Book Review: Murder In Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie.....

This week I've finished another in my very recent conversion to Agatha Christie novels, featuring my TV favourite, Hercule Poirot, Murder In Mesopotamia. 

Set on the site of an archaeological dig in Iraq, Christie drew on her own personal experiences for this particular tale. It was on a visit to Ur in Iraq that she met her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1928. A keen semi-amateur archaeologist herself, she passionately supported her husband's career throughout her life.

What's On Your Reading Pile?....

If there is one thing that is common to all Book Lovers (Melbourne or anywhere else in the world) it is how our reading piles and want-to-read lists keep growing. There's that immense sense of achievement one week from acquiring and finishing one that has been on the wishlist for ages, then you walk into the next bookstore and add 10 to the list! The pain of Book Lovers, eh?

Well, to narrow down my pain somewhat I thought it would be a good idea to list the top 10 of my current pile. Note that I have not finished reading any of these, so they are not in order yet. Just that I'd like to complete these 10 before I move on to others. So here you go:

1. Geek Sublime: Writing Fiction, Coding Software by Vikram Chandra

Vikram Chandra intrigues me as a writer. I cannot pin him down to any genre based on his previous books, he calls programming his obsession (and writing his vocation) and he has even screen-written some of the most popular movies in Bollywood. So his first non-fiction work simply HAD to be on my list. More so when it aims to explore whether computer programming and novel writing are creative efforts of the same stamp! I have been a computer programmer for over 5 years after all. And it simply could not be kept off the list when Vikram decided to visit Melbourne and I had a chance to go to his talk at the Wheeler Centre.

Progress: Procurement done (Melbourne City Library), 1 chapter down and a few more to go.

What's In Your Dunny, John, Restroom, Loo, Or Toilet?.......

There is a certain type of book out there that, without any doubt in my mind belongs in the toilet.... 

It's the miscellany, the entertaining book of lists, that little gem with snippets of bite sized bits of information and knowledge that is absolutely perfect for a few minutes when one's mind is basically unoccupied, whilst other functions are taking precedence. 

I have had four particular titles in my 'loo' for a while now, great little titles that deliver a paragraph or two of interesting stuff, without the commitment to a full, cover to cover read.

So, without further ado, here they are!

Changes To UK School Reading Syllabus....

"New English literature GCSE ditches American classics for pre-20th century British authors such as Dickens and Austen"

An interesting one this. I can't help thinking a more British syllabus might be more appropriate for British pupils, particularly when there is such a limited number of books that there is time to study in any real depth within the scope of the pupil's educational years. But this does close the door on some remarkable works of literature. 

I had the pleasure of studying Harper Lee's, To Kill A Mocking Bird for English Literature 
O' Level, (showing my age there...) It does seem a shame that many kids won't get the chance to do the same.

Book Review: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists By Robert Tressell....

Fairly recently I was browsing through my union membership magazine and it had a regular section that introduced the reader to their local union reps, with various questions about favourite TV shows, cars, food, political influences etc etc, standard trade magazine fare. 

As you can imagine, being a CFMEU publication (Australia's construction industry union), lots of the answers revolved around AFL teams, Holden utes and left-wing historical political figures, but there was one entry that stood out for me.  One of the reps had ignored the 'TV programme' question and listed his favourite book instead, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell. 

As if by the intervention of some sort of left-wing non-religious-based 'supreme being', I happened across a tatty copy from the 1950's at Clunes Booktown a couple of weeks ago, so of course, I simply had to have it! Widely regarded as a classic of working class literature, the piece is a novel released in 1914, three years after the authors death in 1911. Tressell (a play on the work bench used by painters and decorators) was a pen name, used to avoid a political backlash by Robert Noonan, a Dublin born house painter. Actually benefiting from a reasonably good education himself, Noonan had spent much of his life in South Africa before relocating back to the UK in the early twentieth century. 

The story revolves around a group of characters from the fictional town of Mugsborough, based on Noonan's home of Hastings. The workers at Rushton's painting and decorating company are the great downtrodden masses, the bullying foremen, and the simpering toadies who suck up to the bosses, with the exception of Owen, a socialist who tries to explain the system under which they all live to his less educated workmates, to very little positive end. 

Written at the time when trade union and labour movements were just beginning to gain a little ground in the political landscape of Britain, it is an eye-opening tale of the social inequality of the time. Interestingly I read much of this during my own lunch breaks at work on a building site and many of the themes and attitudes of the working class group scenes has changed remarkable little, in spite of the vastly improved conditions such workers now enjoy. 

If you are interested in social history, political history, the class divide, working class politics both left and right, this sometimes naively written novel is well worth a look. 

Enjoy
B.L.M. Stevie

Lost Booksellers Of New York....

A great article stolen recklessly and unashamedly from the NYTimes website in which Larry McMurtry reminisces about New York's glorious past as a booklovers city. I've visited the Big Apple a handful of times but, sadly, prior to my book-buying hobby really took off, somewhere I'd really love to spend a few days book-fossicking. Enjoy.

Listings News...More Great Bookstores....

Hi everyone, 

You'll be pleased to know that we've now added even more great bookstores to our Listings section, 

including a "Further Afield" category that brings us to a total of 44 great bookshops in Melbourne and the surrounding area you can check out. If you feel any information is erroneous or indeed want your own bookstore added to the growing list, don't hesitate to contact us!!