Mailbox Monday - Feb 18th

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week. 

 I didn't received any review titles this week. However I had a wonderful meet up and lunch with the Aussie Readers group from Goodreads. Every few months we meet up exchange books and rave about the books we have read. Sometimes we are very fortunate to have some lovely Aussie authors to come along and chat all things books with us.

These are the books I received a our meet up and book swap. 

Lawson's Bend by Nicole Hurley-Moore
Published 4th February 2019

In the hot summer of 2008, a tragic accident at the lake on the outskirts of Lawson's Bend forever scars the townsfolk. At an end-of-year celebratory campout, several students from the local high school drown and Henrietta Bolton loses her best friend, Georgie, to the murky waters. Unable to accept this as an accident, Henny runs from the small country town vowing never to come back. 


Stephen Drake has never left. Instead, he's tried to settle down, working with his dad on their small farm. Stephen had dreams of a different life but after the night at the lake, nothing seemed important anymore.

Years later, Henny is forced to return to Lawson's Bend when her beloved mother dies. Henny's plan is to finalise her mother's estate, sell the house and get the hell out of town as quickly as possible. But there is Stephen...

Ever since they were kids Stephen has had a soft spot for Henny and it was he who saved her life that night amid the panic. Yet he never had the courage to tell her just how he felt. But now she's back in town, Stephen wonders if he has a second chance.

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham
Published: 11th July 2017

Everyone has an idea of what their perfect life is. For Agatha, it's Meghan Shaughnessy's.

These two women from vastly different backgrounds have one thing in common - a dangerous secret that could destroy everything they hold dear.

Both will risk everything to hide the truth, but their worlds are about to collide in a shocking act that cannot be undone.

The Secrets She Keeps is a compelling psychological thriller that delves deeply into the psyche of the human mind.

Dead Heat by Bronwyn Parry
Published: 27th March 2012

National Parks Ranger Jo Lockwood is often alone in the wilderness, and she likes it that way – until she discovers the body of a man, brutally murdered.

Detective Nick Matheson’s new posting to the north-west of New South Wales is supposed to be an uneventful return to normal duties and a normal life. He knows organised crime from the inside out and suspects that the victim in the camping ground is not an isolated murder.

Jo is committed to helping the investigation but she has seen the killer’s face and now she’s at risk. Nick’s determined to protect her but as the body count starts mounting, his past and present collide, threatening the people he cares about most.

Trapped in rugged country in scorching summer heat, pursued by
hunters who can’t afford to fail, Nick and Jo will need to trust each
other completely, and use all their skills and knowledge in order to survive.

This is usually where I pick a book that I'm really looking forward to reading but the above three are all by Aussie authors that I love reading so let's just say I can't wait to read all of them!!

What Books did your postman deliver this week?
Do you belong to a book club or do you just swap books with friends? 
Post a link to your Mailbox Monday or simply list your books in the comments below.






 



  

Storybook Corner Book Review: The Box (Children's Picture Book) + related children's craft

The Box

by 

Jo Linsdell

Publisher: Self published
Publication date: 25th March 2014
Pages: 44
Format Read: eBook
Source: own purchase

 

 "Because a box is just a box, except when it's not."
Join in the creative fun as a little boy explains why his box is his favourite toy.

 

The Box is a delightfully illustrated children’s book promoting imaginative play.

It’s time to put the electronic devices away and bring out a plain old cardboard box.

But what can you do with a box? ‘A box is just a box, except when it’s not.’

A young boy uses his imagination as he plays with a box in many different ways. A box can be a football goal, a pirate ship, a racing car, a bus, a rocket ship. The list goes on and on. The illustration shows the brown cardboard box with the imaginative pirate ship, bus etc in a black drawn outline.

The wording is simple as the illustrations speak for themselves and both Dot and Jay love looking over the pictures and seeing all the things your imagination can conjure. This is an excellent book for Jay as it encourages speech through illustrations he knows to make the sounds of a racing car, a fire engine and a robot. He will often go to my iPad and find the book himself and flick through the pages.

As an extension of the book Dot and I decided to make our own projects from boxes I had in the house. I like to keep craft projects simple and let the children direct the process. It’s always good to keep in mind that it should be fun and the end product doesn’t need to be perfect. We found all the items we needed in the craft box to make a fire engine and a puppet theatre.

The fire engine is simply made from an old box, red wrapping paper, some paper plates and the hose off the vacuum cleaner.

The puppet theatre is made from a shoe box, a piece of left over material, some knitting needles, ribbon, finger puppets and lots of sticky tape. 

I hope Jo's book inspires you to grab an old box and a few craft items and see what your imagination can build. We had a lot of fun with our box creations.

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

I've enjoyed writing since I could hold a pen in my hand but officially started my writing career in 2006. Since then I've worked for numerous clients around the world and won a few awards along the way too.

I've also published several books including the best selling children's picture story books 'Out and About at the Zoo', 'Fairy May' and 'The Box', plus non fiction books'Italian for Tourists', A Guide to Weddings in Italy', 'How to be Twittertastic' and the award winning best seller 'Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home'. My serial fiction 'KOSMOS' was published in 2017.

