The thing I will regret

Some years ago a friend got his motorcycle licence.

He explained one of his motivations for going out and getting it done, “If I got to be 90 years old and hadn’t got a motorbike licence, I knew I’d regret it.”

I have this crazy idea that I’d like to write a novel. Sure I’d love to write something good enough to be published, but I’ll settle for something I’m happy to send to a publisher. If they like it, that would be a bonus. If they like it enough to publish, that would be unbelievable.

I have started several “novels”. One is currently a couple of thousand words long plus a rough outline. A long way to go but I love the idea behind it. Another is only a few hundred words long and may never move on. Or maybe there’s a short story in it. Another is about six thousand words long. It’s my favourite project so I hope to pick it up and run with it again sometime.

My best effort though and the focus of my current energy is getting close to thirty thousand words long. It’s a children’s fantasy. There’s not many of them so I figure there’s some room in the market.

I have always been tempted to keep this a secret. Plug away without anyone knowing and suddenly surprise the world with a finished manuscript. But I decided instead to tell people. To chat about it like it’s another of my hobbies. Which it is.

For me, talking about it makes the novel more real, the dream more legitimate, and the writer more accountable.

The fact that people know I’m trying this is helping me, even if just to stop me giving up.

This is important because I know if I get to be 90 years old and haven’t written a novel, I will regret it.

Almost enough to make me turn

Apart from the early days using a cassette player to load games onto our Sinclair Spectrum and an occasional flirtation with Warcraft I’ve not really been one to play games on my computer.

But the thought of having this sitting on my desk is almost enough to make me turn.

I’m a librarian. It’s my job.

A reference enquiry I answered yesterday:

“I’m looking for a book. I can’t remember the title, but it’s only three words.”

“Eat, pray, love.”

“That’s it! How did you do that?”

I’m a librarian. It’s my job.

Too many options

A recent reference enquiry:

THEM: Do you have any books on baby names?

ME: Come to the shelf with me… looks like someone has cleared us out. How about I get some in from another branch for you?

HER: That would be great. Thanks.

HIM: Sure.

ME: OK, I can get you “Brilliant baby names”, “Baby names for Australia”, “The complete book of baby names”

HER: Thanks.

ME: Oh, it looks like there’s one called “7,000 baby names” and another one “75,000 baby names for the 21st century” that are available. Shall I get those too.

HER: That sounds great, can you get all of them for us.

HIM: Do you have one that’s just got, like, 8 baby names in it?

Liar, by Justine Larbalestier

Micah Wilkins is a liar. Her whole family are liars. But when Micah’s classmate is killed she plans to come clean and stop lying. She tells us that we can trust her, that she doesn’t lie anymore. Mostly. Of course she can’t keep this up and then has to point out the lies she has told us. This means that while reading the book you never quite know what parts of the story are true and what parts are lies.

Liar is a brilliantly constructed novel. It jumps between events before Zach’s death, events after his death, and background information about Micah’s family and childhood. While it makes for a lot of short chapters that jump back and forth, it really works.

The book is broken up into three sections which divide the story nicely. I was enjoying the book through the first section but not really sure where it was going until I hit the second section, the first line of which picked me up and dropped me on my head.

This really is a wonderful book and in my opinion it is easily Justine Larbalestier’s best work so far and well worth a read.

[cross posted over at aboutthebooks.blogspot.com]

Pearl verses the world, by Sally Murphy

Pearl struggles to fit in at school. She is not part of the footy group, the ballet group, or the rough kid group. She is in her own group of one. She lives with her mum and her granny. Always has. Always will. Pearl loves to write poetry. But not poetry that rhymes. This is a problem as her teacher Mrs Bruff says all poetry needs to rhyme.

Granny’s health is deteriorating, the prettiest girl in school thinks Pearl has stolen her boyfriend, and all Pearl wants to do is write poetry that doesn’t rhyme.

I am certainly not an expert on the form and structure of poetry but I love how well verse novels use language. This verse novel (which of course does not rhyme) is no exception. No words are wasted. It is tight and evocative.

Pearl verses the world is a great introduction to verse novels for younger readers. It is a well written, sad and beautiful story that will tug at the heart strings of adults too. Oddly, just as I was getting to the end I got some dust in my eye. Yeah, that’s what it was. Dust in my eye.

[cross posted from aboutthebooks.blogspot.com]