Storybook Corner Book Review: The Woolly Bear Caterpillar by Julia Donaldson

 

 The Woolly Bear Caterpillar

by

Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Yuval Zommer

A little caterpillar with big hopes.....

 

 Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

 

 Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books

 

 Publication date: 29th June 2021

 

 Genre: Children's Picture Book

 

 Pages: 32

 

 RRP: & 26.99AUD

 

 Format read: Hardcover

 

 Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

 

My review

We love everything Julia Donaldson here at The Burgeoning Bookshelf and The Woolly Bear Caterpillar is no exception. It has been read and enjoyed over and over.

 

The Woolly Bear Caterpillar has an ugly duckling vibe as the very plain, and humble, caterpillar searches for her favourite food, dandelion leaves, she happens across other caterpillars much more colourful than her. Each one has a boastful song to sing about how beautiful they are now and  are sure to be even more beautiful when they turn into a moth. The Woolly Bear caterpillar was now feeling sad and wished she could be beautiful and exciting.

Each of the caterpillars find the perfect spot to spin their cocoon. They are all in for a few surprises when they emerge as moths!

 

TWBC is a brilliantly written picture book with stunningly illustrated garden scenes, in double spread, with a myriad of insect life on each page. The story is immersive and has an element of suspense as we wait to see each caterpillar emerge from it's cocoon.

Julia Donaldson uses repetition and alliteration to engage a young audience.

The themes of boasting and pride before a fall give rise to further discussion on the topic and the use of real-life caterpillars, that can be found in the family garden, gives the picture book an educational twist.

 

At the back of the book is an additional soft cover non-fiction mini book filled with photos and facts about caterpillars and moths.

 

Jay's favourite part of the book was when Woolly Bear hatched. He was absolutely amazed by the colours and patterns on the Tiger moth.

Dot's favourite part was the mini non-fiction book at the end.

Both children loved discussing which of the caterpillars we have seen in our garden. We are very much on the look-out for a Tiger moth now!

 

TWBC is the perfect book to add some fun science based learning into your child's day.

 

Ages: 4 - 10 years

 

Rated by Dot and Jay  5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

About the author

 

 Julia Donaldson is the writer of many of the world's best-loved children's books, including The Gruffalo and What the Ladybird Heard adventures. She was the UK Children's Laureate 2011-13 and was awarded a CBE for Services to Literature. Julia and her husband, Malcolm, divide their time between West Sussex and Edinburgh. They love the great outdoors and can often be found walking on the South Downs, identifying plants and minibeasts galore... including caterpillars.

About the illustrator

Yuval Zommer graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Illustration. He worked for many years as a creative director in advertising agencies before turning his hand to writing and illustrating award-winning children's books, focusing on animals and the natural world. Yuval lives and works in an old house in London overlooking a small garden that is visited by foxes, birds, squirrels and many insects, some of which later find their way into his books.

Book Giveaway: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

 

Thanks to the generosity of The Reading Nook online bookstore I have a great #giveaway today for 1 of 2 paperback copies of:

 

Malibu Rising

by

Taylor Jenkins Reid 

 

 

Blurb

 

Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

 

 

Giveaway:

Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at midnight on 28th August 2021.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

Book Review: Left You Dead by Peter James

Left You Dead

by

Peter James

 

No Body, No Trace, No Crime?

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 

 

Publication date: 27th April 2021

 

Series: Roy Grace #17

 

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 496

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

About the book

 

Is this Roy Grace’s most challenging case yet? A mystery that is leaving him totally confounded for the first time in his career.

Most Sundays, Niall and Eden Paternoster like to go for a drive and visit country houses. She likes to look at them, he likes to dream that one day . . .

However, most weeks they also end up bickering about something or other. This particular Sunday he wants to get back to catch the start of the French Grand Prix but she insists they stop somewhere to buy cat litter. Reluctantly, he pulls into the car park of a large supermarket and waits while she dashes in.

