Books, Norman Lindsay & Today's Adventures
For those non-bibliophile's amongst you who are more interested in my trip to the Art Gallery of WA, or what I did today, then fast foward to the bottom.
This idea has been stolen from Deense. Will be keeping track of the books I've read or am still reading, mostly concurrently, since late December 2006 until the end of 2007 -
*The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnham - fairly full on madness/burnings/sheer joy/godliness-of-being mixed in with a fairly good account of the Crusade against the Cathars in France by one of its persecuted, Jeanne. She'd be a great character if she was believable but reminded me too much of the woman from the Clan of the Cave Bear series. She too, had managed to accomplish just a little too many things for one person, let alone one superwoman. Jeanne is a little more down to earth compared to the CotCB woman (name escapes me) and you're in her head, no doubt about that. Her madness, laying on of hands, underground guerilla activities, giver of last rites, and having met almost every main known character connected with this particular Crusade was a little over the top but it was still a good read and an interesting interpretation of the Cathar faith. Burnham doesn't attempt to know it all but pieces together the known facts of Catharist belief system in a fairly believable manner.
*Mantras & Misdemeanours by Vanessa Walker - the author is a kiwi who had worked most of her life in Australia for The Australian as a journalist before chucking it in to spend a year in McLeod Ganj. This town is in India and is home to not only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government In Exile, but possibly every other Tibetan that has managed to escape their homeland, that hasn't yet managed to escape McLeod Ganj. It's a frank observation of the Tibetans, their belief systems, their lifestyle in the face of western temptations and the conflict between different regional Tibetans. It seems they too have their own set of Melbourne vs Sydney issues, only more seriously so. Introduced by the Dalai Lama as a true account, it then leads onto interviews with different faction leaders. One of whom is incredibly damning of the Dalai Lama's actions which is unusual when you consider that almost every other Tibetan believes that he IS a buddha. The Dalai Lama himself is trying hard to turn the Tibetans towards democracy but when given a public voting on what they'd like to do they still said they'd prefer to follow his every word. Frustration summed up for the ol' Dalai Lama. Great descriptions of the madness of Indian bureaucracy. Easy to read but not yet finished. Along the way Vanessa falls in love with a newly escaped monk, gets pregnant and so I'm up to the point of following the difficulties for pregnant westerners lving in a remote area. It's funny and tragic. Succinct is also a word I'd use to describe the author's style.
*A New Earth by Eckhardt Tolle - this is a fairly personal book for each and every reader. Some will hate it thinking it's a load of new age crap, others will love it for reasserting some good techniques for staying mindful of the moment at hand. I finished this just before last December but consider it up there with one that gave me a whack to the side of the head. He's a personal favourite in my family that belief system wise is made up of one buddhist, one atheist who loves comparative religion studies, one pantheist who also loves meeting and reading up on various belief systems, one never-divulged-and-never-will (must remember to tackle that one again just out of curiosity) and a whole bunch of never-really-thought-about-it from both my side and theirs. Considering at least 3 of us have read one of Tolle's books, that's really saying something. Especially as we all loved it.
*The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser - pretty much covers every woman who's managed to convince the tossers around her that she's the woman for the job. Many woman I've not heard of before and plenty that I have. Covers way back BC from Semiramis through to Maggie Thatcher covering every interesting woman with war on her mind that falls between them. It's mum's book which explains a certain intent of purpose that she is able to rally when needed. Still in the early parts and am taking it slowly but am loving the characters - mythological or otherwise. A little Penthisilea with your night reading anyone? Must remember to talk to Artemesia about Artemesia, one of the generals in Xerxes army at Salamis.
*Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho - Well I'm actually onto the 2nd chapter but that barely counts. I love his books even if some others are less kind. His first, The Alchemist was brilliant, and so I've fallen into the habit of reading each one of his novels as they emerge. Each book seems to focus on a different aspect of dreams destroyed/followed and tells a story illustrating his own personal belief system. This one is about sex. The Valkyrie was about relationships and the fear of failing within them, and there have been several others in and around these titles. Coelho is Brazilian and seems to have mastered the knack of relating gentle, yet compelling stories, containing plenty of interesting ideas that manage to not overpower the main plot. His characters are easy to relate to - that's the main pull.
