How to be eighty ⋆ Page 3 of 33 ⋆ by Maureen Helen

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.

Appreciation for people who inspire us

My morning pages (four pages, written long-hand first thing) often turn into lists of gripes about the world and my place in it. Sometimes, though, they fill with little songs of appreciation. Often, I forget to tell people I’m grateful for the inspiration they provide.

So here, off the top of my head, in no particular order, are some of the people to whom I give a 10 out of 10 today.

How to be eighty

Book review challenge that preferences women writers

Like this:

Tin Horse Highway for serious fun

Like this:

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2020 completed

Like this:

Advent preparations for a tough Christmas

Like this:

Write your story, enjoy the benefits

Like this:

Are prime number birthdays special?

Like this:

‘Honeybee’ by Craig Silvey – a review

Like this:

Appreciation for people who inspire us

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: