Review of How to Draw Cute Stuff - Draw Anything and Everything in the Cutest Style Ever! by Angela Nguyen

* Copy courtesy of Murdoch Books *

I can't draw. At all. So it shouldn't come as a shock that I've always admired those who can. In How to Draw Cute Stuff: Draw Anything and Everything in the Cutest Style Ever! artist Angela Nguyen shows the reader how to draw a variety of cute subjects from people, animals and food to other household items.

Thanks to the phenomenal success of Kawaii - the Japanese culture of cuteness - the popularity of all things cute doesn't seem to be fading any time soon. The ability to draw cute stuff can be utilised in a variety of ways: happy mail, doodling, bullet journals etc. and I was hoping to put some of these newfound skills to good use.

The subjects are all cute, there's no doubting that, but many of the things being drawn are quite detailed and - in my opinion - beyond the skills of a beginner. Perhaps readers with basic drawing skills will be able to draw a policeman, ninja, eagle, tiger, school bus or helicopter by following the instructions, but I certainly wasn't able to.

My favourites from the book did include the smiley face expressions, houses, and the puffer fish. (Loved that puffer fish!) The difficulty level of the majority of items exceeded my own skills as a beginner and I'm sorry to say I couldn't attempt many of them.

It is for this reason I'm giving the book 3 stars.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is one of my favourite books of all time and even recalling it now makes me chuckle. Having read it back in 2011, I thought it was high time to explore more from this eccentric and witty author, so I picked up Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Big mistake. Huge.

Do you ever worry you'll spoil your love for a book if you read another by the same author and it's a drag? When I read a dud by an author I revere, it inevitably diminishes my overall opinion of their work and it happens more often than I'd like.*

Unfortunately, this was one of those times and I just didn't enjoy Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. There were moments of humour and cleverness, but by the end I was left wishing I'd never picked it up.

As a reader, I was greedy to recreate the magic of Three Men in a Boat where I should have been content to leave it as a standalone reading experience beyond compare. Have I learned my lesson though? Probably not.

My rating = **

Carpe Librum!

* Which is why I'm reluctant to read anything else by John Williams, author of Stoner.

Review of How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life by Ruth Goodman

Ruth Goodman is one of my favourite historians, and I've enjoyed watching her in the following documentary series: Tudor Monastery Farm, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Wartime Farm and Full Steam Ahead.

In How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life, Ruth covers every stage of the day: sleeping, when to rise, washing, dressing, breakfast, education, dinner, men and women's work, leisure time and activities, supper and bedtime.

Goodman packs a punch into these 300 pages and her experience as a living historian is impressive. I especially enjoyed the social etiquette section, and in particular the section about walking and posture. Goodman says that today we can guess someone's nationality from their gait, and in the Tudor period you could guess someone's occupation from the way they walked.

"Ploughmen were described as having a 'plodding' gait, slow and deliberate, while shepherds were renowned for their light and springy step, striding out across the hills." Page 91

Ruth goes on to outline the preferred posture of the era and even touches on the differences wearing ruffs and lace cuffs made to posture and bearing. I'd never considered ruffs other than presuming they'd be uncomfortable to wear, and discovered that they significantly effected the way the wearers stood, ate and held themselves.

I also learned that starching a ruff can take an entire day and a white ruff was a versatile item of clothing thanks to the use of coloured starches. Yellow ruffs were worn, pale pink ruffs were worn by young boys, and blue starched ruffs were popular until they became associated with prostitutes and Elizabeth I declared that "no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of her Majesty's subjects." Page 78.

How To Be A Tudor is full of interesting tidbits like this and I enjoyed them all. Did you know that a middle class woman could be wearing 1000 pins at any one time? And these pins are still being found in the Thames? Wow!

I thoroughly recommend How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life by Ruth Goodman to readers with an interest in history, fashion, England and the Tudor period.

My rating = *****

Carpe Librum!

2018 Reading Challenge Sign-Ups

I'm excited to sign-up for the following three reading challenges this year.

• Aussie Author Challenge 2018
• 2018 Australian Women Writer's Challenge
• 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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The Aussie Author Challenge 2018 is hosted by Booklover BookReviews and I'm signing up for the Kangaroo level again. This means I'll need to read and review 12 titles written by Australian authors.

To successfully complete the challenge, at least 4 titles must be written by female authors, 4 titles by male authors and at least 4 of the 12 titles must be new to me authors. I'll also need to read across a minimum of 3 genres.

You don't need a blog to join in, you can follow along on Facebook and Twitter. For more details, click here.
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I'm signing up to the Franklin level of the 2018 Australian Women Writer's Challenge this year and will need to read 10 books and review at least 6 of them in order to complete the challenge.

The challenge is run by writers and volunteers and encourages readers to discover more books by Australian women.

Participants can can join in on Facebook and GoodReads.

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I'm signing up for the Renaissance Reader level of the 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge again this year, hosted by Passages to the Past. 

I will need to read 10 historical fiction novels to complete the challenge and it could be a stretch, so wish me luck.
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You can follow my challenge progress here and I look forward to discovering some ripping reads during the year. Let me know if you're participating in any of these challenges in the comments below.

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Commando - The Life And Death Of Cameron Baird, VC, MG by Ben Mckelvey

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

Australian writer Ben Mckelvey has done a great job telling the reader about the life of Cameron Baird, VC, MG in The Commando - The Life and Death of Cameron Baird, VC, MG. With the help and blessing of Cameron's parents Kaye and Doug Baird, Mckelvey gives us an insight into the life of Cameron Baird, killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013.

Posthumously awarded the 100th Victoria Cross, Cameron Baird, VC, MG is one of Australia's most decorated modern soldiers. Mckelvey takes the reader back to Cam's childhood as a talented young football player, joining the Australian Army and his career as a soldier.

Here's a quote from Page 46:
"When building a modern soldier, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) prefers to start from a somewhat razed foundation, so in their early days at Kapooka the recruits can do no right. No matter how they make their beds, clean their bathrooms or fold their uniforms, they will have done it incorrectly. There will be punishments, and very loud vocal objections at their ineptitude. They are not permitted to contact their family or friends for the first week, though they are encouraged to write letters to loved ones back home."

And on Page 47:
"This is all part of ADF strategy. After an initial burst of harsh discipline, recruits are allowed to progress their skills, and to take pride in their development. This is when Cam began to feel a love of soldiering that rarely dampened ever after."

I easily related to this, having joined the ADF earlier than Cam and survived the rigorous Officer training at ADFA to go on and serve in the Royal Australian Navy. Prior to reading this biography, the name of Cameron Baird lived in my mind alongside those other greats of the Australian Army, Ben Roberts-Smith and Mark Donaldson, but now I have a sense of the man, the son and the soldier and what made him a hero. 

According to the CO of 2 Commando Regiment, Cam "will never be forgotten by his regiment, his Army or his nation." In writing this biography, Ben Mckelvey is helping to make sure of it.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Top 5 Books of 2017

Here are my top 5 books of 2017, in the order I read them.

1. Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession (Six Tudor Queens #2) by Alison Weir

Alison Weir's unique take on the life of Anne Boleyn in Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession took me by surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in June, courtesy of Hachette Australia. The novel covers Anne's upbringing in French court and the powerful women she served there, right up to her execution at the order of the King. 

The reason this made my top 5 list was largely due to the end of the novel. Weir was able to create an incredibly moving 'end' that was unexpectedly emotional and even a little upsetting. It's unlike me to be moved to tears reading a book, but this was close.

2. The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

I read The Four Tendencies in September (courtesy of Hachette Australia) and I'm still thinking about and applying the theories in my everyday life. It's for this reason The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin easily earned a place on my Top 5 books this year. 

Since reading the book I've been able to recognise the four tendencies in others and have reaffirmed my status as an Obliger. I rarely re-read books, but this is one I can easily see myself returning to for a refresher.

3. A Room Of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

2017 was the first time I tackled anything by the great Virginia Woolf, and I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed Woolf's provocative and powerful writing in this novel length essay, and unexpectedly found myself laughing in some parts and inspired in others. Reading it in May, I readily imagined A Room of One's Own as a successful TEDTalk and reading it put to rest any fear that Virginia Woolf was too literary for my reading tastes. 

I usually try to include a few classics in my TBR pile but unfortunately this was the only one I read in 2017. I hope to do better in 2018.

4. Need To Know by Karen Cleveland

Penguin Random House UK outdid themselves in their marketing for espionage thriller Need to Know by Karen Cleveland in 2017. It arrived in a classified envelope containing a redacted mission, cool ID pouch, and advanced reading copy with phrases printed on both page edges. It was the most exciting book pitch ever and the book definitely delivered on its promise. 

For someone who doesn't read spy novels, I was lured in by the pitch and rewarded with a highly entertaining read. Cleveland spent 8 years as a CIA Analyst and Need to Know is being released on 25 January 2018.

5. Force of Nature by Jane Harper

I was nervous to read Force of Nature after the roaring success of The Dry by Jane Harper but I needn't have worried. Courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia, Force of Nature is an absolute ripping read and I think I enjoyed it even more than The Dry if that's at all possible. 

Read in November on holiday in Queensland, this was a highlight on my reading calendar and I'm proud to list a book by an Aussie author in my Top 5 List this year. (The last Aussie author to make it on my top 5 was Markus Zuzak with The Messenger in 2015).

Have you read any of the books in my top 5 list? What was your favourite read in 2017?

Carpe Librum!

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2017 Completed

In 2017 I participated in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2017 hosted by Passages to the Past. To successfully complete their Renaissance Reader level I needed to read 10 historical fiction novels and I just scraped it in.

Here's what I read:
1. The Hidden Thread | Liz Trenow
2. Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession | Alison Weir
3. The Shadow Land | Elizabeth Kostova
4. Tin Man | Sarah Winman
5. A Column of Fire | Ken Follett
6. City of Crows | Chris Womersley
7. The Last Tudor | Philippa Gregory
8. The Last Hours | Minette Walters
9. She Be Damned | M.J. Tjia
10. Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders

Have you read any of these books? I just managed to finish the final book before the year ended, but given historical fiction is still one of my favourite genres, I'll definitely be signing up again in 2018.

Carpe Librum!

Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was the buzz book of 2017 and now I understand why. It's essentially the story of President Abraham Lincoln's grief at the tragic passing of his son Willie to typhoid fever and is different to any book I've read before.

The historical novel is written in an entirely original format and the story is told in two alternating methods or styles. The first being a collection of snippets from a variety of historical sources (referenced at the end), while the second appears as observations and conversations from ghosts in the cemetery where Willie's remains are interred.

I've read other epistolary novels - where the book is made by bringing together letters, diary excerpts and so on - but this was so much more. Both methods took some getting used to, but ultimately produced an entirely new reading experience for me. I expect this literary format and writing style will be emulated by writers in the years and decades ahead in an attempt to recreate the magic on the page.

The majority of the story takes place in the bardo; a Tibetan term for the Buddhist state between death and rebirth, a kind of purgatory or limbo. The ghost characters don't realise they're dead, and ignore the clues - calling their coffins a 'sick-box' and yearning to get back to their lives. Slowly Willie's presence begins to change their outlook and the entire cemetery is affected by what happens, courtesy of Lincoln's love for his son.

President Lincoln's grief and loss were palpable and the observations from history and supernatural characters moving. I can't begin to imagine the level of research Saunders conducted into Abraham Lincoln and the civil war in order to collect and bring those excerpts together to tell this story, but it's impressive to say the least.

This is a book about grief and the afterlife as much as it is about love, and I understand why Lincoln in the Bardo won the Man Booker Prize in 2017.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Review: She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia

* Copy courtesy of Pantera Press *

It's 1863 and Heloise Chancey is an amateur sleuth in London. An ex-courtesan with a penchant for investigation, Heloise puts her skills to work after at-risk women are murdered in Waterloo at a troubling rate.

This is a debut novel for Australian author M.J. Tjia and is the first in the Heloise Chancey historical crime series.

Quick and easy to read, She Be Damned was a great end-of-year read and helped me successfully complete my historical fiction reading challenge.

Having said that, the romance angle seemed a little unrealistic for the time period - despite Heloise's past as a courtesan - and was a turn off for me.

She Be Damned by author M.J. Tjia is recommended for those who love to discover new Australian authors and enjoy reading historical crime fiction. (Love that cover!)

