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2020 Wrap-Up: In Which I Outdo Myself
Hello my beauties!
Welcome to my last post of the year, where I will wrap my 2020 up. This was, of course, another year of scheduling, both my reads and my posts. I set up my usual goal of one post a week, though I secretly hoped to replicate my 2019 record of 64 posts. Lo and behold, due to a series of circumstances (and to my stubbornness), I was able to surpass my own record and to reach numbers I could only dream of before. That's very unlikely to happen again, and I don't want to push myself further and risk blogging burnout, but heck, it was nice to get there for once. And the best thing is, I'm proud of all the posts I've brought forth. No filler or lukewarm stuff in sight. So hear the story of my most productive blogging year ever (...and no, I'm not bragging, especially since there are bloggers who write the same amount of posts I did this year in three months...I'm just happy).
Pt. 1: This Year in Blogging
As of today, I've been blogging for 8 years and a couple of months 😃.
This is what happened on Offbeat YA during the year, broken down by number of posts, events I took part in, books I reviewed, authors I interacted with and discussion posts I wrote...plus an off-blog, real-life section!
WANNA READ MORE? CLICK ME!
by Roberta R. HAVE YOUR SAY!
Tell Me Something Tuesday: What's Your Blogging Routine?
Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters thrown in for good measure). While Heidi is on an extended hiatus, there are five of us who are hosting it and providing the questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...
WHAT'S YOUR BLOGGING ROUTINE?
Before tackling my actual blogging routine, I'm going to talk about some blogging-adjacent activities, because well, we all know that this thing we do involves a lot more than reading books, brainstorming ideas and producing posts...
Since I work the afternoons Monday to Friday, my blogging activity takes place in the couple of hours between dinner and bedtime and in the weekends. But the first thing I do after breakfast is have a look at my emails, Blogger comments, reading list (that is, new posts from friends), Goodreads, Twitter, NetGalley and Edelweiss accounts. (Plus, eh, the news headlines). If I see something that I need to interact with, I bookmark it for later (but I try to respond to my comments right away). This may take from 30 to 45 minutes, and it's not good for my chores, but I can't start my day unless I know what's going on everywhere LOL 🤷♀. I check on Twitter from work too (because it's quick), but rarely on the other sites - unless my boss is away (I've written whole blog posts at work, but only when he was on vacation or absent for the day).
Categories: Memes/Challenges, Tell Me Something Tuesday
Seanan McGuire: "Juice Like Wounds"
Title: Juice Like Wounds [on Goodreads]
Series: Wayward Children (Note: This is a short story set in the same world as In an Absent Dream - more precisely, a "side-quest" that is only mentioned in the eponymous book - and you can read it for free here. Chronologically book 4.5 in the series)
Author: Seanan McGuire [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural (technically it would be Portal Fantasy, but since I don't have a Fantasy Room on the blog, I decided to shelf this one as Supernatural - that's the closest I could get)
Stars: 3.5/5
Pros: An imaginative look-in-reverse at one of the most common fantasy tropes. Fills in a blank from In an Absent Dream. Gives the reader a different perspective on the Market and its rules.
Cons: Introduces a character we already know we'll lose, and too briefly for her death to have a huge impact.
WARNING! Graphic deaths/gore with children as perpetrators and victims.
Will appeal to: Fans of the Wayward Children series...past and future 😉.
Blurb: In the course of every great adventure there are multiple side-quests. All too often these go unreported, but occasionally we get another window into our heroes' world. In Juice Like Wounds we once again get to meet Lundy, and some of her companions. Lundy's main adventure is detailed in In an Absent Dream, and you should definitely read that. Before or after this tale is up to you. (Goodreads excerpt)
Review: You may ask - what's the point in reviewing a short story that also happens to be a free read? It's not like one has to decide if it's worth one's money or not. But since I'm reviewing the whole series, it just didn't seem right to leave this one out. Also, sorry for going all McGuire on you...again. But at least now I've caught up with reviewing all her book I've read so far bar one!
Categories: * (Stars) 3.5, Creatures, Fantasy, Horror or Gore, MC: Multiple, POV: 3rd Person, Reviews, Short Stories, Supernatural, Troubled Teens
Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Are Your Favourite Posts to Write?
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE POSTS TO WRITE?
My yearly wrap-ups for sure. I get to recap all the most poignant moments of the year and...I don't know...that makes me feel like I did accomplish something? I like to draw a balance? I'm not sure what it is, but I love them! Reviews, instead, are my favourite posts to have written LOL. Sometimes I procrastinate writing them because they feel like a burden for some reason (even if, of course, I opened my blog EXACTLY with the intent of shoving books down people's throats by means of reviews 😂). Sometimes I can't find the right words to start. But when I HAVE written a review, I usually love it to pieces, because I worked hard to make it the best thing I could come up with, and because I poured my heart and soul into recommending a good book (if it was such).