BOOKS YET TO READ
*The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
*The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
*Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende
The above 3 arrived in the house at Christmas as present to mum. I've been wanting to try an Allende book for a while now and why not start with the most recent :-) The other two have interesting blurb synopsis. We'll see. They'll be presented at a later date after consumption
NON FICTION SNAFOO'S IN PERTH
Yet again my case was super heavy with my booty. Clothes from Freo Markets but mainly books from the Perth Elizabeth's Bookshop, the State Library of WA bookshop (bargain heaven) and the Art Gallery of WA shop.
* The Mosaic Decoration of San Marco, Venice - mostly 12th century - yippee
* The Medici - an historical account of the family from prior to their rise to their fall
* Flemish Illuminated Manuscripts - I just can't help myself with pretty medieval pics even though I knew I had the History of Calligraphy & Illumination (a chrissy present) waiting for me back at home.
* Net Making - which satisfies my braiding soul - it covers making bags which may be useful in making snoods.
* Heraldry in England - a tiny cute hardcover Penguin book that called out to me saying 'please take me home - you just might find something potentially captivating for your device arms'
* Concise Encyclopedia of Heraldry - by Guy Cadogan Rothery - if anyone's still reading then there may be a good chance that you are a herald - is this book any good?
* Classic Crafts - a largish book focussing on crafts left by the hedgerow. Cost $4. Think I already own it so it may go to a good home. When I'm not reading, this book pretty much covers what I like to get up to hobby wise. Leatherwork, tassel making, printing, weaving, basketmaking, etc. It's fairly light on in depth techniques but covers enough unusual projects that it got me in. A woven willow cake cooler anyone?
The Art Gallery of WA & their affair with Norman Lindsay - bless 'em
One last slim volume is the catalogue from the exhibition that I traipsed through with my Dad, Rex, at the Art Gallery of WA. The exhibition was titled 'Norman Lindsay: Drawn to Women - the complete etchings'. Which it was. The complete etchings that is. All 200+ as well as some watercolours and oil paintings on loan from every Lindsay lover in the world. I do love a Lindsay and I found the original (or at least one of the series edition) of the one I have called 'The Mirror'. Dad & I were laughing about the fact that we were both going to be dreaming of centaurs, satyrs, buxom wenches, goddesses, pirates, Beethoven, devils and every other fantasy of Norman Lindsay's pagan imaginings. One highlight was the showing of an Albrecht Durer etching alongside a Rembrandt and 3 Goya prints just to show some of NL's influences. The AD is actually owned by the gallery. Lucky me got to see it, along with many of NL's etchings, eyes on which I'd not laid before :D
TODAY'S ADVENTURES
If you persevered this far then obviously you, too, are a bibliophile or else you're not and you've skipped to the end :) Just when I want to be diving into this pile of beautious tomes, I need to finish sewing my garb for this weekend's 12th Night event. It's roman and it's silk, it's a soft green tunica with an aubergine palla - yum. Good points for today - found my local Spotlight out at Castle Hill and it's humungous! They also had a silk tie in aubergine that will match my roman outfit.
Also found the gorgeous little fibre shop 'Cherry Hill' that Emma recommended. It's not only close by but they carry Lantern Moon products...squeee! THANKS EMMA!!! You also had the effect, after reading your posts about jogging and bush walking of getting me off my butt and over jogging around the pretty oval that literally lives down my driveway. The bushland ventures off it and as soon as I'm feeling fit enough I'll probably do some trail running too.
Lots of exercise and an excellent fish & steamed vegie dinner cooked by moi (with instructions from mum) followed by mangos & soy icecream for dessert. Feeling pretty damn healthy. Am finally in relaxed holiday mode and it's just about to end. C'est la vie! Better to have reconnected with that feeling of no stress than not. Will just be put back into craving mode again once work begins on Monday. Oh and I found my old blood pressure tester machine that I'd loaned to mum. Naturally is in a very obvious place but it's cloak of invisibility and run out of batteries. My pressure was a little low which is slightly unusual and my pulse was 73 which is also a little low but I haven't had much in the way of sugar today which may have something to do with it. My sugar addiction preceded me to Perth. Dad's as bad as me and we wolfed down gourmet jellybeans and jubes. We're not chocoholics - we like our sugar straight - gimme candy!
