This is going to be random but :

1. She‘s a mystery to me / Roy Orbison (written by Bono and released posthumously)
2. Call Me / Blondie (we listened to a lot of Blondie when I was a kid, Mum is a huge fan)
3. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go / Wham

#tlt #threelistthursday

It‘s not from the 80s but Aqua sings Back to the 80s - and it lists all the things they loved about the decade.

I‘ve had All The Birds In The Sky sitting on my bookshelf for years, waiting to be read - but of course this ends up being my first CJA. A delightful short read, follows Marisol, who survived the apocalypse accidentally (she was cleaning a rich guys house at the time and found the panic room) as she ventures outside after many years to find herself all alone… in a devastated world with a genie lamp. Her approach to setting things right is unique.

Was fascinating how differently I felt about Shoiji Morimoto at different parts of this. I went from genuinely curious to is this guy for real? 1st time reading a memoir where it‘s the concept that‘s the hook rather than being someone that I already admire. He‘s at no point trying to paint himself in the best light (he goes out of his way to let you know that he‘s not driven by altruism but at the same time, only charges train fare for his time)

I‘ve taken over large print editing duties while a colleague is on leave… and there is just so much of it 🫣 I‘ve been drinking copious amounts of peppermint tea today to cope with the two teams meetings I‘ve had to attend. The first was fine, a survey for public libraries Victoria but the second was about the new timesheet system which would maybe look impressive if you hadn‘t interacted with any technology beyond Windows XP.

Today was tour Labassa Mansion day! Was a bit chilly - my Mum was like - I couldn‘t live in a house this cold 😂 which I thought was funny. It would have been absolutely stunning in its day - sadly no original furniture is there (some from the time period) and parts are in desperate need of repair - I‘m so glad to have been. Really looking forward to getting my hands on the tagged book about the people who lived there over the years.

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.

I‘m attempting to get home without resorting to a rail replacement bus… I‘m not generally known for my sense of direction so this could be interesting (especially since I decided against bringing my handbag with the battery pack in it.. a bold choice for someone with an aging iPhone)

Bribing myself with snacks. Only an hour and a half to go… it‘s somehow managed to be worse than expected as the builders have really spread out… into areas that impede our ability to work (it‘s almost like the library should have been closed for a day or two!)

My library is undergoing building work & it was decided that the “minimal service disruption” route was best - which means that the circulation desk is now in the middle of a construction site… & we‘ve lost access to fairly vital parts like… the returns desk.

I very much wasn‘t having a good time 20 minutes into my desk shift. & I‘m working this weekend. & the works are expected to last 2 months (& that‘s if the new sorter arrives on time) 🙃🤡

I‘m a 90s kid… #tlt #threelistthursday

1. The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988) I had this on 📼 and it was in high rotation. I think about the running away song every time I have a bad day at work…

2. Neverending Story (1984) ✨

3. Labyrinth (1986) - I first saw this in the 2010‘s at the Astor Theatre - what a movie! why were his pants so tight?

What are yours?

This short story packs a punch! It‘s been loitering on my “short audiobook” shelf - and I decided to listen to it to finish up my work day and 👀

Hello book friends in my phone 👋

I‘ve taken indecisiveness to the next level and have stalled on deciding what to read next for a good week now (some of that time was taken up with seeing family and a lovely road trip) I‘m back to work tomorrow and I should at least decide what audiobook I‘m starting…

Was in a 2nd hand bookstore in Echuca & found a whole bunch of old romance novels that are set in the early days of Colonial Australia. They‘d have to be pretty unreadable in 2024? Surely?

Was not expecting EV to stand for Edward Vivian - or that he served in both world wars. His Wikipedia page claims that he has been called “Australia‘s greatest historical novelist” 👀

I‘m so curious about them now, I‘m having didn‘t buy the book remorse!

I love this cover, those beautiful shades of purple and that creepy looking eyeball.

I loved the premise but overall I just didn‘t find it particularly creepy or compelling. It felt like being dropped halfway into a story, where past events (death of a child) played into current events without having the emotional connection to the characters to really feel any kind of way about it.

