Kathryn's Inbox

Remember Saccharine Valley Twits and Fiends, the hilarious book series that parody's Sweet Valley Twins? Well, Saccharine Valley is back and this time it is taking on Sweet Valley High. Book one, Vampires in Paradise is a satire of what was arguably one of the most bizarre moments in Sweet Valley history. Okay, well, maybe not the most bizarre moment, but the original, Murder in Paradise was certainly a strange moment in the series. Anyway, this version takes the strangeness of the original and adds something extra. Vampires. And, of course, Piper, an original Saccharine Valley character, who is the perpetual villain, the one who is going to teach spoiled twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wastefeld an important lesson. And who fails each time. This time around we meet Elizabeth and Jessica Wastefeld at age sixteen. The pair are on their way to a beauty retreat, along with Lila and her mother, and Enid and ... well no one else because Enid's mother couldn't make it. Parts of the...

Let's face it. There was only ever going to be one biography that ever had a chance of being discussed on my blog today and Dr Karl's A Periodic Tale is it. One of the most interesting and engaging media personalities in Australia, Dr Karl has spent a long and legendary media career educating people about science. Not only is he knowledgable but his ability to speak to almost anyone and break down complex science to make it accessible is second to none. Australian radio is better off because he is in it.  Dr Karl's work on Triple J (of which, clearly, I am a fan,) is just the tip of the iceberg. He's also had a slew of degrees, career changes and an interesting life outside of his working hours. And he's the author of forty-eight books. His latest A Periodic Tale is a departure from the popular science books that we all know and love. This time Dr Karl shares his engaging life story. Born in Sweden to Polish refugees who had survived the horrors of Nazi concentrati...

The third graphic novel in Kayla Miller's brilliant Click series finds protagonist Olive starting sixth grade where new challenges await. Olive is excited to go on a school excursion, but that excitement is soon dimmed when she discovers that not all kids are able to attend due to a school policy. Olive soon springs into action with a plan to get elected to student council so that she can help change the policy. But student elections, she soon discovers are not easy, and that kids don't always run for the right reasons, that things can sometimes get nasty and that the best person and the best ideas do not always get the most attention.  This was an entertaining read. Like the other books in the series they can be enjoyed by any older reader who cares to join in and many of the themes raised are universal. The author really taps in to what it is like to be a kid and the difficulties of school and friendships. The themes are handled sympathetically and realistically. Olive remai...

If readers are looking for a sweet, slow burn romance then Hannah Bonam-Young's Out On a Limb  should certainly tick all the right boxes. A friends to lovers romance with two likeable leads, the novel tells the story of Winnifred 'Win' McNulty and Robert 'Bo' Durand who meet at a mutual friend's Halloween party. Both are dressed as pirates. And although it is not obvious at first, or the reason why they stop to talk to one another, both have limb differences, Win's right hand is less developed, while Bo's leg was amputated from the knee down following cancer treatment. Anyway, for reasons other than limb differences, the pair end up having a one-night stand, followed by a surprise complication six weeks later. Win is pregnant. And Bo, who never thought that he could be a father, is excited by the prospect. What follows is a story of a pregnancy and two parents who, over the next few months, slowly get to know one another and fall in love, bit by bit ... ...

In 2010 Rachel Held Evans, journalist, feminist and a progressive Christian decided to embark on a bold experiment. She would spend a year taking all of the bible's instructions for women as literally as was possible for a year. Each month she would pick a theme and live out those instructions as best she could--which led to instances of her sitting on her roof, camping on her front lawn during her period, holding up a sign by a major road to declare that her husband Dan was awesome and, for a brief stint, referring to her husband as master.  A Year of Biblical Womanhood is hilarious in places and often insightful. Rachel Held Evans takes each of her assigned tasks seriously, whilst managing to keep her sense of humour and a sense of perspective. Unsurprisingly, she finds some of the tasks impossible--at one point her husband begs her to stop calling him master and camping out on the lawn only causes both the author and her husband to fear for her safety. Both also lead her to gre...

Rockstar Detectives Charley and George are back and they have another case to solve. Well, officially they're at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, because George is a panelist on a lighthearted comedy/talk show that is being broadcast from Paris each evening and Charley has been asked to sing at the closing ceremony. However, things take a turn when their favourite Paralympian Alfie Eagles suddenly announces on social media that he will not be taking part in the games after all. George and Charley feel sure something is wrong. Alfie wouldn't just quit ... would he? And there is something odd about his social media posts, almost as if he is trying to send a coded message to his fans. Soon, George and Charley are on the case--and hopefully they can find Alfie before his big race! This was such a fun read. As is this is the third book in the series, it has been interesting watching as George comes more and more into his own. Rather than being the kid in the background, he's ...