Book Review & A Giveaway! 
The Art Of Keeping Secrets - Rachael Johns 

The Art Of Keeping Secrets, by bestselling Australian author Rachael Johns, is an engaging story about friendships.
And, as the title suggests, it's also about secrets that are kept, and the repercussions that occur when secrets are finally disclosed..

The story focuses on three best friends, Felicity (or Flick, as she is affectionately known), Emma, and Neve.
The ladies met when their sons began high school together, and have always been there for one another to offer advice and support. They have a very strong bond, and share everything with each other...or do they?

Flick is a down-to-earth taxidermist, and is busily helping her daughter with her upcoming wedding preparations. But she has a shocking secret relating to her own marriage, and she grapples with the prospect of holding on to it forever. 

Emma is a travel agent, divorced, and struggling financially. Pressures of single-parent life make her constantly run down and moody. She has a crush on someone close to her, but is afraid to reveal who it is.

And make-up artist Neve is a sole parent to her lovely teenage son, and she has a secret that, if disclosed,  may effect the relationship she has with him..

Each woman knows that once they come clean, their lives will never be the same. 
It is whilst on a trip to New York together that the strength of their friendship is really put to the test.

The story is told in alternating chapters from each of the women's perspectives. As each chapter is told, and the story progresses, we learn more about each of the women and their families.
I really liked all three female characters, and could relate to each of them in certain ways. They are by no means perfect, and that is what makes them so sincere.
Rachael has done a fantastic job of portraying the significance of having friendships, and those people that are willing to support you no matter what.
This story had me smiling a lot, and at times, it had me close to tears. It's a very emotional, moving book.
I would've liked the ending to be a little longer as I still had a few unanswered questions - I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to end!
If you haven't read anything written by Rachael yet, then you should definitely start with this one!




 And, to coincide with the release of The Art Of Keeping Secrets, thanks to the very lovely Rachael Johns herself, I have a copy of The Art Of Keeping Secrets to giveaway to one of my readers!


In order to win:

You MUST be a follower of my blog (either by liking my Facebook page/twitter/Instagram, or following via email or bloglovin' - I don't mind which one you opt for but you must do at least one please), and

Answer in the comments section below:

Why would you like to win your own copy of The Art Of Keeping Secrets?


**Get creative, and please include your email with your answer so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!**


Terms & Conditions:
1. This giveaway is open to residents of Australia only. Total prize pool $32.95 plus P&H.
2. Giveaway closes on 2nd October, 6 pm; winner will be contacted via email within 48 hours. Failure to receive a response from the winner will mean the prize is forfeited and a new winner  will be chosen.
3. Winner will be selected on a basis of skill, not chance - the most creative and/or interesting answer deemed by the judge/s wins
4. The prize is not redeemable for cash.
5. In  The Good Books blog will not be responsible for postage of the item, or for any prize that is not delivered by the third party.
6. This promotion is not associated or endorsed by Facebook.
7. Those who 'unlike' or 'unfollow' after the giveaway ends will be disqualified from entering future giveaways.

Disclosure: I was fortunate enough to be given an uncorrected proof copy of this book thanks to http://beautyandlace.net/
The giveaway copy is to be supplied from Rachael Johns. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own, and not influenced in any way.

Book Review: The Teacher's Secret - Suzanne Leal 

I've heard so many good things about The Teacher's Secret, and now that I've finished it, I have to say that the praise is very well deserved!


At the beginning of the first term, (the book is divided into the 4 Terms of the school year), we are introduced to Terry Pritchard, who is a teacher and assistant principal at Brindle Public Primary School. He is well-liked and popular amongst both staff and students.
We are also introduced to various teachers, as well as Laurie Mathews, who is the fill-in principal for the year.
Laurie is all business, and immediately sets about changing the school in ways that none of the staff see coming. 

By Term 2, Laurie's incessant digging into the members of staff's business (both past and present),  unravels something that sees Terry immediately terminated from the school. 
He is replaced by Nina, a teacher who is going through a stressful relationship breakdown. 
She does her best to fill Terry's shoes, but the students are hurt and confused by Terry's sudden departure, and don't make it easy for her initially.

The chapters are told from the perspectives of different characters; mainly Terry, Nina, and a few others, including Mel, a local cleaner who enjoys photography, and whose children attend Brindle Public.

The 'secret' regarding Terry's termination isn't uncovered until quite late into the story, but there are hints along the way until it is revealed. 

