Kathryn's Inbox

  I spotted this charming video on YouTube and I just couldn't resist sharing. Most Aussies are (or should) be familiar with a children's cartoon called Bluey. This particular YouTube channel is devoted to seeing how various things from the TV show would work out in real life. Of course, one of the best episodes of Bluey is an episode titled Hammerbarn, where the Healer family take a trip to a hardware store called Hammerbarn that looks remarkably like Bunnings. (The episode may or may not be currently available to watch free on iView. Even if you wouldn't normally watch or be interested in a show like Bluey, its worth checking out if, for no other reason than it's eerily accurate take on modern Australian life.) Anyway, as I said, this channel replicates things from Bluey and much like the episode it is based on, it's pretty brilliant and worth a watch. 

A sequel of sorts to The Code of the Woosters, Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves finds Bertram Wilberforce Wooster an unwilling (and unwanted) guest at Totleigh Towers with his ever-impressive valet Jeeve's in tow. Bertie's job is simple--to steal an ornament that Sir Watkyn Bassett bought at an unfair price, and return it to the previous owner at the insistence of Sir Watkyn's niece Stiffy, who wants revenge on the family matriarch for the fact that he won't give her fiancé, Rev Harold 'Stinker' Pinker a vicarage. Meanwhile, there are other problems afoot--chiefly in the form of Sir Watkyn's daughter Madeline, who believes that Bertie is still in love with her. She is also busy forcing her own fiancé, Gussie Fink-Nottle, to become a vegetarian against his will, which leads to Gussie falling in love with the new cook--who is none other than Pauline Stoker's younger sister Emerald, who has fallen on hard times. In the hands of many writers, such a shallow, farcical

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  I spotted this cute Peanuts animation on YouTube earlier in the week, featuring Snoopy and Woodstock. I love these two, their imaginations and problem solving skills are the best. The duo are an improbable, but likeable and caring pair of best friends.  

Welcome to the future ... as presented by Margaret Atwood. In this world, all of humanity has died out, except for one man. Calling himself Snowman, he lives a solitary life in the woods where he occasionally provides a bit of guidance to the Children of Crake, a new and emerging genetically modified race, and does his best not to get eaten by genetically modified animals. And he has lots of flashbacks, mostly to do with his childhood, back when he was known as Jimmy, when Crake, the creator of all of this madness was simply his oddball but genius best friend and Oryx, now regarded as a Mother Nature type figure, was his lover. There may be other humans who still exist in this world, by Snowman is too tired to be bothered finding them. In other words, Oryx and Crake is a dystopian about the evils of genetic modification, with an odd main character who has been thrown into a future that he didn't want and that he finds mostly useless. Through flashbacks, we learn how it all happened

The Old Man and the Sea is arguably one of Hemingway's best known works. Often studied in high school English classes, it's one of those books that everyone knows, or at least knows of. And yet, somehow, this one passed me by until recently. Set in Havana, the novel opens with Santiago, an ageing fisherman who has not caught a fish in many, many days. He is considered so unlucky by the other fisherman, and in his adopted home (Santiago was born in Spain,) that even his apprentice has been forced by his parents to move to a different--and luckier--boat. Fortunately, his former apprentice still keeps an eye on him, ensuring that he is comfortable and fed. Anyway, one morning, Santiago goes out to sailing and finally lands a fish. And not just any fish, but a giant fish, suddenly, he finds himself pulled out to sea and determined not to let go of this fish. He will conquer it. But at what cost? Short, and increasing bleak as the narrative goes on The Old Man and the Sea works as

Allie Brosh has been through a lot in the years since she sent her debut Hyperbole and a Half to the publisher. Her younger sister passed away after being hit by a train, she developed a case of endometriosis so severe that doctors initially thought that she had cancer, she has been through a divorce and various relocations to different cities and states. And then there are her continuing struggles with mental health. Anyway, so many events have taken their toll on Brosh and it shows in her writing and cute but crudely drawn pictures that depicts herself as something of a cross between a stick figure and a fish. In this second volume, it becomes clear that Brosh is of the opinion that life is hard and well, pretty much pointless. And somehow, despite this, Brosh still manages to leverage her greatest talent--her insight into human nature--and turn it into a volume that is unique, surprisingly raw and entertaining. Brosh's drawings are as crude and clever as ever. There are some ch

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The author and the publisher had me at the title with this one. We've all found ourselves battling outdated and unhelpful beauty standards at one time or another, subjected to the male gaze and had our worth as human beings determined by our level of sex appeal. And like everyone else, I'm fed up with it too. Consequently, I snapped a copy of this one up when I found it at Dymocks. Women Don't Owe You Pretty is a guide about being your best self. Written and illustrated by Florence Given, it encourages readers to be true to themselves. The author has a lot of valuable advice about self-esteem, and about being kinder to oneself and to others. It also challenges a lot of what many woman have come to accept as normal.  It is also a book about social activism. I have no doubt that Given's views on feminism and how women from marginalised backgrounds suffer more than upper and middle class white women come from the most sincere of places, however there is not a lot of resea

Political Cartoonist First Dog on the Moon has turned his hand to writing graphic novels ... and its a cracker. Meet the Enviroteens, Binky aka the Monotreme, Worried Norman who was once bitten by a radioactive croissant and now turns into superhero Pastry Person when needed and Letitia a wombat and genius inventor. Together, the group are determined to thwart their enemy--Single Use Plastic Brendan who has an evil plot to destroy the world's turtles. But when they go to battle, the Enviroteens soon discover that there is something else, something far more sinister going on ... This graphic novel was a lot of fun. Full of plenty of First Dog on the Moon humour (I love how Senator Ian the Climate Denialist Potato was incorporated into the plot,) this one has the characters go on a far fetched adventure, while incorporating some scientific truths into various parts of the story. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling at various moments--in particular an image of a shark riding

