March 26, 2008
Why reading?
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Environmental consciousness for the rest of us
After a long struggle, I finally finished reading The Weather Makers. I bought the book soon after Tim Flannery was announced Australian of the Year. I figured if our sceptical government could give in and accept the reality of climate change, then I have a responsibility to learn about it.
The Weather Makers was a well-researched and complete book. But have you ever been to an environmental rally or information talk where the presenter tried to make it seem like they were impartial, but clearly weren’t? The book is like that - good information, but you feel like the author is on a soapbox.
All that aside, it did inspire me. I was wondering how I could make an impact when our hot water system exploded. So now, a week’s wait and many dollars later, I have solar hot water. And a warm shower can’t be beat.
Anyway, here are four ways that reading books can help make an environmental impact. They may not be as big as getting rid of your Four Wheel Drive, but you’d be reading anyway, right?
1. Reuse
Wherever possible, avoid the temptation to buy a book new. There are loads of second hand books out there, that are easy enough to get your hand on. If you accidentally buy a new book, make sure others read it as well (I suggest bookcrossing or bookmooch)
2. Recycle
Obvious, huh? Books are made out of paper. If they are no longer readable, make sure they are made into something else.
3. Plant a tree for every book you read.
Books use about a tree’s worth of paper. Make sure your books are replaced. Eco-Libris is planting books in the third world to balance your books. You pay for the planting and receive a sticker to put in the books that you balance, so they are marked forever (or until they are recycled).
4. Find out about the environment and what you can do.
I have mentioned The Weather Makers. It explains the climate crisis in enough detail to make it understandable. However, there are about 3 million books in this genre, so choose an author that you respect who writes in language you understand, and read on. It could inspire you to change. Another book I have enjoyed is Tree (David Suzuki)
5. Unclutter your books by joining the new book economy
Books form clutter in our houses. Clutter increases the space we need, and therefore the space we need to maintain at comfortable temperature. IF you packed all of your books into one room, how much space would they take up? Trade, lend, sell and release your books so they stop clagging up your house. Keep only those that you can’t get elsewhere. Join a library, and only keep books in your house that you haven’t read. I confess, this is not my strong point, but book sharing has let me get rid of a lot of books. However, I keep finding new TBRs to replace them (but they are second-hand, of course).
How do you use reading to improve the planet?
March 26, 2008
Prizes
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The Miles Franklin Award* longlist has been released, and offers some great suggestions for reading new Australian fiction. Some of the nominees have been much-hyped, but there are others that are a bit unknown. If you haven’t read much Australian fiction, then this would be a great list to start with.
59 books were selected and the long list is 9 books. A short list will be announced on April 17, and the final winner will be announced on June 19. The Miles Franklin is awarded for “the novel of the year which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases.” Previous winners include Carpenteria (Alexis Wright), The Ballad of Desmond Kale (Roger McDonald), Eucalyptus (Murray Bail), Voss (Patrick White), and the winners list basically includes great Aussie literary fiction from the last 50 years.
The Nominees:
Landscape of Farewell - Alex Miller Allen & Unwin
Love without Hope - Rodney Hall Picador (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Orpheus Lost - Janette Turner Hospital Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers)
Secrets of the Sea - Nicholas Shakespeare Harvill Secker (Random House)
Sorry - Gail Jones Vintage (Random House Australia)
The Fern Tattoo - David Brooks University of Queensland Press
The Memory Room - Christopher Koch Knopf (Random House Australia)
The Time We Have Taken - Steven Carroll Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers)
The Widow and her Hero - Tom Keneally Vintage (Random House Australia)
*I must make a comment here, that the website for this award is very badly designed, so if anyone is listening, then PLEASE FIX IT! It is appalling that we have an Australian award that is most-likely being underpromoted because of poor technology. There is not even a feed for news from the award!
March 25, 2008
Prizes, What to Read, Why reading?
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I have been reading this years’ Booker shortlist, with a bookcrossing bookgroup. One of the books that I have enjoyed is Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People . It is the story of a town tormented by a chemical spill and the consequences for the town’s poor. The opinions of my virtual bookgroup can be read here. I thought the book was very powerful and I think it has broadened my reading experience. I suspect I wouldn’t have read it if it hadn’t have been for the list. IT si one of those novels written in a unique voice - difficult to start but rewarding to finish.
The novel is based around a real town that was devastated by chemical disaster, Khaufpur. Amazing as it sounds, I had never heard of this disaster at the time, and this book enabled me to learn a little about it. I find that lots of friends and family are quite interested in discussing the events in Khaufpur, and although the book doesn’t make me an expert, it gives me fresh conversational ammunition.
This week it was announced that Indra Sinha is the winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Europe and South Asia. I think this prize is an excellent way to get to reading novels from different regions. The regional winners act as a short list for the overall prize. So here are the winners for 2008:
Africa
Best Book: Karen King-Aribisala (Nigeria) The Hangman’s Game Peepal Tree Press
Best First Book: Sade Adeniran (Nigeria) Imagine This SW Books
Canada and Caribbean
Best Book: Lawrence Hill (Canada) The Book of Negroes HarperCollins Publishers
Best First Book: CS Richardson (Canada) The End of the Alphabet Doubleday Canada
Europe and South Asia
Best Book: Indra Sinha (India) Animal’s People Simon and Schuster
Best First Book: Tahmima Anam (Bangladesh) A Golden Age John Murray
South East Asia and South Pacific
Best Book: Steven Carroll (Australia) The Time We Have Taken HarperCollins
Best First Book: Karen Foxlee (Australia) The Anatomy of Wings University of Queensland Press