Be Curious #2 - 20 February 2025
What I've been reading
My review of Australian Gospel by Lech Blaine is worth reading - if you enjoy memoir or books about families, this one is a gem. I ripped through it in less than two days.
Anna Woods Newsletter - Little Letters
I recently subscribed to the newsletter Little Letters by New Zealand author, Anna Woods. In her latest missive, she briefly reflects on a decision she has recently made that I, made recently too - leaving the X platform and finding her way to BlueSky. I left X soon after it was purchased by its current owner, and I consider it one of the smarter decisions I have made.
Anna's newsletter is free and you can sign up here - I think it's a lovely letter to land in my inbox.
Book Alchemy from Caroline Donoghue
Caroline Donoghue's emails are often a highlight in my day. Her lovely website, Book Alchemy, is beautifully written but always hits a target for me, If you, too, are a reader, you'll love Caroline's work. I especially enjoyed the first part of a series she's writing called The Perils of Voracious Reading. Another one definitely worth signing up to and allowing to get under your skin (in all the best ways)
What I'm watching
Bowls Premier League
We've been watching the Bowls Premier League each night this week. Lawn bowls? Really Kass? Well, yeah....it's a quiet time of year sports wise, and for the sake of my sanity I am not watching the news. I've only ever played lawn bowls socially but it's actually a really fun sport.
When I was young, I worked at a Bowls Club in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. I often worked the Member's Bar and loved working Saturday's so I could watch a few ends and cheer our players on. This was the late 1990's and Ian Healy was still wicketkeeping for Australia, with his trademark "bowling Shane" when Shane Warne would send down a spinner that made the heads of batsmen spin.
We had a bowler at our club, an older gentleman named Des, who was known as being a bit of a grump. I was determined to win him over. I'd go out when he was rolling the bowls down the lawns and I'd stand at the end (off the greens) and say things like "bowled Dezzy" and "getting in their heads Dezzy, keep it up!"
The opposing bowlers, knowing this gentleman's reputation, would quietly giggle to themselves (I was always very respectful) and, after a couple of weeks, opponents would say "oh we've heard about you being Dez's cheerleader!"
As for Des, he pretended for a week or so that he didn't really approve of this young girl "carrying on" but then softened right up - and one day even came in, when I was a bit busier than usual, and told the crew to ..."bugger off, I need my coach giving me tips!" Other members of our club was gobsmacked - apparently in the years he'd been there, he had never shown so much warmth and even smiled!
What I am listening to
This week I am in Kylie mode.
Those who know me will say "uh, you've been in Kylie mode since 1988" and that's not a lie. I am a lifelong, unabashed fan of Kylie Minogue. I am headed to Melbourne this weekend for the concert on Saturday night with my best friend, Nat. Then next week, I will go again in Brisbane, this time taking my husband along for his very first Kylie show!
The Guardian Australia posted a great review of the first show of the tour, in Perth, last weekend. You can read it here. Padam, Padam indeed!
Thankyou for reading. I appreciate you and your interest.
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Til next time,
Kass xx