Baby wombats week by Jackie French

The star of the international bestseller Diary of a Wombat is back - with a new mouth to feed! Cuter, stroppier and even more determined than her mother ... meet Mothball′s baby. Like any growing family, this baby wombat and her mum are finding it hard to fit into their home. When setting out to dig a new, bigger hole with room for them both, Shaggy Gully′s newest resident gets some help from a friend, causes more mayhem than Mothball ever did, and sorts things out in hilarious style (from the publisher).
The gorgeous tale of Mothball continues in this new book as we are introduced to her baby, who likes to get into as much mischief as her mum. The great story and illustrations should bring a smile to all.
Rating - I give this 4.5/5 GREAT!!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Pretty little cozies

I don't possess a French press coffee pot, but I'm tempted to buy one and dress it up as in the cover photo of this delightful book.
One of the fabulous Pretty Little series, Pretty Little Cozies is full of great projects - 32 in fact - to keep a keen crafter busy.
There are pouches for phones and cameras, a wrap to keep a casserole piping hot, covers for a take-away coffee cup and the handle of a hot pan and all sorts of other quirky, pretty and practical projects. My favourite is the scissors case , with its front comprising nine colourful zips - not something I'll be making as zips scare me.
Colour photographs illustrate each project, the instructions are clear and pages in the back of the book contain enlargable templates for each design. Inspiring!
Rating - I give this 5/5
GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

True Blood (DVD)

The small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana boasts a wide array of colorful locals. Sookie Stackhouse is a sweet and innocent waitress who hides her powerful ability to read minds. Bill Compton is a 173 year-old vampire who's just moved back to town. Sookie's brother Jason is a ladies' man who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Tough-as-nails Tara is Sookie's loyal best friend and Sam is the owner of Merlotte's who tries to keep his feelings for Sookie to himself (from the publisher).
Can't seem to escape vampires at the moment. This series, based on Charlaine Harris' novels, takes the vampire theme on yet another path - the existence of vampires is not a secret. This is a quirky, if not weird, show that shouldn't be taken too seriously and one that you can easily get hooked on. As it is rated R, it may not be to everyone's taste.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Truth by Peter Temple

"At the close of a long day, Inspector Stephen Villani stands in the bathroom of a luxury apartment high above the city. In the glass bath, a young woman lies dead, a panic button within reach. Villani's life is his work. It is his identity, his calling, his touchstone. But now, over a few sweltering summer days, as fires burn across the state and his superiors and colleagues scheme and jostle, he finds all the certainties of his life are crumbling. Truth is a novel about a man, a family, a city. It is about violence, murder, love, corruption, honour and deceit. And it is about truth. "
The publisher's blurb sums up this book so well - not always the case. It's edgy, it's hard-hitting and it's a darned good read - worth the wait for all Temple fans who have been awaiting this sequel to The Broken Shore.
Rating - I give this 4/5

GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch.

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor

On the snow-covered slopes of Utah, the unthinkable has just become a nightmarish reality; thirty Secret Service agents have been viciously executed and the vacationing president of the United States kidnapped by one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the Middle East -- the Fatah Revolutionary Council. But surviving agent and ex-Navy SEAL Scot Harvath doesn't believe the Fatah Revolutionary Council is responsible for the attack. Driven by his professional code of duty and honor, Harvath creates his own rules to get some answers. But his search for the truth raises the blood pressure of his superiors...and casts his own life in mortal jeopardy. The deadly machinations have been set in motion by a shadowy coalition, comprising some of the highest-ranking officials in government and business-men who operate above the law, men who realize the threat Harvath poses to their hidden agenda...men who will do anything to stop him (from the publisher).
A great action adventure that you can not take too seriously as some scenes stretch the boundaries of believability. I always enjoy reading a book when parts of the story are set in places that I have been to, and there are some such places in this one (if you ever happen to be in Lucerne, go and see the Lion Monument - it is one of the best pieces of stonework I have ever seen). This book is the first of a series for the main character - Scot Harvath. Might give them a go next.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Grace by Morris Gleitzman

"Eleven-year-old Grace Hillgrove knows only one world - the world of her family, and the strict religious community they belong to. But when her father is thrown out of the church for asking questions, Grace is torn. How can she stay in the church and keep her family together ?"
Morris Gleitzman is well-known for his hilarious books for young readers - but it's his intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking novels for teenagers that really hit the spot with me.
Having ripped through two of his latest - Once and Then, set in wartime Europe and totally gripping and heart wrenching - I was keen to tackle their successor, Grace. It didn't take long, because I couldn't put it down. The blurb above gives the gist of the story , which is told by Grace, whose religious faith does not alter, but who, like her father, questions its rules.
Gleitzman has written about a complex situation thoughtfully and respectfully - and with plenty of humour.
Rating - I give this 4/5
GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch.

Free to a good home by Colin Thompson

Most people don’t like being different. They want exactly the same things as their neighbours, only bigger and more of them. Yet no matter how much they have, they always feel there is something missing. The Smiths are not like other people. They might not be any good at cooking, or housework, or homework, but in their jumbled house full of strange things that will probably come in useful one day, they are happy and content. Yet the Smiths, too, feel that there is something missing from their lives. And today the children went down to the shops and found it (from the publisher).
What they bring home isn't something you would expect to bring home from the shops. But they are determined to keep what they found and it isn't long before their parents come round to the idea as well. Great graphics and quite fun.
Rating - I give this 4/5 GREAT!!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin