Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral

Author: Kris Radish

Publication Date: 2006

Category: Fiction

Who'll want to read it? Women. Possibly older women, who have teenage or older kids, but I think all women will get it.

Point of no return: The title. I saw it more than a year ago, but only just borrowed and read it. Now I want a travelling funeral!

Classic line: 'Laura: "Kind of psychic, Have this missing-daughter thing. Not happy in Chicago. Husband stuff okay."
Rebecca: "You know me, Marie. Stuck in reverse. Filled with loss. Tired of people dying. Feel as if the world has betrayed me. Have not been laid in way too long."
Jill: "You know me a little bit, too. A professor. Wallowing in self-pity. Closeted lesbian - My God, Marie. That's enough. I've never even said that out loud before."
Balinda: "Tired. Tired of sacrifice. Have also not been laid in a very long time. Desperately seeking my own life."
Katherine: "I'm going to laugh, Marie. Let's see ... Supporting the entire world has ruined my back. Missing my dead mother. Settling into life when nothing should be settled. There. That's enough. Are you happy now?"
...
Marie: "Obviously always very late. Can't let go. Too hard on myself. Need to take a course in spontaneity." '
pages 245-246

What's it all about? Annie Freeman dies, obviously. She doesn't want a traditional funeral, but instead plans a travelling extravaganza for five of her closest friends. Katherine, Jill, Rebecca, Marie and Laura only know each other through their connection to Annie. Some of them have not even met.

They are thrown together on this well-planned trip, spreading Annie's ashes in places that were special and important to her, usually turning points in her life. Along the way, they learn much about Annie, each other, and themselves.

This is a very American tale of sisterhood, but don't let that put you off. I picked it up because of the title, and was happy with my choice after reading the first couple of paragraphs, which describe the terrible tragedy of a dead bra. The rest of the first chapter, in which the owner of said bra mourns it with the UPS lady, just confirmed me in my choice. The rest of the book was likewise entertaining, heart-rending, insightful, and uplifting.

Publisher: Bantam Books

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.

One from the vaults... Letters from Lord Nelson

Compiled by: Geoffrey Rawson

Publication Date: 1949

Category: Adult non-fiction, history, letters.

Who'll want to read it? History lovers, romance and intrigue lovers. Anyone who'd like to learn how to write a letter.


I can't remember what I was looking for in our basement stack when I found this book. But I do feel  rather drawn to Lord Nelson, having stayed in his namesake hotel in Sydney several times. And then I couldn't help feeling deeply intrigued when I opened the book and found a facsimile of the first letter Nelson wrote with his left hand - fifteen days after having his right arm amputated in 1797.

It does feel a bit odd reading private letters that weren't meant for my eyes, but it is interesting. I didn't read the book from cover to cover, just flipped through different periods of Nelson's life between 1777 and 1805. Amidst the voyages, the battles, the promotions and the successes I found something I wasn't expecting - the story of Lord Nelson's love life. I didn't know Nelson had a scandalous affair with Lady Hamilton and cut off all contact with his wife.


In 1795 he had written to his wife "It is with inexpressible pleasure I have received within these two days past your letters,... I rejoice that my conduct gives you pleasure, and I trust I shall never do anything which will bring a blush on your face, or on that of any of my friends..." pg 100. And in 1797 "Rest assured of my most perfect love, affection, and esteem for your person and character, which the more I see of the world, the more I must admire.." pg 150.

Obviously Lady Hamilton challenged Lord Nelson's loyalty and allegiance to his wife at some stage. I felt so sorry for Lady Nelson reading this passage written to Alexander Davison in 1801:

"...You will, at a proper time, and before my arrival in England, signify to Lady N. that I expect, and for which I have made such a very liberal allowance to her, to be left to myself, and without any enquiries from her; for sooner than live the unhappy life I did when last I came to England, I would stay abroad forever." pg 322.

Although the whole saga of Nelson, his lover Emma Hamilton and Lady Nelson is fascinating, I found it was Nelson's letters regarding his voyages and battles and history making moments that had my heart pumping. Imagine being the recipient of this letter written on March 10, 1795: "To Mrs Nelson - We are just in sight of the French Fleet, and a signal is out for the general chase. We have but little wind, and unfortunately the enemy are in-shore of us.." And a report from April 1, 1795 "To Mrs Nelson - I am absolutely, my dearest Fanny, at this moment in the horrors, fearing from our idling here, that the active enemy may send out two or three Sail of the Line, and some Frigates, to intercept our convoy... In short, I wish to be an Admiral, and in command of the English Fleet.." pg 103.

The letters also cover Nelson's eventual promotion to Admiral, the Battle of Trafalgar and the leadup to his death in that battle in 1805.

