Books I've been reading

Since my online health claims is "under maintenance", I find myself online, disinterested in reading anything new and inclined to update my blog, whilst I can (whilst I am waiting, waiting). A helped me today distract myself from the fearfulness of my decision to wait until Day 13 to be induced. Baby is only lazily kicking, giving me limited information that this is safe and wise (but the CTG yesterday was GOOD; plus I was reassured by the story of someone, under the cover of a private obstetrician, having their induction scheduled this late, due to them not wanting to work on weekends. Babies going 14 days overdue is NORMAL... keep telling myself. Anyway, books. Have read
  • The hand that held mine-Maggie O'Farrell. Tugs at the heart strings for any new/prospective mother
  • Patrician Highsmith's biography-segued nicely with last nights SBS documentary about closeted US politicians
  • A book by William Boyd set in 1936 California and turn of centuary Phillipines
  • Don Walker's memoirs. I quite liked this, his deliberate use of a mood association style, roaming through teenage years living near the river in Grafton, university days hitchhiking out of Armidale to get a life, post graduation days in Adelaide forming the band, returning to NSW, living briefly in Melbourne and then travelling up the Hume Highway to Kings Cross where he stayed for decades. His description of living in the Plaza Hotel in Kings Cross before it became fashionable is intriguing, and sets the character behind many of the better Cold Chisel songs... he doesn't romanticise it either, is quite frank about the basic conditions of a bedsit room-reminded me in some ways of the author of HOTEL CHELSEA, and his decision to live with his girlfriend permanently in the hotel, putting up with junkies and mediocre bathroom facilities... it's a certain lifestyle, where one can walk to everything they need, spend their money on books and eat breakfast in cafes.
  • The Lessons by Naomi Alderman-a review of it on The Guardian's website quite accurately picks it's similarity, in themes, to Brideshead Revisited, The Line of Beauty & The Secret History, but it was still quite enjoyable.
Want to read
  • the new book by Jonathan Franzen (on reserve at the library, noted that it is still sitting on the reserved bookshelves for someone whose surname starts with S-how long until it gets to me?
  • the new book by Kate Holden (see, I can't remember the book titles of ANYTHING at the moment, but then I never could). Again, a library reserve
  • The biography of Lillian Roxon-only I have a feeling that I already have a copy of this, a hardcover that I picked up at a booksale in Balmain-currently in boxes at A's house and it will be a while before I can verify if I own this biography, or if the BlackInc version is a different one (and, as an aside, I should forgive her niece for having such a bad haircut-how dare I trivialise a working mother/federal politician for a bad hairdo, mine isn't particularly impressive at the moment either).
Now just waiting for A to come home with the chocolate...

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