Saturday, September 19, 2009

In My Mailbox (5)

This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.

Today I've been to Kyneton and back with the boy, dropping some books off for an event. It's a lovely drive, straight up the highway north of Melbourne, through Macedon and past Hanging Rock--Hanging Rock, that infamous picnic spot where Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay is set. In 1900, several boarding-schoolgirls go missing. Some are found with no memory of what happened to them, and others are never seen again. It's a very creepy tale and an Australian classic, and one I must get around to reading one of these days.

It's a warm, cloudy day in Melbourne, but freezing and wet in Kyneton. I was only too happy to scurry back to the city, the supermarket for some supplies and then onto the video store. It's going to storm tonight, so we stocked up on some old favourites and some new ventures: Aliens, The Amityville Horror, the first season of Firefly, I, Robot and Premonition. Of these I've only seen Aliens, which I love and is the boy's favourite of the Alien films. Mainly because of Bill Paxton, who he adores in this role!

It was a slow one this week in terms of books. The floor in front of my bookshelf is stacked with books to read, so I can hardly complain. One book for review, Hollywood is Like High School With Money by Joey Dean. This was an unexpected arrival and not exactly my thing, but I'll dip into it anyway. The second is Space Demons by Gillian Rubenstein, a classic urban fantasy middle grade book from 1987 that I must have read several times as a kid. It's actually signed by Rubenstein herself, to "Tim". Bought from eBay.

I'm halfway through The Demon's Lexicon. All I've read is how much people love this book, but I'm flagging. I can't seem to warm to Nick and the writing's rather drab. I'll persevere, but today I'm giving myself a little treat and reading World War Z in the intermittent sunshine and watching the storm clouds roll in. Ah, Caturday night at home!

Last night at a party I was talking to a couple of lovely and well-read women who belong to a book club that meets at our local pub. As my own book club is now defunct I've been hoping to come across another. I haven't joined yet as this month's book is The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (big fat yawn). I'll find out what next month shall bring and possibly have a few literary Chardies with them. ("It's pronounced Caaaaaar-ddonay, ya pack of shunts.") We bonded over a mutual love of Day of the Triffids, and Brave New World and A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Northcote High Street festival. Drinking and dancing in the streets, huzzah! My friend Natasha is hosting a champagne brekky and then another friend, John Beta, is doing a DJ set at the Social Club. I hope the rain holds off.

I love spring. Especially weekends in spring. Happy Caturday to all!

16 comments:

  1. Awesome week you had. Hope you enjoy reading your books.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, too bad about The Demon's Lexicon! I rather thought the point was that you weren't supposed to identify with Nick. I just took him as a psychotic and sometimes hilarious character...but maybe I didn't demand enough from the story. Either that or I'm twisted, which is entirely possible. Hope you enjoy it at the end! (or if you don't, that you find something more to your liking soon!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I need to read Picnic at Hanging Rock too. The film is one of my all-time favourites.

    Is it mean-spirited to be jealous that you're getting Spring and I'm into Autumn? Because I am.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have fun reading the books you got! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoy WWZ and I also loved that lolcat :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. haha space demons - LOVE IT

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just read Hollywood a few days ago, and it's actually rather charming; it's a fun, feel-good read that's not too saccharine and stupid. I really want to read World War Z now. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey! Great books! They all look fantastic! Happy reading :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Please persevere with Demon's Lexicon: there is a good reason why you are not warming up to Nick *ninja*

    Let us know when you are done?

    ReplyDelete
  10. I found it really hard to get into the Demon's Lexicon too. Just hang in there. The ending is great!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Celia, Ana, Becky, you've all convinced me--I must see The Demon's Lexicon through to the end.

    And I know, how cute is that Lolcat! I just want to squish its adorable little face!

    Lauren, it's going to be a hot Antipodean summer. I can't wait :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I felt the same way about Demon's Lex. It felt like it took me forever to finish it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just read another 50 pages of Demon's Lexicon this morning. SO saw the "twist" coming, but I'm starting to enjoy it again.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've never heard of Picnic at Hanging Rock but it sounds intriguing!

    ReplyDelete