Kathryn's Inbox

A travel memoir like no other, Eat Pray Love tells the story of Elizabeth Gilbert's quest to find herself over the course of a year, staying in three very different countries and having very different experiences in each. The author has reached something of a crossroads in her life. She is in her mid-thirties, recently divorced and in something of a position of privilege with a good job and income--though she doesn't necessarily see how fortunate that last part makes her. Feeling somewhat unfulfilled she finds a way to work travel in with her career and sets off across the globe spending time in Italy, India and Indonesia. Her experiences in each country are unique--and often entertaining. At the beginning of the book, author Elizabeth Gilbert is a bit of a mess and she seems to be basically honest about the fact. Where she shines, however, is in her willingness to travel and the beautiful depictions she makes about the places she visits, whether it be a restaurant in Italy, s

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  The smallest country in the world is Vatican City

Becky Albertalli has written a number of fun, playful YA bestsellers about first relationships and kids trying to make their way in the world. Take for example Simon Vs the Homo Sapien's Agenda  which is about a spitrited young man and his coming out and The Upside of Unrequited which is about a twin who first suffers a huge case of jealousy when her sister falls in love, and then she finds herself falling for a guy that neither her twin nor her friends really understand or approve of. Both novels feature some wonderful raw moments. There is also a lot of fun to be had in Leah on the Offbeat and various novels that Albertalli has coauthored with some big names in YA. Kate in Waiting does not live up to the high standards set by her earlier work. This one feels very much like a by-the-numbers work of fiction, with limited world building and a love interest that lacks depth. The set up is this. Kate has been best friends with Anderson for a long time. They often share crushes, on

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  Dunce caps were originally used as a sign of intelligence.

Tim Winton's novel  Blueback still gets me emotional almost eighteen years after I first encountered my slim blue copy on the shelves at a local bookshop that has long since gone out of business. The novel tells the story of Abel Jackson, a ten year old boy who dives for abalone with his mother. Abel's Dad has passed away, but he has left his son with a deep appreciation for the ocean, one that his mother nurtures at every turn. During one of his diving expeditions Abel encounters Blueback, a large groper that has lived in the area for many years, defying all kinds of risks and odds. It is Blueback who truly helps Abel to cement his love of the ocean, which he eventually turns into a career, before eventually discovering a higher calling. Along the way, the reader learns of the many personal and environmental challenges that come to Abel, his mother and to Blueback, the kind that truly make the reader stop and think about what we are doing to our environment, and what, precise

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Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion ~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

  Lest We Forget

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One day I will find the right words, and they all will be simple ~  Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

  Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can.

Wilkie Collins offers readers a short and satisfying gothic mystery in his classic novel The Haunted Hotel. A strange countess marries a gentleman under scandalous circumstances. The pair met abroad, and he soon became infatuated, breaking off his engagement to Angus Lockwood, a woman from his close knit circle. From there, things get more and more bizarre. The countess suffers from strange yet oddly prophetic delusions, and shortly after her marriage, her husband is dead and one of their employees is missing under strange circumstances. When their former residence in Italy is converted into a hotel, the deceased's younger brother and former fiancé decide to investigate both mysteries ... and things become odder and odder. This was a satisfying read with many twists and turns and unusual characters. At a little over two hundred pages, this was a relatively quick read, meaning that readers won't have long before they get to the twisty, chilling end. If you haven't read any W

Colleen Hoover it seems, is the master of writing her own fan fiction. Years after It Ends With Us was published, and a good two years after the book had a surprising resurgence on TikTok and went straight back on the bestseller lists, a sequel to the book the author always said was a stand alone is here. And it feels completely unnecessary. Told from the duel perspectives of Lily and Atlas, it tells the story of what happened to the pair after Lily left her abusive husband Ryle. The book also delves into the past of Atlas. Their lives are, unsurprisingly, melodramatic, full of heavily emotional situations, surprise twists, one dimensional characters and the occasional moment of hot and steamy sex. We learn of Atlas' past, growing up with a distant mother who occasionally became abusive and who chose her abusive husband over her son. What the reader never learns is the reason WHY Sutton behaves the way she does, which seems slightly ridiculous considering that breaking the cycle of