Kathryn's Inbox

It is no secret that the Off Campus series is well, kind of a big deal. Not only are all five novels bestsellers, but the series has recently been developed into a series for Amazon Prime. But how does it stack up? Not too bad.  In a world where the market is absolutely saturated with contemporary romance novels featuring every theme, or trope, imaginable, the concept of a college romance featuring two opposites who dislike one another at first but soon fall for one another hardly feels original. But, somehow, the author manages to turn this into something that feels like the romance novel equivalent of a warm hug. Hannah is a talented musician just trying to make her way through college. Her past makes her wary of men and dating. Especially ones like Garrett, who are popular, a little arrogant and part of an elite sporting team. Meanwhile, for Garrett, ice hockey is everything. And he needs to keep his grades up if he wants to remain part of the team. And so, he swallows his pride...

The question of who shapes the narrative of the stories that are told in the media and in wider Australia is at the heart of Discipline the latest novel (and first adult novel) by former lawyer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. Set in Sydney in May 2021, it tells the story of two very different people who find themselves changed by the same incident. A year twelve student from a local Islamic college has been arrested for protesting a university's links to an Israeli weapons factory. Hannah, a young journalist of Palestinian heritage, who was raised in Australia and now married to a Palestinian man, is keen to cover the story, but soon finds herself fighting all kinds of battles in the newsroom. Meanwhile, Ashraf, an academic whose personal life has come undone, finds in it an opportunity to revive his professional career ... but at what cost? This was an interesting read. It forced me to take a very different look at the Australia that I thought I knew, one where people feel silenced for ha...

Forty years after Kristy's Great Idea first hit the shelves, The Baby-Sitters Club is back! The first fully original BSC book to be released in a number of years, Baby-Sitter Summer is a collaborative effort between beloved BSC author Ann M Martin and six other authors--Becky Albertalli, Coe Booth, Sarah Kuhn, Peter Lerangis, Jahnna N Malcolm and Emma Staub. And the result is a delight from start to finish. Told in a similar format to the original super specials, with chapters alternating between the seven club members, the novel opens with what else, but summer vacation. As is typical with a BSC novel, things are a little non linear (after all, how many summer vacations did they have, only to mysterious be back in the same grade at school again,) but for anyone looking closely for details, the timeline in this one mostly fits anywhere between books 32 and 59. Stacey is back from New York, Mary Anne's dad and Dawn's mom have married, but some of the changes that occurred ...

Bestselling author Sarah A Parker offers readers an eerie and beautifully illustrated retelling of Rapunzel with To Bleed A Crystal Bloom. Nineteen years ago, Orlaith survived an attack by strange creatures, wild beasts who were not quite feline, nor canine but who knew how to attack humans. (If, indeed that is what Orlaith is.) The same attack killed her family, her mother still in the process of dying when her lover from some years before arrives too late to rescue the family. A deathbed promise is made that Rhordyn, who is not Orlaith's father, will raise the child as his ward. But some promises are easier made than kept, and the years ahead are not easy for Orlaith, who grows up to be a recluse, or Rhordyn, a cool and morally grey character who requires a drop of Orlaith's blood each day for a mysterious ritual. It soon becomes clear there are many strange and mysterious things going on in the castle. But what will happen when Orlaith uncovers the truth about herself ... If...

The Sunbird is a short and beautifully written novella of a heartbreaking loss. It is also a call for compassion. Nabila Yasmeen is a quirky woman in her eighties, living in Australia. An avid gardener, she keeps her plants in pots because she cannot bear to put them in the ground. She regularly attends protests and has many friends. And she was born in Palestine. The short novella moves between two timelines, showing Nabila's life in Australia and her childhood in Palestine--a place that she and her family were forced to flee. As an adult she regularly attends protests, asking for her people to be recognised. To be free. And that is the story. It is a gentle call to protest, and to protect the rights of all, reminding us of the people and the humanity behind the headlines. I don't have words that feel appropriate or sufficient to describe the terrible thing that we have seen in Gaza the past few years, but this story presents one simple truth. People just want to live their l...

