All Things Bookish - with the SAG

Most Friday afternoons at 4:00pm members of the Society of Australian Genealogists gather for an informal collaborative online Discussion  via Zoom. In each session members discuss a theme suggested by the host for that week.

I am proud to have been one of the volunteer hosts for these sessions since their launch, I hosted my first Friday Hangout with the SAG in April 2020. 

Our theme yesterday was "All Things Bookish". I shared the graphic below, that listed a few discussion points, prior to the event  on social media.

Before the event I was delighted to hear from three members who had something to share. Thanks to Fleur, Jennie, Jennifer, Isaac, Sally, Heather, John, Judy and Danielle who came online with Bookish Bits to share. Thanks also to the many attendees who added to the discussion through posts in a very lively concurrent chat.

As we progressed through the session I gave up on taking notes of the books suggested and promised to share a list here on my blog. Following is a list of books recommended and details of two future events. 

Where possible I am providing a link to bibliographic records from Trove so you can see which libraries hold copies. If these are not yet in the Trove Catalogue I will link to publishers or vendors.

Books

Goodwin, Nathan  The Dover Trunk Murder (Fortress Dover Book 1) August 30 Release 

O'Farrell, Maggie Land 

Burke, Caro Claire Yesteryear

Strout, Elizabeth The Things We Never Say

Leevers, Jo The Museum of Second Chances

Scott, Victoria The Echo of Lost Stories

Holder , Geoff  Edinburgh (Bloody Scottish History)

Hepworth, David  Hope I get old before I die

Slaughter, Karin Will Trent Series

Cummings, Karen  Genealogy Methods and Techniques : a practical guide to research

Parker, Phillip The Royal Puzzle Book

Moore, Gareth  Around the World in 80 murders Puzzle Book

Leonhardt, Lynne  Step up Mrs Dugdale

Sepetys, Ruta  Salt to the Sea

Logan, T M  The Weekend

Bonhomme, Edna History of six plagues around the world

King, Turi  The Secrets of our DNA 

McGue, Julie Ryan  Twice a Daughter

Williams, Sue  The Duke's Secret

McKinty Adrian  The Cold, Cold Ground (Sean Duffy #1)

Lester, Natasha The Mademoiselle Alliance

Stockett, Kathryn  The Calamity Club

Mclean, Paula  The One Remaining

Mason, Meg  Sophie Standing There

Moore, Susan M The Psychology of Genealogy

Moore, Susan et. al. The Psychology of Family History: exploring our genealogy

Trump, Mary L Too Much and Never Enough : how my family created the world's most dangerous man

Bradford, Barbara Taylor  A Woman of Substance

Wright, Michelle Good Boy

Hannah, Kristin   Winter Garden

Simons, Paullina  The Bronze Horseman

Lautrec, Danielle  The Good Genealogist  2nd Ed. Book 1

Lautrec, Danielle The Good Genealogist Book 2 Tools  

Radden Keefe, Patrick  Say Nothing

Roach, Mary  Replaceable You

Garnsey, Heather Unravelled... : the life of Elizabeth Fulloon, superintendent of the Parramatta Female Factory, 1824-1827

Events

9 September 2026 Heather Garnsey Discussing Unravelled at Hawkesbury Family History Group - Register Online to attend via Zoom.

18-20 September 2026 Danielle Lautrec Book Launch - The Good Genealogist NSW/ACT Annual Conference Port Macquarie.

Jill's Recent Sightings

Borrott, Narelle Belonging in Thalaba: Settlers and Their Descendants

Frydenberg, Erica  Do Not Forget Me Street: remembering the Budapesti Schindlers

Purkeljc, Tony From the Mountains to the Plains: The Life of Tony Purkeljc

Metropolitan Memorial Park My Wishes Booklet

Gleeson, Damian John  John Joseph Therry : Irish landlord, merchant, and priest in colonial Australia

Dunn, Cathy  Norfolk Island Marine settlers Atlantic 1791.

NSW History Awards Shortlist

Prime Minister's Literary Awards - Shortlist

National Biography Award 2026 Winners

• Ennis, Helen  Max Dupain : A Portrait
• Sahhar, Micaela  Find me at the Jaffa Gate

Thanks again to all the SAG Members who contributed to yesterday's Hangout. I'm now off to see where I can beg, buy or borrow some of these titles. 

