Psychiatry registrar Doctor Hannah Wright, a country girl with a chaotic history, thought she had seen it all in the emergency room. But that was nothing compared to the psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital. Hannah must learn on the job in a strained medical system, as she and her fellow trainees deal with the common andContinue reading “‘The Glass House’ and the pointy end of mental healthcare”
Category Archives: Blog-exclusive book review
Penny Draws a Secret Adventure continues a heartfelt depiction of childhood anxiety
Little by little, Penny Lowry is making it through grade five—with a bit of help from her friends and her loveable dog, Cosmo. There’s a lot of change to deal with this year! Penny’s newborn twin brother and sister have everyone in her family on their last nerve with their crying. Her friends, Maria andContinue reading “Penny Draws a Secret Adventure continues a heartfelt depiction of childhood anxiety”
What is left unsaid in Sharon Kernot’s ‘Birdy’
Maddy is mute. Since the Incident she has barely spoken. And now she and her mother and brother are staying in a farmhouse on an old apricot orchard not far from town. It’s a chance to rest and recuperate – or a way to hide further away from the world. Alice is waiting. Since Birdy,Continue reading “What is left unsaid in Sharon Kernot’s ‘Birdy’”
Review: loneliness, mental health, and something else in Beatrix & Fred
Emily Spurr’s Beatrix & Fred follows two lonely individuals as their lives entwined in unexpected ways. If this sounds really vague to you, that’s because this book’s premise is best discovered on your own. Topics include perimenopause, mental health, loneliness and belonging. Review Weird premise, touching execution Beatrix is a loner with a genuine attachmentContinue reading “Review: loneliness, mental health, and something else in Beatrix & Fred”
Review: Exploring humanity in Jacinta Halloran’s Resistance
As a family therapist, Nina is the ultimate listener. Yet this is of little use with her latest clients, the Agostinos, who have been mandated to see her after stealing a car and disappearing into the outback. For support with the case, Nina meets with a supervising therapist, Erin. What they unearth in their sessionsContinue reading “Review: Exploring humanity in Jacinta Halloran’s Resistance”
What Love At First Psych Gets Wrong About Psychology
Love At First Psych is an Audible original audiobook (audio drama may also be an apt description since it features a full cast of actors). It is a romance novella with the following premise: two undergraduate students are taking a Social Psychology class all about the psychology of love. They have a group assignment toContinue reading “What Love At First Psych Gets Wrong About Psychology”
Review: Managing big feelings in Philomella
A were-dragon? A talking tree? Saving a world she didn’t know existed? … Philomella’s having an unusual day. Mystery, humour and sparkling magic combine in this middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel – perfect for fans of The World Between Blinks and The Phantom Tollbooth. When Philomella is drawn into the Impossible Forest – a place where anything can happen and usually does –Continue reading “Review: Managing big feelings in Philomella”
You need to read ‘You Need to Know’
Christmas Eve. A car pile-up. Who will survive? And who caused the crash? Nicola Moriarty’s You Need to Know is a complex family drama, where everyone has a secret. This multi-view story follows three author brothers, their partners, and their mother, as they navigate grief, family tension, and both everyday and extraordinary dramas. Topics includeContinue reading “You need to read ‘You Need to Know’”
Why I Have Mixed Feelings About The Good Sister
Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be . . . dangerous. When Rose discovers that she cannot fallContinue reading “Why I Have Mixed Feelings About The Good Sister”
What The Course of Love teaches us about long-term romance
Boy meets girl, they fall in love… and then what? Alain de Botton’s The Course of Love is billed as an ‘unparalleled meditation on modern relationships’. Half philosophy and half fiction, it follows the lives of a couple, Rabih and Kristen, as they fall in love, navigate marriage and children, and the perils of maintainingContinue reading “What The Course of Love teaches us about long-term romance”