Greg Gains is a misfit just trying to survive high school by having as little contact with the other students as possible. He is more or less happy being miserable and cynical and anyway, he has all of the friends he needs in Earl, a tough talking kid from the wrong side of the tracks whom he makes amateur films with. Then Greg's life takes a twist when he learns that Rachel, his childhood friend from Hebrew class has leukaemia and his mother is insisting that he go visit her. And while Greg remains, well, Greg, and he's bitter and miserable and thoroughly enjoying being bitter and miserable throughout the book, it is Rachel who can see his potential ... Greg reminded me a lot of someone I used to know when I was roughly the same age as the characters, which helped make the novel that extra bit entertaining. (Yes real life Greg. I was laughing at you.) I found the novel to be fairly realistic, and surprisingly cynical for something that was intended for roughly the same audienc

  View this post on Instagram Spotted this Shopping Trolley chilling in Victoria Square. #victoriasquare #adelaide #southaustralia A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathryns_inbox) on Aug 26, 2020 at 2:48am PDT

  This clip is from 1994 and I can actually remember when it happened. Agro's Cartoon Connection was staple viewing in my household, usually because it showed most of the old Hanna Barbera cartoons like Yogi Bear, The Smurfs and The Huckleberry Hound Show. Made in Brisbane, the show was hosted by good natured Ann-Marie and Agro, an agsty puppet with a penchant for pushing the boundaries of one, good taste and two, what was permissible to air on a children's show. Unsurprisingly, it was a ratings hit. There are a lot of outtakes--real and things that never made it to air, available on YouTube that showcase just how far Argo could push the boundaries. As a child, I thought it was all hilarious, though as an adult I can see just how much of it probably went straight over my head. As an adult, I find the humour kind of funny, kind of not. There's nothing sophisticated about it.  Agro was voiced and operated by comedian Jamie Dunn. According to wikipedia, much of his antics we

Anita Abriel's second novel takes readers into the heart of Occupied France in 1943. Russian born Countess Lana was raised in Paris, where she now lives with her beloved husband, music teacher Fredrick. She is on her way to inform Fredrick that she is expecting their first child, but arrives just in time to witness a terrible event--Fredrick is shot by none other than Alois Brunner. Lana then suffers a miscarriage. Thisty for revenge, she joins the French resistance, utilising her position as a Russian Countess to pose as the lover of a Swiss businessman. But life in the resistance is tough, and dangerous, especially when Lana's instinct is to follow her heart, rather than her head ... This is an entertaining page turner. The backdrop of the French Riviera makes an interesting contrast to the horrors of war, and the many, many grave atrocities that were committed there, and across other parts of Europe. Abriel's prose is easy to read and I often found myself reading a page

Highballs For Breakfast, the very best of PG Wodehouse on the joys of a good stiff drink is a fun and frivolous collection of some of the beloved comic novelist's descriptions of characters who find themselves in all kinds of hilarious scrapes after enjoying a strong drink or two. All of Wodehouse's most beloved characters are here--Jeeves and Wooster, Uncle Fred, Mr Mulliner, Lord Emsworth.  This was an enjoyable collection, featuring snippets of various short stories and novels by PG Wodehouse, each linked together by a theme. Richard T Kelly provides the introduction and linking text, and his strong working knowledge of Wodehouse shows throughout. The text also adds some useful social and historical context, though as we know, Wodehouse's work was very much based on a notion of who the idle rich could be and how they lived, rather than who they actually were.  Anyway, this is a fun collection, ending somewhat appropriately with a selection from Right Ho Jeeves where t

Australian author of historical fiction Tania Blanchard is back and in fine form with Letter's From Berlin, a story of love and survival set in Second World War Germany. Opening in Sydney in 2019, the reader is introduced to Ingrid, a woman who was adopted as a baby and who moved to Australia with her adoptive parents following the second world war. She has never heard from--nor been able to find--any trace of her birth mother until now. She and her daughter Natalie begin to read the letters that were sent by Susanna that tell a tale of a woman doing her best to survive ... and to keep her loved ones safe. Letters From Berlin is a compelling, though often heartbreaking, novel. It matters not how much time marches on, the events of the Second World War were horrific in every sense, and Blanchard successfully brings the sense of heartbreak, and the complex emotions experienced by the ordinary people of Germany who were caught up in a horrific war that they neither approved of, nor w

  View this post on Instagram I spied the TARDIS at Kilkenny Railway Station today! #tardis #doctorwho #kilkennyrailwaystation #adelaidemetro #adelaide #southaustralia #publicart A post shared by Kathryn White (@kathryns_inbox) on Aug 30, 2020 at 10:08pm PDT

It is not often that I have the opportunity to read a novel about an Australian woman living and working in Afghanistan, and for that reason alone, I was quite intrigued by The Night Letters. This is the story of Sofia Raso, a thirty-something doctor who leaves Australia for an unusual career change in Kabul, where she spends most of her career supporting the local women, whose problems are complex and whose lives may be difficult for outsiders to understand. Luckily, they have built up a trusting relationship with Sofia. Unfortunately, however, Sofia's peaceful life--and that of those around her--is soon to be shattered by threatening notes from the Taliban and the frightening disappearance of a number of young boys from a local slum. Although this book has a true sense of authenticity and place (author Denise Leith lived in Afghanistan for a time,) this story was, sadly, not a winner for me. Parts of the narrative were a little too slow for my liking, and though there are other n

  Just sharing this one for a bit of fun and lighthearted entertainment. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Fozzie ... He tries so hard to entertaining, though his jokes rarely hit the note that they are supposed to. Still, he never stops trying and maybe that's the best part of all.