Please let me know of any errors in the list 😉

Two or more birds with one stone

 If I was asked to list my interests apart from genealogy and living family I would nominate reading, travel and photography. I love to share my enthusiasm for these pursuits in person, print and online.

I revel in those times when I can kill two or more birds with one stone and undertake activities that allow me to indulge in more than one of these interests. 

During these Covid times I've had a regular date at 4pm on a Friday with a cup of coffee and members of The Society of Australian Genealogists. Each week members of this group from all over Australia hang out together online via Zoom to discuss a genealogy related topic. I have to admit that while some of the discussions are interesting I have relished the opportunity to put names to faces and communicate with fellow members of the Society. These events have added a human dimension to the Society's educational program and have given a platform for members to share some of their stories and associated brickwalls.

This afternoon I am thrilled that I will be hosting the final SAG Hang Out for 2020. The topic "Summer Reading" will give me an opportunity to have a bookish chat with fellow family historians. How great is that? It will be difficult to curb my enthusiasm and remember that, as I am wearing the host hat, my role is to encourage attendees to share their recommendations for must-read books both old and new. 

If you are coming along please bring details of your fave books to share.

PS Apologies to the gentleman on an Hawaiian beach who was so absorbed in his reading that he didn't notice me taking his photo (I have quite a collection of snaps from all over the world of  readers with their heads buried in books).

A Mobile Library

At night time I indulge in an activity that is not family history. I can often be found taking to my bed directly after dinner to indulge in this passion. 

My Mum loved her Books

One of the genes that I inherited from my mother was a love of reading that continues to this day. My commitment to this activity has ebbed and flowed over the years but currently, as I am largely confined to quarters due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, I have more time to devote to the printed word.  

As a child I can remember accompanying Mum to a subscription library in Kings Cross where she borrowed books. When we moved to the Randwick Municipality we used to borrow from their mobile library which stopped at Maroubra Junction on a Saturday morning. That was when I got my first library card and became a regular borrower. As an adult a career working in public and school libraries afforded me easy access to large collections for no outlay.

Since becoming a retired old biddy I haven't made many visits to local libraries except for genealogy related activities. I have purchased many books and dropped so many hints for gifts of books or book vouchers on birthdays and other special occasions. As new books are rather expensive I have been able to pick up many near new books at op shops, charity book fairs and my favourite online charity bookstore, Brotherhood Books. I keep a list of recommended/wanted books and every so often check Brotherhood's catalogue to see if these are listed. 

I love physical books, the smell and feel of the paper adds a pleasurable and familiar element to the reading experience. During Covid time most of the places where I sourced my books dried up - op shops and libraries closed and no book fairs . I had to find some other way of satisfying my appetite for reading.

My Mobile Library

When going on holidays I had been in the habit of downloading a few eBooks from local libraries in case I read through the half dozen "read and ditch" books I usually pack. So Covid-19 made me turn to eBooks. After a few months of reading the books I had borrowed on my smartphone I decided that I needed some sort of eReader. I did a bit of research and decided to purchase a lightwieght inexpensive, Android tablet which would give me more flexibility than a Kindle or similar device.  Then I struck a problem as the Samsung tablet I wanted to purchase was out of stock in Australia. 

Finally around a month ago I found that some local retailers had the desired tablets in stock. I phoned the closest store, got them to match the lower price of another shop and quickly dispatched Mr GeniAus on a mercy mission to buy one. I am enjoying reading on the new device, it's not too heavy to hold up in bed, I can more easily see the text I am reading and I don't have to turn the pages so often. 

My tablet is set up with apps from several local libraries and vendors of eBooks like Amazon and Google. I have also copied all of the other eBooks I had on my hard drive to the device. I have installed just a few other apps: a browser, email and Facebook. My 21st century version of the mobile library is truly mobile and has access to more titles than were available on those Saturday mornings at Maroubra Junction.

The initial purpose of this post was to share my pride in having read 63 books in the first half of 2020 but I digressed. You can see what I have read this year here on the fabulous, free site Librarything https://www.librarything.com/catalog/GeniAus.&deepsearch=read+2020.

Dear Jill ... Best Wishes Bill

I often get follow up questions from people who attend my webinars.

