Last year I spent a few weeks in Greece, one of my favourite countries, and so when I saw The Athenian Murders, which is set in Ancient Greece., for sale at a market I just had to buy it.  The novel is by Jose Carlos Somoza, the first of his six novels to be translated into English, and I just wish I spoke Spanish so I could read his others. It’s a wonderful story which includes another story within the story, and has a delightful twist at the end.

To further feed my habit I recently purchased a little book called WHODUNITS by Bullimore, Conrad, Niederman and Smith. I found the book in the puzzle section of a well known bookshop and it contains more than 100 mysteries for the reader to solve. I’ve only read a few so far, and I’m ashamed to admit I’m not doing too well with the ‘solving’ bit; but I’m having a wonderful time reading them!

You really can’t beat a good whodunit …

But what does scrapbooking have to do with writing? Well, in scrapbooking our writing is called journalling and for some it is one of the most important elements in their scrapbooks.

Journalling tells the story of the photographs we have taken, kept and treasured over the years. It can be anything from a few words to a few paragraphs and it details holidays and celebrations, family history, sports and hobbies, and well, just about anything on our journey through life.

Some of my students like to journal each page of their scrapbook and then they worry they won’t say the right thing, that their handwriting won’t be good enough, or neat enough. I tell them it doesn’t matter if its not perfect, or if it didn’t turn out quite how they wanted it to. Just the fact that they chose to write is important to their children and grandchildren.

And isn’t this true of writing too? We write because we love to, but also because we want other people to read our work - and if we’re lucky, the generations who follow them.

Lewis Carroll, in 1865, wrote a story about a little girl named Alice. One day Alice was sitting with her sister on the bank of a river, feeling bored and restless, when a white rabbit with pink eyes dashed past her. Alice didn’t think this in the least unusual until she heard the rabbit exclaim, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!’ Not only that, but she realised the rabbit was wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch. Alice then followed the white rabbit down a large rabbit-hole and found herself in a beautiful, strange and magical world. And in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland she came across very interesting characters: the dormouse, the Mock Turtle, the Gryphon and the Cheshire cat, all of whom could carry on a reasonable conversation. And then there was the tea party starring the Mad Hatter, and Alice’s experiences with the Queen of Hearts and a bunch of playing cards.

C S Lewis wrote my all time favourite children’s book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it too had a unique entry to a fantastic world. Lucy, who is visiting the home of an old professor in the country with her sister and brothers, finds a wardrobe in one of the rooms and steps inside to investigate.  As she wanders through the big fur coats she finds herself walking on snow, in the middle of a forest. And the first creature she meets is a faun who looks startled and says, “Goodness gracious me!” In Narnia, unicorns and centaurs roam, and Aslan the great lion seeks Lucy’s help in defeating the wicked White Witch.

I have just finished reading another wonderful ‘other world’ book by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams entitled Tunnels. Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows goes digging with his dad, an archaeologist, but he uncovers a lot more than just ancient artefacts: he discovers a world beneath his own, one that is both fascinating and dangerous. Great story.

All of these books share common themes: they’re all wonderful adventure tales; they all feature incredibly interesting characters and they’re all written by very talented storytellers. But most significantly they take us, the readers, into exciting and sometimes dangerous worlds where we can lose ourselves and pretend to be one of those characters, just for a while.

A Penny in Time (published by IP Kidz) by Australian author Anna Bartlett is a look back at the Penny (coin) over the decades. These factional stories based on Australia’s history are entertaining and thought provoking; and the growing relationship between an Australian grandmother and her Ethiopian-born grandson is a beautiful medium through which to tell them. I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Bartlett’s writing and I hope to read more of her.

See a trailer for the book at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_AGq8Q-gM0

Wood Angel (published by Chicken House, also published by Scholastic as Plain Kate) by Canadian author Erin Bow is an amazing piece of fiction from a master storyteller. It was the cover that enticed me to buy the book, one of the best covers I have seen. But it is the imagination of the author and the way she blends her words and phrases seemlessly and almost poetically that just blew me away.

The story of Plain Kate and her lonely journey through life is a story I will not quickly forget. With only her talking cat Taggle for company, Kate contends with pain, grief and sadness as she uses her gift of carving to discover her place in life and find peace. It is a beautiful story, and I only wish I had written it. My only consolation is that Ms Bow said she took six years to write it!

