Kathryn's Inbox

The Sweet Valley Twins graphic novel adaptions have been so popular with fans--new and old--that the series is back for a third instalment. This time around Choosing Sides, the fourth novel in the original series, is up for adaption. Old fans will be familiar with the plot. Tryouts are being held for the school's cheer squad, and Amy Sutton desperately wants to join. The only problem is that the cheer squad auditions are being run by the school's cliquey mean girl group the unicorns. They don't want any non unicorns on their squad, regardless of how talented they may be. And they especially don't want Amy. (Sweet Valley devotees may notice something here. The plot is eerily similar to that of Power Play, the fourth novel in the Sweet Valley High series.) In a concurrent plot, Ken Matthews is keen to join the school basketball team but some of the other boys don't want him. Anyway, with the help of Elizabeth, Amy and Ken join forces to encourage one another--and t...

Following the breakdown of her marriage, a middle-aged woman returns to the town where she grew up on the Monaro Plains. She stays in a guest house run by nuns, eventually opting to become a permanent resident there (in spite of being an atheist). Three events will eventually force her to confront her past, a mouse plague, the discovery of the body of a sister who left the monastery many years previously and a visitor to the monastery who is none other than a girl that she bullied at the local high school many years before.  Stone Yard Devotional is haunting and disturbing. It doesn't really go anywhere, though that hardly seems to be the point. Instead it is a look at how we are bound by our pasts and how, no matter hard we try, we can never truly escape it. That said, I did find this book underwhelming at times and that characters and situations never felt truly fleshed out to their full potential. Or maybe I missed the point.  Other readers may have different feelings--as o...

Set in the very early part of the 21st century The Thompson Gunner tells the story of a comedian whose life starts to unravel when she begins to have recurring nightmares of a masked gunman. Meg is in her late thirties. She moved from Northern Ireland to Australia as a child and as an adult, she has forged a successful career in comedy and is often schmoozed by the media--or at least, often put in embracing situations that promise to raise her profile. It is on a work trip to Perth that things begin to unravel, first a broken tooth, then the recurring nightmare. We also learn that other things in Meg's life are going wrong, in particular her relationship with Murray. Through flashbacks we start to get the impression that all was not as it seemed in her life in Northern Ireland until eventually Meg is forced to confront a grim and unsavoury truth. This was an interesting and challenging novel. Meg's dilemma and past make for confronting reading, particularly in terms of how eas...

Amy Anne Ollinger has just made a shocking discovery. Her favourite book, her most favourite book in the whole world, Newberry Award winner From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg has been banned from her elementary school library. Even worse, she discovers from the school librarian that it has not been banned by the proper process, and is due to an objection by an influential (and wealthy) parent and member of the school board. And, worse again, it turns out the school board has banned a number of other books as well. What is a shy, quiet kid like Amy Anne, who finds comfort in the school library and the books there? How can she possibly make a difference and fight against the school board? It turns out she can, thanks to a bit of luck and some innovation between Amy Anne and her peers. They start a secret library of banned books, operating out of Amy Anne's locker. But what happens when she gets discovered and the grown ups decide once and for all t...

More than a memoir of an Aussie who made it in Hollywood, Rebel Rising is a story of how Rebel Wilson, a proud non-conformist (in the best way,) refused to give in to other people's expectations or to give up when the going got tough. Rebel Wilson shares her life story, from growing up in a bogan family in Sydney, to graduating dux at her exclusive private girls school, to a year in South Africa to moving to Hollywood and much, much more in between.  I very much enjoyed this one. The memoir is written in a conversational style and parts of it almost feel as though the author is sitting down and chatting with the reader at the kitchen table over a drink or a cuppa. Of particular interest to me was her account of a gap year spent in South Africa--and what a year that was, involving a hijacking and malaria. There is a lot of inside stories about what it is like to work in Hollywood, though not in a cruel or gossipy way--more it tells of the realities of being an actor in a cut-throat...

One Cup at a Time is the second collection from the wonderful Cat's Cafe webcomic. Once again we meet our favourite characters, cafe owner Cat, their anxiety prone assistant, Rabbit, coffee addict Penguin, Penguin's bestie Kiwi and a host of others. As always the comics focus on themes of anxiety and self-care and the importance of kindness. This collection has a slightly different feel from the first and includes some of the best bits of the webcomic, including, I'm pleased to say, Kiwi with the knife. It also includes my favourite series of comics, where Rat and Noot find Cat's Cafe. In all truthfulness, I enjoyed the second volume of comics much more than the first. This one got the balance right, remaining kind and tender without becoming too sweet, and I felt the variety and selection of comics was better. Highly recommended.

The power of art to be used as a form of protest and to inform and change minds is at the heart of this clever YA novel from Canadian author Tanya Lloyd Kyi. Dominica is a student at an elite private school that had recently undergone a big security upgrade. There are now cameras across the school, which the students are told are there to keep them safe. This soon has the reverse effect when pictures taken from those cameras of students and even a teacher caught in embarrassing moments--nose picking, an unzipped fly and an accidental flash of a bra--is uploaded online. With a newfound resentment to the cameras, Dominica finds a way to fight back, by channeling her favourite artist Banksy. Soon she and her friends and a few other affected students set up a guerrilla style warfare against the cameras and the school principal whose motives for the cameras have nothing to do with student welfare... This was an entertaining read. In Australia it can be rare to find books set in Canada, for ...

Sarah Anderson's third collection of Sarah Scribbles comics does not disappoint. An honest reflection on being an introvert, having anxiety and the joy (and stress) of the little things in life, these four pane comics are deceptively simple. Much like the title. Herding Cats should be simple right ... right? (Of course it isn't.) I found the subject matter to be on point and relatable at every turn. Sarah Anderson's character is a representation of herself and the honesty shows. However what makes this collection really stand out is the guide for the young creative that fills the last thirty pages of the book. The advice is practical and takes the time to address a very relevant point for webcomic creators--surviving on the internet where criticism isn't always presented constructively and harassment is rife. (And to be honest, I think creatives from other fields that share their work online could benefit from Sarah Andersen's advice.) Overall an enjoyable collect...

Lingus is a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance with a unique--and incredibly interesting--premise. When Kat Berger is dragged to a porn convention (essentially the American version of Sexpo) the last thing she expects is to become besties with a porn star. But that is exactly what happens when Tristian, the polite, funny guy she meets there, turns out to have a double life as Robby Lingus, a porn star. Tristian, it seems is living a double life, working as a trainee lawyer during the week and doing FIFO porn work in LA on selected weekends. Fortunately, Kat is a pretty open minded girl and she finds Tristan's work interesting, rather than off-putting. But what happens when Kat finds herself becoming increasingly attracted to Tristan and the feeling seems to be mutual? This started out with such an interesting premise. I found the early chapters to be quite interesting, and filled with spicy humour as were all of the characters. Unfortunately, the novel starts to deteriorate at t...

The Cancer Finishing School is a compelling memoir of a man who is both a GP with more than forty years experience and an award winning writer who has cancer. Diagnosed by chance after a scan of his knee, this the story of Dr Peter Goldsworthy's experiences. It is also the story of his friends and patients and the unique moments that intersect with his own cancer journey. I found this to be exceptionally compelling reading. Everyone's journey through cancer, whether personal or supporting a family member or friend is unique and Dr Peter Goldsworthy is no exception to this rule as he shares his own experiences of how he made his own way through. However, what makes this particular story so interesting is the fact that he is a GP and knows the score as he goes through his journey. As a writer, he knows how to record it. There is a lot of self reflection and as well as stories of his experiences with his patients, many of whom have compelling (and sometimes amusing) stories of th...

This one is what it is. A satire on Donald Trump and his rise to become president of the United States of America, coupled with public perception and the political turmoil that followed, disguised as a children's book. It's savage, brutal and it's definitely not for Trump supporters. It was published in 2019 so there is no mention of Covid-19 or the January 6 riots.  I found it amusing, though a little dated. This one isn't for Trump supporters who may find the portrayal of Donald Trump as narcissistic, delusional idiotic and a number of other things to be quite offensive. As for the rest of us ... (Well, I thought it was funny.)