Hi there!

How are we all going with this new crazy, weird world we've found ourselves inhabiting for the last little while? Up here on the hill, the teenagers are home doing their remote learning with all of us biting our nails as to whether the monthly satellite internet allocation is going to last. Our once a week Netflix movie Friday "Takeaway-at-home" night has had to come to a pause, while we figure out how much schooling via the internet is going to eat up the 60GB + 10GB of peak-time data we have for the month.  Of course, the swimming has also stopped along with the hill climbs and cattle camps and a myriad of other extracurricular activities. The children are very sad, and I am too, because I love being involved in all their activities and we do have a lot of fun. That said, it's lovely not to be on the road in the wee hours of morning and we are getting so much done here at home. Katie and I have been busy breaking in our BEAUTIFUL Speckle Park heifer calves. I know, to be taken seriously as a cattle breeder, I shouldn't say they're 'cute'. So don't tell anyone, but THEY ARE SO FREAKIN' CUTE, IT'S RIDICULOUS!

I love the Speckle Parks. They perform so well, stand up to the tough seasons, and produce fabulous calves with great carcase characteristics. And yep, THEY'RE SO FLAMIN' CUTE! (Shhhhhh ... )They're also very quiet which is a big plus for us. I hold temperament as one of my five top cattle selection attributes. We now have another seven cows left to calve to a top PB Canadian Speckle Park bull, with our one stud Hereford (Katie's Bella) due as well. This calf will be the fifth Hereford for Katie's Karinya Hereford Stud and she is seriously hoping for another heifer. I just want to see all the new arrivals safely on the ground with happy healthy mums!

We've also had a wonderful 36mm of rain up to Thursday morning, which is making me ever so happy as it was starting to get very dry again.

Anyway, enough farming talk! I've also managed to read a couple of books! Which leads me to my topic of choice today. Mother's Day. Did you see the meme doing the round on on social media that Dad's can't rely on schools to come up with a Mother's Day creation this year? So, I'm here to save them. Perhaps they'd like to get really excited and buy you at least three, maybe four books for delivery into your hands on Mother's Day morn. I mean, we mums have all been juggling a lot of hats lately. I don't know about you, but with three older kids at home, and the supermarket shopping restrictions in place, trying to keep the pantry stocked has been a challenge! My oven seems to have been going for at least four hours a day ... or maybe it just seems like that?

Mother's Day! Focus woman!

Okay. So I've done a little research and come up with quite a few options for all you rural fiction lovers, women's fiction readers, plus a few more I have to mention because I'm putting them on my own list to fling around in front of the fam-bam and hope they take notice!

For the rural fiction lovers;

Quite a few of your fav rural authors (also lovely friends of mine), have books out now or in the next few months ...

Karly Lane, known as "Rural Fiction's Favourite Daughter", has another new book out this week called 'Fool Me Once'. Karly's story output has me completely in awe.

Fleur McDonald, our rural crime/mystery author, has released the third book in her Dave Burrows series, 'Red Dirt Country'. Fleur assures me you can still read this one even if you haven't read the previous two.

Rachael Johns, also a prolific writer, has just released 'Something to Talk About', in a return to the rural romance genre which should cause great excitement amongst her fans.

Nicole Alexander released 'The Cedar Tree' in March. H absolutely loves Nicole's books! They're always merticulously researched and very well written.

Alissa Callen's, 'The Boundary Fence' came out in January. Alissa lives on a farm in Central NSW and is a lovely person and writer, if you haven't come across her books before.

Other books that have caught my eye;

'The Beautiful Mother' by Katherine Scholes. If you love books set in Africa, this one's for you. Words like 'powerful', 'beautiful' and 'fulfilling,' are being used to describe this novel set in Tanzania.

'The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan' by Lisa Ireland, is getting some very good reviews. It's also a book brought to your bookshelf by my own publisher, the wonderful, Beverly Cousins, so I'm a little biased. I've definitely put this one on my Mother's Day list!

'The Giver of Stars' by JoJo Moyes. I'm LOVING my current read and dragging it out bites at a time like a delicious box of chocolates, savouring this story based on the horse-back librarians of the mountains of Kentucky. LATE NOTE: I finished it this morning and I ADORED IT!!! A FIVE STAR READ.

'Gulliver's Wife' by Lauren Chater. The cover of this one is divine. "One woman's journey to the edge of love and loyalty" (Booktopia), this book is getting rave reviews.

'The Dictionary of Lost Words' by Pip Williams. Touted by 'Better Reading' as "... one of the most remarkable debuts you'll ever read",  I've jumped the gun and already bought this one as I loved the sample on iBooks.

'Who We Were' by B.M. Carroll, is also in all good bookstores. Liane Moriaty, author of the international bestseller, 'Little White Lies', says Ber's books are "addictive". I'm really looking forward to reading this mystery/thriller.

'Maggie's Going Nowhere' by Rose Hartley, was also a good read. Different and quirky, the caravan clad cover really caught my eye and I'm glad I gave into the impluse to buy.

'The Paris Secret' by Natasha Lester. A stunning cover on this one as well. They do say around 90% of choices are made on the cover appeal! An excellent author, Natasha's books would appeal to the historical fiction lovers too.

For the Dervla McTiernan book lovers, 'The Good Turn' has been released and I'm told it's a better reading experience if you've read 'The Ruin' and 'The Scholar' first.

Fiona Lowe, a former Mills & Boon author, has jumped into women's fiction with another release, 'Just An Ordinary Family', earlier this year. I haven't read it yet, but a visitor to Gippsland, Fiona has set this book around the Gippsland Lakes.

Some Favourite Authors with releases coming soon;

Mandy Magro's, 'The Stockman's Secret' is out on May 18.

Maya Linnell, (a new voice in rural romance) has released the smaller version of her debut novel 'Wildflower Ridge', in preparation for the release of her second book 'Bottlebrush Creek'; out on June 2

And Fiona Palmer has a new novel, 'Tiny White Lies' arriving on the shelf on August 25. Can't wait for this one!

... and the delightful MONICA McINERNEY!!! has a newbie coming. I love Monica's books and will be waiting for 'The Godmothers' due out on September 29, 2020, with great anticipation. It's published just in time for my birthday. WINNING!

For those who love biographies;

'Becoming' by Michelle Obama, I'm told, is a wonderful read

Self Help, anyone?

'You've Got This' - The life changing power of trusting yourself by Margie Warrell, is acutally,  ...  life changing. I love Margie's books, and the fact she grew up on a dairy farm at Nungurner and then went onto conquer the world, is testament to her wonderful and encouraging words.

Any Regenerative Farmers out there?

Nicole Masters' book 'For Love of Soil'. After doing a Zoom Webinar with Nicole recently, I've ordered this book. It sounds like a fabulous, informative read and resource for the agriculturalist. A book reviewer and farming friend, Phillip Boote, who is a great lover of rural fiction, also recommended Nicole's book to me. Seeing I need to know more about our soil, to grow the grass to feed our cattle, I was in!

SO, that's a few ideas for the family of a book lover, like you and me, to ponder over ...

As to actually getting your books, seeing not many of us are leaving home, I'm positive if you ring your local bookstore they will post the book/s out. If you're in Gippsland, give the likes of Collins Booksellers Sale (51446262), Just Books in Bairnsdale (51525181) and Lakes Entrance (51552618) or the Reader's Emporium in Traralgon (51764620) a call. I'll bet they can help deliver to your door, or post box, or even your re-purposed roadside 20 litre drench drum.

Happy 'flinging your list around'!

Love

Margareta xo