https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... I loved Katie McMahon's debut novel The Mistake so I was eager to read her next offering and I wasn't disappoihttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... I loved Katie McMahon's debut novel The Mistake so I was eager to read her next offering and I wasn't disappointed. Katie's second book is even better than her first.
The book opens with an unidentified accident not far from the local high school. This mystery immediately hooked me in as the story then goes back to the nine months leading up to the accident and the question of what happened was always in the back of my mind.
Grace is the mother of teenaged Emma who is struggling with an eating disorder and is also being bullied by the girls in her class at school. Zoe is a teacher at the local high school. Imogen is an intern in the local hospital's A & E department. The three women are linked by friends, family and lovers. I found the connection to Zoe and Imogen stronger with their first person narration rather than the third person narrative of Grace.
There is a very strong theme of rejection as each of the women feel they have lost their soulmate to someone else and deal with this lose in different ways. There are a few emotive themes running through the novel, such as; overworked emergency doctors, eating disorders, stalking, infidelity, mental illness, bullying, infertility and moral dilemmas. McMahon explores how life experiences shape us and have far reaching affects on those around us.
I enjoyed the mixed media style with coronial inquest notes and emails adding to the story and building the suspense.
Katie McMahon's writing is rich in suspense, mystery and humour. Her characters are funny, flawed and real. I loved them all! *I received my copy from the publisher...more
https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Dinosaur Chew is part of a collection of board books inspired by the classic picture book, Dinosaur Roar. Each https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Dinosaur Chew is part of a collection of board books inspired by the classic picture book, Dinosaur Roar. Each book features one dinosaur highlighting their unique features and personality.
Dinosaur Chew just wants to eat grass and laze in the sun all day. While watching his friends he was learning new ways of doing things and after a busy day all he wanted to do was laze in the sun.
Other dinosaurs in the series pop in and out of each story, sometimes helping and sometimes causing havoc.
The front of each book has the correct pronunciation of the dinosaurs scientific name. Which is very helpful as some are quite a mouthful. The rear of the book points out specific features of that dinosaur.
With bright illustrations and rhyming text these board books are sure to appeal to little dinosaur enthusiasts and their parents. *I received a copy from the publisher...more
https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Dinosaur Bash is part of a collection of board books inspired by the classic picture book, Dinosaur Roar. Each https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Dinosaur Bash is part of a collection of board books inspired by the classic picture book, Dinosaur Roar. Each book features one dinosaur highlighting their unique features and personality.
Dinosaur Bash's large club on his tail, armoured plates and short legs made it hard for him to play with his friends as they were all scared of getting injured. Dinosaur Roar explains to him that his tail is special and rare but he needs to take care when playing.
Other dinosaurs in the series pop in and out of each story, sometimes helping and sometimes causing havoc.
The front of each book has the correct pronunciation of the dinosaurs scientific name. Which is very helpful as some are quite a mouthful. The rear of the book points out specific features of that dinosaur.
With bright illustrations and rhyming text these board books are sure to appeal to little dinosaur enthusiasts and their parents. *we received a copy from the publisher...more
https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Buddha and the Rose is a retelling of the myth of Buddha and a simple rose. Told by Sujata a milk maid who brohttps://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog... Buddha and the Rose is a retelling of the myth of Buddha and a simple rose. Told by Sujata a milk maid who brought food to Buddha to break his fast.
This is a simple and calming story reminding us to stop and see the world in all its wonder. In our busy everyday lives this is a poignant reminder for both adults and children to stop listen and really see the world.
Beautifully illustrated with calm yet vibrant water colour pictures that give an uncluttered feel whilst also showing tiny elements of the life around us. Butterflies flitting, bees , stars and birds; there is a quiet joy in the pictures and simple dialogue that evokes a mood of serenity.
Buddha and the Rose is the perfect book for parents and children to slow down and reflect on the simple pleasures in life.
A chance encounter at her best friend's wedding has Rae reeling when she comes face to face with the man who broke her heart and ruined her life five years ago.
There is bucket loads of angst in this story as Rae gets all that hurt off her chest. Van is ever the gentleman as he works toward redemption and boy does Rae make him work for it. I give him ten points for tenacity!
This was an easy read. I enjoyed the banter between Rae and Van's friends and how they gave each other sound advice without interfering too much in each others' lives.
Even though I am not a fan of overly angst ridden romances I did enjoy this second chance romance. However, we never see how broken Rae was, only read about it in backstory, which made it hard to connect with her.
Earning It, I am sure, will be enjoyed by readers after a light romance read. *I received my copy from the publisher via Netgalley...more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Inspired by her own experience of taking up tap dancing on retirement, Christine Sykes has written a heartwarmhttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Inspired by her own experience of taking up tap dancing on retirement, Christine Sykes has written a heartwarming story of friendship and ageing.