I‘m sorry, a pigeon shifter?

So many other birds exist and they went with a pigeon.

Excuse me while I go and read some GR reviews.

UPDATE : there are no reviews on Goodreads or Amazon 😔

This book was incredible - it‘s a very simple premise, it‘s also an Instagram account and I had an amazing time reading through and admiring all the homes!

I‘m also off to explore the National Trust property - Labassa - that was featured next month - so expect more house photos towards the end of April.

(The caption of this photo reads : some see well-behaved ivy, some see Saturday Night Fever)

♥️😍♥️

It‘s a legal requirement to include at least one The Castle (1997) reference in all books about Australian homes.

If you aren‘t a local - The Castle is one of THE best Australian films of all time - it‘s incredibly quotable film and features a young Eric Bana in a small but memorable role (he‘s the kickboxing obsessed son in law)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118826/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Obsessed with the fence

Not the Clifton Hill Macca‘s getting included in a book called “other people‘s HOMES”

Did a quick google and after I‘d finished laughing about google‘s claim that it‘s a place that “serves vegetarian dishes” 🍟 I read that this originally opened in 1938 as the “United Kingdom Hotel” (a pub) and was converted into a MacDonald‘s in 1988. Its heritage listed - and is considered to be one the thirteen most beautiful MacDonalds in the world.

The bookshelves would go in easier here @Ruthiella

East Linfield, New South Wales

Another pink beauty

I‘m a native Victorian, I ask for potato cakes, I hope for the best getting off trams, and I‘d never heard of Labassa or considered that Australia would have had film stars from the Silent era.

The next open house is in April and I‘m jotting it down in my diary!

https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/labassa/

This pale yellow is such a happy colour! You‘d beam every time you got home! 💛

I‘m quite partial to a bit of pink

Finally one that I could admire in person, I don‘t think Sunshine is that far away from me 🤔

Another beauty from New South Wales

Built in 1939, LOOK AT THAT CASTELLATED ROOFLINE 😍 I would love to live in a round apartment.

This is the Chatsbury building in Elizabeth Bay, NSW

I love this so much- but am also concerned about how secure those pot plants are? 🪴

I‘m reading this, stretched out on my bed in front of a sunny window…

There‘s a song that my Mum absolutely hated when I was a teen - City High‘s ‘What Would You Do?‘ which I was reminded of while reading this - it‘s easy to think you‘d make different choices when you haven‘t actually had to face them & this novella really showcased that helpless feeling of being trapped in a situation that seems inescapable.

It also opens with a murdered courtesan coming back to life & becoming a vigilante but she‘s not the MC.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

Most of my rereads come in the form of me being delusional about my ability to finish series by rereading so as to be able to “catch up” to where I was and then (in theory) finish the series.

Favourite standalone rereads :
1. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
2. The Island & The Ring by Laura C Stevenson
3. Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The highlight of this week was seeing Aqua (yes, the band from the 90‘s who sang Barbie Girl) in concert with my Mum and little sister (representing the big 3 of generations - Boomer, Millennial & Gen Z) and we had such a good time. Last time they came out, we saw them at the Palais Theatre and this time they almost sold out Margaret Court Arena.

and it‘s home time…

Busy day in the office, cutting out cameras 📷

(I got to use the laminator!! 🥰)

My mum texted me “full moon ⚠️” this morning & today was certainly A DAY for particularly odd library patron behaviour, unexpected additions to lost property (how do you misplace the world?) & well meaning but 🙄 suggestions from a manual handling instructor (had we thought about ordering our shelving trolleys by book weight? Genuinely think he thought I was joking when I said we put them in alphabetical order)!

At least it‘s a short week? 🤭😬

1. Family lunch, then road tripping with some friends - all the way across the border into NSW - only to cross immediately back over to visit Cactus Country… & maybe jump on a paddle steamer in Echuca
2. I‘ve been disappointed that a couple of promising looking fantasy books were series starters & not standalones (I took them back to the library unread)
3. I can remember lots - but this is the famous 5 adventure that I daydreamed about the most

Had a delightful surprise parcel arrive all the way from 🇨🇦- thanks @LeahBergen ! I definitely had an Anne phase but never really thought to explore her other works.

