Healing Scribe 2014

My poor, neglected blog. It's already April and this is the first post I've written in 2014. Oh, the shame!

I have been pretty busy though...

After many years and many drafts I finally finished my second novel. It's called Missing Caitlin and it explores the aftermath of loss. But there's a twist! Of course I won't reveal it here, but I will say the book is set in an ordinary world where something extraordinary occurs.

I've also been working on a screenplay. It's a romantic comedy set in London. It's fun spending time imagining a Matthew McConaughey-type guy running around my city. (This is 00s rom-com Matthew I'm imagining, definitely not Killer Joe or True Detective Matthew! ;-)

So I've been preoccupied. And I've let my blog sit untouched. I feel sorry for Healing Scribe. She's always so good to me. She waits patiently for me to gather my thoughts and get my hands on the keyboard and type something. And she never judges what I deliver. She loves every word I write. :-)

Here's hoping I can get my act together and get back to my blogging. But if you don't see much of me, you'll know where I am. Picturing Matthew McConaughey with his shirt off... ;-)

2013 Australian Women Writers Challenge Completed

After discovering the AWW Challenge only halfway through last year, I was excited to have a whole year to participate in the 2013 challenge. As this was one of three reading challenges I signed up for this year, I decided to set myself an attainable goal - read one book a month.

I also decided to read across a range of genres and I certainly enjoyed immersing myself in the wonderful worlds created by authors who were new to me. I've definitely discovered some authors I will be sticking with in the future.

I read YA paranormal, speculative, romantic suspense, romance, short stories, urban fantasy, literary, memoir, contemporary, historical, and humour. A great list!   

The twelve books I read for the 2013 AWW Challenge were ...

Shadows by Paula Weston

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry

The Paler Shade of Autumn by Jacquie Underdown

Inherited by Amanda Curtin

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

A New Map of the Universe by Annabel Smith

In My Skin by Kate Holden

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Heaven I Swallowed by Rachel Hennessey

What Women Want by Nelly Thomas

Haze by Paula Weston


You can find my reviews here.

2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge Completed

I'm very grateful for Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and her Eclectic Reader Challenge because this year I have discovered a variety of new authors and genres that I otherwise would never have read. It's been a fun ride! :-) Some of the genres were not to my taste, but others have grabbed my attention enough to ensure I'll be returning to them again.

The twelve books I read for the challenge were...

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (translated fiction)

Slayer of Gods by Lynda S. Robinson (historical mystery)

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry (romantic suspense)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (made into a movie)

The Edge of Never by J.A Redmerski (new adult)

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur (urban fantasy)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (dystopian)

In My Skin by Kate Holden (memoir)

Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran (LGBT)

The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott (action adventure)

What Women Want by Nelly Thomas (humour)

Haze by Paula Weston (published 2013)


You can read my reviews here.

Book Review: Haze by Paula Weston

Gaby Winters' nightmares have stopped but she still can't remember her old life. Still can't quite believe she is one of the Rephaim - the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim's best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed.

But most of all, she can't quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive.

And Gaby can't explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger.

Haze is the second book in Paula Weston's 'Rephaim Series' and I have been eagerly awaiting its release all year. I bought the book when it came out in October, but held off reading it until this month so I could round out the 2013 Australian Women Writers Challenge with a book I was guaranteed to love. Also I thought it was quite fitting that I began and ended this year's challenge with the same author! :-) 

Reading Haze in December also allowed me to complete another of my 2013 challenges - the Eclectic Reader Challenge, which called for a novel 'published in 2013'. So a win-win :-) 

I devoured Haze in one day. I was up until 1am to finish it. It is that good! Weston is a pro when it comes to creating tension on the page. I couldn't get enough of Gaby and Rafa's blossoming romance alongside the rapid action of demon-slaying and Fallen Angel intrigue. I believe this is the secret to Weston's successful novels - they are the right amount of love and action. The heat between Gaby and Rafa certainly takes a back seat to the real story of the Angels, and yet it is still there lingering on every page. All this leads to a powerful cliffhanger that sent me straight onto Weston's website to find out when the third book - Shimmer - is released. Oh, if only I could read it now! I'm desperate to find out what happens next. Alas, I'll have to wait until mid 2014.