This week I heard from Bill who came along to the session I presented for The Society of Australian Genealogists on Online or E Books for Genealogy. Rather than answering Bill personally I thought that I would address his queries in a blog post. So here goes.

1. Which is your eReader of choice, for both being pleasant to use and for crossing the platforms?

 I currently use my Samsung Galaxy Note phone to read my eBooks but, as I have ramped up my reading of eBooks recently, I decided to take the plunge and purchase an eReader. 

I want something lightweight, that has a display that combats eye strain and is compatible with the apps I regularly use. I only need wifi access to the internet. My choice was a Kindle Paperwhite 32gig because it is light at about 190 grams, has a reasonable amount of storage, has a kind to the eyes display and is waterproof. However using it to download ebooks with the apps from my local library is a multistep process. These devices can be found online for under $AU200.

2.         For reading colour and larger format publications, which eReader suits?  For one example, the http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/.

One of the reasons that I haven't committed to an eReader is that they don't yet deal with colour although I have read that this is coming to eReaders in 2020! See https://goodereader.com/blog/e-paper/will-you-buy-a-color-e-reader-next-year.

Although its screen is tiny I read colour magazines on my phone or during the day I read them on my laptop. Neither of these is ideal. I have a large heavy android tablet that I bought when I though Bigger is Better. It is too heavy and cumbersome for comfortable reading. 

I am now leaning towards buying a light 7" wifi only Android tablet that will cost only a few $$ more than an eReader. It won't solve the eyestrain problem but it will give me the flexibility to view in colour and use a range of eBook formats that I have with my Android phone. With a mini SD card inserted I will have enough space to store all my books on the device. My credit card is at the ready I just need to take the plunge!

3.         And on magazines, which do you access online for family history and easily readable?

I have to admit that I am not a great fan of printed mags in digital format. The only ones I browse are those from the local library's RBDigital collection. I still get the SAG journal in a printed format!

4.         Looking at the State Library, it seems their ProReader defaults to Adobe Reader.  OK?

Newcastle Library also provides these resources. I have downloaded the required app to my Android phone and I'm not aware of any issues. Adobe have a guide on their website. 

5.         Woollahra Library seems to have RBdigital for magazines and books, Overdrive, Bolinda, indyreads and EBSCO for books – haven’t researched them all!

I'm a member of three public libraries who each have different options available. I find some of their search functions difficult to operate. I'm currently fulfilling my reading for pleasure needs via the Libby app from Overdrive, I've used EBSCO resources widely over the years and am dabbling with others. 

6.         Seemingly a lot to take in

I hope these rambling are of some use Bill. Good luck with your eReading. 

The way to my heart

I'm a bit of a bibliophile who tries to be sensible and not spend too much on books so I love receiving bookish gifts. Today I was really spoilt.

As a thank you for my presentation at Hawkesbury Family History Group I was presented with some pretty flowers and a shiny black bag that contained two recently published books, a historical society journal on Hawkesbury Personalities and an FHG newsletter.  This gift chosen by the Group Coordinator,  Michelle Nichols, was so appropriate for a booklover.

When I delved into the bag I was reminded that speaker gifts were a topic of conversation at the recent  member forum at NSW and ACT Association of Family History Societies Conference. Delegates were discussing options of gifts for presenters other than the usual bottle of wine or box of chocolates. A few suggestions were bandied around, someone suggested pens made from special timbers , others suggested petrol vouchers or gift vouchers.

Having been the recipient of all of the above as well as several local history books I have appreciated the vouchers and books most of all. As with many things in life one size doesn't fit all.

What I was trying to get across in my talk today was the idea that we should not only be well-mannered but thoughtful genies as well. In her selection of a gift for me today Michelle demonstrated that thoughtfulness. 

BTW I had a beaut time at the event today and was most appreciative of the lovely comments and interesting family skeletons attendees shared with me after the talk.

The audience at Windsor this morning

Interesting Libraries

In a recent post on Facebook Shauna Hicks indicated that she had joined Librarything and was having fun entering her books.

I have previously blogged about Librarything, those posts are here, here, here and here. I am always excited when one of my genimates shares my excitement for this product which is a super tool for managing one's personal libraries, books and reading.

