A Chivas Regal Moment

Read Watch Play - a global twitter reading group draws to a close

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 23:09:00 +0000

December 2018 will bring the #ReadWatchPlay twitter reading group to a close

From small beginnings with the NSW Readers Advisory Group to #readit2011 challenging readers everywhere to read outside their comfort zones then the National Year of Reading's #Love2Read2012 before continuing on as #ReadWatchPlay for 6 years and spreading around the globe, this twitter reading group has drawn from a wealth of experienced library staff passionate about reading - and watching - and playing.

It's been quite a journey, with monthly themes and tweet-ups talking and celebrating all things reading, watching, playing, and listening.
Head over to Read Watch Play blog during the month of December and reminisce.

Over the past 6 years we've explored the following themes:

2018 – #firstread – #wildread – #redread – #wellread – #localread – #technoread – #classicread – #urbanread - #reelread - #secretread - #crimeread – #chilloutread

2017 – #firstread – #diverseread – #waterread – #biographyread – #playread – #epicread – #humourread – #nightread – #comfortread – #twistedread – #nordicread – #timetravelread

2016 – #wildread – #speedread – #redread – #bardread – #songread – #bookclubread – #artread – #geekread – #historyread – #bookbitesread – #flightread – #joyread

2015 – #wellread – #shortread – #poetryread – #reflectread – #migrantread – #legalread – #chillread – #watchread – #localread – #darkread – #technoread – #sweetread

2014 – #questread – #smoochread – #reelread – #urbanread – #fanread – #munchread – #warread – #spaceread – #classsicread – #secretread – #funread – #retroread

2013 – #reread – #heartread – #ecoread #crimeread – #indigiread – #faraway – #artread – #furread – #historyread – #egoread – #moread – #endread

I'ts been a blast.

water water everywhere & not a drop to drink.....

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 08:53:00 +0000

well, not exactly, but I am thinking about water a lot today.

I live on a small property that is reliant on tank water, on it raining. And it hasn't been raining much lately. This morning I ordered a load of water to be delivered and this will be the 3rd load in about 5 months. After this weekend it will just be myself & my husband and our 2 dogs at home as the eldest of our 3 children (and the last one still at home) moves out and takes his cute but mischievous pup with him.

As well as impacting on our water usage, I'm definitely hoping to see our electricity bill reduce, despite the fact we have an in-ground swimming pool in the backyard which I'm currently attempting to restore to summer swimming conditions (without 'vacuuming to waste' and buying a load of water just to fill it up - yes, I have done this before, more than once). Ongoing note to self: our next property will not have a swimming pool.

Anyway, back to water.

Australia is in the midst of a drought. We're a dry country to start with but it's been about 3 years since we saw good rains and New South Wales is most adversely affected. The Bureau of Meteorology's monthly drought statement doesn't give much good news.

The southern rainfall season spans April to November and corresponds to the southern agricultural cropping season. For 2018, the southern rainfall season has so far seen 5 consecutive months of below average rainfall across much of Australia. Serious or severe rainfall deficiencies persist in a large area along and inland of Western Australia's southern coast, extending into the southern Goldfields District; Central Australia; large parts of Queensland; and most of New South Wales, and adjacent eastern South Australia.

As a result of the rainfall during August, deficits have reduced in severity in the Maranoa and Warrego districts of Queensland and over the border into the North West Slopes and Plains district of New South Wales. However, the accumulated rainfall deficits over the past several months in these areas are very large, and will require a great deal more rain over an extended period of time to remove them completely.

This map shows the rainfall deficiencies from April 2017 to August 2018, giving additional context to the statement above.

As a result of this distinct lack of water, more and more farmers are doing it tougher and tougher. Australians have been quick to come to their aid though and the Buy a Bale of Hay program, which first gained ground in 2013, has again stepped up to help. Buy a Bale doesn't just fundraise for farmers to feed their livestock, it also looks after their health and well-being, enabling short holidays to give a much-needed break from the relenting stress of trying to keep crops and livestock alive in a very unforgiving land. Buy a Bale provides practical assistance and most importantly, the type of assistance the farmers themselves want and are asking for - such as water, groceries, diesel, as well as hay.

Whether you donate directly, or pass the tin around at work, every dollar helps, every dollar makes a difference.

all the pretty Redbubble things

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 02:27:00 +0000

The NSW Reference & Information Services Group has been part of the Redbubble community since 2010 when they launched their first piece of seminar themed merchandise for #ra2010 Murder in the Metcalfe and #bookbinge. From the simple beginnings of seminar hashtags in varied fonts on tee shirts and stickers and the occasional poster the range has now expanded to include tote bags and notebooks. As Redbubble has grown so too has the capacity to include images as well as text, to show that all important image attribution and to make the most of the opportunity Redbubble presents. Items are sold directly thru Redbubble at cost price on a pay-per-make basis with no profit to the group. The full range of products available on Redbubble continues to grow but the products used by nswRISG remains simple and straightforward - tote bags and notebooks are the key items. They have the added advantage of being unique items that can easily be used as thank you gifts to local and international keynote speakers at the annual Reference @ the Metcalfe and Readers Advisory seminars held at the State Library of NSW for public library staff.

