To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Popular Penguin books, Penguin has released another 75 titles to bring the total number of books in this series to 174.

I’m a big fan of the Popular Penguins, particularly because they make classic and quality books available at an affordable price. The books are available at most Australian bookshops for around $9.95 and I have recently spotted titles at Big W for around $7. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing better than buying a good book, is buying a good book at a bargain price.

With the publication of the new titles, I’ve decided to revive my Popular Penguins Reading Challenge. It’s a perpetual challenge, so there is no time pressure. More than anything, I’m using this challenge as a way to motivate myself to pick up a classic occasionally and broaden my reading horizons.

If you would like to join in, you can sign up to the challenge at my Popular Penguins Reading Challenge post, where you can leave a link your sign-up post and come back to include links to any reviews you write of Popular Penguins titles. There is also a link to a spreadsheet that you can copy to keep track of your progress reading through the 174 Popular Penguins titles.

For a fun way to connect with the new titles, check out the competition running via the Australian Popular Penguins website. Match all 75 party guests with the book titles they represent and you’ll be entered into the competition to win 75 Popular Penguins of your choice plus a Mark Tuckey bookshelf to store them on. (Competition closes midnight, Monday 16th August 2010.)

How many of  the 174 Popular Penguins have you already read? What’s your favourite book from the Popular Penguins titles and what authors/titles would you like to see them include in the future?

I recently read Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 by Anita Heiss. The fictional diary of a 10-year-old Aboriginal girl taken from her family as part of the Stolen Generation, the book is written for children aged 10 or 11+.

I recommended the book to a friend who is a librarian for a primary school and her response was “we wouldn’t have a book about the Stolen Generation for our primary school students”.

I understand that the story of the Stolen Generation is a complex one and primary-school aged children are unlikely to be able to understand and/or process many of the political, social and historical issues involved. This book is specifically written for children in late primary school, however, and it deals with the issue from a more personal level that is appropriate and accessible.

Australia’s modern history is filled with stories that have confronting elements, yet these stories are available for students to read. Jackie French has written a wonderful series of books, the Animal Stars series, that includes stories of Australia’s involvement at Gallipoli and the ill-fated expedition of Burke and Wills. If these stories are acceptable for our children, I’m not sure that I understand why a book written about the Stolen Generation is not.

At times I am guilty of helicopter parent tendencies. It is sometimes hard to resist the temptation to shelter my children from the potential dangers and disappointments of the big bad world. I am also a firm believer in the phrase ‘knowledge is power’, however, and I have always tried to make sure my children are given every opportunity to understand the world they live in.

Do I wish that I never had to explain the Stolen Generation to my kids? Absolutely. I wish that it had never happened and that it wasn’t part of Australia’s history. Do I think my children should know about the Stolen Generation? Without a doubt.

I want them to understand that such things can happen when people choose to accept injustice simply because it is condoned by those in positions of authority. I want them to understand that the damage caused by such decisions can span generations and that even actions undertaken with the best intentions can cause hurt and confusion when the underlying assumptions are flawed.

I don’t think my children will come away from reading The Diary of Mary Talence fired up to fight social injustice. I do believe such books are part of web of information that gradually develops a social conscience however and I think this is a wonderful thing – that such information is available in a way that is age-appropriate. My children do have a sheltered and protected life and I think that such a life can lead to a very narrow view of the world if they aren’t made aware of the lives and stories and experiences of others that have lives different to their own.

Is 11 too young to read a story about the Stolen Generation (or refugees or terrorism or other socio-political issues)? How do you decide what issues and information you share with your children? Do you let them watch the news or read the newspaper? If so, do you discuss the things that they hear/read with them? I’d love to know what you think, so please leave a comment.

Related links:

Book review of The Diary of Mary Talence by Anita Heiss at RUD

I came a little late to the Bloggers Without Makeup party yesterday. I didn’t post a picture of myself makeup-free until quite late in the day. Why the delay? Well, I was home alone all day and the self-portraits I attempted were quite tragic. I also felt like I was coming down with my son’s cold and was hardly feeling at my best, makeup or not.

I am so glad that I did finally take part. As I commented in my Bloggers Without Makeup Day post, the encouragement and affirmation being shared by bloggers and tweeps yesterday was amazing. So many women took the time to visit the blogs of those who took part and leave encouraging comments. Score one for positive power of the internet.

Beyond the love shared in the #BloggersWithoutMakeup tweet-fest, for me the highlight was reading the stories of women who had struggled with themselves to actually take a cosmetics-free photo. So many women bravely overcame self-consciousness and long-term habits of covering up real and imagined blemishes and flaws to step up and stand tall.

I regularly found myself getting teary as I read how women agonised over showing themselves without the protective veil of make-up. The most touching posts were those by mothers who overcame their fear so that they could live the messages that they were speaking into the lives of their children – messages that promoted a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, and an ability to value themselves for who they are and as they are.

I have been reading tweets about Jessica Watson sailing into Sydney Harbour today after seven months at sea. This intrepid teen has taken on a daunting challenge and demonstrated that courage and determination can triumph over adversity.

In my mind, many of the women who ‘bared all’ for Bloggers Without Makeup Day have been just as courageous and determined, bravely overcoming their insecurities to support a worthwhile project and, as a result, support numerous other women who also struggled to share images of themselves as they really are.

To Jodie Ansted, the initiator of Bloggers Without Makeup Day, I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks. The past 36 hours has helped me to understand that I am part of a community of awesome women. I have found myself humbled, inspired, encouraged and blessed by the things I have read and I have met so many amazingly beautiful women.

If you haven’t already joined the Bloggers Without Makeup bandwagon, it’s not too late. Visit Jodie at Mummy Mayhem to include a link to your blog post when you’re done.

Related links:

• Bloggers Without Makeup Day 2010 article at Suite101
• Jodie Ansted’s BWM Day 2010 Thanks post at Mummy Mayhem
• Carol Duncan interviewing Jodie Anstead on ABC (radio) 1233 Newcastle

Jodie Anstead (@JodieAnstead) challenged bloggers and tweeps to join her on Friday, 14th May for a Bloggers Without Makeup Day. I could summarise her post on the inspiration for this day, but I’m feeling lazy and running late with my own BWM post, so you should probably just wander over to Jodie’s Mummy Mayhem blog and check out her post on Bloggers Without Makeup yourself.

Basically, Jodie has called us all to step out from behind the veil of cosmetics and photoshopping to celebrate ourselves in our natural glory.

I’m a bit late to the party since I tend to be the person behind the camera instead of in front of it. Finding a photo of me at all is difficult and sans makeup almost impossible. So, I’ve waited until my kids arrived home from school and asked my son to take a photo of me with my beautiful daughter. Not sure how wise this was, since she looks infinitely better without make-up than I do, but I like the photo so I’m going to use it.

Brace yourselves.

There, that wasn’t so painful, was it?

I love that this has been such a positive, community-building event. I have many friends who just look at me in confusion when I refer to other bloggers or twitter friends. They shy away from the internet as if it’s only purpose is as a tool for those with nefarious purposes seeking to prey on the weak and naive.

I think today proves them all wrong. While there are undeniably internet abusers, there is also a great deal of encouragement, support, friendship and empowerment to be gained from being able to connect with likeminded people all over the globe. Bloggers Without Makeup has been a wonderful event – women making themselves a little bit vulnerable and receiving support, encouragement, affirmation and affection from others for their effort. What’s not to love about that?

Congratulations Jodie for setting the Bloggers Without Makeup Day in motion. You are an inspiration, as are all the bloggers and tweeps that have taken part and encouraged each other with good will and humour.

It’s not too late to join in. Post a picture of yourself without makeup on your blog and/or change your twitter avatar to a makeup free image. Please visit the blogs of the brave ladies who have taken part today and offer them some encouragement as well. Search for #BloggersWithoutMakeup on twitter for a great selection of amazing women to support. Don’t forget to add your blog link on Jodie’s Bloggers Without Makeup Day post as well.

Once again, my vow to not buy any books has been a dismal failure. Behold my list of Books I Shouldn’t Have Bought But Did from the past month. Thanks to Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books for this book meme.

The Very Worried Sparrow by Meryl Doney – I bough this sweet little book to read with my daughter, who worries far too much.

The Betrayal of Bindy MacKenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty – I have recently read Moriarty’s latest release Finding Amelia, which I really enjoyed. I’ve seen this book recommended elsewhere. It’s part of a series, so I guess if I enjoy this one you’ll be seeing Feeling Sorry for Celia and Finding Cassie Crazy on my Books Bought lists in the future.

The Garden of Empress Cassia by Gabrielle Wang – I recently reviewed Gabrielle Wang’s latest novel Little Paradise (at Suite101 and Reading Upside Down) and enjoyed a wonderful hour chatting with Gabrielle as well. Gabrielle mentioned this novel during our chat and I picked up a copy to read with my daughter.

Indigo Blue by Cathy Cassidy – I loved Cassidy’s book Angel Cake and have been picking up other titles by this tween author as I find them ready for my daughter to read in a year or two. I spoke with Cathy Cassidy when she was in Australia last year and I loved her philosophy on writing books for 9 – 13 year old girls.

Rainbow Magic: Destiny the Pop Star Fairy – This is for my daughter’s birthday and features three stories in one book, a fluttering fairy bookmark and a page of fairy tattoos. It doesn’t get any better than that, right?

