETfLxjVg02WT6xJ/s1600/2014-02-05+14.01.04.jpg" height="320" width="169" /></a></div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-65911094352941102132014-01-23T18:06:00.002+10:002014-06-11T12:28:59.247+10:00Bookfest Haul January 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I went to the Lifeline Bookfest this week and managed to constrain myself from buying the lot... like last time...</span></div>
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You may remember last time I went to the Bookfest I went <i>madly</i> out of control and bought <i>way </i>more than I planned to. You can read all about that fiasco <i><a href="http://bouquets-of-sharpened-pencils.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/my-day-at-bookfest.html">HERE</a>. </i></div>
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That's not to say that I don't love my purchases, but I simply can't afford the shelf-space! So to avoid a similar situation this time round, I wrote myself a list of books I need for uni plus a couple I want for my collection. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IeBBXtDmmWblEptB9cXasvhyyzk3FA6A7g6A63gRykG30D7l6MTRGoQVb7dOl_3VeYR3htE2huVma5uYfzOshVAuyaIDAB0Cfn729pypBiG7OI3Ho7u6-hisojJ5dk3KthENJFM_P-gm/s1600/BeFunky_Photo+on+23-01-2014+at+5.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IeBBXtDmmWblEptB9cXasvhyyzk3FA6A7g6A63gRykG30D7l6MTRGoQVb7dOl_3VeYR3htE2huVma5uYfzOshVAuyaIDAB0Cfn729pypBiG7OI3Ho7u6-hisojJ5dk3KthENJFM_P-gm/s1600/BeFunky_Photo+on+23-01-2014+at+5.jpg.jpg" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Great Expectations </b></i>is one of my texts for an upcoming literature unit I will be studying. <i><b>Seven Little Australians</b></i> and <i><b>Northern Lights</b></i> are texts for a Youth and Children's writing unit the following semester. <i><b>A Tangled Web </b></i>is a beautiful, hardcover collector's edition L. M. Montgomery novel. And you remember <i><b>White Teeth</b></i>? I love this book and this copy is brand new! </div>
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I may not have bought much but I am extremely pleased with what I found. I call it a success. </div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-64382387152105392542014-01-21T21:29:00.001+10:002014-01-21T21:29:38.084+10:00If on a winter's night a booklover...<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A book for booklovers about books. A story within a story within a story. In which YOU the READER are the hero. </span></div>
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I bought <i>If on a winter's night a traveller</i> by Italian writer, Italo Calvino, as a celebratory gift to myself after completing my first year of uni. I didn't read it straight away. It had an air of mystery that seemed too enchanted to disturb and such a modest cover that it was forgotten in favour of more exciting books. </div>
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I picked it up today. </div>
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<b><i>If on a winter's night a traveller </i>is written in the 2nd person.</b> This is not a familiar format for novels and it's rarely done justice because it's so fiddly and tricky to do. If 1st person is 'I', 'we', 'our' and 3rd person is 'he', 'she', 'it', then 2nd person is 'you'. 'You' do this. 'You' do that. <b>The obvious advantage of 2nd person is it makes the reader the protagonist, implanting them in the plot. </b></div>
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Here is the first paragraph for your enjoyment:</div>
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<i>You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, </i>If on a winter's night a traveler. <i> Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room. Tell the other's right away, "No, I don't want to watch TV!" Raise your boise - they won't hear you otherwise - "I'm reading! I don't want to be disturbed!" Maybe they haven't heard you, with all that racket; speak louder, yell: "I'm beginning to read Italo Calvino's new novel!" Or if you prefer, don't say anything; just hope they'll leave you alone. </i></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPwaUGqBUZcxRiXiteQby-I-o9eRRm-q952Kp42FJE4psfYm-wejCfLlq8YQp_NBqanNrOBFXNwD84vO2omkSihVPg3ZIJO7ydM7nAm-1amhOwIaUkmPL0PzxSmEh6f_bM1TqZyFJOBnu/s1600/ifonawintersnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPwaUGqBUZcxRiXiteQby-I-o9eRRm-q952Kp42FJE4psfYm-wejCfLlq8YQp_NBqanNrOBFXNwD84vO2omkSihVPg3ZIJO7ydM7nAm-1amhOwIaUkmPL0PzxSmEh6f_bM1TqZyFJOBnu/s1600/ifonawintersnight.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a>Italo Calvino. 1980. <i>If on a winter's night a traveller. </i>p 1. <br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">What do you think? I find it's like being whispered a secret - it's such a different sort of reader participation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">I'm hoping this little taste will incite you to trap it and read along. It's only a small book, very manageable and thrilling with novelty and intrigue from the first page. I can hardly wait to see where it leads. </span>Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-87944358962021087862014-01-19T23:14:00.000+10:002014-01-19T23:33:04.327+10:00Allow me to introduce myself<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So today's the big day! You may have noticed there are plenty of changes to Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils, not the least of which is I'm finished with my old pseudonym "The Book Florist". </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>In this post I will introduce myself properly and explain the new updates. </b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcggnAAhgt-y5k_hwpX_vP-dgSr-39MPhrEFkGCT2mkHICwVeV1xs6Ws2GUXvkTA_mknJ0Wiud_77VdxXaWGtIXlkFRLjyUyHXsj9rPGGtHyLTUT6Bzuee1E4P6SFPsnzq6CIWy8M_oEkn/s1600/BeFunky_2014-01-13+10.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcggnAAhgt-y5k_hwpX_vP-dgSr-39MPhrEFkGCT2mkHICwVeV1xs6Ws2GUXvkTA_mknJ0Wiud_77VdxXaWGtIXlkFRLjyUyHXsj9rPGGtHyLTUT6Bzuee1E4P6SFPsnzq6CIWy8M_oEkn/s1600/BeFunky_2014-01-13+10.jpg.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">My name is Paige Hadley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is what I look like -----></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am an Australian creative writing student based in Brisbane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My ultimate dream is to write adventure
