Nostr notes by Kathryn White (Unofficial)

Review: The Shadow Of the Object by Chloe Aridjis It has been ...

2026-10-30T06:06:27Z

Review: The Shadow Of the Object by Chloe Aridjis

It has been said to never judge a book by its cover. In this instance, however, it feels appropriate to mention that the cover for The Shadow Of the Object, the Booker Prize longlisted novel by Chloe Aridjus fits the story perfectly. The short and beautifully written novel opens with Flora in hospital. She has been bitten by the family dog, whilst on a trip home to visit her mother and stepfather in Mexico. Recovering in hospital she strikes up a friendship with Wilhelmina, an elderly German woman who became ill with pneumonia during a trip to Mexico. There is something magical about their conversations. So too is the show Wilhelmina puts on for Flora and the other patients with her magic lantern. And all too soon, everything changes.
I enjoyed the first half of the novel, set in the hospital in Mexico. The second half, set in London after Flora's recovery and Wilhelmina's passing never quite really lives up to the first half. The narrative was at its best when it shaped around Wilhelmina and the unlikely meeting and friendship between her and Flora, whereas what happened next in London had more of a feel of the inevitable, when Flora meets Wilhelmina's son. The prose itself is beautiful with a dreamlike quality about it. And there is something lovely about the way the narrative tells fragments of other stories. (Shadows, perhaps?)
A unique story with beautiful, dreamlike prose.
Recommended.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-shadow-of-object-by-chloe-aridjis.html

#object #chloe #flora #wilhelmina #mexico #bookerprize #shadows #london

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Review: Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton Adelaide ...

2026-10-28T06:17:23Z

Review: Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton

Adelaide author/illustrator Geogina Chadderton's graphic memoir tells two stories. The first is of their experiences of life with a younger brother, Rob, who has autism and an intellectual disability. The second is of their experiences of moving to a new house and starting high school, and the anxieties that go with that, particularly where friendships are concerned. And, unsurprisingly, both things intersect.
This was a compelling read. Like many graphic memoirs, this one is just as interesting for readers who are adults as it will no doubt be for children. It offers a genuine insight into the difficulties faced by kids like Georgina--of having a younger brother that she loves dearly, but whose behaviour can be a lot for a kid to deal with. One scene in particular stands out when she reacts after seeing Rob behaving violently toward their mum. Meanwhile, starting high school brings anxieties of its own that many readers will be able to relate to. Georgina has an excellent friend in Callie, but for one thing. While Georgina has a strong sense of routine, Callie isn't exactly the most punctual of people. She often forgets to charge her phone or to send a message, which leads Georgina to become fearful that her friend is no longer interested. The most interesting chapter that shows the dynamic between the pair is the one where they work on a Science project together. Rob destroys the poster that Georgina has made, leading to her being too anxious to explain what happened, which leads to drama ... though everything works out in the end. What I love about this is the way that the author absolutely captures the nature of friendship anxieties at that age, particularly for kids who do not fit in.
Also a special mention for the fact that the author is from Adelaide and writes about the southern suburbs. I loved the depiction of Brighton Beach, Foodland and Brighton Library.
Overall, a beautifully done graphic memoir that is suitable for all ages.
Highly recommended.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-oh-brother-by-georgina-chadderton.html

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Review: Black Bag by Luke Kennard How do I even begin to review a ...

2026-10-26T06:08:56Z

Review: Black Bag by Luke Kennard

How do I even begin to review a book so delightfully clever and quirky as Black Bag by Luke Kennard? The novel opens with an out-of-work actor whose prospects seem to be going from bad to worse until he receives a surprising offer--to become Black Bag. Effectively, this involves him showing up at an university twice a week, wearing only a black bag that obscures every part of him but his feet. He is required to sit silently in one lecture and one tutorial per week, as part of an experiment to see how students will react to his presence. It is easy work. The best part? He is getting paid well and in cash.
Things soon go awry. The actor becomes very attached to Black Bag, and starts wearing it outside of his work. Meanwhile, his best mate finds a way to monetise Black Bag, while a female professor at the university wants to use him as a sexual experiment. Then, well, there are lots of quirky things as everything gets worse and the novel begins to raise more questions about masculinity.
This was an entertaining and darkly funny read. Despite a brilliant plot, which is actually based on a real life experiment, my favourite part was actually the scenes where the unnamed protagonist takes his parent's dog Elliot out on walks and the philosophical conversations that arise. I disliked Dr Justine, though the plot raises some interesting questions about sexual desire and projection.
Black Bag has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize and it is not difficult to see why.
Highly recommended.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-black-bag-by-luke-kennard.html

#blackbag #lukekennard #review #bookerprize #things #justine #elliot

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Review: First Place (Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley Twins Vol ...

