Month: July 2020

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#FridayFreebie – Wasp Season – Jennifer Scoullar

Wasp Season

Jennifer Scoullar

Pilyara Press

ISBN: 9780648308942

 

Description:

You’ll never see a wasp in the same way again …

When Beth’s marriage ends, she’s determined to build a new life in the country for herself and her children. A quiet life lived closer to nature. She thinks she’s achieved the impossible – a civilised separation, a happy home and a cordial relationship with her estranged husband, Mark. There’s even the promise of new love on the horizon. But when Mark tries to change the rules, Beth’s peaceful world is turned upside down.

Disturbingly, she also discovers that European wasps have invaded her garden. Beth’s obsession with them and their queen holds up a distorted mirror to the human drama. As the chaos in Beth’s life gathers momentum, connections between the two worlds come sharply into focus. The lives of Beth and the others are neither separate to, nor safe from, the natural world.

AUTHOR’S NOTE
In this series of Wild Australia Stories I tell tales of the people, wildlife and land that I love. But there is more to wild Australia than brumbies, dingoes, dolphins and the magnificent outback.

As a passionate conservationist and amateur naturalist, I’m interested in all aspects of nature. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not always about the big things. Little creatures have a surprising impact on our lives. If you’re squeamish about insects, look away now. If you’re fascinated by the Australian bush and the way all creatures great and small are connected, then Beth’s story is for you.

– Praise for Wasp Season –

-There is an ironic twist to this tale, a violent and sudden twist that will leave the reader gasping. Wasp Season is a fascinating study of nature and humans.– Wendy O’Hanlon, Acres Australia

– ‘A thrilling story that describes both human and insect life in detail as they become intertwined … an unforgettable, unputdownable trip into a garden that, on the surface, seems like a quiet refuge.’ – John Morrow, World of Books and Music

– ‘Scoullar, it turns out, is a writer of documentary calibre.’ Australian Literary Review

 

** I have one copy of Wasp Season, courtesy of the author,  available to an Australian resident to win – it’s simple – in the comments name one other book Jennifer has written.  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4428836.Jennifer_Scoullar
Competition closes  8th August 2020. Good luck **
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Review: There’s a Zoo In my Poo – Professor Felice Jacka and Rob Craw

There’s a Zoo In my Poo

Professor Felice Jacka and Rob Craw,  

Macmillan Australia

ISBN: 9781760783044

 

Description:

 

There’s a Zoo in your Poo!

It needs a Zookeeper

And that Keeper is YOU!

 

Did you know that trillions of tiny bugs live in and on all of us? And there’s a Zoo of bugs in our poo. But which are the good bugs and which are the bad? What should we eat to keep our good bugs happy and our body strong?

 

Get to the guts of what you need to know about you and your poo.

 

Professor Felice Jacka is a world expert in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health. Teacher and musician Rob Craw is a world expert at drawing bugs!

 

They want kids to know all about the amazing stuff going on in their bodies.

 

Get ready for a journey inside the most exciting of places … YOU!

 

 

My View:

Brilliant!

 

This book is the new #1 on my 4-year-old grandson’s reading list.  We have read over and over and over. He even took it in the car with him, to read on a short holiday.  He loves this book and I must say I agree with his view. It is brilliant! It is the perfect book to start a dialogue with your pre-schooler about gut health, healthy food choices, digestion etc.

 

This book is packed with easily transferable knowledge – one page reads “factorially” – with information that a parent/guardian or teacher will find useful, the opposite page is filled with images and fun facts that are attention grabbing and keep your pre schooler entertained. And the best page of all? The poo chart 😊  ( https://continence.org.au/bristol-stool-chart )  What is it with pre-schoolers and poo? Yes my grandson joyfully shares with us the number on the chart that matches his poo. Too much information you may ask? Well, a little gross but not really; he is at a great age to start healthy lifestyle conversations😊 and this book does a fabulous job of starting these conversations.

 

This book is a must have resource for every school and library.

