How to be eighty ⋆ by Maureen Helen

Fake it till you make it psychology and sociology

Fake it till you make it sounds like an instruction to trick or deceive. But it actually provides useful direction for people who find themselves in a new or difficult position and unsure about how to proceed. The phrase suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life.

I first came across the concept way, way back in my early years of tertiary study. Hearing about it at the start of a Social Science Degree at the WA Institute of Technology,* I laughed at the idea.

Book review challenge that preferences women writers

A book review challenge that preferences women writers guarantees my interest. And, as it turned out, my participation also over a number of years. This is the tenth year of the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

Here’s a quote f rom their website. It explains this book review challenge better than I can.

‘The AWW challenge was set up to help overcome gender bias in the reviewing of books by Australian women. The challenge encourages avid readers and book bloggers, male and female, living in or outside Australia, to read and review books by Australian women throughout the year. You don’t have to be a writer to sign up. You can choose to read and review, or read only.‘

Tin Horse Highway for serious fun

The Tin Horse Highway featured high on my list of things to do during our recent venture into the Great Southern Region of Western Australia. We left it until the last day, and went on our way home from Hyden and Wave Rock. Such a treat! If you get a chance to go that way, don’t miss it. Be prepared to laugh out loud!

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020 completed

Australian Women Writers Challenge completed

The Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020 completed itself, or so it seemed. It took very little effort on my part this year. Most years, I commit to review a certain number of books by Australian women. Then I struggle to review the number of books to which I’ve committed. So, at the beginning of this year I decided I’d be really gentle with myself. I opted to review six. That’s known as the Miles level in this challenge.

Here’s a link to the blog I wrote earlier this year about the Challenge.

Advent preparations for a tough Christmas

We all have a tough Christmas from time to time. We have years we remember as months full of pain and grief or unexpected sorrow and loss. Christmas time can be full of sadness following such an experience. But this year, because of COVID-19, more of us than usual will find Christmas difficult.

Write your story, enjoy the benefits

When you write your story, whether a page or two or a book-length memoir or autobiography, you can expect many rewards. They come both when you write and when you share your whole story or a part of it. Every life is different, and so each unique story differs from that of everyone else.

Are prime number birthdays special?

Prime number birthdays should be the same as all other birthdays. So common sense tells me. There’s probably nothing special about those years which are divisible only by one and themselves. But experience tells me differently. It seems to me that prime number birthdays and the years that follow often possess special magic. I’m curious to know if this happens for others?

‘Honeybee’ by Craig Silvey – a review

Honeybee by Craig Silvey, best-selling author of Jasper Jones, is a big, beautiful coming-of-age novel. Like Hope Farm, by Peggy Frew, which I reviewed recently, it tells a story of a childhood with an immature, addicted mother.

Tender, compassionate and at the same time gritty, Honeybee confronted and challenged me.

How to be eighty

Fake it till you make it psychology and sociology

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Book review challenge that preferences women writers

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Tin Horse Highway for serious fun

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Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020 completed

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Advent preparations for a tough Christmas

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Write your story, enjoy the benefits

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Are prime number birthdays special?

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‘Honeybee’ by Craig Silvey – a review

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