Changes - I've changed jobs, which means I've changed some aspects of my life. The biggest change is that my new job is 3 hours away from home! Now, that means I've joined the commuting population. It also means I've got a bit of reading done in my first week! The fact that my man has been away has also helped. Now, for my lovely friends, who I know are going to worry about me commuting for so many hours a day - my next change will include staying in the city a couple of nights a week - so more blogs to come about what that will mean.
I've finished, albeit unsatisfied, Lily Brett's latest - Lola Bensky. I've loved all of Lily's other books, but this one just didn't do it for me.Lily is an Aussie living in NY, and most of her books describe aspects of her own life growing up as the daughter of Polish survivors of Auschwitz. I have always appreciated what she describes about her own experiences - but Lola (who is also a similar character for Brett's fans) is unable to capture me as others have. Disappointing.
Unlike Lola Bensky, this book - the lost battlefield of Kokoda, did capture my undivided attention. My man has just returned from from 8 days trekking the historic Kokoda Trek, and while he was bravely undertaking the very physical challenge - I read about it. Kokoda was a very significant campaign in WWII for Australia - but not many people (least of all many Aussies) are actually aware of what it entailed. The Lost Battlefield, is actually a story of a battlefield in PNG, on the Kokoda Trek, that was forgotten, over grown by jungle, until only recently. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in war, Australian history or even just the mystery of things once lost but now found.
I'm now progressing with Down and Out in Paris at an alarming rate - and very much enjoying Orwell's interpretations, philosophising, and descriptions. When I do finish it, I'll share some of the interesting quotes I've marked.
This week (because I've had time to do it) I ordered and received my copy of Henri's Walk to Paris. Its a picture book - which I will review in more detail soon. I love it. It was on my Paris in July wish list, and I'm so glad I got it. More soon!
Wow -- some good Paris books I must read! Hope you enjoy your commute -- it's a hike but yes, the time to read would be a positive benefit! And smart to stay in town a bit if you can.
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to hearing more about these. That Orwell and Henri have me intrigued!
Three hours? I get fretful if it takes me more than 20 minutes door to door! But the reading time is a plus for sure. I have Lola Bensky on my TBR, but I've never read any of Brett's writing before, so I'll be interested in what I think as a 'first' reader.
ReplyDeleteThree hours commute? If you drove like this from Paris, you would arrive way beyond Belgium, might even get close to Amsterdam!
ReplyDeleteI read the George Orwell book a while back and enjoyed it a lot. This was one the three books Anthony Bourdain (the American cook and world traveler) said he liked and read often, so I bought all three and read them – Orwell’s book was one of them. I don’t know the other two authors you mentioned. Yesterday at a sale I bought Hemingways’s In Our Time, published in 1925, his first short stories. They were dedicated to his wife Hadley.
Australia is definitely different to Europe when it comes to distances - but I'll think of Belgium when I do the trip next time!
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