What I loved the most when I read Shadows back in January was Gaby's strength. It was great to read a female character who could hold her own amongst demons and yet remain relatable to we mere mortals. In Haze, more of Gaby's strengths and weaknesses are revealed and we slowly learn more about this fantastic character and the past she has forgotten. Weston writes Gaby so well that I feel I know her personally. Likewise with Rafa, who despite his many secrets, is a character that I feel very invested in. I can't wait to discover what will become of them both.

Haze picks up right where Shadows left off and follows Gaby as she deals with the fallout of the fights she had in the first book, and as she searches for her twin brother Jude. Mainly taking place in the great Aussie setting of Pan Beach, this sequel definitely creates more questions than it answers, but that's what I loved about it. And it's a brilliant strategy by Weston - get the reader hooked, but don't reveal too much. It's a sure-fire way of getting the reader to return to the series again and again. It worked for me - I'll be counting the days until I can read the next installment of this gripping series.

Book Review: What Women Want by Nelly Thomas

Growing up in post-feminist Australia, Nelly Thomas, one of Australia’s most gifted and natural comedians, was told she could ‘have it all’. She’s giving it a crack – but she still isn’t quite sure what ‘it’ is. What do women want?

In pursuit of answers, Thomas has tried being a telemarketer, a professional student, a fast-food worker, a broadcaster, a smoker, a prostitute’s confidant, a health advocate, a reality television obsessive, a mother, a partner (or is it girlfriend? lover?), an award-winning comedian, a sex-educator, a Loony Lefty Feminista and a self-confessed fatty boombah. Like many of her generation, she’s had a lot of options, yet she’s wondering – which do you choose?

In this hilarious part-memoir, part-manifesto, Thomas navigates the murky waters of her life and womanhood in the twenty-first century. She tackles the big contemporary issues – career, equality, family, porn, sex, entertainment, obesity, parenting, culture, class, Beyonce’s derriere – with customary insight and a wickedly dry wit. A must-read for the modern Aussie woman. 


I read What Women Want by Nelly Thomas as part of two reading challenges - the Australian Women Writers Challenge and the Eclectic Reader Challenge which called for a 'humour' book. And boy was this book overflowing with humour! I was laughing out loud the entire time.

I wasn't familiar with Nelly Thomas before picking up this book, but its safe to say she has a new fan. Right from the first paragraph of this memoir/manifesto I knew I'd be rolling with laughter while reading this book. And that's exactly what happened. Not only is Thomas a fabulous comedian, I found myself relating to her and her worldview a lot. There are some things we don't agree on, but overall I could see where she is coming from on all the big life issues.

Thomas discusses big themes in her book - parenting, feminism, sex, culture, politics, equality - and all are done with her own brand of wit. I enjoyed this book because it was about more than just the jokes. The book got me thinking about my own views on all these issues.

I like that Thomas works as a comedian in the health sector by giving sexual-health seminars to teenagers. She's making a difference...through comedy. That's a beautiful example of how we can all use our jobs to help others. It just goes to show that there is a place in this world for everyone's unique skills and that no matter how out of the ordinary your job may be, you can still use it to change the world.

One particular idea that runs throughout Thomas' book is that we should all just give each other a break. I wholeheartedly agree. In the modern first-world we're fortunate to have a variety of choices. Whichever choice we make with considered thought, in an effort to improve our lives and find joy, is the right choice for us. We need to stop judging others who make different choices. After all, the majority of people in this world are decent human beings just trying to make the most of the life they've been given. As long as we're not hurting others then the details don't really matter.

Wasting valuable energy, time and resources on nitpicking against the choices other people make is, to quote Nelly herself, "bullshit, mate". Far better to mind our own business and, to quote another inspirational comedian and woman - Ellen DeGeneres - "be kind to one another."

Nelly Thomas' memoir/manifesto is thought-provoking and absolutely hilarious. I can't recommend it highly enough. A brilliant read!

Book Review: The Heaven I Swallowed by Rachel Hennessy

In postwar Sydney, Grace Smith takes Mary, a young Aboriginal girl, into her home. She believes she will be able to save the child by giving her all the benefits of white society. But Mary's arrival has unexpected consequences as Grace's past comes back to haunt, and condemn her.

