Georgiezine

The long awaited 2nd novel from Marisha Pessl. Unfortunately I'm not enjoying it. I still recall her "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" which is gothic/southern/like a dark version of the Royal Tennenbaums family. Very quirky, with some memorable characters, including a overblown, secretly handsome guy that the protaganist has a crush on against her will. (Always the best). Kings Cross-Louis Nowra. I loved this. It made me realise that the inner city neighbourhood really represents modernism, high risk living, the other of Australian culture, like an imaginary Gotham equivalent. Ever since the high rise buildings went up in the early 20th Century, men and women were able to explore alternative ways of living, both good and bad. The Interestings- Meg Wolitzer . I've read one of her previous novels (The Positions) but enjoyed this even more. It was really strong, tapped into the envy and disillusionment that people experience as they age, and unfavourably compare ...

Hollier than Thou-Laura Buzo . This is YA fiction, and some characters don’t quite seem real, but I still enjoyed reading it and was even more pleased to read an interview with her, in which she describes her upbringing as part of a literary family, living and educated in inner city Sydney, and how much she liked “Tirra Lirra by the River” by Jessica Anderson.  The Push-Julia Lawrinson. Also YA, Julia Lawrinson is a WA writer published by Fremantle Press, but in this novel she has convincingly created a young Glebe late teenager, who socialises with The Push via her work friend Trish, and romantic interest Johnno. Side note-Radio National thought fit to interview Julia Lawrinson, with others, on the topic of “sex in young adult fiction”. As my friend Craig once mused, “teenagers-they’re getting it on!” Sarah Hopkins-Speak to Me. Have ruined this by skipping to the back and then trying to read the novel in reverse chronological order, which does it no credit, as she h...

On the weekend, I woke up to hear my son singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star whilst playing the xylophone with his drum sticks. Last night he talked seriously to his teddy bear: “Teddy, would you like to use the potty? Good boy.   Now you can have a sticker!” My husband says he used to have me on a pedestal. The pedestal still exists, “but it’s smaller because you’re a real person now”. I imagine myself having trouble balancing on this tiny pedestal. On the train, my son is excited to spot a picture of ferries and excitedly reminisces about Sydney. There was a big boat and elephants, stomp stomp, the tiger was sleeping, there were big monkeys and small monkeys, and seals. All of these animals are impersonated. There was a plane which went up and down up and down up and down and became very fast. When we leave the train and he is no longer able to tell the train passenger this story, he becomes very upset. I have forgotten to ring my nana for her birthday. My mum says that du...

On Saturday we "did" the inner west primary school fete scene. First stop was Birchgrove Primary. The kid slept through everything whilst we browsed for books and acquired a second hand tool bench for the kid, which successfully flat packed for the return trip to Adelaide. The view of Cockatoo Island was quite amazing. Saw Home & Away cast. Wow! Then we headed off to Ferncourt Primary in Marrickville: Kids bands, parent bands, quiet zones for reading, favourite novelists, favourite minor character actors, fire engine and the best food options. Very involved parent group, a lot of creative expression and parents that looked like they'd just stepped off the international DJ circuit. Sunday was all about Taronga Zoo, though sitting at the ferry wharf drinking coffee made by a teenager was even better than seeing animals, for me at least. Visited the Jeff Hall photography exhibition at MCA and saw some old screen prints from the 70s, which en...

Jen and I met the young gentleman from the photo whilst giving him directions to find the Opera House so he can photograph the steps. He explained it was his first visit from Melbourne, that he lived in St Kilda, that he used to be a metalhead until one time he listened to Crowded House and they became his favourite band ever and now he's making a visit to their final resting place. "And have you heard of a band called The Smiths?" he says us tentatively, as if it will be too obscure. I tell him I listened to them when spending warm summer days indoors. We explain that we are much older than him and knew them when they were still releasing. The kid was born in 1986. He sings different glimpses of songs, as he tries to work out his favourite tune. I confuse him by mixing up This Charming Man with How Soon is Now. "Yeah, so my three favourite bands are Crowded House, The Smiths and Icehouse" he says, and that's when I decide I need to take his photogra...

Am feeling very rejeuvenated and with better perspective since study week at UNSW. Daily walks from Coogee to Randwick, multiple places to get coffee, good views of the beach, sunny weather and there was the best bookshop in the world! It's like a ladder of good bookshops, and each surpasses the former. This is better than Gleebooks, Berkelow, the bookshops in Potts Point and the one in Melbourne near Pelligrinis. What was charming about the bookshop was the staff. There was a guy with a long hockey playing girls ponytail halfway down his back, tattooes and Metallica like tshirts. He looked like a 40 something mechanic or guitar teacher. There was the guy with the hard arse nose ring who was quite meek and mild and probably the most apologetic about not being helpful. Then there was the young blonde guy playing with premature ageing by having a beard and wearing vneck grandad jumpers. The book shop faces one of the many grassy quadrangles and mid century cloister style buildings....

Read this review on the weekend of the exhibition that Andy and I saw. The journalist picks up on our sentiments: we were left a bit cold by the contemporary works compared to the 1940s pieces exhibited. I was really fascinated by Fahy Bottrell's work, (A thinks thats because I'm a print making freak) and wanted to know more about what happened next. That was such an amazing day. The National Art School buildings are of sandstone, old cell blocks, but the entire site has a fascinating atmosphere, productive, timeless, Australiana, I really liked it. From there we walked into the city, past gothic style terraces, steep walls, descending urban cliffs, wrought iron walls. You had the feeling of people disappearing into time, their gardens becoming overgrown as a kind of respite from the city, like his cousin Helen's terrace in Surry Hills that she no longer allows family to visit. We walked from venue to venue for the Biennale of Sydney, snoozed in the Botanical Gardens, e...

I quite liked this piece, it fitted in nicely with Andy's musings when we were staying in Kings Cross and had started walking around the streets of Darlinghurst. Oh what a time we had! The National Art School WW2 artists exhibition was probably the highlight, though I really liked the Communists Guide to Sydney piece at the Art Gallery of NSW for Biennale of Sydney. Then tonight I had Gus review of Melbourne: "I'm on the tram right now. Yes, I must be in Melbourne! I think it's my first time in Melbourne. Or maybe I've been here before? I probably don't remember... I haven't been up any tall buildings yet but I'm definitely NOT going up the Eureka building. That's 88 floors high and I'm NOT going up it. The highest floor I've ever been in my life is floor five. Or floor six. I've seen two bridges. ONe was the bridge that tells you everyone that's been born in the state. Everyone that's born here or moved here. Yes, it's t...

My friend and I were talking about 2 people we know, both doctors, both males, who have incredible self esteem. They think they're intelligent, cool, funny, good looking. They never have doubts or worries. Whilst they are slightly painful, and have trouble understanding how mere mortals aren't as clever as them, I actually think it's quite wonderful that we can still nurture humans with intact egos. I just wish we had more of them out there, of both genders. Another healthy ego person I know is a family friend from Sydney, Rivoli. She runs an antique jewellery store and is just like Lady something or other from the Nancy Mitford books-"they worship me". She has her loyal husband, practical, supportive, true blue Balmain Boy. Then she has her coterie of male admirers who adore her: her bank manager, members of the chamber of commerce, artists who want to paint her for the archibald prize, cafe owners. She wears rings on all her fingers, slave sandals tied up to h...