Today is international Women’s Day. It’s a day to celebrate women. I am one of those. I’m not a man. I’m not gender-neutral. I’m a woman. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am proud, sensitive and caring. A nest-builder, a loving parent, a go-getter and a dreamer. I’m ambitious and I want all my dreams to come true. I work hard yet can be lazy as hell. I love anything that sparkles, brightness, flowers and the colour purple.
I am strong and brave yet can feel weak and fearful. I love watching ballet and listening to classical music, a bit of Ed Sheeran or the Foo Fighters. I adore chickflicks but also Die Hard, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and The Bourne Trilogies to name but a few. I am independent, capable of getting the job done but it’s also great to be taken care of once in a while. I want to be treated with respect and I love it when a guy holds a door open for me or my husband walks on the road side of the pavement. I love chivalry and am also chivalrous.
I am different and yet have many of the same hopes, dreams and fears as anyone. Don’t ever tell me ‘I can’t’ because I’m a woman – tell me ‘I can’ because of who I am. I’m blessed to have in my life some truly wonderful inspiring people, male and female but for today to all the ladies out there, young or old – live your life, never stop reaching towards your dreams, you are amazing just the way you are and never, ever let anyone make you believe otherwise or tell you ‘you can’t’.
Staples for introverts, pens & post-its.
Drawing pens. 
Journaling tools. 
An absolutely cracking, and thrillingly creepy read.
Riveting, raw and gritty, this is a story that rockets around like a ball in pinball wizard’s championship run. Focusing on some of the players in a drug smuggling ring, this tale crosses oceans, and proves how cheap life can be when greed takes over. Patrick Hoffman’s first novel was shortlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association Ian Fleming (best thriller) Award, this is his second novel, and another winner. There is a real earthy feel to the writing, I felt as though I was balancing on a serrated edge, viewing the action from an external position, yet also completely in the moment. I could see humanity in action with the characters, could almost see their thoughts taking place, and feel their emotions. As the end came closer, and the snare grew ever tighter, so the story came full circle. Every Man a Menace is a chilling, short and sharp, utterly engrossing read, and I loved it.
Told over a period of three weeks, with forays into the past, this thrilling debut gathers tension into a knotted tangled ball, before hurling it sky high. Set in Australia, a teacher is found murdered in the town lake with roses scattered in the water above her. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock ignores connections to the past in order to pursue the case, yet years old secrets start to push forward and batter at her mind.
A tale for young adults about friendship, loyalty, and bullying, while a chilling twist of supernatural haunts the pages.
Oh, what a truly beautiful read this is, though do prepare for your heart to ache, weep, and possibly even break. For the last ten years, Oliver Loving has been lying in a hospital bed, paralysed and non-communicative, is he trapped in his own mind, can a new test release him? Everyone wants answers, they also want to know what happened ten years ago, on the night of the school dance in Bliss, Texas… and what caused the tragedy that took place there. The story focusses on Oliver, his mother Eve, and brother Charlie, and how one event has trapped them, has maimed them all. Stefan Merrill Block writes so thoughtfully, an almost gentle lyrical quality caresses the pages, yet he encourages searching questions, for you to travel deeper, to look further.
Uplifting and delightful, The Year That Changed Everything is another gorgeous read from Cathy Kelly. Three women have three milestone birthdays on the same day, they don’t know each other, yet a featherlight connection binds them together. In one day, the day of their birthdays, a bombshell shatters the life Callie knew, Sam’s waters break but she might not be ready for motherhood, while Ginger is forced to reconsider who she wants to be. These women aren’t perfect, they make mistakes, yet they are just so likeable and relatable I would be more than happy to be their friend… to hug, to console, to cheer them on.
Tales Before Bedtime 