Waiting On Wednesday: ‘Nineteen Letters’ by Jodi Perry

Weekly Meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

I’ve heard Jodi Perry speak about this book on a number of occasions and the passion and love she has for this book really shines through.

Nineteen Letters is slight departure from what we’ve seen JL Perry deliver in the past, and I’m super excited to see what this new contemporary release is like. I’ve heard some early reviewers talk about it and it sounds AMAZING.  I certainly know what I’ll be buying on 29th August!

Nineteen letters by jodi perry

Published by: Hachette Australia

Expected Publication: 29TH aUGUST 2017

Braxton

Nineteen. There’s something about that number; it not only brought us together, bonding us forever, it also played a hand in tearing us apart.

The nineteenth of January 1996. I’ll never forget it. It was the day we met. I was seven and she was six. It was the day she moved in next door, and the day I developed my first crush on a girl.

Exactly nineteen years later, all my dreams came true when she became my wife. She was the love of my life. My soul mate. My everything. The reason I looked forward to waking up every morning.

Then tragedy struck. Nineteen days after we married, she was in an accident that would change our lives forever. When she woke from her coma, she had no memory of me, of us, of the love we shared.

I was crushed. She was my air, and without her I couldn’t breathe.

The sparkle that once glistened her eyes when she looked at me was gone. To her, now, I was a stranger. I had not only lost my wife, I had lost my best friend.

But I refused to let this tragedy be the end of us. That’s when I started to write her letters, stories of our life. Of when we met. About the happier times, and everything we had experienced together.

What we had was far too beautiful to be forgotten.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Previously hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey; Now Hosted by Book Date

 

 

Currently Reading:

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds. The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength – and the ability to walk between us and the other – as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.

But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale – and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways – and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

And Verity must investigate – or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

 

‘Simply put: Slatter can write! Beautifully, stylishly, accurately. She forces us to recognise the monsters that are ourselves’ – Jack Dann, award-winning author.

Sequel to VIGIL, this fast-paced urban fantasy is perfect for fans of Harry Dresden and Kinsey Malhone.

Life in Brisbane is never simple for those who walk between the worlds.

Verity’s all about protecting her city, but right now that’s mostly running surveillance and handling the less exciting cases for the Weyrd Council – after all, it’s hard to chase the bad guys through the streets of Brisbane when you’re really, really pregnant.

An insurance investigation sounds pretty harmless, even if it is for ‘Unusual Happenstance’. That’s not usually a clause Normals use – it covers all-purpose hauntings, angry genii loci, ectoplasmic home invasion, demonic possession, that sort of thing – but Susan Beckett’s claimed three times in three months. Her house keeps getting inundated with mud, but she’s still insisting she doesn’t need or want help . . . until the dry-land drownings begin.

V’s first lead takes her to Chinatown, where she is confronted by kitsune assassins. But when she suddenly goes into labour, it’s clear the fox spirits are not going to be helpful . . .

Corpselight is the sequel to Vigil and the second book in the Verity Fassbinder series by award-winning author Angela Slatter.

 

hoping TO read:

 

 

 

Just Finished:

 

Last week on the blog:

 

Waiting On Wednesday: ‘Sapphire’ by J.A. Low (Book One in the Bratva Jewel Series)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Shelve It!

Brought to you (and me) by Magan & Estelle @  Rather Be Reading

 

FOR REVIEW (Ebook)

 

An unconventional love is tested to its limits in this completely immersive dark ménage suspense, for fans of JL Perry and Pepper Winters.

Mateo is used to being in the spotlight, he craves it in everything he does . . . except when it comes to his love life – that is firmly in the closet.

Tomas shuns the spotlight, the one he was born into, he wants nothing to do with it or his high-flying family who now reject him for his choices in love.

But Tomas’ and Mateo’s carefully constructed lives are turned inside out when they discover a beautiful, battered woman on their doorstep. The woman with the sapphire eyes has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Can they help her remember before the men who are after her find her first?