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome – I read Three Men on the Bummel many years ago and thought it was wonderful. I noticed this book on a recent visit to Suz’s Space second-hand bookshop online and couldn’t resist (obviously).

Coles Funny Picture Book No. 2 – Just one look at the cover takes me back to my childhood. How can you not love a book that has the following statement on the cover: ‘The happiness of mankind, the real salvation of the world must come about by every person in existence being taught to Read and induced to Think’. I was disappointed that this edition wasn’t quite the book I remembered, but it is lovely nonetheless and has become all the more interesting thanks to a book about the author I received to review - E W Cole: Chasing the Rainbow by Lisa Lang. I’m now on the lookout for Cole’s Funny Picture Book No. 1 and No. 3.

Cole’s Happy Puzzles – this collection of ‘Cole’s happiest puzzles and pictures… and picture-puzzles madly and happily edited by Cole Turnley and Merron Cullum has more of the optical illusions, word puzzles and hidden picture illustrations that I remember from the Coles Funny Picture Books.

My Story: Who Am I? – The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 by Anita Heiss – I recently chatted with Anita Heiss about her latest release Manhattan Dreaming (reviews at Suite101 and Reading Upside Down) and she mentioned this YA title, which deals with the Indigenous Australian ‘Stolen Generation’. I’ve included it on my book list for the April 2010 Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon.

My Place by Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins – I received a review copy of Making My Place by Nadia Wheatley about the process of filming the My Place television series and realised that I had never read the classic Australian picture book that is the basis for the series. It’s a wonderful book and I’m really pleased that I now have it for my children to read.

Rebecca at Just One More Page just posted about the Dymocks 2010 Booklover’s List.

I love a good list, probably because checking things off on a list makes me feel like I’ve somehow achieved something.

I’m inclined to agree with one of the comments on Rebecca’s blog that not all of the books seem to be worthy of a place on a ‘best’ list and there are certainly some books that should be there that aren’t. I’m not sure how the list was compiled, but if it was simply an online recommendation like the system in place to vote for the Dymocks Booklovers’ Best Kids Top 51, that would explain the fact that some titles seem to current new release favourites rather than long term popular novels.

Either way, it’s a list and that gives me an opportunity to check titles off and see how I’m travelling in a literary sense. I’ve included the list below with the titles I’ve read and those on my TBR. The Princess Bride is both colours because I am currently 3/4 of the way through this book. You can check out Rebecca’s list here or download the list yourself from the Dymocks website.

1 The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
2 The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
3 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
6 The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
7 To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
8 The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
9 My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
10 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
11 The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
12 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
13 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
14 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
15 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
16 Magician by Raymond E. Feist
17 Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
18 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
19 Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
20 The Host by Stephenie Meyer
21 Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
22 Atonement by Ian McEwan
23 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
24 Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
25 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
26 Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon
27 Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
28 The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
29 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
30 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
31 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
32 Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
33 Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
34 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
35 The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
36 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
37 Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
38 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
39 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
40 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
41 Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
42 The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
43 Persuasion by Jane Austen
44 Tully by Paullina Simons
45 Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly
46 Breath by Tim Winton
47 The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
48 Life of Pi by Yann Martel
49 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
50 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
51 Emma by Jane Austen
52 The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
53 The Bible�
54 Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
55 A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey
56 We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
57 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
58 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
59 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
60 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
61 People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
62 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
63 The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
64 Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
65 Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
66 The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
67 Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
68 Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
69 On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
70 The Princess Bride by William Goldman
71 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
72 Wicked by Gregory Maguire
73 Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
74 Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
75 Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
76 Dewey by Vicki Myron
77 Dirt Music by Tim Winton
78 Marley and Me by John Grogan
79 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
80 Dune by Frank Herbert
81 The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
82 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
83 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
84 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
85 The Road by Cormac McCarthy
86 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
87 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
88 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
89 Possession by AS Byatt
90 Finnikin of The Rock by Melina Marchetta
91 No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
92 Graceling by Kristin Cashore
93 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
94 The Secret History by Donna Tartt
95 Silent Country by Di Morrissey
96 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
97 Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
98 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
99 Still Alice by Lisa Genova
100 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
101 Gallipoli by Les Carlyon

Finally a Read-a-thon has fallen on a weekend when I didn’t have back to back commitments, so I’m excited about being able to take part this time.

Since the Read-a-thon is based in the US, the 5am Saturday April 10th starting time equates to around 11pm Saturday night locally. Since I have a few commitments on Sunday that will eat into my reading time, I’m hoping to get started a few hours before the official kick-off to make up for the time I will lose later.

I’ve picked out eleven books that I want to read over the 24 hours. Yes, I know that there is no way I will get all (or quite possibly any) of them finished, but it gives me a targeted selection to choose from rather than contemplating the overwhelming collection of books in my TBR.

