Thursday Thoughts...

“Read widely, and without apology. Read what you want to read, not what someone tells you you should read” 

Joyce Carol Oates

Great advice! I like to read, and I like to read widely. I like to read literature, and I like to read crime novels. I like to read biographies and I like to read some Romance. A lot depends on my mood and what I am seeking from a book - challenge or solace? Laughter or thoughtfulness? Brain food or empty headedness?

I certainly grew up feeling that one should read pretty much everything; but there was a definite bias towards sensible and serious books. Although thank goodness I was never pressured to read anything at all.

I read Georgette Heyer Regency Romances when I am feeling low or poorly or can't concentrate on much. I read literary fiction as often as I can; but I intersperse it with spy or crime novels for a quick hit. I stop reading crime novels when the darkness gets too much. And so on.

There must be nothing worse than feeling you can't read what you want to read, because folk will think poorly of you for it; or because they laugh at your choices; or pass judgement in some other way. It's good for all of us to be challenged to expand our reading circles (I am yet to make it into sci fi although I did read Project Hail Mary), but it is also good to be comfortable and read for enjoyment.

Should is definitely a word I am trying to eject from my vocabulary. It brings no good with it whatsoever. Reading something because somebody says you SHOULD read it almost sets me up for failure before I begin.

Just enjoy reading.

My Georgette Heyer books were my mum's and this is about the era of them!

Safe arrivals

We are back at the cottage safely, after a smooth travel experience - not something you can bank on these days. We had several fall back strategies should the air space over the Gulf be closed...

We spent our first night in Scotland at Pitlochry - a favourite spot to wander around. It is a sight to behold with its many baskets of hanging flowers; and this time we also got to visit the Book Shop at the Pitlochry Railway Station. What a brilliant idea this is - who hasn't sat at a train station wishing they could buy a book for the journey?

All books are donated and all sales go to the six charities they support. We got a couple of goodies and a cook book!

I think I need to find me a railway station with a vacancy....

And so to the cottage where the summer of rain has meant we have loads of growth - we have apples, potatoes, flowers and plenty of weeds!

We have since weeded the apple and hydrangea garden and it looks much better now! Before we left in May we planted out several containers with potatoes. They look utterly straggly, but we have harvested one pot and eaten them all!

Flowers are still going strong and I have brought some into the house just to keep the smiles going.

Out in the rockery.

Some of the wee heather remains on the hillsides.

And the cove looked majestic on our first morning here...

'Tis good to be back.

Thursday Thoughts...

“We should not see print and electronic literature as in competition, but rather in conversation. The more voices that join in, the richer the dialogue is likely to be”. 

N. Katherine Hayles

I really like the idea that all forms of literature are in conversation rather than in competition. This suggests to me flow and movement between the different forms, that at one point the hard copy book is the main voice whilst at others the electronic or audio version enters the conversation.

It feels particularly pertinent to me a little way out from a long haul flight.  Every single time we travel the lead up is filled with me thinking - which book will I read? How many books will I need? Will I take a hard copy in case I run out of battery? Will I buy an electronic book or just borrow one? Should I download a few mindless magazines from the library too?

Laugh.

So much time in my head preparing for my reading in all its forms on my flights! Which is OK - its about 24-25 hours of flying time and if the movies are no good...

I have moved to reading on my iPad on the plane because it doesn't require me to put on the overhead light and shine brightly, perhaps when others are trying to sleep. I can sit in my nook with my screen lit just enough for me. But I do need a back up because once you are in flight you can't download another book if the one you chose is rubbish.

It does feel like a conversation between the different forms; or a bit of choreography perhaps. My preference is always for a book I can hold in my hand; but I am grateful that the other forms have joined my chat!

Thursday Thoughts...

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world” 

Malala Yousafzai

Oh how I love this quote. And how I admire this woman.

The words seem to have an added potency coming from Malala (I like how similar to a bunch of famous folk -  Madonna, Prince, Bono - one name is all you need) when you are reminded of how much she achieved because she was a child who was supported to learn.

Inside this quote is the sense for me that is not just about the child having a book. Sure, having a book and reading can do so much for you yourself. It can calm you; help you feel not so alone; it can teach you things. 

Yet, to make the world of difference, it is good to also have a teacher to help guide you and a pen to record your thoughts and learnings. Or a laptop of course, but the notion of access, guidance and recording seems a good way to describe the supports that facilitate and enable learning.

And from learning, changing the world.

She has done so much; stood for so much, and endured so much. And she continues to try and change the world.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting, and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives us a terrific advantage.”