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Two Australian reading challenges completed in 2017

This year I participated in two Australian reading challenges and completed both of them! Here are the details.
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The Aussie Author Challenge 2017 is hosted by Booklover Book Reviews and I signed up for their Kangaroo level this year. To complete the challenge, I had to: read and review 12 titles written by Australian authors; read at least 4 female and 4 male authors; read at least 4 new authors (to me); and read a minimum of 3 genres.

I exceeded the challenge and read the following 16 books:
1. Into the Darkness: The Mysterious Death of Phoebe Handsjuk | Robin Bowles
2. Badge, Book, Button - The Story of Australian Uniforms | Craig Wilcox
3. Past the Shallows: A Novel | Favel Parrett
4. Julie Goodwin's Essential Cookbook | Julie Goodwin
5. Clues From Beyond | Debbie Malone
6. Forgotten | Nicole Trope
7. Never Alone: A Medium’s Journey | Debbie Malone
8. The Dry | Jane Harper
9. Wrap It In A Bit Of Cheese Like You're Tricking The Dog | David Thorne
10. City of Crows | Chris Womersley
11. The Seventh Circle | Rob Langdon
12. Upside-Down Dogs | Serena Hodson
13. Force of Nature | Jane Harper
14. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow | Jessica Townsend
15. The Trauma Cleaner | Sarah Krasnostein
16. She Be Damned | M.J. Tjia
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I also signed up for the Franklin level of the 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge and needed to read 10 books by Australian women and review at least 6 of them to successfully complete the challenge. 

I exceeded the challenge by reading the following 12 books:
1. Into the Darkness: The Mysterious Death of Phoebe Handsjuk | Robin Bowles
2. Past the Shallows: A Novel | Favel Parrett
3. Julie Goodwin's Essential Cookbook | Julie Goodwin
4. Clues From Beyond | Debbie Malone
5. Forgotten | Nicole Trope
6. Never Alone: A Medium’s Journey | Debbie Malone
7. The Dry | Jane Harper
8. Upside-Down Dogs | Serena Hodson
9. Force of Nature | Jane Harper
10. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow | Jessica Townsend
11. The Trauma Cleaner | Sarah Krasnostein
12. She Be Damned | M.J. Tjia

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I discovered some great titles during these reading challenges and will definitely be signing up to participate again in 2018.

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Museum of Broken Relationships by Olinka Vistica

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

The Museum of Broken Relationships - Modern Love in 203 Everyday Objects by Olinka Vistica is a collection of items donated by those hurt by love. Each artefact is stunningly photographed and accompanied by a short story or explanation. Often including the location and duration of the relationship, they provide a rare glimpse into a person's heartbreak and lost love. 

Every reader will be able to relate to the stories and I was touched by the emotionally charged personal accounts.

The collection includes a variety of heartbreaking, amusing, petty, bizarre and downright surprising contributions. It was hard to believe the donors could bear to part with some of the artefacts donated, while others were filled with cathartic cleansing. While many of the donors seemed ready to move on, others continue to carry their heartbreak. 

I enjoyed reading the stories and was surprised how many came from short relationships (less than a year). Relationships with parents and children are also included and you can still donate to the collection if you want to. 

I highly recommend The Museum of Broken Relationships. This is a well curated collection from a museum that now has galleries all over the world. For those of us who haven't visited one, this is the next best thing. For those who have, this makes the perfect memento.

My rating = *****

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Trauma Cleaner - One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein

* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *

I watch a tonne of cleaning and hoarding shows; you name it, I've probably watched at least one episode. (See below). So, when I learned there was a biography about Victorian based trauma cleaner Sandra Pankhurst, I was immediately onboard. And that was even before I learned just how fascinating a life she has led. In her life, Sandra has had several names, been a husband, father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman and trophy wife. 

Sandra is now a trauma cleaner with a business in Frankston, Victoria (Specialised Trauma Cleaning STC) and deals with cases of hoarding, deceased estates, flood, fire, crime scene clean up and more.

Author Sarah Krasnostein has known Sandra for several years and has done a great job documenting Sandra's upbringing and complex life, given her subject's unreliable - and sometimes, complete lack of - memory. (I shared the author's anger and frustration at the end when she learned her subject still wanted to donate her estate and remains to a University instead of her newly re-discovered son. Argh!). Sarah's persistence and determination to tell her subject's story, warts and all, definitely shines through.

