Marcie’s favourite colour was black. It was the colour she knew best. Marcie could take or leave the other colours. They didn’t mean much to her. But the one colour she really disliked was green. … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Seamstress by Maria Duenas
[rating: 5] Lush in setting, restrained but ultimately satisfying in emotion, this book takes readers from the hunger and poverty of 1930s Madrid to the whitewashed streets of Morocco, then on to the … [Read more...]
Intelligent, successful women seduced by Aussie ‘love rat’
Kay Schubach is a brave woman. It can't be easy to publicly admit that you were in love with a man the media has labeled a 'play boy' and a 'love rat'. But Kay is in very good company. In addition … [Read more...]
Book Review: Minxy Vintage by Kelly Doust
[rating: 4] That crafty minx is back, this time with a fashionista theme, following hot on the coat tails of her memoir A Life in Frocks. A self-confessed flea market and charity shop-scourer, it's no … [Read more...]
Book Review: Lose Weight Fast! by Susie Burrell
[rating: 4] Great title. But also a fraught title. Goodness knows, weight loss is one of the hottest and most controversial topics in the Western world and will do doubt remain that way for many … [Read more...]
Book Review: Home: Evolution of the Australian Dream
[rating: 4] If home is where the heart is, this beautiful book is a home-lover's dream destination. Subtitled Evolution of the Australian Dream, an illustrated review of housing in Australia, anyone … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Big-Hearted Harry by Jan Weeks
I have a little brother. His name is Harry. He’s four years old. I wish he lived somewhere else because he’s always doing naughty things and then blaming me. “It was Mia!” he says. “She told me to do … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Art of Meditation by Matthieu Ricard
This is the follow-up book to “The Art of Happiness”, written by the same author. Meditation is, according to this book, the “inner transformation through training the mind.” It is a challenging and … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Art of Happiness by Matthieu Ricard
Most of us might see being happy as a matter of luck, chance, or situation, perhaps something that can be “found”. Happiness is often confused with pleasure, joy or being in love. The English … [Read more...]
Book Review: Australians (Volume 2) Eureka to the Diggers by Thomas Keneally
Those with a strong arm and capacious handbag capable of carrying this weighty book will reap the rewards of an interesting read about the people who made Australia the wonderful country it is. This … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Told by Jennifer Crane
From the moment Tom woke up, he was told what to do - what to wear, what to eat, what time to go and where to be. At school he was told when and where to play, when to eat, what to read, where and how … [Read more...]
Some Secrets should Never Be Kept
Three years ago, when I was on my children’s school council, I broached the subject of sexual abuse prevention education. I asked my fellow committee members why we did not have such program in our … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Nana’s Heart by June Keir
My Nana says I’m her favourite girl in the whole, wide world. My Nana gives me big, warm hugs. She lets me help her make scrumptious gingerbread men. I decorate them with special icing tubes. I use … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: The King of the Jungle by Ken Williams
There’s a new King in the jungle. He’s not big and ferocious. Or mean and grumpy. He doesn’t roar or bark. Or howl or growl. He’s a friendly little chap. Small in size, but giant of heart. And he … [Read more...]
Book Extract: “The Map of the Soul – Discovering Your True Purpose” By Tricia Brennan
The Map of the Soul teaches you how to discover your higher soul’s purpose and the meaning of your life. The book is designed and set up as a step by step 12 week guide that encourages the reader to … [Read more...]
Book Extract: “The Metabolic Clock” By Julie Rennie
Welcome to The Metabolic Clock. It is full of simple, natural, weight-loss strategies that will get you started on your journey to achieving a healthy, slim body. As I approached middle age it seemed … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Camping Holiday by Jo Antareau
“Ah, a nice peaceful night in the bush, far away from the noisy city!” Dad said proudly. Rikki and Tom were sitting under some trees with their parents, munching through a mountain of sausages and … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Summer Outing by Lyn Oxley
Kids in cossies, thongs and caps Laugh in car while puppy yaps. Mum parks car and says, ‘Unpack!’ Kids and pup run down the track. Mum with buckets, towels and spades, Carries lunch for kid’s … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: The Summer I Met Nigel by Bernadette Smallwood
It was last summer that I first met and fell in love with Nigel. Nigel is everything you could wish for in a pet. He is fun to be around, loves car trips and going to the beach, is a good listener … [Read more...]
Book Review: Mums Shape Up by Lisa Westlake
[rating: 4] There's two things new mums don't need. One - twelve (or more) months stuck in their maternity jeans. Two - a complicated, time-consuming regime for getting rid of said jeans. New mums … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Beware the Gull by Emma Cameron
Sun sparkled off soft waves. Sand squeaked as Josh and Emma made their way down the dunes. A woman scurried past. She paused, leaned towards them, and panted, ‘Beware the gull.’ Emma clutched her … [Read more...]
Book Review: What’s Eating You? by Kathleen Alleaume
[rating: 4.5] We're a funny species. We know what we need to do. We know what we should be eating and should not be eating. We know all about exercise. We are totally au fait with comfort eating. … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Santa’s Gift by Caroline Christie
“Something’s wrong with Santa,” Mrs Claus said, sighing as she sat in the oversize armchair in front of the blazing fire. The Elf Master stopped tut-tutting over his long list. “How do you mean?” he … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Serious Jack and His Christmas Wish by Rose Inserra
Serious Jack, the garden gnome, was made without a smile. He had a line instead of a curly upturned smile. He wished he could have a big smile so that he could be happy too. So, one Christmas eve he … [Read more...]
Book Review: When Happiness is Not Enough by Chris Skellett
[rating: 4.5] It's Christmas time - a time that's meant to be the happiest of the year but for many, the festive season is fraught with stress, relationship strain, financial burden and that … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Santa’s Helper by Jo Antareau
"What do you mean, no presents for children this year?” Santa Claus was puffing on his exercise bike when the new Head Elf marched into his office. “We’ve looked at the records of every child, … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Five Days of Christmas by Jackie Tritt
I was worried when Mum said . . . ‘That kookaburra in the garden is one of Santa’s helpers. He’ll watch you, James, to see if you are good, to see if you deserve a present from Santa.’ There were … [Read more...]
Book Review: Everyday Kindness by Stephanie Dowrick
[rating: 5] Could there be a more perfect time for a book on everyday kindness? Author and holistic wellbeing expert Stephanie Dowrick has long been tapped into Australia's emotional zeitgeist, … [Read more...]
What’s on your Bucket List? 100 Things with Sebastian Terry
Handsome, smart, adventurous and philothranthopic? Stand back girls, 26-year-old Sebastian Terry is too busy zipping all over our fair planet achieving extraordinary things to stop for a quick … [Read more...]
Book Review: Maeve Binchy’s Treasury
[rating: 4] “Treasury” is an apt description of this wonderful collection of over 40 short stories. Each of the stories is a real gem, unique and beautiful. Some are as subtle as aquamarines, or … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Super Flower Power by Jennifer Crane
Flames shot up Jake’s nose, but it didn’t burn like he thought it would. It tickled. ‘Arrrrr-choooo!’ His sneeze created an enormous blast of scorching hot air that reached a hundred thousand … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Briny Cafe by Susan Duncan
[rating: 2.5] Susan Duncan is no stranger to sea-side living: her best-selling memoirs A Life on Pittwater and Salvation Creek both touch on her experiences as a new resident in the coastal town of … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: The Flower Show Fiasco by Jo Hart
Every year under the Poppy Town tower, They held a show for the fanciest flower. They set up long tables in Poppy Town Hall, And polished the ribbon sought after by all. Each budding … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty
[rating: 3] How far would you go for love and when does it cross the line into obsession? The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty tells the tale of a hypnotherapist named Ellen O’Farrell, her … [Read more...]
Book Review: Chelsea Mansions: A Brock and Kolla Mystery by Barry Maitland
[rating: 4.5] This is an extremely well-crafted novel, one that will enthral and convert even the most reluctant of crime fiction readers. The arrival of an elderly American tourist in London … [Read more...]
Book Review: Ruby Blues by Jessica Rudd
[rating:4] Ruby Stanhope, the delightfully imperfect star of last year’s chick lit sensation Campaign Ruby, returns to answer that perennial question – what happened next? It’s two years since Max … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Sending: The Obernewtyn Chronicles Book 6 by Isobelle Carmody
[rating: 4] There’s a lot of pressure on any author who has been writing a series since they were 14 as Isobelle Carmody has. She began writing the first book in this series back then and the … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin
[rating: 4] Inspector Malcolm Fox is a man challenged by the past, on more than one level. Firstly, within the confines of this novel, he stumbles across a hushed-up 25-year-old mystery that his … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories for Children: Daisy Chains by Yvonne Saw
Daisy loved staying with Nan and her dog Sausage in their little white cottage in the country. ‘I have a surprise for you,’ said Nan at breakfast time. ‘What is it?’ asked Daisy. ‘Come outside and … [Read more...]
Book Review: Animal People by Charlotte Wood
[rating: 4] Wood doesn’t hammer her themes but there is plenty to think about in this novel. As a sucker for books where the characters learn something, I recommend Animal People as a very satisfying … [Read more...]
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