Kathryn's Inbox

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Bully meets bully in this so-called by Penelope Douglas. Misha and Ryen have been penpals since fifth grade. Now in their senior year of high school, the pair continue to exchange letters regularly. Then one day, Misha meets Ryen quite unexpectedly and he discovers that she is far from the outsider, indie chick that she claimed to be in her letters. In fact, Ryen is the leader of a group of mean, popular kids and the head cheerleader at her school. And so, Misha--who has already graduated--forges an elaborate plan to teach Ryen and her friends the ultimate lesson ... Punk 57 is not your average nostalgic high school romance. And it is definitely not for children. Relying on emotionally charged and unrealistic scenes, stereotypical characters and eighteen year olds whose sexual lives match that of an experienced and adventurous adult, this feels more like a clumsy attempt to create porn for people who didn't fit in at high school. Misha is the worst kind of bully and his behaviour

Previously published as Text For You this short novel has the most delightful romantic premise. Clara is mourning her fiancé who passed away shortly after an argument that led him to storm out of the apartment. She finds comfort in a strange place--by sending text messages to his old phone number. She is completely unaware that the number has been reassigned and it now belongs to Sven, a financial reporter. He doesn't quite know what to do about the heartfelt messages in his phone, but slowly he becomes more and more intrigued and seeks out to find the person sending the messages. And what he finds will change both his and Clara's lives for the better. My feelings about this one are very mixed. The story itself is an excellent one. And I loved the idea of reading a novel set in Germany. Unfortunately the novel is let down by the blunt storytelling. I am not sure if this is the fault of the original German novel or the translation or a combination of both, but the telling is in

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Ten years on from then Prime Minister Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech in parliament a number of notable Australian women weigh in on their experiences--of where they were when they first heard the speech and what they think has changed in the years that have followed. Julia Gillard offers her personal reflections of that day, while Katharine Murphy writes what it was like to be the political reporter in parliament that day. Kathy Lette looks at how the speech travelled across the globe, online, popping up on TikTok many years later. Meanwhile Jess Hill takes a broader look at the links between misogyny and violence. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. This was an interesting read. Like many women, I was disgusted with the way that Australia's first female Prime Minister was treated in Parliament, particularly by one man--at whom the very speech was directed. I felt the speech was entirely heartfelt and appropriate. As far as the book goes, as I said, an interesting