Synopsis: Collection of wit and wisdom from The Best Premier Queensland has ever had ™, Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Don’t laugh – Peter Beattie was still making pilgrimages to Bethany two election cycles ago…
My Take: Much like Joh himself, there’s nothing fancy to this book, just a collection of The Flying Peanut’s more memorable quotes. It did [...]
Entries from June 22nd, 2009
"Joh Speak", Alan Price, Elizabeth Hancock and Erik Scholz
June 22nd, 2009 · 1 Comment · Australian, Non-Fiction, Politics, Queensland, Quotes
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"Lost in The Crowd: A Cultural Revolution Memoir", Yang Jiang
June 21st, 2009 · No Comments · Chinese, History, Non-Fiction
Synopsis: Memoirs of the experiences of Beijing literature scholar and her husband during the Cultural Revolution.
My Take: While I have a strong aversion to “suffering Chinese women literature” (eg “Wild Swans”, “Good Women of China”, “Mao’s Concubine” etc etc – I get it ok, women suffered in China, but so did lots of other [...]
Tags:Yang Jiang
"The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Love of Words", Simon Winchester
June 20th, 2009 · No Comments · English, History, Non-Fiction
Synopsis: The story of the 70 year process of compiling for first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary and the relationship between the primary editor, Dr James Murray and the most proflific contributor, the institutionalised and certifiably insane, Dr W.C. Minor.
My Take: A great read. An interesting story, engagingly told.
I was struck while reading this [...]
Tags:Simon Winchester
"The End of the Affair", Graham Greene
June 19th, 2009 · No Comments · English, Fiction, Literature, Nihilist
Synopsis: A deeply bitter writer reflects on his aborted affair with a married woman during WW2 London when years after the conclusion of their relationship, he runs into the woman’s husband. Hatred and contempt for self, women and God flows freely.
My Take: I have mixed feelings about Graham Greene. One the one hand, he’s an [...]
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“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, The Internet and the Overthrow of Everything”, Joe Trippi
June 18th, 2009 · No Comments · Non-Fiction, Politics
Synopsis: New online tools create the potential for organic, ‘open source’ campaigns in which supporters self organise campaigning activities without top down hierarchical control. ‘Big Money’ is emasculated, party big wigs are sidelined and citizens are empowered.
My Take: Joe Trippi is an interesting character. Part long-time tech geek, part serious political campaigner, he has a [...]
Tags:Joe Trippi
"Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found", Suketu Mehta
June 17th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Asian, History, Non-Fiction, Travel
Synopsis: Expat Mumbaiker returns to the city of his childhood, enmeshes himself into the human fabric of the mega-city and over seven years produces a 600 page living biography of one of the world’s biggest, badest and most bustling cities. Prepare to have your eyes opened.
My Take: It might be living life once removed, but [...]
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The Searchers, 93 Smith St, Fitzroy
June 16th, 2009 · No Comments · Admin
A break in programming here to syndicate a Blogging the Bookshelf related post at my fiancee’s excellent but dichotomous blog of Melbourne’s eating, drinking, shopping and entertainment options: MEL: HOT or NOT:
HOT: The Searchers, 93 Smith St, Fitzroy
In a bid to save money, RM has been valianting attempting to curb his book-buying habit. I think [...]
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"Safire's Political Dictionary", William Safire
June 16th, 2009 · No Comments · American, Non-Fiction, Politics, Quotes, Unfinished
Synopsis: A founding member of the US conservative intelligensia and former Nixon speech-writer pens a fastidiously researched, dry witted and very smart dictionary of political language. Why can’t Australian conservative intellectuals be as clever as this?
My Take: Safire is a member of that class of US conservatives whose ranks have been purged to the point [...]
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"The Corrections", Jonathan Franzen
June 15th, 2009 · No Comments · American, Fiction, Literature
Synopsis: As the aging patriarch slips into dementia, a Midwestern family prepares to gather for ‘one last christmas’ in the parents small home town of ‘St Jude’ (The patron Saint of lost causes). Familial pathos and melodrama is writ large.
My Take: I loved this book and I wasn’t alone. It was a massive best seller [...]
Tags:Jonathan Franzen
“The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation”, Drew Westen
June 14th, 2009 · No Comments · American, Non-Fiction, Politics
Synopsis: Psychology professor argues that voters are hardwired to evaluate political questions emotionally, rather than rationally. Well that would explain a few things….
My Take: Westen is a professor of psychology at Emory University and in The Political Brain, he sets out to summarise the existing empirical research on how voters process political information and form [...]
Tags:Drew Westen