#AusReadingMonth | NancyElin.blog

Nov

#AusReadingMonth2020 Penny Wong

Author: Margaret Simons
Title: Penny Wong
Published: 2019
Bingo card SA
List of Challenges 2020
Monthly reading plan
#NonFicNov 2020
#AusReadingMonth2020 @bronasbooks
#AWW2020 @AustralianWomenWriters:

Conclusion:

My first impression was in the book’s preface:
Ms Wong was reluctant to cooperate with Ms Simons.
She told Ms. Simons she was an introvert
…and suffered from prejudice and therefore
…developed a closely guarded internal life.
Penny Wong’s main motivation for
…entering politics was to combat racism.
Racism formed her in more ways than she is aware.
I wonder if Ms Simons will be able to “crack this hard nut”?

Researching a biography involves a lot of borrowing and persuading
anecdotes, interviews (…or not, partner Sophie, mother Jane).
Political party history (Labor) and public records are the ingredients
Ms Simons used to fill in the gaps.
Getting hold of personal information
…about Penny Wong was a herculean task.
Yet Margaret Simons persevered to give the reader a
book that is …
.…lucidly-written, logically-structured, and convincingly argued.
The Shark Poem (pg 11) that Ms Wong wrote as a 12 year old gives
…the reader a glimpse of one of Australia’s most popular politician:
Shark poem:
…the way it adapts
…moves cleanly through its environment
…the way it inspires both fear and respect.
…that is Penny Wong.

Despite these accolades….it was a very difficult book
to read b/c of my lack of knowledge about
the nuts and bolts of Australian politics.
Ms. Simons did an honorable job with the little
input she had from Penny Wong.
Backstory – 5%
Education – 5%
University student politics – 5%
Personal relationships – 1 %
Australian Politics – 85%

Nov

#AusReadingMonth2020 Dolores (novella)

Author: Lauren Aimee Curtis
Title: Dolores ( pg 128)
Genre: novella
Published: 2019
List of Challenges 2020
Monthly plan
#AusReadingMonth2020 @Bronasbooks
Bingo card: NSW
Trivia: shortlisted NSW Premier’s Literary Award 2020
…for New Writing
#NovNov @746Books
@bookishbeck
#AWW2020 @AustralianWomenWriters

Introduction:

16-year-old arrives, alone, at a convent in Spain.
She is given the name Dolores.
Short and mysterious…one-sitting read. (2 hrs)
…the close-up details of life in the convent.
Each chapter shows Delores adapting to the nuns’ routines,
before taking us to her backstory…to her secret.

Conclusion:

What can I say….
Of course you must remember this is a debut novella
and the author will improve as time goes on.
Ms Curtis was shortlisted for NSW Premier’s Literary Award 2020
…so somebody must have seen merit in this book.
Unfortunately, I did not.
A story is setup… Dolores is rendered human.
We see her encounter a problem or challenge.
She wanders through darkness in the convent.
But here’s the thing
…she doesn’t evolve into a problems solver or heroine
The book ends abruptly leaving me hanging in mid-air.
Weak point: too much description
no irony, complexity, nuance, depth
….it’s all surface.
But when you start writing…sometimes surface is enough.
Strong point: the blurb was better than the book!
#NotBad…
But also…#NotGreat

Nov

#Non-fiction City On Fire: Hong Kong

Title: City On Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong
Author: Antony Dapiran
Genre: non-fiction
Published: 2020
#NonficNov
Trivia: Long-listed for the Walkley Book Award 2020

UPDATE: 24.11.2022

I don’ know how much news about China is a ABC news, MSNBC or CNN
…but this is a potential flashpoint for China now!
One of the most underreported
stories right now is China’s failing Zero-Covid policy.
Cases have surged to record-high levels (30 000 daily cases) &
420 mln people are back in lockdown. Lockdown…that is a powder keg with a short fuse!
This violent protest is from the Foxconn iPhone factory in Zhengzhou
…APPLE is very worried their phones will not make be found under USA Christmas trees!
Xi Jinping can look very impressive at G20 ….but he has a lot of problems at home!

