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My last post was in April this year. Very dedicated to the cause. And so I return.

A wise musician friend recommended a great book to me. It's called The War of Art and it's by Steven Pressfield. If you haven't heard of him before, he's probably best known for writing The Legend of Bagger Vance. The book is about breaking through your creative block. Pressfield says that on a daily basis all of us battle Resistance. Resistance is the enemy; the thing that keeps us from doing what we dream of doing. We resist by procrastinating, through fear and self-doubt; and diverting our energy into drugs, sex and soap operatic drama. Resistance is strong but not insurmountable.

And so I'm back on the horse. Resisting laziness and procrastination. Being, as Pressfield calls it, a professional.

The War of Art. Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles by Steven Pressfield. (Warner Books, NY, 2002)

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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My crime bookcase

April 7th 2008 00:59

We had some new bookshelves installed on the weekend and, of course, this meant lot of lovely new filing for me. Since we have more shelves now, I thought I might try and put all the crime books together in one section. In doing so, I've discovered I have a lot more crime books than I realised. Sign of a sick mind?? I love reading crime. People are always asking why there's such a large readership of crime books and I think all crime readers probably have their own reason. For me, I like the fact that things happen, the plot races along and the characters are generally interesting and challenged by unusual situations. I do read outside the genre and I love exiquisite writing but too much flowery writing and introspective navel-gazing and not enough events can do my head in.

Shelving all the books together gave me an opportunity to become reacquainted with my favourites. The classics - Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M Cain - and the modern writers following in their footsteps - James Ellroy, Peter Corris, Michael Connelly, Lawrence Block and Ian Rankin. The humourists - Shane Maloney and Janet Evanovich. The ones with the fabulous imaginations - Jasper Fforde. The trends in forensic science and psychology - Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs and Val McDermid. And bunch of fabulous Aussies - Peter Temple, Lindy Cameron and Dorothy Porter - and many more in between.

I tried to challenge myself to pick my faves. Not in any particular order:

The Poet - Michael Connolly
American Tabloid - James Ellroy
Last Drinks - Andrew McGahan
El Dorado - Dorothy Porter
The Mermaid's Singing - Val McDermid

Shows me at my hardboiled-loving best.

Any fellow crime lovers out there?

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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Lit Snob??

March 27th 2008 04:15

I am beginning to suspect that I suffer from literary snobbery. This from someone who has to defend the merits of crime fiction on a regular basis. But I can't see any other reason than snobbery for why I haven't ever read any books by Bryce Courtney, James Patterson and John Grisham. Deep down I am suspicious of any writer who can churn out as many books as regularly as these guys. A little voice says me, "How can it be good writing?" I may have to wait 7 years before the next Tim Winton book but at least I know I'm getting quality writing. In the end, though, I don't know how good or bad the writing is because I've never read them. And how can so many fans be wrong?

So am I right? Or am I wrong? What sort of writers are they?

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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Books that scare you silly

March 24th 2008 03:52

I read a book called "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury in my early teens and it scared me silly. It was about a spooky travelling carnival. I specifically remember the merry-go-round that could age a person if it turned one way and make them young if it went the other. The book has always stayed with me and over the years I've idly looked for it in libraries and bookshops without success. Last week I finally found it and I've started reading it. I'd forgotten just how lyrical the writing is. I'm not sure if it'll still scare me but I'm eager to find out.

It's got me thinking about other books that frightened me and the artistry that goes with writing a book that can scare a reader. Scaring someone is easier with movies - there's the heart-stopping music and the vivid pictures. But for a writer, the reader has to imagine all that is happening and feel the tension and the fear. It's a true skill

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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Saying goodbye to Rebus

March 5th 2008 06:08

I was given "Exit Music" by Ian Rankin in May last year. I took my time starting it because it is the swan song of Rankin's police character, John Rebus. I 've enjoyed the Rebus books so much that I wasn't in a hurry to bid the man farewell. Well, it is March 2008 and I still haven't finished the book. Sadly I'm just not enjoying it - just as I didn't much enjoy the penultimate Rebus book, "The Naming of the Dead".

I'm not sure I've put my finger on why I haven't enjoyed these two books but I have a feeling it is because these two books moved away from a singular and intimate view of Edinburgh (where Rebus lives and works) to a more global view of Scotland's place in the world. The topics of these book have been international ones - "The Naming of the Dead" featured the G8 summit that was held in Scotland and this book is about Russian investment in Scotland

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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Organising your bookshelf

February 21st 2008 01:41

Onto a very serious topic....organising your bookshelf.

How do you organise the books on your bookshelf? Being fairly anally retentive about these sorts of things, I split my books into fiction and non-fiction. The fiction books are then arranged alphabetically by author name and the non-fiction book are vaguely grouped by topic. This way I figure I can find the book I want quickly

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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The One Hit Wonder

February 20th 2008 01:18

I've been comtemplating The One Hit Wonder. Most of us would deride the TOHW as a flash in the pan, not able to sustain a career, only had one idea. Most of the time this is true.
BUT..
What if you had one hit but it was a hit that made a mark on popular culture and managed to live well past your own life? Would you be happy with that

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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The lure of the bookshop

February 11th 2008 06:08

I know you can now read books online. The classics are available at our fingertips. All we need to do is log on. But for me this holds no appeal. Nothing can beat the lure and the allure of the bookshop.

There are lots of wonderful bookshops in Melbourne. Large ones and small ones; brightly lit ones and quiet, intimate ones. I can't walk past any of them without a siren call pulling me in. The siren call comes from the pages; from the authors; from the characters

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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'In my skin' ~ Kate Holden

February 6th 2008 03:27

I've recently returned from two and a half years in Vietnam during which time I survived by reading second books and airport blockbusters. Now I'm catching up on stuff I've missed. I've just finished 'In my skin' by Kate Holden, which, I know, is a few years old now. I thoroughly enjoyed the book which was well-written and thought-provoking. It's the thoughts that were provoked that I'm interested in discussing.

For those of you who haven't read the book, it's about a tertiary educated woman from a solid, loving family who experiments with heroin and ends up with an addiction and turns to prostitution to survive. It's a true story and does not flinch from the realities of drug addiction and prostitution

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Posted By: Jacqui Horwood - Category: No Category

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Story tellers vs writers

February 5th 2008 06:48

I frequent a few writers forums and recently one of them had a spirited debate about the sorts of writers who get published. There was much wailing and gnashing about people who aren't technically great writers getting published - Dan Brown was high on the list in this category. Why do these people get a guernsey with publishers while other people don't? Basically it's about story tellers vs writers.

Some people aren't wonderful writers but are great story tellers. Dan Brown is a prime example and I'd throw in people like Jackie Collins and Jeffrey Archer as well. Their prose might be clunky and obvious but their story and their characters hook you in

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October 2008

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March 2008