sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Squidoo, Bookweek and Even More About A & R

by

Not content with two blogs (this one and Pemberty’s Ponderings), two websites (my author site and Aussiereviews), last night I decided to have a go at Squidoo, and created a new lens Rhyme Time, which focuses on rhyming books for children. At present it’s mostly a collection of links, but I’m thinking I might also include some reviews of rhyming books. I’m pretty passionate about good rhyme.

The discussion of the A & R issue continues. The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has issued a statement urging bookbuyers to boycott Angus & Robertson stores.
On Making Light Teresa Nielsen Hayden has blogged about the two letters, and generated lots of discussion. Finally on Crikey, A & R has posted a response, ‘setting the record straight’.

In the meantime, as I said in my last post Children’s Book Week is coming up. Yesterday I stuffed thirty envelopes with Pemberthy Bear bookmarks to send to local schools to celebrate the big week. So if you’re in a school closish to Corrigin, look out for them.

Pemberthy Sightings

by

With no new Pemberthy sightings for a while, I’ve done some more online digging and found him at more libraries. I love thinking of Pemberthy being available at libraries, where kids can discover him and take him home for a week or two. Anyway, Pemberthy can be found at the Woolgoola and Coff’s Harbour libraries (though the latter is on loan) – these are the burgundy and lime green maps in the north of NSW. In Melbourne, the Bentleigh and Caulfield libraries each have one copy whilst the Carnegie Library has two. These four dots have been added to Melbourne, which is getting nearly as dotty as Brisbane!

And, for the first time, I’ve found Pemberthy in the Northern Territory. In Darwin, he’s in the Casuarina and City libraries, and he’s also in the Palmerston and Katherine libraries. Those are the four new dots in the Northern Territory – that’s the state in the middle of the map in the north.

So, with the ten new dots added, the map now looks like this:

I’d love to see more and more dots showing where Pemberthy can be found, so if YOU have seen Pemberthy – in your home, your local library or in a bookstore, be sure to let me know and I’ll add a dot!

Aussiereviews Update

by

Have just added 11 new reviews to Aussiereviews, again all children’s and young adult titles. Though I didn’t review it, one of my favourites in this batch is Night of the Fifth Moon, a new fantasy title by Anna Ciddor. I didn’t review it for Aussiereveiws because I’ve recently done so for Reading Time magazine. Anyway, this is a wonderful fantasy offering.

For younger readers my favourite from the batch is The Aussie A to Z, a fun picture book by Heath McKenzie. There are so many Aussie icons on every page. I see something new every time I read it to Murphlet 6, who loves it, too.

Anyway, enjoy!

Lots More Pemberthy Sightings

by

I’ve been surfing the net and have spotted lots of copies of Pemberthy in libraries. How wonderful!


The Bayside Library Service in Melbourne has not one but THREE copies – two in the Beaumaris Library and one in Brighton. And, joy of joys, my search of their catalogue showed they are all on loan.


The Brisbane City Library Service has FIFTEEN copies of Pemberthy. The Ashgrove Library, Bulimba Library, Coopers Plains Library, Everton Park Library, Grange Library, Indooroopilly Library, Sunnybank Hills Library and the Sandgate Library have one copy each, whilst the Carindale Library, Fairfield Library, Grange Library and Inala Library have two copies each. Nine of the copies are out on loan.

I’ve added the new dots around Melbourne and Brisbane. They’re both looking pretty colorful and very dotty now.

In Western Australia, I found Pemberthy in seven libraries. In Perth it’s in the Battye library, the Bayswater Library and the Dianella Library. In country Western Australia it’s in the Busselton, Katanning, Mount Barker and Kojonup libraries.

It’s wonderful to see so many spots in my home state. Come to think of it, Pemberthy is also in the school library in my town, so I’ve added a dot for that, too. It’s pretty cool to see my students borrowing my books from the library.

I’ll be checking out more libraries to see where else Pemberthy can be seen, but in the meantime if YOU have seen Pemberthy, drop me a line or leave a comment and I’ll add a dot. If you’ve just tuned in and am wondering what I’m on about you can read about my quest to record Pemberthy sightings here.

3 Days to Harry Potter

by

Only three days till the final instalment of Harry Potter goes on sale. The older Murphlets are pretty excited and are trying to convince me that we need two copies so that we can all read it before the ending is revealed online or in the media.

Yes, I’ll admit I’m a big fan of the series. I do think I’ll be able to survive post-Harry, but I have enjoyed the series. Back when the first title came out, I remember no hype at all. The first I knew of it was when Murphlet 1 came home with a copy borrowed from his friend Nathan, who had just returned from a holiday in England. I remember Murphlet 1 loving it, but didn’t pay much attention to the book myself.

I only started reading the series after the third title came out. I bought the first three for the Murphlets and then proceeded to read them – three in three days, after which time I emerged from a fog and was glad to see the world had carried on without me and my kids were all safe.

Since then I’ve awaited each new release almost as keenly as the older three Murphlets. It’s a funny thing, but Murphlet 4 shows little interest in the series. I suspect it’s because the movies drew him in before he was old enough to attempt the books, and now he feels like he knows what’s going to happen, thus why read the books. He’s not the biggest reader in the family, anyway, preferring short, funny books.

Back to Harry. No, it isn’t the most brilliant book (or series) I’ve ever read, but they are highly enjoyable and I’ll be buying at least one copy on Saturday morning and trying to get it read asap. I’ve been trying to predict just who it is that will die. I’m a bit torn between thinking JK won’t kill Harry off, because readers want to see good overcoming evil and Harry triumphing, and thinking that he’ll have to die in order to vanquish Voldermot – ie they both die, with Harry making the sacrifice for the good of all.

Murphlet 3 is predicting Ron and Lupin will be the two to die. I hope not – I like Ron. But he also thinks Voldermort will die – so that makes three characters. Hmmm.

Maybe Snape will die, after (or in the process of) proving that he isn’t really a baddie and has really been a good guy all along. I’ve always thought Snape will be proven to be good, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, it isn’t long to wait and see. In the meantime I’ve writing to do and marking to do and reviews to complete. Busy busy busy.

Aussiereviews Updated

by

I’ve just updated Aussiereviews with thirteen new reviews, all children’s and young adult books. Probably my favourite in this batch was Dragon Moon, by Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog), the final title in the Dragonkeeper trilogy. I was at the launch of the first title at the CBCA conference in Hobart in 2004, and remember Gary Crew singing its praises. He said something along the lines that the book would be the making of Carole and of Black Dog (I hope I haven’t misremembered this). I agree with him. This whole trilogy has been just beautiful, and, though Black Dog do produce oodles of good books, these are the nest.

Murphlet three enjoyed the two Jackie French books – Rotters and Squatters and Gold, Graves and Glory – which he read while he was sick and subsequently reviewed for the site. He gets a buzz out of reviewing for me, and his mother gets a buzz out of having a son who shows writing talent and an interest in what I do.

My ftp has been slow uploading the new pages today so while I was waiting I went back and looked at some my older reviews – the very first ones I wrote for the site, actually­ ­­­­– and fixed some typos and broken links. It was pleasing for me to see that my reviewing skills have grown since I started the site. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since I’ve written over a thousand reviews over the years. When I started the site I had no idea just what it would evolve into, but I’m pretty proud of it.

I think if you can look at what you’re doing and feel proud of it, you’re doing okay.

sallymurphy.com.au