Australian Author

4 Paw Review: Monkey Mind by Rebecca J Palmer

/ Sandi Parsons / Leave a comment

Monkey Mind explores our Monkey selves, that little voice of doubt that plagues us all. When we listen to our monkey mind, we can create self-fulfilling prophecies.

I can’t do it.
They won’t understand.
I don’t belong.
They won’t like me now.

Monkey Mind provides children with an understanding of how their monkey mind acts and reacts. We follow Piper’s journey as she learns how others combat their monkey mind and finally arrives at the right solution to tame her monkey. Young readers can easily use the strategies Piper discovers to help them deal with anxiety and other issues caused by their troublesome inner voice.

The illustrations are divine with exquisite detail and give little (and big people) something to explore on every page.

Rotto says Piper from Monkey Mind could be his twin because Rotto’s Monkey is ALWAYS getting him in trouble. Rotto’s been giving Nana’s Stop, Look, and Listen technique a go when the neighbours’ cat is lurking. He’s got the first part down part, but his monkey keeps adding some extra words like BARK and CHASE. It’s a work in progress.

All up Rotto rates Monkey Mind an outstanding 4 Paws 🐾🐾

 

4 Paw Review: Fury by Shirley Marr

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Told through the eyes of unreliable narrator Eliza, Fury is not a typical whodunnit. Upfront we know the culprit behind the murder is Eliza herself.

“My name is Eliza Boans, and I am a murder.
I know. It’s pretty shocking, huh?”

Eliza’s opening lines feeds the reader many questions.
Who’s been murdered? Why? How?
More importantly, why is Eliza so flippant about her murdering status?

[Image Description: Rotto, a black and tan dog is sitting next to a green fairy mushroom which is displaying a copy of Fury by Shirley Marr.]

Told in flashbacks with snippets of information Eliza gradually reveals the answers — after a fashion, and in her own style.

The characters in Fury are flawed and display unthinkable behaviour — it’s one of the factors that makes Fury so compelling and hard to put down.

Rotto thought Fury was a fabulous read, well-deserving of the top ranking — 4 paws 🐾🐾

Chilli needs to take a life-lesson from Eliza and learn to confess her crimes. The 4 Paws photo shoot was ready to roll when I discovered the mask all chewed up in Chilli’s bed. Chilli, of course, tried to blame Rotto.

[Image Description: Cover of Fury (cover depicts a side shot of a women in a mask) next to mangled and chewed up butterfly mask.]

Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster : Book Review

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Favourite Quote: “New Me wants to say, So do you have verbal diarrhoea or are you just unbelievably rude? But the force is strong in Old Me. A lifetime of habit is hard to break. I hide behind my hair.”

Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster covers the highs and lows of being a teen different to the norm. A teen who doesn’t quite fit the mould of a popular or pretty girl.

After relocating to a South Australian country town, SJ wants to reinvent herself. She’s determined to make new friends without her eczema joining the conversation.

“For once, I’m going to know how it feels to be beautiful – just like normal girls.”

Much of SJ’s emotional journey was relatable to me.
There is common ground that many people who are disabled/chronically ill share. This common ground includes the internal dialogue: a desire to fit in and be ‘normal’, rebellion against the medicine regime and medical professionals, questions over fairness.
Another section of common ground is external: shaped by the expectations and behaviour of society — taunts and comments along with questions and well-meaning but utterly unhelpful advice — not to mention the questions that arise if your behaviour pattern doesn’t fit with how others perceive disability/chronic illness.

[Image Description: The cover of Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster. On the bottom there are three eggs, along with a pot of cream.]

Sensitive is not an authentic read by chance. Allayne drew upon her own experiences with chronic atopic eczema and life-threatening allergies. Not only are the emotions that SJ shares with the reader authentic, Sensitive contains medical accuracy based on experience.

It’s an authenticity that speaks volumes on the importance of #ownvoices

Sensitive is a powerful read, and I highly recommend it.