 

 

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Review: Living on Stolen Land -Ambelin_Kwaymullina

Living on Stolen Land

Ambelin Kwaymullina

Magabala Books

ISBN: 9781925936247

 

Description:

Living on Stolen Land is a prose-styled look at our colonial-settler ‘present’. This book is the first of its kind to address and educate a broad audience about the colonial contextual history of Australia, in a highly original way. It pulls apart the myths at the heart of our nationhood, and challenges Australia to come to terms with its own past and its place within and on ‘Indigenous Countries’.

 

This title speaks to many First Nations’ truths; stolen lands, sovereignties, time, decolonisation, First Nations perspectives, systemic bias and other constructs that inform our present discussions and ever-expanding understanding. This title is a timely, thought-provoking and accessible read.

 

There is no part of this place

that was not

is not

cared for

loved

by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander nation

There are no trees

rivers

hills

stars

that were not

are not

someone’s kin

 

 

My View:

This is a timely and significant read.  Ambelin Kwaymullina offers the reader a chance to “walk in someone else’s shoes,” to hear views and perspectives that are not often heard in the dominant Settler culture. It is a moving read in a stream of conscientiousness style prose that has a voice that demands to be heard, to be listened to.

 

“Ask How Not What” (p58)

Many Settlers

ask what can be done

to support Indigenous peoples

But there are many “whats”

Many initiatives

Ideas

The only people who can can tell you

Which ones are right

For which homelands

Are the sovereign Indigenous peoples

It is for them to say

What’s right for them

What’s right for their Country…..

 

 

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Review: The Silent Wife – Karin Slaughter

The Silent Wife

Will Trent #10

Karin Slaughter

Harper Collins Australia

ISBN: 9781460757048

 

Description:

He watches.

 

A woman runs alone in the woods. She convinces herself she has no reason to be afraid, but she’s wrong. A predator is stalking the women of Grant County. He lingers in the shadows, until the time is just right to snatch his victim.

He waits.

A decade later, the case has been closed. The killer is behind bars. But then another young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead, and the MO is identical.

He takes.

Although the original trail has gone cold — memories have faded, witnesses have disappeared — agent Will Trent and forensic pathologist Sara Linton must re-open the cold case. But the clock is ticking, and the killer is determined to find his perfect silent wife …

 

My View:

I really enjoyed this dual time line narrative that brings back characters from the start of the Grant Country series, characters that provide a tension in the protagonist relationship and spotlights crime scenes and policing from that earlier period – Slaughter weaves this complex narrative together seamlessly.  As always, this a stunning read.

 

In the final pages of the book Karin Slaughter addresses the reader, don’t be tempted to read this first up, there are spoilers, but do read. Karin makes some significant  points: “In the beginning of my career…I made the decision that what I was writing would matter from one book to the next…that’s why I decided to write frankly about violence against women…it was important to openly describe what that violence actually looks like, and to explore the long-lasting effects of trauma in as realistic way as possible. If I’ve done anything with these two series, I hope that people will look at them as an honest telling of stories we do not often hear about survivors, fighters, mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends, and rogues. “

 

I think Karin Slaughter has succeeded.

 

A thought that remains me after reading this book, listen to your intuition.

 

** This is a stunning and at times hilarious interview with Karin Slaughter by Dervla McTiernan  https://www.facebook.com/50377417167/videos/622600778612826 

 

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#FridayFreebie Face Value – Ian Andrew

Face Value

Wright & Tran #1

Ian Andrew

ISBN: 978-0992464127 Trade Paperback: 314 pages Trim: 13.3 x 2.0 x 20.3 cm

Publisher: The Book Reality Experience

Published: 11 May 2015

Winner of the Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize for Fiction, FACE VALUE by Ian Andrew, is the opening salvo in the detective thriller series that follows Kara Wright and Tien Tran, veterans of UK Military Intelligence, now trying to scrape by as Private Investigators.

 

With taut writing, bone-crushing action, and a pace that never relents, this was a difficult read to put down and a worthy winner.
Mark Dawson, USA Today bestselling author.

Featuring gripping action and tight plotting, this supercharged novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Publishers Weekly

 

Description:

When ex-intelligence operative Tien Tran finds civilian life lacking, she teams up with her hot-headed fellow vet Kara to become private investigators. Even with her hard-as-nails partner by her side, Tran struggles to afford the London rent on their office. The computer genius agrees to take on a well-paying case of two clients’ missing parents to keep the lights on. But when the rookie PIs learn the siblings’ father is ex-intelligence too, they suspect the questions of his disappearance may lead to sinister answers.

 

Kara Wright has no problem taking her combat skills to the streets, but her lack of empathy tends to get her in deep trouble. When she takes one counterattack too far, Wright’s aggression puts her and her partner at risk in the middle of their investigation. As they follow the case of violence and abuse to the heart of the criminal underworld, the Metropolitan Police may put a stop to their search before it starts.

Can Tran keep Wright in check long enough to close the case, or will the pair of PIs fall victim to a dark and deadly game?

 

Face Value is the gripping first book in the Wright & Tran crime thriller series. If you like electrifying action, breathless pacing, and three-dimensional characters, then you’ll love Ian Andrew’s award-winning special ops detective novel.

 

 

**This week I have 5 Ebooks of  Face Value the first book in the Wright and Tran series – a book I highly recommend. In the comments tell me which city this book is set in.  5 Winners will be randomly selected on 25 July 2020. Good luck. **

New Release Book Review: The Bluffs by Kyle Perry
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New Release Book Review: The Bluffs by Kyle Perry

Thanks Mrs B for the is great review of The Bluffs – last chance to enter my giveaway for this title is today.

Mrs B's Book Reviews

Title: The Bluffsthe bluffs smallAuthor: Kyle Perry

Published: July 2nd 2020

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Pages: 432

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Thriller

RRP: $32.99

Rating: 4 stars

I won’t walk alone by the mountain trees, or the hungry man will come for me . . .

‘Tense, atmospheric and unsettling, this book will stay with you long after you turn the last page, and long after you turn out the lights.’ – Christian White
At the bottom of the world, there is an island. It is a land of rugged wilderness, of ice and snow and blistering heat, of the oldest trees on earth . . . They say tigers still roam there. They say other things roam, too.

When a school group of teenage girls goes missing in the remote wilderness of Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers, the people of Limestone Creek are immediately on alert. Three decades ago, five…

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#MeatFreeMonday : Smoked JackFruit Tacos – Global Vegan – Ellie Bullen

The Global Vegan by Ellie Bullen,

Published by Plum

RRP $34.99

Photography by Ellie Bullen

 

“These tacos combine some of my favourite Mexican and Vietnamese flavours. This recipe was inspired by the eggplant tacos at Leeroy’s Vietnamese restaurant in Canggu, Bali. I fell in love with them and they’re a must-try if you’re in the region! p144

Makes 6
2 teaspoons avocado oil
400 g can young jackfruit, drained and rinsed, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
2 teaspoons chipotle sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon five spice powder
6 small soft flour tortillas
75 g (1 cup) finely shredded red cabbage
1 carrot, julienned

Tamari–maple sauce
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon sriracha chilli sauce

To serve
handful of coriander leaves
2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
1 teaspoon chilli powder
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the jackfruit, paprika and red onion and sauté
for 1 minute. Add the chipotle sauce, tomato paste, five spice powder and 3 tablespoons of water and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the jackfruit is soft and cooked through. Break up the jackfruit using the back of a fork so that it appears ‘shredded’.

Meanwhile, combine all the tamari–maple sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Fry the tortillas in a dry frying pan over high heat for 15 seconds on each side, then transfer to serving plates.
To assemble the tacos, divide the cabbage, carrot and jackfruit mixture among the tortillas.
Top with a few coriander leaves, crispy fried shallots and a good pinch of chilli powder.

Drizzle over the tamari–maple sauce and serve with lime wedges on the side.

