The wisdom of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Posted on October 27, 2011 by cynthiablue44

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DefoeI’ve always enjoyed the thought that life viewed through “rose coloured glasses” is a good method of reducing anxiety. Or at other times I’ve compared myself to the cartoon character Mr Magoo where he walks through a battle field, with his nose in a book, bombs going off to the left of him and to the right of him, but he is oblivious to the danger and so he is content. He doesn’t know he should be afraid.

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I took off my rose-coloured glasses for a moment . . .

Posted on September 24, 2011 by cynthiablue44

Richard Flanagan

Richard Flanagan

I took off my rose-coloured glasses for a moment to listen to Richard Flanagan on the decline of love and freedom. Powerful stuff, 35 minutes of intelligent alternative thinking with a focus on Australians. A generous speech he gave as the closing address at the recent Melbourne Writers’ Festival and available for download from ABC Radio National’s website: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2011/3318299.htm

Permanent link to this post (61 words, 1 image, estimated 15 secs reading time)
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Searching by image on Google – abracadabra shazam

Posted on June 17, 2011 by cynthiablue44
A Waterfall in Australia by Augustus Earle c1830

A Waterfall in Australia by Augustus Earle c1830

Yesterday I noticed that Google allows you to drag an image into their image search box with the promise that their search engine will find details about it. I placed this little snippet of information in my memory, for retrieval later. I wasn’t sure when I would need the service. It wasn’t long before I knew exactly how I could use it.

This is a preview of Searching by image on Google – abracadabra shazam. Read the full post (233 words, 1 image, estimated 56 secs reading time)
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Tea for two – it’s the small things in life that count

Posted on June 14, 2011 by cynthiablue44
Tea for two. Photo copyright: Diane Challenor

Tea for two from T2. Photo copyright: Diane Challenor

The “idea” of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony has always appealed to me. The idea of peace and harmony is so attractive. The slowing down of time.

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Interactive books of the printed kind – actively reading

Posted on June 12, 2011 by cynthiablue44
The Dreaming Swimmer by Clive James

The Dreaming Swimmer by Clive James. Buy the book from Amazon

How many times have I read a book and wanted to hear the music the author mentioned, see an image of the art the author has gushed over, or know who it was the author quoted, deferred to and admired? Many times!

This is a preview of Interactive books of the printed kind – actively reading. Read the full post (607 words, 1 image, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)
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A Reader’s Journal – The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Posted on June 5, 2011 by cynthiablue44
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

THE DISTANT HOURS BY KATE MORTON. BUY THE AUDIO BOOK FROM AUDIBLE.COM

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My impression of a Sydney Writers Festival Event – 52 Suburbs by Louise Hawson

Posted on May 23, 2011 by cynthiablue44
52 Suburbs books for sale

Buy the book at Fishpond.com.au

This is a preview of My impression of a Sydney Writers Festival Event – 52 Suburbs by Louise Hawson. Read the full post (371 words, 3 images, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)
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Why is history Important?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by cynthiablue44

What can we learn from a 19th century Botanist’s story

I have a belief that history is important, sometimes I wonder why I believe such a thing. To help me firm up my belief I wrote down some thoughts which I would like to share with you.

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The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

Posted on May 6, 2011 by cynthiablue44

I’ve just finished listening to The Dante Club AudioBook and will miss inhabiting it very much. The environment of the “fireside poets” and their city of Boston was really interesting, learning about Dante’s poetry was enlightening and the mystery that held it all together moved along at a pace that suited me very well. And very importantly, as listeners will know, the audio-reading of a book can make it or break it, John Siedman’s reading of this book matched to story’s voices perfectly. A lovely long listen. Well done Matthew Pearl! Don’t miss it everyone, it’s a goody.

This is a preview of The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. Read the full post (99 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)
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The Well at the World’s End by AJ Mackinnon – A Review

Posted on April 10, 2011 by cynthiablue44

My first introduction to Sandy Mackinnon’s writing was The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow. This is still one of my favourite books. When I heard he had written another book, I think he has only written two, I just had to get “The Well at the World’s End”.

This is a preview of The Well at the World’s End by AJ Mackinnon – A Review. Read the full post (318 words, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)
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