What Books Did You Get for Christmas?

With Christmas and New Year now fading into memory I thought it time to brag about what books I got for Christmas. It's one of my favourite things to post about on the blog and I hope you'll share what you received with me as well. I admit to doing pretty well in the book department this year, receiving five amazing books as gifts, some of which I've already polished off.

Let's start with Christopher Paolini's Inheritance. I received this book from my sister as an early Christmas gift and had devoured it within 7 days. It's a massive book, but I was eager to read the last instalment in the Inheritance saga so applied myself with more gusto than usual. I definitely enjoyed it and was pleased that the author went with the bittersweet ending rather than the crowd pleaser. As a whole, the series was a good read, but not one I think I'd ever find myself re-reading. It's definitely more suited to the young adult reader and like most books of its' kind tends to get too bogged down in the details for my liking. I'm no longer surprised by how the thickness of each consecutive instalment in a fantasy series increases exponentially, but I am finding the practice more and more tedious. Maybe I'm just becoming too picky in my old age!!

My sister also gave me a copy of King Brown Country: The Betrayal of Papunya. I read this straight after Inheritance and had it completed within 3 days. King Brown Country is, in my opinion, a must read for all Australians. Written by journalist Russell Skelton, it documents the fate of Papunya, an Aboriginal settlement right in the heart of Australia. For those unfamiliar with the settlement, it's the birthplace of the 70s Aboriginal art movement as well as well-known Aboriginal musicians such as the Warumpi Band. By focusing on the rise and fall of this tiny settlement, Skelton shines a light on the plight of Aboriginal people in general. It's a tragic tale of injustice, incompetence, betrayal, abuse, misery, and the consistent failure of Government over decades. Parts of this book really left their mark on me, and though most are content to stick their head in the sand when it comes to indigenous issues, I'm certainly not one of them. The book had a profound impact on me and when I couple it with my experience of reading Tall Man by Chloe Hooper last year, it has given me the impetus to make myself more aware of the Aboriginal cause in general.

After finishing King Brown Country I moved onto another Christmas gift, The Omnivore's Dilemna (by Michael Pollan). I've wanted this book for ages after hearing parts of it read aloud on ABC Radio National and was excited when I received it from my mum. The Omnivore's Dilemna is a non-fiction book that looks at the food we eat in what is now a predominantly fast food world. I've only just started it so I can't give you a review yet, but I promise one in the near future. The other two books I received that now sit awaiting my indulgence are Among the Islands by Tim Flannery and 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. The Murakami book in particular is quite daunting....it's enormous!!

Now it's your turn to brag. I'd love to hear what booky treasures you found under the Christmas tree, so comment away.

A Very Booky Xmas - Part 5 - Booky T-Shirts

Beware! Amateur modelling photographs to follow!! Thus it's with mixed feelings that I post this final instalment in my 'A Very Booky Xmas' series. I'm slightly reluctant because of the photos you're about to see, but excited to share such amazing gifts. Firstly, let me admit that I bought these T-shirts for myself, then distributed them to family and friends to give back to me for Xmas. It's a sure fire way of getting something you want!!

Late last year I came across a website called Out of Print. This fantastic little website is all about sharing the love of books through a fashion medium and it does so by selling T-shirts that feature iconic and sometimes out-of-print book covers. I fell in love with the site immediately and purchased three T-shirts within a heartbeat. The good news is that whilst you might be bending your credit card a little, purchasing a T-shirt through the website can also ease your social conscience. For every T-shirt purchased through the website, Out of Print donates one book to communities in need through their partner Books for Africa.

But back to the T-Shirts!! As I said, I purchased three. The first was The Outsiders (by S.E. Hinton) which you can see me striking a pose in at the top of this post. I bought this T-shirt because it reminded me of high school where we all had to read the novel. It also brought back memories of a school friend who was so obsessed with the movie that she covered every book, folder and pencil case she had in pictures of Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise and Matt Dillon (just to name a few).

The second shirt I bought was the Pride and Prejudice one as seen in the photo to the left. No I'm not looking at a bird! This is a catalogue modelling 101 pose!! This T-shirt is the most comfortable and the one I've worn the most. Though Persuasion is actually my favourite Austen novel, I couldn't resist purchasing this one to show my complete adoration of everything Jane (including the movies).

The third shirt I bought was Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison). I did enjoy this book and recommend it to all, but if truth be told the real reason I bought it is because of the colour and design. It's nice and bright and works with an olive skin tone!! Good with jeans too!!

There are plenty of other great books and authors featured on the website and I'd venture to say that there probably is a T-shirt for everyone as long as they're an avid reader. There are styles for men and women, as well as hoodies, gift certificates and a kids section. I also have to say that the service I received was excellent. I ordered just a few weeks before Xmas and was worried they wouldn't arrive in time, but a quick email sorted this out straight away and I received the T-shirts in just a few days. This is pretty unheard of for international transactions, so I give Out of Print a big thumbs up in the service department.

