FAVES for 2024

Top 10 Books

1. Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St John Mandel was my book of the year. 

Original, surprising, thrilling, and fascinating characters. It had me astonished on every turn, this is rare.

2. Everyone and Everything by Nadine Van Cohen

A Jewish woman has a mental breakdown, this is her recovery. Funny and warm and melancholy, I didn't want it to end.

3. Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

Remarkable book, part memoir, part homage to his father and an incredible story of intertwining histories that will leave you awestruck in his ability to put words on a page. A masterpiece.

4. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

Wonderful read and writing from Wood. A woman takes refuge in a convent to escape her troubles in the midst of a mice outbreak. Covers so much of life in a still and meditative way, humanity emboldened.

5. Every man for himself by Werner Herzog

As crazy and fascinating and funny as you would expect. What a life, no wonder his movies are all encompassing.

6. Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit is an International Treasure. This book has so much within it is hard to explain. A book about Orwell, and how he had a beautiful rose garden. The book delves into Orwell, roses, and everything else in between.

7. Days of the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

Set in Jimbocho, Tokyo against the backdrop of 100s of bookshops. A young woman spends time after a heartbreak with her Uncle and his bookstore. Books, reading, cafes, what more do you need?

8. Dusk by Robbie Arnott

Gothic Australia, hunting a Puma, mysterious towns, and twins on the run on horseback. 

9. Knife by Salman Rushdie

A memoir/long form essay about his attempted murder. Striking, honest, amusing, and quite remarkable.

10. Berserker by Adrian Edmondson

Adrian hates his name and wants you to know he is more than Vyvyan on The Young Ones. He certainly is, smart, funny and a grand career, despite a sad childhood and upbringing.

Special Mention

1984 by George Orwell

I finally read this classic, I don't know what took me so long. Wow! Scarily predictive and a real page turner!

Honourable mentions

The In-between by Christos Tsiolkos

Confronting as usual, this time about a gay man trying to find love again.

Sons of Beaches by Bill McDonough

Bill's story of his life and his time in Australian Crawl, but mostly a tribute to his brother, Guy.

Sigrid Nunez, Damon Galgut, and Richard Osman, who I discovered and binged as much as I could get my hands on. Utterly brilliant writers.

Top 5 Podcasts

1. Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia interviews older famous women, then rings her Mum to debrief!
Stunning chat, informative, human, and usually funny.

2. McCartney, a life in lyrics

McCartney dissects his songs. A magical gift!

3. Joanna and the Maestro

Joanna Lumley's husband is a composer and conductor. Together they break down classical music, utterly brilliant.

4. The Rest is Entertainment

Richard Osman and Marina Hyde know a lot about the entertainment business. They have a real fabulous patter back and forth, and talk about the 'news' of the week. A must listen for pop culture fans.

5. Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Ted Danson, and sometimes Woody Harrelson chatting with interesting and famous people.

Top 10 TV

1. Somebody Somewhere, final season

Easily one of my favourite shows of all time. About friendship, belonging, inclusivity, and the family you make. Funny and melancholy.

2. Boy Swallows Universe

A very rare perfect adaptation of a beloved book. Great set design, phenomenal casting, so much heart and beauty.

3. Hacks S3

This show gets better and better with each season. Funny and sharp, great characters, and Jean Smart is amazing as always.

4. Curb Your Enthusiasm, final season

I sometimes think I love Curb more than Seinfeld. Larry gave us a good ending, very satisfying, except for the fact that there is no more.

5. True Detective, S4

Jodie Foster is brilliant in anything, and she was phenomenal in this thriller set in Alaska. The entire cast was, it was mesmerising.

6. The Bear, S3

Again, this one gets better and better, the layers unravel for the characters. The acting is phenomenal, the soundtrack is wonderful, and the writing is sharp.

7. Long Way Up

Stumbled upon this third travel/motorcycle trip from Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. This time from the bottom of South America up. Traversing some really wild locations left you on the edge of your seat. And the usual humour.

8. Steve (Martin)

A 2 episode doco on the great Steve Martin, do I need to say any more?

9. The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin

This was a hoot, based on the real-life DT, rogue and highwayman. DT was played by the great Noel Fielding, so you get the drift. Funny and silly, with some drama at times.

10. Squid Game

Unsure what to say without giving too much away, it is as good as you hear and then some. It is a difficult watch at times, the concept takes time to get your head around. But it is great and unusual.

Special Mention

The Greatest Night in Pop

This was such a gift, a doco about the making of We Are The World. So much amazing within, all that talent and in their prime. Amazing!

Honourable Mentions

The Regime

Kate Winslett as a dictator of a fake middle easter country. Bombastic, hilarious, and frightening all at once.

Doctor Who

I love the new Doctor and their energy, Ncuti's face tells us everything we need to know.

Austin

This was a slow build, but I enjoyed seeing Michael Theo in his own show. He is easily the best thing about it.

Top 10 Documentaries

1. Jim Henson: ideas man

Stunning, emotional, funny, and International Treasure.

2. Werner Herzog: radical dreamer

Crazy, wild read, amazing. Herzog is as good a writer as he is a director.

3. Remembering Gene Wilder

Beautiful story of a beautiful soul, loads of insight.

4. Super/man

This was a superb doco, beautifully pulled together, warts and all about Christopher Reeve. Loads of previously unseen footage. Very funny, but quite melancholy.

5. Let the Canary Sing

Outstanding doco, about Cyndi Lauper and her voice. Her singing voice, her vocal ability, her politics and her feminism. What a woman!

6. Ennio: the maestro

Intricate history of the rise of Ennio Morricone. He had quite the career early on, scoring tv and old movies, until he started to work on soundtracks. Lots of musicality, yes!

7. Elton John: Never too late

About Elton's early years (my fave Elton) and now and how both inform the person he is now. Uplifting and warm.

8. Yacht Rock

This was a hoot, about the singers and bands in the late 70s, early 80s that were later called Yacht Rock. Most didn't take it seriously, but the music is great!

9. Beatles 64

Scorsese produced this gem about the year of 1964 and the rise of The Beatles, what a joyous film.

10. Brats

Written and directed by Andrew McCarthy about the Brat Pack. I love this, it was not perfect, not everyone he wanted to interview came on board, but it was still great. 

Top 10 Movies

1. The Holdovers

Paul Giamatti, a reluctant lecturer in a University in the US, stays on campus to oversee some students at Christmas. Funny, clever, emotional. Great story and cast.

2. Poor Things

Utterly bonkers in the best possible way. A Frankensteinesque story about a very unique woman. Emma Stone has never been better.

3. American Fiction

Wonderful satire about the book industry with a superb cast.

4. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

A great sequel, keeping to what made the first great. Fabulous cast, great design, unusual, and funny.

5. The New Boy

Amazing Australian story about an Aboriginal orphan taken to a Christian convent in the 40s. The young boy has some unusual 'powers' that cause quite the stir. One of the best Australian films in a long time.

6. Past Lives

Stunning human story about a two young Korean Students who are separated from each other when one's family moves to America.

7. Anatomy of a fall

Ripper of a film about the death of a man, is it an accident or is it murder. His partially blind child is the only possible witness. Edge of your seat watching.

8. Saturday Night

Wonderful film about the week leading into the very first SNL show. Great casting, and very funny.

9. The Rooster

An Australian film about 2 broken men in an isolated town. One is a cop looking for answers to the death of his best friend, the other a hermit who may have the answers.

10. NYAD

I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this film about a woman determined to swim from Cuba to Florida. It is due to the beautiful friendship and superb acting between the main characters played by Annette Benning and Jodie Foster.

Special Mention

Timothee Chalamet for starring in two great movies, Dune II and Wonka.

