Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: country

  • Coming Home to Starr’s Fall

    Coming Home to Starr’s Fall

    Coming Home to Starr’s Fall is a slow, but very comfortable read, perfect for a lazy day at home or on the beach when you want something to read that is somewhat romantic, with an easy to follow plot line and very few surprises.

    Laurie Ellis has left the city life behind in a quest to find somewhere she can call home. She has rented an empty store in the little town of Starr’s Fall where she hopes to set up her own business, that of Pet Store and Bakery; the bakery is for dog treats.

    She is filled with hope and anticipates finally beginning to consider her life is something other than one of loneliness. When her rental vehicle breaks down seven miles from the township she is rescued by Annie, a farmer in the area whose family have lived and farmed there for many generations.

    Arriving in the town she realises that it really is a sleepy little town with many of the business closed for some time, leaving, sad empty storefronts looking onto a very quiet main street. Unlocking the door to her new home is filled with hope and emotion.

    Her little dog Max, never very brave, escapes to the bookstore over the road, somehow coming face to face with one very snooty Persian cat. In an attempt to rescue Max, the very grumpy but very good looking owner Joshua Reilly, is left looking at an even bigger mess in his store, as the cat topples over several stacks of books; not the best way to get to know your neighbour, thinks Laurie!

    Laurie is also holding a secret and she has chosen to come to Starr’s Fall for more than one reason, but will she be able to discover that she craves to know or will it remain forever a mystery?

    Kate Hewitt has commenced a new series with this lovely little town as the centre of what will be a series of ‘coming home’, beginning again and community which will be delightful and most enjoyable.

  • I’ll Cry for Yours (Will You Cry for Mine) SINGLE

    I’ll Cry for Yours (Will You Cry for Mine) SINGLE

    I’ll Cry For Yours (Will You Cry For Mine), sung by award winning Country Folk vocalist Miko Marks, gives this heartbreaking set of lyrics penned by Alice Randall, a rich, deep, Blue’s feeling reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin.

    Sensual, and full of feeling this is a song that not only tells a story, but does it in a style which is synonymous with many of the African American singers as their music, their songs come from a place deep, deep within.

    Marks considers much of her music is sung to help heal, to reach out. With this particular song she achieves this with authenticity and a wonderfully soothing delivery, backed with some very, very nice instrumental’s as she shares a mothers grief for her dead son.

    I’ll Cry for Yours (Will You Cry For Mine) is a woman’s song, a song of grief, love and despair for the sons lost to society’s ills. It is one song, the words resonating, which will remain with you long after the last note has been delivered.

    I’ll Cry for Yours (Will You Cry for Mine) can also be enjoyed as a music video on YouTube “I’ll Cry For Yours” – Miko Marks ( Official Video) (youtube.com)

  • My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall

    My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall

    My Black Country is a most fascinating and interesting collection of tracks written by Alice Randall, a well-known Black American woman who is amongst many things, a musician and author.  Widely recognized as being one of the most significant voices in 21st century African-American fiction, the only Black woman in history to write both a number one Country song (XXX’s and OOO’s) and an ACM video of the year (Is There Life Out There? starring Reba McEntire) she celebrates this achievement with the release of both her book, and accompanying album.

    Eleven songs make up this collection reflecting country and western influences sung by eleven different artists, each one of the songs portraying aspects of not the just life lead by many Black American women, but also a history of Black American music.

    Small town living, Small Towns (Are smaller for girls) kicks off the body of work, sung by Leyla McCalla, a haunting ballad of a young girl dreaming of a future that is almost within reach; once she leaves her Small Town.

    SistaStrings do a wonderfully up-tempo version of Girls Ride Horses Too, before the somewhat brutal Went For Ride tells of the victimisation of a woman sung with deep emotion by Adia Victoria. Chunky with a fast tempo of Folk and Jazz The Ballad of Sally Ann from Rhannon Giddens is a masterful telling of a lynching and the essences of the ghost and grief left behind; Whose going to dance with Sallye Ann now her Johnny has gone!

