Lost in a Good Book

Ah Australia Day. That annual time of year to celebrate what makes Australia great, to enjoy the long weekend with friends and family, and to cringe at people who feel the need to wear the Australian flag as a cape. The beaches, parks, and backyards around the country are filled with people enjoying themselves and having barbeques, and there are people with temporary flag tattoos on their cheeks, shoulders, and other body parts, while others wear a range of flag-themed clothing like thongs, shorts, and hats.

Google has given us a great Australian Google Doodle for the occasion as per usual and Twitter trends are filled with all things Australian whether it is #youknowyouareaustralianwhen or the slightly cynical #FiveWordsToRuinAustraliaDay. But most of the messages about Australia Day are positive but every year there is something that puts a damper on the day in the news (this year is no exception). But mostly people like to celebrate what makes being an Australian whether it is tags like the #youknowyouareaustralianwhen one on Twitter, or those cringe-worthy and mostly incorrect lists articles that talk about how to know you are Australian. These are often widely stereotypical and wrong, for starters it’s not shrimp, its prawn, and no one drinks Fosters, but they can be fun and people mean well.

Personally I enjoy Australia Day, even if I am not doing anything special to celebrate. This year my Australia Day is not that different from previous years, though we are currently experiencing a mozzie plague which may put a damper on any outdoor activities, the threat of Ross River Fever will do that, and the fact that today is a little bit rainy, but interestingly not actually cold, because that’s the magic of our summer weather. (Oh, the humidity!). I love seeing people enjoying themselves though and highlighting what makes our country great, and even if all I end up doing today is scrolling through a Twitter tag, eating a lammie, or just relaxing at home, it is still a pretty wonderful Australia Day.

But away from the threat of disease, no plans, and poor weather onto more delightful topics, this of course being books, more importantly Aussie books! If you can’t talk about Aussie books and authors on Australia day when can you? Recently Booktopia has been on a mission to find Australia’s favourite authors. After multiple rounds and numerous eliminations, they have released the final ten in their search for the Top Ten Australia Authors as voted by you guys. From the beginning each round has been filled with so many great Aussie authors and while it was sad when some favourites were cut in each round, with the top ten released I can see why these great authors made the final cut. With names such as John Marsden, Mem Fox, Liane Moriarty, Kerry Greenwood, and Matthew Reilly it reminds you that Australia really does produce some amazingly talented authors. You can check out the full list on Booktopia’s website where you can also check out the great range of books each of these authors has, you never know, you may find a new favourite Aussie author!

So that’s all from me, I hope you are all having a wonderful Australia Day whether you are celebrating with a lammie, an ANZAC bikkie, a BBQ, or all three combined, behave yourselves, have fun, and read something spectacular.

Good morning and Happy Australia Day all. I can’t promise my enthusiasm or commitment to this day will go any further than this greeting but it’s something. Since we are nationally celebrating all things Australian, and it is the talking point of the week, I have been thinking.

There was a question raised on Booktopia’s Facebook page on the 11th of this month about whether an Australian author must set their novel in Australia to be considered an Australian Classic. I have been trying to think whether it has to or not and have come to the conclusion that I don’t think so. Very inconclusive I agree, but I keep thinking about novels like the Lord of the Rings trilogy or Dune where the story is set in worlds that are not our own. I cannot see any one claiming that Dune is not a classic science fiction novel, yet it isn’t set in a place we know. So really it is a classic novel by a classic American author perhaps, rather than an American classic. Hmm.  So based on that, surely an Australian can write a classic story that is not set in Australia. Besides, where else can you place these things. Winton has WA covered, Tsiolkas and an array of others have Melbourne covered, and I have read plenty about Sydney and even Newcastle. Why can’t we branch out? I say the challenge is now to write an Australian classic, by an Australian set in another country, or better yet set it on Clom, they have their own Disneyland for goodness sake, there’s a story right there.

Though as I write this I do know full well there are books by Australians not set in Australia that are beloved and considered classics by those who have read them. If I actually sat and thought about it instead of rattling off early morning thoughts I could list some myself. Instead I offer this option: maybe just the fact it is by an Australia we can bend it towards the ‘classic novel by an Australian’ category. And then once the author has built up their status we can refer to them as a ‘classic Australian author’ to balance things out. A well thought out dilemma there Booktopia folks and folkettes.

In other news, also concerning Booktopia as it were, are the just released Top 50 Australian novelists. I did say these big number lists were reserved for things like author rankings. There was a vote issued to all the readers and this is what they have decided. The 50-11 spots were released here on the 24th and the top ten and coveted number one spot was released on the 25th here. I am very pleased with where some of the names fell, and some I am certainly not surprised by. It has of course added more names to my list of to be read books though. I can’t even complain about getting this list down one day because it means I have ran out of things I want to read. Now that’s a scary thought!

I hope the rest of you enjoy your Australia Day, or your January 26th is a particular nice one wherever you are. Behave yourselves and read something spectacular.