UPDATE: 20.11.2022

Books about China politics have impacted the way I see the world.
These books have opened my eyes to the geopolitical importance of decisions
made by China and …countries who must deal with China.
This all makes my “JAW-DROP” because if you don’t feel it yourself
NEVER forget China…is a nation on a ‘long-term’ mission!!
The world must prepare for its influence on us all!
I wonder if anyone asks for Dapiran’s book in the bookstore or library?
There is NO BETTER way to prepare than to read and educate yourself.
I would recommend Anthony Dapiran’s book as the best place to start.
He is a journalist and he creates an impressive narrative to explain the
…flashpoint we know as Hong Kong.

UPDATE: 31.01.2021 – article in the Guardian

Leave Hong Kong….before it’s too late!!

UPDATE: 25.11.2020 – article in The Guardian

Carrie Lam praises new security law.
Hong Kong is a gaping hole in the security of the mainland!
NO OPPOSITION…can you imagine living there?

Introduction:

Antony Dapiran is a Hong Kong-based writer and lawyer.
His book chronicles the Hong Kong protests of 2019.
I am just curious what is going on in Hong Kong
….behind only the TV images I have seen.

Conclusion:

Back round information about Hong Kong that
passed me by while I was concentrating all my
attention on USA politics
2019 – impeachment Trump
2020 – elections USA.

Strong point:
reveals the the strategy, tactics of the protestors.
Strong point:
writing is concise....with important analysis:
Remember:
Beijing knows if it deploys troops to Hong Kong
…that would mark THE DEATH
of Hong Kong’s status as in international
…financial hub!
Chairman Xi would snuff out hopes of his “China Dream”.

Strong point:
This book reveals the face of Chinese power to the world!
It seems I have taken my eye off the ball during 2020
…blinded by US politics.
New rule: read more about China!
Don’t skip the headlines in the newspapers
…because change is coming sooner than you think!
#Taiwan is in China’s cross-hairs!

Read your newspapers.
…and watch the slow and steady
…squeeze as Beijing first isolates Hong Kong to weaken it
…then pushes it towards integration with the mainland China.
How long will this take?
#MustRead non-fiction book
…..history in the making!

Last thought:

Do not let ‘short lists’ influence your reading...
I thought this book was 100 X better than
the books designated as
…potential winners Walkley Award 2020 on 20 November.
Fallen by L. Morris-Marr
We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know – S. McNeill

Is the book a prize winner?
No, unfortunately it has not been shortlisted
….but it should have been on the shortlist!! !
This book will help you
…follow the news into 2021 about Hong Kong!
#ThisProblemIsNotOverYet

November HK News: update

What state power has been doing is to try and subdue
the few organizations that remain independent.
daring and professional. (free press)
They really want to close down this environment of open information.
July 2020: draconian national security law
12 Aug 2020: Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy La arrested.
who is owner of …one of Hong Kong’s most-read newspapers.
12 November 2020: Hong Kong opposition resigns en masse
after members ousted from parliament.
The end of “One State, Two Nations”

If your interested….my notes on the chapters

Chapters:

A Death in Taipei
….very obvious ‘hook’ chapter
…with ref to a gruesome murder!

The March of One Million – 09 June 2019
Protests over proposed legislation that could have
allowed residents to be extradited to China
where they could face possible torture and unfair trials.

Blocking the Bill –
flashback 2014 the ‘Umbrella Movement’
comparison with 12 June 2019 demonstration

The March of Two Million – 16 June 2019
Protesters have mainly focused their anger on Lam,
who had little choice but to carry through dictates issued by Beijing,
where President Xi Jinping has enforced increasingly authoritarian rule.