Attention seeking and selfish parents are at the heart of the latest Baby-Sitters Little Sister graphic novel release, Karen's Surprise. Thanksgiving is almost here and Karen's parents, her mum and stepfather in the Little House, and her father and stepmother in the Big House, aren't giving in an inch. Both want Karen and her little brother Andrew to attend their Thanksgiving dinners. Meanwhile, Karen's class at school is putting on a Thanksgiving play. The parts in the play are drawn by pulling a name out of a hat and Karen finds it incredibly unfair when her biggest enemy Pamela gets to play the lead, while Karen has a small role as a turkey. And while Karen is able to use creativity and logic to give herself and the other kids a bigger and more important part in the play, things soon go awry when she decides to steal the show. Meanwhile, things on the home front go bad, with Karen and Andrew missing out on a lot of fun and making themselves sick as they are forced to...

Thirteen-year-old Micheal is a kid with a problem. A very big problem. His mother is gone. And in her place is a woman who looks, acts and sounds just like his mother. Everyone else thinks that she is still the same person, including his younger brother and sister, and his annoying stepfather Asshole Glen. But Michael knows better. And now, how does he go about trying to find his real mother. This was an interesting read about a boy who is dealing with a lot. The sudden death of his father, behavioural problems that mean daily visits to a student guidance counsellor and the fact that soon after his father's death, his mother married a man who was beneath her. (To summarise, Glen is a bit of a freeloader and often passive-aggressive.) And then, well ... this happens. Capgras syndrome, where a person believes that a loved one has been replaced by an imposter is a rare but very real thing. The author handles this and other sensitive subjects in a way that is both tactful and engaging....

Eerie and claustrophobic, Soft Serve is a story of friendships, expectations, small towns and secrets. Two years ago, Taz passed away. Since then his friends have remembered him the best way they know how. By visiting the local McDonalds where his mum Pat works, and toasting him with a soft serve ice cream. This year, however, things are not going to be so easy. Tensions between the three friends are beginning to build. Fern is looking to settle down with Ethan and has big plans for the two of them to buy a house. Ethan, meanwhile is longing not so much for a life with Fern, but for his relationship with Fern's brother Jacob that must be kept a secret. Jacob, meanwhile, does not know what he wants. And Taz's mum, Pat, just wants to stop grieving for her son. Add to this the fact that a deadly bushfire is making its way toward the two and the four will finding themselves experiencing a day like no other. Truths will be told and not everyone will escape the deadly fire. There are...

Bestselling Australian author Lynette Noni's latest novel Shadow Reaper is a deliciously detailed yet fast paced page turner that ticks all of the right boxes as it moves toward one heck of an ending. Viri's parents died when she was just eleven, killed by a mysterious individual who, it seems, is now behind the disappearances of a number of local children. Lovingly adopted by a warm hearted woman and raised in a comfortable family home, Viri has trained as a hunter and is determined to stop the Reaper Priest and his accomplices at all costs. But the lines of who is good and who is evil begin to blur when the reaper she catches turns out to be her former childhood friend--who is all too attractive and all too willing to help her find the missing children if she promises to break him out of jail. What follows is adventure and twist after twist as Viri flees with Reeve and finds herself discovering some surprising truths. This was an absolutely ripping read. Lynette Noni, alread...

Melissa is the story of George. When most people see George, they see a boy. But George knows different. George knows that she is a girl and that she would rather be called Melissa, but she does not know how to make the world understand that. When her class decide to stage a play of Charlotte's Web, George finds herself wanting to audition for the part of Charlotte. When the teacher says that George cannot be Charlotte because she is a boy, George and her best friend Kelly come up with a plan to show everyone that George really can play Charlotte ... and show them who George really is, once and for all . This was a short, punchy book for children with an interesting message about the price of not being true to oneself. George is a kid who knows who she is, but who finds herself boxed in and limited by other people's expectations--right down to a school that thinks it is a good idea to stage a class play where there are only two real parts. And maybe that could be an ideal point...

