Being Bibliophilic With Sarah Simpkins

Check out Sarah's blog,
http://girlwithatopknot.blogspot.com.au/

Bibliophilism is the love of books. The love of inhaling the musty aromas accumulated in the texture of each individual page. The love of simply running your hand across the cover of a book and feeling connected to the world that within it. The simple and pure love of literature. Yes, I am a bibliophilie. I have realised I am not alone in this fetish, the more I get to know other people, the more I realise it is everybody's fetish. Everybody has at least one book they treasure and identify with. And for Sarah Simpkins it is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack. 

Fellow blogging extraordinaire, vegetarian and friend, Sarah Simpkins joined me today at the bookshelf along  with her trademark uncontrollable hair. We dabbled in all things delightful about books; including the smell (excluding wet ones),  literature we deem to be quality (naturally excluding Jodi Picoult) and the book hotspots around Brisbane (which sadly, now, excludes Borders). Perhaps most importantly we explored the complexities of Sarah's most treasured, and favourite piece of literature. 

The Book Thief written by Australian author Markus Zusak was the first book Sarah became emotionally attached to. It made me cry like a baby, she reminisces. After merely reading a three sentence summary on Wikipedia, I too am almost an emotional wreck.  The book is set in Nazi Germany... it describes a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of the neighbourhood, a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II (Wikipedia). As an adopted tradition from some lame movie Sarah re-reads her favourite novel every single Christmas; it endures me she ponders. Sarah has read the novel three times. Indeed, with numerous awards and a listing on the New York Times Children's Bestsellers for the past 253 weeks, The Book Thief clearly has something more than an emotionally driven plot. 

It is unlike anything else I have ever read for one thing who the hell is narrating it? And everyone swears. According to Sarah the novel is a rampage of German swearing. As a rather rubbish but enthusiastic German student, I suddenly become angered that this book has slipped under my radar. Sarah reassures me that the harsh language is executed with good intentions. It is all loveable swearing, you know you are good friends with someone when you can swear at them and they don't get offended. With foreign foul mouthing, mysterious narrator and historical knowledge it is easy to see why it has become Sarah's fav novel. Upon final reflection Sarah wisely acknowledges, The novel carries the message of being more open minded as it proves there are several dimensions to people. Dimensions that we may never discover.  

Some bibliophilic facts about Sarah Simpkins, aka Girl With a Top Knot (check out her blog). 

At the bookshelf with Sarah Simpkins

Sarah read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe while residing in China and purchased a Harry Potter  book for 10c at the black market in Bangladesh. She believes that the ideal bookshelf consists of Eating Animals Jonathan Saffran Foer as it is thought provoking, at least one Agatha Christie novel, the Twilight saga (you can't know what a good book is without reading the bad) and Pride and Prejudice as it is the basis for romantic comedies. In a game of burn, read and recommend Sarah; recommend Jane Austen, read Conan Doyle and burnt Charlotte Bronte. 

To seize a great plugging opportunity for an equally great project;  Sarah is working on a documentary involving books and women, yours truly is involved (so you know it's going to be a great).  

Terms and Conditions of a Loan from Kobi Blake Craig's Library

For me nothing arouses stronger hate than a person who destroys my books. Call me uptight and pretentious and curse about/behind/to me; I don’t care. Crease the spine of my paperback and I will rearrange your face. This is a legitimate threat.

I could not love my books more than a human child, this is a fully legitimate analogy. While, I may not kiss them all goodnight I don’t lend them to just anybody. To be loaned a book from Kobi Blake-Craig’s personal library you must meet the following difficult selection criteria.

a) Have made a public proclamation regarding a love of literature.

b) Demonstrate an adequate level of care for your own library.

c) Prove your ownership of a book mark.

d) Present proof that you have ever visited a library. The proof is acceptable in the form of a library card or library receipt. If the latter your name must be clearly visible along with a check out date no more than two years ago.
Due to my tough selection process I can probably only list on one hand people who I permit to borrow from my library.

Makes me want to rearrange my brother's face...

After what I now refer to as the Harry Potter Annihilation I only allow one third of my family members to read my books (that is one person). The Harry Potter Annihilation commenced on the god forsaken day my brother commenced reading the Harry Potter series. One by one, book by book he single-handedly destroyed the spine, pages and covers of my novels. Each time he finished one, he would swear it would never happen again. Sadly however he had a problem and my books suffered. Following this my mum openly admitted to the immense pleasure that dog earring a page gives her. Honestly, I 100% of the time I want to believe I am adopted. 

Don’t get me wrong, I like markings on books that have sentimental value. I love a good second hand book as much as the next person. However when someone screws with my books (as the French would say) merde is going down. It’s like when a dog marks its territory on your white fence; someone is going to get hurt.

So if you happen to be offered a book from my library, ever. Accept the loan, knowing that you have actually made it in life.

My Year With Christie

Today is a very historical day in my life. At sixteen years of age I have read all 80 of Agatha Christie’s novels.In case you haven't picked up on it yet, this blog makes me a very delusional person; I seem to be under the impression that people actually care about the insipid and only vaguely interesting events in my life. But I digress, the accomplishment of reading all Agatha Christie crime novels seems to me a very blog-worthy event. 

My choice reading material of this year has not been very socially acceptable; most girls at school still secretly pull out an installment from the Twilight Saga to stimulate them...  I have futilely tried to spread my Agatha Christie epidemic to my friends by lending them my novels. This task in itself is out of my comfort zone as my novels are my equivalent children. I could not love a human child more than I love my leather bound collection of Jane Austen’s works (legitimate analogy folks).  My library of Chrisite's were all returned politely in the same pristine condition..

This social rejection for my fetish did not deter me and in the past year I have filled my head with enough murder to make any sane person deranged (I had reached this mental state long before I commenced my Agatha Christie reading).  My slumber is filled of visions of me parading through the English countryside with Jane Marple on one side, a gun in my hand and murder mystery to solve.

As I approach these Easter holidays I am at a loss as to how I will spend my time. Given I have twice watched all the Agatha Christie film adaptations  the Holland Park Library has to offer, it hardly seems constructive to view them three times in a year.

Perhaps I will raid my Grandma’s movies; maybe Mary and I will have a Agatha-marathon.