Bride Wars (DVD)

It's light, it's fluffy and it's a lot of fun. Bride Wars on DVD was the perfect choice for a cold, wet day off recently.
Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) have been best friends forever and become engaged within hours of each other. But when a clerical error turns their childhood dreams of marrying at New York's prestigious Plaza Hotel into a nightmare, with one bride potentially forced to find another venue, they're friends no longer. Gatecrashing each other's parties, sabotaging beauty treatments ... nothing is safe. Over-the-top is the way to go for these two.
Hudson and Hathaway - both gorgeous women - are perfect as the warring Bridezillas and Candice Bergen too is great in her role as the wedding planner. It's all a bit daft and ditsy, really, but SO enjoyable.
Rating - I give this 4/5

Not bad

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

Fantastic Mr Fox (DVD)

A hilarious and heartwarming animated adventure... Mr. and Mrs. Fox live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash and visiting nephew Kristofferson. That is, until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky old ways and plots the greatest chicken heist the animal world has ever seen (from the distributor).
A somewhat quirky take on one of my favourite Roald Dahl books, that was filmed as a stop-motion animation picture. I particularily liked the way the characters swore; it got a bit of a giggle out of me. Overall a clever film that I was initially a little wary of but determined to watch nonetheless, and I was glad that I did as I found it really enjoyable.
Rated 4/5 GREAT!!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Wildhorse Creek by Kerry McGinnis

Young Billy Martin runs from home, burying his past in the quest for a future. He finds it in Queensland's spectacular Gulf Country, on the sprawling cattle runs. The Gulf breeds tough men, and Billy is quickly drawn to the excitement and adventure of working with the fiery cattleman and ex-con, Blake Reilly, and his daughter, Jo. Billy finds mateship, danger and romance in the Gulf, but he also finds an untamed land with a history of violence. In the brooding heat and unpredictable storms, the future he had sought unfolds - in ways as turbulent and unexpected as the country itself - and Billy discovers a place where he can at last belong (from the publisher).
Started out interesting, and there was a build-up of tension over a rather nasty character and his antics, but I felt a little let down with the ending. The setting was made to sound beautiful and harsh all at the same time, which is what I imagine this part of the country must be like.
Rating - I give this 3/5 Not bad...
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Gran Torino DVD

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) has just lost his wife and his children want him to move out of the old neighbourhood and move into a senior citizens' home. Walt doesn't want to move even though more Asian people live in his Detroit neighbourhood than Americans. Walt has a problem with Asians ever since he fought them in the Korean War. This prejudice explodes when Thao, the teenage son of the Hmong family next door, tries to steal his mint condition 1972 Grand Torino car. Thao (played by Bee Vang) was pressured by an Asian gang to steal the car as an initiation rite. To regain the family's honour, Thao is forced to work for Walt. Walt begins to protect Thao from the gangs and soon he becomes a target (from the distributor).
This film has been added to my list of favourites. The subject of this story is not an easy one to work with, but this film does well. Walt is as tough as old boots and is not afraid to stand up for others that are being harassed.
Rated 5/5 GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Dinner with Fox by Stephen Wyllie

A thin fox grows plump dining on his neighbours until an unexpected dinner guest arrives and gives him his just desserts. Features pop-up and movable illustrations (from the publisher).
An old favourite of mine that I would read with my siblings when we were young. Very interactive book with all the pop-ups and other bits and pieces that make up this book. Thinking back though, this book may explain why my brother believed that foxes were peaking through his bedroom window and looking at him...
Rating - I give this 5/5 GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Smalltown by Martin Mischkulnig

In a perfect synergy of image and text, Smalltown shows us the bizarre, humorous and sometimes desolate aspects of our country towns, and challenges us to consider what Winton calls ‘fugliness and the smalltown shambolic’. Essay by Tim Winton and photography by Martin Mischkulnig. Smalltown is a view of the Australia we politely ignore. In this rich and austere collaboration, photographer Marin Mischkulnig has joined writer Tim Winton to produce a meditation on the peculiar collision of beauty and ugliness that characterises our far-flung towns. Without pulling any punches, this is an affectionate, exasperated take on ‘fugliness and the smalltown shambolic’ where both photographer and writer crate a stark beauty, despite the sad conviction that ‘there is nothing so bleak and forbidding in country Australia as the places humans have built there’ (from the publisher).
There are some amazing photos in this book; a picture says a thousand words comes to mind with some to be found in here.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

The red door, by Charles Todd

I read my first Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery just recently and since then have been reading everything I can get by the authors, a mother and son who write under the name Charles Todd, and recommending them to anyone looking for a different style of whodunnit.