Taste the Books: Review Morsels #20 Danielle Stinson, Kate A. Boorman, Seanan McGuire
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for a blogging event in 2015. And Karen from For What It's Worth started praising my short recs/recaps 😊. Just to be clear, I'm NOT taking a break from writing long reviews - no such luck LOL. But while I'm making up my mind about a new book I've read, I might as well give you the short version 😉. Just be warned - this feature will be VERY random!
Note: all the mini blurbs (in italics) are of my own creation.
Categories: * (Stars) 2.5, * (Stars) 4.5, * (Stars) 5, Review Morsels
Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Organise Your Goodreads Shelves?
HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE YOUR GOODREADS SHELVES?
Nothing fancy here. Apart from your usual Read, Currently Reading and Want to Read main categories, I set up a Not Sure one for books that I need more info about before I commit to buying them. As for the tags proper, I use the same ones as I do on my blog. I see them as a way for other readers to get info about the books, not a way for me to keep track of them. So, they vary from those age-related, to those genre-related, to those about the type of POV or MC (that is, if the lead is female, male, etc.), to those about the hobbies/activities depicted in the story, and more. These are my GR tags/labels if you're curious (in alphabetical order)...
Amelinda Bérubé: "The Dark Beneath the Ice"
Title: The Dark Beneath the Ice [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Author: Amelinda Bérubé [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery
Stars: 3.5
Pros: Frantic, creepy ride, with a twist you won't see coming. Sensitive handling of the coming-into-one's-sexuality theme. Provides an all-too-real social commentary about girls/women.
Cons: Most of the supernatural incidents give off a déjà-vu vibe. The family drama is a bit over the top. A character gets accidentally outed.
WARNING! Mental illness; drowning.
Will appeal to: Fans of classic spooks with an unexpected edge. Unlikely-friends/allies-to-lovers enthusiasts.
Blurb: Something is wrong with Marianne. It's not just that her parents have finally split up. Or that life hasn't been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into the hospital. She's losing time. Doing things she would never do. And objects around her seem to break whenever she comes close. Something is after her. And the only one who seems to believe her is the daughter of a local psychic. But their first attempt at an exorcism calls down the full force of the thing's rage. It demands Marianne give back what she stole. Whatever is haunting her, it wants everything she has - everything it's convinced she stole. Marianne must uncover the truth that lies beneath it all before the nightmare can take what it thinks it's owed, leaving Marianne trapped in the darkness of the other side. (Amazon)
Review: I actually enjoyed this book a tad more when reading it for the second time, hence the added half star. I found that knowing what it was doing actually enhanced my reading experience. That's one of the reasons why I try to read my books at least twice until I write a full review...first impressions are important, but since I'm a strong advocate for rereading, I do my best in order to give a book a second chance at getting the best rating/review I can give it 🙂.
UNCONVENTIONAL BEAUTY
The best thing about TDBTI is that, classic spooks notwithstanding, it ultimately goes in a completely unexpected direction when it comes to both the entity and the reason behind them, and it has something to say about what society (and even family) expects girls to be/act like - not to mention, the harm such expectations can cause. Marianne is trapped into a vicious circle, with an unhappy, mentally strained mother who - despite being unable to cope anymore with the role she's expected to play in her family - doesn't know how to let her daughter choose her own happiness. Add to that a workaholic father (who just left home for good) and a well-meaning but clueless aunt who both still see Marianne as a little girl, not a young woman, and her lack of a social life. So, one wonders, why should the nameless entity who's after her be convinced that Marianne stole something from it and has to give it back? A few answers are on the table, but one by one they get discarded, until the (articulated) reveal that ties in the paranormal and the mundane and doubles as a cautionary tale/social commentary. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 3.5, Dancing, Family Issues, High School, Horror or Gore, MC: Female, Paranormal, POV: 1st Person, Queer, Reviews, Thriller/Mystery, Troubled Teens
Tell Me Something Tuesday: Gratitude. What Books/Authors/Narrators/Bloggers Are You Most Thankful for This Year?
GRATITUDE. WHAT BOOKS/AUTHORS/NARRATORS/BLOGGERS ARE YOU MOST THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR?
Of course, we don't do Thanksgiving in Italy, but I love this prompt, because we all don't say "thank you" nearly enough! I'll keep it short and sweet though...
I'm thankful for all the fellow bloggers who've been my friends in these 8+ years, and for the ones I only met/started interacting with in 2020! and for those who never failed to comment on my posts even when I was slack about reciprocating (you know who you are! and I swear I'll try to be better, because you deserve it 😘).
I'm thankful for all the authors who trusted me with their WIPs and valued my beta-reader abilities - this year my thanks go to Joshua Winning and Edward Aubry!
I'm thankful for Seanan McGuire, who never seems to rest, because she's writing multiple books a year and (as far as I can tell from the ones I've read) all amazing ones! Also, she's a champion of social justice, as you can see by looking at her Twitter (FYI - you'll also find cats and My Mini Ponies galore in it, in case you need something cute and uplifting. Don't we all?).