Roald Dahl

My first thought was "well, yes, of course Roald Dahl would say that!"

Given the books he wrote and the stories he told and the way he engaged young readers - this is exactly how he saw the purpose of books.

His use of the word daunting interested me as I thought about this quote. For children I agree whole-heartedly. To develop a love of reading, and even the skill, books need to be accessible and engaging. If possible children shouldn't experience books as challenges to overcome, battles to be had, enemies to tackle. 

However, I can't fully agree with books not being daunting, if their purpose to educate and challenge. We can't always spend our life doing the nice things we love doing and not having our thoughts, perceptions or beliefs challenged. It does us good to se the world from a different angle and sometimes this can be daunting.

Daunting is also a nice word because it has a feel of the 'possible to overcomeness' of it. It isn't impenetrable, it isn't impossible it's just a bit daunting. Once we overcome our fear or hesitation we'll be right!

I agree in full with him as he finishes with how learning to be a reader gives us a terrific advantage, and is something I would wish for all of us. 

Celebration of Books Maleny, 2015. Setting up our Book Swap tree where folk could bring a book, then take a book....

Thursday Thoughts...

“There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.”

Bertrand Russell

This one gave me a little laugh this morning as I read it and I thought it was worth pondering on. 

Despite nearly always reading for pleasure or for interest or for stretching myself, I think I have been guilty of the braggy bit on occasions. 

When there is book that everybody is talking about; or perhaps one you have come across that you think has been a sleeper but is so going to take off, or one that is so full and lengthy that just to have completed it is noteworthy, it can be possible to feel smug I think.

As I think about it thought, it rarely happens - I am never in front of the zeitgeist; rather, I have to confess to so many books I have not read (not a single Dickens, no Shakespeare ever, no Russians except Anna Karenina and it was a slog and so on).  

Occasionally I do read a wonderful book and talk about it and then it becomes great and I feel very chuffed after the fact. And yes, I mean occasionally! The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood was one such book. I was in awe, gob-smacked, thrilled and chilled by this book but it was quiet. And then it became huge and I can definitely admit to a bout of smugness.

In contrast to Mr Russell however, it's not my motivation to read books. I don't have a bookshelf full of names and it books that make me look smart or intellectual or alternative or interesting (however, I do confess to looking at other people's bookshelves and wondering what they say about them!).

I think you have to take care with the boasting bit though - it can be risky to say you have read a book just so you can show off. What if somebody then wants to start the deep dive conversation about it? How will you hold up?

The safest sort of bookshelf... in a hardware store in Arizona.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.”

Carl Sagan

I like the thought that books are like magic.

In some ways, it seems as if he is suggesting books almost enable time-travel; they allow the past to speak to the present, and for the present to speak to the future.  And in this way, I guess they are kind of magic.

I keep thinking he means books are magic; but on closer inspection he really seems to say that books are evidence that humans can make magic - and yet I prefer my own interpretation!

Breaking the shackles of time perhaps suggests that books can be timeless, that the recording of information, lessons, philosophies or memories can be just as potent now as they were when they were written. Perhaps it also suggests that fiction can transport us to other times or other futures.

Whichever or whatever, I still think books are magic.

So many time shackles to be broken.

Thursday Thoughts...

“I meet a lot of readers who first encountered my work in school. And I can only assume there is another group who would run away very fast if they saw me coming, for exactly the same reason. Reading is individual, and not all tastes are alike.” 

Margaret Atwood

I love how frank Ms Atwood is here -  she understands humans and school students and how we all experience the world and books differently.

I was older than school age when I first read her work; and it was challenging enough for me then!  I imagine if I met it in high school, I would probably have struggled with it a bit more; although at the same time I daresay it may have engaged me more than my bête noir of high school English lessons - Tess of the D'Urbevilles.

She speaks the truth when she says reading is individual and not all tastes are alike. It used to concern me a bit on those occasions when a person who's reading tastes I considered to be aligned to my own would reject a book I had suggested/recommended; give up half way; or simply not enjoy it or see the point.

Now I have much greater understanding of what we each bring to a book; from our expectations, to our experiences, to the mood we are in and what we need to make us feel good at the moment. I have recently read a lot more books that I would consider on the lighter side of the spectrum. They have let me not get bogged down in further darkness beyond the darkness of the real world. They aren't fluffy; but they aren't deep or dark either. They are solid stories where somebody has followed an idea and populated it with some interesting characters and taken me along for the ride. And most of the time, I am grateful.

Passing them along to others I have been met with more 'rejections' than usual, which I think is explained by my need right now for softness, and ease as I read...

