June 9, 2026 – SparklyPrettyBriiiight

(courtesy Harper Collins Australia) I cannot begin to express how much I’d love the storytelling brilliance and imaginative bravery of Tim Probert’s darkly warm and beautiful Lightfall series. Now four instalments in with the release of Lightfall: A Place Between, which follows from The Girl and the Galdurian (book #1), Continue Reading

Deep TBR June book review: The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson (2025)

(courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia) Ostensibly the magically real world of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson is about a man and his daughter Nera who play a vital role in shepherding the souls of the dead, those immediately passed and those who lingered for Continue Reading

Trailer, trailers, so many streaming trailers! Check out Alley Cats, Lucky and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

(via Shutterstock) I am, at heart, a vibrant and sustained optimist. I know not because, in the face of a thousand million things to the contrary (there may be some hyperbole there but not much), I still think life is wonderful and has so much to offer. And, and really, Continue Reading

Movie review: Toy Story 5

(courtesy IMP Awards) Five instalments into any movie franchise is a point at which you might wonder if the novelty and fun of the original instalment has been lost or at least diluted beyond any meaningful recognition. It happens to the best of long-running series but rather happily the Toy Continue Reading

Songs, songs and more songs #139: WILLOW, Dagny, Emei, Blossoms + Jude York … and Madonna’s Confessions II video

(via Shutterstock) If you’re anything like me, you don’t want pop that simply sounds good, though that is absolutely optimal, you want it to also say something meaningful too. So, sound and lyrics in perfect, compellingly listenable lockstep. These five songs, by a diverse array of artists, deliver just that, Continue Reading

UPCOMING READS: pop culture synergy fun as The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe

(courtesy Nerdist (c) Marvel) SNAPSHOTThe iconic heroes of the Marvel Universe will soon join forces with none other than Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and all the other Muppets. Coming in September is The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1, from a creative team that includes writers Chip Zdarsky, Continue Reading

132 rooms. 157 suspects. 1 Dead Body: thoughts on The Residence

(courtesy IMP Awards) I know it’s become exhaustingly cliche to say your late to the party on something because surely storytelling, viral sensationalism aside which is hideously transitory, but in the case of The Residence I am absolutely very much way behind the curve. Now, while it’s unlikely my tardy, Continue Reading

Deep TBR June book review: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (2020)

(courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia) While we are all familiar with the slow and steady march of time, inexorably changing everything in small and big ways, it’s those dramatic, one-moment-in-time events which change everything in the blink of an eye which probably make more of an impact. One minute life is Continue Reading

Was it really the end for everyone? Pompeii: Out of time with Tom Hiddleston

(courtesy IMDb) SNAPSHOTHost and Loki star Tom Hiddleston and Loki executive producer Kevin R. Wright reunite for the series, a fusion of cinematic scripted drama and investigative documentary storytelling that transports audiences to ancient Rome in the hours before and during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Guided by a team of Continue Reading

Deep TBR June book review: All the Beautiful Things You Love by Jonathan Seidler

(courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia) How do you get over a broken heart? Especially one ten years in the making? It’s a question with a huge and open-ended answer, an unwelcome one that Elly has to grapple with when her boyfriend of ten years and husband of less than a year Continue Reading

“There’s too much at stake…” Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops a brilliant new trailer

(courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTIn Season 4, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise — led by Captain Christopher Pike — embarks on a series of thrilling & emotional adventures across the stars. As they journey to strange new worlds, they’ll battle inner demons & external threats, encounter colorful new characters, reunite Continue Reading

Graphic novel review: Lightfall (Book 4): A Place Between by Tim Probert

“Three makes it a murder mystery!” Is there a killer Among Us?