Kylie Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The Basics:Full Name Kylie LoweAge 32Location Penrith, New South Wales, AustraliaMarital Status/Children Not married, but have a partner. No kids. Date You Joined The Book Club Forum 9 February 2007Favourites:- Favourite bands/singers? The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Donovan, Bob Dylan, The Mamas and the Papas, The Kinks, The Monkees, Cat Stevens, The Cat Empire, Kate Miller-Heidke, The White Stripes, Jack White...- Favourite movies? The Shawshank Redemption, Girl Interrupted, Pleasantville, Harvey, Hair, Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music, Grease, The Long Long Trailer, Dead Poet's Society, The Third Man, Boogie Nights, The Time Machine, The Day of the Triffids, The Planet of the Apes, Citizen Kane, The Philadelphia Story, When Harry Met Sally, Dog Day Afternoon, Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise, Almost Famous, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, It's a Wonderful Life, Young Frankenstein, anything by Alfred Hitchcock and Simon Pegg...- Favourite books?A Tale of Two Cities Charles DickensTo Kill a Mockingbird Harper LeeCatch-22 Joseph HellerPride and Prejudice Jane AustenOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken KeseyDracula Bram StokerFrankenstein Mary ShelleyLolita Vladimir NabokovFear and Loathing in Las Vegas Hunter S ThompsonA Clockwork Orange Anthony BurgessIn Cold Blood Truman CapoteAnimal Farm George OrwellThe Book of Evidence John BanvilleThe Book Thief Markus ZusakTomorrow series John MarsdenJane Eyre Charlotte BronteThe 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear Walter Moers- Favourite authors? Jane Austen, Hunter S Thompson, Joseph Heller, Charles Dickens, John Marsden, Walter Moers, Vladimir Nabokov, John Banville, George Orwell, Truman CapoteThe Book Club Forum's Rise and Future... - Why did you join The Book Club Forum? I can't remember exactly, but I suspect I searched for a book forum and...voila! - How did you become a member of the Mod Squad? I was very honoured to be asked by Michelle in April 2012. - What is the most gratifying part of being staff at The Book Club Forum? I like being able to give something back to the forum that has given so much to me. - What makes you happiest about the site? The lovely people and the many friends I've made here! You all always make me smile and laugh. I've received a lot of support from everyone when I was going through some tough times, and of course I love talking about books! I don't have many people in my 'real life' that I can discuss books with, so this site is like a big fix for me. I visit at least several times a day to catch up. - What is your favourite section of the Book Club Forum and why? I love the reading blogs. The beginning of the year is especially great because everyone posts their new lists for the coming year, and it's great fun reading through them all (and setting up my own!) My favourite thread is the Book Activity thread - it's a great summary of what everyone has been getting up to. I also love to catch up with the various reading challenges, regardless of whether I'm participating in them. I also enjoy the Last Film You Saw thread - I love seeing what everyone has been watching and getting recommendations for new and old movies to see.A little more about Kylie:We all know you love reading, but what kind of books do you most enjoy and why? I probably enjoy classic fiction more than anything (for me, that's books written before WWII). I particularly like the older style of writing - it seems more poetic to me (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens). I read most genres but read little in the way of chick lit and crime. In recent years I've developed a big interest in auto/biographies (mostly by authors, but occasionally actors) and letters, diaries, essays and journals by various authors. My favourite sub-genre is dystopian fiction, including books such as 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and A Clockwork Orange. I've also developed a love of reading books about books. These include trivia about authors and books, bookish quotations, histories of libraries, books and reading, book recommendations, and reading diaries by the famous and not-so-famous. One other sub-genre that I've 'discovered' in the past couple of years is Oulipo, which stands for 'Ouvroir de litterature potentielle', or the 'Workshop of Potential Literature'. Now, I have no easy way of explaining this, so I'm going to quote Wikipedia, which explains it as 'the seeking of new structures and patterns which may be used by writers in any way they enjoy'. That's probably not helpful. See this Wikipedia article for more info. It was a group formed by French writers in the 1960s, comprising such brilliant writers as Italo Calvino and Georges Perec. Goodreads has a list of Oulipo books as voted by readers, so you can see some more recent examples (Ella Minnow Pea, Cloud Atlas...basically any books that have really unique writing styles).Which book do you most often recommend to others and why? My first thought was Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which is a book I think everyone should read. But I think most people don't need much encouragement to read it. Going by my recent efforts, I'd have to say Joseph Heller's Catch-22. It's not a book that everyone will love, unfortunately, but it's a very unique and special book, and I think everyone should give it a go (a decent go - don't give up after the first few chapters!). I'll also take this opportunity to plug another book that not nearly enough people have read: Walter Moer's The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. It's gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. It's the best recommendation I have ever received from the forum (thanks Weave!)What other interests do you have and what drew you to them? I don't have time for many of my interests these days, but I do enjoy mosaicing, which is something I stumbled across at a craft fair years ago. I took home a little kit and was hooked by the time I had finished it. I've only managed a few projects since then, mostly gifts for others, but I have a couple of big ideas brewing for mosaics for my house. I was also a member of my local branch of the State Emergency Service for several years. We get called out when storms/floods have damaged properties, and we cut up fallen trees, patch up roofs etc. We also search for missing people and assist firefighters when they need us (and they assist us when we need them). There's also a lot of community work and fundraising activities involved. My favourite outdoor activities include bushwalking and bike riding. I also like long road trips, exploring new/secondhand bookshops that I've never been to before (and, of course, bookshops I regularly visit) and live music/musical theatre shows.Tell us three unusual and interesting things about yourself? 1. Despite the length of this chatty post, I'm really rather shy. I have few friends and talk very little unless I know the person I'm with really well. The more people around, the less I talk. I recently started working from home, so I'm even more of a recluse now. I talk to my cat, but he always ignores me. I'm definitely going to become the stereotypical crazy old cat lady one day. My social skills have somewhat improved in recent years, so I'm not so painfully shy, but I still prefer being alone and I dislike crowds of people. 