Exploring Redbubble has been a challenge I have relished. With no budget to access resources like Adobe Photoshop or other such graphic programs I ended up teaching myself how to use GIMP. There's often a fair bit of swearing involved each time while I reorient myself around the program, but it's easy and straightforward and quickly helps me design and create image files that can then be used in Redbubble to make things. I generally find that the first new design takes a while until I'm sure of the look and feel and then the rest of the designs come along pretty quickly. Designing in GIMP and sharing in Redbubble always leaves me feeling satisfied and rewarded by the creative process. There's something about making "things" that is hugely rewarding.

In 2015 I suddenly discovered that Redbubble was making more than just tee shirts (thank you Ellen), the world of tote bags opened up and so too did the idea of using images instead of just text to market the seminars. My first forays were a bit clunky but a highlight has been finding old library posters that were out of copyright and could be used to promote our library seminars (see #risg2015 and #risg2016). The idea of using images to support a seminar theme became both a challenge and an opportunity. Westerns @ the Metcalfe involved first finding a suitable image and then hunting high and low to ensure we had permission to use the image. Images for the 2017 seminars came from the E. A Seguy collection (Insectes and Papillons), from the Special Research Collections Center at North Carolina State University Libraries. The readers advisory theme was 'diversity' and inspired the use of butterfly images to reinforce the ideas this theme explored. Using cicadas for the reference seminar seemed utterly appropriate given the Australian setting. These were followed in 2018 by some rather lovely bombinator frogs and a selection of cephalopds inspired by this Pinterest board and compliments of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Noting attribution for the source of the image has been paramount throughout the entire process and a huge thank you to the State Library of NSW for their delightful array of digitised photographs and posters which first began this journey.

As to what images will delight in 2019, that's a journey that's still to be had. I'm looking forward to it.

a bit of an eBook rant

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 01:59:00 +0000

I like eBooks. My library has eBooks & eAudiobooks (BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, Wheelers, RB Digital). Aside from the sheer convenience (yes, I'm a very impatient reader so when I want to read something I want to read it now & not have to wait for the library to open), because I borrow them from the library they're free ... like everything else I borrow from the library. That's how libraries work.

A key role that libraries play is to introduce readers to authors, to introduce readers to stories, to introduce readers to reading. Libraries pay exactly the same dollar amount to buy an ebook as they would to buy and print book. In fact libraries generally get a better deal on the print book because book suppliers provide anything from 10-30% discount depending on how much you buy. This is something ebook vendors don't do. Yes, they set up platform deals to get libraries to buy the product & the first purchase is usually discounted - because this is part of the hook. But the actual purchase price of an ebook is the same as a physical book.

So when publishers like Tor/Forge ...

Tor Books is the most successful science fiction and fantasy publisher in the world. Winner of the Locus Award for best SF publisher 20 years in a row, Tor regularly puts books like Robert Jordan’s Knife of Dreams and Terry Goodkind’s Chainfire atop national bestseller lists. Tor’s Orb imprint offers trade paperback editions of outstanding, award-winning SF and fantasy backlist titles. Additionally, the Tor Kids program includes Starscape, Tor Teen, and one of the largest classics lines in North America.

The Forge imprint publishes a wide range of fiction, including a strong line of historical novels and thrillers, plus mysteries, women’s fiction, and a variety of nonfiction titles. Tor/Forge has also become the leading modern publisher of American westerns.

Well-known authors recently published by Tor and Forge include Andrew M. Greeley, Douglas Preston, Orson Scott Card, Michael & Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Harold Robbins, Susan Kearney, Jonathan Carroll, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Andre Norton, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, former Secretary of Defense William B. Cohen, Susanna Clarke, Allan Folsom, Eric Lustbader, Elizabeth Haydon, Gene Wolfe, Morgan Llewelyn, David Lubar, David Weber, Christopher Pike, and Philip K. Dick.

... decides to put a 4 month embargo on libraries buying their ebooks I'm sitting up and taking notice.

This is the statement from Tor:

Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers and a leading global publisher of science fiction and fantasy will be changing our eBook lending model to libraries as part of a test program to determine the impact of eLending on retail sales. Our current analysis on eLending indicates it is having a direct and adverse impact on retail eBook sales.

Effective with July 2018 publications, all new titles from Tor Books will become available for library eBook distribution four months after their retail on-sale date rather than the current program which allows libraries to purchase the titles on their retail on-sale date. During the test period, we will work closely with our library vendors who service this channel to evaluate the results and develop ongoing terms that will best support Tor’s authors, their agents, and Tor’s channel partners.

In addition, Macmillan will actively participate in the recently launched “Panorama Project,” the first large-scale, data-driven research project focused on understanding the impact of library holdings on book discovery, author brand development, and retail sales (panoramaproject.org).