    Solitary Hero from Sunny War is a gently delivered tale of Magdalene; a bar-room girl who men pay silver dollars to touch her golden skin, while she dreams of her sheltered child; no joy, no love in her life other than Lady Laudanum.

    Miko Marks changes the emotions with a sultry Blues rendition of I’ll Cry For Yours (Will You Cry For Mine) which gives a nod to Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin in vibe and tempo. A particular favourite in the collection and a true Classic amongst an album of outstanding songs.

    Many Mansions has subtle overtones of gospel sung by Allison Russell with some lovely banjo and harmonica to create a country and western folk piece sharing the plight of the homeless, who dream of a beautiful place to eventually find a home; In my mother’s house there are many rooms……………..

    Saaneah adds a whole lot of soul and a captivating range of vocals to the New Orleans style song, Get The Hell Outta Dodge before Rissi Palmer moves into the catchy Whose Minding The Garden, to ponder the time old questions about planting for the future and looking at what we sow.

    A short, catchy song Dream Big by Valerie June ponders the possibility of whether dreams really can come true, or is it a bit like wishing on a rainbow or maybe and with great good fortune, God is a woman too………….maybe!

    XXX’s and OOO’s looks back at what was the American Girl; sweet, ribbons and bows to what has now become the American girl, anything but ribbons and bows; Women in their own right; funky, up tempo and the perfect piece to draw to a close, a diverse body of songs that captures in so many ways, the lives of not only African American women, but women all over the world; women who still, in today’s world, suffer oppression and fear even though they are considered as modern women.

    My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall offers a diverse range of songs with wonderful backstories captured in each of the pieces. Stories which resonate, showcasing in so many ways music history, as well as the influence of a significant sector of the American people; Black history has had a pronounced bearing not only on the Music Industry but the cultural diversity of a nation.

  • Once Burnt, Twice Shy

    Once Burnt, Twice Shy

    Sam Murphy is hot, tired and dirty, but enjoying herself back on her family’s property in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Having rebuilt her life after a painful divorce, she offers to come home and care for the property while her parents take a much longed for holiday in Europe.

    Her designer jeans are now smeared with mud, her carefully streaked hair bundled into a ponytail and her Dad’s old akubra jammed on her head, and she is loving it. That is except for the ‘bloody guinea fowl’, her mother pride and joy!

    Neighbour Jack Cameron decides to call in make sure Sam is managing OK, which reignites a deep hurt in both Sam and Jack that goes back to their teen years spent as a couple. Both Sam and Jack are now divorced, both have children and both have learned not to trust easily in relationships.

    As the days pass the endless dry heat of the summer draws Sam and Jack together, as does the constant worry about the fires that are burning over the other side of the ridge. Jack is in the Volunteer Fire Brigade and as the fires draw closer to Barrumba, Sam picks up the additional tasks that need to be done over at Jacks’ place while he is away fighting the fires.

    This sets their somewhat delicate relationship on a new level, with both Sam and Jack learning to trust, to both be honest about the hurt of the past and allow fresh new tendrils of a relationship to begin to form once again.

    The fierce summer heat and winds see the fires out of control, roaring across the land, heading towards their properties as well as their many neighbors; the race is on to try and save what they can against the fierce, relentless fires that are devastating the country.

    Once Burnt, Twice Shy has a ring of truth and immense poignancy to the storyline, far more so than Karly Lane’s usual well-crafted stories, as her own home was on the edges of the horrific fires that devastated the country regions of New South Wales, over the summer of 2019-20.

    The townspeople rallying around to help and support, the immense frustration of the farmers as they watch on helplessly, the exhaustion of the fire crews, has been described with first-hand knowledge, as has the emotion felt when the knowledge that there will be no stopping the forces of nature is grimly accepted.