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#FridayFreebie: The Bluffs – Kyle Perry

The Bluffs

Kyle Perry

Michael Joseph

Penguin Random House 

ISBN: 9781760895679

RRP $32.99

 

Description:

At the bottom of the world, there is an island. It is a land of rugged wilderness, of ice and snow and blistering heat … They say extinct tigers still roam there. They say other things roam, too.

When a school group of teenage girls go missing in the remote wilderness of Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers, the people of Limestone Creek are immediately on alert. Not long ago, six young girls went missing in the area of those dangerous bluffs, and the legends of ‘the Hungry Man’ still haunt locals to this day.

Now, authorities can determine that the teacher, Eliza Ellis, was knocked unconscious, so someone on the mountain was up to foul play. Jordan Murphy, father of missing student Jasmine and the town’s local dealer, instantly becomes prime suspect, but Detective Con Badenhorst knows that in a town this size – with corrupt cops, small-town politics, and a teenage YouTube sensation – anyone could be hiding something, and bluffing comes second nature.

When a body is found, mauled, at the bottom of a cliff, suspicion turns to a wild animal – but that can’t explain why she, like all victims past and present, was discovered barefoot, with her shoes found nearby, laces neatly tied.

What happened up there on the bluffs? Somebody knows… unless the local legends are true…

 

 

**Today I have one copy The Bluffs to giveaway  thanks to Penguin Random House Australia  (Australian residents only) To enter in the comments let me know where this book is set. I will randomly select a winner on the 18th of July 2020**

 

##Check your emails – winner notified##

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Review: The Patient – Jasper DeWitt

The Patient

Jasper DeWitt

Harper Collins Australia

ISBN: 9781460759462

 

Description:

“A clever cocktail of psychological thriller and supernatural horror.” Kirkus

 

The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his job at a mental asylum, miscalculates catastrophically when he undertakes curing a mysterious and profoundly dangerous patient.

 

In a series of online posts, Parker H., an ambitious young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England and his attempt to cure the facility’s most difficult, profoundly dangerous case.

 

Originally admitted to the hospital as a child, the man has no known diagnosis. Every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide.

 

Parker, brilliant and overconfident, takes it upon himself to discover what ails this mystery patient and finally cure him. But things quickly spiral out of control …

 

Fans of Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes and Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World will be riveted by Jasper DeWitt’s astonishing debut.

 

PRAISE FOR THE PATIENT:

 

“A stunning debut! DeWitt’s The Patient is a thrilling, compulsive page-turner that will appeal to fans of F. Paul Wilson, Sarah Pinborough, and Alex Michaelides.” Brian Keene, bestselling author and World Horror Grandmaster Award winner

 

“‘Insidious evil’ is such an overused term, but there is no other way to describe what prowls the hallways of this riveting novella. A compulsive read I devoured in one day. And the ending … it still haunts me.” F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling creator of the Repairman Jack series

 

“The Patient is a fascinating and frightening read that comes at you like the monster under your bed.” Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author.

 

 

My View:

Scene 1:  Pan in…Dark lighting…long, eerie, cold bare “industrial” styled corridor…closed door at end of corridor.

Enter Left: Dr in white coat, holding file/clipboard, hesitantly moving toward the door….Looking around, looking behind him, nervous movements.

Music – heavy foreboding…slowly building to crescendo as door opens….

 

I have taken artistic licence and “adapted” my intro script for The Patient to reflect the evocative, moody, “black and white” horror show that I visualised as I read this book. It’s a quick read, an easy read but there is something of those old school black and white horror films that stays with you long after you have finished reading.

 

If you like a little touch of horror then this book is for you.

 

 

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What Did You Do This Weekend?

I had a fabulous time;a trip to Fremantle to take 3 paintings to be included in an exhibition at Studio 11 in Captains Lane. At the exhibition I won a high commendation for one of the pieces, and sold that piece too! Then had dinner out with husband and my daughter who lives in Perth – what a magical day.