Speaking of authors, I'm also thankful for Ilsa J. Bick, who replies at once to our Goodreads questions and doesn't mind writing a whole essay when someone asks her about the real-life inspiration behind one of her books (that would be me). [And seriously, read her Dark Passages duology at least! 😉]
Jonathan Sims: "Thirteen Storeys" (ARC Review)
Title: Thirteen Storeys [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Author: Jonathan Sims [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Thriller/Mystery, Afterlife, Supernatural, Horror
Age: I shelved this one as Adult, but it can be read by a 16 y.o., and even by a mature, not overly impressionable 14 y.o.
Pros: Engaging format. A few interesting/unexpected twists on classic haunting tropes.
Cons: Not all the characters are likeable (thought that's kind of the point). The ending, while vivid, is less impactful than the single stories and a bit too convenient.
WARNING! Haunting (ha!) imagery. Gore. Violence.
Will appeal to: Fans of supernatural/horror stories with a mystery edge and a social justice background.
Blurb: A dinner party is held in the penthouse of a multimillion-pound development. All the guests are strangers - even to their host, the billionaire owner of the building. None of them know why they were selected to receive his invitation. Whether privileged or deprived, they share only one thing in common - they've all experienced a shocking disturbance within the building's walls. By the end of the night, their host is dead, and none of the guests will say what happened. His death has remained one of the biggest unsolved mysteries - until now. (Amazon)
Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Gollancz/Orion Publishing Group for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way. Also, in case you don't know, the author is the writer and narrator for the Magnus Archives podcast.
PRETTY LITTLE TWISTS
Thirteen Storeys is, for all purposes, a novel comprised of a series of short stories, each one focusing on one of the tenants of a reclusive billionaire's building, with only the last chapter bringing the whole cast together. I have to admit that short stories can be hit or miss for me, but when there's a connection of sorts between them and they ultimately form a bigger picture, I'm hooked. In this case, I'm also pleased to say that most of the stories, while building on familiar haunting tropes, either put a spin on them or bring something new to the table. Granted, not all the characters are what I would call memorable, and very few of them are genuinely likeable (though most aren't supposed to be); but the crescendo of tension and the clever (if sometimes little) twists in their stories (not to mention, the interplay of associations between them - though most you only manage to catch on a second read) largely make up for that. Also, while all the stories end with a hook to the last chapter, they're remarkably self-contained - especially since the basic reason behind the hauntings becomes apparent early on (but the final chapter will still hold a few surprises in that department). [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 3.5, Adult, Afterlife, Ethics, Horror or Gore, MC: Multiple, POV: 3rd Person, Queer, Reviews, Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery
Seanan McGuire: "The Girl in the Green Silk Gown"
Title: The Girl in the Silk Green Gown [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Ghost Roads (2nd of ?? books)
Genres: Afterlife, Urban Fantasy
Age: 14+ (but I shelved it as Adult because the lead, though technically 16, has been around for decades as a ghost)
Pros: Engaging character voice. Creative spin(s) on a few classic urban legends/classic mythology. Humour, depth and heart.
Cons: If dead characters who hate to be back in flesh (all the relative bodily functions included) and do everything in their power to revert to ghost aren't your jam, chances are you won't like this. (Please note though: attempted suicide is NOT involved).
Will appeal to: Urban legend fans. Readers with a penchant for dead characters who know how to come alive on the page.
Blurb: For Rose Marshall, death has long since become the only life she really knows. She's been sweet sixteen for more than sixty years, hitchhiking her way along the highways and byways of America, sometimes seen as an avenging angel, sometimes seen as a killer in her own right. The man who killed her is still out there, thanks to a crossroads bargain that won't let him die, and he's looking for the one who got away. Rose has worked for decades to make a place for herself in the twilight. Can she defend it, when Bobby Cross comes to take her down? Can she find a way to navigate the worlds of the living and the dead, and make it home before her hitchhiker's luck runs out? (Amazon excerpt)
Review: Afterlife + Seanan McGuire...you all know nothing can go wrong here, don't you? 😉 This is the second installment in the Ghost Roads series, but the first actual novel (the previous book was a short-story collection), and there's already a new one in the making, and from the sound of it the story should be over by then, and I never want it to end.
Rose Marshall's afterlife is a never-ending, more-deadly-than-deadly tug of war with Bobby Cross, the man who killed her but couldn't keep her. At first, Bobby only wanted to fabricate a new ghost to feed to his demonic car; but since Rose managed to escape, all he's ever thought about is revenge. Persephone's blessing (in tattoo form) should keep Rose safe...but something goes wrong, and now the Girl in the Green Silk Gown is alive again and doubly powerless - both as a supposed runaway teen in a world where no one can vouch for her and as a former ghost who doesn't have any protection from Bobby anymore. Except Rose is the girl who needs help but doesn't need saving (MY QUEEN), and leave it to her to find that help in the most unexpected place. This spans an adventure at the junction of the human world and the supernatural one, the kind of adventure that would be entertaining and exciting on its own merits, but that, thanks to the wit and wisdom and humour and heart McGuire infuses her characters with, becomes so much more. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 5, Adult, Afterlife, Creatures, Horror or Gore, MC: Female, Paranormal, POV: 1st Person, Reviews, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Lauren Karcz: "The Gallery of Unfinished Girls"
Title: The Gallery of Unfinished Girls [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Author: Lauren Karcz [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist
Pros: Atmospheric, surprising, with a strong art commentary and a poignant coming-of-age message.