    Well written, and bravely done, as the devastation of the massive fires that swept across Australia during one summer of horror are still very raw, in many ways maybe this is a cathartic telling. Karly Lane looks at the aspects that out of horror can come joy, fresh new beginning can be found and the power of community working to support one another in terrible calamity, stands tall.

    Once Burnt, Twice Shy is I consider, Karly Lane’s best yet, as it has a reality that is almost impossible to portray unless you have experienced the emotions first hand.

  • Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest

    Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest

    Walking In Gagudju Country is set as a journey; the family set off to take a walk around the billabong. As they walk along, they realise that they have no idea how long their walk will take them, and as it an adventure of sorts, they have no idea what they are likely to discover.

    Packing their bags with water, food and matches to boil the billy, they set off into the monsoon forest around the edge of the billabong and it is not long before they discover their first surprise, a tree full of anboyberre, or white bush apples and when one fell into the water, a ngarderrhwo pops his head out to gulp down the tasty treat.

    Walking in Gagudji Country is a wonderfully creative and formulated story of ancient knowledge and words of both indigenous and English language are used with wonderfully descriptive pictures of the birds, animals, reptiles, bushes and trees that can be found to nourish, as well as help support the many creatures that live in the rainforest.

    As the journey unfolds it is amazing what is too discovered. Carefully detailed information is provided along with intriguing pictures on double page spreads, with each of the discoveries having their own details and caricature, before being involved in a large picture of them in their natural environment.

    So much detail has gone into the creation of Walking in Gagadju Country, which makes this a perfect non-fiction book to introduce children of all ages, as well as their parents to ‘language’ and what is considered as an endangered environment, little understood by Europeans, but well understood by the indigenous people who have loved and maintained these special eco systems of thousands of years.

    A glossary at the rear of the book for a quick word reference is an excellent resource. Better known as Kakadu National Park, Walking in Gagudjiu Country is the perfect introduction to the environment and the Kundjeyhmi culture.

    Diane Lucas, Ben Tyler and Emma Long share their knowledge and love of the Top End in this enchanting and accessible book about one of Australia’s most ancient and beautiful ecosystems.  Their fascinating biographies are also at the rear of the book, adding a depth of understanding to the words and pictures that make Walking In Gagudju Country a very special and perfect resource for teachers and schools.

  • To My Country

    To My Country

    The heartbreak of the Australian summer of 2019-2020 was horrific for the people in Australia. For the many Australians living away from their homeland and watching the devastation being wreaked by bushfires, the like never having been experienced before in Australia was not only devastating but emotionally confrontational, as they sat helplessly watching the inferno rage out of control on the television news services; the fact that it was Christmas just added to the angst.

    Ben Lawson has lived away from his beloved Australia for twelve years, returning home for Christmas with his family whenever his filming commitments permitted. From his home in Vancouver, Canada he watched and wept as tragedy after tragedy stuck, feeling a massive sense of helplessness; he felt he needed to be able to do something in some small way to help, but what could be done from so far away!

    Needing an outlet for his grief he sat down and wrote the words to what is To My Country; a wonderful heartfelt ode to the deep bonds and emotion that bind the traveller, the journeyman, the Australian to their country. He recorded the words as they came to mind, nothing fancy, polished or orchestrated, just words straight from the heart. One year on, ‘the poem’ has been listened too more than 200 thousand times, his words reaching out to help soothe and heal.

    When Lawson was approached to turn the clip into a book he was somewhat overwhelmed, but considered the project somewhat of a challenge; a new frontier. Bruce Whatley the illustrator of choice, agreed to fit the work into his already busy schedule with the end result of this collaboration on many fronts is the superb, beautiful and timeless ode To My Country.

    To My Country touches the heart deeply, the words eloquent, elegant and beautiful; the illustrations from Bruce Whatley capture perfectly the summer when Australia burned.