fantasy books for children, as these are the books that made the greatest
impact on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In the meantime though, </span>I’m currently working on getting
short work published in online journals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span lang="EN-US">I am a dog-owner, part-time video store worker, cosplayer,
Hufflepuff, romantic, bibliophile (lover of books) and logophile (lover of
words).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my hobbies is
water-colour painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The background
artwork was done by yours truly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When I started Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils I was still in
highschool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to use a pseudonym
after my parents warned me about good cyber-safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, now I’m an emerging writer attempting to get new work
published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Online presence is extremely
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My blog and other social
media accounts are a way that my future publishers and readers can contact or
engage with me through a mutual love of books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This blog has allowed me to speak before I burst from too many
emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has allowed me to feel like
a part of the world – a world that loves the same words strung into the same
sentences and new sentences being written all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">Regardless of what my future holds, I will always keep Bouquets of
Sharpened Pencils as my sacred safe place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It will always be about sharing a love of reading and writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-large;">So about these updates:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">There is a brand new and improved <a href="http://bouquets-of-sharpened-pencils.blogspot.com.au/p/all-about-me.html">About Me</a> page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either follow the link to view or you will
find the page up top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">There is also a brand new <a href="http://bouquets-of-sharpened-pencils.blogspot.com.au/p/find-me.html">Contact Me</a> page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There you will find my contact email and the
links to all my social media accounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feel
free to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, YouTube and
Blogher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These links are also in the
side bar for easy access.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">So now you know a little more about me, have a roam around and
explore the new pages and links.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m excited to get back into the full swing of blogging because - as
always - I’ve got so much to say!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-18233566615846785892014-01-01T16:31:00.000+10:002014-01-01T16:31:10.279+10:00What We Read: 2013<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It has been a huge year for my reading-life. I've branched out <i>way</i> more than ever and had a terrific time. Here is my 2013 book list plus the year's Highlights and Lowlights. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">What We Read 2013:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows </i>by J. K. Rowling</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Casual Vacancy</i> by J. K. Rowling</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Mr Penumbra's 24 Hr Bookstore </i>by Robin Sloan</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Secret of Chimneys</i><i> </i>by Agatha Christie</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Tom's Midnight Garden</i><i> </i>by Philippa Pearce</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Frankenstein </i>by Mary Shelley</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Dracula</i><i> </i>by Bram Stoker</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Perks of Being a Wallflower </i>by Stephen Chbosky</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Mateship with Birds</i><i> </i>by Carrie Tiffany</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Adventures of Tintin Volumes 1 - 7 </i>by Hergé</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Atonement</i> by Ian McEwan</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Enduring Love </i>by Ian McEwan</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Cement Garden </i>by Ian McEwan</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Amsterdam </i>by Ian McEwan</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i><i> </i>by Brian Selznick</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Sin City: The Hard Goodbye</i><i> </i>by Frank Miller</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Adventures of Tarzan </i>by Edgar Rice Burroughs</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">The Man Who Fell to Earth </i>by Walter Tevis</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>White Teeth </i>by Zadie Smith</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">This is How You Lose Her </i>by Junot Diaz</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Trainspotting </i>by Irvine Welsh</li>