Librarything is not just for individuals it can be used to record, catalogue and share the holdings of society and institutional libraries. Some Australian and NZ ones that I have found are:

ANZAC Room Library - RSL Tweed Heads - Coolangatta Sub-Branch  http://www.librarything.com/profile/ANZAC_ROOM_TT

The Bishopdale Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists
http://www.librarything.com/profile/bishopdalenzsg

Cairns & District Family History Society
http://www.librarything.com/profile/cdfhs

Cairns & District Family History Society on Librarything

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre
http://www.librarything.com/profile/CAFNEC

Lake Macquarie & District Historical Society
http://www.librarything.com/profile/lmdhs

Museum of Chinese Australian History Research Library
http://www.librarything.com/profile/MCAH

Stockton Historical Society
http://www.librarything.com/profile/stocktonhistsoc

Tamborine Mountain Family History Group
http://www.librarything.com/profile/TMFHG

Why don't you hop over and explore Librarything. You can visit the links above or visit my account here while Shauna's very new one is here

The History Detective Newsletter

A geneacruising mate of mine is Australian author Carol Baxter. I recently interviewed Carol in a Google Hangout which you can vuew here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDmgPq63zQ

On my reading list each month is  "The History Detective Newsletter" which Carol emails out to subscribers each month. This free publication has lots of tips and information for genealogists, historians and writers. The topics covered n the latest edition include:

- Details about author talks.

- Publishing Pointers: Printed matter categorisations     

- Words to the Wise: Malapropisms

- Unlock the Past Baltic Cruise, July 2015

If you would like to subscribe just email Carol at : c_baxter@optusnet.com.au

Librarything for Genealogists

Librarything for Genealogists is the title of one of the talks I will be presenting on the 4th Unlock the Past Cruise in February. I am so excited to have an opportunity to tell a few people about it because it is one of my all time favourite sites. I visit Librarything on most days.

As I start to prepare my presentation I have been going over the site. I don't use all of its social functions because I just don't have time but I do have a favourite.  

Librarything Connection Page

On the Connections Tab of Librarything is "Interesting Libraries";  this is one element of Librarything that I love because I can follow what other people are adding to their personal collections if I add them to my list of "Interesting Libraries".  Most of the interesting libraries I follow are those of other genealogists and bookish friends. I like to see what they add, rate and review and to compare their libraries with mine. I could even check to see if they own a hard to find title and plead  with them to do a lookup for me.

Looking through the list of "Interesting Libraries" I follow I note that there are a few fellow cruisers on the list. If you want to take a peek into their libraries here are some links for you.

AnglersRest  http://www.librarything.com/profile/AnglersRest
Bibliaugrapher (Me)  www.librarything.com/profile/bibliaugrapher
Cassmob  http://www.librarything.com/profile/cassmob
Chris Paton   http://www.librarything.com/profile/ChrisPaton
Helen Smith  http://www.librarything.com/profile/Helen.Smith

I wonder if any other cruisers are Librarything fans.

Among the other libraries I follow are these genealogists:
alexdaw, AnglersRest,audreycollins, ausgenjourneys, BeckyJamison, caroleriley,cassmob, cdfhs, CMPointer,DebbieKennett, dougangene,drumcondra, johngasson,kingstongenealogy,KirstyF.Wilkinson, Leslie_Ann,Linda.Ottery, lmdhs,lovegenealogy,Merron, NSWGenealogy,perkinsy, ,pschultz, sheenatait, smbrennan. 

Librarything membership is free for your first 200 books added and a lifetime membership is $US25. 

Librarything is a fantastic tool to organise your personal library and record your reading. I suggest you give it a try.

Genealogists share their Favourite Books

As promised here is a list of the books shared in last night's Hangout on Air. In order of appearance (with links to Trove where available)

Sharon  
A concise history of Australia / Stuart Macintyre
Australia in a nutshell : a narrative history / Frank G. Clarke

Chris
The family historian's enquire within / Pauline Saul

Alona
Smokey : the bear from Gumeracha / Rocky Marshall

Brenda
Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W Jones. Available from the National Genealogical Society, (www.ngsgenealogy.org) ISBN; 978-1-935815-07-5

Fiona
Exiled three times over / by Irene Schaffer and Thelma McKay

Helen
Oxford companion to family and local history / edited by David Hey

Julie
The genealogist's Internet : the essential guide to researching your family history online / Peter Christian

Maggie
The Phillimore atlas and index of parish registers / edited by Cecil R. Humphery-Smith

