Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

I’m limping to the reading finish line this year, and in order to get there, I’m choosing books that demand very little from me. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton fitted the bill nicely.

‘Chick-lit’… ‘Women’s fiction’… I’m not even sure what these labels mean now. When I was in my twenties, it meant you could walk into a book store, pick up a novel with a hot pink cover and a picture of a stiletto shoe on the front, and be sure that you would have a fun bit of reading ahead. This genre has not been my choice in the last 15 odd years, but 2020 seems to have changed all sorts of things. Continue reading →

Things that are making me happy this week

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

01. My hydrangeas are blooming.

02. The British Film Festival – saw Misbehaviour (how strange and absolutely normal it felt to sit in a cinema), and a few more planned (including Supernova which I know will have me in floods, which will probably lead to a migraine…). Continue reading →

The best of lockdown

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Has there ever been such a grim title? Sorry, it’s the Pollyanna in me. I started writing Things That Are Making Me Happy posts seven months ago, when Melbourne went into its first lockdown. There was a brief gap between lockdowns one and two, but not enough for anything to feel ‘normal’. For me, that’s changed in the last two weeks and being able to see family and friends, and enjoy some dinners out, has been marvelous.

So, before I immerse myself in Melbourne’s ‘new normal’, I thought I’d remind myself of the highlights of ‘happy’. Here’s a quick summary of the best stuff – Continue reading →

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , ,

Very occasionally, I’m part way through a book and I have to phone my best reading buddy and say, “Can you please start reading X immediately because I’m going to need to debrief.” She always complies. I did this recently, and a week later we spoke about Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur for a full hour.

Brodeur’s memoir is about her experience growing up with her charismatic and complicated mother, Malabar. When Brodeur was fourteen, Malabar woke her at midnight to confess that she had kissed her husband’s (Brodeur’s step-father) best friend, Ben.

Brodeur instantly became her mother’s confidante and accomplice, helping her Malabar and Ben spend time together.

Deception takes commitment, vigilance, and a very good memory. To keep the truth buried, you must tend to it. Continue reading →

Nonfiction November – Book Pairings

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s Nonfiction November, this week hosted by Julz Reads. The task? Pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title.

Charismatic fraudsters living the high-life – My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams and The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Continue reading →