He waits. And waits. But Eden doesn't come back out, she’s gone. When he gets home she’s not there either, and none of their friends or family have heard from her.

A few days later Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder despite vigorously protesting his innocence. But as Roy Grace is called in to investigate the disappearance of Eden Paternoster, it soon transpires that nothing is as it seems . . .

 

My review

 

Left You Dead is my second read in the DS Roy Grace series. I came into this series very late with Find You Dead (book 16). As with my previous read Left You Dead reads well as a stand-alone. A new case is opened and wrapped up by the end of the book. Snippets of backstory keep you updated , or reminded, of previous events.

 

Eden Paternoster goes missing without a trace. When her husband reports her disappearance to the police, Roy Grace is called in to head the investigation. What follows is an, as expected, police procedural as the team question Niall Paternoster and gather information from various sources. However, Peter James has introduced dramatic irony and the reader is savvy to information that the police don't have. This gives quite an interesting twist to the story and makes the mystery even more compelling.

 

As the main plot is the police procedural Grace's colleagues feature heavily and I enjoyed the natural banter and friendly ribbing between the workmates and getting to know more of their personal life.

There is a second plot that explores the deep and emotional theme of organ donation and how vital it is.

 

Left You Dead is another edge of your seat crime mystery with James' signature short, sharp chapters it's an easy, quick read. Many of the chapters ending on a cliff-hanger make the book hard to put down.

 

If you are after a compelling police procedural with a likeable main character you can't go past Left You Dead.  

 

My rating 5 / 5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Photo credit: Goodreads

Known for his fast-paced and gripping stories that thrust regular people into extraordinary situations, Peter James has proven himself to be one of the world’s most successful writers, delivering number one bestsellers time and time again. His Superintendent Roy Grace books have been translated into 37 languages with worldwide sales of over 21 million copies and 17 number one Sunday Times Bestsellers. His latest Roy Grace novel, Find Them Dead spent 7 weeks at number one in 2020. The first two novels in the Roy Grace series, Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead, have been adapted for television by Endeavour’s Russell Lewis and the first episode aired on 14th March 2021 in the UK.

 

 

Challenges entered: Cloak and Dagger Challenge 

 

 

Book Review: Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West

Catch Us the Foxes

by

Nicola West 

 

 Some secrets you try to hide. Others you don’t dare let out …

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

 

Publication date: 7th July 2021

 

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 384

 

RRP: $ 32.99AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected Proof Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

 About the book

 Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. 

 

Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.

When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.

What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.

 

My review

 

It's very hard to say anything about the plot of Catch Us the Foxes without giving spoilers. There are twists, upon twists, upon twists.

 

The book starts with Marlowe attending an on stage interview at The Sydney Opera House. She is famous for solving the murder of her best friend, and Kiama showgirl, Lily seven years ago.

The story then moves to Marlowe's book that she has written about the case. A book within a book!

 

There  is plenty of action in this story that mentions cults, mental illness and small town secrets. The moments of suspense had me holding my breath as they ramped up during Marlowe's investigation. Even though the twists when they were revealed didn't give me that 'oh my gosh' moment, I was totally immersed in Marlowe's story and read the book in two days. West's short sharp chapters make it easy to say 'just on more chapter' over and over.

 

Catch Us the Foxes is a cleverly plotted murder mystery and fantastic debut from up and coming crime novelist Nicola West. I am genuinely looking forward to her next offering 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Nicola West grew up in Kiama, flipping through crime scene photos left out by her policeman father.  After moving to Sydney to pursue a career in journalism, she vowed to be as far removed from both her hometown and her father’s profession as possible—that is until she found herself writing a novel about both topics. In addition to being one of eight young writers chosen to take part in Express Media’s 2018 Toolkits: Fiction program, Nicola was also selected for the Australian Society of Authors’ 2019 Award Mentorship Program. She was a mentee of bestselling author Monica McInerney. Catch Us the Foxes is Nicola's first novel. She lives in Sydney.

