Book Chat Issue #103
A little bit thrilling
Hello reading friends
I received some lovely feedback about my reading life series, and it made me feel a lot better because I was wondering if I was being self-indulgent in regaling you with stories of my youth.
Like many people, whenever I write about my life, I often think ‘who cares’. There’s a little voice in my head that insists my life is in no way extraordinary or interesting, so why would anyone want to read about it? But I also strongly believe that everyone has a story to tell and I love hearing about other people’s lives, so on I go.
My hope is that if you are around my age, you will be able to reflect on what you were doing or reading at the same time, and if you are younger than me, (more than likely), you will be able to reflect on how your own book choices connect with your life journey.
What I’m currently reading
In the last issue of Book Chat I talked about discovering science fiction and a few people commented that they don’t read science fiction. I find this a bit sad as I think science fiction (including dystopian fiction) is fundamentally about humanity and what it means to live in society. (It will come as no surprise to you when I say I studied sociology at university).
I love books that ask big questions about who we are and how we could live differently, and I’m not fussy about what genre they are.
A good example is a book I read recently called Metronome by Tom Watson.
It’s about a married couple who are sent to a remote island as punishment for a crime that is not specified at the beginning of the book, but is gradually revealed. Their daily life is controlled by a mysterious clock which delivers a life-saving medication on a regular basis. If this sounds faintly ridiculous, do not be alarmed because the book is really about what happens in a marriage when trust breaks down. It isn’t a perfect book, (there’s a slow bit in the second half) but it’s very interesting and thought-provoking.
My sister Bev also recommended Klara and the Sun and In the Blink of an Eye, both of which are very entertaining and accessible.
My life in books - part 4
The year is 1973 and I’ve just arrived in London with one ten-pound travellers cheque. My friend Heléna and I stay in a filthy hostel and eat the tinned peaches my mother has thoughtfully packed in my steamer trunk.
Read on…
When we arrive I quickly get a job in the photographic industry as a colour printer. I’m still only 17, so I lie about my age so I can get paid adult wages. No-one checks or asks for my birth certificate.
I love the varied nature of my work and learn a lot. One day a film crew arrives at our studio to shoot a sequence from the film, Tommy (a psychedelic musical fantasy drama directed by Ken Russell) and I watch enthralled as they film a scene featuring Ann-Margret. It seems hilariously dated now.
The Conservatives are in power and the coal miners aren’t happy. The entire nation is forced to work a three day week to conserve electricity. We work for 12 hours a day and spend the rest of the time shivering in our little flat. We only have hot water on alternate days and only for two hours at a time, but we survive.
London is expensive and money is tight. My travelling companion returns to Australia and I move into a cramped London flat where I share a bedroom with a woman I meet through an ad in the local paper. Fortunately we get on like a house on fire and enjoy living in such close proximity. When her boyfriend stays over I tactfully sleep on the lounge.
Our big end-of-week splash out is eating at the Indian restaurant next to the pub. Sunday afternoons are spent at the laundromat trying to get our clothes washed and dried. We duck into the pub for the afternoon session in between feeding the dryer with coins. There’s little time for sight-seeing but I’m not planning on leaving London, so I assume I’ll have plenty of time. This turns out to be untrue.
On Jan 5, 1974, I visit Madame Tussauds with a work colleague who thinks I should be getting out more and wants to show me the sights. We’ve only just arrived when the police receive a warning that a bomb has been planted. We are all hustled over to the other side of the street where we watch as the bomb does actually explode, destroying poor Lord Nelson and his ship. Moments later another bomb explodes in the Exhibition Centre in Earl’s Court. The IRA claim responsibility but luckily no-one is hurt on this occasion. Security is high all over London and our bags are checked constantly. People are very nervous.
If you’ve had a chance to watch the series Say Nothing, you’ll get a good understanding of the tensions of the era.
It’s about this time that I discover thrillers, and so begins a life-long obsession with pacy books with lots of twists and turns. I especially loved Frederick Forsyth books, notably The Odessa File and The Day of the Jackal.
Over the years, I’ve sometimes felt slightly embarrassed about my love of Frederick Forsyth (it’s not very literary) but the recent remake of Day of the Jackal reassured me that it was indeed a very exciting book, although I have to admit, I haven’t actually watched the new version yet.
Have you had a reading obsession and was it associated with a particular time in your life? Can you connect the two things?
What I’ve been eating
I had a bucket list of things I wanted to eat in Japan. One of them was those beautiful soufflé pancakes that are all over Instagram, so I was delighted when we found a beautiful pancake café in Hakone on our very last day in Japan.
I was a bit worried that the pancakes would be sloppy (not sure why they would be) but they were more like very light sponge cakes and absolutely delicious. Mine were served with matcha powder and my daughter’s came with strawberries and caramel sauce.
As I write this, it’s still Tuesday in Australia and coincidentally, it’s pancake day, so here’s recipe from a food blogger in case you want to try making them yourself.
Good luck, and let me know how you go.
International Book Club
Yes, it’s finally here folks. The long awaited book club discussion of You are Here by David Nicholls is happening at the end of this week - Thursday afternoon in the US and Friday morning here in Australia.
Sydney, Australia: 10am Friday 7 March
Perth, WA: 7am Friday 7 March
San Fransisco, USA: 3pm Thursday 6 March
Tucson, USA: 4pm Thursday 6 March
Vancouver, Canada: 3pm Thursday 6 March
London, UK: 11pm Thursday 6 March
Here is the link if you’d like to join:
meet.google.com/uzq-igvc-ojf
I’d love to see you!
That’s all for this edition folks.
Keep well and happy reading!
Marg xxx
The only reading obsession I recall was Frank Yerby's works through high school and shortly after. I had every paperback, and kept my favorite, The Golden Hawk. It was all about love and adventure! Still gets to me.
(Cont). I’m over here at Adelaide Writers Week , and in two sessions I’ve really enjoyed , both authors speak about how interesting are the lives of “ordinary “ people and that they are the inspiration & basis of their stories. Just saying…enjoying your stories 😊. One was Niall Williams ‘Time of the Child’ , and the other Deborah Callaghan (with her first novel) ‘The Little Clothes’