Sharing Christmas with Edna!

Handling Edna by Barry Humphries
If you are a fan of Dame Edna and Barry Humphries, this is a must read book. Humphries takes the interesting path of treating Edna as a separate individual who begged him to become his stage manager and subsequently upstaged him as a performer. The book goes back to Edna's early days as a housewife in Moonee Ponds where Humphries frequently visited and got to know her children, Kenny and Valmai and her husband Norm with his prostate problems. He follows her career through the decades and this in itself is an interesting social and cultural history of Melbourne. Alongside this is the life that Barry Humphries himself has had to date. Humphries has such an interest in the English language and a very extensive vocabulary... I advise sitting with a dictionary while reading the book! I really loved the way he played on the idioms of language at different times, weaving them into the characters' scripts . All in all, a very amusing book but also an insight into Melbourne then and now.

Recommended by Jan

Reading lists for those in power

The Grattan Institute, an independent, non-aligned thing tank, has produced a reading list for our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
The list includes:
Radical hope : education and equality in education by Noel Pearson ;





Ransom by David Malouf ;





Welcome to the urban revolution : how cities are changing the world by Jeb Brugmann ; and




The tall man by Chloe Hooper.

Something different to read

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 during the Civil Rights movement. Skeeter has just graduated from Ole Miss and returns home wanting more than just the marriage her mother expects. Abileen is a maid who has raised 17 white children and is devoted to her current charge. Abilene’s best friend, Minny, is a wonderful cook who keeps losing her job because she can’t mind her tongue. Skeeter asks Abilene for her help in collecting stories for a book showing how the black servants view their employers. “The Help” tells about the lives of the women of Jackson while the information is gathered and the results when the book is published. This is a wonderful book about the way these three women cross boundaries and form friendships while making an impact on their community.

Highly recommended by Leonie

Some recent history

'Extremely loud and incredibly close' by Jonathan Safran Foer
If you enjoyed reading "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time" this book is in a similar vein, with an endearing and precocious nine year old as the main character. Oskar has lost his father in 9/11 and carries the sad secret of hearing his last messages on their answer phone. Not long after the death of his father, he discovers a key with the name "Black" attached to it and he begins a search of all the neighbourhoods in New York to discover the owner. Along the way he meets many people and their stories become intertwined with his life and his need to sort out his future without a father. He is supported by an incredibly wise mother and a grandmother with quite an amazing unfolding history.
Of course you need suspend reality for a large part of the book, but it is such an interesting, sad, quirky and engrossing read that it stays with you long after the last page.

Reviewed by Jan

Don't believe everything you read - again

'The house of special purpose' by John Boyne is just as engaging and memorable as his previous novel, 'The boy in the striped pyjamas'. The story begins in 1915 with 16 year old Georgy intercepting a bullet meant for a senior member of the Russian Imperial family. As a result of his bravery, Georgy is sent to St. Petersburg to become a bodyguard to Alexia Romanov, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II. The story follows Georgy's life among the dying empire. This is a time of change, threat and bloody revolution and Georgy is privy to the secrets of the Tsar and Tsaritsa. He falls in love with the youngest daughter of the Tsar, Anastasia and leads a secret affair with the young girl. After the Russian revolution, the Zsar and his family are dethroned and sent into exile. Georgy is also on the run and attempts to locate the royal family.
I was so intrigued by this story I checked out some historical facts about the Russian royal family on the internet and also spoke to a history buff. My research showed Boyne's story to play around with the facts, however I did prefer his version of events to those that happened in real life.
Highly recommended by Leisa.

Learning history through fiction - don't believe everything you read!

Relying on an author to give an historically accurate account of characters and incidents in history can be dangerous. However, historical fiction can give great insight into the lives of those who have lived before us. Blood royal by Vanora Bennett is the story of Catherine of Valois, the French princess who was married to Henry V of England in the 15th Century. The marriage was supposed to broker peace between the English and French, however Catherine's brother Charles led a resistance army against the English. The story also follows the relationship of Catherine and OwainTudor, a Welshman who was dispossessed of his land and title by the English. Catherine was brought up to believe in the divine rule of kings and the importance of having the 'royal blood'. This belief is often questioned throughout the book particularly in relation to political expediency. Many of Catherine's decisions throughout the story show her political naivety.
I found the story to be a bit long winded, but the differences in the sensibilities, manners and protocol of the royal courts of England and France was interesting. I thought Catherine was an unlikeable and dull character at the beginning of the story, however she did grow on me! I must say I'm glad I'm not 'royal'.

Australian music soothes the savage beast

'Playlisted' by Craig Mathieson is a good read for anyone interested in the Australian music scene. Mathieson, a music journalist, writes about some well known, and not so well know, figures in our music industry. Chapters on Powderfinger, Kylie Monogue, Jet, The Presets, The Veronicas and others analyze their career trajectories, performances, image and albums.

If you are inspired by Mathieson's views and fancy yourself as a bit of a muso, why not take a look at '101 Australian songs for easy guitar' The Library has just purchased volume 3, which includes the guitar music and lyrics for some classic Australian songs by Little Birdy, Paul Kelly, Grinspoon, Spiderbait, Shannon Noll, AC/DC, Josh Pyke and others. The Library also has volumes 1 and 2.

While on a music theme, our new online database 'Rock's Backpages: the ultimate library of rock music writing and journalism' can give you some insight into all things rock. This could be helpful for some swotting before your next trivia night! It is a US database, so beware, it is not too comprehensive on Australian artists.

To sort or not to sort

Visited someone recently who had purchased all those classic reprints with the orange covers - the books were chosen to match the rest of the orange decor in the room rather than for the individual titles.
A recent discussion among library staff about how they arrange their books at home drew many approaches:
by height,
by genre, then by author A-Z,
by latest purchase first,
by colour,
by hardbacks, then paperbacks,
by fiction A-Z, then non fiction all over the place,
by genre,
by no order, just how it fits on the shelves.
How do you store and sort your books in your home?