Kathryn's Inbox

I have been loving Australian author CJ Duggin's Heart of the City series, so I was absolutely thrilled when I was gifted a copy of the third book London Bound by the publisher, Hachette Australia after I won a competition on twitter. In this standalone story, we met Kate, an Aussie with a passion for fashion and blogging and dreams of making big as a blogger in London. The only problem with all of this is that living in London means living with her bitter and miserable old grandmother who demands most of her time ... and if that wasn't bad enough, living in the house next door is the arrogant but ridiculously good looking Jack Baker. Kate knows that she shouldn't be falling for Jack but ... This one was a fun adventure with plenty of romance and some colourful characters. Nana Joy lives up to her reputation as a nasty old lady, though as the story goes on, we learn that she has a reason for being so bitter. Jack surprised me on several occasions (I'm not sure h...

Something very sinister is afoot in this novel about an author and her research assistant ... and the ending very nearly blew me away. Olivia Sweetman is a historian, professor, TV star and a newly published author of a historical fiction novel that is tipped to hit the bestseller lists. Behind the scenes is her research assistant, Vivian, an intense and friendless woman who pounces on the project--and Olivia--with a little too much enthusiasm. As the novel shifts between narratives of the two women, it becomes increasingly clear that Vivian is far from well and that Olivia may be in serious danger. 2017 has been a great year for books and  The Night Visitor  is another title that I can proudly add to an already long list of my favourite new releases. I loved the gothic feel of this one--the duel settings of rural England and France add to the unsettling atmosphere. Olivia is an easy character to identify with, while Vivian is interesting to read about. At first, I won...

A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathrynsinbox) on May 26, 2017 at 1:07am PDT This week I snapped a picture of some autumn leaves decorating one of the main streets of Adelaide. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year in the city ...

NOWHERESVILLE, AUSTRALIA--Motorist Dwayne Phillis was amazed to discover this week that his vehicle was fitted with a small device that allows him to signal his intention to turn left or right to other motorists. "I had no idea this device existed," Dwayne told our reporter. "I'd seen blinking orange lights on other vehicles from time-to-time, but until today I had no idea what they meant or why cars were fitted with them. But after a talk with the local police, who helpfully showed me what that stick near my steering wheel was for, and the meaning of the blinking orange lights, it has all become clear. I'll never need to worry about someone shaking their fist at me again and shouting abuse when I change lanes agains." Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Wonder received much acclaim when it was initially published back in 2012, which inevitably led to a number of shorter sequels/companion novels being published and possibly some other tie-in merchandise, so it is a bit of a mystery how I managed to not hear of this one at all, until a few weeks ago when I was in Big W and found it on one of those Kids Top 50 Books shelves. Intrigued, I brought it home and then I found myself charmed and occasionally unsettled by this story of Auggie a boy who was born with a severe facial disfigurement. It's also the story of a number of other young people--some kids, some teenagers--who are touched by Auggie in some way. All of the characters have their own problems in one way or another, whether it be a parent's divorce, a first love, feeling unnoticed by their parents or peer group pressure. The narrative is honest, occasionally unnerving and sometimes it made me feel sad. And sometimes I felt that the whole thing was a little bit conde...

I'll be brave and admit, what first drew me to this book was the idea that it was about three astronauts who were to be sent to Mars. Mars. Imagine, three ordinary human beings spending months and months together in a tiny craft, travelling to a whole other planet.  There is something intriguing about that. Except that this isn't quite what The Wanderers is about. It tells the story of three experienced and highly skilled astronauts who take part in a seventeen month simulation test, designed to mimic a trip to Mars and back. The Wanderers is, at its heart, a story about human resilience even in the most highly unusual circumstances. The storytelling is detailed and a little slow, and the chapters about Helen, Yoshi and Sergei are interspaced with chapters about the loved ones that they have left behind, and how their relationships are altered. There is a rather ambiguous twist along the way--one that I never did work out, but perhaps that is crucial part of the storytel...

Darren Keefe is a former international cricketer who has just found himself in a lot of trouble. More specifically, he's found himself bundled in the boot of a car that is travelling down a Melbourne highway and it seems that years of risks and hard living have finally caught up with him. Knowing that he's probably not going to survive, Darren goes about trying to leave some forensic evidence in the vehicle, before going back in time to tell his story--he is the younger of two brothers, born to a plucky, courageous mother who only wants the best for her boys. While Darren grows up to be a larrikin with seemingly few morals who is loved by the press, his older brother Wally is serious about all things, particularly his career as a cricketer. Most of the novel details the difference between the brothers and the careers that may appear quite similar on the surface, and the events and decisions that eventually lead to Darren's fate ...  This was an enjoyable read, and p...

When I saw this one, I thought that it must be a joke. Turns out that this is an actual product, which you can purchase from Amazon .

Bastard  is one of those self-published success stories, where it was initially self-published as an eBook and then became so popular that it was eventually picked up by a major publishing house, and then went on to have even more success. Even better, the author is Australian, and the book is set in New South Wales. Bastard is a trashy romance, the kind that is unashamed of and perhaps even revels in its own trashiness, with plenty of swearing, explicit sex, sexism disguised as romance. In fact, there is probably something in there to offend practically everybody. The writing itself sets a fairly low benchmark, though it has an easy to read and, dare I say it, a slightly addictive quality about it. And, let's face it, people don't pick up a book like this because they are expecting an eloquently written, chaste read with a realistic storyline. It seems almost ridiculous that I am making a judgement about it at all. (I actually picked up my copy after I spied a couple of...

