I’m a fan of a good love story and Frank Prem’s memoir, Small Town Kid, doesn’t disappoint. This small book of exquisitely written poetry traces Frank’s life from baby through to young adult in the small town of Beechworth, country Victoria (Australia) during the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
It is fair to say that I have been rather unsettled by recent political events in Australia. Read more
Position Doubtful, by Kim Mahood, has been reviewed many times and I’m not sure what more I can say about it that hasn’t been said already by others. It is, in my opinion, a significant book. For this reason, I will provide my own review if only to raise awareness of the book. Read more
Apparently today is World Poetry Day 2018. I didn’t know that until I read it on someone else’s blog. That being the case, I thought I should hasten my review of Andrew’s McDonald’s latest book of poems, Night Music.
I have just read the most wonderful, life-affirming book – My Everest: Thirty Years of San Diego Hiking (With Dogs!) by Martha Kennedy. You might think a story about 30 years of hiking the same trails might be a little boring. Not so. This is a grand love story; a tribute to the enduring relationship between one woman and her wilderness, encompassing the creatures of the Chaparral that watched over and befriended her, and the dogs – her faithful companions – who were always by her side. Read more
Savior follows the trials and tribulations of two young men, Rudolf and Conrad, who, against the wishes of their family, join the Christian Crusade in the 13th century to fight for the true faith in the land of the infidels. It is a time in history when religion pervades every aspect of life. Both men want to escape their home – one for the promise of adventure and glory, the other to escape his own inner demons. The focus of the story is on Rudolf’s struggles with depression and anxiety, and his path to healing. Read more
Ladies and gentlemen, this is my very first book review. The book is Chaconne by Diana Blackwood. I have posted it on GoodReads (I think) but I don’t seem to be able to make the tech work to share it to my blog. I’m still learning. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy.
Diana Blackwood has written a well-crafted and poignant coming-of-age story. Eleanor is a highly intelligent, damaged young woman. Abandoned by her father as a child and with an absent mother, Eleanor is left rudderless, suffering from a ‘fuzzy sense of being shut out of her proper story, as if she had failed at youth, been found wanting by life itself’. Read more
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 