When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes (Erasmus)

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

Wie gehts? 

Sadly, during a recent parent interview night a number of parents genuinely and seriously asked me how their son could improve.

I answered with a question of my own: do they read?

Their response was entirely predictable.

Their sons have X station boxes, and the latest smart phones. But they don't read. Compared to all those tech costs (and time costs) a book is relatively very cheap (there are excellent secondhand book shops in Napier and Hastings).

Of course, I'm biased and yes, I've always been a reader. But, really, c'mon - there is always a price to pay.

Currently I'm reading a Haruki Murakami novel that I've somehow missed. I love his writing.

I recently attended a Hawke's Bay English Teachers' Association (HBETA) meeting and a presentation on dyslexia got me and my colleagues thinking.

Do we read in pictures? Or do we read in our own voice?

I tend to read in the voice of the character, or the author, and that does include pictures. When I read students' work I read in their voice (if they don't have one I tend to comment on that and suggest they do). Apparently, I am a bit of a freak.

Seems most people read in their own voice. Hmmm. Who knew?

Love and peace - Wozza

Boil us down to our essentials - we're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams (Arab Strap)

Wie geht's?

The reading pile needed restocking so a trip to The Little Red Bookshop was in order this long weekend, with a stop off at the Plaza Bookshop for the Mark Manson book - recommended to me by Karen Boyes.

I'm currently reading Nicholas Nickleby and The Arabian Nights compilation of stories a chapter/story at a time, as well as the latest Mojo and Uncut (couldn't resist the lure of a Pete Townshend interview).

Funnily enough it's my latest Dickens' novel that I really itch to read after picking up the other items. I'm glad I'm reading him in my sixties. I'm not sure I would have appreciated the deft plotting and characters during my youth or the child rearing years or the last twenty-ish years of OE . Far too many distractions, commitments or adventures respectively during those parts of my life.

But now, now it's an unspeakable joy to put on some music and read Nicholas Nickleby; Red Garland, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderley, Coltrane or Monk all suit the mood extremely well - no vocals please - Dickens' prose is enough to absorb without someone else's verbiage.

Love and peace - WNP

“And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?” (Alice in Wonderland)

Bookshelves in the background at 18 Korma Ave.

Wie geht's?

While reading this pretty cool article about why some people read, and others don't, I quickly flashed back to our house in Korma Avenue, Auckland in the 1960's.

Not for the first time, and it certainly won't be for the last time, I thanked God for allowing me to born into a home run by Dulcie and Graham Purdy.

There are many, many reasons why, but check this bit from the article:

Why some people grow up to derive great pleasure from reading, while others don’t. That why is consequential—leisure reading has been linked to a range of good academic and professional outcomes—as well as difficult to fully explain. But a chief factor seems to be the household one is born into, and the culture of reading that parents create within it.

Number 18 Korma Ave contained some impressive built in book shelves. I love that idea - that permanence of a place to put the books.

Many times I would gaze through the shelves, looking at the spines of the Doctor At Large, Hammond Innes, Alistair MacLean books, and many others while growing up. 

The culture of reading was important in our house - as I know it will be for Asher at Jade/William's place.

During the weekend, I collected all the books for children I have in my collection (some are mine, some are mum's, others I've accumulated) and put them in Asher's room at Maple Grove. 

Ready for him. 

Love and peace - Wozza (far left in the picture taken by dad, with my brother and the Adsetts - Lucy, Jack and Dulcie)

If I could save time in a bottle (Jim Croce)

Photo by Corey Blaz on Unsplash

Taking stock.

I gave myself two goals at the start of this year: 

1) Continuously work on a couple of post for each blog in advance, so that my writing improved (more drafting = more thinking = better writing).

2) Read 50 books in 52 weeks so that my reading discipline would improve (I love books but eeking out time to read has been an issue). 

Your focus determines your reality (Qui Gon-Jinn). 

These goals have been in the front of each blogging/reading week and that's lead to a certain impact on my psyche.


Not a bad thing (relentless positivity) but the clock was ticking all year and I did feel the pressure at times.

Time is always the issue. I knew it would be.

'Eeking' was the right word to use up there. Time snatched before school, after dinner, during found moments. Getting a balance has been tough!

Apart from 'me' time (that includes dancing to music time), there's relationship time, school work time (huge chunk of the week), making and drinking tea time, chore time, walking the dog time, project time (horse yards sort of stuff), eating meal time, socialising with colleagues time...you get the idea.

So, how did I do?

Hmmm. Not so well with the first. Although I still managed (for the most part) to maintain the post a day regime, I only managed to keep ahead of the publishing date with three blogs, but Wozza's Place and Baggy Trousers posts were often started the night before and second draft before posting in the morning. Not good enough!

But, there was great success with the second goal.

Week 47 is just getting underway. In the last month I've read two books and started another two. 

Book 46: Submission (Michel Houellebecq) from The Piggery (Whangarei). I really enjoy reading books in translation - they provide a great edginess. Houellebecq can be frightening. If you've never read him try this one for openers.

Book 47: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (L. Frank Baum) $2 from a Hospice shop in Waipu. Yes, the inspiration for the movie - great little book in its own right. 

Book 48: Platform (Michel Houellebecq) also from The Piggery (Whangarei). An exercise in examining a thoroughly unlikeable protagonist.

Book 49: Thank You For Being Late (Thomas L. Friedman) was mentioned at a conference earlier in the year and I noted the title, bought it online from Mighty Ape. Great - up there with Velocity (high praise indeed).

Book 50 (and onwards 51 -52): As I've mentioned previously - I want to finish the year (and this exercise) by re-reading the Gormenghast trilogy (Mervyn Peake).

Love and peace - Wozza