On Saturday it was a lovely day so rather than stay inside, I wanted to go and explore a bit. One of the things I like to do is to visit second hand bookstores and I found out that there was one in the quaint suburb of Canterbury. Our first stop was to the Canterbury […]
Why I Love My YouTube Channel: For The Stories People Write
Even though creating videos to share online on YouTube is a bit of a pain, I prefer reading the comments from viewers and fellow readers. This morning I read one that I loved. As a history buff, this reader brought back to life a part of Melbourne that was long since forgotten: Cheshire’s Bookstore. What […]
New Book Review: Body Friend by Katherine Brabon
I’m a member of my local library’s book club and over the last few months or so, I haven’t enjoyed the books that were chosen for us. However, I guess that’s why we have book clubs. We don’t always need to love the book we read. Instead, if it inspires thought provoking conversation or changes […]
My Book Club Books for 2024
I started a Book Club this year at my local golf club that has various clubs that members can get involved with. It’s a great way to socialise with others other than just golf. Here are the books I’ve chosen for the year. I select them based on recommendations by others but also my own […]
New Book Review on Stoner by John Williams
Here is one of the book reviews I uploaded last week. It’s on Stoner by John Williams. I loved this book so much that I went out and bought his other books. His writing style is beautiful and evokes images in your mind’s eyes. It reminded me of Steinbeck’s writing. Here’s what I have to […]
East of Eden
Why have I not read this book sooner? I’ve yelled out in places when I’m reading this book. I gasp and sigh. It torments me when I put it down and settle to sleep every night. Why is Kathy so evil? This is why I love reading. How great is Steinbeck at story telling? This […]
Books About Revenge
In my latest video, I share some thoughts about a couple of books about revenge. The Revenge Club by Kathy Lette & Lileth by Eric Rickstad. Have you read these books? If so, let me know what you think.
New Book Haul
I bought some new books that were on a sale at Dymocks which is a book seller here in Australia. As a member of their Book Club, there’s various events and discounts for their members at certain times of the year so it was time to stock up on some Shirley Jackson and John Williams […]
Visit to Bastille Day French 🇫🇷 Festivities at the Queen Victoria Market
What a glorious sunny Melbourne winter’s day! Today I decided to head into town to see the French 🇫🇷 Bastille Day winter markets at the Queen Victoria Market. I hadn’t been there in many years so I was keen to see how the place had evolved. It’s usually quite busy on market days with the […]
The Kids Run the Show
Recently I read a book translated from French called The Kids Run the Show (or in French, Les Enfants Sont Rois) by Delphine De Vigan. I’ve read some of her other books and liked them so when I saw this latest one on the shelf at the local library, I borrowed it. It kept me […]
Trip to Moonee Ponds to Check out Collins Booksellers
One of the things I love to do is to go somewhere new in our city and just walk and explore. I was going to meet my friend in Ascot Vale to have lunch at a cute cafe called Old Man Andrew in Ascot Vale. As I was early, I stayed on the tram and […]
Glendalough Revisit
I’m reading Edward Rutherford’s big novel of +800 pages called Dublin published in 2005. I’m a great fan of his writing and have most of his works which are all huge books that span many years all about the history of cities. It’s a great way to learn about history through fictional stories and characters […]
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
Here’s the latest book review that I’ve put up online. I enjoyed this book that gave you a picture of the publishing world behind the scenes but also the toxicity of social media. Well worth a read!
What are My Next Steps?
I’ve been considering what to do with this Activate Learning blog. Should I close it down? Should I rename and redesign it? Should I start a new one as Life Lessons from Books? However, the more I think about it, the more I realise that “activate learning” is a useful generic “catch-all” phrase that could […]
Medea and Other Plays
Here’s the latest review I published on YouTube. I enjoyed reading this book and wondered why I hadn’t read the Greek plays before this. 🤦♀️
At the Crossroads of a Decision
Book Review: Steppenwolf By Herman Hesse
Here’s the latest video I uploaded to my YouTube account.
What I’ve Been Reading, Finished Reading or Unable to Continue Reading
Here’s my latest video vlog talking about what I’ve been reading and what I put down. I don’t always have one video per book simply because I read too many books and it takes a long time to shoot, edit and upload these videos. Instead I choose which books I devote a video to nowadays. […]
New Book Review of Wifedom by Anna Funder
I posted a new book review on my YouTube channel on Anna Funder’s controversial book Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life. As a huge fan of George Orwell, I read this book at the same time as his books of his Diaries and Letters. It’s worth reading and it makes you question why his wife wasn’t […]
Book Review of Disgrace by J.M.Coetzee
Here’s the latest book review that has been published on my YouTube channel called Life Lessons From Books. I love the writing of Coetzee and I’m collecting all his books as I find them in my travels through second hand book stores. I’ve got another one that will be published soon called Diary of a […]