Night all,
~ Tyg
This idea has been stolen from Deense. Will be keeping track of the books I've read or am still reading, mostly concurrently, since late December 2006 until the end of 2007 -
*The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnham - fairly full on madness/burnings/sheer joy/godliness-of-being mixed in with a fairly good account of the Crusade against the Cathars in France by one of its persecuted, Jeanne. She'd be a great character if she was believable but reminded me too much of the woman from the Clan of the Cave Bear series. She too, had managed to accomplish just a little too many things for one person, let alone one superwoman. Jeanne is a little more down to earth compared to the CotCB woman (name escapes me) and you're in her head, no doubt about that. Her madness, laying on of hands, underground guerilla activities, giver of last rites, and having met almost every main known character connected with this particular Crusade was a little over the top but it was still a good read and an interesting interpretation of the Cathar faith. Burnham doesn't attempt to know it all but pieces together the known facts of Catharist belief system in a fairly believable manner.
*Mantras & Misdemeanours by Vanessa Walker - the author is a kiwi who had worked most of her life in Australia for The Australian as a journalist before chucking it in to spend a year in McLeod Ganj. This town is in India and is home to not only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government In Exile, but possibly every other Tibetan that has managed to escape their homeland, that hasn't yet managed to escape McLeod Ganj. It's a frank observation of the Tibetans, their belief systems, their lifestyle in the face of western temptations and the conflict between different regional Tibetans. It seems they too have their own set of Melbourne vs Sydney issues, only more seriously so. Introduced by the Dalai Lama as a true account, it then leads onto interviews with different faction leaders. One of whom is incredibly damning of the Dalai Lama's actions which is unusual when you consider that almost every other Tibetan believes that he IS a buddha. The Dalai Lama himself is trying hard to turn the Tibetans towards democracy but when given a public voting on what they'd like to do they still said they'd prefer to follow his every word. Frustration summed up for the ol' Dalai Lama. Great descriptions of the madness of Indian bureaucracy. Easy to read but not yet finished. Along the way Vanessa falls in love with a newly escaped monk, gets pregnant and so I'm up to the point of following the difficulties for pregnant westerners lving in a remote area. It's funny and tragic. Succinct is also a word I'd use to describe the author's style.
*A New Earth by Eckhardt Tolle - this is a fairly personal book for each and every reader. Some will hate it thinking it's a load of new age crap, others will love it for reasserting some good techniques for staying mindful of the moment at hand. I finished this just before last December but consider it up there with one that gave me a whack to the side of the head. He's a personal favourite in my family that belief system wise is made up of one buddhist, one atheist who loves comparative religion studies, one pantheist who also loves meeting and reading up on various belief systems, one never-divulged-and-never-will (must remember to tackle that one again just out of curiosity) and a whole bunch of never-really-thought-about-it from both my side and theirs. Considering at least 3 of us have read one of Tolle's books, that's really saying something. Especially as we all loved it.
*The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser - pretty much covers every woman who's managed to convince the tossers around her that she's the woman for the job. Many woman I've not heard of before and plenty that I have. Covers way back BC from Semiramis through to Maggie Thatcher covering every interesting woman with war on her mind that falls between them. It's mum's book which explains a certain intent of purpose that she is able to rally when needed. Still in the early parts and am taking it slowly but am loving the characters - mythological or otherwise. A little Penthisilea with your night reading anyone? Must remember to talk to Artemesia about Artemesia, one of the generals in Xerxes army at Salamis.
*Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho - Well I'm actually onto the 2nd chapter but that barely counts. I love his books even if some others are less kind. His first, The Alchemist was brilliant, and so I've fallen into the habit of reading each one of his novels as they emerge. Each book seems to focus on a different aspect of dreams destroyed/followed and tells a story illustrating his own personal belief system. This one is about sex. The Valkyrie was about relationships and the fear of failing within them, and there have been several others in and around these titles. Coelho is Brazilian and seems to have mastered the knack of relating gentle, yet compelling stories, containing plenty of interesting ideas that manage to not overpower the main plot. His characters are easy to relate to - that's the main pull.
