Reading for me is a passion. I was brought up on many books, some were The Famous Five, Trixie Beldon, and Colin Thiele books and I went through a phase where I collected every Sweet Valley High book I could (don’t hold that against me, and perhaps that’s showing my age!)
My bookshelves are filled with John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, Monica McInerney, Jane Green, Tamara McKinley, Belinda Alexandra, Rachael Treasure, Tony Parsons, Mark Abernethy, Jarad Henry and heaps of others.
As I try and grow as a writer, I find myself pushing outside of my normal boundaries to find out what makes a book, great. Why did I like that book, how did I relate to the characters and how can I take that over into my writing to make my books un-put-down-able.
So, here are some of the books I’m reading – I’m not going to review them – I’m just letting you know what I’m reading and if it’s captured me in the way I need to be drawn in.
I’m part of the way through The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand and enjoying it!
Victoria Brown is a bush poet and a fantastic one at that! She’s a farmer’s wife who’s skill has extended beyond the front gate of the farm. Her talents have included Speaker of the Year for the CWA, to being a regular guest of the ABC radio and releasing her own CD of poems last year.
These hysterical poems tell of life in the country and how mowing the lawn naked, is actually, not advisable …
Of how an old wood stove was the bane of her life … until it left her employ.
Vic has a website where you can purchase her CD from and a blog where she ruminates about anything from country life to the latest epidemic of swine flu.
Completely readable, I would urge anyone to visit her blog and check her website. You’ll laugh aloud when you do.
I’ve just spent a wonderful, cool weekend wallowing between the pages of Mountain Tails by Sharyn Munro.
Sharyn is an extraordinary woman, who lives alone on the side of a mountain. She has turned the land she owns into a recognised Wildlife Refuge and her concern for the Australian environment and all its native creatures is mind-blowing. She is a brilliant person to teach us about the problems that humans have created and the problems we are going to cause our wonderful native animals, after living among them for so long.
These ‘neighbours’ of Sharyn’s are a myriad of natives. From The Red-bellied Snake (gasp!), to the aggressive, noisy Quolls to beautiful birds and marsupials, they all have come to accept and now ignore her, so Sharyn is able to observe them at close quarters. Because of this, her stories of each animal are full of vivid descriptions, so much so, I could hear the cracking of seed pods by the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and grunting of the Red-necked Wallabies as they try to attract a mate. I could feel Sharyn’s frustration at the possums who can mow her vegie patch to the ground in one night and her irritation at the stubborn little horse Shari.
Each chapter begins with a beautiful black and white sketch of the featured animal, drawn with exquisite detail by Sharyn.
Mountain Tails is a journey through the Australian bush as you’ve never seen it before. The tales are humorous, the information imparted is invaluable. Sharyn and her publishers Exisle have excelled themselves.
Mountain Tales is available through the Exisle’s web site with a 20% discount if you quote coupon number MT2009, or at any good book store
After a hot, sweaty, dusty day in the sheep yards, when all I wanted to do was head home and curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and a good book, I got my wish!
Heading home past the mailbox, I saw a brown paper mail bag addressed just to me. I tore it open and held Mountain Tails by Sharyn Munro in my hands for the first time.
I’m very lucky to be able to read it and do a review for you all to read – then you can go and buy it, because I can tell you that it’s brilliant!
My children played quietly in their rooms for a little while, winding down from their hyper day but also wisely knowing, that if their mum didn’t sit down for a while, she was likely to be exceptionally irritable! I poured my glass of wine, curled up on the couch and started to read, stopping only when I realised I hadn’t organised any tea.
Once I’ve finished, I’ll tell you more, but so far the stories on all of Sharyn’s ‘neighbours’ (the animals she shares her mountain with) have made me laugh and gasp out loud!
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