Cons: The side characters might use more depth. If you like spelled-out endings, you won't find one here.
Will appeal to: People who make art. People who don't, but want to peek into an artist's mind. People who like to read about a teen's family dynamics and personal growth. Most of all, people who crave for spellbinding books with a huge twist.
Blurb: Mercedes Moreno is an artist. At least, she thinks she could be, even though she hasn't been able to paint anything worthwhile in the past year. Her lack of inspiration might be because her abuela is in a coma. Or the fact that Mercedes is in love with her best friend, Victoria, but is too afraid to admit her true feelings. Despite Mercedes's creative block, art starts to show up in unexpected ways. A piano appears on her front lawn one morning, and a mysterious new neighbor invites Mercedes to paint with her at the Red Mangrove Estate. At the Estate, Mercedes can create in ways she hasn't ever before. But Mercedes can't take anything out of the Estate, including her new-found clarity. Mercedes can't live both lives forever, and ultimately she must choose between this perfect world of art and truth and a much messier reality. (Amazon)
Review: This is a debut book, but you would never be able to tell. Also, this is a book with less than a thousand ratings on Goodreads, and that, my friends, is a crime. I hope that some of you will get inspired to pick it up and right a wrong after reading my review 😉.
MAGICAL LYRISM
Back when I started blogging, I didn't even know "what" magical realism was (which explains my "contemporary with a twist" label for certain books). Fast forward eight years, and it's become one of my favourite genres, second only to afterlife. What I'm trying to say is, though I wouldn't call myself a MR expert (whereas I claim the title for afterlife 😊), I've read a decent number of books in the category, and TGOUG is one of the most lyrical and exquisite I've ever encountered - plus one that pulled a huge twist on me (yep, this is a "contemporary with a twist" book after all, for more than one reason). I came for the magical mystery (which didn't disappoint - on the contrary, it was more exciting than I expected) and stayed for the art commentary and the teen experience with regard to family, love and life in general. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 4.5, Contemporary with a Twist, Dancing, Family Issues, Gorgeous Prose, M\F Friendship, MC: Female, Music, POV: 1st Person, Queer, Reviews, Visual Arts & Crafts
Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Do You Do for Fun When You Aren't Blogging?
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN WHEN YOU AREN'T BLOGGING?
This is a question that I submitted, but only because I thought it would be a fun prompt, and because I was curious about your hobbies and/or interests outside of blogging. As for me, I, erm, don't have any 😳.
For one thing, I've always been the quiet kid/girl who spends her time reading, writing and listening to music (though lately I'm doing the latter less and less, because when you work as a radio host, it almost feels like bringing work home LOL). I've always hated physical activities. I've never harboured any desire to learn an instrument - I'm perfectly contented with hearing other people play. I can't stand "women's craft". I've never had any affinities with visual arts. (I know...I'm boring LOL).
Now, what I WOULD like to do is explore urban landscapes and castles/fortresses, but I have a complicated home situation that prevents me to do that, so...back to reading and blogging 🤷♀.
Tooting Your Trumpet #16
Some people toot their own trumpet. I mean to toot yours. On the first Sunday of every month, I'm sharing your posts, your sites, anything interesting I stumble upon during my internet vagrancies. This month on TYT...
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DISABLED TEENAGER (a personal/ispirational post on Simone's blog The Wheelchair Teen)
HELPFUL BLOGGING HINTS FOR THE NEW BLOGGER INTERFACE (a series of tips for Blogger users on Mary's blog Dark Thoughts)
THINGS BLOGGERS SHOULD WORRY MORE (AND LESS) ABOUT (an advice post on Jen's blog Jen Ryland Reviews)
OCD AWARENESS WEEK: MY PROBLEMS WITH THE WORD "OBSESSION" (a think piece on Emily's blog Paperback Princess)
Please note: all the graphics featured in these posts are property of the blog/site owners, and are only used in association with their blog/site links.
Categories: General Blog Stuff, Tooting Your Trumpet
Rin Chupeco: "The Girl from the Well"
Title: The Girl from the Well [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: The Girl from the Well (1st of 2 books)
Author: Rin Chupeco [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Supernatural, Horror
Pros: Fresh take on a popular Japanese piece of lore. Pitch-perfect lead voice. Unconventional character dynamics.
Cons: If you prefer more approachable leads and action over atmosphere, this might not be your cup of tea.
WARNING! Graphic violence/gore. A drowning scene.
Will appeal to: Those who enjoy an eerie quality in their horror.
