Books That Changed Me

Sun Herald

Sunday August 10, 2008

Catherine McKinnon

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

C.S. Lewis

I WAS very young when I read this book. I loved it - especially the idea of entering other worlds through a secret doorway. It took up a lot of my childhood imaginative time but when I re-read the book, a few years ago, I realised I'd actually created another book in my head, different to the original story. However, I think that's why it's such an intriguing book. It set my imagination going. I think my obsession with reading comes from these early imaginative experiences because, in a way, books are doorways to other worlds.

ESSENTIALS OF CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING

Marcella Hazan

THE COOK'S COMPANION

Stephanie Alexander

I come from a very big family. Eight kids. My mother is a fantastic cook and she introduced us to lots of different foods when we were all very young. But for a long time I didn't cook. I saw it as a bit of a trap. The amount of time my mother spent cooking and cleaning made me aware of how much work was involved. But anyone who loves eating eventually comes around to cooking. Whenever I don't know what to cook I flick through either book and see what takes my fancy. I've never had a recipe not turn out. I was once a reluctant cook and now I'm a happy one but I still like eating out.

IF THIS

IS A MAN

Primo Levi

This is a difficult book to read. To me it is a book about the whole catastrophe of life. But it's about compassion as much as horror. Levi talks about his experiences in a concentration camp. He meditates on the very best and the very worst of human nature. The book is a reminder that it is not dull and boring to work at things like humility and grace. Right up until the moment of our death, finding ways to gracefully negotiate our relations with others is something that needs our utmost effort and attention. It made me think about life, the whole confusing mess of it, more deeply than I was doing at that time.

CLOUDSTREET

Tim Winton

The first time I read this book I felt connected to it. I've read it several times since and still love it. It's a big generous book and it smells and tastes so Australian. It's a book that makes you smile. I read this book again after I'd written the first draft of my own novel. It gave me a kick in a new direction. Cloudstreet reminded me that I needed to try and write in a way that belonged not only to me but to the place I came from. Obviously this is a very subjective area. What does it mean to be an Australian writer? It's different for everyone. But this was the book that inspired me to be more myself as a writer.

Catherine McKinnon won the 2006 Penguin/Australian Women's Weekly prize for short-story writing. Her first novel, The Nearly Happy Family, is published by Penguin, $32.95.

© 2008 Sun Herald

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