This book has grabbed me from the first word, and pulled me into the pages of its world, where New South Wales is no longer a beautiful city, but two worlds separated by a wall. I don’t know about anyone else, but this book made me cringe; a lot. It wasn’t gruesome or bloody, but [...]
Recently, my dear friend Nicole of The Uncommon Nonsense recommended I read My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece- Annabel Pitcher. So I did. She warned me it would make me cry. She warned me it would break my heart. She warned me I would struggle to cope with the subject matter, as a human and [...]
It is unusual for me to read a book that is not Young Adult or Children’s fiction. However, occasionally a title will grab my attention and I will venture into the world of ‘Grown Up’ Books. Crime-Ferdinand Von Schirach, was one such book. I was fortunate enough to win an ARC through a competition Text [...]
Often, while reading a book, a single word will circulate in my mind. This word usually sums up my overall feeling about the novel itself. The word that continually whispered in my subconscious whilst reading Gabrielle Wang’s- Little Paradise, was effortless. Much has been written about World War Two, both fiction and non-fiction. It is [...]
When I was young, I adored nothing more than being given the creeps by a well written ghost story. As I grew older though, it became more and more difficult to be scared or un-nerved by a story, no matter how well written. So I resigned myself to the fact that clearly I had outgrown [...]
Fall For Anything- Courtney Summers US Release Date December 21st 2010 AU Release Date March 21st 2011 This being my third experience with a Courtney Summers novel, I prepared myself well. I steeled myself. I made sure I was in a good place emotionally and mentally. I kid you not when I say I prepared [...]
REVIEW: “God, Mum, where are you? Are you disappointed I’m crap at all this? You never told me what to do when you died, but you should’ve, because it’s the only thing we can be sure of. Death gets us all in the end.” (Page 5 The Beginners Guide To Living.) There is a saying [...]
What a beautiful, beautiful book. Without doubt the most beautiful book I have EVER read. I have tried for days now to find the words to translate my adoration for this novel, tried and failed. There are so many things to be said about this novel, its characters, its poetry, its simple, effortless way of encapsulating [...]
“Tess hears screeching brakes. A bang. The soft whump Brodies body makes as it hits the ground.” How often does a death in the family result in the death of a family? Beautiful Monster-Kate McCaffrey is an unflinching and heartbreaking portrait of a teenage girl left to cope alone with her grief and guilt over [...]
When I met Michael Wagner at the Young Writers Read-Around last year during a writing workshop with our students, I was impressed by how well he connected to our kids. He was warm, funny, engaging and friendly. Not surprising really given that his books to date The Newtown Tigers, Dog Wars, The Undy’s and Max [...]
