Have you Heard About Atmospheric Reading?

The act of reading itself has always been a great joy to me. No matter where I am or where I’m going I always have a book with me because you never know when you might get an opportunity to flick open the pages. I read on the beach, in the bath, whilst walking, in bed, in TV ad-breaks, on public transport, you name it I read there. Inspired by a recent article I read about the lost art of reading aloud, I decided to push the boundaries of my reading habits even further and embark on an experimental journey into the world of what I’d like to call ‘atmospheric reading’.

Eager to discover whether manipulating the environment in which a book was read enhanced, detracted or had no effect on the overall reading experience, I needed to find a suitable place to start and, where better than with a classic! Critics claim ‘The Turn of the Screw’ by Henry James is one of the best psychological, gothic thrillers of all time. As such, it has long been on my list of must read books, but I’d never felt a strong enough desire to actual pick it up. Until now!! It seemed to me that one of the easiest and most distinct atmospheres to create was a creepy one, so I set about scaring the living daylights out of myself.

For two consecutive evenings I became a lone reader taking a long hot bath, listening to the rain drizzling onto the window with only a few dim candles lighting the page and not a soul nor sound in the house. The experience did not disappoint. I won’t give away the storyline of the book itself, but I will describe how it made me feel. For every curious noise that leapt off the page of Henry James’ masterpiece, I heard another three as my house betrayed its’ own ghostly mutterings. The strange apparitions seen by the governess had me darting my eyes in suspicion towards dark shadowy corners of my bathroom. The flickering candlelight at once charming and beautiful was in another instant evil and sinister, just like the young boy Miles. Sensory overload made the silence unbearable, chilling. After I had read the final page and closed the book I could still feel it all around me and it took me quite a while to come back to reality.

Later, I realised that I hadn’t just read the story. I had been physically a part of it. I often feel emotionally connected with a book, but I rarely feel that kind of physicality. The sensation was new and bought a fresh dimension to the escapism normally sort for in the reading of a book. Having never read ‘The Turn of the Screw’ before, I can’t claim that I wouldn’t have felt the same way without the artificial atmosphere. What I do know is that I am keen to start on my next atmospheric reading adventure – maybe Tim Winton’s ‘Breath’ on the beach…….your thoughts???

Walking & Reading - At the Same Time Mind You!

Is it weird that I walk and read at the same time? I love reading, but I run my own business and have quite a hectic lifestyle. Finding time to keep physically active and feed my reading habit is a struggle. So I’ve learnt how to read and walk simultaneously. You would think this skill would take some time to develop, but I have to say that I mastered the art pretty quickly. Sure, there’s been the odd stumble complete with the frantic glance around to make sure nobody saw it happen, but all in all I’m a pro.

This odd reading style has made me something of a local celebrity. I often combine walking and reading with a trip to the corner shops to pick up some groceries. My sojourns always include friendly, and often humorous, comments from locals the most common of which is ‘Must be a good book’. To my delight these off-hand comments sometimes lead to an in-depth conversation about the book I’m reading or books in general.

What has become most clear from the comments I receive is that most people are astonished that I can actually achieve this feat. Is there anyone else out there like me or am I really a reading and walking freak?

An Evening with Author, Elizabeth Kostova

Cynically I am famous for saying that “I never ever win anything”, but my glass is half full friends are always quick to remind me “That’s because you never enter anything”. They are right! So when Good Reading Magazine started promoting Free February on their Facebook Fan Page, I decided it was time to put the clichéd got to be in it to win it mentality to the test. The result is in – I was in it and I did win it! My prize, an evening with best-selling author Elizabeth Kostova.

For those of you who don’t know Kostova she is most renowned for her debut novel ‘The Historian’, a part fact, part fiction story based on the legend of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula, as he is more commonly known. Kostova was in Australia for the various writer’s festivals around the country promoting her new book ‘The Swan Thieves’, and Good Reading Magazine was lucky enough to host an evening with her in Sydney on Thursday 4^th March.

Despite my ten years as a bookseller this was my first experience meeting an author. The cosy attic bar of The Arthouse Hotel was the perfect setting for an intimate Q & A with an author whose obvious love for writing seems only equalled by her love of art and history. As a whole the evening did not disappoint. Kostova spoke well and I found out much about her background and childhood, which were all clearly reflected in her writing. However, I did find that the generally dull questions, stumbled over by the interviewer, led to a generic merry-go-round of responses that left little to discern much about Kostova’s real personality.