Pauleen
Farewell my children : Irish assisted emigration to Australia 1848-1870 / Richard E. Reid

Alona
William & Fanny Green and their descendants, including Phillips, Ridland, Bell, Sinkinson, Tucker & James / compiled by Glenis Reid

Jill
The floating brothel : the extraordinary story of the Lady Julian and its cargo of female convicts bound for Botany Bay / Siân Rees

Brenda
Collins tracing your family history / Anthony Adolph

Helen
History of the 15th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force : war 1914-1918 / by T.P. Chataway ; revised and edited by Paul Goldenstedt

Jenny
Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to convicts and convict administration

Fiona
A history of Thetford / Alan Crosby

Les
Fair game : Australia's first immigrant women / Elizabeth Rushen & Perry McIntyre

Maggie
Sophy under sail / [edited by] Irene C. Taylor ; illustrations by Leon Crossley

Pauleen
Family memories : a guide to reminiscing / Bob Price

Julie
Tracing your house history : a guide for family historians / Gill Blanchard

Jill
Birth, marriage and death records : a guide for family historians / David Annal and Audrey Collins

Jenny
Atlas of the great Irish famine, 1845-52 / editors: John Crowley, William J. Smyth and Mike Murphy

Les
Arthur Phillip : sailor, mercenary, governor, spy / Michael Pembroke

Alona
The Zen of genealogy : the lighter side of genealogy / Beth Maltbie Uyehara ; design and illustrations by Lois Jesek

Helen
Ahab's trade : the saga of south seas whaling / Granville Allen Mawer

Jill
Our outback home : memories of Nymagee / edited by Dolly Betts

Julie
A town like Alice / by Nevil Shute

Thank you to all who participated.

Hang In There to Hang Out

I was on a high last night after having an enjoyable and educative experience in my second Hangout on Air and so had a bit of trouble entering the Land of Nod.



I was of course disappointed that more genealogists were unable to join in and share their books. Unfortunately once I am on air it is difficult to give assistance/instructions to those who wish to join. As I learn more about this tool I will develop a cheatsheet with some clearer instructions.

We started last night with five panellists and quickly reached a full complement of ten. By the end of the session there were several vacancies on the panel which I announced. The idea being that one tunes in and watches the Hangout and when I (or my helper) announces that there is a vacant spot on the panel one clicks on the arrow on the left hand side of the GeniAUS Google+ Community page to take the vacated spot. One needs to "Hang In to Hang Out".

Thanks to those who joined the panel from England, The Northern Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria; my mate Russ Worthington from the US viewed and posted comments at some obscene hour; we had representatives from three continents. You can view the video to see who was on line. But where were the Tasmanians and Western Australians?  

I am going to use the PMI evaluation strategy to make a few comments. I welcome further suggestions on the GeniAUS Community on Google+

Plus +
We did again it, Hooray!
Sharon's first book was a perfect intro and it wasn't even staged.
There were more prospective panelists than places on the panel
There was interest in this event not only from Australia but from overseas
Panelists used the GeniAUS Community page to add details of books
We got to see and hear people we hadn't met in person
Pauleen assisted with the monitoring of the conversation on the Community page
There were participants who were first timers
There were participants from outside my blogging circle
Panelists were respectful of others
Several panelists managed to share screenshots
We all learnt about some new resources
The conversation remained on task
We managed to cover a lot of ground
I was able to easily add tags and further information about the video at YouTube 
DearMyrtle's suggestion to create a Google+ Community overcame difficulties with issuing invitations to join the Hangout - Thanks Myrt
I am becoming more familiar with the Hangout interface
There is enthusiasm for more hangouts

Minus -
I still said Um far too many times
My head still bobbed around - I must try to be still
Some people had trouble joining the panel
We could not help late arrivals with setting up their lower thirds
Some peoples' sound and video was crook at times
At times we lost video and audio was patchy (problems with storms?)

Interesting ?
Only one male joined the panel.
The age range of panelists was huge - spanning several generations
Books ranged from weighty scholarly tomes to children's stories and humour
The crispest picture was from Maggie all the way from England
Panelists suggested a weekend hangout. - will try to schedule that.
Panelists suggested MetaHangouts (Hangouts about Hangouts)
I think I'll repeat this topic in six months or so - we're on a winner with this one and it's not too onerous on the host.

Our next Hangout on Air - Online Resources for Australian Research is scheduled for 28 or 27 November (date dependent on your location).

Great Impromptu Session

After coming away from an impromptu session I organised tonight on the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise I am stoked..

As we had a free evening I asked any genies who were interested in books if they would like to join me for a book "Show and Tell" in the Conference Centre after dinner. I was thrilled that more than 20 people joined me to share details of their favourite genealogy/history books.

What a bunch of passionate people they were with such great stories and fantastic titles to share. I was nearly in a state of permanent goose-pimpledness as the genies gave details of their favourite tomes and some told of the relevance of the titles to their family stories. They have asked that this sort of session be included on future UTP Cruises.

Thank you to all those who joined me and made this such a satisfying and enjoyable session. I will put together a list of the books discussed and share it on this blog once I return home and I can gather together the bibliographic details of the books shared.

I am getting a little weary after giving nine presentations to date (and wiht two more to go) but I wouldn't have missed the cruise - it has been an amazing experience. I am excited that I will be joining the 4th UTP Cruise in February next year with Thomas MacEntee and Chris Pation. How good will that be?

Family History Through the Alphabet – R is for …Online (Reading that is)

Every day I read news items, press releases, articles and stories about genealogy, not in books or hard copy magazines, but on my laptop, netbook, my Android phone and my Android tablet.

I read just about everywhere.On the train, in the car (preferably when Mr Geniaus is driving), in the air, at sea, in waiting rooms, in bed, while hanging on the phone waiting to talk to a real person and in the bathtub (haven't given a device a bubble bath yet).

My reading of monographs has suffered as I find that I am reading more and more short online texts and less lengthy real paper tomes.

So what do I read online?

First stop with my morning coffee is Google+, followed by a quick browse of Twitter, then it's onto Google Reader that manages my RSS feeds; I read several hundred blogs and have a few news alerts set up. Lastly I turn to Facebook, my least favoured social networking site.

I dip into Zite when I have time to see what suggestions and links it has for me. The topics I follow on Zite are  Android, Genealogy, Social Media and Technology.

For the daily news I check out the Sydney Morning Herald (not much genealogy news there) but a girl needs to keep up with the world around her.

If I have a spare few minutes I may dip into Trove. Tonight I have spent some time reading articles about my old school and I discovered some juicy bits about nuns that I will share some time on Trove Tuesday.

I am not really into ebooks preferring the smell and feel of paper for reading long texts but I do have a few digitised books saved in my Google Books account.

I use Librarything to keep track of the genealogy and other books that I read. I love the social networking aspects of this site that allows me to connect with other genealogists and see what they have in their libraries.

Whenever I have a few spare minutes I sneak in a bit of reading but do I still qualify as a bookworm?

What is the pattern of your online reading?

The Reader Geneameme - Better Late than Never

A few weeks ago I challenged other genealogists to respond to this meme; I am flummoxed by the lack of response to this challenge of mine. I have been overwhelmed at the responses to earlier memes so am surprised that only five other genies have taken up this meme challenge so far.


Celia Lewis, on Google Plus, commented "As someone who reads about a book a day and has since about 12, this Reader Geneameme had me answering (in my head) - don't know, whatever I'm reading right now, the library is my friend... etc. That is, this meme didn't stir my brain or heart - I'm simply a bookoholic, loving all kinds, and reading them everywhere and every when."

So perhaps that is why more genies haven't responded. I am responding not only because I love books and reading but also because, in this National Year of Reading, I want to leave a record for future generations of my thoughts on this important topic.