Blurb: A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago. And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out. (Goodreads)
Review: Sort-of disclaimer: I'm not familiar with Japanese folklore, and I've never read the book Bancho Sarayashiki/seen the movie Ringu (which, apparently, this book loosely bases its premise on), so I can't vouch for the originality of this story. But according to the reviews I've read, the Girl from the Well myth is just a starting point for the author to build on. As for me, I've never come across a ghost story like this one...and I've read my share 😉.
GHOST TALK
I don't go out of my way in order to read horror. I do, however, go out of my way in order to read books about dead/undead characters. Usually, those do come with a dose of horror, but their protagonists tend to be relatable and/or remarkably human for someone who either got their link to the living severed or turned into a creature of sort. TGFTW is a different kind of fish (well...ghost 😉), in that 1) Okiku is the one of oldest ghosts I've ever read about and 2) she's a vengeful one, which premises combined give birth to a totally different character than the ones I usually meet in my afterlife stories. Chupeco does a brilliant job in walking the line between innocent dead girl and centuries-old monster, never falling into the trap of humanising their lead too much, never letting us forget that she's a killer (though for a reason we can empathise with), but at the same time making her understandable and partly relatable. They mainly achieve such goal by giving Okiku a distinct, detached voice that sometimes blends so much into the narrative as to make us forget we're seeing the other characters through her eyes - until she resurfaces. It sounds disorienting on paper, but it's actually very effective. Add to it Okiku's sometimes fractured monologue and her obsession with counting (which ties in with the circumstances of her death), and you have a peculiar narrator who infuses this creepy story with an even creepier, strong flavour. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 4, Afterlife, Creatures, Horror or Gore, MC: Female, Paranormal, POV: 1st Person, Reviews, Supernatural
Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Like to Be Scared? Horror or Thriller?
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO BE SCARED? HORROR OR THRILLER?
First off, I want to say that my answer will only apply to books: movies are not my thing, and there aren't any "horror" or "thriller" series that I know of - more like "supernatural with a side of horror" (hello, Supernatural. Duh 😁) or "police procedurals with a side of thriller" (but when it comes to the latter, I only like good old police procedurals without any added ingredient, thank you 😉. Think the original L&O 💚 or The Closer).
So, I went on Goodreads and had a look at my labels. As of now, I have 97 books (some of them still on my TBR list) labeled "horror or gore", and 83 (same) labeled "thriller or mystery" (of course, you can have gore without real horror - like in a C.S.I. episode - and "mystery" isn't necessarily the same thing as "thriller", but I like to keep my labels simple 🙂). Almost a tie, all things considered. The funny thing is, I don't go out of my way in order to read horror (I can't even stomach a certain brand of body horror - think Stephen King) or thriller (I'd rather read...well, reread...a good old-fashioned Agatha Christie mystery novel)...those GR labels all apply to books that are, among other things, one or the other (or both). So my answers would be, horror and thriller, but hardly ever as the main ingredients of a book...
...and you know what? neither of them scare me. Horror/gore can impact me, but that's the extent of it - I don't get nightmares, and I don't sit upright in bed at the slightest sound because I've read/watched a story of a certain kind...with me, what happens in books/TV series stays in books/TV series 😂.
I've gone an awfully long time without treating you to a David Tennant gif.
Time to make amends 😂.
Categories: Horror or Gore, Memes/Challenges, Tell Me Something Tuesday, Thriller/Mystery
Seanan McGuire: "Sparrow Hill Road"
Title: Sparrow Hill Road [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Ghost Roads (1st of ?? books)
Year: 2014 (reissued in 2018)
Pros: Engaging character voice. Creative spin(s) on a few classic urban legends. Humour, depth and heart.
Cons: Not every story is tightly connected to the others, but they weren't written with a book in mind at first (and they do provide a sense of unity nevertheless).
Blurb: Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross - a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn't ask Rose what she thought of the idea. It's been more than sixty years since that night, and she's still sixteen, and she's still running. They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by "Rose," a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what's his. She's the angel of the overpass, she's the darling of the truck stops, and she's going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it's not like it can kill her. You can't kill what's already dead. (Amazon)
Review: Afterlife + Seanan McGuire...you all know nothing can go wrong here, don't you? 😉 I even upped my original 4.5-star rating (the one from my mini-review), because I can't very well punish a book for being a short-story collection instead of a novel, and anyhow, I enjoyed it even more the second time around!
AFTERLIFE SPECIAL
There's only one thing that I love more than an afterlife story: an afterlife story with a unique mythology (and a captivating main character, it goes without saying). The Ghost Roads series - born quite by accident from a series of short stories published all through 2010 on The Edge of Propinquity - reads familiar enough that you can nod at most of its urban fantasy references, and fresh enough that you never know where its endless routes will take you. The main character, Rose - innocent but fierce, poor but resourceful, handy with a wrench and very much in love - died in 1952 at the hands of Bobby Cross, one of the many souls he had been feeding (literally) to his dream of staying young and handsome forever. Except Rose's spirit, or whatever you want to call it, got away, and Bobby's sort-of-existence became an endless attempt at getting her back and making her pay. While trying to stay out of Bobby's reach, Rose also fulfills the role of a psychopomp to those who are destined to die on the road, and sometimes - when fate can still be manipulated - even manages to save their lives. This is, more or less, where the most familiar urban legends give way to a different (if still recognisable) mythology, that - coupled with a character to root for - kept me enthralled the whole time. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 5, Adult, Afterlife, Creatures, MC: Female, Paranormal, POV: 1st Person, Reviews, Short Stories, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Ilsa J. Bick: "Draw the Dark"
Title: Draw the Dark [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Author: Ilsa J. Bick [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Contemporary with a Twist, Thriller or Mystery
Pros: Original, well-crafted mix of paranormal/supernatural, mystery and modern history. Believable main character. Incorporates painting in a fascinating manner.