Early in the book on Page 16, Sarah writes of Sandra:

"She has been intuitively righting her environment - cleaning it, organising it, coordinating it, filling in gaps where she can, hiding them where she can't - since she was a child. It is her way of imposing order on her world and it brings her profound satisfaction."

The biography unfolds in chronological order, with client stories interspersed between the chapters and it flows well. I wanted more of the client stories - and the way in which Sandra changes their lives - and a little less of her own backstory, but I think that's just personal taste. 

There's no doubt Sandra has led an amazing and unusual life, but it's her work as a trauma cleaner and business owner that interested me the most and I was left wanting more.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

P.S. Here are just some of the cleaning and hoarding shows I've enjoyed watching over the years: How Clean is Your Crime Scene (watching on Netflix at the moment), Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, How Clean Is Your House, Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife, Call the Cleaners, Clean House, Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive.

Guest review by Grace Harris: Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Grace Harris with her copy of
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
Courtesy of Hachette Australia

I’m pleased to welcome back a very special guest reviewer who’s no stranger to Carpe Librum. Young bookworm Grace Harris has just finished reading Nevermoor - The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend and I’m excited to share her review with you.

I was very excited to review this book for my mum’s friend, and the blog Carpe Librum. I recommend this book for readers that are interested in action and adventure. Nevermoor is an excellent book full of twists and turns that seem like a bad ending, but just makes you want to read more. 

It is well written and creative, and easy to follow the story. I think this is one of the books that are for people who like Harry Potter, because it is an adventure book, although not really about magic. I hope the next readers of this book will enjoy it. I can't wait for the next book!! My favourite character is “Morrigan Crow” because she is brave and fearless even when she is scared and she faces consequences that scare you to death!!! (maybe not that hard or else I wouldn't be writing this!). 

There will definitely be more books in this series (because it says so at the end), and I can’t wait for the next one.

Grace's rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Thanks Grace, I hope you enjoy the next book and are looking forward to the movie as much as I am.

Review: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Okay, I get it now. The fuss around Audrey Niffenegger that is. This is my first time reading Niffenegger and Her Fearful Symmetry has several of the elements I love in a novel: twins (not just one set but two generations of twins), a cemetery and a ghost.

Set in London, this is a slow burn that begins when Elspeth Noblin leaves her flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery to her twin nieces after her death. Elspeth and her own twin sister are estranged, so the bequeathment comes as quite a shock to the family. The twin girls must live in the flat for a year before they can sell it and the inheritance begins to transform Julia and Valentina in small and subtle ways.

I loved the character of Robert, primarily because it was through him that the reader is treated to so much history of the Highgate Cemetery. Robert volunteers at the cemetery and takes tourists on guided tours throughout the grounds and these were by far my favourite elements of the book.

I found the final denouement and the choices made by two of the characters to be such a disappointment that I became quite dissatisfied with the ending. Sometimes a disappointing ending can be provocative and exciting, but I was left feeling angry at two of the characters and wanted to slap one of them, so it cost the novel a star in this review.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: Nevermoor - The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

Jessica Townsend is the hottest debut Australian author at the moment and the writer of Nevermoor - The Trials of Morrigan Crow. Nevermoor is a fantasy novel for young and young adult readers and contains elements of magical realism, without the wands and spells.

Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide and consequently she is fated to die on the next Eventide, which happens to be her 12th birthday. Being born on the most unlucky day of the year means she is cursed. Morrigan knows she is going to die on Eventide and unfortunately her birthday is fast approaching, but just when all seems helpless, she escapes to a new place called Nevermoor.

Nevermoor takes off from the first page with instant world-building and it took me a while to 'get into it' to be honest. But once I began to relax into the world of Morrigan Crow, I could settle in and enjoy her adventure.

When I saw the cover (yellow font on a blue background and the presence of umbrellas), I worried that Nevermoor was going to be a Mary Poppins / Harry Potter / Peter Pan rip off. Fortunately my suspicions were swiftly allayed, so don't jump to the same inaccurate conclusions I did. Sometimes judging a book by its cover can be a mistake.

Nevermoor is already achieving amazing milestones in Australian publishing and 20th Century Fox has purchased the movie rights. Nevermoor is aimed at middle grade readers (aged 8-12) but is highly recommended for those who enjoy a young coming-of-age novel and the magic and creative whimsy of the Harry Potter series. It's the first in a series for young and old readers alike.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Celebrating 1,000,000 views!

