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Dot and the Kangaroo
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun
Category: Book set in a place you've never been/want to visit

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017
Category: Book about an animal/or animal in Title

 I'm giving this book 4 stars. I enjoyed it so much. Dot gets lost in the Australian Bush and is befriended by a Kangaroo. She meets many creatures while trying to find her way back home. I loved the descriptions of the Bush and the creatures that live there. This is a really good children's book, and the only problem I had with it is that all humans are demonized. There is no distinction made between poachers and those who hunt for food. I have always wanted visit Australia, even though some things about Australia terrify me, for example, killer spiders. I actually used to watch the Dot movies when I was a kid. I had no idea that it was based on this book until I was looking for books to read for the Challenges. I'm really glad I found it!
  
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Kate (355 KP) rated Secret City in TV

Apr 6, 2019  
Secret City
Secret City
2019 | Mystery
Came across this on Netflix and thoroughly enjoying it, completely different to what I normally watch. Am about half way through series one and is compelling. It is a political drama based in Australia with twists and turns, the only problem is that I keep expecting the unusual to happen as Anna Torv plays the main role of a journalist but those into sci-fi may remember her from the series Fringe and to be honest I haven’t seen her in anything else.
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Missing in Books

May 10, 2018  
Missing
Missing
Jenni Boyd | 2012
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Blake Stanley needs a new housekeeper. Terry Johnson isn't exactly what he expected when he picked her up from the airport. Terry, along with her son Dale have come to help Blake and his son, Brad with the day to day operations around their home in the outback of Australia. From the moment Blake first lays eyes on Terry, he can tell there is something different about her and her son Dale is unlike any other little boy he has ever met. When Blake gets a frantic call from Dale while out on a muster, he hurries back to the homestead to find Terry lying on the ground in a pool of blood with Dale no where to be found. What is this lady into and where is Dale? Sent on a wild chase all throughout Australia, and finding out things about the past he should never know, Blake is determined to find out who Terry is and where Dale is.

Missing is a good book based in Australia. With so many twists and turns, you are never sure where you are headed next. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering what is going to happen next. There are a few parts of the book that get confusing at times and I had to read over these a couple of times. There are a lot of components to keep track of which adds to the confusion. Overall, though, this is a book that is a good read.

**I was given this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.**
  
The Mother Fault
The Mother Fault
Kate Mildenhall | 2021 | Dystopia
8
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dystopia is my catnip. I can’t resist it. But as I’ve said before, I have to be careful how much of it I read (overactive imagination alert!). And even more so with these dystopian novels that seem plausible and could actually happen sooner than you think!

The Mother Fault is one of these books. It’s set in the not too distant future in Australia - but a very different Australia. The country seems to be under the control of an organisation called BestLife. They even make sure that babies are implanted with a chip. The adults all have them, and life is made more difficult for those who opt out.

Mim’s husband goes missing whilst working in a mine in Indonesia. But instead of care and support, BestLife respond by asking for Mim’s and her children’s passports, offering to ‘take care’ of the children. It’s a barely veiled threat.

Mim responds by trying to drive away as far and as fast as she can. Everywhere she goes, she’s surveilled, and everyone she sees or visits is in danger.

The descriptions of an Australia ravaged by climate change are haunting. The decisions Mim makes can be questionable, but that just makes it more interesting!

It’s a really tense read, I continually felt that they would be caught, even when they were at sea (especially so really, because who would be there to witness whatever BestLife would do?!).
The part of the book that took place in the boat was so frustrating at times, and really helped to put the reader in Mim’s shoes.
This was a great read, and I’ve added another writer to my watch list!!
  
Dangerous Crossing
Dangerous Crossing
Rachel Rhys | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Intoxicating (2 more)
Easy Read
Interesting Characters
This is my first historical fiction and I have to say I surprisingly enjoyed it.
Lilian Shepard has decided to get on a ship to start afresh in Australia, she has to escape from the awful reminders of something awful that has happened to her.

During the trip she makes friends with a group of people from all different backgrounds and classes. Its all so new and exciting to begin with. By the end of the voyage, two people are dead.
  
The Boys of Summer (Summer, #1)
The Boys of Summer (Summer, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars

So I didn't realise this was set in Australia, it made a nice change from American stories, though the names for some items had me guessing for a short while

I enjoyed the storyline but it also kinda annoyed me in a way. I got a lot of where Tess was coming from with Toby but I don't think I agreed with the Sean bit. It was a change once more from the usual conflict in these sort of stories...But nope. Sorry.
  
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Spreadsheet in TV

Jun 27, 2022  
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
2021 | Comedy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Some funny moments (2 more)
Katherine Parkinson
Short length episodes
Some slow episodes (0 more)
Hit and Miss Comedy show
A quirky sex comedy featuring a divorced Mum who keeps a Spreadsheet of her sexual encounters with the help of a work colleague. Set in Australia, only 8 episodes and they tend to only be around 25 minutes long. Can be very funny at times but a few slow episodes. The lead actress is funny though. If you need short length episodes to pass the time, it's OK.
  
A Rising Man
A Rising Man
Abir Mukherjee | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantastic historical crime thriller
It's a rarity to find a historical crime thriller based in a country other than the US, UK or Australia so this was a refreshing welcome. Abir Mukherjee does a fabulous job of bringing Kolkata to life and bringing in a protagonist who is sympathetic to the 'natives'.

As someone with roots in Kolkata and having lived there for many years, it was wonderful to remember the humdrum of India. And more importantly weaving in some of the hypocrisy found during colonialism to make it a realistic account.
  
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Stephanie (1 KP) rated Big Little Lies in Books

Jan 19, 2018  
Big Little Lies
Big Little Lies
Liane Moriarty | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.6 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
Strong lead characters (1 more)
Plot development
Nothing (0 more)
Girl Power
I read this book before the mini series and have to say as per normal the book wins hands down. It takes place in Australia and the main character is not your typical main character, she is the one that is awkward and chunky and different but all the rest of the story flows around her. The story flows and is hard to put down the ending is a bit expected but not as or how you would have expected it. Really enjoyed this book.
  
Mutant Message Down Under
Mutant Message Down Under
Marlo Morgan | 1994 | Fiction & Poetry, Mind, Body & Spiritual
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"In my opinion, this book is not fiction, but read it as anything you like. An average kind of white woman flies off to Australia thinking she’s about to be given some kind of award by the indigenous people. She gets there, and they give her one—only it is not what she expected. In teaching her who they are, they initiate her into the deeper mysteries of life. If this book were a breeze, it would blow you over. It’s even better hearing the author on tape."

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