Cons: Requires more suspension of disbelief for a couple of mundane events than for the supernatural ones. The open ending may not sit well with everyone.
WARNING! Death and violence/gore.
Will appeal to: Fans of books off the beaten path. Art and history lovers. Everyone who enjoys a dark but ultimately hopeful story.
Blurb: There are things the people of Winter, Wisconsin, would rather forget. The year the Nazis came to town, for one. That fire, for another. But what they'd really like to forget is Christian Cage. Seventeen-year-old Christian's parents disappeared when he was a little boy. Ever since, he's drawn obsessively: his mother's face...her eyes...and what he calls "the sideways place", where he says his parents are trapped. Christian figures if he can just see through his mother's eyes, maybe he can get there somehow and save them. But Christian also draws other things. Ugly things. Evil things. Dark things. Things like other people's fears and nightmares. Their pasts. Their destiny. There's one more thing the people of Winter would like to forget: murder. But Winter won't be able to forget the truth, no matter how hard it tries. Not as long as Christian draws the dark... (Amazon)
Review: As I said above, this is a book that will appeal (among other people) to art and history lovers. Then again, I know very little about art, and I'm not a fan of stories set in the past (like part of this one is)...and I was hooked. I guess there's no better testament to the power of this particular narrative and its author's skills 😉.
Let's get it out of the way: this is NOT the story of a boy who pines for his parents (or better, his mother, since his father disappeared when he was too young to remember him) and embarks on a supernatural journey in order to find them/get them back. Though the "sideways place" where Christian's parents allegedly vanished is indeed a recurring theme, and the protagonist's obsession with finding his mother will play a surprising part in the narrative, this is NOT the story that Bick wants to tell. So, while on a level I can sympathise with those readers who felt robbed of a thrilling reading experience, I'd say that there's enough to love in this book for what it is - not to mention, for once the blurb didn't lie 😉. DTD is, at its core, the story of a boy and his demons, his uncanny ability to tune in to other people (under special circumstances, that is, and at a price for both him and them), and his loneliness despite having someone in his life who loves him (if not necessarily understands him); at the same time, it's the story of a small town with a penchant for burying its secrets, especially those rooted in a shameful and painful past. Its unique blend of supernatural/paranormal, mystery and the "ordinary" life of a damaged teen, along with strong characterisation, provides enough entertainment (if dark) and generates enough emotion without the need for it to add a metaphysical quest to the list. [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 4.5, Bullying, Contemporary with a Twist, M\F Friendship, MC: Male, Paranormal, POV: 1st Person, Reviews, Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery, Time Travel, Troubled Teens, Visual Arts & Crafts
Back to Black: Introducing the 2020 Halloween Backlist
Pumpkin photo: free from Pixabay. Graphics: Offbeat YA
Hello sweeties, and happy/scary October! 😱
For the third year, I'm spotlighting a few old and/or old-ish books from the dark side this Halloween, one per week till October 31st itself (please note - not the usual 4, but only 3 this year, due to time constraints). This is a smart (???) way for me both to cross a handful of books from my to-be-reviewed list and to celebrate the most beloved festivity in the book-blogging world along with my book-blogging friends. I will admit this series didn't get much traction in the past years (at least in terms of comments), but I'm a stubborn old lady, so I'm at it again 😜. Here's the plan, with dates, titles, authors and genres for each book...
Categories: General Blog Stuff
Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Is TMST? Old Meme, New (Temporary?) Team and a Small Tweak!
Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. I've been participating in it on and off for three years now, but the last time I did, the meme's future was very much uncertain, what with Heidi being on an extended hiatus (the questions we were answering had been planned in advance) and not sure if she would reprise blogging altogether. Some of us decided to reach out to her and ask if she would be OK with us keeping TMST going, and she gave us her blessing. So, for the foreseeable future, the meme will continue, only with new caretakers - at least until Heidi decides to come back (or for the long run, should she ultimately call it quits).
WHAT IS TMST? OLD MEME, NEW (TEMPORARY?) TEAM AND A SMALL TWEAK!
As I said above (in case there's someone out there who's new to it), Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme aimed at discussing a number of topics, mainly book or blogging related, but sometimes more personal. For those who have been participating so far, or have simply been following any of the bloggers who were and commenting on their posts, the basic structure of the meme won't change. The questions will be provided by the five of us who teamed up and stepped in for Heidi. Meet the minds behind TMST (in strictly alphabetical order)!
Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life;
Jen at That's What I'm Talking About;
Karen at For What It's Worth;
Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell;
Roberta at Offbeat YA.
Now, here goes the "small tweak" I promised. Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). This is something that has never been done before, though Heidi would email the prompts on a case-by-case basis to those who were interested (and always anticipate the next week's question at the end of each post). Anyhow, I will continue providing a list of the upcoming prompts for my readers who aren't interested in doing their own post but wish to read/comment on mine.
P.S.: the girls will embed a linky in their posts, which I'm opting out of (at least for now) because I don't want to put too much pressure on myself in case we are suddenly overwhelmed by participations 😉. Also, if you want to do the meme but you haven't got a logo/don't know how to design one, you're welcome to use mine (very basic and colour-specific, I know, so it probably won't match your blogs...but still), or ask Berls if you can borrow/purchase the awesome thing her coblogger Michelle designed (or ask Michelle directly of course)! Unless you don't vibe with the all-female characters LOL.
BOOKISH MUSINGS: I WANT READING TO STOP BEING STRESSFUL AND START BEING FUN AGAIN (a think piece/discussion post on Kit's blog Metaphors and Moonlight)
GETTING WORDY: FRIENDSHIPS IN BOOKS (a discussion post on Veronika and Sabrina's blog Wordy and Whimsical)
THE #OWNVOICES LABEL HAS LOST ITS WAY (a think piece on Fadwa's blog Word Wonders)
EXPERIMENTING WITH BLOGGER (a tip for Blogger users on Charlotte's blog Uglemors)
Categories: General Blog Stuff, Memes/Challenges, Tooting Your Trumpet
Cover Reveal: "The Between" by Ryan Leslie
Welcome to a special cover reveal...
Teaser!
You know, as a rule, I don't do reveals. Well, I don't do mass reveals, or reveals for books that I'm not interested in. So, when I do one, you know there's a solid reason behind that.
This time, we're looking at the cover for Ryan Leslie's debut book. I jumped at the chance to reveal this particular cover...because the book in question is on my TBR list. Of course it is. I wouldn't have revealed its cover otherwise.
So, here goes...
Categories: Blurb/Cover/Excerpt Reveals
Taste the Books: Review Morsels #19 Kali Wallace, A.S. King, Fox Benwell
Categories: * (Stars) 3.5, * (Stars) 4, Review Morsels
Seanan McGuire: "Come Tumbling Down"
Title: Come Tumbling Down [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Wayward Children (5th of 10? books)
Pros: An imaginative look-in-reverse at one of the most common fantasy tropes. Puts a neurodivergent queer character front and center. The POV switch is masterfully done.
Cons: Quite dark. Some characters get less screen time than others.
WARNING! A pretty graphic corpse depiction.
Will appeal to: Everyone who's ever felt out of place, but doesn't necessary dream of a happier world than the one they live in...
Blurb: When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister - whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice - back to their home on the Moors. But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome. (Amazon excerpt)
Review: Each installment of his series never fails to take a different turn, not even when we visit one of the same worlds as before. This time, Jack and Jill are joined by their former schoolmates (which makes for a change of style, since every one of them gets a POV), and we get to explore the Moors' mythology even further. Never a dull moment 😉.
PASS THE TORCH
You know how, usually, the first thing that strikes you about a book is either the plot or the characters or the world-building, or well, the writing, but from a purely aesthetic angle? If I have to pick the aspect of CTD that stands out the most for me, it's the constant, apparently effortless POV change. For the second time (since Beneath the Sugar Sky) a group of Wayward Children are on a quest in the world where one...well, technically, two of them belong, except that this time every one of them takes a turn in telling the story. And it's not a matter of chapters - it happens seamlessly every few paragraphs/lines. Though not all the kids get the same amount of screen time (it only makes sense that Jack is given the lion's share, but Sumi is a close second, probably because her apparently air-headed attitude and chipper demeanor help balancing out the dark narrative), we get a rotating glimpse of everyone's thoughts and feelings, and it never feels forced or scattered. Seriously, if you have ever read a book in third person where you felt disconnected from a single character in whose head you were the whole time, you know how rare and precious it is. [...]
Categories: Afterlife, Creatures, Fantasy, Horror or Gore, MC: Multiple, Novellas, POV: 3rd Person, Queer, Reviews, Supernatural
Neal Shusterman: "Challenger Deep"
Title: Challenger Deep [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Author: Neal Shusterman [Site | Goodreads]
Year: 2015 (originally from HarperTeen, but it's been reissued on Aug. 6th 2020 by Walker Books)
Pros: Perfect blend of raw and poetical, honest and hopeful. Comprises two smartly connected narratives.
Cons: Not so much a "plot" story as a "situation" one (though at least one of the narratives is punctuated by some colourful events).
WARNING! Lots of talk about mental illnesses of course. An attempted suicide (off-screen).