Both visually stunning in different ways, with a phenomenal cast.

Honourable Mentions

Beetlejuice, Being John Malkovich, Young Frankenstein

A lovely revisit of all of these films, they all hold up beautifully.

Top 10 Live Experiences - music

1. Hoodoo Gurus

Never sounded better, pure joy, loads of fun.

2. Nick Cave

Just Nick on piano with the dude from Radiohead on Bass. Amazing, soul strengthening, and very entertaining. Nick was hilarious and chatty.

3. They Might Be Giants

Pure joy, what a hoot, wonderful gig with wonderful friends.

4. Led Zep IV

I will never get to see Led Zep, but this tribute gig was a blast. Excellent reproduction of Led Zep IV and other songs. 

5. Hamilton

Even better the second time around. This show is utter perfection!

6. Tenacious D

Great gig, but notorious! It ended up being their swan song, after saying what everyone was thinking about Trump, why did that bullet miss.

7. Rocky Horror

Jason Donovan as Frank, hmmm we think, but he was tremendous. RHPS is always a great night out, but this was the best version I have seen.

8. Colin Hay

A mix of songs and storytelling, Colin is a raconteur and he still sounds great. All those wonderful songs and a tight band.  

9. Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Finally, I get to see this band I have been following for decades, a very bouncy night. I headed in solo but caught up with loads of people I know.

10. Bjorn Again

Just fun, great sound, nailed the humour of ABBA, and a room full of joy.

Top 10 Live Experiences - spoken

1. Stephen Fry

Everything you imagine and then some! Funny, witty, intelligent, and formidable.

2. Miriam Margolyes

What a hoot, Miriam is always thoroughly entertaining. International Treasure. Fabulous stories, bawdy and sad. Had everyone in the palm of her hand.

3. Bill Bailey

Always joyful, comedy laced with intellect and music. Loads of laughter.

4. Joanna Lumley

What a gift, beloved Joanna on stage, talking about her life in travel and on film. Intelligent and hilarious.

5. Dawn French

Dawn is unlike no other, so wonderfully honest, incredibly funny, and full of spark.

6. Tim Winton

Another gift, Winton rarely tours. To see him in the flesh talking about writing was everything.

7. Gospel According to Paul

Great one man show by Jonathan Biggins, about our beloved Keating. Brilliant!

8. Christos Tsiolkas and David Marr in conversation

A great conversation about life and writing by two of our best. We hung off every word.

9. Bharat Nullari talking about Boy Swallows Universe

Bharat was the show runner for Boy Swallows Universe, he took us behind the scenes of the production. Amazing!

10. Mousetrap

As a long time Agatha Christie fan, this was special and really excellent.

Top 5 Art Exhibitions

1. Lousie Bourgeois

Easily the best art exhibition I have ever seen. Utterly remarkable. So much beauty I was beside myself. And The Tank was a reckoning!

2. Kandinsky

Great exhibit full of beautiful colour and geometry, we were transfixed.

3. Banksy 

Second Banksy exhibit I have seen, both were huge and not much crossover, the man (I believe he is a man) is prolific. Always interesting, clever, and hilarious.

4. Magritte

Another NSW Art Gallery draw. Amazing exhibition of surrealism from one of it's masters.

5. Sculptures by the Sea

Each year Fort Scratchley puts on an amazing display of local sculptures. With its stunning views over the ocean, the sculptures look fantastic in its grounds.

Honourable Mention

Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs

Ramses II, gold, sarcophagus', treasures, mummies, masks, jewellery, hieroglyphics, Statues, carvings and much much more. I have never seen such a stacked exhibition of this nature. Awe inspiring.

2024: accentuating the positive

I am trying something different this year, rather than do my monthly or bimonthly diary updates it is all going into one blog. Mostly as I have been a little time poor this year. But also, this year has not been a great one. But rather than regurgitate the BS I have endured this year, because it is now (hopefully) behind me, and because who needs that negativity, living through it was enough.