Thursday Thoughts...

“Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.” 

Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education

Mr Griswold was an historian and educator, and a President of Yale University. He was also, I think, reading other quotes of his, quite a wise man, tho I know not all that much about him.

For me, there is wisdom in these words. The sense that the short term gain of banning or burning books feels like victory for those who achieve it in that moment; is not I think a long term win at all. I oftentimes visualise books being covered over with whatever, and then seeing them pop up like new shoots elsewhere. A bit like weeds perhaps, but the idea that you could stop them being shared or read or spoken about is pretty nonsensical.

Of course, if you make enough fuss about them, then that will only drive folk to go and discover what the fuss is about as well.

I really like the logical progression he makes from bad ideas being overcome by better ideas which emanate from wisdom which is gleaned from a liberal education. No surprises I am a fan of a liberal education!

Any education that encourages you to read broadly, seek out opposing views, try to understand them, challenge them, and debate them; or one that provides you with such strong evidence and research to support sound and sensible ideas is surely a fine thing.

Araki Takako, Bible with Black Page (1982). Porcelain with decal glaze

Thursday Thoughts...

 "In books lies the soul of the whole past time the articulate and audible voice of the past when the body and material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream".

Thomas Carlyle, 1840

I visited the State Library of NSW yesterday with a dear friend, and we both stopped and read this quote, incised into sandstone in the Mitchell vestibule, and sighed. So true we said.

With these words Thomas Carlyle seems to be reminding us that once we have died, have vanished like a dream; it is books that remain and it is books that shall hold memory.

That books shall hold both the soul of the past matters as much to me, as that they hold the stories and facts of the past,. That they retain the intention, the purpose, the desires of the past as well as acting as reminders of what happened and who said what and where and when is a special combination.

The notion of books offering both an audible and articulate voice to the past is comforting. That the past can still be heard and understood in elegant ways, because of books.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Repeat reading for me shares a few things with hot-water bottles and thumbsucking: comfort, familiarity, the recurrence of the expected.” 

Margaret Atwood

I have often times wondered if there is a way of dividing the world through the binary of re-readers and never re-readers?  I know of folk who would never re-read a book in part because there are so many more books yet to read and why waste time going over old ground? You already know how it ends right?

And there are folk who seem to be in Margaret Atwood's camp that there is a sense of comfort to be assured of, a familiarity, a feeling of ease to re-read books because - you already know how it ends right?

I must admit that I often keep books that I think I might re-read. Books that have so much in them I know I won't have managed to get it all the first time through.  Books that I think will continue to add to my knowledge and understanding. That may continue to challenge and enlighten me.

And then there are the books I re-read for exactly what she says here - comfort, familiarity and the recurrence of the expected.

I love the notion of the recurrence of the expected. A sense of certainty in a an uncertain world. A sense of comfort amongst the unease. A sense of familiarity when so many events seem far from our understanding. 

In these moment I am happy to be held by characters I know. By plot lines I can follow without exerting too much brain power. And to finish on a note where there is a satisfying or happy ending.

Sometimes I need to not go through the terrible angst of not knowing where the story is going and if it will end well. Sometimes a touch of certainty and sense of assurance that all shall be well helps me.

I don't re-read huge amounts, but re-reading most certainly has place in my reading.

Margaret Atwood, what a woman. 

I haven't been able to credit the image, sorry.

Thursday Thoughts...

“‘The cat sat on the mat’ is not a story. ‘The cat sat on the dog’s mat’ is a story”. 

John Le Carre

As I  turn to books as part of my regular rotation of subjects for Thursday Thoughts (art, life and books) I smiled as I read this one and thought yeah - it belongs with books (and writing and reading...).

This quote sums up really succinctly I think, what can make a good writer. An ability to see something you can describe as fairly routine and/or mundane - the cat sat on the mat - and know that it is not much a of a hook or a storyline. But throw in the twist of it being the dog's mat and suddenly you can take people places.

You have thrown in an element of surprise or interest and the story can take off in a multitude of directions.

And for me, with books and stories, it so often about taking people places. Moving them from place A to place B, taking them along for a ride or a journey. And convincing them that it's one they want to go on.

I think our brains are wired to notice the unusual, the out of place and the unexpected - whereas the usual, routine and regular oftentimes can go unnoticed. I imagine finding the balance between a twist that is interesting and believable; and a twist that is hard to believe or fantastical, is key. A little bit Goldilocksy.

I know for sure, I'd like to know what happens next with the dog and the cat on its mat.