I opened this parcel at my grandparents and the moose poo bookmark really tickled my Nana - she‘s probably still giggling (she‘s so cute). Love that the label on the back reassures that the bookmark is odourless 🤣

❤️🤍❤️

I‘ve previously only listened to the exploits of Mae West and the Laundry Club - and after reading this one, I can see that audio is the best way to enjoy this long running series. It really felt like reading a rough draft, there was so many continuity errors (there‘s always a few but this was glaring). I‘m glad to have seen Mae get some answers, and closure about what happened to her family all those years ago (intentionally lit house fire).

I‘d happily swap smashed avo for owning a little green home 💚

Couldn‘t resist picking up this book of quirky Australian suburban homes from the library. Really looking forward to reading through it (and posting pics of my favourites)

I‘ve been working my way through a huge order (adding them to the catalogue and placing any patron requests - it‘s a bit of a dull job tbh) when I opened this one to find that the United States have been discontinued 🤣 not sure who you have to upset at the Library of Congress to be discontinued but - 🪦

Obsessed with the American pronunciation of Aaron…
Lowkey forgot and was wondering who “Erin” was 🤣

I‘ve previously struggled to connect with Gaiman‘s books - so I‘ve been putting off trying this one for years even though it comes highly recommended and I admire the author (he‘s hilarious on tumblr) - and so I gave the audiobook a go and this was the NG book for me! I loved how it was bookended with the MC‘s adult self - with the majority of the story taking place when he was 7. The epilogue!!! Oof!

My March Book Chat books - I had 20 minutes left on the Ocean at the End of the Lane audiobook (not that I mentioned that 🙈) so I finished that off after the chat… 9 people attended this month, which I think is a nice amount (last months 16 was a bit overwhelming for the space we hold it in) and a good mix of new and returning readers!

I somehow thought Rainbow Crate were doing a The Sunshine Court box but that in no way stopped me from ordering a new set of All For The Game books.

I don‘t know what I enjoyed most - converting the hitman who is babysitting your trio of cat thieves while they pull off an art heist by gently bullying him - not only onto their side but into moving across the world and starting a new life of art crime OR that they solved an art heist gone wrong by floating out of a flooding museum on a torpedo. Absolutely insane behaviour. Enjoyed it muchly!

This had such a nostalgic style! Louise is the youngest of the cousins who all spend the summer with their grandmother who lives near the beach. Being the youngest, she gets left out as the older girls crush on cute guys at the beach & smoke cigarettes. She ends up befriending a mischievous ghost, who has a family connection. A beautiful coming of age story, filled with very realistic sibling behaviour & the sad realities of the passage of time.

You and me both!

Why is it almost 2am and 27°C/80°F?

It‘s been awhile since I‘ve whispered “wtf” while reading… and I say that as a positive thing.

Adorable

As a card carrying Winter enthusiast- may I be the first to say - WHHHHHYYYYYYYY!?! (It‘s now Autumn, Summer be GONE)

(That‘s 98°F)

And it‘s not really cooling down overnight… unsubscribe!

Moomba was cancelled over heat concerns ?

1. Sophie Hatter. She keeps a tidy home, no messy bathroom cabinets or spider webs here. We‘d be able to hype each other up and spill all the tea.

2. If you squint, this book contains roommates - in that Sophie just moves in, tells Howl she‘s staying and that‘s that. Best thing that ever happened to Howl, Calcifer and Michael tbh. Heck of a first meeting.

#two4tuesday

A car show comes to Normal… and there is a murder at Mae‘s camp ground… and suspects galore! When one of the bungalows goes up in flames (along with the lead suspect) - Mae has flash backs to the deaths (suspected murders) of her family in a house fire when she was just a teen. I‘m glad that the threads of Mae‘s past have been picked up again, interested to see where it leads in the next book.