The first standalone book in the BRATVA JEWELS series from the author of the DIRTY TEXAS books, JA Low.

FOR REVIEW (PRINT)

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds. The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength – and the ability to walk between us and the other – as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.

But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale – and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways – and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

And Verity must investigate – or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

Seventeen-year-old Iliad Piper – Ily for short – is named after war and angry at the world. Growing up with a violent father and abused mother, she doesn’t know how to do relationships, family or friends. Her love-hate friendship with Max turns into a prank war and she nearly destroys her first true friendship with misfit Mia. She takes off her armour for nobody, until she meets Jared, a local actor and someone who’s as complicated as she is.

From the author of Yellow comes a powerful exploration of family and identity set against the humid build-up to the wet season in Darwin.

Purchased (Print)

My Brother Tom is a story for older siblings of premature babies, to help them make sense of what is happening at a difficult time. Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Life’s Little Treasures Foundation in the name of Tom Worthington Walker.

 

The Three Legged Kangaroo from Uluru leaves behind everything he has ever known about friendship to test his bravery and discover that belonging to a family is about celebrating what makes us unique, not about fitting in. From the red rock to the blue waves, a kangaroo can do amazing things, as long as he believes in himself.

Purchased (Ebook)

REVIEW: My Brother Tom by Michelle Worthington and Illustrated Ann-Marie Finn

Published: 1st March 2017

Publisher: Wombat Books

Pages: 32

Format: Soft-cover Picture book (Purchased)

RRP: $14.99

5/5 Stars

My Brother Tom is a story for older siblings of premature babies, to help them make sense of what is happening at a difficult time. Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Life’s Little Treasures Foundation in the name of Tom Worthington Walker.

 

My Brother Tom is an astoundingly beautiful and heart moving picture book by Aussie Author Michelle Worthington and illustrator Ann-Marie Finn.

I stumbled across My Brother Tom in the bookshop at the most recent CYA (Children Young Adult) conference in Brisbane earlier this year. I picked the book up without reading the blurb and was instantly moved to tears by the story and the illustrations and simply HAD to buy the book. For what Michelle Worthington and Ann-Marie Finn have created here is not just a picture book about premature babies, but an emotional journey and experience through a child’s eyes. My Brother Tom is an emotional and visceral experience that is sure to tug at heart strings as the narrative is not only heartbreaking, but heart-warming as we witness a story that seeks to explain and reassure a child and their family at large about the many complications surrounding premature birth.

My Brother Tom seeks to explain in a child’s own words what is happening all around them when a younger sibling is born prematurely. Thus the stories targeted audience is older siblings of premature babies, but the books appeal and audience is in fact a lot more wider and far reaching than simply that.

On a personal note, I’m not an older sibling of a premature baby. As the eldest of four girls, I’ve never witnessed this happen to someone else. But I am constantly reminded by my family at large at the fear that being born premature creates. You see, I was born prematurely myself and this book allowed me to see first hand the overwhelming experience my parents talk about. It enabled me to understand and experience the fear and uncertainty in what felt like an honest and raw way, and it put into perspective just how earth shattering the whole long experience must have felt like for them.

Michelle Worthington is an award winning author who speaks openly and honestly about life’s biggest and sometimes more unexpected challenges in this book. Her story is simply in delivery but packs one hell of a strong emotional punch. I particularly love that she chose to tell this story through the eyes of an older sibling and to explore how it would feel to witness your younger brother living in hospital and fighting for his life each day. It’s clear from the story, and the information in the back of the book that this story means the world to Michelle Worthington as all royalties are donated to Life’s Little Treasure’s Foundation in honour of her son, Tome Worthington Walker.