The Reader GeneaMeme

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item 

Which of these apply to you? reading

1. Have you written any books?  Yes a children's picture book as part of the coursework for my Graduate Diploma in Education.  I got a stunning mark for my efforts.
2. Have you published any books?  I think I have a few books in me. I just need to settle down and write. 
3. Can you recommend an inspiring biography?  So many. Take a look at the list of Biographies I have read - those with four or more stars I would recommend.
4. Do you keep a reading log? If yes, in what format? Yes, for around twenty years. Firstly I  religiously recorded my reading in an an A4 notebook with a tartan cover. Since 1996, when I joined Librarything I have recorded my reading in this online social media site. My profile can be found here:  http://www.librarything.com/profile/bibliaugrapher
5. Are you a buyer or a borrower of books?  Mostly a buyer but I occasionally borrow from local libraries. Members of my immediate family buy and share books with each other.
6. Where do you get reading recommendations? Friends, family, reviews and  browsing shelves in bookshops.
7. What is the one genealogy reference book you can't do without? No one book - there are so many out there that none is indispensible.
8. Do you hoard books or do you discard them when you have finished? I can't bear to part with my books. I have probably only discarded less than ten in the last few years.
9. How many books are in your genealogy library? Only around 53. I tend to use genealogy books on site in libraries and societies.
10. What's your favourite genealogy magazine or journal? Australia's own - Inside History Magazine.
11. Where are the bookshelves in your house? Hallway, Kitchen, Bedroom, Study and Garage. I have a couple of thousand books in my home.
12. Do you read e-books? How? Yes - on rare occasions when I am travelling on my Samsung Galaxy Tab.
13. How many library cards do you have? Three - local, state, national.
14. What was the last genealogy title you read?  It was an ebook by my mate, Amy Coffin, The Big Genealogy Blog Book. 
15. What is your favourite bookshop? St Vincent de Paul, Galston, my local thrift shop, has a small collection of recently published titles in excellent condition. I visit every few weeks and always find treasures. I purchase new books online from The Book Depository; for secondhand books Abe Books is my first port of call.
16. Do you have a traditional printed encyclopaedia in your house? There is an old kids one in a box in the garage somewhere.  
17. Who are the authors in your family tree and what have they written? Many of my ancestors couldn't read or write - maybe one day I will find one who penned and published.
18. Who is your favourite author? Why did I ask this question? This depends on my mood and situation.
19. Where do you buy books?  I purchase new books online from The Book Depository; for secondhand books Abe Books is my first port of call.  As well as the local Vinnies store I buy books at fetes and fairs.
20. Can you nominate a must-read fiction title? Those that  I have rated on Librarything with four and a half stars or more are must reads.
21. How many books are in your personal library? 2,000+
22. What is your dictionary of choice?  Any version of the Oxford English Dictionary (call me old fashioned)
23. Where do your read? Anywhere, anytime. There is always a book in my glove box and in digital format on my tablet in my handbag. There is a small mountain of books on the floor beside my bed.
24. What was your favourite childhood book? Dancing Star by Gladys Malvern, a fictionalised account of Anna Pavlova's life. I still have this treasured tome in my collection.
25. Do you have anything else to say about books and reading? A book a day keeps boredom at bay.

The Reader GeneaMeme

It's National Year of Reading in Australia - time to post a GeneaReader meme.

I am always interested to see what the people profiled on GeniMates answer to the question "What is your favourite (non genealogy book)? As books are an essential tool for the genealogist I thought it would be fun to find out about your reading habits and experiences.

I invite anyone with an interest in genealogy or reading to participate. If you don't have a blog and wish to participate you can send your responses to me in an email and I will pop them into a post on my blog. Please let me know when you participate by a comment on this post or by email and I'll collate a list of responses.
 

It would be appreciated if genealogists would let the meme run its course before copying and republishing it with alterations and amendments.

The Reader GeneaMeme

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item 

Which of these apply to you? reading

1. Have you written any books? 
2. Have you published any books?
3. Can you recommend an inspiring biography?
4. Do you keep a reading log? If yes, in what format?
5. Are you a buyer or a borrower of books?
6. Where do you get reading recommendations?
7. What is the one genealogy reference book you can't do without?
8. Do you hoard books or do you discard them when you have finished?
9. How many books are in your genealogy library?
10. What's your favourite genealogy magazine or journal?
11. Where are the bookshelves in your house?
12. Do you read e-books? How?
13. How many library cards do you have?
14. What was the last genealogy title you read?
15. What is your favourite bookshop?
16. Do you have a traditional printed encyclopaedia in your house?  
17. Who are the authors in your family tree and what have they written?
18. Who is your favourite author?
19. Where do you buy books?
20. Can you nominate a must-read fiction title?
21. How many books are in your personal library?
22. What is your dictionary of choice?
23. Where do your read?
24. What was your favourite childhood book?
25. Do you have anything else to say about books and reading?

Links to Responses to the Reader Geneameme  See what other genealogists have to say about books and reading.