The story follows two women, friends since primary school, who join the seniors tap dancing group, but when the group decides to enter the Senior Superstars State Competition and the other member from their schoolyard trio arrives back in Australia after 35 years in New York, secrets are revealed and cracks begin to appear in the friendship.
I loved this story set on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Christine Sykes explores life-long friendships and throws in a few hurdles to see how the women will cope. There is a mind-blowing secret revealed, infidelity and a metoo moment. There is also another very emotive theme running through the novel but that's a spoiler, so no mentions here!
Sofia is quiet, the peacemaker who loves to cook and cares for everyone - by far my favourite character. Carol is driven, very bossy and wants to win. She has trouble seeing other people's point of view. Bonnie is outspoken and a bit rude. She has had a lot of heartbreak in life. Even though these women were so close growing up, they each have trauma they are keeping from the others.
I've made this sound a bit overwhelming but it's actually a fun story and I loved the tap dancing! I challenge you not to get up and give it a try whilst reading this book. I did!! ...more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... 1868 – Theodora is more interested in her art than finding a husband and when her three sisters go to Sydney shttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... 1868 – Theodora is more interested in her art than finding a husband and when her three sisters go to Sydney she stays behind on the family property in Morpeth. A chance sighting of a new species of butterfly starts Theodora on a quest to find its nesting place.
1922 – Verity is from a long line of journalists and when an anonymous invitation to a socialite ball arrives she sees this as an opportunity to write an article for the local newspaper. Connections she makes at the ball lead her back to her grandfather’s home of Morpeth and a fifty year old mystery.
Tea Cooper blends fact and fiction to deliver a story that is rich in intrigue and wonderfully immersive. The Butterfly Collector is a dual timeline Historical Fiction set in1868 Morpeth in country NSW and 1922 Sydney, NSW. I enjoyed all the mentions of Sydney landmarks that still stand to this day. As the story evolves connections are made between the characters from each timeline. Tea keeps the pages turning with a layering of mysteries. The mysteries hold you for a few chapters then once they are revealed a new mystery is created causing a continuous aura of mystery throughout the book. There is also an underlying sense of foreboding and I always had this feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
Centred around the first sighting of the Wanderer butterfly in Australia, the newspaper industry and baby farms, Tea Cooper has seamlessly delivered a story that is diverse in its content and impossible to put down. Tea Cooper’s trademark strong female characters take centre stage in this multi-layered tale of friendship and tenacity....more
Brett thought that he could never love again and Jess thought no-one could ever love her. The two fall hard and fast in this sweet romance about healing and moving on. A beautiful short read about resilience set in a small country town. The vivid descriptions will have you yearning to take a trip to the Larapinta trail and see it all for yourself. ...more
Thirteen-year-old Caitlyn Carson's parents have been divorced for 7 years. She spends every second weekend with her father and they have adventures to spark the imagination and believe in the impossible.
Barry Jonsberg has written an inspiring book about building on a child's imagination past the early childhood years. Don't let that little spark go out!
Many opportunities arise throughout the book for classroom discussion with themes of divorce, a child's rights, how divorce affects the children in a relationship and parent responsibilities.
The story is narrated by Cate and she is extremely likeable and comes across as a very mature and open 13 year old, wise beyond her years. I was relieved when there was a scene of screaming and door slamming because I feel the character needs to be relatable.
A Little Spark highlights strong parent/child relationships and a fun and supportive friendship with Cate and best friend Elise. It is filled with magical encounters featuring UFOs, a unicorn, a beach serenade and a flash mob orchestra, just to name a few.
A Little Spark is a book that will ignite your imagination, make you laugh and break your heart. *I received my copy from the publisher...more
Marion has been busy trying to build community spirit with exercise classes and a Celebrate Badara festival but the planned opening of a time capsule could destroy everything when long buried secrets work their way to the top.
Briony Hensley's grown children all have their lives together and Briony is smug with her perfect family. There would be no gossip around town about the Hensleys! Small towns do tend to gossip and for many keeping up appearances is imperative.
I do love Tricia Stringer's writing style however I felt the subject explored in Keeping Up Appearances was a little outdated. I wondered if people really do think like that in this day and age! I loved the town of Badara, wonderfully drawn and filled with caring people who looked out for each other. The little spats between the townsfolk came across as real. There are lots of fun moments in Keeping Up Appearances such as the exercise class Marion is trying to promote, the family picnic for the sports club, the Op shop ball organised for the Celebrate Badara Festival and I can't forget the opening of the time capsule which was really quite funny but devastating for poor Marion.