With data from both programs, we will be in a better position to analyze and understand the impact of eLending on our publishing program. The timing of the test period is open-ended.

Already there have been a few articles on this subject: you can read Sari Feldman and Nate Hoffelder just for starters. Sari Feldman provides context on how the American Library Association has both dropped the ball and can pick it up again (she also refers to this earlier article from Andrew Albanese that is also worth a read), while Nate Hoffelder looks more at the impact on OverDrive users and touches on the context of publishers and ebooks in general. They give an excellent overview of the issue not to mention raising a series of questions for libraries and for readers.

Is this an issue just for OverDrive libraries? I am yet to have seen any impact of this on purchasing titles through my library's current platforms (none of which are OverDrive), but then we generally buy quarterly depending on available funds so it may be that our buying pattern isn't affected by this quite so much. We're certainly cognisant of the typical publisher constraints on number of loans / 2 year period of purchase before we have to re-buy a book (for whatever reason publishers simply do not accept that libraries could possibly have books on their shelves for more than 2 years without the need to replace them, trust me there re books on my shelves that have been there for 10 years and continue to be used). The problem with this is that every purchase needs to be valid - if we buy a print book and it doesn't get loaned in 2 years we might move it to another branch before we consider removing it altogether. If an eBook doesn't get borrowed in 2 years I'm not replacing it so the publisher has already lost out on that 2nd potential purchase. And yes, if any title (physical / digital) is heavily used (ie, in ebook parlance exceeds 26 loans within that 2 year period) the library will most likely replace it - funds allowing.

What is it about ebooks and libraries that scares publishers so much? How are ebooks any different to print books? Publishers want people to buy their books and libraries are pretty much a captive sale in that regard, often buying multiple copies of a title that we know will be popular. We expose our members to authors and titles and series and genres that they may have never read before and often hook them in - to the point where that reader will go out and buy their own physical copy. So libraries help publishers by providing the opportunity for readers to decide to buy for themselves. Without libraries publishers would not make as many sales as they do. I'd be wary of biting the hand that feeds you.

Back in 2012 Tor made a big statement ensuring their ebook titles be DRM-free. Followed up two years later by this presentation from Tom Doherty at the Book Expo of America on the impact this move had on sales (hint: none, if anything sales had improved). In 2012 Tor also announced they had set up an ebook store to sell the full range of Tor ebook titles DRM-free. A key aspect of this ebook store was to also provide access to free ebooks. The underlying reason behind this was to tease readers by giving them free access to an early publication from an author which would then hook them into buying the rest of the series. It exposed authors to readers who might never have read them otherwise (kind of what libraries do). Tor.com (a site dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, and all aspects of SF/F fandom; [publishing] original fiction and art as well as reviews and commentary on books, stories, movies, comics, and related topics. Tor.com is publisher neutral, and we operate in our own special corner of Macmillan, the publishing company that also encompasses Tor Books) continues to provide access to 'Free eBooks'.

What about the readers? When all is said and done and the dust settles none of this is possible without authors and readers. Authors obviously want to write and to keep on writing. Publishers help them get their writing out there. But it is the readers who are the market. Readers are the ones who need to be enticed to part with hard-earned cash to buy a thing - whether it's print or digital. Interestingly enough, in Australia the bulk of the ebook platforms that public libraries can provide their members with access to do not include platforms suitable for kindle users. Sure, if you've got a kindle fire you'll be right. But in basic terms less Australian libraries have OverDrive than the other platforms. So if any of our library members want to use their kindle they must use Amazon. With the emergence of these alternative platforms (BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, Wheelers, RB Digital) there is less reliance on dedicated ebook readers and more development of apps for phones and tablets. I don't need a kindle to read an ebook or listen to an eAudiobook, I can use my phone. And I do.

Readers influence their library's purchasing habits. Libraries constantly accept suggestions from their members to buy a particular title and this goes as much for ebooks as for print. Indeed one of the neatest features of an eBook app is the facility to be able to suggest that my library buys titles that are in the list of available titles but not actually purchased by my library. This can often influence libraries further to buy physical copies as well. It is due to this feature that my library now has an expanded eBook collection of Jack Campbell's excellent Sci-Fi series. As a reader I stumbled across an author in a genre I read occasionally and liked it so much I suggested my library go out and buy another 10 books just so I could finish reading The Lost Fleet and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier series. I don't usually go in for big space battles described with naval precision but these I enjoyed immensely. But I never would have discovered them if my library did not first tease me with an ebook. If I, as a reader recently enamored of a new author, suggest a title to my library to add to their ebook collection but because it's a newly published Tor/Forge title and under a 4 month embargo because it's a library that wants to buy it then I am hampered, as a reader, by the very publisher of the author I want to read. I fail to see how this helps me as a reader, helps the author as the writer, helps the publisher at all.

