tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post3457875025281318691..comments2023-06-23T19:30:28.701+10:00Comments on Universal Heart Book Club: Jane Goodall hosts our new feature: "The Reading Life"Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-85464893863519164012013-04-03T17:20:52.677+11:002013-04-03T17:20:52.677+11:00i would like a tree house in a sprawling Peppermin...i would like a tree house in a sprawling Peppermint tree called A Room of One's Own set in some beautiful landscape of bush and sea, with a large stone bath tub filled with bubbles and a stack of books on a stool beside it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08493583102107066274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-35656744118469206832013-03-23T17:45:30.563+11:002013-03-23T17:45:30.563+11:00My retreat:
Herm Island, a tiny lump of land thre...My retreat:<br /><br />Herm Island, a tiny lump of land three miles away from Guernsey in the Channel Islands: There were no distractions twenty years ago when I visited for the day; no phones, television, cars, bikes… the island had one tractor ploughing a familiar trip from the precarious ferry landing to the hotel.<br /><br />My chosen books: <br /><br />“The Celtic Twilight – Faerie and Folklore” by W B Yeats: I expect it will weave tales of spectacular and valiant action and be my gateway to Yeats’ works.<br /><br />Peter Hoeg’s “Smilla’s Sense of Snow”: I really enjoyed this book and would like to read it a second time. I admired Smilla’s courage and perseverance.<br /><br />“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. I compare Mildred’s wall-to-wall soap operas with the reality programmes flickering across giant flat-screen televisions in today’s “media rooms” and am glad for the Granger’s and Montag’s of this world. I think it would be a perfect read on a cold island by a warm fire…<br /><br />Hope this fits the bill? Was happy to try this as have been tackling my brother-in-law's latest book called "Is China buying the world?" (Great red cover with one yellow star on a black shopping trolley.) It's only the second he's written that I can cope with as a 'lay person'. Anyway, it had made me think about what I'd like to read next and these were some that came to mind. It was hard to confine the list to three.<br />Deirdra Drysdalehttp://www.drysdaleartd.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-72590288230120509422013-03-14T15:11:24.569+11:002013-03-14T15:11:24.569+11:00Coming to you all the way from gorgeous, exotic Br...Coming to you all the way from gorgeous, exotic Brooklyn, NY:<br />I would go to anywhere in the Virgin Islands (US or UK), hopefully near one of those pristine white beaches and with my mask and snorkel handy!<br /><br />As for the 3 books, I would have to choose "The Gulag Archipelago", "The Good Soldier Svejk" and probably "A Farewell to Arms".Sophie Schillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09092528999711545149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-3723753997330646252013-03-14T00:51:02.729+11:002013-03-14T00:51:02.729+11:00There's a beach house I sometimes have access ...There's a beach house I sometimes have access to, on the northern beaches of Sydney. Looks like any old house from the street but on the back deck, in total privacy, all sorts of birds visit and there's nothing but sea to see between me and New Zealand..<br /><br />I'd write there.<br /><br />And read - again The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak; and For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke; and then some Buddhist teachings..maybe something as yet unread by Pema Chodron.<br /><br />:-) AnitaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-49235224470871107872013-03-13T12:09:56.408+11:002013-03-13T12:09:56.408+11:00Oh I can relate to this one...as a long-time V. Wo...Oh I can relate to this one...as a long-time V. Woolf fan myself. And because I have been to Sissinghurst Castle (actually not so much a "castle" as a big house with smaller houses around and set in the most exquisite gardens) a number of times. But the reading retreats in rural Queensland also sound entrancing. I am really enjoying this new feature, Jane!Stephanie Dowrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17217351699603371102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-3987154701324142802013-03-13T12:03:52.330+11:002013-03-13T12:03:52.330+11:00From Susan K. Sutherland As a writing retreat I w...From Susan K. Sutherland As a writing retreat I would like to return to Cherrabah Homestead Resort at Warwick Qld. It has private bush cabins, lovely bush walks and you can journey to hidden places with hanging rocks, old cabins and rock pools. It has several meeting places, indoors and out, and an atmosphere that has an interesting clash of Australian and Chinese culture. <br /> <br />My first book would be the New Testament of the Bible. It may not be a trendy choice, but I would like to take the time to endeavour to understand the beauty and power of the parables and my own spirituality. As I am working on improving my skills in short story writing, I would also take a collection of Roald Dahl’s and Jeffrey Archer’s short stories and take the time to study methods and style. I would lastly take Alice LaPlante’s ‘The Making of a Story’ and work through all the exercises with the goal of having a fully developed short story by the end of the retreat. I am sorry that this seems more like a writing retreat or spiritual retreat than a reading retreat, but I am unable to separate the three. Perhaps they are inseparable? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-33166826673489732442013-03-11T09:07:55.559+11:002013-03-11T09:07:55.559+11:00(From "A Virginia Woolf-fan").
My ideal...(From "A Virginia Woolf-fan").<br /><br />My ideal place would be a small B&B anywhere near Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, England, where I could wander the gardens designed by Vita Sackville-West, visit her writing tower, and re-read my favourite Virginia Woolf novels, Mrs Dalloway and The Voyage Out, as well Woolf's glorious Diaries and Letters. Oh, and Three Guineas too for some feminist fire. Vita and Virginia were friends, lovers and great literary companions. I'd feel so inspired to read where they also read and wrote.<br />Thank you for giving me this chance to dream!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-88506525088690091002013-03-11T09:05:41.302+11:002013-03-11T09:05:41.302+11:00Marie Cameron's books she would take to Norfol...Marie Cameron's books she would take to Norfolk Island...<br /><br />I would take the following three books:<br /><br />1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. This is simply my favourite novel in all the world. I love it for the elegant writing and for Austen's deep understanding of human nature and skill at characterisation. I always marvel at this, given the era she lived in and her rather restricted social environment. I never tire of reading it.<br /><br />2. The Mountain, by Drusilla Modjeska. This wonderful novel again shows skill at characterisation, and deftly develops the characters in the setting of political, emotional and social issues leading up to self government and then independence for Papua New Guinea, with themes of cultural issues and inter-racial relationships. [This is reviewed here at the Univ Heart Book Club. Go to "search".]<br /><br />3. A book of Judith Wright's poetry. Poetry is my favourite form of writing and nature and human relationships are the themes that are most important to me. Wright has written superb poetry, mainly around these two themes. Again, I never tire of reading her.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195277115340782565.post-48403238906186626762013-03-11T09:03:47.914+11:002013-03-11T09:03:47.914+11:00Marie Cameron's "place" comes first....Marie Cameron's "place" comes first. And in a separate comment, her "three books"<br /><br />I would go to Norfolk Island for my reading retreat. It is a lightly populated island, with no TV and I think no radio (or few radio stations), so I would not have these modern media to distract me. It has great natural beauty and considerable historical interest, and both these things are important to me. When I needed a break from reading, I would be able to go for a walk, or have a swim, or visit the historical areas of Kingston or the cemetery. While there, it is very difficult to know what is happening in the rest of the world, so I would be able to concentrate on my reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com