Ann-Marie Finn’s illustrations capture the heart and soul of Michelle Worthington’s narrative in My Brother Tom. Blue and darker colours dominate the majority of the book (until the happier resolution where yellow and lighter colours take over the pages) and I was really moved by the positioning of the characters and Finn’s illustrations. The cover illustration (pictured above) is also the opening page illustration and the only image in the entire book where either parent’s face is facing the reader. This distance, and the emotion conveyed through their body posture and language  allows for the sibling to take the story on as their own, but also allows for greater freedom and vulnerability of the story as a whole. Every single image of each double page spread is simply astoundingly beautiful in its own right, but when combined with Michelle Worthington’s story, it becomes something more vulnerable and honest. Something so tangible and perfectly imperfect.

My Brother Tom is an ideal starting point for anyone who has wondered what it really feels like to have a child/sibling born premature, and it’s a great discussion starter for what is often regaled as a hushed conversation that we don’t speak about in public.

My Brother Tom is a story with a hole lot of heart. It’s honest and real, and the families vulnerability really shines through on the page. It’s both heart breaking and heart warming at the same time, and is a book that left me astounded yet again by the power of picture books. It’s a picture book that transcends the realm of picture books, and it has universal appeal that will speak to readers of all ages, family backgrounds and structures regardless of whether they have or know of any babies born prematurely.

You can purchase a copy of My Brother Tom via the following online retailers:

Booktopia | Bookdepository | Amazon US | Wombat Books | Ebay |

 

To learn more about Michelle Worthington, visit the following social media sites:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | PINTEREST | Youtube |

to learn more about ann-marie finn, visit the following social media sites:

website | Wombat Books Australia | Facebook |

 

 

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: ‘Sapphire’ by J.A. Low (Book One in the Bratva Jewel Series)

Weekly Meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

I really enjoyed J.A. Low’s rock star Dirty Texas series, and can not wait to read her new unconventional romance MMF story.

Sapphire by J.A. Low

Published by: Hachette Australia

Expected Publication: 30th july 2017

 

An unconventional love is tested to its limits in this completely immersive dark ménage suspense, for fans of JL Perry and Pepper Winters.

Mateo is used to being in the spotlight, he craves it in everything he does . . . except when it comes to his love life – that is firmly in the closet.

Tomas shuns the spotlight, the one he was born into, he wants nothing to do with it or his high-flying family who now reject him for his choices in love.

But Tomas’ and Mateo’s carefully constructed lives are turned inside out when they discover a beautiful, battered woman on their doorstep. The woman with the sapphire eyes has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Can they help her remember before the men who are after her find her first?

The first standalone book in the BRATVA JEWELS series from the author of the DIRTY TEXAS books, JA Low

BOOK TRAILER: ‘Trust’ by Kylie Scott

A couple of days ago on facebook, Kylie Scott launched her new trailer for her upcoming book TRUST. I was keen for this book before and was prepared to go into the book mostly blind, but after watching the trailer, I really want to read this book … like NOW!

Is it July 18 yet?

What do you think of the trailer? Is this book on your TBR pile? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Previously hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey; Now Hosted by Book Date

Last week was crazy busy and I didn’t get the chance to read even one book! Hopefully this current week will be better 🙂

 

Currently Reading:

An unconventional love is tested to its limits in this completely immersive dark ménage suspense, for fans of JL Perry and Pepper Winters.

Mateo is used to being in the spotlight, he craves it in everything he does . . . except when it comes to his love life – that is firmly in the closet.

Tomas shuns the spotlight, the one he was born into, he wants nothing to do with it or his high-flying family who now reject him for his choices in love.

But Tomas’ and Mateo’s carefully constructed lives are turned inside out when they discover a beautiful, battered woman on their doorstep. The woman with the sapphire eyes has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Can they help her remember before the men who are after her find her first?

The first standalone book in the BRATVA JEWELS series from the author of the DIRTY TEXAS books, JA Low.

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

 

hoping TO read:

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds. The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength – and the ability to walk between us and the other – as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.

But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale – and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways – and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

And Verity must investigate – or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

 

Just Finished:

 

Last week on the blog: