Reader's Notes

This edition, I interviewed Mr Hawkins, one of our amazing English teachers!

What book are you currently reading, or read last?

I recently read 'Jade and Emerald' by Michelle See-Tho. Michelle is a good friend of mine from Uni, so I thought I'd give her wonderful debut novel a plug! The whole text is narrated by an Asian teenager growing up in Melbourne in the late 90s, which gave me plenty of ways to connect with the book.

What was your favourite book as a kid? I remember finding 'The Witches' by Roald Dahl on my parents' bookshelf and reading it all in almost one sitting. That was probably the moment I first became interested in reading.

If you were stuck on a desert island, and were told that your only entertainment was an unlimited supply of books, but they had to remain in the same genre, what genre would you pick and why?

I'm a practical person, so I'd probably go with 'Survival' (or 'Boat Making' if that's a genre).

What book have you been putting off to read, or is next on your TBR?

There's a memoir called 'The School' by Brendan James Murray that has been sitting on my coffee table for months. What I've read so far is really well written, but reading a book about being a teacher doesn't feel great for my work-life balance. I might save it for the summer holidays!

If you were prime minister and had to mandate a specific book that was compulsory for all of Australia to read, what book would you choose?

The farming lobbyists wouldn't be too happy about this choice, but I'd probably go with Peter Singer's 'Animal Liberation', which convinced me to become vegetarian. Otherwise, I'd recommend 'Time and Space' by James Coventry, which is the best book I've ever read about Aussie Rules.

What book trope automatically makes you slam a book closed to never be reopened again?

To be perfectly honest, there are books I never open because they are frankly too big (even for an English teacher!). I really enjoy reading shorter texts, like novellas, plays, and short stories. Anything over 350 pages starts to test my patience, so it better be really good!

Katherine Styles

Year 11 & English Captain

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