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less is a sad, funny and touching memoir about a young Jewish American woman who undertakes a birthright tour of Israel. Told in the form of a graphic novel, Sarah perfectly expresses her internal conflicts as she tours a place that she is both in awe of and despises. The author is sensitive, politically aware and nobody's fool, which makes a tour of a place that she disapproves of to be a difficult and, at times, lonely experience. She can see through most of the propaganda that she is presented with on the the tour. Also she is not afraid to ask big questions about the Israel-Palestine conflict, even if sometimes the answers are not things that she wants to hear, and she ends up learning that sometimes solutions to the conflict may not be as easy as they appear on the surface. This was an interesting read and one that was certainly thoughtfully read and illustrated. What came through over and over again, is that the author is a good...

A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathrynsinbox) on May 10, 2017 at 5:59am PDT I recently found some old issues of Vogue and InStyle Magazine and shared them on my Instagram feed. I love this one from 2006 which features Australian actor Melissa George on the cover. At the time, Melissa George was the living example of a local girl made good. A teenage girl from Perth, she first hit our screens in Home and Away , becoming one half of the most popular character to ever grace the series. From there, she moved to Hollywood and by 2006 she had become famous the whole world over thanks to her part in the massively successful television series Alias. More success was to follow, including film roles, a Golden Globe nomination, and a Logie award for Most Outstanding Actress for her role as Rosie in The Slap (George later reprised her role in the American remake of the series.) She also played the lead in US television series Heartbeat and, sadly, has suffered some pretty bad pre...

So, throughout life, our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise. Great Expectations  by  Charles Dickens

Writing a review of The Handmaid's Tale in a time when it seems that there is nothing new or original that can possibly be said about Canadian author Margaret Atwood's brilliant dystopian is one hell of a challenge. Thanks Trump, for creating an era that gives everyone cause to worry, and thanks to everyone who created or watched the recent television series. Oh, and thanks everyone else who has given this novel the reviews it deserves since it was released in 1985.  No, I'm not bitter about it. The Handmaid's Tale is an brilliant novel and deserves all of the praise and discussion that it has received. The novel is set in the United States, in what was, presumably, the near future after the novel first went to print. The United States is now known as Gilead and, following war, is now run by a strict Christian fundamentalist regime where women have no rights--women are no longer permitted to read, to have ownership of anything and they are broken up into v...

The second stand-alone novel in Aussie Author CJ Duggan's Heart of the City series is a bit sweeter, a bit shorter and a bit quieter than it's predecessor. Sarah, an independent Aussie twenty-something is in New York following both of her dreams--to work as an Au Pair, and to see New York. The only problem with this plan is that her employer and his family and pretty bloody intimidating. Their biggest rule? Ask no questions. But this may prove difficult when baby Grace is so small, her father Ben so sad and distant, and her mother nowhere to be seen ... New York Night s is a short and sweet story, which is great, but it does lead to one problem. It's so short and sweet that the central plot is resolved a bit too easily--it would have been nice to see a bit more tension build between Sarah and Ben between their first kisses, etc. (On that, I think the author could have created even more tension between Sarah and Ben's mother. And that--dare I say it--jealous hou...

A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathrynsinbox) on Feb 19, 2017 at 8:28pm PST I spotted this chap down on Broadway at Glenelg, not so far away from the Kiosk and, perhaps, not so far away from Abigail's house ;)

Ha! I was guilty of this one last night. 

The Upside of Unrequited is definitely, definitely one of my favourite reads of 2017. This brilliant, and well thought out coming of age novel tells the story of Molly Peskin-Suso, a seventeen year old who has experienced twenty-six crushes, but never had a boyfriend. Meanwhile, her somewhat more outgoing twin sister Cassie is experiencing her first romance with the quirky Mina, and doesn't seem to have as much time for Molly anymore. Meanwhile, it's finally legal for their mothers, Nadine and Patty to marry and it seems as though everyone else is moving forward with their lives, and Molly is left feeling somewhat clueless. Author Becky Albertalli nails exactly what it feels like to be seventeen and completely clueless about relationships while everyone seems to be moving forward. Her relationship with her twin sister is changing--no longer is she the most important person in Cassie's life, and, suddenly, there are things which (understandably,) Cassie does not wis...

It is to the credit of human nature that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates. The Scarlet Letter  by  Nathaniel Hawthorne

The epigraph on the front cover of my copy of a Talent For Murder reads: A mystery worthy of Agatha herself and that, I think, sums up the essence of the novel. It is not a new concept--speculating what happened to beloved British author Agatha Christie during the ten days in which she disappeared--but author Andrew Wilson plots this novel so cleverly and so carefully, blending fact with a mystery that makes one feel as though they really are reading a Christie novel that I found myself entirely caught up in the plot. The facts, as many of you will already know, is that in 1926 Agatha Christie went missing for ten days. Her car was found abandoned the day after she went missing. Ten days after her disappearance she was recognised by staff at a hotel in London and had checked in under the name of Mrs Theresa Neele. In A Talent for Murder, author Andrew Wilson creates a cracking great read whereby the Agatha Christie is blackmailed by a doctor to poison his wife, and the autho...

A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathrynsinbox) on Mar 23, 2017 at 7:12pm PDT This is hardly a great work of art, but I was surprised by just how well this photograph of a tin of diet coke sitting on a table with a plastic gingham tablecloth turned out. In one sense it's a little bit satirical, because I'm claiming something very cheap and nasty as art, in another sense, perhaps that's where the art lies ... In any case I am not taking it seriously.