I recently read Circe, a historical fantasy by Madeline Miller, a retelling and exploration of the maligned figure in Ancient Greek mythology, the witch Circe. Circe follows the unusual female figure of Ancient Greek literature, the witch daughter of the Titan god Helios, exiled to Aiaia by Olyimpium Zeus. The details of Circeโs strangely mortal-like… Continue reading Circe
I read The Institute by US author Stephen King after many reviews discussed the social issues within the novel and the similarities with the psychologically challenging novels Firestarter and Carrie, both sharing with The Institute, children with powers of telekinesis and telepathy. The Institute focuses on twelve year old Luke Ellis, a boy of exceptional… Continue reading The Institute
In early September 2019, I travelled to Iceland and visited Eldhestar Icelandic horse trekking company located less than 30 minutes drive southeast from the capital Reykjavik. The Icelandic horse was brought to the island by the Viking settlers. You can read about about Icelandic Viking history and the history of Reykjavik here. There are also… Continue reading Iceland: The Icelandic Horse
I read The Bee and the Orange Tree by Australian author Melissa Ashley. A wonderful historical fiction set during the early stages of the French Revolution but focused on the female literary circles surrounding Baroness Marie Catherine D'Aulnoy established as an author in her own right after successful publication career of several novels and fairytale… Continue reading The Bee and the Orange Tree
A wonderful list of authors pre-selected for this Australian-New Zealand Anthology of Horror, SciFi, Dark Fantasy in support of charity Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
I had read many reviews of A Darker Shade of Magic by US author Victoria Schwab and in October 2019, I decided to delve into this popular series. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and unique characters of the first book in this trilogy. A Darker Shade of Magic follows Kell, one of two last magicians… Continue reading A Darker Shade of Magic
I visited the Gotland Museum in Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden in early September 2019. You can read more about my research visit to the Uppsala Viking Age burial mounds, the History Museum in Stockholm and the medieval city of Visby on Gotland Island. Gotland Museum contains an amazing variety of prehistoric Swedish and Viking Age… Continue reading Sweden: Gotland Museum
At last!
The editorial committee putting together the AFTS anthology โSouth of the Sunโ have finally chosen their winners. It was a truly difficult job โ we were inundated with talented submissions and weโve spent many a long hour short-listing, re-short-listing, arguing and finally agreeing on the following. A big thank you to everyone who sent in their entries.
Congratulations to everyone whoโs on the list โ and commiserations to those who didnโt make it.
ยทAnezka Sero ฬถThe Snowgum Maiden
ยทLindy Mitchell-Nilsson ฬถJack, the Beanstalk and the NBN
ยทYvette Ladzinski ฬถThe Lonely Mosque
ยทMelissa Min Harvey ฬถThe Wild Moon Call
ยทClare Testoni ฬถThe Lyrebird
ยทKrystal Barton ฬถNorth Coburg to Flinders St Station
ยทRachel Nightingale ฬถRiverbend
ยทJackie Kerin ฬถNo Horse, No Cart, No Shoes
ยทAngie Rega ฬถThe Tale of the Seven Magpies
ยทDanielle McGee โThe Origami Mother
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย June Perkins โย Intoโฆ
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I just discovered the 150th Anniversary edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol published by Princeton University Press is an illustrated version by artist Salvador Dali. Absolutely stunning illustrations that are pure magic! https://youtu.be/8U2AkPvaKuU You can buy hardback and paperback copies of this gorgeous edition through most bookstores and online stores at affordable prices.
The tawny frogmouth is a species of nocturnal bird native to much of Australia. It is well known in Australian landscapes for the staring red-gold eyes, the camouflage resembling a branch or broken tree stump and itโs seemingly unworried response to human presence. I was walking in the early morning at a pine forest near… Continue reading Australian Tawny Frogmouth Folklore
Leanbh Pearson 
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