Book Review: The Children Act

I have just read Ian McEwan’s latest novel, The Children Act. Ian McEwan is one of my favourite authors and you may be familiar with some of his earlier work Atonement, On Chesil Beach and Amsterdam to name a few.

I really enjoyed this gentle thought provoking read. The book is set primarily in London. In it we meet Fiona Maye, a leading High Court Judge who presides over the Family Court. She is an intelligent, sensitive wise middle aged woman .Her private life has hit a bumb and her marriage is in 

crisis however her professionalism remains strong. She is presiding over a fascinating case in which she is to rule over wether the forced life saving hospital intervention should overrule the wishes of the patients parents. The patient is only seventeen years old and still a minor in the courts eyes. The treatment goes against the religious beliefs of the family involved. Quite a moral dilemma ! Her judgement has consequences not only for the patient but also for Fiona.

It is quite a short novel and you will have it read within two to three hours but it stays with you once finished.

Books for new born babies

 

Many people come into the shop and ask about books for presents for new born babies.

According to Jackie French (Australian Children’s Laureate 2014 ) “ If you want your children to be more intelligent read them books” so we need to be reading to our children from birth.

There is nothing nicer than curling up with your baby or toddler and reading some favourite stories. You are sharing words and language and pictures and fun, you are teaching focus and concentration. You are introducing your child to the magical world of stories , sparking their imagination and nurturing their use of language.

 So surround your children with books. Establish a routine … stories before bedtime or naptime.

Read , reread and reread the children’s favourites and have fun. There are so many wonderful books out there. Here are a few of my current favourites

 Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester: This is a beautiful story about all you wish for your children. It has amazing illustrations and lilting text. Every page has something magical to look at , something familiar yet special. Alison Lester is a fomer Australian Children’s Laureate andhas written numerous books for children. When in doubt look for her books, they are all fabulous.

Mem Fox makes the trio of Children’s Laureates, her new book Baby Bedtime which is illustrated by Emmay Quay is another book which just cries out to be read aloud. It is perfect for young children and the drawings of the elephant family enchanting.

Turn off the technology, grab a book and curl up and enjoy the precious timewith your child …. they will thank you later.

The things I love about having a Bookshop…

 

1. My customers : I love chatting to people about books, learning from them and discovering new authors and books. I love discovering new books and reading about the new books to be released.
2. I love trying to match the right book with the customers. Discovering what they have enjoyed in the past and trying to anticipate what they might enjoy next.
3. I love seeing children enjoying coming into the shop and feeling comfortable here.- knowing where to look for things they enjoy.
4. I love seeing parents buying books for their children., delighting in the memories of books they have loved themselves or being open to new suggestions.
5. I love the excitement of unpacking new books … the smell, the touch the look of new books.
6. I love our bookclub, which meets once a month. We share a glass of wine and lively discussion.

About Us

Wise Words Bookshop is an independent bookstore located in Moree, centre of Australian cotton production on the rich wheat growing plains of North West NSW and home to the famous Artesian Bore Baths.

Since opening in November 2010 Wise Words has been supplying customers of all ages with an extensive range of books. We stock the latest in modern fiction as well as the classics and everything in between. If are interested in biographies, history, food and wine, gardens, travel,fashion,design, photography, art and Australiana we can find a book to suit. We have a passion for children’s books and stock a huge range of books suitable for babies through to teens.

We specialise in good old fashioned customer service so, if you can’t find what you are looking for our knowledgeable and friendly staff will order it for you. We are all keen readers ourselves so we are only too happy to make suggestions and discuss books. If you are looking for a present for a friend we provide gift vouchers and offer free gift wrapping. We are also happy to arrange delivery across Australia.

Come and see us if you are in Moree – we would love to see you and talk books.

 

How we differ from Amazon

We are a community inspired bookshop. We try to engage with our customers and meet the needs of our loyal customers.

We provide personal service, our staff are all well read and are happy to offer advise on the latest great read or a suitable book for a two year old. We love books and our knowledge comes for free.

We gift wrap making it easy and quick for our customers.

 We try to support our local authors and provide events to promote our talented scribes and introduce there new books.

We love being part of the community and sponsor many events and donate generously to local events and charities.

 We love Moree and our little strip of shops in Heber Street , we try to encourage people to shop locally so that we can all remain in business.

We may not be as competitive in price because we cannot possibly compete with their buying power but we are here with a wide variety of books that you can touch , feel and smell.

 

At the Beginning….

It is four years since the doors opened at Wise Words Bookshop and so to celebrate I have decided to start a blog. … a few wise words from the old owl from Wise Words.

You may wonder why I opened the shop , sometimes I ask myself the same question. I was fortunate to work at the Dust Jacket , which had a lovely shop here in Moree but sadly due to other commitments of the owners it closed. Moree was without a place to buy books. I took the plunge , having always had a love of books and reading I embarked upon the adventure that Wise Words has become. I had never been in business before but I had great advise from Corrie Perkin , a wonderful enthusiastic bookseller from Melbourne. She has an amazing bookshop in Toorak and Corrie ( an ex journalist ) has a true passion for books and generously shared her knowledge with me . She has been in business one year longer than me. I walked into her store and thought this is what I want to do.

I came home inspired , I found my dear little shop in Heber Street, ordered some books and opened the doors.

What fun it has been. I have great staff in particular Xandra Makim, who is such a star. She is well read , very organized and great fun , a perfect combination. Come in and see us , we love to share our store .

 

Empty shelves ready for books

Meeting Corrie in Melbourne

The first books being unpacked