    All proceeds from the sale of To My Country are generously donated to The Koala Hospital at www.koalahospital.org.au

     

     

  • The McCalister Legacy

    The McCalister Legacy

    The old saying ‘Never look back’ is true in Berry McCalister’s case. Looking back brings nothing but immense sorrow laced with sadness and although the tragedy that saw her parent and grandparents killed in what appeared to be a murder suicide occurred many years ago, there are still many questions that may never, ever find an answer.

    The family property needs to be either sold or renovated, so Berry McCalister decides to return to Harlington for one last look, which she hopes will help her and her siblings come to the right decision. Jess and Tom are all for the sale of their parents property but  Berry wants to make sure it is the right thing to do and that perhaps returning will help settle a few of the ghosts that still haunt her from time to time.

    Arriving in Harlington she heads out to the house and is overwhelmed by the emotions of the past, so much so that she makes the decision to stop in town for a little longer, taking a room at a lovely B&B in town.

    Well established big land holders the Tarant’s hold the land on the neighbouring property, Tarantale Downs, a noted horse stud. The Tarant’s had once been close to Berry’s family; Nate was Berry’s childhood crush. When he notices a small red car parked outside the old McCalister property he stops to find out what is going on, surprised to see Berry at the property.

    Decisions need to be made for the future and very slowly Berry comes to the conclusion that the house needs to be restored, and ghosts need to be set free before they can move on with their lives. This decision sets off a train of events which will shatter the myths held about a rich gold vein somewhere on the McCalister property and reveal the truth about her parents and grandparents deaths.

    Can she and Nate build on the tragedy of the past, take a chance on building a future together and accept that sometimes, looking back is the only way to be able to move forward.

    Nicole Hurley-Moore has once again created a wonderful, rich tale in The McCalister Legacy with Berry confronting the devastation of tragedy, the very real desire to discover the truth and the healing power of love to be able to accept the past and begin to build a new future with the love of her life, Nate.

    The McCalister Legacy is heart-warming, captivating and absolutely perfect for a cold, wet, winters day snuggled up in front of the fire.

  • An Alice Girl

    An Alice Girl

    The beauty of An Alice Girl is the passion with which it is told. The story radiates love; love for the family, love for the outback and love for the childhood spent on an outback cattle station. The descriptive writing that Tanya Heaslip uses, brings us into the Australian bush, marveling at the night sky, the wide land, and the commitment by all to succeed.

    Tanya’s story begins with her mother and father. When they married and decided to take up land north of Alice Springs, they had little experience of farming. It is amazing that their commitment was so strong, and their love for each other so understanding. While having babies, Tanya’s mother had to cook for drovers and stockmen. A trip to town took a whole day, so popping to the shop was not an option. She needed to care for the children, prepare the food, tend the chickens and family garden among many other chores. The children felt their childhood to be idyllic, having the freedom to roam far and wide and explore wherever they could. They were each taught to ride at an early age which gave them added freedom.

    Her father, “Boss,” was hard working. He was tough on the children, but with love and good intentions he always persuaded them to do their best. Any cut or injury was treated with kerosene or salt, with a reminder to be more careful next time. Issues with snakes, drought, and broken fences were always current. Because the area of their land was so vast, Dad bought a plane to help him patrol the boundaries and often flew the family, squashed in the tiny plane, to visit neighbours.

    Because Tanya was the oldest child, she needed to care for the younger ones, and did so happily. There are photos in the middle of the book which show a happy and smiling family, with children on horseback, or sitting with their parents. Tanya loved the land so much she felt that she could not live without it, and yet her calling was in the city. Gradually she realised that the land was in her heart and she would carry the feel of it forever.

  • A Year in the Mud and the Toast and the Tears

    A Year in the Mud and the Toast and the Tears

    Sea change, tree change, downsize change all have immense appeal at some time or other in just about everyone’s life; But not many take up the challenge and embrace the change.