I realised as I reflected on the year - much reflection happened this year - that whilst I had a lot going on, most of it not great, I also had loads of amazing things happen. So, this is what I will focus on.

However, I do need to say my mental health was at it's very worst this year. Because I do believe in sharing these things not for sympathy, but to hopefully take away the stigma. I got to some very low points, seriously scarily low. So, if you haven't seen much of me, I was just paddling to keep my head above the water. Yes, I was out and about a lot and this is because my beloved Andrew's way of helping me (besides listening to me, loving me, being my cheerleader, and pretty much keeping me going) was to make sure I had plenty of culture and art to take in, as he knows how much these things help my soul, heart, and brain. I am so very lucky to have such a kind and considerate partner. I was also having very regular psych sessions that really helped (I cannot recommend this enough!), and then I rested.

Sometimes life disappoints you, because that's life. I had many disappointments this year, uncertainties, health issues, a lot to do with limited time and limited abilities. And then there was menopause. Women of my age will get it, I cannot do HRT, and mine was a lot worse than I realised. So, all of this created a perfect storm of fuckwittage to put it bluntly. I was not at my best and the year sucked balls.

But onto the positives, because if you look hard enough there is always good out there. 

My osteo-arthritis seemed to settle, the discomfort is always there, but the pain was much less. I am doing everything I can to keep knee/hip (where the osteo is) surgery at bay as long as I can. My osteopath is my magician, weaving her magic and helping me with this journey.

We celebrated birthdays and other milestones as always with our families.

And I had a couple of opportunities to get to One Song Sing and have a sing with my choir friends. As I teach Wednesday nights I can no longer attend choir.

Teaching at TAFE continued to be a shining light, I have taught all the subjects now so my load has eased significantly. I have had a few students finish up this year and they sent me such lovely complimentary emails about how I inspired them. These made me weep with happiness, it was nice to get that validation. When you teach online, you feel or hope you are making a difference, but it is difficult to know. I even had a student make an anonymous compliment about me during an online feedback month, and received a gift voucher and loads of praise from my colleagues and boss.

I had been having regular operations every 6 month for a few years to eradicate pre-cancerous cells in my uterus and the underlying condition. My final operation was in August, and my oncologist told me they do not want to see me again, all was gone. What a relief.

I continued to collect my vinyl, with some great buys in store, or at record fairs during the year.

And we saw a lot of shows!

Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Civic in Jan

We were in the third row, great seats. As Andrew said, "we are so close we will be able to see Jason's Donovan's". The show was brilliant, Donovan was amazing, as was Myf Warhurst as the narrator. The rest of the cast were great, really good voices too, especially the girl who was Magenta. We had a blast!

We had an amazing day of art in Feb, seeing the Banksy, Kandinsky and Bourgeois exhibits in one day.

March brought The Oscars.

Here are my thoughts on the films.

My predictions and what actually happened.

At the end of March we headed to the Opera House to see Miriam Margolyes.

Now, I have seen Miriam many times and adore her but Andrew had not. I thought he would explode with laughter. She came out to thunderous applause and a huge standing ovation, and her first words were 'Fuckin' hell!', but, of course! She was on stage with Jane Caro who was superfluous (I am not a fan anyway). She also has 2 amazing Auslan interpreters on stage with her, they were hilarious in their interpreting of ribald tales and potty language.

Miriam told her trademark naughty stories along with strong political commentary, life stories, and answered audience questions. She was remarkable and we didn't think we could love her any more than we already did. And then she finished the night with a few passages from her brilliant Dickens' Women work. I was lucky to see this show about 12 years ago and was thrilled to see a little taste of it again. As Miriam said, I am an actress after all. And she is. A stunning one. Her vocal skills are second to none. After I brought a signed book, they were pre-signed, but the ladies selling them said she was gorgeous in person. As you would imagine!

