My End Of Year Haul Of Goodies!

 Today I went into the city to use up some of my gift card goodness. I had an eftpos gift card which could be spent anywhere, and which my friends Gaye and Robin gave me on Sunday, and a $200.00 Myers card which my school gave me at the end of 2018, when I officially left. It still has a year on it, but I decided that it would be wisest to get started on my spend before another year rushed past and I had nothing. 

I chose to spend my eftpos card on books - physical books, as it wouldn’t be spendable on line for ebooks. So I did one of my favourite things: I went for a browse around Dymock’s in the CBD, followed by gloating over my purchases in Ganache, a chocolate shop and tea room across the road.

 It’s something I did about once a term when I was shopping for my library. I did it then because, while booksellers drop into schools with their boxes of books, if you want something specific you either have to order it or, simpler, just go to the bookshop and find it. My Dymock’s trips were when I took book orders from the kids, made a list, picked up sequels to books they were reading and found new stuff I knew they would like. Then I’d have tea and chocolates at Ganache, and gloat over a book or two I had found for me; the school orders were left behind, boxed up and posted for a very reasonable rate. And next day I’d tell the kids anxiously waiting that their orders were on the way. 

Today, my Dymock’s adventure was just for me. I had $50 burning a hole in my pocket and was determined to spend the lot. On Thursday night I will, I hope, have Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic custom of reading new books on Christmas Eve. It was such a joy to browse in there today! 

I did ask for two books that I wanted. One was the new Benjamin January novel I mentioned in my last post, House Of The Patriarch. No luck with that; the only Barbara Hambly books they had were two volumes of the Darwath trilogy, which I read many years ago, and have already. The other was the new translation of Beowulf, about which I keep reading on line, the one which is done in modern language. No luck there either - they can get it in, but have to order from the US, which will take five weeks. “No thanks,” I said. “I want something today!” Besides, I have a Penguin edition and Tolkien’s translation. I can wait. 

I decided to get something Australian. First I checked out the true crime section, which usually has something worth reading. Today, there was nothing I wanted badly enough to splurge my gift card on. I wandered back to the crime novels and found a fair bit of Australian fiction, then to Australian history. I did consider a Peter FitzSimons book, but ended with a history of Melbourne by Robyn Annear, which is in a new edition, with an index yet! I will go back for the Peter FitzSimons book another time. 

Here are my two purchases! 

The novel is by Robert Gott, whom I knew very briefly when I spent a few weeks at Princes Hill Secondary College, where he was a teacher. He was writing then, but it was non fiction for school use. And now? Historical crime fiction, set in wartime Melbourne! I’ve started The Holiday Murders and am enjoying it so far, in spite of the gruesome murders to which the police inspector hero is called on Christmas Eve in 1943. 

I believe Bearbrass is something of a classic, but this is a new edition. It looks like good fun, and I know I will enjoy it.

I bought some kitchenware at Myers, because I love baking, but I still have over $150 of the $200 to spend. 

My final purchases were two pieces of fabric which I’m hoping to transform into nighties soon. I will be doing it by hand, as I have no sewing machine, so I hope I get at least one of them done before summer is over.

 

A nice day in the city!