The books are set in the 1920s and while the stories may evoke some nostalgia for a gentler time, they have their own brand of grittiness.

In Lancashire, in a house with a red door, a woman has been bludgeoned to death. Meanwhile, in London, a man suffering from a mysterious illness disappears then suddenly reappears. Drawn into both cases, Rutledge has two mysteries to solve : who was the woman who lived and died behind the red door? And who was the man who did not come home from the Great War - and who may not ever have gone?

This book - the 11th in the series - is as gripping as all the others I have read. And Rutledge, scarred by his own wartime experiences, is such a complex character. It's also satisfying to read a crime novel that doesn't rely on over-the-top goriness for effect, or high-tech gadgets. Give these books a go - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan@ Ballarat branch

Manthropology by Peter McAllister

Drawing from archaeology, anthropology and evolutionary psychology, the author (a qualified palaeoanthropologist) confirms the awful truth: every man in history, back to the dawn of the species, did everything better, faster, stronger and smarter than any man today. Highlights include: a biomechanical analysis proving that a Neanderthal woman would have beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in an arm-wrestle; a philological investigation of why 50 Cent would bomb in a battle-rap with the poet Homer; and a comparison of injury rates between today's Ultimate Fighting and ancient Greek Pankration [all-in wrestling] (from the publisher).
Hilarious book! Maybe hilarious isn't the right word, but it did make me giggle from time to time. Another reaction was 'hmm, sad, but so true!' - in trying to make life better and easier for ourselves, we have turned into a bunch of hopeless softies. The front cover says it all; the change over time, and before long we really will be like the people in the Wall-E film. An interesting read.
Rating - I give this 5/5 GREAT!!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

The aloha quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini

In this latest in her oh-so-popular elm Creek Quilts series, Jennifer Chiaverini takes one of her characters, and her readers, to Hawaii.

Bonnie Markham faces a bleak and lonely winter, with her quilt shop out of business and divorce from her philandering and embittered husband looming. Enter her old college friend, Claire, who invites her to Hawaii to help launch a quilters' retreat. The beautiful scenery, the history both of Hawaii and its unique style of quilting and the challenges of the new business and new relationships help ease Bonnie's heartache, but where does she really belong?

Chiaverini's books are addictive and I'm sure appeal not just to quilters, although the information and quilting history she imparts are a bonus. Her characters are not always likeable, but each seems like someone we may have met along the way. And while her books are an enjoyable, easy read, tales of family and friendship and love and community, they often deal with difficult issues - in this case, marriages in jeopardy and unexpected changes of life and circumstances. The aloha quilt is a tale of quilts, yes, but also a tale of many people, each with a story to tell. Oh, and lots and lots of sunshine and pineapple.
Rating - I give this 4/5
Not bad!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

Night School by Isobelle Carmody

A group of children spend the night in a big old school and go on a chilling journey of self-discovery when they decide to play a game. They must travel from room to room, picking up a lantern and writing down their names to ward off the dark. But the old school holds a secret that they must confront if they are to succeed in their journey...(from the publisher).
The illustrations in this book set the tone for something that guarantees eeriness. The children enter the school at night and come out the next morning having played a 'night war' trying to beat the shadows. A different sort of book for junior children.
Rating - I give this 3/5

Not bad!

