Library Book Sale Time Again

This time I took Alice with me, and she ended up with a lot more stuff than I did!
For Alice
Guinness Book of World Records 2010
"The best book ever in the whole world!"
Asterix In Britain, R. Goscinny & A. Uderzo
Okay, I confess, I picked up this one. In Grade 6 I used to read an Asterix or a Tintin every rainy lunchtime. Happy days.
Animal Evolution, Federica Colombo
Rhinos and giraffes on the front cover. Sold! At the moment Alice is tossing up whether to work in a zoo or to be an historian.
Cocker Spaniel, Dr Bruce Fogle
Royal Toy Spaniels, Alicia Pennington
Doesn't Alicia Pennington sound like just the perfect person to be an expert on Royal Toy Spaniels? If I'm not going to let my children buy a puppy, I may as well let them buy puppy books.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
Alice pounces on the creepy cover. 'What's this about, Mummy?' 'Um, it's about a man who gets his picture painted, and the picture grows old and he doesn't.' 'Ooh, yes please!' Should I be letting her read Oscar Wilde at 9? Sometimes it's slightly convenient that she can't read that well...
The Zoo Story, Catherine de Courcy
Now that I look at this more closely, I see that it's actually a book about the history and philosophy of zoo-keeping. Fascinating! We picked this up because of the cute lion cub on the cover but I think I might read it myself.

For me
Picture Writing: A new approach to writing for kids and teens, Anastasia Suen
Not about writing picture books, but making your writing more 'visually arresting'. Can't hurt, and I might learn something...
The Barrumbi Kids, Leonie Norrington
I've been meaning to read this for ages. The blurb says, 'an exciting, funny first novel about children moving between Aboriginal and white cultures.' Hooray for that.
Chenxi and the Foreigner, Sally Rippin
Very pleased about this pick up, especially since I met Sally at the PM's Award lunch (oh shut up) and she was absolutely lovely. I also can't wait to read her new book, Angel Creek, which is set around Merri Creek where we live too.

For Evie
Pups 4 Sale, Margaret Clark
Thank God there are so many books about puppies in the world. If Evie is careful, she might get through her entire life reading nothing else. She's certainly heading that way...

For Michael
The Psychology of Cricket, Graham Winter
I got this for Michael as a joke but I think he was actually a bit offended. Since he's in career best form and won Man of the Match in the cricket club Grand Final, he doesn't need the help of any psychology book, oh nooo, thank you very much.

The Library Book Sale Haul (February)

Pretty slim pickings this time round. There were no YA books at all; they must have cleared those out last time, when unfortunately I couldn't go. But for $4.50 I was still quite happy with this little lot!

For Evie
My brief from Evie is simply "puppy books." She's able to read chapter books by herself now, so I was thrilled to find Nobody's Dog by Lynn Hall, Sea Dog by Dale Campbell Gaetz, and (gulp) The Tale of Greyfriars Bobby by Lavinia Derwent. I have been reading the last one to her at bedtime; I'm not sure how she's going to cope when she realises just how sad it is! Greyfriars Bobby was the only animal story that ever touched me as a child*, so I hate to think what effect it's going to have on my sentimental, animal-loving little daughter. I wouldn't be surprised if she orders me to stop reading... I haven't told her yet that I visited wee Bobby's grave when I lived in Edinburgh.
I also picked her up Evie's Seaside Lullaby by Mandy Sutcliffe, even though she's really too old for it now. It's a sweet picture book, featuring a new baby, which is a popular topic in our house at the moment, and I think it's fun to have books with your own name in the title. Alice has HEAPS but Evie is quite rare, so I grab them when I can.

For Alice
On the same principle, I got Alice, I Think by Susan Juby, which I will probably end up reading before Alice does, but hey.
The Lion Book of Humorous Verse was a good pickup. Alice's literacy teacher was using a lot of poetry with her last year; I'm hoping to find lots of gory, silly poems here.  Also lions are Alice's special thing, so that was a nice coincidence.

For me
The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith. Haven't read this one, but AMS is usually a reliable light-but-enjoyable read. Also set in Edinburgh, which can only be a good thing (see also Greyfriars Bobby...)
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy. I recently read Piano Lessons by Anna Goldsworthy and really enjoyed it. In it, she refers to her father writing this novel, which was inspired loosely by Anna's piano teacher, which of course made me want to rush out and read Peter's version. Rapt to see how THIN it is, should race through this in no time.
Cancer and Virgo, Julia and Derek Parker. Silly astrology books, just because we happened to be talking about star signs that morning. Evie is a Cancer (home-loving, clingy), Alice is a Leo (hence the lions? dogmatic, creative) and Michael and I are both Virgos (perfectionist, anxious). Pity I couldn't find the Leo book to complete the set!

For Michael
Ahem... nothing.
I did toy with getting him Tobruk, but it isn't really his war (his special thing is WWI, especially the Western Front). Also I picked up The Psychology of Cricket, but I knew in my heart of hearts that he wouldn't read it, so I left it for someone else who would.


* Oh, and Black Beauty. Wasn't really an animal kid myself.

Library Book Sale

Behold my latest haul! Not bad for under ten bucks...

Market Blues, Kirsty Murray
To add to my Kirsty collection. (Do read her latest, India Dark, which is an utterly fascinating tale of a child theatrical troupe touring India at the turn of last century, and based on a true story.) Kirsty does love a good historical drama, and this is a Melbourne one, so goody.

Caspar in the Spotlight, Narinder Dhami
Evie told me to look for "puppy books, but with no sad bits." Hopefully this story of a dog starring in a TV soap opera will fit the bill.