Check out her website and blog at: http://www.erinbow.com/index.shtml

Do books really need to be categorised into age groups?

A Penny in Time is listed as a children’s book and Wood Angel as a YA book. But honestly, they can be read and enjoyed equally by adults, and as adults we can learn from them both. Congratulations ladies!

In Rome I happened upon a book store (as one does) and found myself engrossed in the children’s section. Many of the books were in English but never one to do anything in half measures I decided to buy some small and beautifully illustrated picture books in Italian, knowing my other half has an Italian/English dictionary at home. So it was I purchased Pinocchio (written by an Italian anyway), I tre porcellini (or as we know it, the Three Little Pigs) and Riccioli d’Oro e i tre orsi (Goldilocks and the Three Bears).

Then, having not seen Paris for thirty years I fell completely in love with that vibrant yet historic city and found myself using school-girl French at every opportunity. By day three I was confidently ordering coffee and croissants in the local language and finding that the staff in the hotel and in the stores could even understand most of what I was saying. And so it was I decided that when I arrived home I would once again seek to learn conversational French.

As I was wandering through Galleries Lafayette, one of two enormous department stores in the Opera district, I found myself in the book department (as one does) and it was there I found the most fantastic collection of children’s books; hundreds of books I have never seen before published by publishers I have never heard of. But what a selection! The picture books were just beautiful and there were so many. How could I help myself?

And so, as I practice my newly adopted language, I look forward to reading a couple of classics: Blanche-Neige (or Snow White as we know it) illustrated by Nicolas Duffaut and Thesee et le Minotaure (or Theseus and the Minotaur) adapted by Christine Palluy and illustrated by Elodie Nouhen. I then decided that it was all very well to purchase picture books with limited text but that to really test my understanding of the language I should read a title that is little more challenging. And so L Frank Baum’s was my final purchase and I can’t wait to read it.

They say that music is the universal language. Well, perhaps children’s books aren’t far behind.

Happy reading and writing everyone!

Penny at the Parthenon

Writing a journal is better than not writing at all …

Friday 23 September 2011

Finally, after 20 hours in the air and a couple of hours in Changi Airport (Singapore) we arrived in Athens. Launceston was 8 degrees when we flew out and the heat of Greece hit us as we left the terminal, but I was just so happy to be back after so many years.

We were picked up by a blue mini-bus and driven halfway around the world (it seemed) to the Metropolitan Hotel midway between the city and the port of Piraeus. I had a tear in my eye as I saw the incomplete and empty buildings going by – just as I remembered.

After an hour and a half sitting in reception drinking coffee our room became available and we moved in and unpacked for the next few days. Our stomachs were grumbling and a walk around the backstreets found us in a lovely tavern called Arsenis where we had our first Greek meals; souvlaki and salad, both absolutely delicious. And we tried the local beer and chardonnay and were more than pleasantly surprised.

Against my better judgement we lay down in the afternoon for a nap and ended up sleeping through!

Saturday 24 September 2011

Breakfast in the hotel was an amazing smorgasbord of gourmet delights. We then caught the hotel’s free shuttle into the city and were dropped at Syntagma Square. There we spent hours wandering through the Plaka and the Monastiraki districts, via the Kapnikarea (domed church) and famous Ermou Street (shopping) and saw the ruins of Hadrian’s Library. We had morning coffee on the Dionyssiou Areopagitou and another delicious lunch at ‘Ydria’ which soon became our favourite, nnd fairly regular eating place.

Ydria is a delightful oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Plaka; the staff are friendly and the food is fresh and tasty. And when you get your bill you receive complimentary shot glasses of liqueur!

After purchasing some small (the weight limit on Singapore Airlines is only 20kgs) tourist-type wares we weaved our way through some interesting flea markets and then walked back to Syntagma Square. From there we walked across to the Parliament Building (Old Palace) and saw the ‘skirted’ guards outside. Then it was back to the hotel where we spent the afternoon relaxing before joining the our fellow tour passengers for a drink and dinner.

The group was an interesting mix of Australians and Americans and we were fortunate to be able to share our adventure with so many wonderful people.