 

Book Bingo - Round 4

Book Bingo is a reading challenge hosted by Theresa Smith Writes , Mrs B’s Book Reviews and The Book Muse. Every second Saturday, book bingo participants reveal which bingo category they have read and what book they chose. 

I can't believe how fast these Bingo Saturdays come around. I'm pleased to say this week I can cross two categories from my bingo card.

 

Book set in an exotic location:

The Christmas Lights is set on the scenic fjords of Norway. Swan's atmospheric descriptions of the isolated cliff farms, the waterfalls and snow laden mountains made this a story to remember.

My review can be found here 

Romance:

The Secret Son’s Homecoming is the perfect romance read full of tension, misunderstandings, angst and a happily ever after is always guaranteed. 

My review  can be found here

 

#BookBingo2019

 

Book Review: Louis & Louise (Contemporary Fiction)

Louis & Louise

by

Julie Cohen

Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 29th January 2019
Pages: 304
RRP: $29.99
Format Read: Trade paperback
Source: Courtesy of Hachette Aus via Books on the Rail

 

If you could look at one life in two different ways, what would you see?

Louis and Louise are separated by a single moment in time, a strike of chance that decided their future. The day they were born is when their story begun.

In one, Louis David Alder is born a male.
In the other, Louise Dawn Alder is born a female.

Louis and Louise are the same in many ways - they have the same best friends, the same parents, the same dream of being a writer and leaving their hometown in Maine as soon as they can. But because of their gender, everything looks different.

Certain things will happen in their lives to shape them, hurt them, build them back up again. But what will bring them back home?

 

 

Cohen’s idea of the same person living two lives, one as a female and one as a male simultaneously is novel and intriguing.

Louise Dawn Alder is born to Peggy and Irving Alder on 8^th September 1978 and

Louis David Alder is born to Peggy and Irving Alder on 8^th September 1978.

In the ensuing story the combined child is Lou. They pretty much do everything the same; climbing, whistling, talking but slowly small differences start to emerge by their 4^th year. Lou is best friends with twins Allie and Benny and it was interesting to see how the twin’s lives differed because of their friend’s gender.

The stories diverge at times and the chapters are headed by either Louise or Louis and we see how their lives take different paths, even though their dreams were very similar when they were younger, but it was not only Louis and Louise’s life that was altered but also those of the people around them. Showing how some choices have a domino effect, affecting others.

The town of Casablanca and the Paper Mill have important parts in the story. The residents of Casablanca, a small town in Maine, rely on the paper mill for their livelihood, either working in the mill or providing services to mill workers. The mill, owned my Lou’s grandfather is the lifeblood of the town but when the workers strike it tears the town apart and creates a rift in the friendship of Lou, Allie and Benny.

With a main theme of gender Cohen also explores small town communities, death, divorce, cancer clusters, love, pain and forgiveness.

A unique concept and emotively written, certainly food for thought. Do you treat your sons and daughters differently?

Content: coarse language

                  sexual references

                  violent scenes

My rating: 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

photo credit: Hachette Australia

 

Julie Cohen studied at Brown University, earning a summa cum laude degree with honours in English.

She moved to the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Reading and this was followed by a career teaching English at secondary level.

She has written twenty books, including the Richard and Judy Book Club pick Dear Thing. She lives with her husband, a guitar tech for rock bands, and their son in Berkshire, where she writes full time.

 

 

Mailbox Monday - Feb 11th

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week.

I received three review titles this week:

Death on the Derwent by Robin Bowles
Publication date: 19th February 2019

When Bob Chappell disappeared from his yacht, moored in the Derwent Estuary near the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's marina, on the night of 26 January 2009, he left behind his pipe and tobacco — something that his partner of 18 years, Sue Neill-Fraser, knew he would never willingly do. What she didn't know was that despite no body, no weapon, no cause of death, and no witnesses, she would soon become the only suspect in Chappell’s disappearance.

In their haste to wrap up the case, the police charged Neill-Fraser with murder. In her eagerness to assist police, she virtually talked her way into their hands. And after a lengthy trial that resulted in a guilty verdict, the judge delivered Neill-Fraser a crushing 26-year sentence.

But was the verdict unsafe? Many of Australia's leading legal minds have said her conviction is ‘the greatest miscarriage of justice since Lindy Chamberlain’. Other reasonable hypotheses have been mooted about what might have happened in the dark on the Derwent that night. The Tasmanian government has changed its laws to give Neill-Fraser one last crack at proving her innocence, because that is what it's come to now — proving her innocence.

Baby by Annaleese Jochems
Publication date: 5th march 2019 
 
Cynthia is twenty-one, bored and desperately waiting for something big to happen. Her striking fitness instructor, Anahera, is ready to throw in the towel on her job and marriage. With stolen money and a dog in tow they run away and buy ‘Baby’, an old boat docked in the Bay of Islands, where Cynthia dreams they will live in a state of love. But strange events on an empty island turn their life together in a different direction.

Baby is a sunburnt psychological thriller of obsession and escape by one of the most exciting new voices in New Zealand fiction.

