(courtesy St. Martin’s Griffin) This seems to be the Christmas for festive romcoms with cleverly out-there premises and one of the best so far has to be Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer. In this sparklingly fun but emotionally grounded novel, Jill Jacobs, a wannabe screenwriter based in L.A. who’s had Continue Reading
aussiemoose
I am an extrovert gay man living in Sydney who loves Indian food, current affairs, music, film and reading, caramel anything, and a beautiful guy called Steve who makes every day a delight. I am trying to get two novels in a trilogy ready for e-publication, love my iPhone & iPod, and am secretly Canadian in my soul. Life is fun, exciting and joyful and I aim to make the absolute most of it!
Festive graphic novel review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
It has to be the famous story ever told about Christmas … apart from the obvious other one, of course, where the Son of God born in a manger kicks the whole idea of Christmas off. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall Continue Reading
Festive book review: The Christmas Party by Sophie Claire
(courtesy Hachette Australia) Life, for all its glorious moments, rich opportunities and heartwarming interludes, can also be a cold and brutal place. We all know that; we’ve been there, seen it doing its dark and uncaring thing and wondered how something that can be so good, so uplifting and wondrous Continue Reading
On 10th day of Christmas … I listened to two more festive albums – Molly Johnson’s It’s a Snow Globe World and A Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas
(via Shutterstock) It’s a Snow Globe World by Molly Johnson (courtesy SoundCloud) If you’re a Canadian, you will be well and truly familiar with the towering musical presence that is Molly Johnson, a singer active since 1979 who excels in delivering pop and jazz numbers with evocatively soulful ease and Continue Reading
On the Christmas cover! Gromit and Shaun the Sheep together for the first time in 30 years
(courtesy Radio Times) What a delight! Shaun the Sheep has joined Gromit, of legendary Wallace and Gromit fame, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Close Shave which saw Shaun enter the home of perhaps Aardman Animation’s most well-known creations, and devour everything in sight! The third instalment in the Continue Reading
Movie review: Zootopia 2
(courtesy IMP Awards) Is it possible for a sequel to better or at least emphatically equal its predecessor? Most of the time the answer to that question, especially when it comes to movies is a firm and unequivocal “NO!” but in the case of Zootopia 2, the sequel to 2016’s Continue Reading
On 9th day of Christmas … I watched Home for Christmas (Hjem til jul) S3
(courtesy Netflix) One of the most enduring of recent festive viewing traditions has been the Home for Christmas (Hjem til jul) series, now in its third season, which offers up gently soap operatic storytelling with an almost tangible sense of what we think Christmas should look and feel like. Unlike Continue Reading
Festive book review: The Christmas Carrolls: The Christmas Club by Mel Taylor-Bessent
(courtesy Harper Collins Booksellers Australia) Giving your inner festive child a reviving taste of what it should be like when Christmas rolled around is never a bad thing. That’s why this reviewer often reads books aimed at kids because they perfectly capture the joy and exhilaration of being a kid Continue Reading
On 8th day of Christmas … I watched A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
(courtesy IMP Awards) Full disclosure upfront: I am one of those consumers of pop culture in all kinds of forms who has never really listened to a Jonas Brothers song. That’s not the result of snobbery or age – though I can safely say, without giving too much away, that Continue Reading
Festive book review: A Mannequin for Christmas by Timothy Janovsky
In a world that always feel a little bit broken, a little less than wonderful and a whole lot disappointing, depending on the day, perfection seems like a wholly alluring idea. Especially when, like vintage goods store owner Henry Aster, you have recently found the man you were convinced was Continue Reading