BOOK REVIEW: 1-Minute Gardener by Mat Pember & Fabian Capomolla (The Little Veggie Patch Co.) Plum | Pan Macmillan Australia August 2021 Paperback, $26.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Gardening / Edible Gardening / Australian Gardening 95% Rocking The Little Veggie Patch Co. has taken the mystery out of – and put the fun […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson TitanBooks July 2021 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Horror / Science Fiction / Thriller / Young Adult 85% Rocking Stranger Things meets World War Z in this heart-racing thriller as a group of teenagers attempt to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong. […]
BOOK REVIEW: My First 100 Bug Words by Chris Ferrie, pictures by Lindsay Dale-Scott Sourcebooks eXplore August 2021 Paperback, $12.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Baby Books / Non-Fiction / Science 85% Rocking Age range 0 to 3 Introduce your little genius to the essential first words related to all things bugs! From the #1 bestselling […]
BOOK REVIEW: Heroes, Rebels, and Innovators by Karen Wyld and Jaelyn Biumaiwai Lothian Children’s Books August 2021 Hardcover, $26.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Children’s Picture Books / Australian History 95% Rocking Be inspired and amazed by these incredible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander icons! With colourful artwork and evocative writing, this book […]
BOOK REVIEW: Mr Tickle (50th Anniversary) by Roger Hargreaves Puffin Children’s Books April 2021 Hardcover, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Children’s Picture Books / Classic Books / Anniversary Editions 80% Rocking Enjoy the story that first introduced the Mr Men to the world in this special 50th anniversary edition! Mr Tickle is small and round […]
BOOK REVIEW: My First 100 Weather Words by Chris Ferrie, pictures by Lindsay Dale-Scott Sourcebooks eXplore August 2021 Paperback, $12.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Baby Books / Non-Fiction / Science 85% Rocking Age range 0 to 3 Introduce your little genius to the essential first words related to all things weather! From the #1 bestselling […]
BOOK REVIEW: It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn Penguin Life July 2017 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Psychology / Self-Help 35% Rocking Depression. Anxiety. Chronic Pain. Phobias. Obsessive thoughts. The evidence is compelling- the roots of these difficulties may not reside in our immediate life experience or in chemical imbalances in our brains-but […]
BOOK REVIEW: Leilong the Library Bus by Julia Liu & Bei Lynn Gecko Press July 2021 Paperback $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Children’s Picture Books 65% Rocking A library-loving picture book in which an enthusiastic dinosaur absorbed in storytime threatens to flatten the library—until the children decide to take the books outdoors The children […]
BOOK REVIEW: Rachel’s War by Mark Wilson Lothian May 2021 Hardcover, $26.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Children’s Picture Books / Historical 85% Rocking Growing up on a farm in country Victoria, all Rachel wants is to help people. When war comes, she travels to distant Europe and the Middle East, working tirelessly […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Storm is Upon Us by Mike Rothschild Monoray | Hachette Australia June 2021 Paperback $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Politics / Internet Culture 95% Rocking In 2017, President Trump made a cryptic remark at a gathering of military officials, describing it as ‘the calm before the storm’-then refused to […]
BOOK REVIEW: Nelson 2 – Broccoli and Spies by Andrew Levins, illustrated by Katie Kear Puffin BooksJanuary 2021Paperback, $12.99Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade / Humour 68% Rocking The second book in the totally outrageous adventures of Nelson Hunter – the boy who hates vegetables. Featuring a serious spy mystery and an epic broccoli-fuelled battle! […]
BOOK REVIEW: Backyard Birdies by Andy Geppert Lothian Children’s Books August 2021 Hardcover $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Children’s Picture Books / Humour 90% Rocking An extraordinarily good looking and somewhat factual illustrated introduction to the birds of Australia from the award-winning author of MEEP. This is a common pigeon. Common because it’s almost […]
BOOK REVIEW: Fully Human by Steve Biddulph Pan Macmillan Australia May 2021 Paperback $34.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Motivation / Self-Help 90% Rocking A mother of small children trusts her ‘gut feeling’ and it saves her life. A young dad is able to grieve for his lost baby – using a song. What […]
BOOK REVIEW: A Weekend With Oscar by Robyn Bavati Walker Books July 2021 Paperback $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Fiction 75% Rocking A moving #LoveOzYA novel about loss, first love and being there for your family, no matter what. “It’s only a weekend. Don’t you want quality time with Selena?” We both […]
BOOK REVIEW: Billie Eilish by Billie Eilish Wren & Rook May 2021 Hardcover $45.00 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Photography / Celebrities / Music & Entertainment 25% Rocking Legendary recording artist Billie Eilish shares an intimate inside look at her life and career—both on and off the stage—in this stunning, photo-filled book. Billie Eilish […]
BOOK REVIEW: Annie Stanley, All At Sea by Sue Teddern Mantle | Pan Macmillan July 2021 Paperback $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / General Fiction 70% Rocking Before we leave, I go to the loo. Before I go to the loo, I go to the dresser, take the urn of Dad’s ashes and cram […]
BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Species by James Bradley Penguin | Hamish Hamilton April 2020 Paperback $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Speculative Fiction / Climate Fiction 80% Rocking An exquisitely beautiful and deeply affecting exploration of connection and loss in an age of planetary trauma. In the night, she wakes. Something has woken her but […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan Serpents Tail August 2019 Hardcover, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Historical Fiction 30% What kind of person keeps a man underground for seven years? And who would agree to be part of such an experiment? The year is 1792 and Herbert Powyss is set on […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Picador January 2020 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Historical Fiction 100% After a storm has killed off all the island’s men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to […]
BOOK REVIEW: Nelson – Pumpkins and Aliens by Andrew Levins, illustrated by Katie Kear Puffin Books March 2020 Paperback, $12.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade / Humour 65% Rocking Meet Nelson . . . he’s an ordinary kid, just like you. Everyone thinks he’s shy but, really, he’s just bored. Nelson hates vegetables. […]
