(courtesy Hachette Australia) When you think about it, Christmas as a concept and an idea, as opposed to the reality of the season, is full to the tinsel-draped, eggnog-soaked brim with magical realism. It’s in the original Biblical tale – not a diss; I grew up in the church and Continue Reading
Books
Festive book review: All Together for Christmas by Sarah Morgan
(courtesy Harper Collins Publishers Australia) One of the hallmarks of Christmas, and no, we are not talking about the branded festive romcoms, is how wonderful it can often be to gather with family (of the birth and chosen varieties). It’s especially the case when you are live far apart, and Continue Reading
Wicked: For Good goes full LEGO in this fun featurette
SNAPSHOT“You’re the only friend I ever had…” The final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized [sic] as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden Continue Reading
60th birthday book review: I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart #AndyAt60
(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) Miranda Hart, known for her whimsy and goofy good humour, would like us all to get a little serious for a moment. Or perhaps a lot, and you can trust her, it’s for a very good reason, one which came to define her life in ways Continue Reading
A lifetime of reading … my 60(ish) top books #AndyAt60
(via Shutterstock) Reading has always been a lifeline for me. My childhood, while full of love from my parents, was marked by unending bullying, which began as I stepped on the school bus and only stopped as I stepped off that afternoon, and judgement and censure from not all but Continue Reading
Book review: Somewhere, a Boy and a bear by Gyles Brandreth #AndyAt60
(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) Childhood is in many ways, the most perfect and yet, once departed, the most impossible of idylls to return to, and yet as the enduring power of A. A. Milne’s now 100-year-old creation Winnie the Pooh reminds us in ways melancholic and yet comforting, it doesn’t Continue Reading
Book review: Myself & Other Animals by Gerald Durrell #AndyAt60
(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) As part of my 60th birthday celebrations, I am highlighting figures and characters and franchises which have meant the world to me, enriching my life beyond measure and granting the ability to see this amazing world of ours in ways that might otherwise have evaded me. Continue Reading
Book review: The Everlasting by Alix. E Harrow
(courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia) There are some authors you read because they are the kings or queens of masterfully woven narratives, while still others grab your attention because they inject searing emotion into every word, deed or impactful character moment or they are able to take astonishingly imaginative premise and Continue Reading
Book review: The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
(courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia) A creatively outrageous premise is nothing new in storytelling; the very best narratives in the hands of masterful writers thrive on them and well executed, they can elevate a story in a trope-heavy genre into something magically alive and vivaciously original. Case very much in point Continue Reading
He’s found a new home … Paddington the Musical
(courtesy Paddington the Musical) Is there such a thing as too much Paddington Bear? Well, of course not, what a very strange thing to even contemplate! The truth is we can never have enough of Michael Bond’s wondrously sweet and insightful creation who has found heartwarming expression in 29 books Continue Reading