DrCris Reads

Biographies of Childrens’ Presenters: 9 ways to see the other side of the TV

May 13, 2008 Childrens, What to Read 1 Comment

I was driving home from visiting my dear sister this afternoon, and was lucky enough to hear a radio interview with John Hamblin. John was a presenter on ABC TV’s Playschool for a long time, and is now publicising a biography, “Open Wide, Come Inside” (by Peter Richman). I don’t read many biographies at the moment. I went on a jag of political biographies and I got over self-serving rewriting of history. But this title really tickles my fancy. I would love to reminisce by seeing the “other side” of the show I loved as a child.

So, maybe you’ve turned off biographies recently. Are you interested in a trip back in time? Here are some other biographies of children’s personalities:

• Dingo: the story of our mob - Sally Dingo (Story of Ernie Dingo)
• Growing up Brady: I was a teenage Greg - Barry Williams
• Jim Henson : the works : the art, the magic, the imagination - Christopher Finch
• My life as a ten year old boy - Nancy Cartright (the voice of Bart Simpson)
• That’s not all folks - Mel Blanks
• Boy Wonder: my life in tights - Burt Ward
• Sesame Street unpaved
• Gilligan, Maynard and me - Bob Denver

  And some more John Hamblin Information:
  I’m still not sure who is selling this biography, as it is not listed at any of the major Australian retailers, or even ABC books. I will continue to try to track it down.

  Interview about the success of Playschool, including some great pearlers:

  And then I walked into that studio, and there were the toys, the blocks - everything. And the presenters - two females. They were every other day. I thought, “Lots of things to play with.”

  IMDB Profile including other acting gigs

ABC’s May “First Tuesday Bookclub”

May 8, 2008 Bookclubs, What to Read No Comments

I just watched my recording of the May First Tuesday Bookclub, screened on ABC Australia.

The first book discussed this week was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is a Swedish blockbuster mystery novel, and has become a Scandinavian bestseller. Two of the five reviewers loved it, and the others thought it appallling. Once of the guests even failed to finish it. By all accounts, this is a very journalistic style book, heaving with detail. Also, from an author who claims to be raising awareness of the abuse of women, there are very graphic scenes of, you guessed it, abuse against women.

The second book discussed was Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Jennifer Byrne thoguht this was simple and repetitive. However all the others raved and raved. I haven’t read this book, but like the Hemingway I have read. This is definitely on my someday-read list.

The vodcast of this and other episodes are available here.

Miles Franklin shortlist announced

May 6, 2008 Prizes, What to Read No Comments

I mentioned the longlist, so I should point out that the short list for the Miles Franklin award has been released. These books seem to be everywhere. I found multiple copies of each of them at my new local bookstore this morning. Of course, I don’t buy new books that often - I just went in there to fondle them and remember what they smell like! So they are:

• The Fern Tattoo - David Brooks University of Queensland Press
• Landscape of Farewell - Alex Miller Allen & Unwin
• Love without Hope - Rodney Hall Picador (Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Sorry - Gail Jones Vintage (Random House Australia)
• The Time We Have Taken - Steven Carroll Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers)

I have just run through the Librarything ratings for those books. There are only a couple of readers of each book. Landscape of Farewell and Sorry are both leading the chase with an average of 4 stars (both from 4 readers).

I was tempted to try to set up a bookcrossing ring for all of these books, as it is sort of a pity that I don’t read Australian fiction as much as I should. However, the judges mention they all are, in some way, non-linear and deal with the nature of time as one of their themes. Not my favourite type of reading, but talk about “expanding your reading horizons.”