Joseph Conrad
Secondly, although he was actually from Poland and Polish was his first language, he became a UK citizen and wrote really beautiful prose in English, his second language. There are not many who could do that.
But thirdly, and definitely my favourite, he apparently didn't like to read reviews of his work. What he did was measure the review with a ruler and the longer the review, the happier he was with it. Seems like a very sensible strategy to me.
Regent Book Sale
Everyone knows it is time for the 24-hour Regent book sale. It is now under way in Dunedin. Our boss flew down from Auckland yesterday to be ready for today's opening.
He needed to be picked up from Momona Airport and so, as you can see in the accompanying photo, a loyal employee of Hard to Find Books Dunedin headed out to collect him.
Another weird title
This is not a book about making and eating food that is good for your face or your skin. It is also not a book about how to make beautifying face masks. Either of those might justify the writing of a book with such a weird title.
But - and this is a big but - it is actually a book about how to waste hours and hours just to make plates of food look totally inedible. In fact, it would probably put you off your food so may help if you're dieting. Otherwise there appears to be no reason why anyone would ever consider this worthwhile.
However, someone called Christopher Salyers did and he has written a how-to guide. You want a totally pointless gift, pop in and pick up our copy - we won't be needing it.
More weird titles
A customer popped into the shop today and said he'd seen yesterday's title. His favourite is a book called It was On FIre When I Lay Down On It. I think it's a brilliant title - makes you envisage someone talking to a police officer in dubious circumstances. In fact, you could easily add, "It was on fire when I lay down on it, honest, Guv!"
If I'd thought of the title, I would definitely have written a book. No idea what this book is about but let us know if you do. It's written by Robert Fulghum. I think it trumps yesterday's weird title and is the winner so far this week.
Keep trying to remember any good ones you've come across.
Weird Book TItles
While working out the back amongst our internet stock last week, I happened to spot a book with a title that made me smile. It's probably happened to all of us at some stage when in a book shop or a library or while perusing someone else's book shelves.
How about this one:
Fish Are Such Liars
I didn't even stop to look what it was about. I just smiled and carried on. But later I thought it might be quite interesting to scout around for strange or amusing titles and/or for those kinds of books where you wonder how on earth anyone could ever have thought it was worth writing such a book or that it would ever find a reader or a buyer.
Anyway, Fish are Such Liars starts this week's theme of oddities. The book is by Ronald Pertwee and turns out to be fiction rather than fishing. I was envisaging some angler reminiscing about catching (or not) wily trout but it was not to be
Last of the famous opening lines
If you looked on our Facebook page yesterday, you will have seen that the quote was from The God Boy by Ian Cross. He's a well known New Zealand author and it's a great book. Get yourself a copy if you haven't read it yet. It is highly recommended.
And to finish off the week, here are the last few opening line challenges. Hope you've managed to get most of them (or at least kicked yourself metaphorically when you saw the answers)
1. It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain, he fell in love with him.
2. Someone must have made a false accusation against Josef K, for he was arrested one morning without having done anything wrong.
3. The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.
Answers
Joseph Heller / Catch 22
Franz Kafka / The Trial
LP Hartley / The Go-Between
And yet more first lines
Here are today's three opening lines. Answers are at the end. One of these is my own favourite.
'Take my camel, dear,' said my Aunt Dot as she climbed down from this animal on her return from high mass.
Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small, unregarded yellow sun.
We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.
And if you checked out our Facebook opening line challenge, you will see that the book was Faces in the Water by Janet Frame. All the books mentioned here are available in our shop or on line. If you haven't read them, you should give them a go.
1 Rose Macaulay The Towers of Trebizone 2 Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
3 Margaret Atwood Handmaid's Tale
Some more opening lines
If you took the Facebook challenge yesterday, you may have struggled a little to identify the book. It was Noel Virtue's The Redemption of Elsden Bird (see attached picture). If you haven't read it, pop into the shop and get a copy - it's a great book.
Also check out the new challenge of opening lines now on our Facebook page (much more difficult than the ones here).
For today, here are three more really famous opening lines - answers below but no peeking.
All children, except one, grow up.
Marley was dead, to begin with.
It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears' house. Its eyes were closed.
JM Barrie Peter Pan, Charles Dickens Christmas Carol, Mark Haddon The Curious Incident of the Dog .....
