The Places You Will Go

Books at Bedtime, Mealtimes, In-Between Times

As you may have noticed (if you're a regular reader of this blog), I've been reading quite a lot of Georgette Heyer. However, I have to confess that I have never read any of her books all the way through.

I usually lose interest at about the halfway mark, once the heroine's character has been established and her shopping all done!

I skip the large chunk (where she misunderstands the hero and his intentions)  and go straight to the last chapter where all is revealed and she agrees to be his wife.

Actually I don't know why I even bother, but I am going to do the same for two more Heyers before I call it quits.

At the moment I am also reading A Year of Reading Proust, essays by Phyllis Rose, which I bought several years ago (and enjoyed then as I do now), when I still shopped at Silverfish Books. It reminds me that I have yet to read any actual Proust, but yesterday I told myself that I may as well resign myself to never reading him. (I have to stop thinking that I MUST read some titles. Why MUST? If I have not got around to them, or found myself unable to start or started but been unable to carry on, perhaps I MUST simply stop torturing myself.)

Oh, perhaps I will, someday, read and like Proust, but for now I shall enjoy him, vicariously, through Rose and Alain de Botton, whose How Proust Can Change Your Life was given me as a birthday gift some years ago, but I have yet to read.

As always, so many books, so little time ....

Picture Book of the Month: Magic Beach

July 2006

MAGIC BEACH
Written and Illustrated by Alison Lester
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 32 pages

Alison Lester writes and illustrates beautiful books, but I had never come across her work until I went to Australia recently. This was my introduction to Lester and I fell in love immediately with her artwork, so full of detail and shining with bright, clear colours.

Magic Beach is a family's gleeful description, written in rhyme, of their favourite beach. The pictures illustrate the activities described (splashing through the surf, building sandcastles, walking along the shore, fishing and so on) as well as how they are transformed quite fantastically in the minds of the children (waves become horses, sandcastles are fortresses of stone etc). A lovely book - it will make you long to be by the sea.

Less is More

Tots to Teens, Star Mag

30th July 2006

Picking Out the Bestsellers

Star Mag

30th July 2006

Poetry Reading

Wanfern, a merchandiser at MPH Bookstore, gave me a lovely gift yesterday: Poetry Speaks to Children, a collection of poems in a picture book format.

It comes with a CD and, here's what's so special, some of the poems are read by the poets themselves and these include J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Frost, Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash and Roald Dahl.

Poems should be read out loud, but I do think that some (myself included)just can't do it well so this is a great way to introduce your children to poetry.

Sur le Pointe

Because I think satin pointe shoes are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ...

Claire-de-Lune by Cassandra Golds

Lovable Lobel

Tots to Teens, Star Mag

23rd July 2006

Kids with Views

I've chosen to read The View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg, with a new English language tuition student.

I started a re-read last night and was done a couple of hours ago. It's as enjoyable as I remember it - from way back when.

Four slightly unconventional sixth graders become friends and are chosen to represent their school in a general knowledge competition.

The kids (Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian), who call themselves The Souls, take turns to tell the reader about themselves and the events that lead up to them becoming chums and being chosen to be on the school team.

They are good kids - interesting, amusing, smart and kind.

The book mentions how most students are no longer curious. Instead of saying "Now what?" they say "So what?"

Konigsburg wrote Saturday in 1996. I wonder what she makes of things now. My own students are mostly apathetic. They are bored and think there is nothing new or wonderful in this world. There are exceptions. Well, I have one student who seems to care and wonder. And she loves to read.

I also have a student who thought the United Kingdom was in America and had no idea where Venice was.

Saturday talks about turtles, Alice in Wonderland, feminism and calligraphy. The Souls ask questions, dream dreams, plan projects and make a difference. I hope my student will be inspired although he may, initially, feel he is reading about aliens.

The View from Saturday won the 1997 Newberry Medal.

Reading Campaign? What Reading Campaign?

If you missed my article about the new reading campaign launched by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage on 14 July, I've reproduced it here, along with all the sidebars. Pay special attention to the Q&A with the Director General of the National Library. It's possibly the funniest interview I've ever done and that's a really, really sad thing ...

Good Books Binned

Tots to Teens, Star Mag

16th July 2006