Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Reflecting on reviewing

    There have been some interesting aspects to my review hobby in recent weeks, all but one or two, supremely satisfying, and the isolated couple that were not, were not actually negative towards my reviewing, merely annoying in a general sense. In particular, over the last couple of days I’ve enjoyed some wonderful and lively conversation…

  • The Bird Art of William T. Cooper – Wendy Cooper

    National Library of Australia October 2023 ISBN:9781922507600 RRP: $64.99 So the lovely field guide to neighourhood birds which I reviewed during the past week, is compact and just the right size for a backpack or even a large pocker – as is befitting for its purpose. This magnificent book is of the big, bold and…

  • The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet [a Kingdoms and Empires book] – Jaclyn Moriarty. Illustrations by Kelly Canby.

    Allen & Unwin October 2023 ISBN:9781761067570 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $22.99 Confession: this was the first Kingdoms and Empires book I’ve read 😳 but in my defence, this series has been so very popular with the readers in my libraries, that they were never on the shelf long enough for me to…

  • Silver Linings – Katrina Nannestad

    Harper Collins Australia I cannot begin to tell you how impatiently I have waited to post this review. When I was invited to write teaching notes for a new Katrina Nannestad book, I was absolutely thrilled. Then, when I read the manuscript for this beautiful, funny, poignant, life-affirming narrative, I realised how easy it would…

  • The Turtle and the Flood – Jackie French/Danny Snell

    Harper Collins Australia I could be mistaken, but I do think many of us would be familiar with these little darlings, at least by sight, even if not from personal experience. I think that kiddos would also know these guys from pictures and/or real life. There would be some as well, particularly (I think in…

  • Kimmi: Queen of the Dingoes – Favel Parrett.

    Hachette NOV 1, 2023 | 9780734422057 | RRP $19.99 Many readers fell in love with story of alpine dingo, Wandi, and his followers on SM are astonishing in numbers. Now comes the story of Kimmi, the tropical dingo, destined to be the Queen of her mob. A farmer in their Kimberley homeland has already killed Kimmi’s father, now her…

  • A feathered funny

    I thought this was quite amusing especially given the timing as it was shared just after my earlier review of Getting to Know the Birds in Your Neigbourhood. And yes, it’s a totally legit story, reported in several news forums here’s the BBC link. #whenbirdsgobad

  • Getting to Know the Birds in your Neighbourhood – Darryl Jones

    UNSW Press/New South 9781742238050 / November 2023 / Paperback / 240pp / RRP $34.99 I’ve always loved ‘spotting’ birds and in many of the places I’ve lived, I’ve kept a kind of bird diary of those I’ve seen as often there were more unusual, or less often sighted, species such as the the few times I’ve seen spoonbills (Glasshouse Mountains and Hervey Bay),…

  • Magic Awry [Big Magic #2] – Sarah Armstrong

    Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing August 2023 ISBN: 9781760508449 Series: Big Magic RRP: $19.99 You know how sometimes, you’ve read an absolutely stonkingly good first book in a series, and when the sequel arrives you feel somewhat let down? Well, trust me, in this case, it is the very opposite. Big Magic was SO good, I…

  • Foxlight – Katya Balen

    Bloomsbury Australia October 2023 ISBN 9781526640437 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 Katya Balen rapidly became one of my favourite authors after reading her debut novel, and I have loved every word in her first three novels, each of these so fresh and original (see my reviews: The Space We’re In , October October, The…