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<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Cloudstreet </i>by Tim Winton</li>
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<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Dune Messiah</i> by Frank Herbert</li>
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<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Esio Trot </i>by Roald Dahl</li>
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<li><i style="font-style: italic;">Tampa </i>by Alissa Nutting</li>
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<b>These are the books I didn't enjoy and would not read if I went back in time. Forgive me if any of these are your favourites! </b></div>
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<b><i>Amsterdam</i> by Ian McEwan</b> is talked up a lot, especially as a past Booker prize-winner. However I guessed the plot twist almost as soon as the characters were introduced so it was a big anti-climax. Ultimately it's no more than a hiccup in my longterm love affair with McEwan as a writer. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Mateship with Birds </i><b>by Carrie Tiffany</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>was the 2013 winner of the Stella Prize for Australian women's fiction. The tone and mood feel like an imitation of Tim Winton's work. Besides being unsatisfying and offering no room for empathy with the characters, I felt it portrayed a poor ideal of what it means to be Australian. </div>
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<b>These are the books that made me think and feel, new favourites to revisit forever. </b></div>
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<b><i>The Casual Vacancy </i>by J. K. Rowling </b>is so different from her other work, but incredibly thought-provoking. It is an edgy and often confronting read with a good pace driven by character and plot development. Notions of privilege, justice and family are challenged by this depiction of truth. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Perks of Being a Wallflower </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Stephen Chbosky </span>had a huge resurgence in 2013 due to the release of its film adaptation. It's a young adult fiction that tackles some controversial and topical subjects, while at the same time reopening timeless ideas of love, family and identity in a way that guarantees its status as a contemporary classic. It's emotionally engaging and memorable. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Atonement</i> <b>by Ian McEwan </b>is an epic masterpiece that redefined my standards for fiction. It is sensationally well written. Its tragically beautiful plot left me hopelessly moved. </div>
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<b><i>White Teeth</i> by Zadie Smith</b> is a brilliant début. It is sassy and cunning, memorable for its wit and ingenious way of tying up threads. It also boasts one of the most engaging openings to any novel I've read. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Trainspotting </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Irvine Welsh</span> is grit and filth and so much fun. Unique in every way, the genius of this confronting little book cannot be silenced. The prose is addictive.</div>
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<b><i>Cloudstreet</i> by Tim Winton </b>is an Australian classic that I feel pristinely defines what it means to be alive. This book is written with love and pain, and the magic and earthiness of its prose will colour its reader's perception of life. It is an experience and a supreme gift of literature. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So thankyou for coming along on my reading adventures. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to recommend each other plenty of great new reads for 2014. </span></div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-36328000118397449242013-12-31T18:31:00.002+10:002013-12-31T18:35:00.368+10:00Happy New Year + News for 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>On this the last day of 2013, I want to thank you for your support and encouragement. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm about the things you love. Thankyou most of all for giving me this space to find and express myself. </b></div>
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<b>I hope your new year is full of great books and learning and plenty of opportunities to grow and wonder!</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Important Changes for 2014</span><br />
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There are going to be a few changes to Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils next year. </div>
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<li><b>The biggest difference is I am going to begin using my REAL NAME and FACE on this blog, replacing my pseudonym 'The Book Florist'. </b>A few of you have asked to see the real me and at last you'll be able to!</li>
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<li><b>I will be linking this blog to all my other social media accounts.</b></li>
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<li><b>New and updated pages to explore on Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils!</b></li>
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<b>I would like you to be aware of the reason for these upcoming changes. </b> As an emerging writer attempting to get new work published, online presence is extremely important. My blog and social media accounts will be a way that my future publishers and readers can contact me or learn more about me personally. </div>