Jojo Moyes' bestseller, Me Before You has left me with a whirlwind of emotions. Anger. Heartbreak. And, perhaps, just the tiniest bit of hope despite the bleak subject matter. The novel opens by introducing the reader to Will Traynor a businessman with a thirst for adventure, on a morning when a chance accident whilst crossing the road changes his life forever. Mostly paralysed from the neck down, he has very limited movement in one hand and nothing else. Enter, some months later, Louisa Clarke, or Lou as she is known throughout most of the novel. Twenty-six years old, she lives at home with her parents, grandfather, her sister and her nephew in a small three bedroom house. Recently unemployed and with little confidence and even less direction in her life, Lou is having difficulty finding work. Then comes a surprising opportunity. Will's exceptionally wealthy parents are willing to pay good money for the quirky and chatty Lou to be a non medical carer for their son. (Or as the...

Wow! It is difficult to believe that the Sweet Valley Twins graphic novel adaptation is now up to volume seven! (Well, actually, by the time this review goes live, volume eight will have just been released in the USA and Canada.) Three's A Crowd  is a faithful adaptation of the original, telling the story of how the Wakefield twins become frustrated when Jessica's friend Mary starts hanging around their house a lot. This would be fine if she was actually there to hang around with Jessica. Or even Elizabeth. Instead, Mary, who has been in the foster care system for years, seems to want to hang around with Mrs Wakefield and spend her time doing chores at the Wakefield house. Stranger still, Mary does not seem enthusiastic about her doting foster parent's plan to adopt her. What is going on? What is the real story about Mary's home situation? Spoiler, this one does not take the turn readers may expect.  Although somewhat implausible, young readers will probably find the st...

University graduate Kip Grady is stuck in a go nowhere job making smoothies. Underemployed and living with his parents, his prospects are looking grim. He is having no luck finding a job he is degree qualified for, further study is too expensive and most of his friends have moved on to bigger and better things. But he can make a good smoothie ... which is fortunate as professional ice hockey player Scott Hunter's pregame ritual involves buying a smoothie from Kip. Scott's life is all about ice hockey, and he has no family and no friends outside of his team. Then something unexpected happens when Kip and Scott get to know each other. Not only does each have something the other is searching for, but the attraction between them is undeniable.  The first book in a series that has recently been developed into the phenomenally successful Heated Rivalry television series, Game Changer  is an enjoyable story of an unlikely romance that changes both Kip and Scott's lives for the be...

What a delight it was, from start to finish to read this Mr Men/Agatha Christie mash up. Although technically a children's picture book, there is a lot of fun to be had within the pages of this story as Little Miss Marple--think Agatha Christie's famous detective but as a small, round and purple lady with a friendly but no nonsense look--investigates a mystery in St Mary's Mead. The Vicar, Reverend Muddle (who bares an uncanny resemblance to Mr Muddle,) has invited his friend, a famous archeologist to stay.  But problems soon arise when a crown belonging to the archaeologist goes missing. Little Miss Marple will need to use her powers of deduction to locate the crown. With some help of some other Mr Men/Little Miss favourites of course. This one was beautifully and cleverly adapted by Adam Hargreaves, who took over duties of writing the Mr Men/Little Miss books from his father after he passed away in 1988. The attention to detail and characterisation is superb for such a sm...

Aussie sports romance fans rejoice--finally we have a sports romance set in the high stakes world of AFL. Debut author Darcy Green's After the Siren tells the story of Theo and Jake, a pair of enemies from rival football clubs. When Theo Bestravos fails to kick what should have been a career changing goal, he finds himself put up for the draft and picked up by a rival interstate club. The same club where their star player arrogant Jake Cunningham has been publicly rejoicing a little too much at Theo's failure. Starting over at the new club, Theo wants nothing at all to do with Jake. But when a preseason camp forces the two men into close proximity they discover that they might have a few things in common ... and they might just be more than friends.  After the Siren is entertaining with two equally great but different lead characters whose romance is complicated by their high profile careers in the top tier league of a sport where there are no players who are publicly out. At...

Heavy, heavy, heavy ... Neil from The Young Ones has like, written an autobiography. Well, okay, not quite. The cover certainly plays on what is arguably Nigel Planer's most famous role of Neil. But Young Once is a well rounded and much deeper dive into his career as a comedian, actor, author, screenwriter and voice actor.  In Young Once, Planer gives readers plenty of inside information about his childhood, his personal relationships and his long and varied career. I was genuinely surprised to discover just how varied his career has been--I had no idea that he had voiced the audiobooks for a number of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels or his work with The Magic Roundabout. Of particular interest however was Planer's behind the scenes accounts of The Comic Strip and how it formed, working on The Young Ones and how he had traveled to America to film a pilot for an American version of The Young Ones titled Oh, No! Not Them. The pilot did not get picked up, but Planer has...