Be Water!
Ref: Bruce Lee — philosophy”
‘Be like water making its way through cracks.
Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object,
and you shall find a way around or through it.

Storming the System – “..the (extradition) bill is dead”..or is it?
Reclaim Hong Kong! Revolution of Our Times! – protest 21 July 2019
The Right to the City – protests move to airport
and shopping malls on 26 July 2019
…protestors weaken urban infrastructure to service their protest!
Blooming – Art/graffiti posed as much as
challenge to Beijing’s authority in the city
…as the black-clad youth in the streets.

The Battle of Sheung Wan – 28 July 2019
Upper Street (the English name for Sheung Wan)
a peaceful and quiet neighborhood with hints of cosmopolitan
London and a bit of Chinese grit.
Protests shape shift into clashes in different districts
…constantly changing the frontline!
Protests resemble Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables!
Act 1: build barricades
Act 2: clash with police
Act 3: protestors ‘being water’ and disappear
Curtain falls: …police face an empty street.

Strike! – 05 August 2019
…..general strike compared with 1967 strike
…was not very successful b/c of no support from the unions

Things Fall Apart – bloody Sunday, 11 August 2019
VERY GOOD CHAPTER…read carefully!
…police use new tactic: disguised as protestors …suddenly turned
…without warning on their neighbours in the crowd
…stoking suspicion and paranoia.
More airport protests, but the movement starts falling apart
…because of lack of discipline.

A Protest of Enchantment – 23 August 2019
Hong Kong protesters join hands in 30-mile human chain.
…and just as the clock struck 9pm…the people quietly dispersed.
…a fleeting moment, an important enchanting statement.

The End of Summer – 31 August 2019
Police shoot pepper spray as they try to detain protesters
inside a train at Prince Edward metro Station.
This is the final breakdown between city and its police force.
Most disturbing trend in 2019:
the appropriation of the Hong Kong Police Force....by Beijing.

One State, Two Nations – 04 September protest

Resist! – announcement of
04 October curfew and…
anti-masking law and…
criminal charges for revealing personal details of police online
..this is called “doxxing”.
Injunction: check people posting on internet (chat groups)
…and service providers and server hosts.
Many would now conclude…it was safer to stay silent.

City on Fire – 01 October 2019
A fire burns during an anti-government protest in
Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of the
founding of the People’s Republic of China

The Siege – 19 November 2019
Police assault the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong
PolyU has been occupied by protesters for several days.
Police warned protesters they had until 22:00 to leave the campus,
saying they could use live ammunition if the attacks continued.
There were daring escapes: students running across rooftops
…crawling through sewer system. A girl was helped by a Whatsapp
…sent to her to guide her through a little-known gap in PolyU perimeter.

The Silent Majority – 24 November 2019
Hong Kong goes to the polls.
Hong Kong’s opposition pro-democracy
movement has made unprecedented gains.
Despite fears the vote could be disrupted or
cancelled over the unrest, it went ahead peacefully.
NOTE: ….where is the opposition now?
…See news 12 Nov 2020

A Way of Live…. VERY GOOD CHAPTER…read carefully
The question is now “How does it end?”
Violence has been normalized…both state and street violence
HK’s reputation is damaged….not an example of good goverance
Visible lasting impact of the protests:
HK has become a security state.
HK is a city on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Nov

#AusReadingMonth2020 Fall On Me (novella)

Author: Nigel Featherstone
Title: Fall On Me ( pg 118)
Genre: novella
Published: 2011
List of Challenges 2020
Monthly plan
#AusReadingMonth2020 @Bronasbooks
Bingo card: TAS
#NovNov @746Books
@bookishbeck

Notes:

I had so much fun reading this book!
I even contacted the author via Twitter!
He told me he wrote the story
…during a month’s stay in Launceston Tasmania.
I decided to investigate this town, its streets and iconic buildings!
NOTE: book is perfectly paired with author’s REM playlist!!
NOTE: …there are more songs, so read the book and keep Spotify handy!
Radio Free Europe…is a favorite of mine in chapter 6!
As Anna says (housemate): “it’s good to allow a bit of nostalgia into your
…life every now and again….”