BOOKS YET TO READ
*The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
*The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
*Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende
The above 3 arrived in the house at Christmas as present to mum. I've been wanting to try an Allende book for a while now and why not start with the most recent :-) The other two have interesting blurb synopsis. We'll see. They'll be presented at a later date after consumption
NON FICTION SNAFOO'S IN PERTH
Yet again my case was super heavy with my booty. Clothes from Freo Markets but mainly books from the Perth Elizabeth's Bookshop, the State Library of WA bookshop (bargain heaven) and the Art Gallery of WA shop.
* The Mosaic Decoration of San Marco, Venice - mostly 12th century - yippee
* The Medici - an historical account of the family from prior to their rise to their fall
* Flemish Illuminated Manuscripts - I just can't help myself with pretty medieval pics even though I knew I had the History of Calligraphy & Illumination (a chrissy present) waiting for me back at home.
* Net Making - which satisfies my braiding soul - it covers making bags which may be useful in making snoods.
* Heraldry in England - a tiny cute hardcover Penguin book that called out to me saying 'please take me home - you just might find something potentially captivating for your device arms'
* Concise Encyclopedia of Heraldry - by Guy Cadogan Rothery - if anyone's still reading then there may be a good chance that you are a herald - is this book any good?
* Classic Crafts - a largish book focussing on crafts left by the hedgerow. Cost $4. Think I already own it so it may go to a good home. When I'm not reading, this book pretty much covers what I like to get up to hobby wise. Leatherwork, tassel making, printing, weaving, basketmaking, etc. It's fairly light on in depth techniques but covers enough unusual projects that it got me in. A woven willow cake cooler anyone?
The Art Gallery of WA & their affair with Norman Lindsay - bless 'em
One last slim volume is the catalogue from the exhibition that I traipsed through with my Dad, Rex, at the Art Gallery of WA. The exhibition was titled 'Norman Lindsay: Drawn to Women - the complete etchings'. Which it was. The complete etchings that is. All 200+ as well as some watercolours and oil paintings on loan from every Lindsay lover in the world. I do love a Lindsay and I found the original (or at least one of the series edition) of the one I have called 'The Mirror'. Dad & I were laughing about the fact that we were both going to be dreaming of centaurs, satyrs, buxom wenches, goddesses, pirates, Beethoven, devils and every other fantasy of Norman Lindsay's pagan imaginings. One highlight was the showing of an Albrecht Durer etching alongside a Rembrandt and 3 Goya prints just to show some of NL's influences. The AD is actually owned by the gallery. Lucky me got to see it, along with many of NL's etchings, eyes on which I'd not laid before :D
TODAY'S ADVENTURES
If you persevered this far then obviously you, too, are a bibliophile or else you're not and you've skipped to the end :) Just when I want to be diving into this pile of beautious tomes, I need to finish sewing my garb for this weekend's 12th Night event. It's roman and it's silk, it's a soft green tunica with an aubergine palla - yum. Good points for today - found my local Spotlight out at Castle Hill and it's humungous! They also had a silk tie in aubergine that will match my roman outfit.
Also found the gorgeous little fibre shop 'Cherry Hill' that Emma recommended. It's not only close by but they carry Lantern Moon products...squeee! THANKS EMMA!!! You also had the effect, after reading your posts about jogging and bush walking of getting me off my butt and over jogging around the pretty oval that literally lives down my driveway. The bushland ventures off it and as soon as I'm feeling fit enough I'll probably do some trail running too.
Lots of exercise and an excellent fish & steamed vegie dinner cooked by moi (with instructions from mum) followed by mangos & soy icecream for dessert. Feeling pretty damn healthy. Am finally in relaxed holiday mode and it's just about to end. C'est la vie! Better to have reconnected with that feeling of no stress than not. Will just be put back into craving mode again once work begins on Monday. Oh and I found my old blood pressure tester machine that I'd loaned to mum. Naturally is in a very obvious place but it's cloak of invisibility and run out of batteries. My pressure was a little low which is slightly unusual and my pulse was 73 which is also a little low but I haven't had much in the way of sugar today which may have something to do with it. My sugar addiction preceded me to Perth. Dad's as bad as me and we wolfed down gourmet jellybeans and jubes. We're not chocoholics - we like our sugar straight - gimme candy!
Night all,
~ Tyg