    So, when Georgie Brooks and her husband had enough of sweltering through another hot Adelaide summer down on the ‘ plains’, the cheek by jowl living of life in suburbia, when neighbours often shared far more than they ever really wanted to know, the temptation to relocate to the cooler Adelaide Hills proved very tempting indeed.

    This is their story of the first year as newbies living the dream, coming to terms with the reality rather than the image and how, with a husband who is a Doctor at a major Adelaide hospital, a baby and toddler, Georgie Brooks managed to somehow begin to live the dream of mud, toast, tears with the addition of a mischievous cow called Ginger; their first mistake was naming the cows!

    Written with very wry sense of humour, A Year in the Mud and the Toast and the Tears, is a very honest look at what really can and does happen, when a couple of ‘city types’ decide to fall in love with a lovely, picturesque cottage in the Hills, finagling their way into purchasing the property, only to find that along with it being more than 100 years old, it is also the house, and sewage, and electrical, and plumbing systems that ‘Jack’ built.

    Each month is filled with the new experiences discovered on an almost a daily basis, many of them costing money to solve, but many simply learning to manage what, in the magazines and the dreams, looks like the perfect solution to so many things – a Hills change.

    Having a few chickens was terrific, until the Fox broke in one night, leaving only feathers behind; Georgie was in tears the toddler and baby took this disaster in their stride. The cows, fourteen in number bought with the farm, all received names, which was a natural thing to do: unbeknown to them, cows then become pets and unable to be utilised for any other purpose.

    Winter that year saw a record amount of rain falling in the Adelaide Hills: along with the rain came more mud, intense cold, frequent power failures and the steep driveway washing away, making access to and from the house very difficult. A serious dose of winter ‘blues’ set in; not for the first time did Georgie begin to wonder if making a Hills change, was the right thing to have done with such a young family.

    November sees a rant at another aspect of life in the Hills, The MAMIL; a strange lycra clad beastie that appears when the weather clears, believing that they have the absolute right of way at all times on the treacherous, narrow, winding Hills roads! – I totally relate!

    The high points of peace, tranquillity, a glistening night sky, a glass of wine on the veranda in the dusk of the evening and so much more, like making friends with the neighbour, with a ‘real’ tractor, whom cheerfully helped pull her husband and their ‘small’ tractor, out of the mud on one than more occasion in the one day and several times after, all added up to a huge plus as the end of the first year fast approached.

    A Year in the Mud and the Toast and the Tears should be classified as a handbook for everyone, young or old, considering a making a “Tree’ change in their lives and just what that can, and could and does mean, as the days and months roll on as a dream is lived, a new lifestyle adapted and a steep learning curve are undertaken.

    A funny, wry and very, very real look at becoming almost semi- rural!

  • A Country Nurse

    A Country Nurse

    A Country Nurse is not just a book about nursing in the country; it is a great deal more! It is a description of the day to day life of the author, who happened to be a nurse, in some remote locations around Australia.

    Thea Hayes has written a fascinating account of her post ‘An Outback Nurse’ life in her second book “A Country Nurse’. By recording her adventures and her challenges, which result from the ups and downs of life in rural Australia, in an anecdotal style, she captures the interest of her readers. The reader’s curiosity, about life in places they will probably only visit vicariously, is further heightened by descriptions of the towns/districts, their inhabitants and their history.

    Through the pages of the book the author introduces the reader to her friends, family and community: her thirst for a full life sparkles through. Ms. Hayes’ positive outlook and ‘can do’ attitude resonates as the reader becomes absorbed in this book. The natural and family disasters, which impact on her life are recounted in a matter of fact manner, but never dwelled upon.

    This book would have better lived up to its title if the reader was given more than a glimpse of her work as a ‘country nurse’. Greater insight into the rewards and difficulties of rural medicine would have enhanced the reader’s understanding of the author’s professional life.

    A Country Nurse is an easy read and gives the reader a better appreciation of the trial and tribulations of outback living.