Conclusion:

Fall on Me is short enough to be read in one sitting.
What’s not to love?
A novella is still a novel and this one has
complexity with relationships (Katelyn, Fergal)
…and the all the subplots (Anna, surviving in Lonnie = Launceston, Tasmania)
A novel if too long looses focus
…but Nigel Featherstone uses compression and intensity
…to keep this reader glued to every page!
When I started this book about a tense father-son relationship
I expected Lou to go into a rage
….similar to that of the father character in the film “Billy Elliot”.
But, no …Lou shows the reader how hard parenting is.
He tries with compassion “to feel with” or “to suffer with” his son.
#MustRead

NOTES:

Main characters: Lou Bard (bar owner), his son Luke, Anna (housemate)
Setting: Tasmania, Launceston (Lonnie)
Timeline: 1 week
Conflict:
Father (Lou): needs to protect his son from danger,
VS
Son (Luke): need to be his own person, coming of age
Theme: social norms, father/son relationship, coming of age
Title: reference to REM “Fall On Me”, Lou’s favorite song!

1st plot point: Lou enters the main conflict
…he is confronted with Luke’s art installation.
2nd plot point: Lou feels empowered after
…after Luke’s important decision about his art show.
….Lou feels everything seems to be going his way.
3rd plot point: Lou …feels he must be absolutely honest
…with himself about himself after café incident.
HINGE point: Lou must choose between
…his wants (lies) and son’s needs (truth)
Lou: ” I’ll never, ever let you down.”
Climax: Opening night of Luke’s art installation!
Resolution: How has Lou changed?
Listening in silence can be the best means of communication.
CH 1-2-3…Lou tells his son: “
Character change? “…Let me show you how brave I can be.”
…will Lou have to prove this later in the story?
Ending:…feels like the sound of a bell ringing.
#Bravo !!! Nigel!

Strong point: the book provides tension and suspense.

Featherstone uses flashbacks to fill in the blanks and
…reveal some important truth about a character’s past.
Ch 4: the love of Lou’s life Katelyn Somers
Ch 5: Lou is a single father caring for a one month old son
Ch 6: Lou’s friendship with Fergal and his love of the band REM
Ch 14: Grief is a thing with feathers….

Left a mark to on me?

Effect:

Is defined by Poe
“as a narrative that can be read at
one sitting of from one-half hour to two hours,
…and that is limited to ‘a certain unique or single effect

Favorite moment: chapter 5

Trigger – Housemate Anna tells Lou that Luke is trying to tell him something:

“It’s a puzzle, Lou, for you to work out.”
Anna: “…if talking doesn’t work, let the silence work for you.“

Favorite moment: chapter 6 …the duties of a parent….

Father realizes he wants to protect his son from danger….but
“children must fly….whatever happens the boy must take to the skies.”

Favorite moment: end of chapter 18

This reader is holding her breath…waiting for release
…at the end in a kind of catharsis!
Classic Aristotle!
Luke: “...there are things he needed to do, but he didn’t elaborate.“

Favorite quote: chapter 19:

“Ah, the nakedness of a heart,
the nakedness of a breath,
the nakedness of a gift”

Australia: Launceston (…my research)

Love names of customers:

N. Featherstone told me via tweet:
“...I wrote the novella 11 years ago
…while spending a month in Launceston“.
I decided to have a look at Launceston via Google!

Ravi Bahrani – (from Aravind’s Punjabi Hut)

Sam and Dean lawyers – from around the corner who may or not be a couple!

Eric – owner shop “Not Quite Antique, Not Quite Trash“

Big Woz – (…Warren Holbrook)

Girls from Tasmanian Aboriginal Lands Council – (real council in Launceston)

Craig – manages Bob Jane T-Mart – real place!