After the staged interview, Kostova opened the floor to questions and was met with what I assume is the customary nervous silence, before some brave soul had the courage to raise their hand. Alas, this brave soul was not me. I was a little tongue-tied if the truth be told. Despite, or maybe because of, my eager criticism of the interviewer, I was fearful of asking the world’s stupidest question. What followed from the audience was a series of rather predictable questions and a little too much gushing by adoring fans. The Q & A session was saved a by a young man who dared to ask a question outside the box – ‘Do you ever get the feeling that you were born in the wrong era, and if so, when do you think you should have been born?” What followed was a lively and amusing few minutes of banter between the young man and Kostova. The crowd giggled gaily, whilst they learnt the young man would have preferred to be born in the 50s, and Kostova admitted to sometimes feeling largely out of place. When the interviewer called a halt to questions I found myself wishing the young man had asked his question first rather than last as the ensuing Q & A session might have been a more revealing and authentic experience.

As I joined the queue to get my copies of her books signed, I found myself rifling through different questions I could ask when my brief moment with Kostova arrived. I was amazed that the interviewer had not asked Kostova what she was working on next, and thought I might be able to get an exclusive tid-bit of information. I learnt that Kostova had indeed been working on a new project since October, but she was reluctant to give up details. Her only promise was that she intended on finishing the book more quickly than her previous two, and was exploring writing in something other than the first person. I walked away with a smile on my face, two signed books in hand.

Good Reading Magazine is a great resource for the avid reader so we encourage you to jump online and join the Good Reading Facebook Fan page. We'd also like to see you join ours - Ambire Secondhand Books Facebook Fan Page. 

Wild Release - Losing My BookCrossing Virginity

Whilst avidly reading the latest Good Reading magazine I stumbled across an article about culling your bookshelves. Initially I wasn’t going to read the article, after all the owner of a second hand book shop could only be comfortable with donating unwanted books to said book shop. Or could she? Lured by the heading ‘’If you love something, set it free”, I read on.

The article mentioned all the usual suspects including donating to charity, selling on e-bay, at markets and to second hand book dealers, and sharing with friends. But it also recommended the idea of BookCrossing, defined as ‘’the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others”. My interest peaked.

The concept itself is not new to me, but I am a BookCrossing virgin having neither taken part as a releaser or a catcher, and to be frank the fact that a dedicated online community to this practise existed was definitely a surprise. The BookCrossing website (http://www.bookcrossing.com/) plays host to almost 1 million people and is currently tracking over 6 million books generating a hotbed of delightfully positive book karma. Excited by the prospect of one of my books travelling the known universe I decided to take the plunge.

Getting started is easy and, more importantly, it’s free. I began by setting up a basic personal profile. The website has many functions but I went straight to what is termed releasing a book. Here I got stuck. What book to choose? I couldn’t bring myself to let go of a treasured favourite, but was it good book karma to release a book that I didn’t enjoy? I wrestled with this decision for all of ..... three seconds, before rationalising that just because I loathed the book another person might indeed love it. Thus, The Jane Austen Book Club (by Karen Joy Fowler) was nominated for the chopping block. I loaded the book details, wrote a brief review, and got my BookCrossing Identification Number (BCID number). Then I chose my method of distribution. You can select from Wild Release or Controlled Release. Controlled Release is where you leave the book for a specific person whereas Wild Release is totally random. Trusting in fate I selected Wild Release then proceeded to enter the details of the drop point. This function is quite specific and can be narrowed down to precise shop fronts, longitude and latitude, and even an exact time. I chose Coffee Affair, a small independently owned coffee shop, in the busy shopping district of Erina, NSW, Australia at 12pm – just in time for lunch. I then printed off a label highlighting the website and my BCID number and stuck it inside the front cover of the book. So far the process had taken me all of 10 minutes, but the best part was to come.

As I walked out of my office door to despatch the book, I was overcome with a rush of excitement and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. There was a spring in my step. I quite honestly felt like an actress in a movie on my way to some clandestine rendezvous. As I made my way to the cafe my mind planned ahead. I surveyed the area for watching eyes, figured out the safest approach route, and spied my target table. Then as inconspicuously as possible casually placed the book at the drop point. It defies explanation, but for some unqualifiable reason the simple act of leaving a book in a public place felt completely liberating and mysterious.

