Kathryn's Inbox

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...