My book selection:

• My Story: Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 – Anita Heiss
• Conspiracy 365: February – Gabrielle Lord
• A Girl Like Me – Penny Matthews
• Australian Classics: 50 Great Writers and Their Celebrated Works
• Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver
• Battlefield: One Boy’s War – Alan Tucker
• Below the Styx – Michael Meehan
• Macquarie Pen Anthology of Aboriginal Literature – ed Anita Heiss & Peter Minter
• Laughter is the Best Medicine – Jean-Paul Bell
• Willie’s Chocolate Factory Cookbook – Willie Harcourt-Cooze
• Reading by Moonlight – Brenda Walker
• At least an hour reading my uni lecture notes

So, that’s the impossible task I’m setting for myself this weekend. It will be interesting to see how much I actually get read and which books end up appealing to me when the time comes. Hopefully I’ve got enough variety that there should be something on the list that I am interested in at any given moment.

Now I just need to spend the next couple of days catching up on some reviews so that all those lovely Read-a-thon Cheerleaders have something to look at when they come calling.

It’s not too late to sign-up if you’d like to join in with the Read-a-thon as well. You can sign up to read, be a cheerleader or both. Full details are at the Readathon website which includes a detailed FAQ page answering any questions you might have. All you need to do is add your name and join in the fun. Don’t forget to add the #readathon tag if you’re tweeting about your read-a-thon efforts.

Thanks to Cindy at Cindy’s Love of Books for this Book Meme.

Keeping with my promise to limit my book purchases until I whittle down my TBR pile to a more respectable size, I didn’t buy many books in February. I side-stepped my self-imposed restriction by mostly buying books for my university studies and the kids.

Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice (3rd edition) by Chris Barker – The text for my first uni subject is proving to be far more pretentious and overworked that I would like. The subject matter is quite interesting thought, so I’m hoping I can get past the convoluted sentence structure, stressed grammar and hyperactive vocabulary.

The Greatest Blogger in the World by Andrew McDonald – after finding Andrew’s blog thanks to a link to this very amusing post on how to make sure you never lose your digital camera, I hunted down a copy of his novel. I enjoyed it and my 10-year-old son loved it. A great book for kids aged 10+ and one that boys will enjoy as well as girls.

To A Distant Land by Julianne Jones – I was loaned a copy of this book by a friend who knows the author. When Julianne came to Newcastle and held a book-signing at our local Koorong store, I went along and bought a copy of her book for myself and one for my niece. A really great historical fiction book for teens.

Boy Overboard and Once & Then by Morris Gleitzman – My son was reading (and enjoying) Boy Overboard at school, so I picked up a copy so that I could read it as well and the other book, a 2-in-1 edition, just came along for the ride.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – purchased thanks to a very enthusiastic recommendation by Meredith at Oh, The Thinks you can Think.

Choose Your Own Magic: Ruby the Red Fairy by Daisy Meadows – A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style edition of the ever popular Rainbow Magic fairy books.

I know I should probably just let this one go, but I bought some awesome books in January and I can’t move on to my February list until I tell you about them.

Thanks to Cindy of Cindy’s Love of Books for this weekly book meme that I have morphed into a once a month list of my book purchase indulgences.

After receiving some great books for Christmas and with a ridiculous number of books still waiting to be read, I had promised myself that 2010 would be a year of minimal book purchases. That resolution lasted until January 4th, when we arrived in Canberra to visit with friends for a week. All of the books listed below were purchased as we visited different tourist attractions around Canberra.

National Art Gallery of Australia

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne & Beyond: Post-Impressionism from the Musée D’Orsay

Almost Famous Daisy by Richard Kidd

Degas and the Little Dancer by Laurence Anholt

Collection Highlights from the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas

National Museum of Australia

Land Nation People: Stories from the National Museum of Australia

The Watchmaker Who Saved Christmas by Bruce Whatley

Parliament House

Billy Hughes: Wartime Australians

Australia’s Government Explained – Elizabeth Masters

Dismissed: Whitlam, Fraser, Kerr and the Story of 1975

As much as I’d like to say I’ve been to London to visit the Queen, the closest I can get is I’ve been to Canberra to visit the Prime Minister. Well, not actually visit the Prime Minister. More like drive past the places where he lives and works when he is in Canberra – although in a totally non-stalking kind of way, of course.

Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.

Over the past two months I have been running around in circles (mentally and at times physically) dealing with end of school year commitments for my children, Christmas, New Year, school holidays, a family engagement and trying to convince my husband that not getting air conditioning installed is equivalent to spousal neglect.

Now that the kids have returned to school, Christmas is a vague memory and the weather is no longer so scorching hot that I feel like I’m melting, all of the above issues seemed to have resolved themselves and I can get back on track to begin posting regular reviews and updates here at Reading Upside Down. So, brace yourselves for some regular posts and a few minor changes in the layout and content here at Reading Upside Down. More details soon.