Sit Down With Sam

Hi readers

While I didn’t mention “reading more” as a new year’s resolution in last week’s ‘Sit Down With Sam’, this is one that goes unsaid as at the end of every year, I find myself unsatisfied with the amount of books I read and failing to reach my ‘Goodreads Reading Challenge’ goals.

These goals are arbitrary, of course, and I’m not going to beat myself up too much for not reaching them, but reading is one thing I’ve looked to do more of every year since I got back into it in lockdown so you’d think setting these goals would keep me on track.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of the Burdekin Library staff sharing their favourite reads of 2023 on page 21, I thought I’d share mine.

For me, a trip to Airlie Beach isn’t complete without a visit to Beach Book Boutique, and it was here in July last year that I stumbled upon ‘Blueback’ by Tim Winton.

Tim Winton is well known for his many Australian literary classics including ‘Cloudstreet’, while his ‘Lockie Leonard’ trilogy has captured the imaginations of generations of teen readers.

I plucked ‘Blueback’ from the often-overwhelming shelves of the store, admittedly drawn in by the small size of the book and my assumption that its size would make it a light, easy holiday read.

While first published in 1997, the edition I found was published in 1999 and is adorned with a beautiful cover illustration by Andrew Davidson; I was enamoured.

The cover depicts the book’s namesake, Blueback, a blue groper befriended by the protagonist, Abel Jackson, whose simple yet hardworking boyhood on the Western Australia coast is threatened by abalone poachers and the passing of time.

The book paints a stunning visual of life on the rugged WA coast and carries a powerful message of protecting our precious oceans.

It’s an easy yet impactful read and one that I’d recommend to readers of all ages.