The Teacher's Secret is fantastic and I think that the author, Suzanne Leal, has done such a great job portraying the characters. 
They are so authentic and with the exception of Laurie, they are all quite lovely. 
The Brindle residents add a lot of heart to the story, and make you realise the importance of the valuable relationships that are formed within communities.
It certainly is a book that I would recommend because I really enjoyed it. 

Have you read The Teacher's Secret yet? What did you think of it? 

Spineless Classics Australia 

Spineless Classics Australia offer a truly unique range of posters for book-lovers like myself.
They feature the entire text of a book on one poster!

With titles including Anne Of Green Gables, Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, and Oliver Twist, these posters would look lovely hung in your reading corner, or anywhere!

All Spineless Classics are printed on heavyweight paper in sharp, lightfast ink which will not fade and have been designed for easy framing.

I was very happy to receive a poster of my choice courtesy of Phoebe from Spineless Classics Australia. 
After much deliberation, (the designs are so nice that it took me a while to decide!), I couldn't go past Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. 
I was so excited when the poster arrived safely after a small mishap with delivery. I purchased a frame for it from a local seller, and I couldn't be happier with how it looks! 
This particular poster measures 70cm x 1 metre. I haven't hung it up as yet, but I plan to put it in our study/library room..
Doesn't it look great?!

I love the detail of Harry's glasses 

The print is completely legible up close, as you can see from the image below. 

For this particular print, a minimum of $13 from the sale cost will go to Lumos, the charity founded by J.K. Rowling to ensure that the eight million children worldwide living in large institutions are given a real chance of a childhood and a future. How awesome is that!

With over 100 titles to choose from, in a range of sizes and genres including Children's, Romance, Historical, and Adventure Books, these posters would make a really special gift.
You can view the full range of titles available here 

And if you do decide to purchase one, you can receive 10% off the RRP of your order by entering code: DL10 upon checkout!




Disclosure: I received a Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone poster in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Spineless Classics Australia. All opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way. I was not paid for this review

Book Review: Brobot by James Foley 

Brobot is a fantastic junior graphic novel targeted for children aged 8-10 years old, and has recently been released through Fremantle Press. 

The main character is 12-yr-old Sally Tinker, who happens to be the world's foremost inventor under the age of twelve.
Sally has a baby brother named Joe, who annoys Sally all of the time, so she decides to build a better brother than the stinky, sticky one she has. 

And that how is Brobot is invented, (complete with Brobo-remote to program him!)

He seems to be everything Sally could want in a brother, until the Brobo-remote gets damaged, and Brobot becomes totally uncontrollable!

This book is really funny, I literally laughed out loud in parts.  (Make sure you read the finely printed text on some of the illustrations, it adds more humour to the story!) 

I loved the illustrations. They are black and white, and form a large part of the story. James Foley does a fantastic job of capturing both Sally and Joe's facial expressions and body language just through his drawings. Even though baby Joe doesn't speak one word, through these illustrations, he is given a voice, and plays a big part in the story.

I adore Joe. He is such a cute little character! He gets up to a lot of mischief, but Sally soon realises that that there is more to Joe than she first thought.

My 12-yr-old daughter read this book in one sitting, and she really enjoyed it. My 9-yr-old has just started it. 
The format of the story is described as a comic/chapter book blend. It would appeal to both male and female young readers. 

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Brobot in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own, and not influenced in any way. 

Book Review - Goodwood by Holly Throsby 

I recently won an uncorrected proof copy of Goodwood, which is a debut novel by Australian musician Holly Throsby. It is due for release in October.

Goodwood is the name of the town in which the story takes place, in the year of 1992. 
In Goodwood, the community is a tightly-knit one, so when two of the locals go missing, it is a great cause for concern.
Firstly, 18-year-old Rosie vanishes one evening, after finishing a shift at one of the local eateries.
Then, exactly a week after her disappearance, Bart McDonald goes out on his typical Sunday fishing trip, but he never returns.
The remaining residents of the town try to piece the puzzle together, and try to see whether the two cases are somehow linked.
There are a lot of characters in this book, (it actually reminded me a little of Summer Bay, the fictional town where tv show Home And Away is set). I must admit that on more than one occasion, I got a little confused by the different characters, but as the story progressed, it became less of an issue. By the end of the story, I felt that every character was an important component to the book.