 

 

Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

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Book Review: Love Objects by Emily Maguire

 Love Objects

by

Emily Maguire

 

A stunning, simply told story of great compassion and insight, from the author of the Stella Prize-shortlisted An Isolated Incident.  

 

 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 30th March 2021

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 400

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected paperback proof

 

Source: Won
 

 

About the book

 

 Nic is a forty-five-year-old trivia buff, amateur nail artist and fairy godmother to the neighbourhood's stray cats. She's also the owner of a decade's worth of daily newspapers, enough clothes and shoes to fill Big W three times over and a pen collection which, if laid end-to-end, would probably circle her house twice.

The person she's closest to in the world is her beloved niece Lena, who she meets for lunch every Sunday. One day Nic fails to show up. When Lena travels to her aunt's house to see if Nic's all right, she gets the shock of her life, and sets in train a series of events that will prove cataclysmic for them both. 

 

My review

 

I have to mention the stunning cover of this book which perfectly depicts it's inner story of a woman totally consumed by her surroundings.

 

Nic is a middle-aged woman who has a whole consuming empathy for inanimate objects. She feels these objects have feelings of loneliness and rejection. Her obsession with collecting, or in her mind saving, these items has filled her home to the level that it is unsafe to live in.

 

Nic's niece Lena, at twenty, is experiencing life away from home, living in a Uni share apartment, when one disastrous relationship, with the Uni's hot jock, has her image plastered all over the internet. 

 

Emily Maguire gives her readers two very different story lines. Nic's hoarding was well written with her emotions and thoughts being openly and sensitively portrayed. Maguire took us right into Nic's head and it was easy to feel empathy for her. Whereas Lena's predicament related more to a young adult audience. Her narrative was crass and sexually explicit. I felt her problem wasn't as overwhelming as she made it. Explicit images put on the internet is not uncommon and I think young women know how to deal with this. Change your phone number for a start!!

 

I could appreciate Maguire's connection between what Lena did to Nic and what happened to Lena as both of them felt violated but I don't think Lena saw that connection which should have been the whole point of the story.

There is also a third narrative of Lena's brother, Will, trying to restart his life after a stint in jail and a relationship breakdown.

 

I enjoyed the themes of class, family, moving on and compromise but I felt Lena's problem was all wrapped up too neatly.

I was after a story on the psychology of hoarding and although I did get this I wasn't particularly interested in Lena's or Will's stories.

 

My rating 2.5-3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Emily Maguire is the author of six novels, including the Stella Prize and Miles Franklin Award shortlisted An Isolated Incident, and three non fiction books. Her articles and essays on sex, feminism, culture and literature have been published widely, including in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Observer and The Age. Emily works as a teacher and as a mentor to young and emerging writers and was the 2018/2019 Writer-in-Residence at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney.

 

 

 
Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

 

 

 

Book Review: What Would LaVonda Robinette Do? by Kirsten Maron

What Would LaVonda Robinette Do?

by

Kirsten Maron 

 

Can she really get away with murder?

 

 

 

Publisher: Shawline Publishing Group

 

Publication date: May 2021

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

 

Pages: 419

 

RRP: $24.95AUD 

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

 

About the book

 

LaVonda Robinette likes to take charge, and yes, she can be a little bossy, because sometimes that is the only way to get things done. But lately, LaVonda's life is spinning out of her control: Her husband of twenty-five years walks out, she has a horrible run-in with a colleague, and to make matters worse, she experiences her first hot flush in a crowded supermarket. On her birthday.

It is enough to drive a person to murder.

After her colleague is accidentally, but conveniently killed, LaVonda is left in a bit of a state. The appropriate thing to do would be to confess and accept her punishment. And she will. But maybe she could put right a few wrongs first? Not everything is as straight-forward as LaVonda would like though and bumping people off is proving to be rather tricky.