Sunday 25 September 2011

A comfortable bus drove up all around Athens. We spent the morning visiting the Acropolis which is crowned with the famous Parthenon. Then we saw Hadrian’s Arch and the magnificent Temple of Zeus, followed by a drive-by of the Parliament Building and other notable buildings including the National Library. We also stopped at the site of the commencement of the modern Olympic Games where the 2004 Olympic Archery competition was held.

We lunched again in the Plaka, this time at Ydria’s sister cafe Karytis and we got to know one of our companion couples from Canberra. In the afternoon we were driven down to Cape Sounion and the majestic Temple of Poseidon – fantastic
views.

Anna, our Greek guide was extremely well versed in Greek history and made every monument come to life.

Dinner was with compatriots from Hobart, Canberra and the Blue Mountains at one of the many tavernas situated in the Plaka. There, crowds swarm under lights from the shops that line the narrow streets.

We were looking forward to heading off on our tour of Greece the following morning.

I’ve spent hours downloading and editing photos (all 2,000 of them) and entertaining our housesitters who have spent nine weeks living in our house and enjoying the food, wine, history and scenery of this magnificent Island. They’ve had a wonderful holiday too and will be sad to fly home on Wednesday.

I had the most wonderful time in Europe: two glorious weeks in the Greek mainland and Islands including Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey, another two glorious weeks in Italy and then a week in Paris. We stopped off in Singapore on the way home for a few days to relax after several full-on weeks of walking, climbing, sightseeing, museum visiting and history experiencing …

Apart from the obvious delights of travel, I have also come home with a plethora of ideas for new short stories and novels. And I wrote a journal whilst we were away which I will post on my blog from time to time. I even bought several well known children’s picture books in both Italian and French and I am looking forward to translating them.

Am I feeling inspired to write? Definitely!

I’ve not done any writing but I do have heaps of ideas for new stories so that’s something …

However, children’s books are never far from my mind. In Italy I bought Italian versions of three well known fairy tales and I plan to do the same here in France. And oe of the most amazing things I’ve seen so far is this:

Today we climbed the 300 steps to the top of the L’arc de Triomphe and had the most fabulour views of Paris. But what was even more amazing was that in the gift shop at the top of the L’arc de Triomphe, Leigh Hobbs’ Mr Chicken Goes to Paris(in English) was for sale alongside French children’s picture books. Fantastic!

Go Aussie children’s authors!!

But taking a rest from writing actually gives me time to think about the storylines, the characters and what wonderful activities they’re going to partake in over the life of the story. It also gives me time to work with other writers.

My friend Harley has recently self-published her first book. Congratulations Harley! Peanut Butter and Friends is about an engaging and adventurous marmalade cat and his exploits in the neighbourhood. I was privileged to be involved in the development and production of the book and attended Harley’s book launch last weekend. It’s not a picture book, but an illustrated story and it isn’t just for kids – grown-ups love it as well!

Writing is what I love and I would do little else if I could. But sometimes writers need to step back and do something else for a change.

But not for long …

Mara, Daughter of the Nile was written by American author Eloise Jarvis McGraw in 1963. It is the story of a slave girl in ancient Egypt who gets herself involved in both sides of the political argument surrounding Hatshepsut and her brother Thutmose. The novel was brilliantly researched (I learned more about life in Egypt reading it than much of the non-fiction I have read over the years) and beautifully written with just the right amounts of romance, intrigue, adventure and suspense. And it has a typical happy ending.

I guess you’d say it’s an old fashioned type of book.

By comparision Triple Ripple was written by Australian author Brigid Lowry in 2011. It is three stories in one: the fairytale set in a typical fairytale setting; the reader’s story as she reads the fairytale; and the writer’s story as she writes it. The premise has been well thought out and this results in a story that’s quirky and fun and at times, very, very different. And it doesn’t have a ‘typical’ happy ending.

I guess you’d say it’s a modern, contemporary tale.

I just can’t imagine two books for the same age group being such poles apart (and 48 years). And yet I loved them both. I loved the descriptions of the settings, the characters and their respective issues, and I learned a lot about people and places I didn’t previously know.

Just goes to show that books are an enduring medium. And whether they’re a hardcover, a paperback or an electronic file I’ll still be reading them for many years to come.