It will be interesting to see how the ALA steps up to this challenge from Tor and Macmillan. It will be interesting to see how and when ALIA steps into the ring here in Australia. ALIA certainly regards libraries as part of the book industry and it's way beyond time that publishers took that on board. Libraries are not the enemy. It will be interesting to read the outcome of Macmillan's "Panorama Project".

tweaking twitter

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 08:51:00 +0000

Today's twitter takeaway is a simple search filter which shows your true timeline without any algorithmic influence.

Apparently the url is realtwitter.com, but I noticed that what this did was apply a simple search filter.

Typing "filter:follows -filter:replies" into the search box achieves the same result.

This is handy if I forget the url.

The doggos turn 3

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 04:41:00 +0000

What's a blog without dogs and cats and wildlife??
Today is my doggos' birthday. They are 3 years old.

Way back in October 2015 these darling little bundles joined our family and life has most definitely never been the same. Such innocence, such cuteness, much mayhem ....... Here's a link to their very own Instagram.

Along the way they have grown ... and so has the height of my backyard fence. Thor and Loki are mostly dingo. Their mum is dingo and their dad is dingo-kelpie cross. They are litter brothers and yes Thor is the blonde one and Loki is the black one. My husband chose Thor, I chose Loki. In retrospect I would warn against choosing a black dog simply because he is so jolly hard to see at night and the number of times I have fallen over him continues to grow.

Thor is the reason I have an 8 foot backyard fence. Dingoes can climb. Dogs can jump & many dogs can jump quite high and are very athletic in this regard. Dingoes can also climb. They can bear their own weight on their fore-paws and pull themselves up. It's uncanny. Thor can do this. He has done this so many times that my fence is now a patchwork of tin sheeting & multiple layers of mesh. Loki doesn't do this. He likes his food and has generally preferred not getting out to getting out. Mind you, every time that his brother gets out the first I usually know of it is Loki carrying on a treat because he's on one side of the fence and Thor is on the other. They love to run and chase kangaroos.
Both dogs have been a huge learning curve for my family. They are dingoes. They are not dogs. They do not behave like dogs. They will sit on command (because there's often a treat involved) and will come when called (even if they're chasing something but only if I crouch down). But don't be fooled. They are large dogs. Dingoes are deceptively viewed as being medium sized animals. Not these guys. Loki especially packs a bit of size and weight.

Recently my eldest son brought a new puppy home. A rather pretty border collie named Ollie.

When it came to introducing Ollie to Thor & Loki we decided early on that he could not be left alone with them until he was a lot bigger. Their favourite game is attack-kill-maim and they rarely let anything that gets into their yard survive to get out again. The red-bellied black snakes I can handle though the shock of seeing headless corpses still gives me pause, but the birds that Loki kills are something I work with him every day on (ie, don't do it, killing birds is bad). Prior to Ollie's arrival the dogs had recently killed a juvenile possum that had ventured into the yard and given that Ollie was roughly the same size and pretty much the same colour...... we decided that small doses and separate yards was the way to go.

Now that he's bigger he can share the yard with them & we can leave them alone all day without fear of dead puppy. Ollie is a ball dog. Loki is a water dog. Thor is a chase-all-the-kangaroos dog. Thor wants all the pats & Loki wants all the treats. Ollie just wants you to throw the damn ball again, and again, and again, and again. Today is the first day he has actively sought hugs and pats and attention from me and happily climbed into my lap. Ollie loves anyone who will throw the ball for him but especially loves my son who still collects Ollie every night after work & lets him sleep in his room with him. Thor and Loki are very social animals in terms of those they consider part of their pack. They're not great with other dogs straight away but whenever any family member arrives home the dogs immediately demand attention, to such an extent that we jokingly ask "have you begged forgiveness from the puppies yet?" Because you must.

In three years Thor and Loki have taught us to rethink what we knew from our previous dogs (Pepper & Spook were white English Staffordshire Bull Terriers; and Gunji was a blue cattle dog). They have shed a small light on what it means to have dingoes in your family and to be part of a dingo pack. Their capacity to run and run and run and run is incredible. And while I have an 8 foot fence so that I can rest easy from the worry of Thor getting out and running onto the road (we live on a 100 km/hr stretch of country back road) each walk into the bush with them is an experience I am grateful for having.

Happy birthday boys!

PS: I realised I didn't mention cats ... my daughter has kitten named Kharjo. recently she visited with said kitty and while we stayed on the inside we made sure the doggos stayed on the outside. They coped.

resting between breaths

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 22:17:00 +0000

Blogging here has fallen way down on my to-do list, which is a shame as it's an ideal platform for sharing the journey.
Ideas are teeming at the moment so I'm hoping to be able to gather them here again. No promises though.

As always, life is an ongoing journey and the road weaves its way ahead of us; surprises await.

Digital Skills in higher education as a metro map

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 01:00:00 +0000

This is rather cool.

All Aboard is a project funded by Ireland's National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, which aims to identify the wide range of skills and knowledge that students, and all those who work in higher education, will need to feel confident and creative when learning, working in and exploring the digital world. They have produced this rather lovely interactive map showcasing a range of useful skills and their applications.

A year of reading - 2015

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 23:18:00 +0000

I like tracking what I've read and of course Goodreads is perfect for this.