Bruges, 2014. We could all write the script!

Thursday Thoughts...

“Reading for me is spending time with a friend.”

 Gary Paulsen

As the new year arrives and we ponder what it may hold, and how things shall be, it is lovely to start the  with the idea of books as friends. And books and friends.

Two of my favourite things and things that I hope will both play large parts in my 2026.

When I think about books and how they have accompanied me through life thus far; how often I turn to them for companionship and for passing time; there is definitely a through line that connects them with friendships.

Books offer me a lot of the qualities that my friends do - a chance to sit and think, to smile, to sometimes laugh out loud; to feel connected and to enjoy time together. They also go well with a coffee catch up! With friends I often chat about books, we recommend and share them between us and we purchase them for each other for gifts. I often say you are never alone with a book. And you are never alone with a friend.

Books and friends and books as friends go hand in hand.

We have spent time in the recent days printing and writing our 2026 cards. This year mine are full of feminist purple and multiple varied 2026s in wood type. As they head out into the world I wish for a year of hope; of peace; and of kindness. A gentler year in which we find our way back to our best selves and in which we create and make and continue to share.

Thank you all for the time you spend here - I look forward to another year of connecting in blog-land. Go well.a

Thursday Thoughts...

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.”

Garrison Keillor

This one seemed apt given the time of year... a time of giving and receiving - and one can only hope that amongst any gifts received are books!

Re-reading is one of the most wonderful things about books. They really can be the gift that keeps giving. Sometimes I re-read books when I am feeling low or sad or weary or ill; I have a stash of books that I return to in these times. I know what the plot is, I know what happens and I find great solace in knowing they will be gentle companions as I deal with what I deal with.

On the other hand re-reading can also bring new thoughts and awarenesses into stark relief. The book you remembered reading is suddenly cast afresh and anew as you bring to it your own older eyes or wiser mind.

I wrote this note in a book this morning:  "I am reading this differently this time". And I was taking notes of all sorts of different things that apply to my art life now; which didn't interest me or I didn't understand how they might interact with my art world back then. Now it feels like there are fresh insights; yet they were always there waiting to be discovered and understood.

There are some books I keep with me because I enjoy them and they feel liked friends; there are some I know I have not really been ready for and maybe I will be at some point; and there are others that I know offer me things and probably will offer me new things when I return to them.

Books are treasures.

There are a couple of book-looking gifts in this little lot... smile.

A stitching commission

 Last weekend some friends stopped by the studio in a bit of a dilemma. They were heading off to see a precious new grandson and had had a children's book, which was part of their own children's early years, reproduced, hoping to be able to continue the story with their new grandchild.

Their only problem was it had come back; but hadn't been bound and they were leaving soon.

We spoke a bit about what might be possible and agreed to go with a single sheet binding, even tho the stitching would intrude onto some of the pages. It is a good solid stitch, and lets the pages lie flat.

Fortunately the book had been re-produced on a card with a shiny finish, which proved to be very tolerant.

I knew it would take a while - stitching can be slow - but I had no idea it would absorb 8 1/2 hours of my time! Oh my goodness, this book caused me grief with each and every stitch. There was also the pressure of knowing the deadlines as well and approaching!

But we got a great outcome and it will hopefully be treasured for years to come.

The unbound version with holes marked for piercing.

Some of the pages where I knew the stitching would intersect with the illustrations.

I was scared witless I would lose the sequence of the pages so I popped little stickers on each one numbering them. Usually if it is my book, I know which pages go where. If this slipped or fell off the table I could have ended up in mess.

I made a massive miscalculation regarding the length of three I needed. I used one measurement instead of the right one and ended up with metres of thread. In hindsight I reflected I was grateful I had overcalculated rather than undercalculated - there is nothing worse than running out of thread; but the length made for SO MANY tangles.

And so we began...

So many moments of tangled threads. So many deep breaths taken. So many knots unravelled.

But eventually we're done. Such a relief.

And the red thread stitches look fine on the pages. The pages are really easy to turn and the book feels sturdy. I hope the young one enjoys it!

Thursday Thoughts...

“All that is holding us together is stories and compassion.” 

Barry Lopez

I think the Barry Lopez quoted here is the nature writing and essayist; who I had never heard of before so I am now granted the wonderful opportunity to discover him and his writing!

The words here resonated with me greatly. I feel as if our entire life is oftentimes about telling stories to help us make sense of our world. Of gathering our observations and our readings; our thoughts and our understandings and trying to put them together in a meaningful way which helps to clarify. Which helps us understand ourselves, those around us and the world at large.