There's 17 year-old Jean Brown, who is the narrator. For the most part, I really liked Jean. She lives with her mum and her dog Backflip. Her mum's cousin, 'Uncle Mack', is Goodwood's Constable Mackenzie. She is a bit of a dreamer, and she enjoys hanging out with her best girl friend , George.  
My one issue with her character is the relationship she forms with Evie, a new resident to Goodwood. I felt it unnecessary, and in particular, the way that this relationship was the focus of the ending of the story just didn't make much sense to me. I realise that the author was trying to portray that Jean had her own secret, but it just didn't tie in well, and I think that the ending could've been better.

But the story drew me in nonetheless, as I wanted to uncover the mystery that surrounded Goodwood.
The way in which the author describes the town is great. I especially liked her descriptions of the shops along Cedar Street, including a Vinnies run by local Val Sparks. 

I really enjoyed being swept up in the community as the mystery slowly unravelled. This is a fantastic Australian story, and I think it will be hugely popular upon its release. 

** There's still time to enter my latest giveaway here  **

Juliet Nearly A Vet Book Series - Review & Giveaway!

The Juliet Nearly A Vet book series is written by Australian author Rebecca Johnson, and illustrated by Kyla May.
There are 12 books in the series so far, with the latest one, Rainforest Camp, released earlier this year.
I read the first book in the series, The Great Pet Plan, with my youngest daughter, and we both really enjoyed it. 
I'll be giving away a copy, so keep reading to see how you can win!

Juliet is ten years old and she wants to become a vet, just like her mum.
Along with her best friend, who happens to be her next-door neighbour, Chelsea, she devises a plan to have a 'pet sleepover', so she can practise looking after animals. But she doesn't mention this to her family!
And we find out, that even though Juliet and Chelsea have the best intentions, not everything goes to plan!

The books are targeted at an audience of 8-10 year old girls, but my 6 year-old daughter adored the story, she comprehended it well, and could read most of the words. 
She also liked looking at the black-and-white illustrations throughout the book, and reading the tips and hints that Juliet writes in her Vet Diary.
We are looking forward to reading more books from the range.

And with thanks to Rebecca, I have a copy of The Great Pet Plan to giveaway!


Competition Details:

In order to win a copy of Juliet A Vet - The Great Pet Plan:

You MUST be a follower of my blog (either by liking my Facebook page/twitter/Instagram, or following via email or bloglovin' - I don't mind which one you opt for but you must do at least one please), and

ANSWER:

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

Or what does your child want to be?

**Please include your email with your answer so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!**



Terms & Conditions:
1. This giveaway is open to residents of Australia only. Total prize pool $9.95 plus P&H.
2. Giveaway closes on Friday 16th September, 6 pm; winner will be contacted via email within 48 hours. Failure to receive a response from the winner will mean the prize is forfeited and a new winner  will be chosen.
3. Winner will be selected on a basis of skill, not chance - the most creative and/or interesting answer deemed by the judge/s wins
4. The prize is not redeemable for cash.
5. In  The Good Books blog will not be responsible for postage of the item, or for any prize that is not delivered by the third party.
6. This promotion is not associated or endorsed by Facebook.
7. Those who 'unlike' or 'unfollow' after the giveaway ends will be disqualified from entering future giveaways.

Disclaimer: I was given two books from the Juliet Nearly A Vet in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own, and not influenced in any way. 

Hippo Blue Personalised Story Books Review (with an upcoming giveaway)

Hippo Blue is a 100% Australian owned company that sells a range of personalised items including bags, stationery, and labels.

They also have two personalised children's books, 'The Adventures You'll Have', and the newly released 'The ABC Jungle Adventure'.

Hippo Blue has partnered with a local author/illustrator, Brett Curzon, to create these books, and I think he's done a great job. I was given the opportunity to personalise a book from the range, and selected 'The Adventures You'll Have' to give to my young niece.

In The Adventures You'll Have, the book focuses  on the child's name, and the adventures they can experience throughout life. 

The book itself is soft-covered, and the story is told in rhyming verses.

The story also centres on self-belief, which is a very important message.

I really love the illustrations in this book. The colours are bright, and the pictures are detailed and lovely. 

Once I'd placed my order, I was pleasantly surprised that the books arrived within a few days.  

Hippo Blue currently dispatches orders within 48 hours.

I have purchased items from Hippo Blue in the past and have always been very happy with their products, service and communication. 

The books retail for $30 each. I think that they are great value, and would make a nice gift, especially if you're after something that is unique and special.
You can check out their website here 

And guess what?! I have a fabulous Hippo Blue giveaway lined up in a few weeks time, so watch out for that as I'm sure you'll love it!

Have you ever purchased from Hippo Blue?

Disclaimer: I was given a voucher to redeem for a book from the Hippo Blue range. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.