Keeping Up Appearances has strong themes of kindness, forgiveness and acceptance. It is a story that will leave you contented and is garnering a multitude of five star reviews. Even though I thought all the problems were wrapped up a bit too quickly and nicely at the end it is a feel good story and Tricia Stringer did deliver the feels. I received my copy from the publisher...more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Set amidst the political unrest of The Democratic Republic of Congo Gone to Ground is an adrenaline fuelled rahttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Set amidst the political unrest of The Democratic Republic of Congo Gone to Ground is an adrenaline fuelled race through the jungle.
Australian doctor Rachel Forester has been sent to a remote jungle post on the whim of a scorned ex-boyfriend. As a dedicated surgeon she is happy to be saving lives. When the post is evacuated she puts her patients' lives ahead of hers and stays behind to evacuate on foot with three UN soldiers.
Bronwyn Hall brings the jungle to life; the heat, insects, spiders and snakes all had me holding my breath. Throw in some close encounters with rebel militias and there was always this ominous 'what will happen next' feeling keeping me glued to the book.
Rachel was tough but believable as a civilian trekking through the jungle and I loved the addition of the romance element, it was a nice aside to the danger. With themes of forced child labour, violence towards women, rebel militia activity and political unrest the narrative has a foreboding sense of unease that simmers throughout the novel.
The story moves along at a steady pace with the plot keeping me totally intrigued and turning the pages. Gone to Ground is a book I truly didn't want to put down.
Bravo, Bronwyn Hall, on this remarkable debut! *I received a copy from the publisher...more
3.5 stars Blue Wren is structured around poems inspired by paintings by artist Frida Kahlo. I did google Frida Kahlo's art after reading the poems and 3.5 stars Blue Wren is structured around poems inspired by paintings by artist Frida Kahlo. I did google Frida Kahlo's art after reading the poems and seeing the paintings gives a further insight into many of the poems featured.
Bron Bateman's poems are raw and emotional. Confronting and in turns contemplative. Her words flow beautifully from the page to sink deep into your heart. The poems reflect on still birth, miscarriage, pain and loss, the passing of life, an unburdening of life's memories. This is not the style of poetry I would normally read however I feel it would make a good study piece alongside Frida Kahlo's paintings. There is much that can be taken from Bron's poems on her perceptive memories of life. *i received my copy from the publisher...more
An elegy: a pensive or reflective poem that is usually nostalgic or melancholy
Mayes' writing is beautifully descriptive, at times calm and heartfelt whilst at other times emotional, confronting and raw.
Through these short stories and verse Mayes reflects on feelings of disconnection, loss, suffering and grief. There are also nostalgic memories from is childhood filled with love and life changing moments.
Dean Mayes is an extremely talented and diverse writer and I found his latest, The night Fisher Elegies, to be a powerful and reflective read.
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Tori Haschka asks, in A Recipe for Family, what makes a family? Can you bring in a total stranger and make thehttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... Tori Haschka asks, in A Recipe for Family, what makes a family? Can you bring in a total stranger and make them a family member?
This is a story about working mother's and the pressure of working two jobs, that of mother and employee, and trying to do it all under the burden of guilt and judgement.
Tori Haschka includes situations and circumstances we may have found ourselves in at times and gives them a humorous twist. Life is messy and brimming with disasters and Stella and her friends are full of advice for each other. Everyone keeps telling Stella an au pair will solve all her problems. A Recipe for Family is a modern story, for our time, where both parents need to work to survive financially. The story follows a group of mums living on Sydney's Northern Beaches but I think mothers everywhere will relate to the theme, and the characters, in some way or another.
I liked the addition of the social media posts in a local Facebook group asking for advice under an anonymous guise, although others new exactly who the posters were. This was funny in its truth. I loved all the mentions of food as it brought people together and was used to remember a loved one. I was delightfully surprised, after reading about all those wonderful dishes, that the recipes are all there in the back of the book.
I enjoyed Stella's final reflection that she needed to open up more and I felt her and her peers finally became friends rather than competitors by the end of the novel.
The story is told through the eyes of Stella, Elise, her mother-in-law and Ava, The 18yo au pair. I feel each of these characters will be viewed differently depending on the readers age and circumstances.
A Recipe for Family is an observant novel. A satirical look at family and mothering. *i received my copy from the publisher...more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... The Way it is Now is a stand alone mystery / thriller. The story opens in January 2000 with Charlie Deravin anhttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... The Way it is Now is a stand alone mystery / thriller. The story opens in January 2000 with Charlie Deravin and 20 other probationary officers looking for a young boy who has gone missing from his school camp. Charlie's mother also mysteriously goes missing the same day. Neither is found and no-one is charged.
