by Boomert - From Sometimes Love Beth by Affirm Press 12 Jan 2010

The premise of From Sometimes Love Beth is quite endearing. Author Beth Sometimes (apparently her real name) sets herself a challenge to send a postcard to someone or something every day for a year. The postcards aren’t of the bland ‘wish you were here’ variety instead they are often crafted by Sometimes herself and contain many of her random thoughts, which may not appeal to everyone - some are quite esoteric and some just downright strange. Sometimes lives in central Australia and quite a few of the postcards revolve around her experiences there - both positive and negative - and are told in a roundabout-poetic kind of way. I wanted to like this book as I, myself, have a fondness for the written word on a quirky card however, I just couldn’t warm to it. Maybe some were a bit too personal and therefore alienating ? Yet, people who are addicted to voyeuristic websites like postsecret.com may pore over this collection with undisguised glee. I’m not sure where this would be categorised in a bookstore - travel? memoir? gift book? - but it will appeal to those who enjoy the quirkiness in (postal) life.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (October 2009, Vol 89, No. 3) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.