Friday, August 27, 2010

A man's got to have a hobby

A man's got to have a hobby: Long summers with my Dad, William McInnes (audiobook)

As I have been trying to run lately, I find myself needing something to listen to as I go along - mainly to take my mind off the running.

Some of you will recall I have become a fan of the free downloads on christianaudio.com and in so doing I have listened to Pilgrim's Progress and more recently, Stuff Christians Like. The latter made me realise that a bit of humour is an enjoyable thing while exercising.

So off I went to the local library to see if I could find something else. I stumbled onto this treasure by William McInnes (of whom I already a fan, thanks to SeaChange & East West 101).

The highlight for me was that William McInnes himself was reading it, and because of that I suspect I enjoyed listening to the audiobook much more than I would have done reading the book.

He accounts his childhood, with a special focus on his dad and it was so funny to listen to him imitate his father than I often found myself laughing as I ran along. The first third of the book was a thoroughly enjoyable listen to his memories of the past. The middle section was a bit harsher as he reflected on some other aspects of life. The final third was a moving account of the death of his aunt and then the slow decline & eventual death of his father with Alzheimers, which was so emotional I was moved to tears.

I also liked the insight it gave me of growing up in Australia in the 50s and 60s. It was enjoyable.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recommendation Wendy! Always happy to hear suggestion for audio while exercising. My brush with fame is I once got into the same lift as William McInnes and his wife! I was very polite and tried not to stare.
Amy Perkins