Hello, friend! How was your week? Did you start any projects, win any awards or see some nice floral gardens? Maybe you just did what you needed to do, with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Either way, nicely done!
Fishbird Catch of the Week
We post twice a week (Wednesday & Saturday) on the Fishbird Central blog. This week’s catch included:
As a mood reader, I wasn’t initially sure how I’d go picking a TBR stack each month and sticking to it. It seems to be working well though! Making a TBR is a great way to get through some back-list books that you may otherwise not ‘feel’ like initially. This month, our Fishbird Central Book Club pick will be ‘Oracle’ by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Amazon affiliate link). It sounds a bit supernatural and mysterious, and we’d love for you to read along with us!
Patti LuPone Reading Challenge
We saw the amazing Patti LuPone at QPAC this week, on her ‘A Life in Notes’ tour - she was fabulous as always. In her honour, we thought we’d use the initials of her name to kick off a Patti LuPone reading challenge! A sneaky way to find some new fiction favourites, while channelling a Broadway star! Thanks, Patti!
Hinterland Hideaway
I write this newsletter from a little hideaway in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. We’re away celebrating my husband’s 50th birthday! He gets wiser, cuter and funnier every year, like a fine cheese (and he’s not even paying me to say that).
The Sunshine Coast Hinterland - namely Montville & Maleny - holds a very special place in our hearts. We’ve celebrated family holidays and milestones, our wedding and the passing of loved-ones here - so the Hinterland is the perfect place for us to celebrate the life of a well-lived, well-read and well-loved man.
Also, I get to buy heaps of books and eat pizza looking at the rolling hills - so … win win.
Quick Fire Wrap Up
Currently Reading: ‘The Reformatory’ by Tananarive Due (Amazon affiliate link). Nominated for ‘Superior Achievement in a Novel’ in the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards. Twelve-year-old Robert Stephens Jr., is sent to The Gracetown School for Boys. But the segregated reformatory is a chamber of horrors, haunted by the boys that have died there. In order to survive the school governor and his Funhouse, Robert must enlist the help of the school's ghosts – only they have their own motivations.
Currently Watching: ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ on Netflix. Charles Rowland and Edwin Payne choose not to enter the afterlife, instead staying on Earth to investigate crimes that involve the supernatural, with help from their living psychic medium friend. The characters were created by Neil Gaiman, with links to the Sandman Universe.
Currently Wondering: Why I love lighting fires so much! I love love love setting fires when we stay in mountain cabins, and can overheat a room quicker than you can say ‘Hey Jen, wonder if that’s enough logs now.’ Spoiler alert - it never is.
Wishes for the Week
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, friend!
I think it’s time you booked yourself a holiday. You’ve earned it. I suggest checking out the Sunshine Coast Hinterland for your next getaway - so many places to stay! Check out Fishbird Central for some accommodation suggestions, and stay tuned for a review of our most recent holiday escape.
If no-one’s told you lately, you’re pretty great.
Stay cool, punks.
‘Fifty is the new Twenty-One!’ - Dame Judy Dench (probably)
Jen x