Sometimes, you have a grumpy day. It's drizzling outside, you feel ugly, or you despair that you'll never find a fulfilling job. Whatever the reason, we all have these days - sometimes stretching across a whole week (or more). On those days, I sometimes have to remind myself that I am pretty, or smart, or fun to be around. But as I'm often my own worst critic, it helps to store up genuine compliments from the people who know and love me best.
So thanks, friends - family - you know who you are. Here are a few of your compliments that make me feel good, even when I'm grumpy. You might have said it in a moment, but it's stayed with me.
Your homemade soup is so good, you could sell it on the street on Friday nights and make tons of money.
You're one of those women who looks even more beautiful with time.
You're the best hugger in the whole world!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Excuses, excuses
I know, I know... it's been a whole month. I'm sorry. I've been very busy, I promise. And with what's happening in Japan and Libya lately, it seemed almost superficial to just post another book review or recipe, but I couldn't really think of what to say that hasn't already been said by someone with a greater depth of understanding than me.
-And then another week passed while I went on vacation-
Four weeks ago I began a thrilling, terrifying adventure - grad school. Yes, I have re-entered higher education, and am on my way to becoming a librarian! Not the bun-wearing, shushing kind either - but aside from that I don't know what kind of librarian I would like to be. As technology creates more formats to hold information, librarians' jobs change and their roles expand. I don't think libraries will die out anytime soon, they'll just be different from how they're portrayed in movies like The Music Man.
"What do you want to take out?"
"The librarian."
God, I love that line. Robert Preston is gold. And Shirley Jones...I can never pick whether I love her as Marian, Laurey, or Julie best.
Expect to see more library, book and DRM (digital rights management) related posts in the future. It will take me approximately 18 months of full-time study to earn my MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science), and that's as a follow-up to my English B.A. There's far more to library studies than shelving, cataloguing and microfiche!
Librarian 2.0 - Twitter account, red glasses, nose stud, Kindle and all.
-And then another week passed while I went on vacation-
Four weeks ago I began a thrilling, terrifying adventure - grad school. Yes, I have re-entered higher education, and am on my way to becoming a librarian! Not the bun-wearing, shushing kind either - but aside from that I don't know what kind of librarian I would like to be. As technology creates more formats to hold information, librarians' jobs change and their roles expand. I don't think libraries will die out anytime soon, they'll just be different from how they're portrayed in movies like The Music Man.
"What do you want to take out?"
"The librarian."
God, I love that line. Robert Preston is gold. And Shirley Jones...I can never pick whether I love her as Marian, Laurey, or Julie best.
Expect to see more library, book and DRM (digital rights management) related posts in the future. It will take me approximately 18 months of full-time study to earn my MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science), and that's as a follow-up to my English B.A. There's far more to library studies than shelving, cataloguing and microfiche!
Librarian 2.0 - Twitter account, red glasses, nose stud, Kindle and all.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Forgotten Books are Dangerous
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Book: The Shadow of the Wind
Language: Translated from Spanish
Publisher: Penguin, 2005
My family is full of readers, and this past Christmas, my mother-in-law insisted I read a book she'd brought on her trip from Canada to Australia, which had been given to her by her sister in America. So this is a well-travelled book, with two satisfied readers already - and it's been on the New York Times bestseller list.
If you like gothic romance, Barcelona, dark family secrets, power struggles, bookshops and books about books, this is for you. It is overpowering and at times over the top, but its whole is masterful.
Even through the translation, Zafon's words are gorgeous. A poor translation - or a poor synopsis - would have made this novel read like a Dan Brown thriller, but instead the story builds in suspense and is full to bursting of gothic-novel-worthy settings, plot twists, violence and heartache. Above all, though, this is a "love letter to literature" (Entertainment Weekly) and to the booksellers and readers who seek out precious volumes and keep them on their shelves and in their hearts.
The novel follows Daniel Sempere, an antiquarian book dealer's son, from childhood to tortured adulthood. His father entrusts him with a great secret - the location of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books - and charges him to choose a single volume and keep it safe for the remainder of his life.
"This place was already ancient when my father brought me here for the first time, many years ago. Perhaps as old as the city itself. Nobody knows for certain how long it has existed, or who created it. I will tell you what my father told me, though. When a library disappears, or a bookshop closes down, when a book is consigned to oblivion, those of us who know this place, its guardians, make sure that it gets here. In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day they will reach a new reader's hands." p. 6
When Daniel discovers that his copy of The Shadow of the Wind is the last in existence, he is mystified, and devotes his life to finding out more about its author and its publication history. But it is no accident that the author's entire canon has been destroyed, and soon Daniel is too close to the truth...
Book: The Shadow of the Wind
Language: Translated from Spanish
Publisher: Penguin, 2005
My family is full of readers, and this past Christmas, my mother-in-law insisted I read a book she'd brought on her trip from Canada to Australia, which had been given to her by her sister in America. So this is a well-travelled book, with two satisfied readers already - and it's been on the New York Times bestseller list.
If you like gothic romance, Barcelona, dark family secrets, power struggles, bookshops and books about books, this is for you. It is overpowering and at times over the top, but its whole is masterful.
Even through the translation, Zafon's words are gorgeous. A poor translation - or a poor synopsis - would have made this novel read like a Dan Brown thriller, but instead the story builds in suspense and is full to bursting of gothic-novel-worthy settings, plot twists, violence and heartache. Above all, though, this is a "love letter to literature" (Entertainment Weekly) and to the booksellers and readers who seek out precious volumes and keep them on their shelves and in their hearts.
The novel follows Daniel Sempere, an antiquarian book dealer's son, from childhood to tortured adulthood. His father entrusts him with a great secret - the location of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books - and charges him to choose a single volume and keep it safe for the remainder of his life.
"This place was already ancient when my father brought me here for the first time, many years ago. Perhaps as old as the city itself. Nobody knows for certain how long it has existed, or who created it. I will tell you what my father told me, though. When a library disappears, or a bookshop closes down, when a book is consigned to oblivion, those of us who know this place, its guardians, make sure that it gets here. In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day they will reach a new reader's hands." p. 6
When Daniel discovers that his copy of The Shadow of the Wind is the last in existence, he is mystified, and devotes his life to finding out more about its author and its publication history. But it is no accident that the author's entire canon has been destroyed, and soon Daniel is too close to the truth...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Alexia Tarabotti Novels
Author : Gail Carriger
Series : The Parasol Protectorate
Publisher : Orbit, 2009-2010
The steampunk-esque cover for Soulless had been taunting me from the shelf for weeks, but it had the potential to be one of those books that couldn't live up to its cover blurb. So I hesitated. When one of Sydney's best sci-fi/fantasy bookstores gave it a very favourable review, I couldn't resist anymore.
I had concerns that steampunk + supernatural + Victorian comedy of manners = too much goodness, and it does - but in the best possible way. Carriger's impetus for this peculiar bundle is a character-driven plot, in which England could not have maintained its autonomy without the help of supernatural forces. Vampires, you see, are masters of society and its manners. Werewolves are master tacticians. Together, the two are an unbeatable combination, and the royal family has wisely used this combination to build an indomitable England.
The books might be laden with new ideas but they are by no means heavy, and they made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Aside from Alexia, our witty but soulless heroine, there is a string of memorable and engaging characters. From werewolves in waistcoats and flamboyantly gay vampires, to a woman who is far too fond of ridiculous headgear, Alexia's acquaintances populate the pages with quirky charm. Changeless and Blameless are excellent as well, and the story speeds along with dashes of fiery romance, mischievous deeds, secret labs and dirigible flights.
This is worldbuilding at its best, and I can't wait until July 2011 for book four, Heartless.
A word of warning : don't read blurbs for books 2-5 on Gail Carriger's official website until you've read the novel previous. As River Song would say, "Spoilers!"
Series : The Parasol Protectorate
Publisher : Orbit, 2009-2010
The steampunk-esque cover for Soulless had been taunting me from the shelf for weeks, but it had the potential to be one of those books that couldn't live up to its cover blurb. So I hesitated. When one of Sydney's best sci-fi/fantasy bookstores gave it a very favourable review, I couldn't resist anymore.
Gail Carriger packs a lot into the first novel of the Parasol Protectorate. Vampires, werewolves, the concept of "Soulless" - I won't give that away - and high tea. The series continues to build on Alexia Tarabotti's forays into the unforgiving social world of Victorian England, tempered by Carriger's stylish and humorous writing.
I had concerns that steampunk + supernatural + Victorian comedy of manners = too much goodness, and it does - but in the best possible way. Carriger's impetus for this peculiar bundle is a character-driven plot, in which England could not have maintained its autonomy without the help of supernatural forces. Vampires, you see, are masters of society and its manners. Werewolves are master tacticians. Together, the two are an unbeatable combination, and the royal family has wisely used this combination to build an indomitable England.
The books might be laden with new ideas but they are by no means heavy, and they made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Aside from Alexia, our witty but soulless heroine, there is a string of memorable and engaging characters. From werewolves in waistcoats and flamboyantly gay vampires, to a woman who is far too fond of ridiculous headgear, Alexia's acquaintances populate the pages with quirky charm. Changeless and Blameless are excellent as well, and the story speeds along with dashes of fiery romance, mischievous deeds, secret labs and dirigible flights.
This is worldbuilding at its best, and I can't wait until July 2011 for book four, Heartless.
A word of warning : don't read blurbs for books 2-5 on Gail Carriger's official website until you've read the novel previous. As River Song would say, "Spoilers!"
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