Walking away from the coffee shop I envisaged a fellow book lover like me settling down for a lazy lunch and discovering my gift. Fleetingly, I also wondered whether the waitress who next cleaned the table simply threw it in the trash. Brushing my cynicism aside, I chose to believe that serendipity would prevail placing the book into the hands of a worthy someone who would not only appreciate the book, but also the value in the act itself. Now the waiting game begins. Cross your fingers for me and hope that whoever picks the book up will log on to the website, start their own profile and record their thoughts, before continuing the cycle of life and letting the book roam free in the wild once again. I’ll keep you informed of my book’s progress, but in the meantime I am back on the BookCrossing website setting up my hunting profile so that I can catch myself a wild book.

Visit my profile at www.bookcrossing.com by searching under the screen name AmberX.

The Kellerman Dynasty

This month our current feature authors are the modern day crime writing dynasty of the family Kellerman – Jonathan, Faye and Jesse. Husband and wife, Jonathan and Faye, are the only married couple ever to appear on the New York Times bestseller list simultaneously. Jesse is one of their four children and is an internationally renowned novelist and playwright in his own right.

Jonathan Kellerman - Born in 1949, Jonathan Kellerman is an American psychologist turned author of suspense novels and is arguably the most well-known of the trio. His most famous fictional character is Alex Delaware, a child psychologist whose adventures are no doubt inspired by Jonathan’s own experience in the world of psychology.

Jonathan’s first novel, ‘When the Bough Breaks’, was published in 1985 and received much critical acclaim including the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published at least one best-selling crime novel every year. In addition to his fiction novels, Kellerman has also written several non-fiction titles specific to child psychology, and in the mid-nineties he also published two children’s books that he was also the illustrator for. Jonathan is no longer a practicing psychotherapist, but still lectures as a Professor at the University of Southern California. Listed below is Jonathan Kellerman’s bibliography of crime fiction titles only. To check our whether we have the title your after in stock just search our inventory - http://www.readinghabit.com.au. 

1. When The Bough Breaks (1985)
2. Blood Test (1986)
3. Over The Edge (1987)
4. The Butcher's Theater (1988)
5. Silent Partner (1989)
6. Time Bomb (1990)
7. Private Eyes (1992)
8. Devil's Waltz (1993)
9. Bad Love (1994)
10. Self-Defense (1995)
11. The Web (1996)
12. The Clinic (1997)
13. Survival Of The Fittest (1997)
14. Billy Straight (1998)
15. Monster (1999)
16. Dr. Death (2000)
17. Flesh and Blood (2001)
18. The Murder Book (2002)
19. A Cold Heart (2003)
20. The Conspiracy Club (2003)
21. Therapy (2004)
22. Twisted (2004)
23. Rage (2005)
24. Double Homicide (2005) (with Faye Kellerman) 
25. Gone (2006)
26. Obsession (2007)
27. Capital Crimes (2007) (with Faye Kellerman)
28. Compulsion (March 2008)
29. Bones (October 2008)
30. True Detectives (2009)

Faye Kellerman - Born in St.Louis in 1952, Faye studied Dental Surgery at UCLA before becoming a full-time mother and novelist. Her groundbreaking first novel, ‘The Ritual Bath’, was published in 1986 and received much commercial success. This novel introduced readers to her fictional crime fighting couple, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. Like her husband Jonathan, Faye has incorporated many of her life experiences in her work. Faye and her husband are both practising Orthodox Jews and we see many Jewish themes in her novels.


Faye now has over 20 million copies of her novels in print, but she is also a highly praised writer of short stories whose work has been anthologised in many different collections.Listed below is Faye Kellerman’s bibliography of full-length crime fiction titles only. To check our whether we have the title your after in stock just search our inventory - http://www.readinghabit.com.au.  

1. The Ritual Bath (1986)
2. Sacred and Profane (1987)
3. The Quality of Mercy (1989)
4. Milk and Honey (1990)
5. Day of Atonement (1991)
6. False Prophet (1992)
7. Grievous Sin (1993)
8. Sanctuary (1994)
9. Justice (1995)
10. Prayers for the Dead (1996)
11. A Serpent's Tooth (1997)
12. Moon Music (1998)
13. Jupiter's Bones (1999)
14. Stalker (2000)
15. The Forgotten (2001)
16. Stone Kiss (2002)
17. Street Dreams (2003)
18. Double Homicide (2004) (with Jonathan Kellerman)
19. Straight Into Darkness (2005)
20. The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights (2006)
21. Capital Crimes (2006) (with Jonathan Kellerman)
22. The Burnt House (2007)
23. The Mercedes Coffin aka Cold Case (2008)

Jesse Kellerman - Born in Los Angeles in 1978, Jesse took a year off before college to study at a religious seminary in Israel, before he attended Harvard University to study psychology like his father. But his real interest was theatre and after graduating from Harvard, he attended Brandeis University and became an MFA playwright. Since then, Jesse has written many award-winning plays that have been produced throughout the United States and abroad. His first novel, ‘Sunstroke’, was published in 2006 and he has since written two more. Listed below is Jesse Kellerman’s bibliography of novels only. To check our whether we have the title your after in stock just search our inventory - http://www.readinghabit.com.au. 

