Review: The Full Moon Coffee Shop

Title: The Full Moon Coffee Shop

Author: Mai Mochizuki

Publisher: 27th August 2024 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 240 pages

Genre: Japan, Magical Realism, fantasy, cats

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…

My Thoughts

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is a magical novel about a Kyoto pop-up café that will suddenly appear (no set location or hours) to people needing advice and guidance in their life. Out of this cafe come talking cats, consulting astrological charts. 

‘In the middle of the temple grounds was what looked like a mobile coffee shop … Just then, a large tortoiseshell cat wearing an apron emerged from the truck and set out a sign. The sign read: The Full Moon Coffee Shop.’

The cafe suddenly appears to select people who have lost their way in life and the cats not only serve food and drink but also a reading from the character’s astrological chart. This will assist them to overcome their current obstacle and guide them once more in the right direction. It’s a cute and very quick read about understanding what motivates us and channeling that to lead a fulfilling life. 

‘And that is the story of the strange moonlit night on which I learned to know myself - and finally move forward with my life.’

If you like cats and you like astrology and you are a fan of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Days at the Morisake Bookshop and Butter, then you are in for a treat. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Dirrayawadha

Title: Dirrayawadha

Author: Anita Heiss

Publisher: 31st July 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 352 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Romance

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Miinaa was a young girl when the white ghosts first arrived. She remembers the day they raised a piece of cloth and renamed her homeland ‘Bathurst’. Now she lives at Cloverdale and works for a white family who have settled there.

The Nugents are kind, but Miinaa misses her miyagan. Her brother, Windradyne, is a Wiradyuri leader, and visits when he can, bringing news of unrest across their ngurambang. Miinaa hopes the violence will not come to Cloverdale, but she knows Windradyne is prepared to defend their Country if necessary.

When Irish convict Daniel O’Dwyer arrives at the settlement, Miinaa’s life is transformed again. The pair are magnetically drawn to each other and begin meeting at the bila in secret. Dan understands how it feels to be displaced, but they still have a lot to learn about each other. Can their love survive their differences and the turmoil that threatens to destroy everything around them?

My Thoughts

I read and absolutely adored Anita’s book of three years ago, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). It was groundbreaking and so memorable that I was therefore eager to read her latest, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up). This is a work of fiction, an interpretation of life for Wiradyuri people and others on the land in the 1820s.

‘You can’t discover a country that has people in it, Jack - that’s not discovery. That’s invasion.’

Anita is doing a wonderful job of (rather sadly it has to be so) introducing history through the eyes of the Indigenous. So much of the past and what we learned at school was solely through the eyes of the colonisers. Anita states that, ‘My goal here was/is to give not just a broad understanding of the overall impact of the invasion and settlement of Bathurst but, importantly, the blatant disregard it entailed for Wiradyuri life and sovereignty’. What is not only unique but very clever with this story is how Anita made the link between her Irish characters and what had been their desire for autonomy to that of Wiradyuri sovereignty. It makes it relatable to so many. 

‘Then how can we agree to fighting for our own sovereignty and rights back home but deny the rights of the people here? What about their sovereignty?’

There is much to love about this book. I love that Anita used traditional language, not only in the title, but throughout the entire book. I love that it is the perfect melding of fact and fiction. I love the characters and how each has a role to play in making this story the captivating sensation that it is. I love how much I learnt about Australian indigenous people and their great affinity with this incredible land. 

‘We must be prepared.’ Windradyne stops and takes Dan by the arm firmly. ‘For what?’ ‘Dirrayawadha. To rise up and fight.’

This book … it will make you angry, it will make you sad but overall you will be a better person for having read it. Such a wonderful book for not only all Australians but anyone interested in Indigenous cultures and their rich yet often tragic tale. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Oxenbridge King

Title: The Oxenbridge King

Author: Christine Paice 

Publisher: 31st July 2024 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 335 pages

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Imagine, if you the lost soul of King Richard III; a talking raven; a lost, lonely angel; and Molly Stern - heartbroken, grieving, a bit stroppy and definitely not feeling herself.

When the worlds of the lost soul of a King and the angel sent to collect him collide messily with the 21st century world of Molly Stern, anything can happen. Hilary Mantel meets Sarah Winman, with a dash of Neil The Oxenbridge King is endearing, quirky, tender, lyrical and magical - and entirely original.