Well on that note I conclude this year's "A Very Booky Xmas". I would love to hear about any great pressies you received.....I've got a birthday coming up soon and I need some ideas!!

A Very Booky Xmas - Part 4 - Springy Book Light

I've been a little remiss in getting to the fourth part of my Very Booky Xmas series probably because it was the only booky gift I received that I was a bit disappointed in. At first glance this portable book light seems a great gift that's perfect for an avid reader like me. And it should be!! But there's one functional thing about this gift that lets it down completely.

On the positive side I was really impressed by it's springyness because it means you can shove it in a suitcase or a handbag with little regard for it's well being. It's also got a little clip so you can fix it to the book. I didn't find it hard at all to imagine many nights camping huddled in my tent with a book, or using it on a long flight without disturbing the person next to you. But all the springy stem and clever clip ideas aside a book light can only be useful if the light itself is good. Well .... that's where this one fails. The circumference of light that is projected is poor and only lights up a small portion of the page. Plus it's one of those crap LED lights that tend to softly glow rather than brightly illuminate. I'm sure there's better examples of a portable book light out there, but this one quite frankly is crap!! Recommendations anyone????


Stay tuned for the fifth and final instalment - Part 5 - Booky T-Shirts!! I've saved the best for last, but beware ... you will see some very amateur modelling.

A Very Booky Xmas - Part 3 - Four Books From My Wishlist!!

I was very organised for Xmas this year and used the Wishlist function on my LibraryThing account to generate an email listing all the books currently on my want list. I then sent the email to all my friends and family. The beauty of this technique is that it ensures you don't get a book you already have and guarantees you get a book you definitely want. It also makes shopping easy for your loved ones. And, it's still a surprise because you don't know which books you'll get off the list (especially if your wishlist is as long as mine!!).

Consequently, I received 4 books (three novels and 1 autobiography) for Xmas and they were all off my wishlist. In paperback I received The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, Legend of a Suicide by David Vann, and The Collector by John Fowles. In hardcover I received How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly, and though it's a very large tome it's the one that I'm most excited to get into. I'm not a big fan of autobiographies in general, but this one intrigues me as it goes through Kelly's catalogue of songs explaining how they developed and where they germinated. I imagine you'll see a book review of this title in the very near future.

I've been so consumed by bragging about my gifts that I've forgotten to ask what you got for Xmas. So post a comment and let me know what books you found under your tree for Xmas 2010. Stay tuned for more tomorrow - Part 4 - Springy Book Light!!

A Very Booky Xmas - Part 2 - Bath Book Caddy!!

For those of you who follow this blog regularly, you will remember that I have been without a bath for almost 6 months due to a very slow bathroom renovation. On Xmas Day I was not only lucky enough to take my first bath in my new bathroom, but I also received a bamboo bath book caddy as a gift. I don't normally take photos of myself in the bath, but after months of bath withdrawal, this moment had to be captured!! My wonderful husband bought me this priceless gift after he saw me salivating over it in a magazine. It definitely ranks up there as one of the best presents I have ever received because it allows me to do several of my favourite things at once - taking a bath, whilst drinking some wine and reading a good book. Needless to say, I've spent many an evening soaking since Xmas and am looking forward to many more nights of bliss!! Stay tuned for more tomorrow - Part 3 - Four Books From My Wishlist!!

A Very Booky Xmas - Part 1 - The Cue Cat!!

After a holiday hiatus I thought it was about time I re-entered the blogosphere and what better way to do that than to brag about some of the great gifts I received for Chrissy. To say I had a very booky festive season would be an understatement, so this week you'll be treated to a grand tour of the best of my book related gifts. Todays instalment is all about the Cue Cat pictured in this post.

I've been a member of LibraryThing for over 12 months now. For those of you unfamiliar with the website it's an online community for serious book lovers where you can catalogue and review your books and share your obsession with other bibliophiles. My personal book collection numbers over 500 titles so it was taking me quite some time to even make a dent in cataloguing them on LibraryThing.....until the arrival of the Cue Cat on Christmas Day. This fabulous little tool reads the barcodes of books with one simple swipe back and forth and then automatically populates your catalogue with the stored information about the book. In only a few days I have managed to catalogue over 200 books in my collection. It's only a little thing, but it has really made me smile!! The only fault with the Cue Cat is that there are some bar codes it doesn't recognise, but the majority it does.

I'm hoping to have my entire book collection catalogued within the next month or so and would love to connect with any fellow members of LibraryThing. My profile name is ReadingHabit, so send me a friend request when you get a chance. Stay tuned for more tomorrow - Part 2 - Bath Book Caddy!!