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Of course I adore my book blog and never intend to stop doing what I love. Therefore I'm excited about this opportunity to be more personal and present in it. Should be good yay! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because January is a very busy month in my family, it may be a little while before these updates come into effect. Expect a big announcement about the changes within this month! Thankyou again! </span></div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-75140146404348000062013-12-19T14:41:00.002+10:002013-12-19T14:41:40.135+10:00Nothing can dampen my enjoyment of Tampa<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Alissa Nutting's debut novel</span><i style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"> Tampa</i><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> is a fast-paced, captivating read on a controversial subject. </span></div>
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Basically, <i>Tampa </i>about Celeste Price - 8th grade teacher and paedophile. <i>Tampa </i>was published in August just this year and reviewers are hailing Celeste as the modern female counterpart of Nabakov's Humbert Humbert.</div>
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After only a couple of sittings, I'm 3 / 4ths in and utterly enthralled. <b>I feel like the writing itself is invisible, allowing the racing plot to hold its own. It feels completely unselfconscious. </b></div>
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I have found the reading process to be effortless. <b>While my moral conscience sends up warning flares every few chapters, I can do nothing to resist the slow, painless suck of the story. </b></div>
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I think people expect books like <i>Tampa </i>to challenge conceptions of right and wrong. However, what this novel details is so obviously wrong - legally and morally - that it makes me wonder if insisting on a grey area is actually the point of it at all... I guess it still remains to be seen. </div>
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Regardless of the topic, Alissa Nutting has written a book that is utterly readable and nothing can dampen my enjoyment of it. It's a book I look forward to discussing and arguing about. </div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5711529139782333977.post-81216334557048666072013-12-14T11:37:00.001+10:002013-12-14T11:39:15.961+10:00My Summer Holiday Reading List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Reviews for the books on my holiday reading list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please share your summer reads in the comments below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3l81cWvqDtBNuWjShxCKY-dBxcKRUPIw6sDyh4iUhj9YFsVc0sp_iqU24TE2xpcUHJIyyTNMvufoVOH2IQPYHLtAYo_YwYp8XNR_1Lsa3vSEMVoxkGlDMFWPwI5wa9Uu42SR4Yq-SWIo/s1600/dune-messiah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3l81cWvqDtBNuWjShxCKY-dBxcKRUPIw6sDyh4iUhj9YFsVc0sp_iqU24TE2xpcUHJIyyTNMvufoVOH2IQPYHLtAYo_YwYp8XNR_1Lsa3vSEMVoxkGlDMFWPwI5wa9Uu42SR4Yq-SWIo/s1600/dune-messiah.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dune Messiah</i> by Frank Herbert</span><br />
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This is the 2nd book in Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi trilogy, <i>Dune. Dune</i> is continuously hailed as the No. 1 sci-fi book of all times and for good reason. </div>
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I adored the first book with its epic scale and complex plot weaving prophecy, subterfuge, religion, war and politics on the desert world of Arrakis. <i>Dune Messiah</i> is just as compelling as the first and a much more manageable length so it can be happily devoured within a day or so. </div>
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While it is a highly entertaining book, it's emotional impact makes it incomparably more important than the common pulp paperback fiction. It is a series I will return to again and again for its great plot and superb writing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0tgaO6qTNoKwJ79RT22gEQQPk73Ew7F8jbdbOOzWkg3wjT-zkFhkZhIJ0E8CCVehvzlzhx_f3wgJcXNsCJ1EAVZY3HnRL7NKmQdK0oIeNvSeLMZ4BA4CZU5hfwZ3MpX5h0SaRJOLEIil/s1600/200px-ThePenultimatePeril.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0tgaO6qTNoKwJ79RT22gEQQPk73Ew7F8jbdbOOzWkg3wjT-zkFhkZhIJ0E8CCVehvzlzhx_f3wgJcXNsCJ1EAVZY3HnRL7NKmQdK0oIeNvSeLMZ4BA4CZU5hfwZ3MpX5h0SaRJOLEIil/s1600/200px-ThePenultimatePeril.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Penultimate Peril</i> by Lemony Snicket</span><br />
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This is the 12th and second-last book is Lemony Snicket's grim <i>Series of Unfortunate Events</i>. While I'm yet to finish the series, I've enjoyed every bit of it so far. </div>
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The pace is quick, the wit knife-sharp and surprising. Snicket's writing is full of ingenious side-steps, upside-down logic and hilariously memorable anecdotes. The Baudelaire orphans are endearing heroes for whom I cheer for through every turn of their tragic story. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgM6oAQXQSwzHwLzkgsKaIy8Xha4gmLLzFgdRH7S2IaeTljqJeuVCkEKee8uBUUONlkODXGrNFSAuq6SBd5Hz8FNa_2-hRrB58MexH0C9FtAqdMw6CrOGVznAngu8OnS-iTm9AlAToHCo/s1600/IrvineWelshFilth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgM6oAQXQSwzHwLzkgsKaIy8Xha4gmLLzFgdRH7S2IaeTljqJeuVCkEKee8uBUUONlkODXGrNFSAuq6SBd5Hz8FNa_2-hRrB58MexH0C9FtAqdMw6CrOGVznAngu8OnS-iTm9AlAToHCo/s1600/IrvineWelshFilth.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Filth </i>by Irvine Welsh</span><br />