The beginning of April is always the Newcastle Writers Festival, and this was an exceptional year.

Later in the month another International Treasure, this time Dawn French at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle.

In May it was Nick Cave which was so very good.

The same weekend we saw the wonderful Pharaohs exhibition at The Australian Museum.

This was an amazing exhibition with stunning pieces. We were truly in awe of the beauty we saw within this exhibition. Art, mummies, coffins, jewellery, everything you would expect from Egypt. As a historian, Andrew could add extra detail to most of the pieces, which was fascinating. We were both really hypnotised by seeing hieroglyphics up close, so much detail. It was moving and interesting, and we also took time to look at other pieces in the gallery prior. 

I was excited to learn an International play, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, was coming to Newcastle, and we grabbed some matinee tickets to see it. It is an excellent story/play, and the acting was great. I was kept on the edge of my seat trying to work out who the murderer was. No idea! I was such a Christie fan in my early teens, I devoured the whole collection. She is easily the Queen of murder, so this was indeed a thrill.

We formed part of a Trivia Team with our friend Kelly, from The Moshpit, for a fundraiser in May, this was music trivia and we had a blast.

I caught Kate Forsyth, the author, at Charlestown Library. I have seen her talk many times before but I always love her take on life and fairytales, which she writes.

The Sculptures were at Fort Scratchley again in May. Stunning against the beautiful sky with those views in the background.

For Andrew's birthday I got us tickets to see The Gospel According to Paul at The Opera House Theatre. It was a one man show/satire with Jonathan Biggins as Paul Keating. We had second row tickets for the matinee. It was a triumph and it really worked. Clever, poignant, and very funny. We were very impressed with the performance. Biggins became Keating. Bravo!

As a Led Zeppelin fan, it hurts I will never get to see them. But we went to see Led Zep IV performed by an Australian supergroup at The State Theatre in June. This was as close as we will ever get and it was such riot of an evening.

Darren Middleton, Davey Lane, and Kram absolutely killed it. It shows how powerful Robert Plant's vocals are when you need three singers to capture the intensity of the songs. But really, it was the Kram show, his vocals were outstanding, absolutely nailing Plant's falsetto and signature wails. And often drumming at the same time. Total goosebumps!

The first half was Led Zep IV in its entirety. The album is a fave and a masterpiece. Every song is perfection and yet so very different. The second half was a greatest hits set. My highlights were Misty Mountain Hop, Whole Lotta Love went off, and then there was Kashmir. I didn't think they would pull it off. Kashmir is my favourite Led Zep song, the intensity of it thrills me. And you need those strings, but they did. Kram's 14 year old daughter came out with a 'Cello and she nailed that riff and led the band and the song. Powerful stuff from a young girl, Kram was in tears with pride, as he should be. The other highlight was a young girl signing in Auslan throughout the show. She was never not signing and dancing, it really added to the show.

I saw Colin Hay years ago at an APIA concert and he was great so I had been waiting for him to return with a regular concert and he did to The Civic. We had an excellent evening, he is such a raconteur and very funny, so the songs had funny and interesting stories within. He sounded amazing, and the band was tight. His wife was at his side and on percussion and another lady on flute and sax, ensuring those important 80s riffs were reproduced perfectly. The concert flew by so quickly. We were in the hands of a master!

Tenacious D wowed us with what would be their final concert ever!

July was also Pop Bam, Number 2. This year I mostly curated and helped with advice on driving the event. Much less pressure and stress then the first year. It was moved to the Rathmines Theatre and it worked well there, and we had outstanding turn out on a drizzly day. I feel very proud of the legacy I have created in this event. But it was a team effort and could not have been successful without all that worked on it.

Wuthering Heights Day was pushed back a little this year, and as always we had a grand time.

We went to the King Street Hotel to see an 80s cover band for my friend's birthday. King Street is not usually a venue we would go to but with The Cambridge closed, the same people own this and are bringing the things we would have usually seen at The Cambridge at KS Hotel. The band were tight and did such a great selection of 80s songs and we danced and sang the night away.

