Wednesday 3 December 2014

Farewell First Tuesday Children's Book Club


About five years ago, I was one of the founding members of the First Tuesday Children's Book Club


Since then, we've met in various rooms in the Abbotsford Convent. Sometimes in the yellow room, sometimes in other spaces, but mostly in the room we knew as Mother Superior's Chamber. (Recently it's been renamed but I'm always going to remember it as Mother Superior's Chamber).


It's a great place to meet. It's been a wonderful thing to meet regularly with a bunch of enthusiastic others to talk about children's books.

Towards the end of this year, I made a decision to withdraw from the group. Not because of any failure or challenge in the group, but because I found my year just too full and needed to pull back on something. And unfortunately, book group was it. I'm already wondering whether it's a good idea. The withdrawing that is.


Yesterday, one of our members (thanks Heather) organised a tour of the State Library before lunch. Cathy, one of the SLV librarians, was our guide. It's such a rich and wonderful place that our tour could only hint at its treasures, but it was enough to remind me how much I love this place.


These spiral stairs allowed librarians access to all the books that were held in these balconies. Fit they must have been.


This is an image from one of the books on display in the 'World of the Book' permanent exhibition.

After our tour, we had lunch at The Moat, in Little Lonsdale St, where they gave me a beautiful notebook and pen.

I am so grateful to have been able to meet regularly with these knowledgeable, warm and wonderful people to discuss so many wonderful books. I will very much miss our meetings, but am happy in the knowledge that many more books will receive such respectful and intense attention. Thank you to them all.
Thanks too to Jaz for these photos.

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