Stories hold us together. Sometimes people write books of stories that help us understand.

But I also really love that he says we are held together by compassion. Compassion and empathy. Compassion for others and their failings towards us. Compassion for ourselves as we too, fail ourselves and others.

Compassion and stories. What a wonderful way of looking at our lives.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Readers are lucky—they will never be bored or lonely.”

Natalie Babbitt

Isn't that the truth?  There is always something lurking in my to be read pile; or jotted on a scrap of paper or fervently written into my app that tracks books.  And that's all before I step into a book shop!

I imagine that as a children's book author and illustrator Ms Babbitt felt these were words for children to hang onto - to try and build their sense of books as refuge and companion. Which if you are lucky enough to have happen to you as a child, stays with you forever.

ABC Radio National recently ran a project called The Top 100 Books. The presenters had selected 1000 book titles and asked their audience to vote for their top 10. All books had to have been published this century - so we had 25 years' worth of books to choose from which proved interesting.

About 280,000 people voted.

What I loved most was seeing what other people chose; and sitting down trying to capture my top 10 books of the 21st century. I will post about that another day - but the link to this Thursday Thought is that the list of top 100 books; followed by 101-200, has left me with so many more books to choose to read that I have a lifetime of reading ahead and that makes me happy. I don't think I will ever be bored or lonely.

A world of books... a lifetime of books.

Thursday Thoughts...

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!”

Jane Austen

I've got to hand it to Ms Austen here - I concur!

It's interesting to me how often I want to just sit and read a book. When I was a student, living away from home and studying a high intensity course, there was little time for any reading  other than text books, lecture notes and research. My load was pretty much 8 or 9am - 5pm each day at Uni and for each hour of contact we were expected to do at 2 hours of home study, so most nights went late, and weekends were for study.

But still. I tried to always have a novel, by the bed which I could pick up and read a chapter of, or half a chapter or a few pages before falling asleep. Reading was my reward.

During that same time I loved visiting the homes of friends who still lived at home - I walked in and could wander through their bookshelves, their libraries and simply be surrounded by books again. Oh it felt so good! As a student in rented accommodation I had one bookshelf and it was full of text books and folders. To see books! To get lost amongst them! Oh it was heaven.

Books continue to entertain, to provide solace and reward and I sincerely doubt I will ever tire of them.

And I love finding books in out of the way and unexpected places. Isle of Mull 2016.

Thursday Thoughts...

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.” 

 Wally Lamb

This is one of those quotes that has sat there for years. And yet today it was the one I instantly grabbed!

I think I have previously considered it in terms of a book - fiction or non-fiction; reference or historical. Today however, I thought about it as an artists' book and it all made sense.

At the Bind25 Conference on the weekend one thought really grabbed me from Ben Elbel's talk - "You are not for everybody", or in simpler words perhaps " Not everyone will get you".

It is always such a comfort to be reminded of this and I think this quote reflects that.  An author or a maker can write or create a book and with good fortune it will find its way to its true readers and viewers. It is there to be found by the folk who get it, who seek it, need it, or appreciate it.

The book doesn't have to be a huge hit, a blockbuster or best-seller; it simple needs to find its true people. Whilst this is not a great recipe for delivering fame or fortune; it has the integrity I seek; knowing that my work and what it means to me as a maker, finds a true home with other people who understand it and appreciate it.

Another thing Ben said about this was "This can be a very small group; focus on delighting them."

I shall try!

305.42 Dewey Decimal System Women and their role in society 

Thursday Thoughts...

“In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.” 

C.S. Lewis

This week's pondering is on books; and on these weeks, I nearly always grant myself license to ponder books, reading and writing - seems fair. Smile.

Today's quote is a great reminder for me whenever I try to write and or describe things.  I imagine it is an early version of "show don't tell". The notion or idea of not simply describing in detail what a thing is or how you want a reader to respond.  

I think good writing nearly always asks us as readers to get involved, to bring our own thinking and imagination to the show, to add in details, or draw on experiences. Rather than simply being told what something. Or how to feel. 

When writers use similes that suddenly open up our understanding or encourage us to feel differently, it is a wonderful experience. I often stop, pause, take a breath and think wow - what a great way to 'explain' it.

Nevertheless this is challenging work and it so much easier to simply say or describe something, rather than write it in a way that encourage the imagination and involvement of the reader.

For me, his final sentence gives us a very clear reason why we should try harder. It really is a bit weak and a bit lazy to have readers do the work for you. Onwards!

Books I dip into and return to help me think about beautiful writing...