I read Rachel Hennessy's historical novel The Heaven I Swallowed as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge. Set in Sydney after the Second World War, this is Grace's story - a devout Catholic woman who sees it as her charitable duty to help Aboriginal girl Mary release the 'shackles' of her race. As it turns out, Grace and her community do more to shackle Mary than the white person's perception of a so-called 'savage' Aboriginal life ever could.

Grace is a complex character. I felt for her because of her own unhappy childhood, and I could easily see that she was nothing more than a product of her time. The Stolen Generations were taken from their homes under the misguided belief that it was the best thing for them. The way in which Grace refers to herself as saving Mary is a perfect illustration of what most white people must have felt at this time.

While this novel is part commentary on the Stolen Generations, it is more about Grace herself. I found this to be an interesting way of examining this sad time in Australian history. To tell the story from the perspective of the woman who 'adopted' the child, Hennessy was able to show the reader a different side to the events. Grace longs for a child to replace the one she miscarried. And as she is alone now her husband Fred hasn't returned from the war, she is also searching for purpose and a way to fill the void in her life. But there is more to Grace than simple lonliness. She also acts out of a desire to appear holy.

Grace craves affection and connection, but does not understand how to go about receiving them. Her dedication to the church and to God turns out to be a poor substitute for the love she really longs for. It's a sad story to read because Grace's desperate longing and rigid way of living is both devastating and infuriating all at once. I found myself liking Grace one moment and disliking her the next. Hennessy has created a flawed, yet relatable, character and for that very reason I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Heaven I Swallowed. 

Book Review: The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott

Archaeologist Nina Wilde believes she has found the location of the lost city of Atlantis and now she wants the opportunity to prove her theory. Someone else though wants her dead!
 
With the help of ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase and beautiful heiress Kari Frost, Nina faces a breakneck race against time around the world, pursued at every step by agents of the mysterious - and murderous - Brotherhood of Selasphoros. From the jungles of Brazil to the mountains of Tibet, from the streets of Manhattan to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, the hunt for Atlantis leads to a secret hidden for 11,000 years - which in the wrong hands could destroy civilization as we know it... 

For the Eclectic Reader Challenge I needed to read an action adventure novel. Having never read this genre before, I wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised. The book I chose - Andy McDermott's The Hunt for Atlantis - was a thoroughly good read.

I've always been fascinated by the myth of Atlantis so I was intrigued to read a novel that involved a quest to discover the resting place of that extraordinary civilization. The Hunt for Atlantis follows Dr Nina Wilde and her bodyguard Eddie Chase as they travel the world and fight the many enemies who threaten them at every turn. Reading this novel was like watching a Hollywood blockbuster. The plot flies along at a rapid pace and the action sequences are similar to those in any James Bond or Indiana Jones film. Being a huge movie fan myself I found this style very enjoyable to read.

McDermott writes straightforward prose - he is definitely not trying to be literary here. But it doesn't matter. The writing is perfect for the kind of adventure the characters find themselves on. McDermott excels when he is writing the action scenes - he makes it easy for the reader to imagine every fight, every crash, every explosion. And McDermott has obviously done his research when it comes to Atlantis because as far as I could tell all the archaeological and historical aspects of the novel seemed plausible.

Something that also gives the prose an edge is its humour. Not only are the characters themselves full of witty remarks (especially Eddie Chase), but McDermott has also written a story that doesn't take itself too seriously. The whole adventure is preposterous - just like all the far-fetched scenes in a film such as The Mummy for example - and yet this is what makes it such a fun read. McDermott knows, just as moviemakers do, that the best action occurs when the audience can suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride.

The story gripped me. I read this book in just a few days as I couldn't put it down. I was desperate to find out how Nina and Eddie would fare against their enemies. McDermott succeeded in grabbing my attention and I really was lost in the adventure. When it all came to an end I found myself wondering what I'd do next. Lucky for me this is only the first novel in a series. I might just have to move on to number two!

The Hunt for Atlantis is a fun novel to read. It is full of action, humour, danger and explosions. McDermott writes like a screenwriter so each action scene is visually spectacular. I enjoyed the crazy ride and I can recommend this book to anyone searching for a dose of escapism.