The Book of Ordinary People

Does the cover of a book ever say "read me"? This was one of those books for me. It was actually the title on the spine that caught my attention first and then I pulled the book out of our New Releases section at the public library I work at and just knew I had to read it. So I ended up buying it!

The Book of Ordinary People by Australian author Claire Varley would be a favourite read for me so far for 2018.

I don't like thrillers, fantasy or too much romance but I love books about ordinary people so I knew this book was going to get to me. It did.

The book features several characters. They're all ordinary people trying to make a go of life in Melbourne. There's  a woman trying to make sense of the loss of her mother and trying to write her mother's biography. She can't find anything to write, thinking her mother's existence was too ordinary She heads off to a biography writing course or does she? 

There's a lawyer who just wants a promotion, thinking then the grass will be greener but will it?

There's a young lawyer trying to make a go of her career.

There's a journalist wondering if he's past it.

And then there's an asylum seeker waiting, waiting, waiting and waiting... for refugee status.

The writing in this book is powerful. At the end of each chapter I found myself stopping for a minute and thinking about the characters. I also got a glimpse into life as an asylum seeker. I really had no idea until reading this book and I'm grateful to Varley for opening my eyes just a wee bit.

As for the feathers on the front of the book, you will find out their significance when you read it.

Matilda, Charlie, Danny, Pippi and the Naughtiest Girl - Where Would They Be Now?

A post on a Roald Dahl Facebook fan page got me thinking about where would some of his characters would be today.

The post was celebrating the 30th birthday of the Roald Dahl character Matilda. The illustrator of Dahl's books, Quentin Blake, was asked what he thought Matilda would be doing now as a 30-year-old.  He thought she may be an Astrophysicist, a World Traveller or perhaps even the Chief Executive of the British Library. Blake has illustrated the latest edition of Matilda with images of her as a 30-year-old.

But it got me thinking wouldn't it be awesome if someone actually wrote a book about the 30-year-old Matilda. How would she feel towards her parents now? Would her parents be nicer to her now? Maybe treating her better than they did when she was a child. What about her lovely teacher Miss Honey? What role would she now be playing in Matilda's life? Would Matilda still be burying herself in books?

And what about Danny from my favourite Roald Dahl story Danny, the Champion of the World?

How did growing up in a caravan affect him? Does he now live in a caravan himself or has he made a lot of money and lives in a mansion? Does he still poach pheasants? Is he breaking the law in any other way? What about his amazing father? Is he still around? Maybe he's living in a granny flat in the bottom floor of his son's three-storey mansion.

What about Charlie? How's that chocolate factory getting on? Has Charlie moved with the times or been left bankrupt and had to walk away from the factory? Are people even eating chocolate now or too worried about too much sugar and ensuring they stick to the Keto or the Five/Two diet. Or is it still the incredible place it was for Charlie when he was a child.

What about Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Langstrump, or more affectionately known as Pippi Longstocking? She would be in her 80s now? What would she be like as a senior citizen? Is she still wild, funny and crazy. Does she still live with pets like a horse or a monkey or has she settled for a dog or a cat? And what about that suitcase full of gold? Is she also living in a mansion or has she settled for a new spot at one of those fancy and modern retirement homes?

And then there's Elizabeth Allen or otherwise known as the naughtiest girl? Her creator Enid Blyton  wrote 10 books about her but surely there's another story there. She's obviously left school. Hello.... she would be in her 80s. Maybe she is causing merry havoc in the same retirement home as Pippi Longstocking, leading all the other residents astray. Maybe she is being kept in line by the twins from St Clare's boarding school Isabel and Patricia O'Sullivan.

As for the Famous Five - there have been stories made of them tackling issues of the 21st Century thanks to author Bruno Vincent with books including Five Get on the Property Ladder, Five Get Gran Online, Five Go Gluten Free and Five Give Up The Booze.

If Vincent can bring back Julian, Dick, Anne, George and even Timmy the dog (how is that even possible), maybe there is another author or budding writer reading this who would like to update us on the happenings of Matilda, Danny, Charlie, Pippi and the Naughtiest Girl. Just putting the idea out there.

The 104-Storey Treehouse

If you're looking for colour, fun and so much imagination then you can't go past The 104-Storey Treehouse.

I'm a wee bit late to all the fuss. This is the eighth and latest book in the Treehouse series written by Andy Griffiths and illustrated by Terry Denton. I've not read the other seven... yet.

So the first book is called The 13-Storey Treehouse, the second The 26-Story Treehouse and then every 13 storeys there's a new book. After listening to a radio interview with the Australian pair I went out and bought their latest offering.

It's a long book for a child - 351 pages to be precise. What made me laugh was that 27 of those pages just had the words "Up and Up and Up and Up and Up and Up and Up" on each page accompanied by illustrations of a staircase and cute chatter in speech bubbles from the book's main characters as they went on their never ending climb. 

If you've read some of the other books you will know that Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. It's now 104 storeys high. The treehouse has everything you could imagine including a Two Dollar Shop, a Two Million Dollar Shop, a Deep Thoughts Thinking Room and a Money Making Machine (wouldn't we all like one of those?).

In this book Andy has agonising toothache but has a deadline to meet to finish writing his next book. He needs the Joke Writer 2000 pen to help him write the book and so the pair along with their friend Jill go on an adventure to get the pen. I loved the poem about pens, pencils and writing utensils.

I don't think you need to read the other seven books before reading the 104-Storey Treehouse. I enjoyed the story and was captivated by the illustrations and reading the chatter in the little speech bubbles. There is even a joke on each double page spread to annoy your parents  or others with.

Five stars for this one! Now I'm off to read the other seven books.    

What I'm Learning Five Years On.

Today marks five years since I left my "long-time" job as a journalist at the Rotorua Daily Post - the local newspaper I worked at and it has got me thinking about some of the things I've learnt since leaving.

I thought I'd share a few of those things here -

*  Life is not defined by what you do but by who you are!

*  Life is too short to worry about what people think about you or what you perceive they think of you.

*  Living a slower life can be better.

*  Being grateful for the small things matters like a walk with the dog in the Redwoods, having a latte with a book in your favourite cafe, watching your favourite TV series, going to a movie with a mate or appreciating the flowers your husband has planted in the garden.

*  It can take time to find a new job but stick at it!

*  It's important to grieve for things or people you've lost or couldn't have but it's okay to move on even if it does take a while.

*  It can be fun learning and embracing new things and cultures.

*  You can find your passion again.

*  Kindness matters!

*  A dog is a loyal friend.

And with that I'm off to my favourite cafe to read a book and enjoy a latte before I start work later this afternoon.