What do we look for?

        What do we want from a book?

        I always get a buzz when I pick up a book I've never seen before. Always. Okay, not the ones about Embroidery or Politics or The Life Cycle Of A Squid, but ones that you normally seek out, and for me that's a biggish range, in both fact and fiction. But why? What are we hoping for?

        I'm steadily wading through my large assortment of Xmas presents, all happening to be Aus-lit, but they're not scoring well this year, which is why I'm doing this small soul-searching. Most of them are out of my bunch of Op Shop specials, a truly mixed bag, which I love to get, as my annual box is full of potential, a mish-mash of fact and fiction, and from all over. Diving into it is like panning for gold, but with a whole lot of over-the-sides so far, I must ask the question - What am I looking for? So, first, a Summary of the Rejects....

A 1995 Aus one-author collection of poetry -
     In strict meter and rhyme, and content like it wants to emulate Aus stuff popular in the 1880s, it's way too "Bards of the Bush" for me.

A 1992 Aus two-author collection of poetry -
    Same comment as above.

A 1984 Aus one-author collection of poetry -
    In a sort of loose verse, I'm sure the author knows what they're trying to say, but geez it misses the mark most times. I need poetry to paint a picture I can see on the page, and some are wayyyyyy too long to the point of sheer self-indulgence.

A 1984 Aus one-author collection of poetry -
    Just had another look and put this one aside, may pick out a few pieces one day soon, and see what you reckon. No, looked again, not much of it is interesting.

A 1941 Aus travel book -
    Promised much at a glance, published by Angus & Robertson, a 1912 young English emigrant does a 1936 round Australia, back when it was still pretty wild out there, but sponsored by a car and a petrol company on the strength of a couple of other similar publications. It was really stuffy. And a bit boring.

A 1978 Aus collection of anecdotes of a (presumably) well-known journalist of the day -
    It's just that, anecdotes of a working Sydney journo in the 70s, about people I either never knew or have forgotten. My elder brother tells a better story.

A 1984 Aus one-author collection of short stories -
    It's like writing for writing's sake, typing away because it makes the person feel good to see all that stuff go down on the page, goes on and on but leaves you mostly wondering what the point of the story is. If it has one.

A 1989 Aus one-author collection of short stories -
    A tad too much misery for me, tends to wallow in it. And the story structuring got on my quince.

        So, picky picky picky, but what do I want? I want a book to suck me in, get me involved, entertain, enlighten, educate, stimulate. None of the above did that. Do I ask for too much? Hell NO.

        Cheers....

                T.R.E.

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