The building in my photograph, with the two people either cleaning or repairing the clock tower, are on the Ann Street side of the Roma Street railway station in Brisbane. These intrepid workers could see a view across ANZAC Square to the General Post Office which denotes the centre of the city. Officially the station area is known as Brisbane Passenger Station, Brisbane Terminal Station, and Brisbane Terminus yet, surprisingly, on the main façade at the Ann Street entry level there is an art deco-style sign proclaiming ‘Central Station’ and that is what the majority of commuters name it.
The train platforms can be accessed a number of ways but I guess these intrepid workers either came from inside the clock tower or climbed up it. The BCC bus sign seems to have spotted them but the commuters below failed to see what was unfolding. The two workers were untangling their ropes!
My bus came and I will never know what transpired that day.
💗 Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025
On theme, this steam roller is different but of the same era. Queen’s Park, Toowoomba, Queensland.
The collapse and total closure of the entire Mosaic Brands portfolio means almost 4000 jobs were lost and more than 700 retail clothing stores were shut down across Australia.
My intrepid photographer snapped this group of store mannequins caught totally unawares by the mass shutdown.
The models were photographed queuing at the front counter of a closed fashion store at Mount Ommaney in Brisbane, Australia, stoically waiting for their redundancy pay-out and perhaps some recognition for their years of silent service.
All gone in the blink of an eye!
Clothing brands you knew and loved, fashion brands you grew up with, stylish outfits that got you dressed for a party, your first job, your first date, a fun weekend and lots of occasions inbetween; not forgetting those sales assistants who knew their products, actually assisted you in choosing the right outfit for the right occasion.
The following twelve questions relate to the possibility of starting up a new crime and mystery readers book group here in Brisbane. I have attended many book clubs (reading a variety of genres) but never instigated one. Consequently my behind-the-scenes questions are numerous:
Venue
Time duration
Shared co-ordinator roles
Promoting new Book Group
Number of members – in person
Contacting/accepting members
How to choose crime and mystery books
Each reviewer/speaker timed length
Author talks
Guest speakers
Crime book swaps
Coffee afterwards…
More could be included and it all seems straight forward when written down. Members of the current U3A Brisbane book readers group are all very cordial and polite even when we disagree on the topic and/or the chosen book.
There is tonnes of information online but how to tailor one for the conditions, for example– Book source/transport/accessibility? Coffee shop/library/private home? Drop me a line in my Contact.
At this stage a new book group could possibly be under the auspices of U3A Brisbane or independently in a Brisbane City Council Library. As mentioned I am only tossing around ideas, nothing official yet, or as my old boss used to say ‘Nothing carved in stone’ so flexibility is the key. Research time!
Happy reading whatever your preferred genre, format or comfortable chair.
Interested in hosting a Welsh blog post, holding the Reading Wales dragon standard high? Consider compiling, coordinating and hosting an annual event started on WordPress by Book Jotter aka Paula Bardell Hedley. Then read ‘Time to Say Hwyl’…
Oh, Paula, such a bitter-sweet blog post but so very understandable! Life is full of changes and challenges and new things. Your Dewithon will live on in the hearts and minds of all who participated each year and the personal touch you gave to the literature of wonderful Wales.
That flash sale I was telling you about, well, Jen says it’s on it’s way! Here are her details:
Cart opens this Friday, 10 January 2025. For three days only.
•Instant access! Jen says no faffing about waiting for module deliveries. You can hop in and get busy straight away.
•Full access for lifetime of the course. No more to pay. EVER! Once you have it, it’s YOURS.
•Eleven jam-packed video lessons including revelations, insights and innovative exercises. (Plus Jen’s support videos to motivate you and keep you on track).
The Character Creation Intensive looks at:
*Romancing the Story (A brilliant exercise to get you writing and keep you writing).
*Show Don’t Tell (Jen goes hard with this one! TWO sessions).
*Ghosts (Not the paranormal kind but the kind every main character needs!).
*Symbols and Props.
*Secondary Characters (Again, Jen goes hard here. TWO sessions with Beware slapped on them! That’s how important secondary characters are. She sees countless emerging authors slip on this banana).
*Alternative, fun and powerful approaches to character creation and story writing (‘Tried and true, Jen says, I use these methods myself’).
*Downloadable PDF course notes (always handy for a printout).
Aim to start the New Year 2025 with a spring in your step. Learn to create characters (and stories) your readers will NOT forget! Click Jen’s Character Creation Intensive Flash Sale
PS: Writers of adult fiction are warmly invited by Jen to grab this intensive, too. It’s for all creative writers not only kidlit authors! 💗 Gretchen Bernet-Ward2025
Sherwood Arboretum Brisbane volunteer workers preserving the future. Photograph courtesy of Sherwood Arboretum Committee 2024. Get active in 2025!
Exercise followed by quiet contemplation does wonders for your brain and your inner self.
Charles Allston Collins masterpiece titled ‘Convent Thoughts’ circa 1851 held by Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Charles Allston Collins (1828-1873) was a British painter, writer and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite era.
Totally surprised by this information from Goodreads. Yes, I do read a lot but when I saw it all laid out like this, well, it was a pleasant shock to read the stats.
I did not realised that I had read such a varied collection of good books over one year. Perhaps many other Goodreaders were sent a similar result? Maybe we should form our own book group? Either way it is nice to think the algorithms ‘liked’ me enough to let me know.
In the back of my mind I am torn between being happy and being dubious about having my reading habits logged so meticulously when only a handful of books were absolute standouts for me. Only a few are loved unconditionally!
Gretchen Quote: ‘Books are the Three E’s, Entertainment, Education and Enlightenment.’