1. Sunstroke (2006)
2. Trouble (2007)
3. The Brutal Art aka Genius (2008)

Book Collecting 101 - Part 1 - Choosing What to Collect

Book collecting is genuinely one of the most interesting and rewarding hobbies a person can enjoy. Not only is there the challenge of the search and the adrenaline rush of the find, but there’s also the pure exhilaration of the read and the satisfaction in a completed collection at your fingertips for ever more. More importantly, book collecting is something anyone can do because you are only restricted by your imagination. So, how does one take the plunge into the book collecting world?

This new series of blogs will introduce you to the art of book collecting. It’s aimed at the beginner and is full of practical hints and tips on how to get started. Let’s start at the very beginning with choosing what to collect. This may seem like an easy task, but there is much to consider and without careful research you could find yourself trying to collect the uncollectible.

Step 1: Refine your book collecting idea. Trust someone who has been at this point before and put some real thought into what type of books you want to collect. Most people think too broadly and end up endlessly collecting. The most fun in book collecting is achieved when you manage to collect a full-set of something. So make sure you have an end game. After all, you can always move onto another set once you’ve completed the first.

Let’s look at an example. Deciding to collect books on travelling through Australia might seem like a good idea, but there are thousands of them and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever collect them all. So be more specific. For instance, narrow your search to one prolific author, like Ion L. Idriess. You can even narrow your search further to first edition, hard covers with dust jackets.

Another popular collectible genre is military history books. There is a plethora of books written on this topic and no one collector could even hope to own them all. So, once again, be more specific. Where does your particular interest lay? Is it World War I or World War II? Is it Australian military history or European military history? If you decide it’s World War I and Australian military history then you might want to collect all the hardcover first edition volumes of C.E.W. Bean’s Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918.

Whatever your interest there is something for everyone to collect and if you need help refining your target collection then give your friendly second hand bookstore owner a call. They generally have a wealth of information to share and you will need their help to source books in the future, so it’s good to start a relationship early on.

Tip: Resale value is also important when deciding on what to collect. A full-set of something will always hold more value than an incomplete set. Whilst most people collect to keep, there may come a day when you must part with your collection – so make sure it’s worth it!!

Step 2: Research the Cost Involved. It’s all fine and well to want to collect a full set of first edition, signed Jane Austen novels, but can you actually afford them? Before you rush into collecting make sure you spend some time finding out how much the books you want to collect are likely to cost you. This is not a difficult task. There are a number of global second hand book sites that will allow you to search on current prices for nearly any second hand book. We particularly recommend Abe Books (www.abebooks.com), Alibris (www.alibris.com), and Biblio (www.biblio.com). It’s good to familiarise yourself with these sites early on as you will more than likely source some or all of your books through such search facilities later on.

Tip: Be ruthless on the cost involved. If there is even a doubt in your mind about whether you can afford to complete a collection then don’t even start collecting them. Choose something else to collect because you will only be disappointed and frustrated collecting something you can’t afford.

Part 2 of this post is coming soon and will focus on Starting Your Search!!

Trixe Belden vs Nancy Drew: Who Was Your Favourite - VOTE NOW!!

On Wednesday a kind lady donated 7 boxes of books to my secondhand bookshop. Often when this happens there is a lot of crap and not much worth selling, but I was very excited to find almost a complete collection of hard and soft covered Nancy Drew books, plus a few Trixie Belden titles as well. Whilst these books aren’t worth a fortune they are still collected the world over, and for a brief moment I was transported back to my childhood when I was completely obsessed with the Trixie Belden mysteries. I read Nancy Drew also, but for some reason which escapes me at the moment, Trixie was my favourite. I told one of my friends about my find last night and was surprised to find that she was a hard core Nancy Drew fan and thought Trixie was pretty lame. This whole situation prompted the question – growing up were you either a Trixie lover or Nancy lover, or could you actually be both? I thought I’d put this history making question out there today and see what the masses thought. So cast your very important vote now on our blog sidebar!!

And, of course, if you want to take a walk down memory lane or complete your collection, you can find all the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden titles we currently have in stock on our website.