Weekly Update 14 June

I don't know if it is because Friday was both the full moon and Friday the 13th but
I just stopped reading for a couple of days. In reading my last post I think in hindsight I was just a bit burned out. Last night I found myself watching an old Steve Martin movie The Lonely Guy instead of reading.  I had not seen it before, it was completely silly and not the type of movie I am usually drawn to but I laughed throughout. It has a happy ending which is what I needed. I just needed some down brain time I think.

Just for fun. 

I finished my allotted chapters of Moby Dick. I think it was stressing me out how I would review this book.  There is so much in it and it is absolutely outside of my expertise to appropriately review everything in this book. I will instead offer this wonderful review from Roof Beam Reader.  It is his blog that is hosting the Moby Dick Readalong and the insights he has into this book are wonderful.  I could not improve upon it and reading the review really helps in reading the book.

We are up to Chapter 38 this week and although there are parts where I really must concentrate and reread bits I am continuing to enjoy this 'whale' of a book. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) So I suggest you read his review if this book interests you.  I can read what he says and certainly see all of what he says in my own reading so I am getting what I wanted from this book. I just don't want to try to express all of what he says about the book myself. I don't think I would do the book justice.

I am just awed by the fact Herman Melville sat down at a table with a pen and paper and wrote this book. It is really wonderful. The fact he never got recognition for his writing in his own lifetime is truly heartbreaking.

Another blog I follow, A Moleskin Reader displayed a wonderful literature map which I have borrowed from him to put here.  I really got sidetracked adding names to this wonderful little tool of the internet. Do have a look at it because it is good fun. It is interesting, when I put my favourite author's name, John Steinbeck into it,  the authors names who came up really are ones I have been attracted to. Will definitely spend more time with it.  The names closest to Steinbeck's name are those authors who are most similar to him.

This week has only seen me working my way through Moby Dick, the Australian Book Review magazine and the literature course I'm doing on line at Sheffield University (see last post).  I have to get rid of the expectations I have in my head of reading more numbers of books. I need to  focus on the quality of the ones I do read.

I have been arguing with my inner self about whether to keep on blogging or not and then I realised how silly I am being in thinking I must read and blog about more books each week.  I had to ask myself who on earth am I doing this for? Myself? or the Phantom Readers I think may read this out there....wherever out there is. So I sorted that out quite quick smart in my own ditzy head.

Today there is a big rally at noon down at Parliament Lawns in Hobart. Although this blog is not political in anyway this is something I do feel strongly about.  Tasmania has pristine wilderness forests that have not been touched. The forests are old, large and filled with native animals that live only in this state worldwide.  The forests are heritage listed internationally and people come from all over the world to see them because they still exist unlike many countries that cleared their forests long ago.

Our government in all their idiocy have determined they want the international heritage organisation to delist the heritage listing of them so they can be mined and logged.  You can imagine how people feel about this. The short sighted forestry workers want to bulldoze them and the rest of the world wants to save them.  It is looking like it may not happen because fortunately the international community is a bit smarter than the local politicians but it is still a possibility. The decision is going to be made soon.  Maybe this whole scenario is what is giving me a crabby mind this week because I certainly feel it.

I will certainly be attending this rally and hopefully the streets will overflow with people who will be there.

Then perhaps I'll come home, curl up on this rainy day and continue with the next allotment of chapters for Moby Dick or maybe I'll read something absolutely fluffy for the weekend and get back to Moby on Monday.  I need to catch up with my lessons too with the Country Homes of England and Literature.  But for now I need to concentrate on the forests of Tasmania and all the animals that live inside these wonderful castles of nature.