Bob Jane T-Marts is Australia’s most trusted name for tyres, wheels and car batteries.

Lisa – Celtic Barbery – real place !! Celtic Barber, Launceston Tasmania

Streets:

Wellman Street – This street is mentionend 19x
I can only find a Welman Street in Launceston
…perhaps Featherstone wants to keep this address purely fictional
…or was this a typo? (Nigel?)
Eureka Street – fictional
Charles, Frederick, Elizabeth, Margaret, William, Frankland Street(s) – all real streets
Balfour, Brisbane, Brougham, Wellington, York Street(s) – all real streets
Gleadow Street is in Ivermay Tasmania, town next to Launceston

Ch 2: “Celtic Barbery”

Ch 2: “I think I’ll have a Boag’s, says Luke”

Boag’s Brewery established in 1883 in Launceston Tasmania!

Ch 3: Cataract Gorge Kings Bridge

Ch 8: Lou: “No”, not there” .…the Bridge is inside him, wedged there like a bullet.

Nov

#Non-fiction Sophie McNeill

Conclusion:

The book felt like I was reading a Wikipedia page
….with a heavy dosis of pathos.
You feel the emotions of sadness or pity
which has come from telling the harrowing experiences people
caught up in the Middle East conflicts.
Pathos is used as a way to emotionally appeal to the listener or reader.
You may like this book…..but it did not resonate with me.
#WasteOfMyReadingTime

Nov

#Non-fiction Fallen

Title: Fallen
Author: Lucie Morris-Marr
Genre: non-fiction
Published: 2019
#NonficNov
#AWW2020 @AustralianWomenWriters
Trivia: Walkley Award

Introduction:

Lucie Morris-Marr is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist
…who has covered the entire Pell case.
The long-anticipated decision of the jury…what did they decide?
Did Pell win the appeal?
Did the verdict trigger a storm of feelings
…among advocates and survivors?

Conclusion:

I read Cardinal published by Louise Milligan in 2017.
Ms Milligan peeled back the layers of George Pell’s life to reveal in detail:
G. Pell’s youth
the building of the case against…the cardinal from historical documents
the cover-up by the Catholic Church concerning alleged child abuse by G. Pell.
It was an impressive book and won
..The Walkley Book of the Year 2017.

Why is Ms Lucie Morris-Maar’s book different?

Ms Morris-Marr continues the narrative where Cardinal ended
…the inside story of the Pell trial.
The “Cathedral Trial” started nearly 14 months after the cardinal
was first charged for multiple allegations of child sexual abuse.
A choirboy may have been a small, powerless adolescent soprano
but his voice will resonate for years to come.

Last thoughts:

Strong point:
Ms Morris-Marr revealed her personal struggle (mentally and physically)
while writing this book.
Ms Milligan on the other hand… remained outside the narrative of Cardinal.
Weak point: it is difficult to make a trial procedure exciting
…only Helen Garner can do that!
Personally, I enjoyed Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell
more than I did Fallen.
Ms Miligan’s book made my whole body go cold….
Ms Morris-Marr’s book is seeking the extraordinary in the ordinary
…a trial procedure: questioning witnesses, jury deliberation, mistrial and retrial.
Weak point: Fallen – Ms Morris-Marr connects the dots of research.
…but does not give me much emotion about the trial.
Strong point: Cardinal – Ms Milligan creates with the help of
research, observation, description and reflection
an intense book…full blast… drama.!
So, I don’t think Fallen will win The Walkley Award 2020
….my advice read Cardinal ….the winner of The Walkley 2017!

