Why did you read this book? Kate Grenville is a great writer.
Has Jeremy read it? No.
42-word review: A beautifully written story about a First Fleet soldier and the events and influences, most notably friendship with an aboriginal girl, that change his life. I wasn’t sure the plot was believable until I realised it was based on a true story.
Overall rating: 4 constellations (out of 5)
Why did you read this book? Beckie wanted to read it, so I bought it for her as a present. She read it and said she really liked it. We share Kindle/Nook accounts, so.
Has Beckie read it? Yes.
42 word review: I’d seen an online review that spoiled a key part of book for me. Ideally you’d start reading knowing nothing about what happens. Trust me. It’s about family, and has some funny bits, but stands out mostly for being insightful and sad.
Overall rating: 5 red poker chips (out of 5)
Another adorable baby animal from Kangaroo Island.
This is one of the most back-and-forth ones we’ve had so far. Three issues:
1. Bumper is a splendid world. Say it five times out loud. You’re smiling at the end, aren’t you? At least I hope so, because if not, you are dead inside.
2. Even so, dodgem cars is probably better-sounding phrase. Nothing against bumper cars, except part of the beauty of bumper is what a taut two syllables it is. But dodgem cars has spunk and snap: fits great for an old-time attraction that’s still good for a kick at a carnival.
3. At a literal level, dodgem cars is completely wrong: the point isn’t to dodge the other cards, it’s to ram into them with glee. If you’ve spent five minutes in dodgem cars and haven’t had a collision, it’s not because you’re a great driver, it’s because you are being shunned. Bumper cars get the point of the activity spot-on.
Jeremy’s winner: Continue reading
Near Cape Leeuwin, WA
Why did you read this book? I’ve read most of Karen Joy Fowler’s books since enjoying The Jane Austen Book Club, and I was especially looking forward to this one based on the reviews.
Has Jeremy read it? Not yet.
42-word review: Rosemary’s family has a number of secrets that nobody is willing to discuss. This is a wonderful book about family, identity, memory and love. It’s best not to know anything about the plot beforehand, so I’ll just urge you to read it.
Overall rating: 5 family secrets (out of 5)
Why? Between Trip Advisor and Yelp and Goodreads and Amazon and Boardgamegeek and I-don’t-know-what-else, we use other people’s reviews quite a bit when making decisions. But we haven’t done much reviewing ourselves.
When we were on the New Zealand trip, we resolved to give Trip Advisor reviewing a go. As is my wont to turn casual notions into dramatic resolutions, I declared that we should have doing at least 100 reviews as our goal. (Username for our reviews: beckie+jeremy)
How’d it go? We’re somewhere in the 30’s at this point, I think, and mildly stalled. We’ll see if we make it. TA does what they can to provide you with feedback, in terms of sending you a thank-you for each review, having different sorts of “achievements”, letting you know when somebody clicks your reviews as helpful, etc.. And they do not take very much time to knock out. Still, it’s also not especially rewarding, and it’s hard to know how many people are going to actually read your review as opposed to just look at ratings.
Would you do it again? Of course, TA makes more sense if you are traveling. I’d still like to get to 100, so we’ll see how we integrate it into our next trip.
This adorable sea lion pup on Kangaroo Island had to stop and rest several times before making it down the beach.
Why did you read this book? I was looking for Australian books again.
Has Jeremy read it? No.
42-word review: At first, I didn’t like this story about a woman caring for a visiting friend who’s dying but won’t admit it, but it’s stuck with me. The characters are prickly and hurtful to each other, but their friendship and reactions are real.
Overall rating: 4 glasses of juice (out of 5)
I love unlikely animal friends, but especially these ones from The Onion. These animals who are not friends and have never met are also cute.
An immigration form for entering the US from outer space.
Here’s a heartwarming story about a man who’s made friends with his local Applebee’s on facebook.
Shouldn’t Cerebral Sentimental Girl Power Mockumentaries Based on Children’s Books About Horses exist?