This is a great time of year to be booky in Sydney. The SWF brings all things literary into the mainstream media. You’ll hear famous authors who’ve travelled to the antipodes being interviewed on the radio & see them on the tellie.

Germaine Greer is on town, heard her on the radio yesterday what a fascinating woman she is; David Ebershoff, who wrote the international best seller 19th Wife (can’t wait to read that); Kazuo Ishiguro and a host of international clever people mix it up with our clever locals to present lectures, workshops, conversations enough to inspire anyone.

If I had my druthers I’d go and see those I’ve already mentioned and Margo Lanagan, David Malouf, Garth Nix, David Williamson. This year, as I’m not working, I promised myself a SWF emersion but it all looks good on paper. When it comes right sown to it, fitting all this culture into my Mum-schedule isn’t easy. I did go last night with my good friend Becca to listen to Catherine Jinks in discussion with Phillip Gwynne at our local library. I love listening to writers talk about their art.

While I was there, or more importantly while Becca was with me, I had to check out the sales shelves. You know how some people get all the great stuff at sale price and then get extra knocked off the price because they fronted up at just the right time? Well that’s NOT me. Not only am I a terrible shopper  – I often don’t find anything at all to buy.

Not Becca! She finds all the must-have books at .20 or less, it’s okay because it couldn’t happen to a nicer person. So last night I used her shopping skills to the full and came home with 4 books for under a $1.

 

Victorian Literature: Selected Essays Robert O. Preyer ed.            The English Novel: Form and Function Dorothy Van Ghent.             Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Elizabeth Gilbert. The Dragon at Noonday Edith Pargeter