#booksinourhands: April
Greyhounds, octopus and seeking the creative muse
Over on Instagram I have a little account that haphazardly tracks some of the books I read. It’s called booksinourhands and it’s a love letter to the joy of holding books, smelling them, feeling their pages, and spending time curled up in armchairs, away from screens. The thing I love most about it is when people occasionally use the booksinourhands hashtag to share what they are reading with me. If you’re over on Instagram, please feel free to use it and tag me (or comment below).
I’ve been enjoying bringing a bit of the #booksinourhands flavour to Substack. Here are the books I read in April.
#booksinourhands: April
Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan | It’s the 1970s and Andie Tanner is 12, growing up in suburban Brisbane, Australia. She lives with her mum and dad, along with their four greyhounds. They are a family of dog racers and gamblers and with the oversight of Andie’s adult narrator and the innocence of her 12 year old self, we navigate tv dinners and school yard bickers and domestic upheaval with a gentle, childlike clarity. The horrific world of the greyhounds is kept just out of reach: when dogs disappear we are - thankfully, like Andie at age 12 - naive to their fates. For the dog lovers among us, this is a small gratitude. This is the kind of book where nothing happens, and yet everything happens, as in life. I was buoyed by Andie, worried about Andie and delighted by Andie throughout.
Octopus by Richard Schweid | Octopus both amaze and disgust me. This book is part of a larger nonfiction ‘Animal Series’ and is a true informative based nonfiction book - fitting the definition of ‘nonfiction’ you learnt about in primary school. I felt like this book was a real page turner, but you might feel otherwise. (Other books I have read featuring octopus: The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. Books I still want to read featuring octopus: The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle, Other Minds by Peter Godfrey Smith.) Have I watched My Octopus Teacher? Yes. Again and again and again.
Art Work by Sally Mann | A meandering and insightful book about an immensely creative life that felt real. I was highly engaged during some chapters, while others felt a little long-winded. I loved see extracts of letters and photographs and the ‘behind the scenes’ vibe of the book. I adored seeing so many spelling mistakes in Mann’s typewriter letters. The authenticity of it.
Favourite book of the month:
January: Gentle and Fierce by Vanessa Berry
February: The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
March: The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall
April: Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
What did you read during April?
I’d love to hear about it.
About the author
Lucinda Bain is a contemporary Australian writer based in Melbourne, whose work explores motherhood, place, memory, suburban life and the natural world. Lucinda is mother to three daughters – a role that deeply informs much of her writing. She is currently studying librarianship at the master’s level, which complements her identity as a reader, writer, researcher and observer of how stories locate themselves in both home and landscape.