Arthur: The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur trilogy are the most gorgeously written, poetic, moving novels, perhaps the best books I read last year. They parallel the story of a young medieval page with the legendary tales of King Arthur. I'm thrilled to have this in my library and hope I can find the lot. If you haven't read them, I beg you to do so!

The Witch in the Lake, Anna Fienberg
We're doing Witches for one session of our book group next year, and this is on the list. I was amazed at how many witch titles seemed to pop up once I started noticing them.

The Silver Branch, Rosemary Sutcliff
Part 2 of The Eagle of the Ninth which The Great Raven was discussing recently (I managed to find The Eagle itself in a second hand shop recently, too. Not the actual lost standard of the Roman Ninth Legion, obviously. The book.)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
Also coming up in book group. I already have a copy, but I thought I'd pick up a spare for my friend Heather.

The Peacock Spring, Rumer Godden
I need to read more Rumer Godden. Forbidden love, India, beautiful cover -- couldn't resist.

Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert
I really enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love (so sue me!), and this has only been out, what, less than a year? On the library cull pile already? I'm quite interested in ideas about marriage at the moment (apart from, you know, living it, marriage is turning out to be quite a central theme in Independence. Hmmm.) Worth a look.

Voices From a Lost World: Australian Women and Children in Papua New Guinea Before The Japanese Invasion, Jan Roberts
Speaking of Independence, I can call this research, even though it's dealing with a time period well before the 1970s, when Independence is set. Fascinating stories of Australia's colonial past. I can't wait to read this.

The Lucky Lamb, Lucy Daniels
The Queen's Cubby, Raewyn Caisley & Elise Hurst
Two more books for Evie (though when I read from the back of Lucky Lamb, "Woolly gets into all sorts of trouble...," she wailed, "I told you, no sad bits!" so we shall see.)


Poems For 7 Year Olds And Under, Helen Nicoll (ed)
Alice has been practising reading really well with poetry lately, so I might try her with some of these. I might need to type them out so she doesn't think they're beneath her dignity. I hate books labelled "For 8 Year Olds", "For 3 Year Olds" etc, it's so artificial and so limiting. Everyone should read what they want to read, regardless of "age suitability." I'm old enough not to be ashamed of reading books for kids, but when you're nine, it kind of matters.

Your Personality Tree, Florence Littauer
I always need to pick up at least one pop-psych volume! I came across this woman via Diane Levy's parenting book, Of Course I Love You, Now Go To Your Room, and I found her theories of personality extremely helpful and enlightening. She's adapted the ancient theory of the four humours to analysing personality types (sunny Sanguine, impatient Choleric, quiet Melancholic and peaceable Phlegmatic), each with their own needs and problems. Evie is a classic bubbly Sanguine, who can't bear to be criticised or to be alone for a second; Alice is a typical Melancholic, who falls apart when things aren't perfect, and needs lots of solitary time. Realising this has made parenting these two very different children much easier (especially since I'm a lazy, conflict-loathing Phlegmatic myself!) Warning: it's very Christian, which some readers might find off-putting.

Library of Curious and Unusual Facts: Inventive Genius
For Alice: weird little snippets about all kinds of inventions, from the safety pin to the ballpoint pen, to a "combined table, wardrobe and bedstead" from 1880 that never really had the success it deserved...

And finally, for my darling husband:
1000 Military Aircraft In Colour, Gerry Manning
Enuff said!

And In Other News...

... Rex now lives on Easter Island.

The Library Book Sale Haul

New Guinea, James L. Anderson & Donald Hogg
A big glossy photo book from 1969, which is exactly the right era to help me with my PNG WIP.

Frontier, Henry Reynolds
One of the first so-called "black armband" (ie truthful) accounts of white violence in Australian history.

The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
Never read it. Haven't seen the film either. I suspect I might find it a bit, well, stupid. But it's a very pretty edition.

The Binna Binna Man, Meme McDonald & Boori Monty Pryor
I just finished Njuljul The Sun; this is the second book in the series about the same indigenous boy.

White Time, Margo Lanagan
My introduction to the extraordinary world of Margo Lanagan, and the first book anyone at Allen & Unwin ever lent me. Coming from the record industry, where visitors routinely helped themselves to armfuls of CDs, I was somewhat dismayed that it was only a loan. But I get to keep this copy.

Keeper, Mal Peet
After this Onion's recommendation, I couldn't walk past this one.

Bachelor Kisses, Nick Earl
Never read this either. Think it looks sweet and funny. Also I love The Go-Betweens.

The House That Was Eureka, Nadia Wheatley
Man, this is one fat book. But it's Oz history. And this is the updated version. And it features a girl called Evie.

Leviathan, John Birmingham
Did someone say FAT? This is a door-stopper, John Birmingham's history of Sydney, which I've been searching the shelves for ages just to borrow. So when I saw it on the sale table I shrieked aloud (much to the distress of the nice elderly gentleman examining poetry books to my left).

I think we can see that my Australian history re-education phase is far from over. In fact I realise now that, unusually, almost all these books are Australian.

Alice came with me this time and picked up her own haul. A Famous Five book, the third volume of the Wind on Fire trilogy by William Nicholson, a very handsome red-and-gold Reader's Digest volume which she chose for its aesthetic appeal (I persuaded her to put back the two Danielle Steeles she picked up for similar reasons), book about creatures of the night (owls, not vampires), and a rather dubious looking graphic novel which appears to include a disturbing number of near-naked ladies (or perhaps it's the same near-naked lady, it's hard to say.)

On the way back to the car, the moor hens from Edwardes Park Lake moved toward us with sinister intent. Alice scared them away by barking like a dog. We thought they wanted to peck our feet, but perhaps they were just after our books.