2. I love everything about the 60s and am often told that I was born in the wrong decade. 3. In 2011, I landed my dream job of doing freelance editing and proofreading from home. This was a glorious change from commuting hours to and from my desk job in the city, which I hated (both the commute and the job). Excuse my rambling and any typos please. I haven't re-read my answers properly. Frankie, if any of my answers look suspiciously like yours, it's because I copied and pasted your post and replaced your answers with mine. If there's anything I forgot to delete, let me know (after you've finished laughing at me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hello A.Mistress O'Books! A few questions for you if you don't mind?.......... What is your number one favourite thing about the 1960's? What has been you biggest challenge faced in your time with the SES? Have you ever thought of living somewhere else, and if so, where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Frankie, if any of my answers look suspiciously like yours, it's because I copied and pasted your post and replaced your answers with mine. If there's anything I forgot to delete, let me know (after you've finished laughing at me). Well, Cat Stevens is on your list! That was MY answer!! I actually copy+pasted Jänet's intro post on a Word document and then replaced her answers with mine But I did a little underlining, bolding and coloring of my own, so the greenish bold titles are definitely my influence Question: If you could dine out with three authors, who would you want to dine with? And which already deceased three authors would you like to come and 'haunt' the dinner party? (In a nice, haunty way) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi Chrissy! I don't mind at all (I forgot to add that it's OK to ask questions!) You might be sorry you asked, though. I do prattle on, don't I?! 1. My favourite thing about the 60s: THE BEATLES!! I'm rather obsessed with them, and have been since about 12 years of age. I adore everything about them: their songs, the guys themselves, their entire story - basically everything related to them. At last count, I had around 50-60 books about them. Believe it or not, they're not even same-ish. They all provide unique points of view and focus on different aspects of the Fab Four. In 2004, I flew all the way to your neck of the woods just to visit the Beatles festival in Liverpool. I was 22 at the time and went by myself. I had the time of my life and visited all the Beatles-related sites I could get to (childhood homes, movie locations, recording studios, pubs they frequented, schools, graves etc). I remember entering The Cavern for the first time with goosebumps and tears in my eyes (yeah, I know it's not the original Cavern, but it's close enough!) I took along a white suit and dressed as John Lennon to walk across Abbey Road (oh dear, I'm really showing my nerdiness now!) I have a Beatles clock in my kitchen, which often puzzles people because it doesn't work (I purposely leave the batteries out because I hate ticking clocks). I have a replica of the poster John used for the lyrics of Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite hanging in my library, and a poster of the Fab Four over my bed, not to mention countless jigsaw puzzles and other bits and pieces I picked up from England. 2. I've faced a lot of physical challenges in the SES because I'm not as strong as the men. I hate feeling weak beside them and having to ask for help! I've also struggled a bit mentally and emotionally. Mentally, I'm not very good with learning and retaining knowledge about tools and practical things. There's a lot to learn and unless we go over and over and over it, I have a hard time retaining the information. This rattles my confidence and makes me feel very stupid (especially next to my ex, who was an engineer and for whom this stuff came naturally). Emotionally, it can be difficult conducting searches for missing people. It's not a nice feeling wondering what you might find. 3. I'm not big on change; I've lived in the same area my entire life! That said, there are a few places around New South Wales that I would consider moving to - mostly in bush or mountainous areas. My folks are moving up north soon, and maybe I'll follow them in a few years' time. They're moving to a small country town and there's some lovely countryside up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Awwh, you have the same middle name as my Auntie did. Anyway, I'll be back later to contribute something more than that fleeting comment - and I'm coming armed with questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I think it's wonderful news that you're a mod now Kylie, you'll be great 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) congrats on the mod job Kylie! Edited May 2, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hello Kylie, Lovely to read about you! But what is it with all of you and your love for A Tale Of Two Cities? Catch-22 is another book I'm scared to start - having read a few pages a few years back, and not understanding much - but after reading what you've written aove, I'm motivated to try again. (After I finish A Tale Of Two Cities - if I ever do!) And here's the same question I asked frankie : Who's you favourite fictional character(and why)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Yay! Many congratulations on being modded! I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Lovely to read about you! But what is it with all of you and your love for A Tale Of Two Cities? I dare to predict that you will understand when you've finished it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eliza1 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Oh your a mod now! yay, good for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiJayne Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Hi, Thank you for letting us all into your world, as most of the mods are from the UK, have you ever visited the UK? I’m new to the forum as of today and so far loving the forum, the admin and mods have done a fab job! It’s lovely to read more about you and your bookish interests 😃. I look forward to chatting some more and getting to know everyone here 🤗 📚 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 On 5/2/2012 at 8:37 AM, bree said: Hello Kylie, Lovely to read about you! But what is it with all of you and your love for A Tale Of Two Cities? Catch-22 is another book I'm scared to start - having read a few pages a few years back, and not understanding much - but after reading what you've written aove, I'm motivated to try again. (After I finish A Tale Of Two Cities - if I ever do!) And here's the same question I asked frankie : Who's you favourite fictional character(and why)? Looks as though Bree struggled with A tale of two Cities. I did, I found it monotonous and confusing too. Just my humble opinion, no wrong viewpoints, as we all know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 On 10/19/2023 at 7:38 AM, itsmeagain said: Looks as though Bree struggled with A tale of two Cities. I did, I found it monotonous and confusing too. Just my humble opinion, no wrong viewpoints, as we all know. I really liked it but I think it probably is the slowest Dickens book I’ve read, despite it being one of the shortest! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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