I was back there a few weeks later to see the Melbourne Ska Orchestra...finally. I have been a fan for a long time, and always seemed to miss them. This was a great experience, a mix of reggae, ska, and world music with so many musicians on stage, they were fabulous. I always say a brass section lifts a band and with these guys it was a huge lift.

For Christmas Andrew brought us tickets to Hamilton. We had seen it a few years back in Melbourne and were keen to see it again. It was as wonderful as the first time, possibly more. 

Early October saw us at the MCA for the Hiroshi Sugimoto photography exhibit. I particularly loved his photography in old theatres and his architecture photography. 

I also took Andrew to see (finally) my favourite building in Sydney, the Frank Gehry extension to the College. We had fun exploring around it.

The same weekend saw us back at The Enmore for They Might Be Giants. 

We had saved up our Christmas and Birthday money and took a few days away up in the vineyards. It was a well needed break, and we enjoyed the vineyards, shops, and food whilst taking time to relax.

The same weekend we saw Tim Winton in conversation with Rosemarie Milsom at The Great Hall, and then Joanna Lumley at the Opera house. 

Both were exactly how you would expect them to be. Tim was quite and shyish, but full of huge intellect, subtle humour, and honest political courage. He spoke about his new book and why he is touring it, he never tours books. He is worried about our future and climate change. The Hall was packed and everyone hung on every word.

Joanna was classy and posh and spoke beautifully but also was funny and naughty. She mostly spoke about her life and her travels, with eloquence and humour. There was some Ab Fab and other stories on her acting. She has photos up on a slideshow and took questions from the audience. There were quite a few Patsy's in the audience. It was a great night.

We celebrated our Anniversary in style with a night at Noah's on the Beach in Newcastle and a wonderful meal at Rustica.

Stephen Fry was also exactly as you would imagine. He commanded the stage and the audience and he had everyone in the palm of his hand from the moment he appeared on stage. He told stories about his life, his comedy, and his mental health struggles. He sat in a throne-like chair and regaled us with all these tales. I could have sat there all night.

We caught the Hoodoo Gurus touring their debut album, Stoneage Romoes, on it's 40th anniversary. We went with good friends and had a great night. They played that album perfectly and then a set of greatest hits, and they sounded better than back in the day. Dave is such an underrated songwriter and musician, their songs are timeless classics. Seeing the Gurus is always pure joy, they get you in all the feels and you just feel better. I have no idea how many times I have seen them, more than 20 easily over about 35 years.

Another great British Treasure and comedian we saw was Bill Bailey.  He is so very clever with his comedy and stories, a real brain. We saw him at the Rooty Hill RSL (it just fitted into our schedule, lol) which made for an interesting crowd. But he was great and funny, and clever, and a genius musically. 

I took my sister and niece to see Bjorn Again. My sister and I were such ABBA fans back in the day, so it was nice to have a walk down memory lane, albeit with a cover band. We all had a great time, dancing and singing and laughing. ABBA were funny and Bjorn Again totally nailed it.

As always, I got right into the Jacaranda season, so much beauty.

We checked out The Thin White Dukes, a Bowie tribute band at Basement in The Grand. They were excellent, and a lovely evening was had.

We did Christmas with Andrew's family this year, which was quite strange for me having never not spent it with my own family. But we had a great time on Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day was great, creating our own memories.     

I had a great day in Sydney for my birthday. We had brunch at one of our favourite cafes, Manon, which is always divine. Then headed to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the Magritte exhibit. We had a late lunch at Circular Quay.   

We returned to Newcastle for a family celebration for my birthday at The Junction Hotel.

And NYE was spent with good friends, drinks, food, and great chatter.                   

And, as always, here are my reviews for the year!

January/February

March/April

May/June

July/August

September/October

November/December