Twenty years later and on the cusp of the covid pandemic Charlie is back in his childhood home on the Victorian Mornington Peninsula. He has been suspended after attacking his superior officer. Now with his marriage in tatters and time on his hands Charlie becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to his mother and spends his time interviewing people who lived in the area at the time.
Garry Disher effortlessly evokes the feel of a small town community where everyone knows each other and old secrets are buried deep. The timeline of the pre-covid pandemic is well portrayed when we were all so naive and it was just something happening somewhere else.
The mystery was well played out with plenty of twists. I had no clue as to what had happened to the victims. Disher includes themes of jury tampering and victim blaming around a sex crime case.
Overall I enjoyed The Way it is Now although the ending wrapped up abruptly and I had the feeling it needed a few more pages. *i received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley...more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by Australian author Chris Hammer. Set on the NSW/Victorhttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by Australian author Chris Hammer. Set on the NSW/Victorian border Hammer’s descriptions of the area, the forests, creeks, isolation and tranquillity are beautifully written, immersing the reader in the setting.
Tulong may be a small town where everyone knows each other but small town secrets can be buried for decades. The story takes off at a fast pace as a man is being pursued through the forest and a woman plans to sabotage a dam. These two mysteries are at the back of your mind throughout the book.
Recently promoted to Homicide, Nell Buchanan is given a cold case when a skeleton is unearthed near her old home town. With long held feuds and family secrets this case could be closer to home than Nell could ever have imagined!
The story is told through multiple narrative styles; Jimmy Waters statement running from his childhood in the 40’s to the 70’s, Tess Waters in 1973 and the present day investigation by Nell. I enjoyed each era of the story; Jimmy’s childhood attending the cattle and supporting his family while his father was at war and Tessa’s story in 1973 was so quintessentially 70’s, the cars, the music, the language. It was all so spot on!
The mysteries build throughout with a few unexpected twists to round off an excellent read. The Tilt is the second Nell Buchanan novel however reads well as a standalone. *I received my copy from the publisher...more
Sunday at the Sunflower Inn is the fourth book in the Honey Creek series. This seems to read well as a standalone but I may have enjoyed it more if I Sunday at the Sunflower Inn is the fourth book in the Honey Creek series. This seems to read well as a standalone but I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the first three books.
The book follows four different couples and their love stories. Each is connected to Honey Creek in some way. Melody and Michael were young love, disapproved of by Melanie’s parents. Jessica owns Honey Creek Cafe and had all but given up on love until she comes across the ruggedly handsome Tucson Smith, brother of the local sheriff. McCoy Mason, out of a job and down on his luck, decides to visit Honey Creek and reconnect with a long lost grandfather. Here he meets local Vet Baylor Blanton and is immediately smitten. Charles and Lily, in their 60’s, are close friends but they would like to become more and spend more time together as a couple.
There was a bit of everything in this story; mystery, drama, romance and humour. I did find there was way too much angst between all the couples for my liking. I think maybe if the author concentrated on just two couples it may have been easier to keep up. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the couples and found their dialogue strange. McCoy and Tuscon felt like the same person and I think that may have been the result of too many main characters.
I was eager to see how all the different threads and characters would combine. The story kept my interest and I enjoyed it enough to read all the way to the end. I received my copy via netgalley...more
An action packed story rich in suspense, adventure, danger, bravado and imagination as the team encounter a deadly mythical creature and a furious heaAn action packed story rich in suspense, adventure, danger, bravado and imagination as the team encounter a deadly mythical creature and a furious head mistress.
The Breakfast Club Adventures - The Beast Beyond the Fence is a story of friendship, adventure and fun. Delightfully illustrated throughout by Marta Kissi Different styles of typography are used throughout the book to convey the message and give a striking visual element to the reading journey.
Marcus Rashford, in collaboration with Alex Falase-Koya, has written an entertaining book that will be read and enjoyed over and over. Full review at Little Squirrel's Bookshelf
Recommended age 8 - 11 years *I received my copy from the publisher...more
The book takes you from simple basic stitches to more advances techniques. It starts with the basics of knitting with crystal clear step by step instructions and lots of tips and helpful photos. It includes everything you need to know before you start including yarns, tolls and handy extras. There is so much in this book that I would have loved to know when I started knitting! All projects state what you will learn and what you will need at the start of each pattern.
Each new chapter builds on previous skills learned and adds additional skills so you are advancing your knitting prowess. There are chapters on stripes, colour blending, stranded knitting and adding beads. You won’t just be knitting scarves and beanies.
I liked that needle size is given in US sizing and mm, as sizing is different in Australia. Google did come in handy with some of the wool weights.
Super Easy Knitting for Beginners is a comprehensive and well explained guide to knitting that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn the craft. *I received my copy from the publisher via Netgalley...more
Veronica ⭐️
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2022
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