Apparently in 2015 I read 67 books with a total of 21,475 pages - go figure.

SWITCH 2015 - NSW Public Libraries Conference ... a series of tweets

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 22:14:00 +0000

I spent most of last week in Sydney attending the NSW Public Libraries Association conference (SWITCH). It may be a little while before I fully collect my impressions (and photos) but I thought I would at least put up the few Storifys I put together rather hurriedly yesterday. There's probably some tweets I missed and huge thanks to everyone who tweeted and shared and are now collected here together. Enjoy.

Pre-conference: the bus tour
We visited Gordon, Bankstown, and Burwood Libraries. I quite like Gordon and was impressed by the sheer scope of Bankstown. Burwood was also quite nice. Each has its unique character and communities that they serve so there's a lot of little things from each that could be taken away and implemented in other libraries too. Lots of good ideas.

Day One: an interesting day, begun with a heartfelt and warm Welcome to Country. Themed around Sustainable Partnerships and Brand Sustainability, we heard from the NSW State Library's Dr Alex Byrne, Siobhan Reardon of the Philadelphia Free Library, David Dale, Paula Pfoeffer, Jack Goodman, Annalisa Armitage, and a delightful panel of Librarians from Adelaide City, City of Sydney, Gold Coast, and Hume Libraries discussing their unique partnerships.

Day Two: today's themes were Financial Sustainability and Sustainability of Libraries. After hearing from Sonia Toussaint and a large panel of libraries sharing their popup library stories, interspersed with a keynote presentation from Mark Hynes, the Director of Corporate Affairs from the London Borough of Lambeth, we then heard from Jackie Bailey, and finally Jane Caro.

Day 2 closed with the conference dinner held in the rather glorious setting of the Australian Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour and themed, rather appropriately, on Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers - the majority of the crowd dressed accordingly. Some photos can be found on Facebook here.

Reference @ the Metcalfe library bags

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 06:12:00 +0000

For the 2015 Reference @ the Metcalfe seminar (and for the first time for RISG) the range of marketing materials made available by the NSW Reference & Information Services Group included RedBubble bags.

This particular bag was designed using an image available from the State Library of NSW featuring a rather appropriate poster, niftily titled Item 609A: Photographic copy of poster advertising the free lending service to country people /NSW Government Printer.

Rather neatly, it was possible when creating the final design for the bags & shirts to include the details & hashtag for the day as well as provide source attribution for the image on the item - it just goes to show that with some careful work & planning you can make excellent use of historical images available via creative commons.

The anatomy of a grammar nerd (via Grammarly)

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 06:33:00 +0000

Doorways into science and science fiction reading

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 05:01:00 +0000

This is my presentation from last week's Readers Advisory seminar at the State Library of New South Wales: The Librarian's Guide to the Galaxy.
You can catch the Storify of the day's tweets here.

the sheer variety of novel formats....... lol

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 22:50:00 +0000

(from The Casual Optimist)

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:05:00 +0000

wow.

It sure has been a while since I shared anything here. Almost 5 months since I last put fingers to keyboard.

I've 3 more reviews to complete for my #aww2014 challenge (Franklin) and looking back thru my Goodreads list I've definitely got enough titles to choose from...

Dancing on Knives by Kate Forsyth
Beams Falling by P. M. Newton
and a selection of romance titles by Sara Bennett

It's weird. After being way ahead in my Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge, I'm now 2 books behind. I read Brent Week's The Broken Eye last month. It's the third book in his Lightbringer series. I didn't read anything after finishing it for four weeks. I couldn't. I almost didn't know how to. Four whole weeks. Yes. He's that good. His characters are that good. The story is that good.
But then I simply picked up a book (Melissa Marr's Carnival of Souls) and found myself back on track. Immediately followed by John Scalzi's Lock In. And just last night I finished Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. It seemed only appropriate to follow up such a big book with such amazingly talented authors.

And that's what has led me here today. I realised as I was reading Fangirl that is simply ages since I've blogged anything. Life has caught me up in its crazy fast lane and I've forgotten how to get off. So today, my first rostered day off in ages when I have made myself simply stay at home and potter around; when I have cancelled all appointments and ignored all my to-do lists; I have simply been. Been in the moment and in the now. I even refused to take my kids to school (I asked my eldest to do it instead, he was going in anyway).

It feels wonderful. Like breathing in the sweet smell of freshly brewed herbal tea. Like smelling that proverbial rose.

I've still done things. Yes the washing got done and most of the dishes are drying and okay I did completely reorganise the linen press but they're small inconsequential things. Things that needed doing anyway. It's been lovely. Every day should be like this.

Open windows, music cranked, sunshine, breezes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee....

* happy sigh *

CatyJ

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Fri, 23 May 2014 22:48:00 +0000

Last Thursday (22/5/14) the annual Reference at the Metcalfe seminar was held at the State Library of NSW and hosted by the NSW Reference and Information Services Group (@NSWRISG). You can catch the Storify of the day's tweets below as a slideshow (the Storify site has since folded so I am sorry but this is no longer available).

The day made great use of Hangouts to connect with Nate Hill at Chattanooga Library, Oliver and Nick at Arapahoe Library, and Lubi and company at The Cube (QUT) in Queensland. As well as presentations from local NSW public librarians sharing and networking their ideas and innovations, experiences and challenges for providing reference and information services - physically and digitally - across the state.

Tiddas by Anita Heiss : a review

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 01:52:00 +0000

Even though I finished reading Anita Heiss' latest novel "Tiddas" earlier this month, it has taken me some time to focus my thoughts for a review and I still find it not an easy task. There are things I want to say about this novel but I find I struggle putting the words into context. I found it, as with Heiss' other novels, a delightful read which touches on the heart of friendship and identity. Tiddas takes place over the course of a year in the lives of Izzy, Nadine, Xanthe, Veronica, and Ellen.
Tiddas deftly touches on a myriad of social issues and concerns but does so in a way which is both subtle and provoking. As the five women come to terms with changes in their lives and challenges to their friendships, they consider the impact of their own past and history on their current lives and any possible future for their children. Family is important. Cultural and social history is important. Friendship is colour-blind.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tiddas, sharing the journey of these five friends. I immediately felt connected with the characters and most certainly connected with the setting of Brisbane (having lived there myself for a few years many moons ago) - and Mudgee. Anita Heiss writes with such a deft hand. The depth of connection between the characters is heart-warming, their frailties real, their struggles touching.
It is, quite simply, a lovely read.

5/5 stars.

Mary Bennet by Jennifer Paynter : a review

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 05:26:00 +0000

I enjoyed this quirky tale which so delightfully fitted in with the original Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Mary Bennet is a character we know so little about and often find ourselves disliking from the little the original book (or movies) reveal of her character. She seems the odd duck in the family of Bennets and here she has her chance to show her true nature and the background to who she is.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I admire Jennifer Paynter for taking on this character and revealing her beauty and individuality as she has done.

3/5 stars (I liked it) - as reviewed on Goodreads

The Rogue by Trudi Canavan : a review

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 03:53:00 +0000

When I first started the Australian Women Writers challenge for 2014 I'd planned on reading ten different authors but after stumbling across The Rogue by Trudi Canavan and having enjoyed the first book in this series so much I simply threw that idea out the window.

The Rogue is book 2 of Trudi Canavan's Traitor Spy trilogy and follows on from the events of The Ambassador's Mission. The story will conclude in book 3: The Traitor Queen.

It's interesting the approach you take to reading a book which you know will be incomplete as far as the story goes. I expect less of a middle book than I do of the first or last book in a series. The Rogue cleverly puts all the characters in place for the final book, introducing a few new characters and events which will obviously impact upon the conclusion of the story. Given that The Traitor Spy trilogy is built around already existing characters from The Black Magician trilogy and may perhaps lend itself to another series, I'm also not expecting book 3 to be an ultimate conclusion. It's a fantasy series. Worlds are built which constantly change and the scope for new characters and new stories which inhabit those worlds is never-ending - Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is a classic example of this.

I like this series. I find the characters interesting and the worlds they inhabit equally so. I am also impressed by the way in which Canavan deftly builds these worlds and cleverly twists the events surrounding characters so that you know there's going to be a confrontation. By the end of this book the reader knows that there are some serious issues to be addressed. There is political intrigue, assassination attempts, drug use, black magic, murder, mayhem and mystery. Underlying the entire story is the question of black (or higher) magic and how all the cultures of this world approach its use and application. When young Lilia accidentally learns black magic through reading a book, the belief that this form of magic could not be learned from books is turned on its head. When she also determines how to unblock her magic it additionally brings into question everything that has been considered as true in regards to magic itself. The Guild has a lot of questions they can no longer ignore nor deny. And about time too.

I keenly await reading book 3 now. I'm happy with the questions Canavan has posed to her characters and interested to see how the various pieces will tie together. I enjoy her writing style and have adapted well to the constant flow from character story to character story to characters story within the same chapter. It adds to the sense of the passage of time and shows how each character is developing in relation to the others. While The Rogue brings the new magician character of Lilia to the forefront of the action in Kyralia and focuses less on Cery, you know he is still there in the background and will continue to have a major role to play in the story. Learning more about the Traitors, the Sachakans, and the Duna adds to the overall landscaping of this world. Each small piece of information adds to the whole and establishes the footings for the following book.

This is solid fantasy writing. Trudi Canavan is an Australian writer of great skill and definitely a voice to pay attention to within the Fantasy genre.

4/5 stars (really liked it).

The Betrayal by Y. A. Erskine

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 02:53:00 +0000

I read this novel as part of the #aww2014 challenge to read at least 10 books by Australian women writers this year. The following is the review I put up on Goodreads with a rating of 2/5 stars (It was ok).