2026-10-24T18:20:24Z

Review: First Place (Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley Twins Vol 8) by Nicole Andelfinger and Knack Whittle

Those wacky Wakefield twins are back in another fun graphic novel adventure. This time around, their spoiled and wealthy classmate Lila Fowler has just been gifted an absolutely beautiful horse named Thunder. Except that Lila isn't actually terribly interested in horses or their upkeep. Enter Elizabeth who adores Thunder from the moment she sees him. And she would do anything just to spend time with him. Including pretending to be friends with snooty Lila and doing far more than her fair share of work down at the stables. Meanwhile, Jessica knows that Elizabeth is obsessed. But she cannot help but feel jealous at all of the time that Lila and Elizabeth are spending together. Lila is supposed to be Jessica's friend ... isn't she?
I enjoy reading the books in this series just to see how they translate to graphic novel format. In particular I was interested in the subplot between Steven Wakefield and Ted. However, just as I never really liked the original version of this one, I found the graphic novel version was a bit lacking. Lila is a bit too spoiled and never really learns anything from her experiences, and the otherwise sensible and saintly Elizabeth Wakefield acts just a little bit too much out of character even by Sweet Valley standards.
Recommended to diehard Sweet Valley Fans.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-first-place-francine-pascals.html

#sweetvalley #lila #elizabeth #lilafowler #thunder #jessica #stevenwakefield

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Review: Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg Dell is not in a great ...

2026-10-20T09:17:03Z

Review: Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg

Dell is not in a great place in her life. She has just been fired from her job after taking a somewhat over-the-top approach with a customer who cannot reason that staff do not make up company policy and nor can they break it at their discretion. This is something of a problem, as her beloved younger sister is currently on life support. The hospital is about to pull the plug and Dell needs to come up with the funds for private care, quickly. An impulse decision leads her to start live streaming her life so that she can raise the funds. What follows is a story of how women are treated on the internet, and how some viewers try to own the very people that they claim to be fans of.
Just Watch Me is a bold look at live streaming and internet culture. I found it to be a compelling read, with certain truths revealed over the course of the plot. Dell is whip smart, but chaotic with little understanding of what she is doing and the unforgiving nature of strangers. It also becomes clear that she is deep in a kind of pain that her followers have absolutely no understanding of, while they encourage her to perform more and more self-destructive stunts. There is also the problem of a stalker. He's a dangerous character, whose behaviour and methods are never once questioned by the same people who eventually make some big moral judgements about Dell.
Author Lior Torenberg's real talent is in the way she makes Dell, an otherwise angry and unpleasant character, into someone that the reader can feel empathy for, even while she is making foolish choices and hurting the people in her life who genuinely care about her.
Overall, a fantastic glimpse into grief and an unforgiving modern world.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-just-watch-me-by-lior-torenberg.html
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#liortorenberg #dell #authorlior

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Review: Karen's New Friend by Ann M Martin Purely by chance ...

2026-10-17T03:24:03Z

Review: Karen's New Friend by Ann M Martin

Purely by chance this week, I spotted a Baby-Sitters Little Sister book in a Street Library. I could not resist taking it home with me. I do not remember this one at all, which is unsurprising. Karen's New Friend was published shortly after I aged out of the series. And if my memory serves me right, the Australian release date of all of the BSC and Little Sister Books was usually six months to a year behind the United States.
This time around, Karen is gigundo excited for two reasons. First, she and her little brother Andrew are going to be spending two whole weeks at the Big House, which their mum and stepdad are away in Hawaii. And second, there is going to be another new kid in her class. Addie has differences which make her interesting to Karen. She has cerebral palsy, which means that she needs to use a wheelchair at school. She will be sitting in the front row of class, with Ricky and Karen. This leads Karen vowing that she is going to be the best helper that Addie could ever need.
While I remember many of these books fondly and I enjoy the odd nostalgic look back, I found this one to be a fairly weak instalment in the series. The idea is great and Karen is delightfully over the top before learning her lesson as always. However the B storyline where her step-cousins came to stay at the Big House after a fire and their reactions was somewhat unrealistic. Surely the kids would have been more concerned over what had happened in their own lives, and marvelling at the fact that they were staying in a mansion, than focusing so heavily on the fact that Karen's parents are divorced? Reader in the target age group would question this, surely? Then again, it is worth noting that at the point when the book was published, BSC mania was at its peak. There were three titles coming out per month, one from the OG BSC series, a Little Sister book and a BSC Mystery. It is not that surprising that standards may have dropped slightly.
An interesting look back at a beloved series.
PS: I couldn't help but notice that Addie's full name is Adelaide Sidney. I wonder if this was a nod to the many Australian BSC fans at the time?

