Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this (long) weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
I’m in the final stretches of polishing up a first complete draft of my PhD thesis, so outings are obviously largely out. But since Lifeline Bookfest - always one of the highlights of the year as far as I’m concerned - is on this Queen’s Birthday long weekend (in fact finishing on Tuesday), I couldn’t resist popping over the Convention Centre for a quick visit yesterday. I think I’ve mentioned before that it’s reputed to be the largest second hand booksale in the world, and any bibliophile is in heaven when surrounded by a million books. I normally go each day and spend lots of time in the different areas (unpriced, priced and quality) and different categories, but other demands on my time meant I spend only about an hour - mainly with the “quality” books where you might pay up to $10 a volume, as opposed to $1, $2 or $3 in the other sections. Illustrated are the books I got for $87. Politics and history mainly this time, since searching through fiction takes so long!
I forgot the bookfest was on, although before I get more books I really ought to get enough book-cases to hold all the overflow of books that are in boxes on top of cupboards and underneath beds.
My mountains gives itself over to terrorists– whoops tourists for hols so instead of the daily climb,and because lambing is in full swing me and my deerhounds are practically house bound, or that’s what it has felt like today. So it came as a great joy when out of all this gloom Carlton magically found a way to win over Port who’d led by a country mile until halfway through the last quarter. Haven’t had this much fun since the Lions rubbed Collingwoods nose in it at the ‘G time and again in ‘01 2 and 3. Not because I’m a Blues fan mind but rather because I was a prisoner to rabid croweaters from ‘59 to ‘86. Carn the Lions [Yep they won over Freo].
We beat Port??!
Yes, its an amazing event. Though when I lived in Brisbane it was my LPs, rather than my books, that increased exponentially. Messiaen playing Messiaen, pretty much Britten’s entire oevre, Ives, obscure Glen Gould, lots of Soviet-era exotica and so on.
I wonder how Malthus’ view on population growth might have differed had he lived during the era of charity book/record sales….
Mark’s got all the book cases you can get into a unit, and still has a problem.
He should cull some, but as he says, he’d likely as not buy them back again if he saw them at the next bookfest.
Dombey and Son is really good.
Who are the Webbs of Webbs’ Australian Diary?
Dr. Cat: “Dombey and Son is really good.”
Out of curiosity, PC, what’s your favorite Dickens (or like your top 3 or top 5)? Not that ranking and rating is any sort of serious intellectual business or anything, but it’s certainly fun — and I have to confess I’ve only read the screamingly obvious ones, and not even all of those, really.
I’m looking forward to Dombey and Son. I hadn’t read any Dickens (apart from a half hearted attempt at Tale of Two Cities when I was a kiddie) before the BBC’s Bleak House inspired me to read the book - which I lerved.
Yasmin, Beatrice and Sidney, Fabian Socialists:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Webb
Beatrice was the more interesting of the two! I hadn’t realised they were ever here in Australia, but apparently were in 1898. Speaking of Australian history, the book about Robert Lowe’s time in Sydney (later British Liberal politician and Gladstone’s Chancellor of the Exchequer at one point) was quite fascinating - looks to have been written under Manning Clarke’s supervision at ANU in the 60s. Deals with colonial politics in Sydney in the 40s - and reminds me of my intention to read that book that came out last year (forgotten author and name as I’m wont to do) about the struggle for representative gov’t in the colony. There was some radical stuff going on in Sydney - particularly after news of the 1848 revolutions arrived - and connections with the Chartists and so on - none of which I knew about because I had a high school history curriculum John Howard no doubt would have approved of and didn’t subsequently read much Oz history treating with periods prior to the emergence of the trade unions and labour parties (with the exception of Brisbane and Queensland history).
Goodness me, how fascinating. I think I had the same curriculum. I cannot remember learning any Australian history other than the obligatory units on Captain Cook and Gallipoli. I want my money back.
Cripes, Mark - that’s a wonk’s wet dream (not that I’m in a position to talk…).
Not only am I snowed under marking essays, but I already have more books than I could ever hope to fit on a plane to Toronto… so I’m gonna have to sit this one out, and painful as that may be.
OMG, here I am in Armidale, and there are all those books up in Brisbane on history and stuff waiting to be bought. Its positively cruel of you, Mark, to leave me drooling over photos of books I can’t get at!
The book on colonial politics is Peter Cochrane’s Colonial Ambition.
btw, be prepared to weep over Dombey and Son. Its a real tear-jerker - also one of Dickens’ best books.
