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A Man's Got to Have a Hobby

Long Summers with my Dad
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( 483 ratings, 67 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Man's Got to Have a Hobby is a warm and humorous Australian memoir by William McInnes. Reflecting on his childhood as a tail-end baby boomer, McInnes takes readers through long summer holidays spent fishing with friends, the local community spirit of the Aussie battler, and family moments centred around everyday life. The narrative celebrates ordinary people through vivid memories of his father’s character, his mother’s songs, and the joys and challenges of family life. This down-to-earth story captures themes of love, hope, laughter, and resilience in a nostalgic portrait of growing up.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This memoir will appeal to readers who enjoy heartfelt, relatable stories about family and Australian life in past decades. Fans of straightforward, sincere writing with a touch of humour and nostalgia will find much to appreciate in McInnes’s recollections. It suits those interested in biography and memoir with a focus on everyday people rather than celebrities.

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William McInnes' bestselling memoir, A MAN'S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY, takes us back to the long summer holidays of the 1960s and 70s, and the last of the baby-boomer childhoods. William writes with humour and affection about his family, and especially his mum and dad, who talked to the TV set and enjoyed life in their house near the bay.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

William McInnes is a talented writer and a natural storyteller. A tail-end baby boomer, he recalls summer holidays that seemed to go on forever, when he and his mates would walk down to fish in the bay; a time when the Aussie battler stood as the local Labor candidate and looked out for his mates; and a time when the whole family would rush into the lounge room to watch a new commercial on TV.

He writes about his father – a strong character who talks to the furniture, dances with William’s mother in the kitchen, and spends his free time fixing up the house and doing the best for his family. In William’s writing you can hear his father speaking and listen to his mother singing.

This is a book about people who aren't famous but should be. It’s about cane toads and families, love and hope and fear, laughter, death and life. Most of all, it is a realistic, down-to-earth book by a man who had a great time growing up. His warmth and humour come through on every page.

This Australian memoir tells of a time that will be familiar to many readers and a delight for all.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780733620782

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 July 2006

Country: Australia

Imprint: Hachette Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 288

About the Author

William McInnes is one of Australia's most popular writers, delighting readers with his memoirs A MAN'S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY and THAT'D BE RIGHT, his novels CRICKET KINGS, THE LAUGHING CLOWNS and THE BIRDWATCHER, and his insight into Australian life since the 1940s, written with Essential Media and Entertainment, THE MAKING OF MODERN AUSTRALIA. In 2011, with his wife Sarah Watt he co-wrote WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA, which was named the best non-fiction title in the ABIA and the Indie Awards in 2012. In 2014, he wrote HOLIDAYS, his unique perspective on the Australian obsession with taking a hard-earned break. Also an award-winning actor, William has won two Logies and an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the film UNFINISHED SKY. He received critical and public acclaim for his leading role in the film LOOK BOTH WAYS, written and directed by Sarah Watt, and recently starred in the ABC television series THE TIME OF OUR LIVES and HELLO BIRDIE. William McInnes grew up in Queensland and lives in Melbourne with his two children.

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