I had some gorgeous walks on the beach this week. Just in time, too, because it started raining today and, if we’re to believe the weather forecast, it’s not likely to stop for about a week. This could be the perfect week for some binge reading!
On the way home from the beach one day, Mum and I dropped by the lake and saw a family of ducks. The five ducklings were almost half the size of their parents and they were so cute! My mother absolutely adores ducks so we watched them for at least 20 minutes. Not that I was complaining.
We stayed as still as possible and the parents must have decided we weren’t a threat; the entire family ended up feeding within 6 feet of where we were standing.
I’m not sure how this started but Mum and I only ever call ducks making noise, quacking or any other noise, ‘ducking’. These ducks were ducking so much and Mum wasn’t the only one in love with this little family.
Word of the Week: Catharsis. “Catharsis is a Greek word meaning “cleansing.” In literature, it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters. It can also be any other radical change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person.” (from Literary Devices)
Bookish Highlight of the Week: The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn was an unexpected delight. I read a library copy and then immediately bought my own copy. It was such a sad but sweet story.
Recent Reads:
- Mercy House
- Something Wonky This Way Comes
- Halloween Carnival Volume 5
- The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn
- It’s OK Not to Be OK
- Convenience Store Woman
Kindle Black Hole of Good Intentions
The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land’s greatest honour … and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave.
In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame.
When Alu’s ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honour. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her.
But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is – a death sentence.
Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There she discovers more danger lurking in the sand-stone corridors than she could have ever imagined and that her own life – and heart – are at stake. But Kammani will stop at nothing to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if it means sacrificing everything … including herself.
Lonely orphan Wonder Quinn lives in the attic of Direleafe Hall with only a gloomy crow for company. Every year she hopes to make a true friend and every year her heart breaks when she doesn’t.
But when a spirited new student, Mabel Clattersham, befriends her in class, Wonder’s dreams seem to be coming true. As the girls grow closer, Wonder discovers her friend has a list of strange wishes: Throw a pie, leap into the sky, break someone’s heart …
What is Mabel’s big secret? Can Wonder protect her heart from being broken all over again?
The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn is an enchanting tale celebrating friendship, bravery and the importance of staying true to yourself.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark’s short fiction, where humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane. Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.
NetGalley
It’s OK Not to Be OK acknowledges and explores common mental health disorders such as depression, eating disorders and anxiety. Get the low down on these issues, why they happen and discover ways of looking after mental health in our fast-moving world.
This book will help children and young people develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.
Schizanthus Nerd 