Category Archives: National Year of Reading
December Book Review Winner
A big thank you to all of those who entered our Love2Read book review competition each month last year. It was wonderful to find out what all of you were reading, and discover some new writers!
Patricia Allen has won the last Love2Read book review competition for 2012 – congratulations, Pat! She also won back in October with her entry about The Man Who Loved China, by Simon Winchester, and was an interviewee on our podcast, Listeners in the Mist.
You can read her winning entry for December here:
The Surgeon of Crowthorne, by Simon Winchester, is an intriguing tale, including murder and madness, describing the mighty effort involved in the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Though there had been attempts before Dr Johnson’s dictionary in 1755, there was no in depth help for the meanings of words. By the 19th Century the need for a comprehensive dictionary was manifest. In 1878, James Murray, a brilliant lexicographer, born in 1837, was asked to produce one. He considered the work might take several years.
Murray needed the help of hundreds of volunteers who would read ancient writings, record words, write meanings and usages for assessment.
It took years to complete the letter A. The letter T took 5 years. It would take another 44 years to complete. Altogether, more than 70 years passed to produce the first edition of the great New English Dictionary in 1928. In 1933 the first supplement was known as the Oxford English or OED.
An American medical doctor , William Chester Minor born 1834, was retired from the American Army having been a surgeon in the American Civil War. Events in 1864 had unhinged this gentle man. He was irreparably damaged psychologically and medically discharged with a pension enabling him to travel to England. Dr Minor was highly intelligent, a cultured and an educated graduate from Yale university, though one with a greedy sexual appetite.
Simon Winchester’s vivid description of mid 19th Century London is a necessary reminder for those who only know present day London. Dr Minor was living in the area of the Lambeth marshes, south of the Thames, with undrained swamps, miserable slums, stinking tanneries and soap boilers. It was an area of many brothels enabling easy access to women. One night in 1872, tormented out of his mind with paranoia, Dr Minor shot a man and was subsequently committed to the Broadmoor Lunatic Asylum for the criminally insane.
At Broadmoor, he became a trusted prisoner housed in comfort, rather like a gentleman’s club, with privileges, books etc. His comforts included tobacco, a penknife, coffee, bookcases of his own books (his consuming passion), clothes, his flute and music, fob watch and gold chain.
When James Murray sought volunteers for his project, Dr Minor answered the call and for decades filled his days, whilst imprisoned in his cell at Crowthorne, reading, writing, and contributing to the compilation of the OED. It became a bizarre friendship for over 30 years, between two highly intelligent gentle men who loved the written word.
James Murray aimed to assess 33 words per day but sometimes one word would take almost a full day. It was a huge undertaking.
Dr Minor would read voraciously, record the words from rare, ancient books, especially 17th C authors, and send the scripts to Oxford for assessment.
Work on the Dictionary was Dr Minor’s medication.
A change of Prison Superintendent caused removal of many privileges from and heartless treatment of Dr Minor. He became unsettled and unhappy. As he aged his mental state deteriorated, delusions increased and his memories of past sexual conquests caused such loathing of his ‘sins’ that one day in December 1902 he amputated his penis with the penknife and threw his member into the fire.
Dr Minor was taken to America by his brother, Alfred, in 1910. By then he was frail, wasted, and in ill health. He died in March 1920.
His resource books are preserved in the Bodleian Library museum in Oxford.
This was a beguiling and thrilling read. 
Podcast with Author Kate Shayler and Publicist Fiona Turner
After her wonderful talk and book signing at Springwood Library last week, we were able to gain an interview with Kate Shayler, author of a new book called Burnished, as well as her publicist Fiona Turner. Kate’s latest book is a collection of stories from other ex-Burnside kids. It’s a fantastic read and a wonderful insight into recent Australian history and into the lives of some amazing people. The book has also just won the 2012 best Non-Fiction (Biography) in the Global e-book awards in the US.
Click here to listen to the interview online, or search for ‘Listeners in the Mist’ in iTunes to download it for free.
Podcast with Book Review Winner Patricia Allen
As some of you may remember, Patricia Allen was our winner of the Love2Read Book Review Competition back in October. This week she was a guest on Listeners in the Mist, the library podcast, reading her winning entry and talking to John Merriman about her reading life. It’s a wonderful podcast episode, which you can listen to here, or download in iTunes by searching for ‘Listeners in the Mist’.
Podcast With Poet Craig Billingham
Our latest podcast episode is now online – join John Merriman as he talks to Craig Billingham, a Blue Mountains based poet. Craig’s poems have been published in many Australian journals, including recently in Heat, Meanjin, Snorkel, and Antipodes. Craig’s poem “The Fan” was published in 2011 as part of The Red Room Company’s Sun Herald “Extra” Series. He will also be one of the poets performing at Poetry Under the Stars on Friday 30th November 2012, at the new Katoomba Library in the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
Click here to listen to the podcast online, or search for ‘Listeners in the Mist’ in iTunes.
You can also read some of Craig’s work here:
http://reviewofaustralianfiction.com/product/9781922171153
http://meanjin.com.au/articles/post/waiting-for-the-train/
http://redroomcompany.org/poet/craig-billingham/
POETRY UNDER THE STARS
Blue Mountains City Library, in collaboration with local poets, presents a FREE family-friendly, National Year of Reading 2012, community event.
Bring family and friends, a picnic tea (no alcohol please), a rug or folding chair, and sit beneath the stars in the shared courtyard of the new Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and Library – 30 Parke Street, Katoomba. (If the weather is bad, we’ll move inside the new Katoomba Library).
Be enchanted by our talented local poets, reading their original work.
MC’d by Lis Bastian with musical entertainment provided by the Mudlarks choir and friends.
Friday 30th November 2012 from 6pm-9pm
Poetry Podcast
In the lead-up to the Poetry Under the Stars event at Katoomba (more about that, below), two of our latest podcasts feature poets and performers Gregory North and Sandy Holmes – including wonderful recitations from each. Click on the links below to hear the podcast audio online, or search for ‘Listeners in the Mist’ in iTunes to subscribe.
Episode 24 – Poet Gregory North
Discovered wandering in the Blue Mountains, this man of many hats will have you wondering which voice is really his. Known for his rendition of ‘The Man From Snowy River’ in 15 different accents and his adventures with sticky tape, the voices and characters in his poems and yarns could be the result of medical experimentation or maybe he’s just a freak of nature. Whichever it is, this three-time Australian bush poetry champion brings a multitude of characters to life whenever he performs. His DVDs ‘Man of Many Hats’ and ‘Stick It’ are great ways to relive the experience. www.gregorynorth.com.au
Episode 25 – Poet Sandy Holmes
Local poet Sandy Holmes talks about her favourite poets, love of bush poetry and performance, all with a wonderful sense of humour. She is involved in many community poetry events including the ‘Poet’s Breakfast’ at the Winter Magic Festival, Katoomba, and will be one of the poets featured at the upcoming event ‘Poetry Under the Stars’ at the new Katoomba Cultural Centre on November 30, 2012. Her book, Sandy Versus Sandy: A Bad Case of Poetic License will be available for sale on the night.
POETRY UNDER THE STARS
Blue Mountains City Library, in collaboration with local poets, presents a FREE family-friendly, National Year of Reading 2012, community event.
Bring family and friends, a picnic tea (no alcohol please), a rug or folding chair, and sit beneath the stars in the shared courtyard of the new Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and Library – 30 Parke Street, Katoomba. (If the weather is bad, we’ll move inside the new Katoomba Library).
Be enchanted by our talented local poets, reading their original work.
MC’d by Lis Bastian with musical entertainment provided by the Mudlarks choir and friends.
Friday 30th November 2012 from 6pm-9pm
‘Explore’ Podcast
Our latest podcast episode is up! This week, we have an interview with Marnie Thomas, a Library Assistant at the Blue Mountains City Library. With the Love2Read theme for October being ‘Explore’, Marnie reveals her favourite ‘Explore’ book, as well as her best bushwalk so far this year.
You can listen to it here or subscribe to ‘Listeners in the Mist’ in iTunes.
