This week our Tea Tree Plaza team feature their favourite books under our Spotlight!
Is your favourite here?
A Dog’s Purpose by W B Cameron:
Toby the dog begins life as a stray born on the streets with his family. Only for them to be picked up and taken to a dog shelter run by a caring lady called Senora.
Unfortunately the shelter is unlicensed and Senora gets arrested leaving all the dogs to be taken to the local pound. Sadly to be later put to sleep.
To his amazement Toby is reborn in a puppy mill as a beautiful Golden Retriever named Bailey. One day Bailey escapes & is picked up and left to die in a hot vehicle. He is rescued by a lady just in time who takes him home to her family and introduces him to her 8year old son named Ethan. Bailey and Ethan become best friends as they spend many happy years hanging out, playing games and going on adventures.
His next incarnation is as a female German Shepherd called Ellie. Whose purpose is as a police search and rescue dog which she loves doing until one day she is injured.
Finally we see his real purpose become clear as he finds himself reborn as a black Labrador called Buddy.
This book is written through a dog’s eyes and will make you smile, laugh and cry as we see every dog really does have a purpose in life, not just to love and protect their humans.
If you have ever loved a dog this is a must read of the true unconditional love that they give. – Julie
The Fabulous Friend Machine by Nick Bland:
Nick Bland who you are probably more familiar with from his Cranky Bear series has captured the modern day “stranger danger” for toddlers and all ages exceptionally well.
A chicken affectionately called Popcorn ventures into the world of “online” and we follow her footsteps as she learns that not all “friends” are true. A easy tool for parents to start the conversation about online awareness and still have a chuckle about why that chicken did cross the road.
Delightfully illustrated and well thought out with lessons for all of us. – Melanie
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf:
Written almost a century ago, the relevance of Woolf’s essay in 2017 is remarkable. A short and empowering read, this book highlights the struggles of women in pursuing education and the arts, as Woolf examines the history of social and legal obstacles women faced leading up to her own experience studying in a university. Looking at the limitations placed on women throughout history she encourages the modern woman to embrace every opportunity available to them now, and use them to follow their passions to honour the women who couldn’t.
I’d definitely recommend this read to any fans of modern feminist writers such as: Roxane Gay, Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, and Clementine Ford. – Kirsty
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski:
The Last Wish is the prequel to the book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski that spawned one of the most loved and immersive fantasy game series in the world, The Witcher. As those already familiar with the game would know, the Witcher Saga follows Geralt of Rivia, a white-haired monster slayer, better known in this world and in the books namesake as a Witcher. The books are set during a turmoil political period on the Continent, where Geralt, who once fought monsters for coin, finds himself increasingly dragged into the issues of the warring kingdoms of the Continent; as those in positions of power find themselves wanting his Witcher Senses at their disposal. The Last Wish however is a series of short stories, each chapter broken up by a more continuous plot that helps set up the world, with each chapter regaling us with some of Geralt’s most famous exploits and giving us backstory on how he met some of the colourful…or dark characters that become regular fixtures throughout the series. I found myself completely immersed in Andrzej world, with touches of European and polish mythology that can be outright horrifying, and political plots that rival that of George R. R. Martin it is a series that all fans with an interest in medieval European fantasy should find themselves devouring, and to those who have played the games I hardly need to make an argument to you other than you will discover why CD Projekt Red decided to turn this dark but immersive world into a video game. I recommend this book and its subsequent series for fans of authors such as Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin, and of course Tolkien. – Ashley