October 10th, 1805 "My dear Blackwood, Keep your five Frigates, Weazle and Pickle, and let me know every movement. I rely on you, that we can't miss getting hold of them, and I will give them such a shaking as they never yet experienced; at least I will lay down my life in the attempt..." pg 453

October 19th, 1805 "To Lady Hamilton, My dearest beloved Emaa, the dear friend of my bosom... May the God of Battles crown my endeavours with success; at all events, I will take care that my name shall ever be most dear to you and Horatia, both of whom I love as much as my own life. And as my last writing before the Battle will be to you, so I hope in God that I shall live to finish my letter after the battle. May Heaven bless you ..." pg 453-4

Although Nelson completed some more diary entries, he was mortally wounded on the 21st October and did not finish the letter to Emma Hamilton. After reading bits of this book I found myself looking at other books and web-sites so that I could dig up more about Lord Nelson, Lady Nelson, Lady Hamilton and Horatia Nelson. That's what I love about books - how one volume can tease and inspire and lead you off in all sorts of directions.

Speaking of detours, below is a photograph I took outside the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel at The Rocks in Sydney a few years ago. It was a lovely day in May, with few clouds in the sky. It certainly wasn't foggy, so is the misty effect some ectoplasmic substance attached to one of the ghosts doing the rounds at The Rocks or is it just a trick of the light?

Publisher: Staples Press

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.

Love your library!

I know that I'm a little biased about libraries. They are, quite obviously, important to me. However, they are not just my livelihood. Libraries are an integral part of who I am.

My earliest memories of books and libraries are all wrapped up together. We had a library basket, a big cane one, that was always kept in the one place. We trooped to our local library every Saturday morning, as part of a ritual I have continued with my own family. Saturday is library-and-morning-tea-day. Although Newcastle doesn't have anything like the Moons Bakery of my memory (which may now reside in Uralla, and not in Armidale Mall), it certainly doesn't lack for places to buy good food to eat.

Neither does it lack for libraries. My local library is the beautiful Wallsend District Library, and if you haven't yet been, I recommend that you go. It is Newcastle's newest library, and well worth a visit. The exhibition space is always worth checking out, as is the artwork around the library - especially the charcoal drawing in the Young Adult area, and the storyboards for Puttikan hanging in the Children's Section.

But don't neglect the others! They all have their charm, and different selections. My parents continue the family routine at Hamilton Library, and New Lambton Library is wonderfully hectic on a Saturday morning, with the Toy Library (run by volunteers) downstairs. City Library houses not only the lending library on the ground floor, but also the Information and Research Centre on the first floor (with extended stack collection in the basement), and the Lovett Gallery and Local Studies Section on the second floor. Mayfield Library has quite a selection of horror books, and the gardens at Lambton Library are truly spectacular. I could go on about the other branches, but I really think you should go visit them yourself.

To get back to the point of this post...

As a lover of libraries, and everything they represent, I was extremely gratified to come across the following two articles. Although they touch on the same issue, they showcase vastly different perspectives. The first, a story about mysterious paper sculptures apearing in Scottish libraries, highlights how deeply libraries can inspire and influence someone on a very personal level. The second, about a successful campaign against the closure of libraries in Britain, shows that libraries are an essential service, and are there for everyone, no matter what age, race, gender, religion, ability, economic status, etc. For those of you who are legally inclined, you can read the full text of the decision mentioned in the second article here.

In a time when the finances seem to be continually stretched, book shops are disappearing, and everything seems to be online, I find it quite scary that libraries around the world are facing closure. Where will we go to use computers, if we can't afford them, or if our personal computers break down? How will our children learn valuable research skills, to expand their horizons, to explore and question? Where will we go to find a BOOK?

Enjoy your local library!

Alison’s Rocky Road Wreath

One of the recipes submitted at Wallsend District Library's Christmas Trivia.

Ingredients:

125g marshmallows, coarsely chopped
½ x 250g pack Arnott’s Choc Ripple Biscuits, coarsely chopped
½ cup unsalted chopped macadamia nuts
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup shredded coconut, toasted
50g unsalted butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
200g milk chocolate, chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
Glace cherries and spearmint leaves to decorate

Method:

• Grease a 20cm ring pan. Line base, sides and centre ring with baking paper.
• Combine marshmallows, biscuits, nuts, raisins and coconut in a large bowl.
• In a separate medium heatproof bowl, combine butter, dark and milk chocolate. Sit bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, and smooth. Pour into marshmallow mixture, stir until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down firmly.
• Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour over rocky road in prepared pan. Decorate with cherries and spearmint leaves. Refrigerate.
• Remove rocky road from pan. Wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon.

Never Ever Before

Author: Stephen Michael King

Publication Date: 2009

Category: Picture book

Who'll want to read it? Everyone!

Point of no return: The quirky little drawings leading up to the first page of text.

Classic line: "The shivering smalls huddled together... but the smallest smalls couldn't hold on at all and began to blow to who knows, far away."

What's it all about? Smalls float in the breeze, Big stands solid on the ground, providing a good place to lean for the wibbly wobbly Talls. When a wind starts to blow, stronger than never ever before, something wonderful happens.

Stephen Michael King's sense of whimsy is completely evident in this book. His beautifully colourful illustrations give us a sense of freedom and lightness, even in the face of disaster.

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Visit Newcastle Region Library's Catalogue and Website.