Book Review: No Autographs, Please! by Katherine Wiles

No Autographs, Please is the highly entertaining memoir and backstage pass to life in the chorus by decades-long member of Opera Australia, Katherine Wiles.

 

Katherine has a very personable way of writing and I don't think I've enjoyed reading a memoir as much as I enjoyed No Autographs, Please! I found myself eager to pick the book up every chance I could get. High praise from someone who doesn't read much non-fiction.

Written with candour, Katherine writes about life in the chorus; the things that went right and the things that went terribly wrong, the rehearsals, bone-aching tiredness, the glamorous and not so glamorous, the friendships and the behind the scenes hijinks.

 

I've only ever been to the opera once, and that was in high school, but after reading No Autographs, Please! I felt I had a whole new appreciation of all it takes to put on a production. I have a real yearning now to watch a performance and become a part of the whole opera experience.

 

Katherine writes about the wonderful experiences she has had through Opera Australia, the impact of Covid, her battle with stage fright and her favourite onstage performances. All written with humility and real emotion. Katherine's love for all the opera encompasses shines through on every page.

 

You don't need to be an opera fan to enjoy this open, engaging and humorous memoir about life in the chorus line.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 3rd September 2024

Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir

Pages: 288

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: Beam of Light by John Kinsella

John Kinsella's Beam of Light is a collection of 29 short stories emphasising his unique voice and writing style. Little vignettes of life, a snapshot in time.

Beam of Light has a subtle theme of fitting in and belonging. Most of the stories are set in country areas where poverty, isolation and drugs are at the forefront. Kinsella highlights pivotal moments in his characters' lives, a turning point or awakening.

 

I feel it can be very hard to achieve any character development in such few pages, however Kinsella has managed to accomplish a reader to character connection in many of his stories. I felt a real empathy for them as most were unsettled, nuanced characters facing dysfunctional relationships, environmental issues and feeling of disconnect.

 

Some stories went over my head, others made me laugh and some were heart-wrenching. I found there to be a great mix for any reader and if I didn't connect with one story it was only a few pages until the next one. That's the joy of short stories!

 

John Kinsella has written stories that will move, fascinate and delight you. Beam of Light is a great introduction to newcomers to his work.

 

My rating 4.2 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (averaged over 29 stories)

 

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st September 2024

Genre: Short Stories / Literary Fiction

Pages: 272

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

 

Book Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Before I Go to Sleep is the tension-filled debut novel from S. J. Watson.

 

Christine wakes each morning in a strange house in bed with a stranger. She has no memory of her life. Each day she has fragments of memory from her past and flashbacks of the accident but as soon as she goes to sleep it is all erased.

 

Every morning her husband Ben patiently explains about the accident and who he is and leaves her a list of chores to keep busy until he gets home from work. But why does she feel so frightened and why does she feel she can't trust Ben?

Before I Go to Sleep was an instant hit when it was released in 2011 and was nominated for a whole host of awards. I was expecting a real page-turner and I wasn't disappointed!

 

Watson slowly builds an atmosphere of unease and I found myself, along with Christine, not knowing who she could trust.

 

Before I Go to Sleep is a dark psychological thriller with a slow-burn mystery and plenty of twists and turns I didn't see coming.

 

Before I Go to Sleep is a deeply disturbing story about repressed memory, obsession, manipulation and trust. It's a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Text Publishing

Publication date: 1st October 2011

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Pages: 368

Source: Own copy

 

 

Book Review: A Cold Season by Matthew Hooper

A Cold Season is the searing debut novel from Australian author Matthew Hooper. It is a heart-rending story of loss and grief set during a freezing post WWI winter in a small house in the foothills of Mt Kosciusko.

 

The narrator is 14 year-old Beth as she retells what happened the year her 17 year-old brother Sam went missing. Sam was trekking the hills above their property when a storm came through and trapped him on the mountain. Their father, Owens, leaves to find him and also becomes trapped in the winter storm.

 

As they wait for Sam and Owens to return Beth's mother Grace, convinced they will never return, finds solace in the local outlaw, Wallace.

Her burden of grief turns to anger and she blocks out Beth's brother Sasha and lashes out at Beth. 

 

Matthew Hooper never lets the reader forget how bitterly cold and harsh the climate is.

 

"I felt colder, like my clothes was not working and the mountain's cold was right inside me, making me shiver and shake and rub my knees."

The use of prose that are both lyrical and illiterate portray an uneducated narrator as Beth tells the story in her own words.

"But mostly we was thinking about Owens and Sam, ........ and we was both filled to the brim with upset and worry what sat in our stomachs like heavy stones submerged in dark sorrow-water what filled us up."

A Cold Season is a deeply felt story about how grief is managed in different ways. It is a story filled with sorrow and love and hate, and a sadness that is all consuming.

 I'd love to see it on the big screen one day.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If I could give it more stars I would!

 

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st October 2024

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 224

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

 

 

Book Review: Look at Me by Mareike Krügel

 I read Look at Me by Mareike Krügel for the Dymocks Reading Challenge prompt: a translated book. Originally published in German and impeccably translated into English by Imogen Taylor, I felt it still lost some of the humour in the translation.

 

Kat has an old friend coming to visit but first she needs to get through the day alone, again, as her husband is away with  work.

Look at Me plays out over one extremely hectic day in Kat's life as one thing after another goes wrong and she tries to be everything to everyone, whilst at the back of her mind is the lump she found in her breast and the thought of her own mortality.

 

Look at Me is filled with a quirky cast of characters including 11 year-old Helli, recently diagnosed with ADHD, and Heinz and Theo, Kat's transgender neighbours.

Kat calmly deals with one drama after another as she contemplates her life so far.

 

There is humour, most of it dark, mixed with sadness and the chaos of life with children's needs, work phone calls, appliance malfunctions, husband's texts and neighbours' dilemmas.

 

Look at Me is a story about the messiness of life. Mothers will empathise with Kat as she feels unappreciated but also indispensable. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Text Publishing

Publication date: 26th February 2018

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 288 (paperback)

Source: Own copy

 

This also qualifies for my MountTBR challenge.