reading

The Idiot – Fyodor Dostoevsky

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‘Aha! do—by all means! if you tan my hide you won’t turn me away from your society. You’ll bind me to you, with your lash, for ever…..’

A few years ago I became slightly obsessed with Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Now it is another Russian writer who has whisked me away into his world.

Dostoevsky first courted me with his Brothers Karminov, when a writer makes you laugh out loud I believe they are living through you. I had found a male writer making fun of the male frailties, I had so often encountered but had not been able to distinguish, I adored it. The characters and the authors voice were so endearing yet powerful, enticing and confronting. Of course his portrayal of the females were dated and sexist but as he seemed to be equally sexist of the men the story was balanced. Did he know how progressive his thinking was, I wonder in mid 1800’s?

Now it is The Idiot I am reading and again his perspective of male fragility and superiority, fear disguised as pomposity is so endearing. I enjoy observing our human ridiculousness, our rights and wrongs so blatantly made fun of. Conversation flows from the page, nothing stilted and yet the atmosphere so awkward, the characters flaws portrayed perfectly to charm the reader.

It’s just so wonderful to fall in love with a writers words. I can thoroughly recommend Dostoevsky to add humour and humility to your day! Buy his books here!

Crime and Punishment is my next read.

Reading Returned

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Reading a passion returned

One good thing that came out of the covid 19 lockdown was my passion for reading returned! Mentors by Russell Brand was an interesting book, I know we all need mentors in our life but not many people actively seek them out, most of the time they occur by accident, not intention. This story of mentors and mentoring was inspiring, from his therapists through to teachers and trainers. I wonder if he had not been an addict, admitted to being an addict or received help, would he had discovered mentors at all? The quote stuck with me and was my takeaway from the book;

“We are first a parent to ourselves”

Brand was questioning what right did he have to be a parent or mentor to a tiny human when he had not mentored or parented himself very well. A great question that perhaps many of us should ask! However would the human race survive if any of us were truthful with the answer? Self care is now a hot topic but 50 years ago did it go by another name or simply not exist? Through mentoring we can realise our own strengths and weaknesses and hopefully develop ourselves and others. Everyone has something to offer by way of advice and lessons learnt, if advice is sought surely it is a human responsibility to mentor.

A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolfe

Having owned a hard copy of this book for about 10 years I have picked it up four or five times to read without success. I knew it was a book that as a woman I should read but every time I started it overwhelmed me; I didn’t understand what Virginia Woolfe was trying to say!

Listening was easier; the narrator was an actress from many period dramas  and it was as if Virginia Woolf herself was in the room. This is not a work of fiction or memoir, I realised; this is an essay! Finally it clicked I could hear the words for what they were, researched opinion.

It was funny, insightful with strong feminist views that I enjoyed hearing. It made me proud to be a woman and want to write more compelling stories myself.  I have also read two more essay style memoirs; Phosphorescence by Julia Baird and The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates both definitely worth a read for any women needing a powerful pick me up.

The Barefoot investor – Scott Pape

Well this was a relief; I realised I was doing a lot of things right with my finances. Amazingly it made me realise how happy I am and also how to plan more effectively for my future. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone wanting to save or increase their wealth. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it is only for the wealthy!

What are you listening to?

 

Lust – Roald Dahl

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Tales of Craving and Desire by Roald Dahl

I couldn’t believe it when I stumbled across my favourite childhood writer Roald Dahl writing in the genre of eroticism!

Published as a collection of short stories in 2016 going back to 1945 I couldn’t help feeling these were true tales from a writers life, rather than his norm of fiction they felt like diary entries! Could RD have written these as fictional memoir?

At first I thought him stuffy in his opinions around women and sex but I realised that was as much about the era these stories were written in than the opinions of the writer himself. I always think of Jane Austen and how she would have written sex scenes; I would want her to be fully expressive but the reality is there is no way she could be.

Touring with Sexpo opened my eyes to the eyes wide shut, so many surrounded by sex and yet still whispering about the glaringly obvious.

How fantastic of Mr Fox to write in a genre so opposed to his norm of youth and yet did he actually want these published? Were they personal scripts? It does beg the question who has the right to publish your work?

It paints a very different vision of this revered man, I’m not sure I’ll be sharing these books with my daughter even when she does turn 21!

Check them out!

https://www.booktopia.com.au/lust-roald-dahl/book/9780718185619.html?source=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhonr_vac5QIVFSUrCh2p6gjlEAQYASABEgKgb_D_BwE

Front & Back Cover

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My book is at the printers, it’s so exciting! I can’t wait to get my hands on it however I had a huge reality check when I realised the back cover did not sell the book at all, it just explained the characters.  It had to change, three drafts later and this is what I ended up with, I’ll probably do a few more changes but it’s getting there!