The lost soul of Richard III is trapped in the afterlife, below the last Abbey he visited while alive. Though his soul has been between worlds for hundreds of years, up in the real world, it's 2012 and Molly Stern has a broken heart from losing her father and a recent breakup. Leaving London, Molly goes home to seek solace from her Aunt Peggy and Uncle Frank in Oxenbridge, but there are strange noises in the basement of her childhood house, and Peggy and Frank seem to have domestic troubles of their own, and nothing feels right. When the soul of Richard III is startled from the Abbey catacombs and the angel sent to collect him goes missing in action, all their worlds messily and unexpectedly collide, with surprising and definitely unexpected consequences.

Inspired by the discovery of the bones of Richard III found buried underneath a car park in the UK, award-winning poet Christine Paice has fashioned a beautiful, singular, warm and funny novel that weaves in and out of time and space and possibility. The Oxenbridge King is a love story, a meditation on what survives of us when we're gone, and how, in the end, love and family is everything.

My Thoughts

Let me be honest from the outset. I am on a bit of a King Richard III binge. Ever since finishing Annie Garthwaite’s novels I have become obsessed with learning more about this King - the last English king to lose his life in battle. Annie portrayed Richard in such a modest way that would make many historians fire up in opposition - especially Shakespeare and his damning play.Therefore when this intriguing book came up promising an engaging spin - I was in!

‘The king with a crown that didn't belong to him, but all kings had blood on their hands. That's how they stayed king.’

The Oxenbridge King is such a unique and extremely satisfying read and, I promise, no prior knowledge on Richard III is necessary - but it certainly does increase the enjoyment. Inspired by the actual discovery of Richard III’s bones this book is a fantastical journey if you allow yourself to swim with the tide. With Richard’s soul trapped he is reliant upon a talking Raven (his link between heaven and earth) to become free and ascend to the afterlife. Yet, Richard is a very, very minor player in this tale. 

‘Life happens, we're all caught and tugged by desires we claim not to know anything about.’

This is a tale of the contemporary characters and it is warm and funny, full of love and forgiveness in this life. No major events here except how souls can become lost when on earth and learning about the things that give us direction and make us feel love, getting us back on the right path. At first I thought,’this is a bit weird’ but then I just went with it and found it truly delightful. 

‘… maybe one day we'll discover the great villain of history isn't so bad after all.'

If you are looking for something that is left of centre, a retelling from a different direction with a touch of magic then look no further. As the blurb promises, Oxenbridge King is ‘tender, lyrical, surprising, and magical - think Sarah Winman with a dash of Neil Gaiman’. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

 

Review: A Girls' Guide to Winning the War

Title: A Girls' Guide to Winning the War

Author: Annie Lyons

Publisher: 30th June 2024 by Hachette Australia/Headline Review

Pages: 344 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Can two young women, and one book, change the course of war . . .?

1940. Whip-smart librarian Peggy Sparks is determined to make sure that her brother Joe returns from the frontline to their London home, which they share with their beloved mother and grandmother. So when she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime job at the heart of the war effort, Peggy jumps at the prospect of making a real contribution to her country. 

But when she finds herself working under the fanciful socialite Lady Marigold Cecily, Peggy discovers that those around her are more keen on dancing at the Café de Paris than on ending the war. Writing accounts of her daily life is the only thing keeping Peggy's hopes alive. But when she finds her inner-most thoughts accidentally published by the Ministry of Information, Peggy realises she needs Marigold's help to save her job, and to bring her brother home . . .

From the author of The Air Raid Book Club comes a powerful tale of unexpected friendship, community and two remarkable women who change the course of the war. Full of heart, emotion and drama, it is the perfect uplifting story for fans of Kate Thompson and Natasha Lester.

My Thoughts

A Girls' Guide to Winning the War is a story of the love of family, female friendships and the power of the written word. Set during World War II readers will follow Peggy as she contributes to the war effort through the publication and writing of pamphlets and books to keep up morale on the homefront.

‘The war has offered a great opportunity to us and we would have been fools not to take it.’

Overall this is a lovely, heartwarming read about women on the home front in London and how families coped with bombings, rationing, taking on new roles and the importance of letters from loved ones at the front. The friendship between Peggy and Marigold highlights class differences and how friendship knows no bounds. 

‘Words have power, and yours have more power than most.’

This is a nice, charming story about the power of love from family and friends during challenging times. Lovers of historical fiction, particularly the changing roles of women during WWII will be most interested in this book. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.