UPDATE: 10.11.2020

Today an unprecedented report
about Cardinal McCarrick of the United States
who was defrocked of his red hat and
…dismissed from the clerical state for
sexual abuse and harassment was released
in 2017 by Pope Francis I.
Why so important?
For the first time the Vatican is willing to confront
the MISTAKE made by a pope and now saint, John Paul II
in appointing Theodore McCarrick as Archbishop of Washington DC in
2000…and a cardinal the following year.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

Timeline:

29 June 2017 – Victoria Police announced they were charging Pell with a series of sexual assault offences with several counts and several victims.
1 May 2018 – Pell was committed to stand trial on several historical sexual offence charges.
August 2018 – The Cathedral Trial …for the allegations of misconduct in St Patrick’s Cathedral.
13 March 2019 – sentencing Pell to serve 6 years in jail Pell was also registered as a sex offender.
21 August 2019 – the Court of Appeal issued its ruling, which upheld the conviction.
January 2020 – special leave to appeal Pell’s conviction should be overturned.
7 April 2020 – the High Court unanimously granted leave to appeal, quashing Pell’s convictions.
14 April 2020 – it was reported that Pell was under a secret investigation by Victorian police regarding a separate allegation of child sexual abuse committed in Ballarat in the 1970s.
October 2020 – allegations that €700,000 had been transferred from Vatican accounts to a witness against Pell. (Pay-Off??).
“Vatican categorically [denied]” interference in the trial of Pell.
Hmmm, I wonder….

Nov

#AusReadingMonth2020 Bella Li

Title: Argosy
Author: Bella Li
Genre: prose poems, collages, images
Published: 2017
Bingo card: VIC
#AusReadingMonth2020 @bronasbooks
#AWW2020 @AustralianWomenWriters
Trivia: The book models itself from Max Ernst’s collage novels
— Une semaine de bonté: A Surrealistic Novel in Collage
— La femme 100 têtes
Trivia: Winner Victorian Premier’s Literary Award 2018
Trivia: Winner Kenneth Slessor Prize 2018 (New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award)

Conclusion:

I had high hopes for this book
…but after reading it I am convinced
I have a lot to learn about poetry.
The book contains 14 small chapters:
7 chapters = collage images; 7 chapters = text.
Collage/images:
Ms Li used historical illustrations made by French explorers.
and added some of her own imaginative visuals including
…position seashells, butterflies, and animals atop
18th and 19th C explorer sketches from La Pèrouse.
Ms Li places her prose poem sequences
in between the image sections
…that play with quiet and fantastical visual scenes

Text: prose poetry , ‘vers libre’ imitating the style Rimbaud uses.
It is ESSENTIAL TO KNOW... the back round information Li uses as
as basis for part 1 of the book: “La Pérouse, une semane de disparitions”
Chapters Les Rêves (7 stanzas) and Les Incendies (7 stanzas).

On March 10, 1788, the French explorer
Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse departed (wikipedia info)
the penal colony of Sydney, having spent six weeks stocking up on supplies.
Now it was time to resume his exploration of the Pacific.
He sailed north out of the harbour, bound for
New Caledonia and the Solomons, due to return home the following year.
He was never seen again.

Ms Li’s objective: Part 1

Use prose poetry to compose a vision of the explorer’s demise.
Voice to La Pérouse’s thoughts and observations.
Describe what he felt/seen shipwrecked on Vanikoro, an atoll of the Solomon Islands

My experience:

I read part 1 with NO knowledge of Ms Li’s narrative objective.
My note in the book: “I can’t make heads of tails of this!”
After I did discover what I was missing
...the poems made more sense.
So I hope this helps you if you want to read Argosy.

Ms Li’s objective: Part 2 (title: The Hundred Headless Woman)

…female character sketches:
Isodora: A Western: (ref – dancer Isadora Duncan and ref – Cormac McCarthy
io sono l’amore: (ref: film maker Luca Guadagnino)
The Novelist Elena Ferrante (ref: to Ischia, place used in EF’s novels)
The Memory Machine Elena Obieta (ref: SF writer Ricardo Piglia and his fictional character Elena Obieta)
The poem 아가씨 (ref: film The Handmaiden, 2016)…little story of Tamako