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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

donna hay magazine Autumn (April/May) 2010

The new autumn issue of donna hay magazine is not only full of beautiful recipes and style tips, but it’s also our 50th issue birthday special! Join us in celebrating 50 fabulous issues (from the publisher).
I initially skipped ahead to the end of this magazine to the chocolate recipes... There were ooh's and aah's by all that saw. All recipes look amazing and oh so rich. I'll try one of the recipes this weekend - for Mother's Day if she's good!
I then went back through the rest of the magazine, and it is full of great things, as it always is.
Rating - I give this 5/5

GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell

As dawn breaks over London, the body of a young man is discovered in a windswept Notting Hill churchyard and the killer has left DCI Grant Foster a cryptic clue. However it’s not until the clue is handed to Nigel Barnes, a specialist in compiling family trees, that the message becomes spine-chillingly clear. It leads Barnes back to 1879 – and the victim of an infamous Victorian serial killer. When a second body is discovered, Foster needs Barnes’ skills more than ever. The murderer’s clues run along the tangled bloodlines that lie between 1879 and now. And if Barnes is right about his blood-history, the killing spree has only just begun...(from the publisher).
Not a bad book at all, demonstrating that the past is still part of the present. Just be mindful of who your ancestors were and what they got up to! This was Dan's first novel, and has a second one out titled Blood Atonement that features Barnes again. Will be reading that one soon...
Rating - I give this 4/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Nineteen minutes, by Jodi Picoult

"In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, colour your hair, watch a third of a hockey game...In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge."
Jodi Picoult, one of my favourite authors, specialises in characters outside the norm. In Nineteen Minutes, she gets inside the head of a young boy, bullied since kindergarten, who turns on his tormentors with horrifying results. That all too common phenomenon, the school shooting, leaves shattered lives and so many questions. Whose fault is it - Peter the shooter's? His parents? The bullies? There are no easy answers, and Picoult does not offer excuses, but lets the characters tell their own stories.
This is a shocking tale, well-written and so absorbing I read it almost in one hit. I had read it before but forgotten the details, so came to it almost afresh and admiring of Picoult's ability to deal with difficult issues and keep the surprises going to the last pages.
Rating - I give this 5/5
GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

A song in the daylight by Paullina Simons

Larissa Stark is a beautiful woman who plays many roles in her life: wife, mother, devoted friend. She has everything she ever wanted, until a chance encounter with a stranger changes Larissa′s idyllic existence forever, leading her to question all the things she once believed were true. Faced with impossible choices and contemplating the unthinkable, Larissa struggles with an eternal mystery: how does one woman follow a divided heart? Spanning the upscale suburbs of New Jersey, the slums of Manila and the desolate beauty of the Australian outback, A Song in the Daylight is a story of the bonds that unite us and the desires that drive us apart (from the publisher).
I have been reading this book since Christmas on and off as it is a rather long book (nearly 770 pages), and was at first a little hard to get into. I got to the end and was taken by surprise by the way it finished, but I'm not sure I enjoyed the ending. To have been on the journey through the whole book for the end result, well, I felt disappointed with one element of it.
Rating - I give this 3/5 Not bad...
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Subterranean by James Rollins

Travel To The Bottom Of The Earth...to place you never dreamed existed. Beneath The Ice...a hand-picked team of specialists makes its way toward the centre of the world. They are not the first to venture into this magnificent subterranean labyrinth. Those they follow did not return. Over The Rocks...Across The Yawning Caverns...Beyond The Black River...You are not alone. Into The Darkness...where breathtaking wonders awaits you - and terrors beyond imaging...Revelations that could change the world - things that should never be disturbed... At The Bottom Of The Earth Is The Beginning. Keep Moving...toward a miracle that cannot be...toward a mystery older than time (from the publisher).
I seem to have developed an addiction to these kind of books; bit of action and adventure, bit of mystery as to what is out there, some ancient ruins, and some romance that is pushing the 'blah, get on with the story' boundary. I particularly liked the way this book ended, so unlike most other books that have ancient ruins in them.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

