Book Review No 16: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I am a big fan of Liane Moriarty and having especially loved her last book (The Hypnotists Love Story), I was really looking forward to The Husband's Secret. Within the first few pages I was hooked and knew that I would definitely not be disappointed.

The three main characters Cecilia, Tess and Rachel are introduced in separate small chapters and at first seem to have little in common except a vague tie in to The Biggest Loser being on TV at a particular moment in time. However it soon becomes clear they are all part of the St Angela's Primary School community in Sydney and like six degrees of separation their lives already have and will continue to overlap in many ways.

Book Review No 15: Educating Alice by Alice Greenup

At 18 Melburnian Alice decided to quit uni and travel around Australia with a friend by motorbike. During her travels she stops in to see a family friend in Mackay, Queensland and on a whim applies for a temporary job as a governess on a remote cattle station. It is here that she meets a young jackaroo named Rick and from that moment her life is changed forever.

Theirs is not an easy courtship - Alice returns to Melbourne for a while, before transferring her studies to Brisbane and Rick spends a year away working in the very remote Kimberley's. Although initially drawn to the outback life, it takes Alice a while to fully adapt and accept that if she marries Rick their lives will be forever tied to the land. As newlyweds they take a huge gamble with the purchase of their own property and face many obstacles as the unrelenting drought brings them to their knees. Just when it seems things are going their way Alice is involved in a devastating accident and it is only with huge amounts of courage and tenacity that she makes a good recovery before going on to give birth to three children.

Book Review No 14: House For All Seasons by Jenn. J McLeod

An old house, a small town, several different stories that weave together...what a great idea! LOL. This charming book has many similar elements to my own novel, so naturally I was very eager to read it. And I definitely wasn't disappointed.

Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin were once good friends when they all lived in the small NSW town of Calingarry Crossing. Central to their friendship was their association with The Dandelion House - a place they all spent time at under the wise and watchful eye of Gypsy. However a tragedy rocked their friendship and the town on school muck up day back in 1989 and one by one the four girls fled the town and their friendship.

Twenty years later all four women are shocked to discover that Gyspy has willed the old house to them, but before any decisions can be made about its future, each of them must spent a season back in Calingarry Crossing, alone. All are reluctant at first, but in turn they acquiesce and each then embarks on their own journey to healing the past.

Book Review No 13: Bush Nurses by Annabelle Brayley

Back in the 1980s I used to love the TV show The Flying Doctors. Set in a tiny outback town in NSW, it was based around the work done by not only the actual doctors who flew great distances to treat sick and injured patients, but also the nurses who ably assisted them. Like many viewers I assumed that the storylines on the show were probably exaggerated for effect – to create more drama and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Apparently I was wrong. In reading Bush Nurses, I realised that The Flying Doctors only touched the surface.