Apart from it, my three favourites are Barnaby Rudge, Great Expectations, (the first Dickens I ever read)and a toss up between Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist. My least favourites are Our Mutual Friend and Martin Chuzzlewit,though I appreciated the humour in Martin Chuzzlewit much more the second time I read it in my forties. The first time round,(in my early 20s) Mrs. Chuzzlewit bored me sh*tless.Similarly, I absolutely loved Pickwick Papers at age 40. Laughed myself sick.I just didn’t get it when I was 15.
But to the weekend - Sat. morning, a bit on LP, took some notes for a book review I’m working on, then took some history notes from Jensen’s Sounding of a Nation, for the 1st. Chapter of my American Revolutiob book. Read some of John Sugden’a Nelson -A Dream of Glory (Magnificent). Evening watched ABC TV.
Sunday, pretty much the same, except I watched Insiders. (Ugh!). On TV Sunday night - still dreadfully ambivalent about Wild China. Loved Persuasion. That kiss! You can’t beat Jane Austen for sex when it comes to great literature. D. H. Lawrence, eat your heart out!
For sheer enjoyabilification, and with the blanket proviso that Dickens is rubbish at romance/happy-marriage relationships, as indeed he was in life (but his non-saccharine romantic, sexual and marriage relationships are as psychologically sharp as everything else he does), my favourites are Our Mutual Friend, David Copperfield and Dombey and Son, probably in that order.
Paul’s spirited rejection of Our Mutual Friend leaves me speechless but I agree with him that Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickleby are right up there. Bleak House is a less enjoyable read but a brilliant treatment of its subject matter.
Also, most of his nonfiction is absolutely brilliant.
‘Pickwick Papers’ was my absolute favourite novel when I was 12 or 13. David Copperfield would be my favourite now, I think. Peter Ackroyd’s bio of Dickens is a great read.
16,
PC, My problem with Our Mutual Friend, once you get past the brilliant opening, is its incredibly creaky plot.The book collapses about halfway through, from memory. (Its been about 15 years since I re-read it.)While Bleak House can be faulted for that tieing up all loose ends last chapter, overall its a far better book (I think). Another of my all time Dickens favourites is Little Dorrit. I’d probably put it before Nickleby/Twist.Oh, hell, with a couple of exceptions, he’s uniformly marvellous, grand, humane, tragic, hilariously funny, brilliantly imaginative, etc. I just love him.
Fine,
Loved the Ackroyd biography. Ackroyd’s best work, I think, that I’ve read.
Thanks so much for the Cochran reference, Paul.
Old Curiosity Shop, Pickwick Papers, Bleak House
Sunday wasn’t too lazy for me: walked from Brownhill Recreation Park to Crafers, pretty much all uphill! (taxied back, but want to walk up and back one day)
my terrier bitch was happy, a lot of the way she was off lead. Of course, she managed to fall into the creek
Tried and failed to finish replacing Gaston the Trucks heater. The heater box is in the engine bay, a fraction too close to the exhaust system on one side, and made of fibreglass. As you’d expect, one corner of the box looked like it had been on fire at one stage. Improvised a heat shield out of a piece of scrap sheet metal but the process took so long (trying to make it neat, fit properly, look nice) I ran out of time and heard the sounds of frustration coming from inside the house (both from mother and baby). Intervention required.
Intervention involved playing “Schnappi das kleine krokodil” and “Super freak” off of youtube to the baby, who fell asleep happy. Stuffed if I know what she likes about (I’m) Rick James (biatch!) but she loves that song and sings along to the bit where the temptations are sampled. Schnappi explains itself.
Sunday night, it took some ‘Persuasion’ but I convinced my husband to watch the brilliant Jane Austen adaptation on the ABC. Prior to seeing it, he’s whinging ‘what is it with chicks and Jane Austen?’ After the movie he apologised for the attitude and admitted how good it was! (It nice to see that good looking guy from ‘Spooks’ playing the male lead, and ‘Giles’ from Buffy - spent half the movie going ‘where’s have I seen that guy before?’) I am looking forward to watching Northager(?) Abbey next week.
“Carn the Lions [Yep they won over Freo].”
Oh, well done. If you’re up for more triumphalism, watch me take candy from this baby!
[/lashing out in manner of bitter Dockers fan]
Oh Bugger I missed out on more books - mind you given we’ve managed to almost fill a 3 bedrrom unit with the things (new shelves being built as I write) it’s probably not a bad thing
Only really noteworthy thing done on the weekend was a stunning walk out to Mt Solitary (in the Blueys) from Katoomba. With all the mist and clouds the views and waterfalls were absolutely gorgeous. It was somewhat muddy but hey that’s half the fun!