The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber
Publication Date: 7th February 2019

In the inhospitable lands of the Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah Tyler waits for her husband, Samuel, to return home from his travels as a wheelwright. It is now the depths of winter, Samuel is weeks overdue, and Deborah is getting worried.

Deborah lives in Junction, a tiny town of seven Mormon families scattered along the floor of a canyon, and she earns her living by tending orchards and making work gloves. Isolated by the red-rock cliffs that surround the town, she and her neighbors live apart from the outside world, even regarded with suspicion by the Mormon faithful who question the depth of their belief.

When a desperate stranger who is pursued by a Federal Marshal shows up on her doorstep seeking refuge, it sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. The man, a devout Mormon, is on the run from the US government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy to be a felony. Although Deborah is not devout and doesn’t subscribe to polygamy, she is distrustful of non-Mormons with their long tradition of persecuting believers of her wider faith.

But all is not what it seems, and when the Marshal is critically injured, Deborah and her husband’s best friend, Nels Anderson, are faced with life and death decisions that question their faith, humanity, and both of their futures.  

  Whats arrived in my inbox this week.  

I  received this eBook through Lisa's newsletter. She often offers free and discounted books to her newsletter subscribers. You can subscribe on her website https://lisabthomas.com/
Lisa writes clean, traditional whodunits with a dose of humour.

 Sharpe Mind by Lisa B Thomas

Former teacher turned reporter Deena Sharpe craves more adventure than covering dull city council meetings in the small town of Maycroft, Texas. But when she follows a hunch to investigate a story lead, she finds a dead body and becomes suspect number one.

To make matters worse, a new psychic in town has residents on edge. Strange happenings multiply as quickly as the list of murder suspects, and Deena finds herself with more adventure than she had bargained for. No pedicure is too painful and no dumpster is too deep as Deena seeks to unveil the killer before anyone else gets hurt.
Sharpe Mind, Book 3 in the Cozy Suburbs Mystery series, offers readers a healthy dose of intrigue along with a generous sprinkle of humor. 

What I'm looking forward to reading. 
Here I choose one book from this week’s arrivals that I’m really looking forward to reading.

This week I have picked Death on the Derwent.  I don't read a lot of Non Fiction but this story has intrigued me as to how Sue Neill-Fraser was convicted with so little evidence. Watch out for my review.

What books did your postman deliver this week? Post a link to your Mailbox Monday or simply list your books in the comments below.



 


 

Book Review: Less You Know (Pyschological Suspense)

Less You Know

by 

Rowena Holloway

Publisher: Fractured Press
Publication date: 20th November 2018
Series: Ashes to Ashes #2
Pages: 319
Format Read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of author

 

 If everyone lies, who can you believe?

Journalist Charlotte Ashe unmasks the big lies. But uncovering this lie could endanger the one person she’s trying to save…

Charlotte is determined to expose Tyrone Garner—a former football star turned property developer and everyone’s darling. Everyone is wrong. But to prove he’s a fraud, she needs help.

Tired of her quiet life, Allie is thrilled to engage in a bit of espionage for her best friend Charlotte. Allie’s great with secrets. She’s guarded her own well.
Then the nightmare begins.

And the cracks start to show…

Allie vanishes.

Charlotte is desperate for clues. Is Allie alive or dead? What had she discovered that put her in danger? And how will Charlotte cope with her guilt? The more Charlotte learns about Allie’s secrets, the more she wonders how well she knew her best friend. And then she uncovers a lie so big she questions everything she believes…about Garner, Allie and herself.

Best friends share all their secrets… don’t they?

I will start by saying that I didn’t read book one in the Ashes to Ashes series and I was left totally confused at the beginning of book two as to what was going on as there are a few mentions of characters and events from the previous book that are paramount to the plot.

Charlotte’s friend Allie disappears right after she tells Charlotte she has important information on a story journalist Charlotte is chasing.

The story follows Charlotte as she tries to find out what happened to Allie. As more and more information is uncovered Charlotte wonders if she really knew Allie at all.

The story is told in both Charlotte’s POV in present time and Allie’s POV leading up to her disappearance.

Less you Know was full of mystery and each event added a new mystery to the growing number. Who is Allie’s boyfriend? What happened to Joey? (This was obviously from book 1). What was Garner up to? What did Allie know? Where is Allie now? Why did Charlotte flee Australia? Who is Allie’s stalker? Who is the motorbike rider? The mysteries weaved their way through the story and I was getting a little frustrated with all the questions and no answers. There was a big reveal at the end where I think all the loose ends were nicely tied up.

The story ended with some really good twists that I didn’t see coming. I will go back and read book 1 and my star rating of 3/5 may change with a better understanding of what’s going on with the characters.

My rating  3/5  ⭐⭐⭐

*This review is: 

part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

and Book #3  of the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

Rowena Holloway is an Australian writer of novels and short stories. Before settling on writing as a career, Rowena apprenticed as a hairdresser, played at receptionist in an engineering firm, indulged her love of learning by obtaining a handful of degrees, including a PhD in business, and was a tenured university lecturer.

All of which convinced her fiction writing was preferable to the real world. Rowena also tracks down leading authors and interviews them, and reviews fiction across a range of genres. All of which can be found on her website