This is a solid police procedural but lacks the grit of an Ian Rankin, P M Newton, or Patricia Cornwell. While it pries open the lid of police and political corruption it fails to provide a likeable character and gives the sense that this story is part of a larger whole - a much larger whole. In itself it seems somewhat incomplete.
The Betrayal is the second novel by Y. A. Erskine, following on from The Brotherhood - which I have not read. The sheer naivete of the main character seems somewhat implausible given her chosen career. The sexual deprivations of most of the characters also seems a little over the top. The arrogance and chauvinism and heightened levels of anger expressed by one character is excessive, yet oddly plausible.
The feelings and thoughts expressed by the spouse of a police office with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are spot on and for me provide the only sense of resonance with this novel.
Y. A. Erskine is a talented writer whose skill continues to develop with her characters. While this genre is not one I read often, I would certainly read her work again.

I didn't really take to this book and the more I thought about it the more I realised it was mostly due to the overall feeling that the story was incomplete. The Betrayal unfolds around the crime of date-rape but features so many other characters and events/crimes that the starting point gets a little lost. Rather than tying pieces together it opens up more and more story lines until the reader (ie, me) is left feeling that the date-rape crime is being swept aside for the larger story. The ending is unsatisfactory.
All that aside, there's some definite talent here and I would like to see how Erskine pulls these characters together to solve the larger issues/crimes.

The Ambassador's Mission by Trudi Canavan : a review

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 22:50:00 +0000

The Ambassador's Mission is book one of the Traitor Spy trilogy and follows on from Trudi Canavan's previous seven novels (two trilogies and a standalone). For a reader coming in without any of the previous back-story there is little sense of missing any required history or appreciation of the characters. Canavan cleverly reintroduces the important players and provides whatever context is required for the story to progress. I'm still amazed that I've gone all this time and not read any of Canavan's stories before.

There are three key characters whose tales intersect at various levels and who the story follows throughout. Sonea is a Black Magaician and tied to the guidance and control of the Kyralian Guild of Magicians. She is a Healer and has emerged from within the ranks of the very poor to be a powerful magician (and somewhat feared by her colleagues). Her son, Lorkin is also a magician but an Alchemist. He agrees to accompany Lord Dannyl, the newly appointed Guild Ambassador, to Sachaka as his aid - both to help Dannyl in his search to fill some of the gaps in Kyralian history and also to explore more of the world than the city of his birth. Cery is an old friend of Sonea and a Thief in the City, he's familiar with the darker side of life.

"The Ambassador's Mission" ends on the delightfully teasing note of intrigue and deception, and as any good story does leaves you wanting more. Sonea has helped catch the rogue magician and Thief Killer; Cery has avenged his family's deaths and grown closer to his only surviving child (and learned a nice tidbit of information about a certain other Black Magician.... no spoilers); and Lorkin has come closer to discovering more about the Sachakans, the people they call Traitors, his father Akkarin, and hidden magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am keen to continue reading the trilogy to discover what happens with our three main characters. It has everything: political intrigue, clash of cultures, fighting, magic, avoiding capture, more magic, quips. But more importantly it is enjoyable and I really do want to know how this story ends. I've ended up caring about these characters, curious about the Sachakans and Traitors and blood gems and magic, wondering how the Wasteland fits into all of this, and whether the Guild will let go of old prejudices and fears.

Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson: a review

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 21:59:00 +0000

Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson takes place in 2008 and follows young teenager Fuzzy Mac (Ocean Skye McCardell) and her life in the country town of Laurel Dale. Raised by her grandparents she explores her relationships with them, with her mostly absent father, with her dead mother, with her friends, neighbours, and community. Fuzzy's grandparents are a mix of Islander and Koorie and the absolute cornerstone of Fuzzy's life. They instill a pride in family and heritage in Fuzzy which shines through her interactions with everyone she meets. 2008 is a big year for this family: it's the year the nation says "sorry" for removing Aboriginal children from their parents. It's the year Fuzzy is faced with some tough decisions and learn to find grace beside her -the grace which comforts and settles torn emotions, the grace which provides wisdom, the grace to be at peace with you are and within your own skin whatever that may be.
Grace Beside Me is a well written young adult story. The story labours a little to start with, laying deep and somewhat complex foundations, but goes on to find its own rhythm and flow. It is a novel which is very much about the value of stories in identifying who we are and where we come from. The book does tend to cover a lot of ground and attempt to expose Fuzzy to as much of the darker side of Australia's past which Aboriginal people have been subjected to as McPherson can fit within the pages. At times the story itself seems to lose its focus as a result.
That said, this is a powerful story and one which explores what it means to be Aboriginal in Australia and the impact Australia's past has even now. It does not sugar coat anything but provides a simple and straightforward insight into a young girl's family and life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was heartened by the choices Fuzzy makes and the wisdom her grandparents use to guide her.

This is the second book I have read as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2014. It is Sue McPherson's debut novel and written with the support of the State Library of Queensland's 2011 kuril dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship which is part of the State Library's black&write! Indigenous Writing and Editing Project.

Friday Brown by Vicki Wakefield

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 02:10:00 +0000

on GoodReads

Friday Brown is a beautiful story of self-discovery and self-determination. It is the coming-of-age tale of a young girl, discovering who she is, but on her own terms. At 17 Friday's life has been under the singular influence of her mother until she finds herself alone and lost in Sydney. As she falls into the company of a group of homeless children she learns the value of friendship, the meaning of love, and finally the meaning behind her mother's philosophy of life: that if you can't make a good choice, at least make a choice you can live with.

I enjoyed this story immensely (4/5 stars). Wakefield describes Sydney and the various country towns Friday finds herself in with clarity and detail. Her characters are honest and flawed, the dialogue cleverly reinforcing their various natures. Friday is an engaging character and her struggle to remain true to herself whilst also discovering who she is, the sort of person she chooses to be, is universal.

When all is said and done, Friday Brown is a story about how the choices you make are what end up defining you as a person, and accepting people for who they are, regardless, is the sign of true friendship.

I look forward to more by Vikki Wakefield. Her first novel, All I Ever Wanted, was shortlisted for the 2011 Gold Inky Awards, shortlisted for the 2012 REAL Awards, a 2012 CBCA Notable Book and winner of the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2012 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature. Friday Brown is her second novel and was shortlisted for the 2013 CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers.

2014 Australian Women Writers Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 22:38:00 +0000

A new year brings a new reading challenge.
As well as #rwpchat and the ubiquitous GoodReads challenge, this year I've decided to participate in the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

For me the challenge will be in developing my review writing skills. I've done a little bit of reviewing for ALIA's inCite magazine a few years ago but mostly keep my personal reviews to GoodReads or this blog. (Let's be honest, mostly I just rate a book on GoodReads and leave it at that, call me lazy). Which is why I'm excited about #aww2014. It's a challenge that not only stretches me as a reader and reviewer but more importantly highlights the work of Australian women writers.
And if there's one thing which I am passionate about as a reader, it is supporting Australian writers.

So I've joined the AWW challenge group on GoodReads and I'll be signing up and focusing my reading efforts (and reviewing efforts) on the work of Australian women. I am still debating what level to aim for (Stella = 4; Miles = 6; Franklin = 10) but am really looking forward to sharing my reviews and reading the reviews of other readers participating in #aww2014.

This is going to be fun!

My Reading Year

noreply@blogger.com (CatyJ) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 23:12:00 +0000

2013 has been a reasonably quiet reading year for me.

Seriously, 120 books is pretty average for me. But I did set myself the challenge of reading stuff I wouldn't normally read and ended up with quite a neat list in the end.

But what's my favourite read of 2013? What's the one title that struck such resonance with me that I reluctantly put it aside when I finished it? That's a tough one.
Discovering the Laini Taylor Daughter of Smoke and Bone series was a huge delight. The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Muriel Barbery) and The Book of Emmet (Deborah Forster) struck me deeply. John Scalzi's Redshirts and The Android's Dream saw me laughing out loud in public (as did The Mallet of Loving Correction). Mark Lawrence's series The Broken Empire is just plain wow, I waited with baited breath for each instalment and loved the blend of fantasy and science fiction. Darren Shan and Derek Landy were pretty constant throughout the year and anything Neil Gaiman writes is usually very very good (no disappointments there). The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is heartbreakingly beautiful as is Kate Forsyth's The Wild Girl. Tad Williams, Terry Pratchett, John Marsden,Brandon Sanderson, Stephen King, Joe Hill, Jim Butcher, Jack Heath, John Flanagan, Matthew Reilly, Dean Koontz, James A Owen, Cinda Williams Chima, Justine Larbalestier, Melina Marchetta, P M Newton, Libby Gleeson, Cassandra Clare, Emma Donoghue, to name but a few. There were very few stories I read which disappointed (always nice when this happens). I took on the recommendations of others more this year and discovered a range of new authors to explore. It's been a delight.

But, what's my favourite read of 2013? ....... Yeesh.

I'm going to give that honour to Laini Taylor and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This title was suggested to me by a work experience student as excited by books and reading and authors and stories as I am and was a delight to spend a week with showing her the ins and outs of library land. I read this and was wowed. Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence comes a close second but I started this series last year so I was already exposed to the characters and story whereas Daughter of Smoke and Bone was completely new. Neil Gaiman's Fortunately the Milk entertained me for days. Even now I can induce giggles with "Ve vill wiwisect you". I was excited to be part of Jack Heath's Ink, inc. Pozible project and delighted by the end product.

this book on GoodReads

It's been a really good reading year for me and I am keenly anticipating 2014 and the continuation of the Read Watch Play twitter reading group (follow @readwatchplay for the latest updates) which has inspired some cleverly themed reading choices. #rwpchat is a fun conversation to be involved in and the monthly tweetups have led to some very satisfying new discoveries. Talking books and games and movies and music and reading in all its myriad forms is positively delightful!

So, cheers to 2013 and bring on 2014 - may it be keenly filled with reading delights and discoveries!