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-karens-new-friend-by-ann-m-martin.html
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#newfriend #littlesister #bsc #streetlibrary #bighouse #addie #australianbsc #unitedstates #bscmystery

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Review: Duck: When Nature Calls by Matt Stanton The second book ...

2026-10-16T05:12:29Z

Review: Duck: When Nature Calls by Matt Stanton

The second book in the brilliant Duck series is every bit as good as the first. This time around, the adult humans are addicted to a podcast made by the evil Eon and it is up to Duck and his friends to put an end to it. They take over the community radio station as a way of communicating their plans ... but things go slightly awry when Dog, who only wants to be a good boy, finds himself torn between wanting to be a good boy for his friends and being a good boy for Eon. Especially when they have very different goals.
Told in a mix of prose and three frame comics, this one offers readers of all ages plenty of laughs. Okay, its supposed to be for kids, but there is still plenty of fun to be had for readers outside the target audience. Mouse's antics at the radio station are particularly amusing--in many ways Mouse feels more human than most humans.
Recommended.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-duck-when-nature-calls-by-matt.html

Review: Aubury Wants to Die by Pip Knight Vampires. They're ...

2026-10-16T04:27:49Z

Review: Aubury Wants to Die by Pip Knight

Vampires. They're cool, calm and in control, right? Well, not when it comes to Aubury. A one hundred and fifty year old vampire, she is something of a hot mess. She's living a haphazard life in London, where she has a job she hates, she's convinced that her ex-boyfriend who just dumped her is her soulmate and she wants to die so badly that she tries in all kinds of ways, but seems to have no idea that joining a group of vampire hunters might be the most dangerous thing that she has ever done. Especially when Oscar, her cruel and greedy sire shows up, intent on showing her how to behave like a real vampire ...
This was an entertaining, page-turning read. Aubury is not the smartest or the most likeable of characters, but she certainly is interesting to read about. Oscar was portrayed as cruel and calculating, a creature with few, if any, morals, and I felt that the ending did not truly redeem him. More interesting was the plot about the vampire hunters, who get their just desserts, while Aubury finally finds a path to self acceptance.
Recommended.
PS: Pip Knight is a pseudonym for Pip Drysdale, a popular Australian author of crime novels including The Paris Affair.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-aubury-wants-to-die-by-pip-knight.html

Review: Flesh by David Szalay The winner of the 2025 Booker Prize ...

2026-10-16T03:29:12Z

Review: Flesh by David Szalay

The winner of the 2025 Booker Prize is the story of one man's life. It opens with Istvan as a shy fifteen year old living in Hungry. The new kid in town, he is looked down upon by his peers. Sexually abused by a neighbour, he has little understanding of what has been done to him. From there, each event in his life seems to be a matter of chance and circumstance, as he finds himself in juvenile detention, then unemployable, then a well-respected military man, then chance leads him to him eventually moving among the circles of the wealthiest people in London. But, the funny is thing about chance and social climbing is well, everything can change in an instant.
This was a well written story, detailing a number of key events that made up Istvan's life, showing the many changes in his circumstances. For me, the most infuriating part of the book was probably also the very point that the author was trying to make. Istvan is almost completely passive in his own life, except for when he is acting out physically. With the exception of his mother, the defining characteristic of each woman in the book is whether they are sexually interested in Istvan or not. The scene where he and his military friend pick up two women at a bar, and what happens is particularly confronting. I found the aspect of his social climbing and his eventual downfall to be the most compelling part of the book.
Overall, an interesting story of one mans life and how much people can be shaped by chance and circumstance.
Recommended.

http://www.kathryns-inbox.com/2026/10/review-flesh-by-david-szalay.html
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