Those wonderful and wacky Wakefield Twins Elizabeth and Jessica are back. And this time they have back up ... Picking up where Sneaking Out left off, the sixth Sweet Valley Twins graphic novel adaptation opens with Elizabeth and Jessica encountering Brooke Dennis once again. A new arrival in Sweet Valley, Brooke has moved to the neighbourhood with her dad, a successful screenwriter. Brooke most certainly does not want to be in Sweet Valley and the kids of Sweet Valley most certainly do not want her. Brooke is spoiled, wears preppy clothes and is rude and dismissive of everyone. Then she ruins one of Jessica's projects. The kids of Sweet Valley decide that she has gone too far this time, and decide it is time to get some revenge. Unfortunately, because this is Sweet Valley, the world's capital of bullying and implausible plot twists, this revenge takes shape in the form of a third Wakefield "triplet", Elizabeth and Jessica's supposed identical sister. Each twin ta...

Twenty-seven year old schoolteacher Kaede has a knack for encountering mysteries. Her beloved Grandfather, whose mind is still sharp despite having Lewy body Dementia, has a knack for solving them, in this heartwarming and often philosophical novel from Japan. Beautifully translated into English, we read as Kaede relies on her grandfather's help to solve all kinds of things, such as how did an extra student appear in Kaede's classroom? How did a teacher disappear from the school during a swimming lesson? However, between these mysteries two things soon become clear. First of all, innocent Kaede is slowly getting caught up in a love triangle with her two male friends. Second, something, or someone, is a threat to Kaede and her grandfather's safety ... This was an enjoyable read. I read this over the space of a few weeks, reading one section and then something else before starting the next. This proved to be quite an enjoyable way to experience the novel as the philosophical ...

Australian comedian and former school teacher Bron Lewis takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions in her memoir of motherhood and mental illness I'm Not Mad (Anymore).  I found this one to be hilarious in places--seriously, she got away with throwing her report cards in the bin in high school? I also found it to be heartbreaking in others, particularly the account of the days that followed the birth of her son Ari. I think that this one will have a special place in the hearts of young mums, particularly those who need someone to remind them that they do not have to be perfect and yes they are doing their best. Recommended. Thank you to Affirm Press for my copy of I'm Not Mad (Anymore). 

With a title like Swearwolves how could I possibly resist this new middle grade novel by Aussie author Steve Worland? Who cares if I'm a grown adult. I loved the idea of this, of a pre-teen girl who, after she moves to a new town, is bitten by a pack of wolves and then she finds herself completely unable to stop swearing. The concept is hilarious, original and just full of mischief. And comes complete with the tagline The book your parents probably don't want you to read.  (This is, of course, something of a contrast to Steve Worland's previous novel Paper Planes  an equally fantastic novel, but the kind of thing that parents and grandparents would very lovingly buy for their children.) This was a fun read. I enjoyed the twist on the plot of a the lonely new kid in town who finds her pack in the most unexpected of ways. When the novel opens, we meet Luna Wilkinson as a fairly typical kid. She's new in town, lonely and extremely keen to get a part in the school play whe...

The trial of Erin Patterson and the horrible, unthinkable crime that she was charged with and eventually convicted of, is one that both horrified and captivated many people, not just in Australia but across the globe. Why on earth would anyone invite their relatives for lunch and poison them? Particularly when there was no obvious motive? In The Mushroom Tapes  three Australian authors Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, follow this baffling crime. Each author is acclaimed for their narrative non-fiction, that offers a considerable amount of nuance and depth. Garner most notably with This House of Grief , Hooper with The Arsonist and Krasnostein with The Trauma Cleaner. The tapes form their discussions with each other about the crime. On what they focused on during the trial, what they made of Erin Patterson and how they made sense of it, if at all. The Mushroom Tapes is a very different take on true crime, focusing on the reactions of the three authors. They do n...

