P.S

"P.S I'm going to the beach on Monday."

Found this line written in an old greeting card sandwiched between used books at tonight's Red Cross Bookfair.

It was a faded, spotted with age Mother's Day card signed 'Love Antony'. Must have been a bookmark displaced from its final resting place.

I wondered what the significance of the post script was, maybe a bach at the beach or old family home?

It made me sad that maybe this was all the communication between mother and son in a year.

Strange to catch glimpses of other people's lives in a greeting card at a bookfair of all places.

After shuffling around tables perusing book spines and walking around others fixed to their spot rather than give way, I stopped by the 'Children/Young Adults' section.

Several years ago, I gave away my large (150) collection of a particular young adults paperback series. I had written my name rather largely in the first page of each book.

I spied some of these titles on this table and couldn't help checking if they were mine. Instead each was printed with 'Corrine Brunt '84' inside.

Wonder if they'll ever resurface? Reminds me of how 'Love in the Time of Cholera' was used in the rather corny movie "Serendipity'.

My final haul from this year's bookfair included paperbacks: 'Valley of the Dolls', 'Once in a House on Fire' and 'Dreams of Leaving', couple of 'Your Home and Garden' magazines and a 'Pretty In Pink' movie soundtrack.

Hopefully will actually get around to reading them rather than becoming my latest decorative dust collectors before the next book fair.

Escape Portal

I've been on a reading frenzy lately. Every spare moment captivated by the printed page as the story twists and turns. Missing my bus stop, tuning out traffic, talking and even the TV- basically the outside world.

When reality gets too gritty, there is nothing like an escape. I've been wondering if its possible to escape reality fully.
Could we live in a detailed daydream, believing our situation is perfect? But then who are we really fooling, others or just ourselves?

In the book 'The Virgin' by Erik Barmack, the main character, Joseph reinvents himself for a reality dating show. Unfortunately he can't quite carry off the new and improved version 'Jeb', but he makes an interesting comment about lying.

"First, you need to believe the lie. And then you need to wish the lie into being, even if the lie is awful and you may want it erased a few seconds later....Liars hide nothing. We don't hedge. We believe what we say."

Lies always seem to unravel (in books and movies at least). Once the mirage is over, what is left. No wonder there are so many distractions out there, you really can take your pick.

Say its Friday night, the DVD store is busy with people browsing- keen to be entertained and waste a couple of hours.

Libraries always seem busy during the weekend. So you start browsing for that interesting book and digest every fictional synopsis. It draws you in, you want to know what happens, you're sold!
Sometimes I find all these mini summaries overwhelming when tired. I realise I don't care about any of the characters, they are all melodramas about someone else's life.

Maybe that's why its easy to cross the line between reality and imagination, it is someone else's drama/problem/situation not your own.

Immersing yourself in their lives for a few moments, a couple of hours or the weekend ends by closing the book,using the remote or just tuning out.
Shame real life doesn't come with its own pause button while we daydream.
It could come in handy.

At the Showgrounds

Sales are everywhere but can still be appear in rather unexpected places.

My friend and I were driving past the Showgrounds the other day and happened upon a book/cd sale. Of course, we were out of the car in a flash trooping towards the entrance.

Claudelands Showgrounds isn't the most glamorous of locations but it serves its purpose for the many travelling roadshows that appear in town for a day, weekend or a few weeks.
The main exhibition hall was filled with fold-down tables, some with price placards. It was roughly split into DVDs, CDs and books and a variety of people were milling about.
Music played over the speakers and several 'cashiers' in neon vests waited behind the front counter. An odd additional credit card charge was advertised maybe to dissuade the plastic fantastic.

There were popular CDs, wrapped compilation CDs all muddled together, after you had checked out a few aisles it felt like you were seeing the same stock over and over.
Same with the books, mainly fiction paperbacks but some 'how-to' coffee table books on offer.
DVDs were a bit of let down with very obscure and old titles in newer packaging. Several items caught my eye- a paperback I'd read a review for but never found and some CDs.
When purchasing, I asked how long they were here for and he said another 12 days. On the docket, it stated an Australian address.
The life of the travelling roadshow seller, a few weeks in different towns throughout the year. I guess one town looks like another when you're on the road.

Soon they'll be packed up and on their way. Something new will be here next week.