Kathryn's Inbox

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...

Bestselling author Jennifer Niven does not disappoint with her latest offering Meet the Newmans. Set in 1964, it tells the story of "America's favourite family". For years now, the Newman's have starred as themselves in a top rating television sitcom, and previously, a radio serial. There is Del, the father who is also writer and director of the series, who has fought hard to make Meet the Newmans the success that it is. Then there is wife Dinah, who comes across as the perfect wife and mother on the screen. Finally there are sons Guy, whose recent TV storylines about an engagement might be hiding a different reality from the public and Shep, a popular musician both on and off screen. The Newmans have been a wholesome staple of American television for so long but now, the times, and the ratings are changing. As the series faces cancellation and when Del is seriously injured in a car accident Dinah finds herself tasked with writing the final episode of Meet the Newmans...