Does she have what it takes?

Will her newfound interest put herself, and her family, in danger?

 

My review

 

Who would have thought menopause and murder would combine to make such a darkly funny and enjoyable read!

LaVonda has a lot to contend with at the moment; her husband has left her for a younger woman, she is being bullied and shut down by the new person at work, she is obligated to visit her elderly abusive mother and on top of all that she is stricken with hot flushes that descend without warning. It's little wonder LaVonda's thoughts turn to murder. Her life would be so much easier without these people.

 

Kirsten Maron's writing is entertaining as she builds intrigue through a witty narrative. LaVonda is extremely likeable even though she has a deviated moral sense, we see most of her dark thoughts through her internal monologue. 

 

Many of the books themes will resonate with middle-aged women; hot flushes, mood swings, forgetfulness, paranoia, perceived invisibility and murderous thoughts.

 

"I've become invisible, Ann. People keep bumping into me as though they can't see me."

"It's our age. We're not relevant to society anymore so we're overlooked ......... we're sliding into middle-aged obscurity."

"It makes me furious ....... Any minor irritation flares straight into rage these days."

 LaVonda's sisters Maxine and Ann are wonderful support characters and lend for some additional threads to the story.

What Would LaVonda Robinette Do? is an engaging and witty read filled with, fierce and fabulous females, a storyline that will have you laughing out loud and a twist that I didn't see coming.

4 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Kirsten Maron writes fictional stories and What Would LaVonda Robinette Do? Is her second completed book.  

 

Kirsten has been creating stories since she first learned to write and at 6 won her first literary and only award with a cunning retelling of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. 

The frustrations of middle age provided Kirsten with the authorial fuel for writing her second book, but of course, unlike LaVonda, she would never actually murder anyone. 

Kirsten lives in rural NSW with her husband and several bossy kangaroos. She is currently working on her third novel; a sequel called What LaVonda Robinette Did Next.

 

 Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

 

Book Review: The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock

The Other Side of Beautiful

by

Kim Lock

 

What happens when fate says 'go'?

 

 

Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Australia

 

Imprint: HQ - Fiction

Publication date: 7th July 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 368

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

About the book

 

Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn't been outside that house for two years now.

Flung out into the world she's been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can. Her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene's house. But it turns out she can't stay there, either.

And so begins Mercy's unwilling journey. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin.

On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy's carefully constructed walls start crumbling. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can't run forever...

 

My review

 

In The Other Side of Beautiful Kim Lock takes the reader on a journey. Not only a vividly described journey by land from Spalding, South Australia to Darwin, Northern Territory (over 3000 kms) but also a journey of self discovery.

The reader takes this eventful ride right along side Mercy and her pet dachshund, Wasabi.

 

Inspired by the author's own experience with acute anxiety Mercy Blain is a true to life character and her crushing fear felt very real.

 

The Other Side of Beautiful shows how a series of tragedies, one after another, can trigger anxiety and lead to a breakdown. How easy would it be to just hide in your house! That's exactly what Mercy has been doing for the last two years and the book opens with Mercy's home burning to the ground.

 

This all sounds a bit depressing but the story isn't at all depressing as Kim Lock has sprinkled the storyline with humour and quite a few scenes had me laughing out loud. We get to cheer Mercy on as she fights her irrational dread and wild imagination and starts a trip, a bit by accident and a bit on purpose, to prove to herself that she is more than her fear.

Along the way she will face quite a few dramas, some mini meltdowns, an old nemesis and make new friends.

 

The Other Side of Beautiful is rich in humour and vivid imagery of outback  Australian roads, towns and landscapes. This is a sensitive, honest, insightful and heartfelt story, not to be missed.

 

5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Credit: Goodreads

Kim Lock is an internationally published author of four novels. Her writing has also appeared in Kill Your Darlings, The Guardian, Daily Life and The Sydney Morning Herald online, among others. She lives in regional South Australia with her family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21