Today is cause for some serious celebration. (Crowd goes wild!)

I've finally surpassed 1,000,000 views here on Carpe Librum!

From humble beginnings way back in 2005, and with a different name (My Four Bucks) I still remember the excitement of achieving just 30 views/hits in a single month. I'd check my stats daily and it was thrilling to see it rise. (Tragic, I know).

Since then, I've kept at it and in November 2011 I was celebrating 13,000 total views and in June 2015 celebrated my 10 Year Blogiversary. I now enjoy an average of 10,000 views per month and am spoiled for choice when it comes to publisher catalogues.

A huge thank you to each and every one of you reading this for making my dreams come true. I hope you've been able to discover some great reads along the way, win a giveaway or perhaps even dodge a dud book now and then thanks to my vetting it for you.

I'll never tire of reading and reviewing here at Carpe Librum, and I'm so grateful to be able to share my love of books with you. If you have any suggestions on how I should celebrate this milestone, let me know in the comments below.

Woohoo!

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Park Bench by Christophe Chaboute

The Park Bench by Christophe Chaboute is a graphic novel about the day-to-day experiences of a park bench. It's a simple premise, but interestingly, there is no text used in the artwork at all. I've since learned graphic novels like this are called wordless or silent graphic novels.

This is my first time reading a wordless graphic novel but Chaboute makes it surprisingly easy to follow the story arc. There are happy, sad, curious and mundane things that happen on, at and around the park bench and the reader is able to follow along with relative interest.

The Park Bench is an entertaining reading experience and has definitely cemented my view that graphic novels should play a part in everybody's reading at one stage or another. I've always been of the opinion that adults who say they don't read, just haven't found the right book or genre yet.

What graphic novels have you enjoyed?

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *

Rosamund Young is first and foremost a farmer and runs Kite's Nest Farm in the Cotswolds. She's been observing animal behaviour since 1980 and began to notice that cows are intelligent animals with personalities as diverse as our own.

In The Secret Life of Cows, Rosamund shares anecdotes about her animals, their behaviours and interactions in a personable and chatty manner.

Every cow on her farm is given a name and Rosamund knows the complete family tree of all the cows on her farm. They play games, babysit, hold grudges and grieve. Her cows are able to communicate and let her know if another cow in the herd is hurt, and are surprisingly adept at problem solving. They also love to be groomed, who knew?

I was interested to learn cows will seek out food according to their needs, (willow if they have an injury or stinging nettles when pregnant) highlighting and reinforcing the need for organic farming practices.

Presented in an attractive little hardcover reminiscent of a clothbound classic, The Secret Life of Cows would make a lovely gift this Christmas for animal lovers, hobby and full-time farmers.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: Force of Nature by Jane Harper

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia *

Many readers worried Australian author Jane Harper couldn't top her award-winning debut novel The Dry, but I'm here to tell you she has! Force of Nature is a ripping read and just as full of thrilling suspense as The Dry. The end of each chapter unapologetically forces you to continue onto the next, with a freshly stoked desire to find out what happens.

Force of Nature can easily be read as a standalone, however it does feature the same main character AFP Officer Aaron Falk. This time Falk is investigating the case of a missing person, lost in the bush during a corporate team building and camping retreat. Each of the five female staff members on the retreat have their own problems and the conflict that grows and festers between them was expertly written.

Jane Harper captures the menacing and unforgiving wilderness of the Australian bush with such precision, that several scenes reminded me of the 1886 oil painting Lost by Australian artist Frederick McCubbin.

I'm recommending Force of Nature to readers everywhere and it's certainly been a highlight on my reading calendar this year.

My rating = *****

Carpe Librum!

P.S. Read a FREE extract here.

Winner of Illusion by Stephanie Elmas announced

Thanks to those who entered my blog tour giveaway to win a print copy of Illusion by Stephanie Elmas. Entries closed at midnight on Monday 27 November 2017 and the winner was drawn today. Congratulations to:

Fay

Congratulations Fay, you'll receive an email from me today and will have 7 days to provide your mailing address. Endeavour Press will send your prize out to you directly and I hope you enjoy it.

Carpe Librum!