If you know anything about me, you’ll know I love ghost stories, though
not the really scary ones.
The one takes place in Melbourne (where I and the
author live), and includes many of our eccentricities – laugh out loud for
locals! I love reading books set places I know, especially when I get to feel
smug because I know some obscure fact mentioned in the book.
This story is Young Adult, and features an interesting premise. Anton
Marin is taking a gap year to test out the family business of dispatching ghosts
to their eternal rest. He falls in admiring hate with Rani Cross, who comes
from an English company with a different method of dispatch.
Pryor’s released a sequel, and it is absolutely sitting in my to-be-read
pile!
Our heroine, Dougless Montgomery, literally
wishes for a knight in shining armour (something many of us have done hundreds
of time), and he appears. Not just any knight, but Nicholas Stafford, Earl of
Thornwyck. Her no-account boyfriend has just stormed off and left her alone in
a foreign country without her passport or money, so if anyone was entitled to a
knight it was her! Coming off a low base, it was wonderful (and amusing) to see
her grow and develop as a person.
Meanwhile, Nicholas has his own problems – when his brother dies in a tragic accident (or maybe assassination), he becomes the Earl. Tried and executed for treason by Elizabeth I. Dougless’
earnest desire to help the man she’s fallen in love with sends her hurtling
back in time to make it all better. I’m no historian, but the detail was
fascinating.
And even though you know they can’t be together, his
spitting image, and a possible descendent is there at the end to make it all
better.
A time-travel romance featuring a present-day heroine and a dashing hero from the sixteenth century!
Abandoned by a cruel fate, lovely Dougless Montgomery lies weeping upon a cold tombstone in an English church. Suddenly, the most extraordinary man appears. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck...and according to his tombstone he died in 1564.
Drawn to his side by a bond so sudden and compelling it overshadows reason, Dougless knows that Nicholas is nothing less than a miracle: a man who does not seek to change her, who finds her perfect, fascinating, just as she is. What Dougless never imagined…
Cleaning and
tidying are definitely my least favourite things to do. I even wrote a book
about minimally viable housekeeping! But I’m fascinated by people who love it
and embrace it, and like to read about them while I contort my face with
increasing incredulity. Perhaps the same way as I’m fascinated by venomous
spiders.
So, this
book gave me a glimpse behind the scenes of the Komyoji Buddhist Temple in
Tokyo, along with the interesting “fact” that cleaning can be a way to
cultivate the mind, and clean the soul.
I can’t say
it’s made an enormous difference to me, aside from wanting to throw out almost
everything I own so I don’t have to clean or tidy it. That’s a philosophy I can
get behind!
Also, the
illustrations are adorable and made me want to do better.
Cleanliness is next to enlightenment. In this Japanese bestseller a Buddhist monk explains the traditional meditative techniques that will help cleanse not only your house - but your soul.
Live clean. Feel calm. Be happy.
We remove dust to sweep away our worldly cares. We live simply and take time to contemplate the self, mindfully living each moment. It's not just monks that need to live this way. Everyone in today's busy world needs it.
In Japan, cleanliness is next to enlightenment. This bestselling guide by a Zen Buddhist monk draws on ancient traditions to show you how a few…
For most of
my life, my I’ve had an uneasy relationship with Christmas - almost every
traumatic event occurred in the lead up to Christmas. Emigrating to Australia
as a five-year-old, my parents divorcing, me divorcing, and the deaths of my
father, my favourite aunt, and my mother. Thankfully, not all in the same year!
It’s also
the peak period for cadaver transplants, and while I’m deeply grateful for my
“new” kidney, I’m also aware my life continues through someone else’s death. Is
that twisted enough for you?
I can’t be
the only one who feels this way, so here’s a collection of twisted Christmas
stories for those who need something less cheerful. There’s something for
everyone; bitter, sweet, dark, nutty, and plain.