Tom Rob Smith's latest offering Twenty Years Together is beautifully told meditation on commitment and authenticity within a relationship. The year is 2012. Living in London and working as a nurse, Danny, an idealistic type who wears his heart on his sleeve, wonders if perhaps his relationship with Luis does not gain the respect or recognition by the people in their friendship groups. Danny blames this on the fact that when they first got together twenty years ago, relationships like theirs were often kept under a cloud of secrecy. But in 2012 things are changing for same sex couples, with civil partnerships now an option in England and same marriage legal in Luis' home country, Spain. Danny wonders if by getting married, their relationship will be solidified. Luis reluctantly agrees to Danny's proposal and initially readers are led to believe that Danny is the one who is acting idiotically. Then it turns out that calm, quiet Luis has his on insecurities and a past that he...

I bought a book. Groundbreaking, I know. An avid reader who writes book reviews going to her local Big W, finding a book with an intriguing blurb, buying it and bringing it home. What next? Maybe we'll find out the true identity of Banksy or the local amateur theatre company will do something daring like putting on a performance of The Importance of Being Ernest or ... Yeah, okay. I'm in a silly mood. Anyway, I bought a book. It was a fantasy romance, or romantasy as the genre is better known, it was titled Her Hidden Fire and it was authored by Cliodhna O'Sullivan. It had a pretty, gold foil cover. It was in the Young Adult section, but I'm perfectly comfortable with being an adult who occasionally reads books that are intended for children and young adults. And the blurb suggests that this one could be fun. It promises magic, a hint of romance and a female lead who has magical powers that she well, isn't supposed to have.  Then, when I arrived home, I noticed so...

Pride and Prejudice fans rejoice. Another BBC adaption of the beloved Austen novel has recently dropped and even better, this is a reimagining of the source material where, finally, everyone's favourite Bennet sister takes her rightful place on centre stage. Mary. Okay, I'm joking. I think we all know that Elizabeth was and is the rightful star of Pride and Prejudice and Mary is, of course, a supporting character who is portrayed as somewhat insufferable. And no doubt The Other Bennet Sister (based on Executive Producer Janice Harlow's novel of the same name,) will be a well made adaptation that shapes Mary into a much deeper and wholly sympathetic character that viewers will be able to identify with and cheer for.  In the novel, Mary Bennet, the middle of the five sisters, is often left to look ridiculous through her desire to appear not only accomplished and intelligent, but her extreme pursuit of high moral standards. She quotes from various books without properly unde...

What an unexpected delight Talk of the Town turned out to be. A rural romance set in an isolated ghost town in the lower part of Western Australia, it tells the story of Megan, a woman who is keen to escape her past. She plans on living a quiet life in the town, which has just one other permanent resident, an elderly man who is equally keen to keep to himself. That plan so goes awry when Lawson Cooper-Jones, a farmer from the neighbouring town, just happens to get a flat tyre outside Megan's new home. And his eight year old son becomes very keen to know more about the mysterious lady who has moved into the house. From there Megan finds herself spinning a few white lies and confronting more than one ghost from the past ... This was an enjoyable, lighthearted romance featuring a very unlikely couple who work just perfectly together. I loved the paranormal element that the author weaved in to the story, though I would have enjoyed seeing nasty, scheming Adeline getting a little more c...

Imagine being twenty-one years old, a recent university graduate and, at a time when a long and successful career should be ahead of you, you instead wake up every day knowing that at any moment you could lose absolutely everything--your home, your family and your life in an instant--based purely on where you are born and live. Imagine being there, reporting on it as it happens to other people and families, while you find yourself living in a refugee camp. That was the reality for Plestia Alaqad. Born and raised in Gaza, she was used to bombings and the endless risk. However, after October 7 2023 she, her family and everyone they knew found themselves caught up in a brutal, bloody and relentless campaign to destroy their homeland, with many thousands of people killed and displaced and the scale of which almost defies comprehension.  This is the story of a young woman caught up in a situation that is no way of her making, but that she and many others pay a huge price for based on po...

From the moment that I saw The Break Up advertised online, I knew that I might just be on to something. Immediately this one stirred up memories of Sweet Valley, the Parent Trap and several other stories about twins, all of which I found quite intriguing when I was a kid. And when I discovered that the book was written by an Australian author and set in Australia, I very much wanted to give it at chance, even though I am well outside of the target audience. The novel, the first in a series introduces readers to twins Abi and Brook who are about to start year five at their primary school. It is an important year--they are now senior students with additional responsibilities and they must work towards their eventual transition to high school in two years time. This year, however, comes with an unexpected surprise. Abi and Brooke, who have always done everything together, will be placed in separate classes for the first time. And with that comes the discovery that maybe they are not so a...

Sarah Wynn-Williams was a young diplomat from New Zealand when she applied for what she believed to be her dream job at Facebook, then a new up and coming social media company that was changing the way that people communicated and kept in touch. She saw enormous potential in Facebook, in particular how it could be a huge political force and could have the power to change the world. As the title, a clever reference to the famous line in The Great Gatsby suggests that power to change the world did not always necessarily change it for the better. In her darkly comic memoir Sarah Wynn-Williams recounts her personal experiences of working for Facebook and her take of the inner workings of the company, much of which does not paint it favourably. This book was certainly an eye opener, though I have to be upfront about one thing: I did not like it. Was it interesting discovering how the company changed over the years that Sarah Wynn-Williams worked there? Absolutely. Do I find many of the inc...

When I first heard that Australian radio host Jackie Henderson, better known by her on-air alias Jackie O was to be releasing her memoir, I cringed just a little. After all, why did someone who has enjoyed an extremely successful and well paid career as the cohost of a highly sensational and divisive breakfast radio show, need to write a memoir? Who would read it? Did I want to read it? Well, not initially. Then the news came through that the memoir would discuss her deeply personal struggles with painkiller addiction, one which she had managed to successfully hide from the public before, during and after her recovery. Also, I learned the profits from her book would be donated to Odessey House, and this would help others to break free from their addiction and I felt that was an excellent thing to do.  This proved to be an insightful read. I enjoyed the early chapters in which she details how she started in radio, perhaps even more so because I actually remember listening to her on ...

I'd never heard of Audre Lorde until midway through last year, shortly after the controversy that followed my publishing a review of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr's work A Gift of Love. (In short a seemingly innocent--and glowing--review of a work about the civil rights movement in twentieth century America was repeatedly banned on various social media channels.) The work piqued my interest in learning more about the civil rights movement and discovering some of the prominent people within it. As a consequence I discovered Audre Lorde, a poet, feminist and civil rights activist from New York. The Black Unicorn is a stunning collection of poetry that examines womanhood from various angles, mostly exposing feminine vulnerability and feminine strength in all of its glory. This was a stunning collection. I enjoyed it best by reading just a few poems each day, which made them feel more impactful. It forced me to think about race, racial stereotypes and just how powerful it can b...

Aussie actor and author Isla Fisher delights with her debut picture book, about a pampered pup who learns to embrace her inner self.  Mazy has lived a life of luxury, as a pampered pooch and a movie star in "Hollywoof".  Things have always gone her way until, suddenly, things in Hollywoof change and filmmakers are no longer interested in casting pampered pets. She finds herself moving out of her Hollywoof mansion and into the dog park, where she soon discovers a fun life away from the glitz and glamour, one where she can just be herself. This was a fun read with some cute illustrations from Paula Bowes and plenty of puns and wordplay. There is plenty to delight the young kids, including the odd bit of toilet humour (always a winner) and some very cute doggy characters. While I felt that it could have had just a little more depth, the story remained entertaining throughout. Recommended.

It was with a little bit of shock, and a lot of delight, that I discovered last year that Terry Pratchett's Night Watch was to be published as a modern classic. The first Pratchett novel to be bestowed the honour, it has a suitably Penguin Modern Classic's cover, complete with quotes from acclaimed authors, while the picture--though different from the original--retains a distinct Pratchett look about it. The twenty-ninth book in the Discworld series, Night Watch concerns itself with Sam Vimes, who whilst chasing a very nasty crook, finds himself propelled back into the past and working along his much younger self. In order to return home and to his own timeline--where his wife is about to give birth--Vimes must set about carefully making sure that he does no harm, that the events transpire in a certain way and that he catches the crook.  Night Watch proved itself to be an interesting read. The novel was somewhat more serious than some of Pratchett's other works and I susp...