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Have you heard about the new film adaptation? As a lover of Welsh's classic <i>Trainspotting, </i>I jumped at the opportunity to read something else of his. </div>
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What I adored about <i>Trainspotting</i> was the constant and confronting grittiness, the Scottish accent that pervades the narrative and the fast pace. Unfortunately, <i>Filth</i> doesn't have any of these things. After <i>Trainspotting</i>, it's grittiness seems wane and the voice suffers from its lack of rollicking dialect. </div>
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I'm sure this book is good in its own right and nothing could lessen my appreciation of Welsh as a writer. I just struggled to enjoy it as my expectations were set on something very different. </div>
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I was thinking about a new children's story idea I'd like to write during the holidays and the mood of it reminded me of a Roald Dahl book. Feeling I could use his inspiration, I checked out what my library had on stock.</div>
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I've never read <i>Esio Trot </i>before but I'm sure that when I get to it I won't be disappointed. Roald Dahl is always sure-fire in his voice and imagination. It's also only a little book so I'll probably enjoy it in one sitting with a cup of tea. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sweet Tooth </i>by Ian McEwan</span><br />
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Ian McEwan is one of my favourite writers. You might remember how much I raved about his masterpiece <i>Atonement. </i>Set in 1972, <i>Sweet Tooth </i>is his latest release and I'm eager to discover how his voice has developed since then. </div>
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It's a story of espionage and seducation. I'll be definitely blogging about this one. McEwan's writing is crystalline in its perfection and everything I've read of his has been charged with intrigue. I was in the mood for a spy thriller, and who better to satisfy this craving than a literary master. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Tampa </i>by Allisa Nutting</span><br />
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It was this borderline pornographic front cover that compelled me to learn more about this book. Published this year, <i>Tampa</i> is praised as presenting the female version of Nabakov's Humbert in <i>Lolita </i>with great success. </div>
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Reviews suggest that <i>Tampa</i> will inspire controversy and discussion as a great book club read. I'm excited to try Nutting's debut novel and see what sort of reaction it inspires. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'd love to hear about your holiday reading so leave a comment below to share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tim Winton's modern classic <i>Cloudstreet</i> is unavoidably a masterpiece. But unlike the works that we normally associate with the esteemed "M word", it isn't prim, cold and correct. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book is life and grit and salt and sweat. It is the dirt you build a home on and it is a gift. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL-OergjvNoacy3hU1X11UTLGYoyVE12RkJRPSZVxe9oLtttxCEHFz14Ne5Yg0cQlxVwAztA3QHw4MsQtw-0BW92x9R7jU4fPKUdBcLyIwGE27zv8o95GtihlpQD3V__Jhxl3Q8-7BuhG/s1600/a_2303todtvsurfing1-1667o8t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL-OergjvNoacy3hU1X11UTLGYoyVE12RkJRPSZVxe9oLtttxCEHFz14Ne5Yg0cQlxVwAztA3QHw4MsQtw-0BW92x9R7jU4fPKUdBcLyIwGE27zv8o95GtihlpQD3V__Jhxl3Q8-7BuhG/s200/a_2303todtvsurfing1-1667o8t.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: au.news.yahoo.com</td></tr>
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<i>My aim in writing this review is to acknowledge the impossibility of summing this book up. How can I possibly describe a book that has changed my life? <b>It's futile trying to give you my experience in a nutshell when you can only really <u>know</u> by experiencing it yourself. </b></i></div>
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<i>So this is really a lousy stab at revealing my heart. </i></div>
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<i>Cloudstreet</i> is deliciously well-written. I read it in a state of constant swoon. <b>Tim Winton treats Australia like rare magic, and now the sky and earth appears to me imbued with dreams. </b></div>
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<b>The book is life. </b>I've never been so shocked and so upset. Great sadness sits beside great happiness in its swelling tide. It was real for me, every bit. </div>
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When I finished reading it, all I could do was weep and hold the book tight against my chest. I felt that for the first time, I had been given a piece of life and hope all my own. <b>It is a gift I didn't feel worthy to receive, but no one can take it from me because now <i>Cloudstreet </i>is in my veins. </b></div>
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<b>I never felt alone reading it. This is a book that deserves to be read in community and togetherness, to be shared and talked about until you're forced to admit that you could never get to the bottom of it. It is an individual and communal experience. </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Cloudstreet </i>for me is an epiphany of what it is to love. What is it to be a family? And what is home - people or places? Within it's pages I found an indescribable surety I was alive. </span> </div>
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Paige Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334957101478276651noreply@blogger.com3