Kathryn's Inbox

Many, many readers of this blog from Adelaide, from South Australia and from Broken Hill and perhaps even from beyond will be immediately familiar with Peter Goers. For many years, Peter Goes has been a well-respected on-air host at ABC Adelaide, a columnist in the Sunday Mail, a theatre guru and critic and has done much other work besides. What I, personally, did not know until very recently was that his parents Margaret and Brian Goers were aboard Pan Am flight 759 which crashed in New Orleans on the 9th of July 1982 and was one of the worst airline accidents in the United States at that point in time. Their son was just twenty-five years old.  In the Air of an Afternoon Almost Past is Peter Goers memoir of this tragic situation and the unthinkable but all too real events that followed, being asked to travel immediately to the United States to identify the body, only to learn the real reason that the airline wanted him there so quickly was to try and fob him off with as little monet

Reader be warned. If You Could Go Anywhere is a novel that will break your heart ... before gently piecing it back together with themes of unconditional love and redemption. Twenty-seven year old Angie has always longed to travel and see the world outside of her home town of Coober Pedy, where she was raised by her grandparents, but there isn't much chance of that. Her grandfather died suddenly and she has been left to care for her beloved grandmother, Nan, who has dementia. When Nan passes away, Angie makes a surprising discovery about the identity of her father and with the help of her friends and neighbours, she finds herself travelling to Italy where she mets Guilo for the first time, and forms a strong friendship with his stepson, reckless adventurer Alessandro. When Angie learns a sad family story, she soon begins to realise why there is a darkness that surrounds Alessandro. But can she convince him that life is worth living ... before it is too late? This was a such a tear-

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A little while back, bestselling author Neil Gaiman took to social media to ask people what their memories were of being warm. It was a topical question. Winter was coming, and, heartbreakingly, that means for people who have been forced to flee their homes and even their country, that they would struggle to stay warm. As the answers to his question came flooding in, Gaiman used them to construct a poem of what it means to be warm--and what it means for displaced people to be welcomed in the winter months. Thirteen different artists added illustrations and soon, this beautiful hardcover book was created. With proceeds going to UNHCR, I could see absolutely no reason why I wouldn't want to immediately buy this and add it to my collection. What You Need to be Warm certainly is a beautiful book. Although technically aimed at children, it is the kind of book that can be enjoyed--and loved--by readers of all ages. The themes of displacement and the simple act of helping someone keep wa

From the time Elliot Page was thrust into the spotlight at a relatively young age playing a pregnant teenager in Juno he has lived out an extraordinary life in the public eye and one that is not without controversy, courage and criticism. In Pageboy, the actor tells his story in his own words and gives an often shocking behind the scenes glimpse at their life. Behind the amazing acting we've seen in The Umbrella Academy --and the deft storytelling that allowed the character to come out as a trans man along with the actor, is a complicated life. Page details the fraught relationship he has with his father, the abuse he suffered from his stepmother and the shocking sexual abuse he suffered as a young actor in Hollywood. There was also constant speculation about his sexuality and pressure to present a certain image to the world--until he decided to live his life on his own terms. This was an interesting read. As Page notes in the introduction, it is a story of his personal experiences

In the mid-1960s Pop Artist Andy Warhol decided to create a novel that was in one part an experimental novel and one part a pop art answer to Ulysses. It begins with Warhol superstar Robert Olivo, known as Odine in the book, popping pills. Warhol, known as Drella in the book, begins taping him and will supposedly follow Odine for the next twenty four hours. (In reality, the taping occurred over a two year period, and at least one tape was thrown out the window by the irate mother of one of the young woman paid to transcribe the conversations.) What follows is a bunch of sometime mundane, sometimes perverse and sometimes downright bizarre conversations between some truly awful people. Left almost entirely unedited, the transcripts that form the novel are rough, often changing format depending on who was working on them and are filled with errors. It is horrible, yet a strange insight into the lives of those who were connected to Andy Warhol and his infamous factory. I did not enjoy this

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The Sugar Queen is a sweet little title, both literally and metaphorically. This cosy romance, tinged with a little magical realism tells the story of Josey, an unappreciated young woman whose entire life revolves around being a carer for her cold and distant--but exceptionally wealthy--mother. Stuck in a small town with an entire population that hates her and lacking any kind of meaningful social contact, Josey finds her world upended first by the arrival of Helena, a housekeeper with magical talents and then by the discovery that tough talking local Della Lee is hiding out in her closet. Soon Josey finds herself running errands for Della Lee, all of which seem to be changing her life for the better ... suddenly Josey is developing a strong friendship with local restaurant owner Chloe, and finding the confidence to speak with her crush, local mailman Adam. But why is Della Lee so interested in her welfare? And why does she never seem to leave the closet? This is a fun read. There are

When Gerald Durrell was ten, his family, his mother, his two brothers and his sister, made the surprising choice to pack up their home in England and to move to Corfu. My Family and Other Animals tells the story of this somewhat unusual family and the early part of their stay on the island. The Durrells are all quite eccentric, their mother is warm hearted but not always sensible, brother Leslie likes his guns and shooting, while Larry is a writer with a number of quirky friends. (In real life these friends included Henry Miller, whose work was deeply influential on a young Lawrence Durrell.) Margo is in her teens and concerned with her appearance (and making the occasional unsuitable match). And then, of course there is Gerald, who soon becomes fascinated by all of the animals on the island and adopts all kinds of unusual pets, and makes some surprising friends. This is an unusual, quirky read. It is quite fun in a lot of places. Gerald Durrell certainly portrays his family as eccent

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The bestselling BSC Graphix series is back and this time classic BSC title Stacey's Mistake is up for a graphic novel adaption. This one is particularly special to me, as the original was the first BSC novel I ever owned. I have wonderful memories of selecting this title from John Martin's book department, in the basement of their legendary (and now sadly demolished) Rundle Mall store. (Yep, that's the same place that was home to The Magic Cave, Eliza's Restaurant and the best toy department ever.) Stacey's Mistake takes the reader to New York. Founding BSC member Stacey McGill has recently moved to New York and now the other six members of the BSC are travelling from Stoneybrook, Connecticut to New York to stay with their friend over a long weekend. Stacey has a lot of plans in store for her friends--sightseeing, a party so that her New York friends can meet her Stoneybrook friends and, of course, a big babysitting job. The only trouble is, nothing about their visi

One of the first reality television programmes in Australia was Popstars and, as many would know, the girl band that the television programme created, Bardot, was exceptionally popular and sadly short-lived. The Girl in the Band is the memoir of Belinda Chapple, one of the five young women who out of the thousands of talented hopefuls gained a spot in the band. For Chapple the band, and the show, was not what she hoped it would be. She soon found herself exhausted, struggling with body image and earning just thirty-five dollars a day.  The Girl in the Band is an interesting glimpse into the entertainment industry. Chapple details her experiences, with false starts, all kinds of unusual gigs and then an opportunity of a lifetime that soon turned sour for her. The memoir showcases the fickle, ruthless nature of the industry and how big dreams can so easily be shattered. There is a bit of behind the scenes gossip, though fortunately the author refrains from being mean or cruel, even th

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Reality TV can be a brutal place. Alisha Aiken-Radburn never realised just how brutal it could be--or the backlash that would follow on social media. A former Labor staff member based in Canberra, working in Bill Shorten's office no less, Alisha auditioned for The Bachelor and made it onto the show. She soon discovers that what happens behind the scenes is very different to what viewers see in the very carefully edited episodes. The Villain Edit is her memoir of her time on the show and appearing on two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise and how through heartbreak and finding her future husband she finds a way to take control of her relationships--and the narrative. This one was an interesting read about what it means to go on reality TV. For Alisha, much of the narrative was controlled for her, and was not reflective of her personal experiences. It is also a memoir of how toxic social media can be. The real strength of the memoir is the author's willingness to be vulnerable. I

Twenty-three year old Till has lived in the darkest shadow of an event that she was powerless to stop--the abduction of her best friend when the two were just five years old. Understandably, the event and the attention she gained from being the child who saw it happen have left a scar. Now an adult, she finds herself on the run from her past. She arrives in an outback town, a long way from home, only to discover that danger lurks here too. This time around she needs to make a decision--to run or to face the danger head on. When I was offered a copy of Days of Innocence and Wonder to review, I was immediately intrigued. After all, Lucy Treloar is an accomplished Australian writer of literary fiction, with two wonderful, award winning literary novels under her belt, Salt Creek and Wolfe Island. The plot of Days of Innocence and Wonder certainly sounded compelling. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as I hoped. I knew the plot was going to be dark and that parts would be c

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Many readers of this blog would already been familiar with Celeste Barber and her hilarious (and never, ever mean spirited) videos parodying various influencers, known officially as the Celeste Barber Challenge. Challenge Accepted! is Barber's memoir and a behind the scenes glimpse of what shaped her in to the fun and fearless woman that she is today. This is a raw and honest glimpse at the very human life of the very human (and hilarious) woman who appears in the videos. I picked up this one expecting it to be a parody of the genre but instead Barber is truthful and offers us a behind the scenes glimpse into her experiences, from going through most of her schooling with undiagnosed ADHD, to having fun at dance classes, breaking in to acting and everything that happened in between. There were a couple of andantes that, sadly, reminded me of how predatory some men can be. There are also some fun stories. I like how she dealt with her school bullies and it seems like very useful adv

University student Francis is living a comfortable life in Dublin. She is an aspiring writer with a considerable amount of talent, and she has a close and comfortable relationship with her ex-girlfriend Bobbi and the two work together creating and performing poetry. Suddenly her life begins to unravel when she and Bobbi are befriended by a couple in their thirties Melissa and Nick. Over the course of her adventures--being pulled into a sophisticated adult world--Francis finds her relationships tested to the limits and herself confronting her own vulnerabilities for the first time. I found this one to be a difficult read. Francis is not the easiest of characters to like and nor is she meant to be. Then again neither is Bobbi. However, what I really struggled with in the novel is although Francis and Bobbi are in their very early twenties, the behaviour of Melissa and Nick feels quite predatory from the very beginning. It was obvious to me from the outset that the younger girls were bein

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What a charming little tale is Emma of 83rd Street, a sweet retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. Switching Regency England for 21st Century New York, we meet a thoroughly modern and thoroughly imperfect Emma Woodhouse. She lives in a close-knit upper east side community and following on from making a successful match of her sister with their best friend and neighbour, she soon sets her sights on other things ... with well, the kind of results that her conservative neighbour, George Knightley keeps trying to warn her about.  This one is a charming read for Austen fans. Emma retellings are nothing new, but this one has such a fun spin on the character that it is impossible not to be drawn in to the spoiled and optimistic Emma Woodhouse's world. Parts of the novel follow the original very faithful, while the authors use a dash of artistic licence to suit the setting and situation. Things come right in the end, of course, but the adventure is in the how ... and what Emma learns along

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