Fabulous food, minus the boombah: by Jane Kennedy

Funny lady Jane Kennedy loves cooking and eating but not the results of eating anything she wants. After having five children in six years and trying all sorts of fad diets in an attempt to shift excess weight, she developed her own recipes. They sound scrumptious and better still, come without the boombah: in Kennedy's parlance, the "word to describe food that makes your arse huge."
There's something for every occasion in this book, whether it's a family meal at home, something snatched on the run or entertaining. Recipes range from the simple - frittatas, baked eggs wrapped in bacon,roasted beetroot or red pepper soup- to the sublime, such as barbecued quail with lime, swordfish with capsicum relish or seared beef fillet with chilli, ginger, radish and soy. Desserts are fresh and fruity. Yum! Kennedy believes 'you need food you can look forward to' and there is plenty to look forward to in this lavishly illustrated, engaging book.
Rating - I give this 5/5
GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan@ Ballarat branch

The reluctant hero, by Michael Dobbs

"When Harry Jones discovers that former friend Zac Kravitz's life is in danger, a debt of honour sends him on a perilous rescue mission to Ta'argistan, a mountainous and landlocked former Soviet republic bordering Russia, China and Afghanistan. Muscling his way onto a delegation of MPs who happen to be paying the state a visit, Harry finds an unlikely ally in the stubbornly independent Martha and together they devise a plan to break Zac out of the grim prison Bodima. But when the attempt backfires and he finds himself himself stuck in prison in Zac's place, little by little Harry realises that all is not as it seemed and that he has been lured into a web of international conspiracy. (from the publisher's notes.)

There's more than a touch of Boys' Own Adventure to this book, which also reminds me of tales by Alistair MacLean in his early days. Derivative or not, this is a cracking read. Yes, the boundaries of reality are stretched at times, but it's fast-paced, edgy and exciting. If you're a fan of adventure stories, give this a go.

Rating - I give this 4/5

Not bad!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

The beacon, by Susan Hill

Prizewinning novelist and short story author Susan Hill has long had a grip on mystery and suspense and these talents are very much to the fore in this gripping tale.
The Beacon is the bleak North Country property where Colin, May, Frank and Berenice Prime grew up. Colin, Berenice and Frank married and moved away; May tried university in London, but fearfulness got the better of her and she moved back home to look after her ageing parents.
It was a hard-working, contented childhood - but when Frank, who nobody really talks about, publishes a memoir, there are many questions. Could he really have been so miserable, so mistreated as a child? And suddenly a family that has been long-established and respected in the district is shamed, bewildered and shunned by the community.
The Beacon is a powerful story, with well-drawn, believeable characters. I've long been an admirer of Susan Hill's work and my admiration continues.
Rating - I give this 4/5
Great!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat branch

Bottle Shock - DVD

Sommelier and wine shop owner Steven Spurrier, a British expatriate living in Paris, concocts a plan to hold a blind taste-test intended to introduce Parisians to the quality wines coming from elsewhere in the world (and save his business in the process). He travels to the not-yet-famous Napa Valley in search of contestants for his Judgement of Paris taste test, where a chance meeting introduces him to floundering vintner Jim Barrett of Chateau Montelena. Barrett wants no part in the competition, believing it is all a set-up designed by the French to humiliate New World wine producers (from the publisher).
I hadn't anything about this movie, just thought it would offer something a little different to watch. I was pleasantly surprised. It's not a film that will set the world alight, but does make a good story. Based on a true story.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
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Reviewed by Michelle @ admin

The help, by Kathryn Stockett

It's the early '60s, and racist Mississippi is reluctantly on the edge of change. But while laws are beginning to be changed to give black people the right to go to the same school as whites and use the same public areas, attitudes are slow to follow. These are dangerous times - but this does not stop white Skeeter and two black maids coming together in a clandestine project that will put them all at risk.

Skeeter is desparate to be a writer, but although she has been brought up in a traditional household, she is also very well aware of the disparities between the races. She wants the black women who make white lives so comfortable to tell their stories...

The stories in this book were so moving - Constantine, who raised Skeeter, was forced to give up her own child, for example. The background of racism made me angry and it really wasn't so long ago.

Spurred on by her own childhood experiences in a white family with black servants, Stockell has done her research into the period and its attitudes so well that everything rings true.
A must-read!

Rating - I give this 5/5

GREAT!!

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Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat