I’m sitting in bed on a Tuesday afternoon reading this tome. Here’s some initial thoughts:
New Book Haul & Some Philosophical Reflections
I’ve uploaded my latest video where I show some new books I bought in the last couple of weeks in the sales. Through filming it, there was a dawning realisation of the types of themes and topics I’m interested in – all being about trying to ask those deep questions about life and how I’m […]
War and Peace
So far I’m halfway through Volume 1, Part 2 153 pages in, taking my time to get to know all the characters and wondering why all the men want to be heroes in battle like Napoleon. Tonight, as one of the characters (Andrei) réalises in the heart of battle that war isn’t what it’s cracked […]
My New Book Reviews are Now On YouTube
So, I’ve got another few videos up online on my YouTube channel where I review books that I read. There’s a few books I don’t review because frankly, I prefer to read than record a video. I read faster than shooting and editing videos. (There’s that whole palaver of having to also be ready – […]
War and Peace
I thought it best to tackle this book, Tolstoy’s War & Peace this year for a bit of a challenge. I love watching the Hardcore Literature channel and Benjamin shared his 2023 Book Club books. It’s part of his online book club (which I’m not a member but would love to but don’t have the […]
Book Reviews Up On YouTube
I have a couple of book reviews up on YouTube that have just been published. One was a recommendation from a good friend (as I’d never have chosen to read this book myself and another selected because there were times when I wanted this same thing for my own life). Seven husbands? Or an easy […]
The Natural History of Love
My new book review is now published on YouTube. How this book got into my hands was full of coincidences that I simply couldn’t explain and wrote about them in the blog post: Eerie Coincidences. In the video, I wander around the golf course showing where the site of the original Mayfields House was. I’m […]
Mute
Here’s my new book review of a book read in the course of one day (and the next morning). I couldn’t put it down mainly because the premise of going mute was something I had thought about in the past. The character in the book decides to not talk for 9 months and it’s a […]
Our New Library
Last night we went to the inaugural opening of our new local library. Over the last year it’s been renovated into a double storey, youth and community space with plenty of light and areas to quietly read, work or gather with others. To celebrate, the library had put on entertainment through the day plus a […]
Book Reviews for The Week
I’m a mad reader and currently onto about my 55th (?) book this year which has focussed on reading authors who come from a non-English speaking background. I’ve read some interesting ones which are all sitting on my YouTube channel. Here’s a few that have been uploaded in the last week or so. There are […]
Books Everywhere
Books on the floor beside my bed. Three stacks. Twelve books. Ten have been read. Two been put aside. Each stack for one municipal area of Melbourne. City of Glen Eira; City of Kingston and City of Monash. Each area has about 7 local libraries. I have 21 libraries in my direct vicinity. I’m the […]
New Book Review: The Latecomer
I started a Book Club Community on Yammer at work as one of the first communities to get people onto the platform. (Little success as I was the main one posting in it). However, at various times people told me that I should read certain authors from their own country. So I did that and […]
Books For The Week Ahead
This morning, it was supermarket shopping time. We headed into a nearby suburb (for something different), had a lovely breakfast and coffee at a cafe before doing the grocery shopping. Afterwards a walk to the library where I picked up these books. Mainly Dutch authors as recommendations from my colleagues who are based in Amsterdam. […]
Shall I Quote Virginia Woolf in a Work Presentation?
Yesterday I was thinking about a scene in a recent book I read by Virginia Woolf. The novel is To The Light House written in 1927 and considered to be one of her best novels at the height of her exceptional writing. It’s about a family and their guests at a holiday house on the […]
Longer Reading Bouts
I’m quite happy with my reading of late. One of my pleasures is that I’m an early riser and will spend at least a couple of uninterrupted hours every morning reading. During my reading sessions, I don’t have my phone near me. In the evenings too, I’d rather read a book than watch a movie […]
To The Lighthouse
I’m reading Virginia Woolf’s novel To The Lighthouse written in 1927. If you had the cast of Downton Abbey around a dining table but not talking to each other, instead thinking about each other, “a stream of consciousness”, the thoughts flowing from one person to the next, you get an idea of how this book […]
Dare to Unlead: The Art of Leadership in a Fragmented World
Celine Schillinger wrote this wonderful book recently that I have recommended to everyone I know. It’s a book about a different style of leadership needed in today’s world. When I was reading the book, there were times when I was angry and had to put it down to reflect more. It wasn’t what was written, […]
Au Revoir Tristesse
I’ve recently finished reading Viv Groskop’s book Au Revoir Tristess: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature and loved it. It’s got me back into my reading mojo! Here’s my review of it and below it are direct quotes from the book that made an impact on me. Marcel Proust There is something very wise, almost […]
You Are Not A Gadget
A new book review is now up on YouTube and it’s Jaron Lanier’s, You Are Not a Gadget written in 2010. In the video I talk about how I read this book as at times it took a while to read due to its writing style and at times, grappling with some of the words […]
Villa Triste
As I tap this out on my phone, I’m sitting on an aisle seat on a plane heading home. Holding my head in my hand, I feel my breathing escape from the mask that sits uncomfortably on the bridge of my nose fogging my glasses. I’ll be home soon. I’ve just finished Patrick Modiano’s novel, […]