It’s a simple idea, but one that has many benefits, and that can introduce children to something that they will hopefully develop a lifetime love for and continue to do for the rest of their lives. What is it?
The Australian Reading Hour, this Thursday, the fourteenth of September, is the day we are all encouraged to stop what we are doing for an hour and pick up a book and read – by ourselves, to any children in our lives or in a group at work, at a library, or at home. It is a time for Australians of all walks of life to rediscover or introduce themselves to the joy and magic of reading, and to share this with those around them.
Reading can benefit children and adults: in children, reading has been shown to help them form an identity, and set them up for success in the future, and in adults, it can help to reduce stress by 68%, more than listening to music, going for a walk or having a cup of tea.
As part of the initiative, The Australian Reading Hour encourages booksellers, libraries and teachers to do any or all of the following:
- Organise reading events
- Coordinate author events,
- Promote the initiative in store and on social media, something that readers and book bloggers can do actively as well,
- And promote their favourite Australian books.
To participate in The Australian Reading hour register here and designate one hour of your day on the fourteenth to reading something you enjoy, in the format you enjoy. I haven’t elected my hour yet but hopefully I will be reading a review copy of A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill, and if not, another Australian book. The book does not need to be Australian but this even can help promote reading Australian authors just as much as it promotes reading, and will hopefully give readers the chance to explore a new book and find new authors that contribute or have contributed to our sense of being Australian through our literature over the past centuries.
The Australian Reading Hour is sponsored by: The Australian Society of Authors, Australian Library and Information Association, Australian Publisher’s Association, Australian Bookseller’s Association, Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, Australian Literary Agents Association, ACT Government Libraries, NSW Public Library Associations, Northern Territory Government, Northern Territory Library, Queensland Public Libraries Association, Government of South Australia, State Library Public Services, Tasmania: Explore the Possibilities, Learn, Discover, Access, Public Libraries Victoria Network, Public Libraries Western Australia.
A Letter From Italy opens with Rebecca bidding a fond farewell to her husband Jack before he departs on a journalistic assignment, leaving her in Italy, where she must wait for him to return, whilst working on her journalistic career, and finding stories that will see her departure from the Women’s Pages of the newspaper she works for to the serious, hard hitting journalism that at the time, was seen as the domain of the male journalist, as was the role of war correspondent, reporting on all aspects of the war, whereas Rebecca was encouraged to report on what affected the home front and women, rather than the battles and bombings that destroyed lives. Using her knowledge of the area and a kind hearted American photographer with Italian heritage, Sandro to help her, Rebecca starts writing stories that matter, and sends them to the newspapers, whilst hoping her husband is still alive, and showing the male journalists that she can cope. Her feminist views come out when young Italian girls are surprised at how many rights she has as a woman, that she can vote – and that she doesn’t need to do what her husband says.
Since 2015, one of my favourite series has had illustrated editions released for each book, and this year not only marks the twentieth anniversary, already discussed in a previous post, but a
new addition to the already released illustrated editions:
illustrated editions, Jim Kay has illustrated the story, and brought iconic aspects of the novel, such as the Knight Bus, seen here on the cover, to life. This hardback edition will have a ribbon marker, head and tail bands, illustrated end papers, and has over 115 colour images. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite of the series, and I can’t wait to see the illustrations to accompany the Dementors and the Boggart scenes.
Title: Bone Gap
