Kathryn's Inbox

The northernmost part of Alaska in late November is the setting for The Quality of Silence  a surprising new novel by British author Rosamund Lupton. Yasmin has just arrived in Alaska on the twenty-fourth of November, in time to see the sun set, knowing that it will not rise again for another fifty-four days. With her is Ruby, her ten year old daughter who is deaf. Yasmin's husband is not there to greet her at the airport, instead she is met with some terrible news. Unwilling to believe that her husband is dead, Yasmin soon finds herself on a dangerous journey, where she and Ruby battle the harsh climate and a deadly enemy of a different kind ... The Quality of Silence has two great selling points, the unusual and quietly menacing setting, and the author's brilliant and sympathetic portrayal of Ruby, an innovative child who is wise beyond her years. The sense of place feels very real. The is a real sense of wonder about the natural environment and how it is both fragil...

On Hindley Street, just beside the entrance to Station Arcade is a plain white wall, which has been decorated with this beautiful artwork and story about a family and their life before they came to Australia as refugees. It is part of a daring artwork project, where the works are placed on construction sites around the city, and are real stories, told by refugees in detention to the artist. 

Bad boys, outlaw motorcycle gangs, bad-ass romances, melodrama and sizzling, sexy situations come together in Australian author Chantal Fernando's best selling erotic romance novel Dragon's Lair. Fitting perfectly into the so-trashy-it's-good genre is this tale of Faye, a good girl and high ranking university student who has been dating the boy next door for years. That all changes one day when Faye catches her boyfriend Eric with one of her so-called friends and she storms off and ends up having a very hot one-night stand with Eric's motorcycle outlaw bad-boy half brother Dex, which ultimately results in a pregnancy and Faye being kicked out of home by her somewhat cold and uptight parents. As soon as Dex discovers that Faye and his unborn child are homeless, he provides them shelter ... at club headquarters. Can a nice girl like Faye survive in such a dangerous place? And more to the point, what is her relationship with Dex? I am not going to pretend that this...

The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine  is a hilarious and scorching hot read about a young woman who is discovering her sexuality set against a sci-fi backdrop. In some parts the plot is absolutely ridiculous but the whole thing is done so well and comes together so nicely in the end that most of the oddities are quite endearing. Holly White is a nice girl from Brisbane who does not believe in premarital sex and who wears who pledge ring with pride. She has a clique of girlfriends who have similar morals. She's clearly a bit too good for her boyfriend, Jack, who is not the honest guy he passes himself off to be, but Holly cannot see that and has her own reasons for wanting to keep her virginity, which comes in the form of well ... something neon blue. (I'll let you discover that one for yourselves. But it's great. Really.) Anyway, one day one of Holly's classmates from uni invites her to a secret book club and Holly is surprised to discover th...

This old rotunda sits proudly on The Parade at Norwood, just metres away from the football ground that for many years (until blatantly commercialism got in the way,) was known to locals as well, The Parade. Although I have never been a Redlegs (or Norwood) supporter, I have to admit that their homeground is one of the most beautifully kept in the Adelaide metro area. 

Remembrance of the Daleks is the novelisation of one of the best Classic Doctor Who episodes. Made specifically to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Doctor Who  in 1989 the story has the Doctor, accompanied by Ace, return to Coal Hill School in London in 1963--which is, of course, where the television series began. There is a showdown with some very unusual Daleks, we see a Dalek ascend stairs for the first time and the ending the points very much toward the direction of which the modern day television series would take, some sixteen years later.  The novelisation of all of this is pretty damn good in its own right too. I never knew of its existence until a couple of years ago when it was reprinted to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who. Although a little pretentious at times, the novel stays faithful to the scrip while adding in its own intelligent edge and spin on the story. We get a little bit more of a sense of Ace's own backstory and the ...