Just could not go past these two new children’s books without buying them! I am sure many younger and older readers will enjoy reading them too. One is fabulous fun with fine furry friends, and the other is an exciting adventure with intrepid young orphans in the big city. Read on…
A truly delightful book from start to finish. In ‘Hazel’s Treehouse’ author Zanni Louise has created adorable characters and oh so wonderful dialogue between a young girl Hazel and her four Australian bush animal friends. The treehouse is a snug place from which stories unfold and adventures begin. There are lovely little kindness explanations from Hazel when things go awry or plans go askew. She is like the older sister with rambunctious siblings, the one who peps things up or calms things down by showing a different way of looking at situations; particularly taming the dark before bedtime. But not always, as in ‘Small Pants Friday’ the rainy-stuck-inside-day when everyone gets a bit grumbly.
Then there’s Kevin, their new neighbour who has a continent-sized smile but a troubling agenda which causes Poky echidna to turn a bothered colour of grey. I’ll let you find out how that turns out. In ‘Hazel’s Treehouse’ the creativity, seasonal indoor and outdoor fun are beautifully rendered by Judy Watson, her joyous illustrations enhance the story and my favourite character is Odette, an active pademelon wallaby. When a little burst of reading happiness is needed, it is well worth having this gem on your kidlit bookshelf. Also suitable for a little bit of inspiration on those long lazy summer holidays. GBW 2024
Totally besotted with this book! I have read and adored previous books by author/illustrator Judith Rossell, featuring intrepid Stella Montgomery, and loved the stories so much I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a hardcover copy of ‘The Midwatch’ featuring unwanted orphan Maggie Fishbone and her adventures in what I think may be a parallel universe; although disconcertingly similar to early twentieth century America.
Maggie is banished to the notorious Midwatch Institute for Orphans and everything happens from there. Immersive, detailed and beautifully illustrated this is so unlike the world I inhabit yet similar at the same time. It is a story of fearless kind brave clever young characters speaking in the vernacular of that time, ready to face airships, scary monsters and villains. What does the ritzy Tiergarten Hotel hold..? A wardrobe but no lion, something far more ferocious. Then humour pops up at unexpected times.
Chapter 14, in the city library, is one of my favourites. “Nell’s eyes were shining. ‘I never knew there were so many books,’ she whispered. ‘Imagine reading them all. You’d know just about everything in the world, wouldn’t you?” As the story evolves, Maggie and her cohort have so much to investigate, a valuable brooch, a kidnapped friend, leading the reader not only with words and deeds, tension and suspense, but through the superb visualisations, and the occasional odd tip like “How to Escape from Quicksand”. I think this book is the bees knees for middle grade school readers looking for something different featuring engaging young adventurers. Good gravy there is even a chocolate cake recipe! GBW 2024
Rich dark chocolate cake baked by Dot Bernet from ‘The Midwatch’ recipe by author/illustrator Judith Rossell 2024
About Me: Reader, Writer, Reviewer, Blogger. My book reviews cover many genres and I don’t believe in writing one side of my reading experience. There are chunks of praise and criticism. Favourite books are Crime, Quirky, Mystery, History but much more.
What is it with the anonymous people who give a one-star rating on Goodreads without having read the book? I call them Bad Goodreaders. They don’t even pretend to know the author, the contents of the book or the country of origin. How foolish they appear to real readers by giving a well rated new book a one-star rating for no reason whatsoever.
I know this anonymous deceit is done, and done frequently throughout the Goodreads website. I have a very old volume of ‘King Anne’ written by Ethel Turner, pseudonym of Mrs. H.R. Curlewis, a well-known Australian children’s author in early 1900s. It is a hardcover book with illustrations, owned by my great-aunt and her sister who was my grandmother. It was bequeathed to me when I was a teenager and I though nothing about it until many years later.
I believe the ‘King Anne’ book has been out-of-print for many many years; perhaps it will never be republished but rare copies are available. There is a blank bookcover on Goodreads but I posted the real bookcover with my review.
This book has attracted a couple of genuine star ratings and, without a shadow of doubt, two random one-star ratings from two anonymous people. It would seem to me that they did not know the author or the age of the book. It is not a contemporary story. Come on, one hundred years ago, guys! Of course, it may not be thrilling reading for today’s young readers but it’s part of the Australian classics and there is no need to give it a worthless rating just because you feel spiteful. Move on if you don’t know anything about it.
Are these Bad Goodreaders hiding behind anonymity because they are unhappy, bitter ex-readers who cannot bear a book to be successful or popular or well liked? Perhaps because they themselves are not liked? Are they lashing out with their single click because it represents the only meanness or passive/aggressive behaviour available to them without repercussions from social media or cyber police? There is no government body assigned to prosecute a non-reader, or issue a fine for a rating from an anonymous person who gives a single star reflecting their malcontent with life and literature.
Could these non-readers be resentful of devoted readers and perhaps authors they have met who are successful when they themselves have received publishers rejection? That seems feasible because we all know our own work is best. However, all the more reason to give another author a helping hand because “what is given is given in return”.
So next time, One-Star Reviewer, unless the book is actually terrible or one you hated as a child, why not pass over that random book you are about to give a poor rating and get involved in computer gaming instead? Battle it out with something animated, something virtual that can at least challenge you.
All in all, the Goodreads website may be clunky but it’s about the best book reader website surviving on the world wide web today. Just don’t get me started on spoilers or huge tracts of a book sometimes reproduced without acknowledgement or consent from the original author.
In closing, Dear Reader, we can differ in our opinions. But just so we see both sides of the page, be aware of book reviewers who are known to give too many stars to boost their favourite author. This is also misleading for readers who are looking for a good book.
Be fair, be honest, you may gain more followers by giving a genuine rating and review from what you have actually read.
Thoughts Become Words 