Saturday, October 25, 2008

What I'm reading...


Ah the luxury of working only part-time and having a steady supply of books. Actually as someone said to me, I should be able to milk the whole 're-adjusting to life in NZ' phase for at least a month. Which gives me another ten days or so for rampant reading without the guilt of feeling I should go and get another job.
So here are a couple of books that I have enjoyed and am enjoying and why.

Animal, Vegetable and Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver came highly recommended to me by a friend who obviously know my tastes well as I am just lapping up the book. I'm about halfway through and find myself fascinated, despairing and encouraged on every page. The book is a sort of memoir which takes us through a year in the life of the author, as she and her family pledge to feed themselves only on homegrown or locally raise food. It's about seasons, gardening, organics, eating well, the state of America's food industry and more. It's very informative and well written and will make you think twice about what you're eating and where it comes from! I'm not even finished yet and I give it a 9/10.

Les Belles Images par Simone de Beauvoir
I am trying to keep at least one french book going at all times and this is the current pick. I have always wanted to read Simone de Beauvoir but perhaps this was not the best one to start with (the Dunedin Public Library left me with little choice however). Paris has not changed much but the hi-fi systems, clothing and conversation topics of the characters have dated and I just can't say that I'm riveted. 4/10
Anyone who does want a good french read, look for Amelie Nothcomb, she is fantastically funny.

The Poetry of Pablo Neruda by René de Costa
I really enjoy Neruda's poetry but knew nothing of the man's life, loves, inspirations etc. This book presents Neruda's poetry in chronological order, interspersing them with a running commentary and biographical details. The commentary can be a little academic in parts but it really does add to the reading of the poems. Bonus - the poems are printed first in their original Spanish and then in English, very motivating for a beginning Spanish speaker. 7/10.

Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
While in Paris I heard Jeanette Winterson speak at a festival. She quoted, by heart, the first five minutes of her novel 'Oranges are not the only fruit' and I was hooked. Found Oranges great and thoroughly enjoyed this one too, though it is a rather different style. Unsure of where to start with summing it up, I'll just quote the back of the book for this one: "Winterson breaks the mould of history and fiction alike in this intricately enjoyable book." Apparently the genre is 'Gothic farce'. It is certainly a unique novel and her writing is fantastic. 9/10

Monday, October 20, 2008

And now...

What's on the cards now for this Kiwi? Well for starters I think this blog needs a makeover; the heading is a blatant lie -and is anyone else having problems with Blogger? I have a lot of trouble getting my posts to look like I want them to; everything ends up sneakily jumping to weird places and it's tricky to upload photos. Hmmm, if I knew what I was doing I would get in their and edit that Html but I think that it might be more satisfying to start from scratch. I'll do a shop around.
As I can no longer really talk about daily life in Paris I am going to switch the content to topics that I want to rant and rave about.
I'm just in the process of applying to do a graduate diploma of journalism in 2009. I am applying far and wide but really hope that Christchurch will say yes! In the meantime I will continue to sharpen up my non-fiction writing with some blogging.
Step one is to commission my tech-savvy brother to replace my ibook's hardrive.

Monday, October 13, 2008

The kiwi has landed...


..right in a pile of these.
No longer am I to munch on patisseries in Paris. Now it will be fatty chips in Roslyn.
But really, so long as the cravings for goats cheese and pastis don't get too overwhelming, it's pretty great to be home. I mean what is there not to like about this:


So in view of the fact that I am blatantly no longer in Paris but think I would like to keep blogging, there are gonna be some changes round here. On the blog that is, maybe personally too, we'll see about that in future posts.
Some last snaps of France? Try and stop me.

The Monastery of Mont St Michel

Traditional Breton costumes

From the Tuileries gardens at sunset

The ruins of the Royaumont Abbey

Yellow boat in Concarneau