As is traditional on this blog (and quite the in-joke for those who are in the know,) I would like to take this opportunity to wish Garfield a very happy birthday. Garfield debuted on 19 June 1978 and every year since then, his creator, Jim Davis, has devoted a special birthday comic strip to the grumpy, tabby cat. Below are a few of the best:

The first YA novel from bestselling British author Sophie Kinsella (best known for the Shopaholic series,) is easily one of her best in recent times. Through the story of Audrey, a fourteen year old girl with Social Anxiety Disorder who no longer attends school after a bullying incident, the author expertly mixes in some dark themes with her trademark lightweight and humorous writing style. Audrey makes for an interesting heroine as she navigates her way through a serious illness, her first teenage romance and a dysfunctional but ultimately loving family.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this one. I have been a bit disappointed with some of Sophie Kinsella's books of late, but those one was an absolute winner for me. The mix of darker and lighter themes seemed to work well. The author absolutely nailed one of the darkest aspects of schoolyard bullying--which kid is likely to become a victim. Audrey is a good kid. She is smart, kind and she never really steps o...

Welcome back to another great Writers on Wednesday post. This week, I am chatting with South Australian author Kristina Dryza ... Tell me a bit about yourself … My name is Kristina Dryza and I’m a consumer trends expert advising the world’s biggest companies on emerging social and cultural trends. I’m also a keynote speaker on creativity, innovation and the future. Studying the patterns of economic cycles and consumer behaviour led me to become interested in the patterns of nature; specifically seasonal, lunar, tidal and circadian rhythms. It became apparent that the very nature of life is expressed and experienced as rhythm and it’s around this theme that my book Grace and the Wind is based. Tell us about your most recently published book? Grace and the Wind is really a handbook for life. It’s an allegorical novel about a teenage girl, Grace, and the friendship she develops with the Wind. [I chose to tell the story of the emotional and metaphoric influence of ...

This week, the worlds favourite tubby orange tabby with a whole lot of attitude (Otherwise known as Garfield) is turning 37, so to celebrate, I'm going to look back at one of my favourite themes in the comic, Garfield's combined fear and hatred of Mondays. 1980 ... is the earliest example I can find of Garfield hating Mondays. Source: Go Comics 1987  ... was a bad year for Mondays, for Garfield as we can observe from some of the comics below... Source: Go Comics Source: Go Comics Source: Go Comics 2014 ... was the year that Garfield encountered a Monday that just wouldn't die ... Source: Go Comics

As fans of V.C. Andrews and followers of my reviews will already know, recently, V.C. Andrews ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman began working on the Diaries Series, a spin-off, or companion series to the Dollanganger Series which is best remembered for its haunting first novel Flowers in the Attic . In the Dollanganger series, we read as four children were kept in an attic by their cruel grandmother and were eventually poisoned by their mother. When Cory, one of the younger children dies, the other three realise that they must escape. The sequel Petals on the Wind tells the story of how narrator Cathy and her surviving siblings Christopher and Carrie adjust to life outside of the attic, along with Cathy's thirst for revenge and two further sequels If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday  introduce the next generation of the family, who too inherit their own share of problems and are haunted by the deep shadows cast by their ancestors. The saga is rounded out with Garden of Shadow...

Some of you may remember that I posted a press release recently about Penguin Little Black Classics, these awesome little pocket sized books that are 64 pages each, and just $1.99 each. Penguin Books Australia was kind enough to send me a few of these books to review, and a few more to give away. Anyway, I've had a great time reading a few of these titles--it has proved to be a great way to reconnect with some favourite classics and to wet my appetite for the authors that I knew little about.  The Wife of Bath by Geoffrey Chaucer Penguin Little Black Classics No. 28 The first classic I dipped in to was The Wife of Bath by Geoffrey Chaucer, which, of course, is part of the Canterbury Tales. I remember studying some of the Canterbury Tales as a young adult, and being a little intrigued by these occasionally sordid tales. The Wife of Bath, or The Wife of Bath's Tale  is a tale of sex, attraction and monogamy, while also examining the role of women during medieval...

Not so far away from Sempahore's iconic clock with the angel on top lies this historic old anchor ...

Today, I am sharing a video for an upcoming book release, Tom Houghton by Todd Alexander, which will be published by Simon and Schuster Australia in October. I had not heard much about this one, which is unsurprising, considering that one, it will not be released for a few months yet, and two, because I've been rather busy in my personal life of late and much book news seems to have passed me by. Anyway, last week, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Tom Houghton and I was immediately intrigued by the concept--of a boy who is bullied, and the brilliant way he tries to escape from that via his love of film. The trailer for this book is quite intriguing as well ...

NOWHERESVILLE, AUSTRALIA--The editor of a leading women's magazine has refused to comment on the age and marital status of a popular female actor, creating headlines right across the nation. 'I don't see what the big deal is,' Suzie Sams, editor of Aphrodite Magazine told our reporter. 'The actor was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about her role in a new big budget television series. We were quite interested in hearing about her work on the series, and, to be honest, it seemed rather rude to just start talking about her age.' The resulting article also failed to mention the actor's attire, current weight and her marital status and there were no juicy tidbits about her personal life. 

Unfortunately, this Fifty Shades retelling from Christian's perspective is not a joke ...

Puffball, the iconic novel by British author Fay Weldon is a deliciously dark comedy about marriage, pregnancy and change. Although it was first published in 1980, many of the themes feel very relevant to modern readers. It tells the story of Liffy and Richard, a young and fairly innocent couple whose lives are thrown into disarray after Liffy decides that they should move to the country. Thanks to the interference of their supposed friends, as well as that of their new neighbours, Liffy soon finds herself pregnant and alone, while Richard is busy trying to bumble his way through his new life--and many new women--in London . Puffball is not a book for readers who are looking for likeable characters and lovely descriptions of the British countryside. Rather, it is a criticism on human nature--on the often cruel way that women treat one another, while they fight for the attention of men who hardly deserve it. Liffy is a fairly decent character who means well most of the time...

Welcome to another great Writers on Wednesday interview. This week I am chatting with Australian author Margaret Blake ... Tell me a bit about yourself … I was born in the northern hemisphere, immigrating to Australia with my family when I was almost ten years old. I’m a jack of all trades when it comes to my work-life, trying my hand at car detailing, machining, commercial artist, fabric designer, waitressing and have even been a farm hand. I’ve had a go at playing piano and guitar, done some time on stage, was a co-founder of a Camp Quality group, raising money for children living with cancer. I love reading and have written book reviews for a local newsletter, as well as been a teacher’s aide with kindergarten and grade one/two children. In between all that I was married for a while and have two grown-up children. After spending thirty three years living in Tasmania I now reside in Queensland. I’m retired and spend a lot of my time writing. Tell us about your ...

The Mountain Story is a surprising--and unlikely--tale of survival and the triumph of the human spirit. Opening with a letter from father to son, it tells the story of Wolf Truly, a young man who travels to the top of a large mountain peak in Palm Springs with the intention of never coming home. Along the way, he finds himself on a mission of survival with three very different women, who are on a mission of their own and who have their own interesting life stories. Over the course of five days, while they brave the elements and impossible situations, Wolf and the others reflect on their lives and make some surprising discoveries about themselves. I picked this one up from my reading pile, not quite sure of what to expect. What I got that was a story of a young man who is not only battling the elements and the most unlikely of circumstances, but an abundance of believable human drama. Wolf's own family story is heartbreaking, while it was lovely to read about Nola, Bridget ...

At the back of the Adelaide's iconic Festival Theatre and overlooking the River Torrens and Elder Park is this funny little ball themed sculpture. I am unable to find more information about this one, but if anyone knows anything about the title, artist or history (I'm guessing it's a fairly recent work,) please let me know in the comments section.