Will appeal to: Those who can appreciate a quiet, yet powerful novel from the double perspective of a single character.
Blurb: Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.
Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.
Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence to document the journey with images.
Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.
Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.
Caden Bosch is torn. (Amazon)
Review: I can't vouch for the accuracy of the schizophrenic rep in this book, but I guess the next best thing to having a person diagnosed with a mental disorder narrate his own story is reading his author father's take on it (and mind you, he got his son's input). Then again, art is about creating order out of chaos, and maybe making us understand it better...
DOUBLE FANTASY
Caden is a high-schooler with friends, hobbies, talents, and a family who loves him (including a younger sister he sounds very fond of). We meet him when he starts to spiral into a condition that isn't explicitly labeled (though it's obviously some form of schizophrenia - but then again, the book makes a point about labels not being necessarily accurate or helpful, because it's different for everyone, as the medical cocktails given to each patient are), and follow him all through his hospitalisation in a mental health facility; but at the same time Caden tells his story as a member of a mysterious crew on a ship sailing to the infamous Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the oceans - and that's where we get some action, if of the weird kind. Personally, I was captivated by the second narrative even before the connections with Caden's "ordinary" reality started to become apparent, but when they did (often in unexpected, but always smart and significant ways), I was in awe. This literary technique made me really understand Caden's plights and witness his struggle, and yet the story managed to stay entertaining (for all the right reasons). [...]
Categories: * (Stars) 5, Contemporary with a Twist, Gorgeous Prose, MC: Male, POV: 1st Person, Reviews, Troubled Teens, Visual Arts & Crafts
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More than 40 years after it thrust the issues of domestic violence and abuse of power in front of Australian audiences, The Removalists is back to ask the question - have we really changed?
One of David Williamson's first and most influential plays, the darkly humourous drama is being revived at the Brisbane Powerhouse this week.
43 years after it debuted, David Williamson's suburban drama The Removalists still asks relevant questions about Australian society.
Director Leland Kean grew up in theatre with the playwright's son Rory, meaning he was able to tap into Williamson's thoughts on his 1971 work.
Kean said he and Williamson examined current domestic violence figures, which showed an increasing number of incidents.
"David and I got to talking around that idea, and looking at how on face value our culture has changed a great deal, but how far have our [actual] values changed in that period?," he said.
The story features two policemen - one new and nervous, the other old and corrupted - called upon to help two sisters, one of whom has been beaten by her partner.
"The Removalists really steps into looking inside the suburban life of Australian males, and theatre hadn't done that before," Kean said.
Kean said Williamson's genius with the work was placing the audience in the shoes of the titular character - a furniture removalist called in to help the battered sister move before her partner finds out.
"The removalist in this play is a witness to these events, but doesn't do anything and is passive towards this tragedy that's unfolding in front of him," he said.
Kean said Williamson himself had played that role in the very first production at Melbourne's La Mama Theatre in 1971, but with mixed results.
"I think the cast would get a bit cranky with him because every time one of his jokes was coming up he'd start smiling onstage before it was delivered," he said.
The Removalists plays at the Brisbane Powerhouse from August 12 to 16. Tickets $42/$35 available online.


THE BOOK THAT EVERY CARDIOLOGIST SHOULD OWN — THE BEST EDITION YET!
Hailed for its authority, currency, and ability to translate the latest research and advances into real-world clinical application, Hurst's The Heart is the field's landmark text and cardiology's longest continuously published reference book. Written to meet your ever-changing clinical information needs, this trusted classic offers a solid foundation in cardiovascular medicine and complete coverage of all major cardiovascular topics.
Within its pages, you will find succinct, visually appealing summaries of all the major new trials and guidelines, along with tips for optimizing outcomes and health quality. The Fourteenth Edition has been completely updated to reflect the latest technical, therapeutic, and clinical advances, while still maintaining a strong focus on quality patient care.
If you've been searching for a current, comprehensive, and authoritative overview of all major cardiology topics, Hurt's the Heart, Fourteenth Edition belongs on your desk.


20 circular walks written for dog walkers. The routes have maximum off-lead time and include local dog-friendly pubs and cafes.
There are a wide variety of walks to choose from in this book, including beautiful woodland walks at Stapleford Wood, Dyscarr Wood and Oxclose Wood; tranquil waterside walks beside the River Trent at Gunthorpe, Vicar Water near Clipstone, and the mill lakes at Bestwood Country Park; and through nature reserves teeming with wildlife at Budby Forest and Ollerton Pit Wood.
There is also the chance to see the impressive sculptures, based on the area's heritage, at Brierley Forest Country Park.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
More to the Story
conversations with refugees
Reviews and Media
Category Archives: Refugees in WA
Ways of Being Here
Diverse voices matter in Australia more than ever. Ways of being here is pocket book-sized collection of four short stories that showcases the work of four t alented African writers living in Australia – Raefeif Ismail, Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, Tinashe Jakwa and Yout A Alaak.
Maxine Beneba Clarke writes in her introduction: "Black people of African descent – black diaspora settlers and migrants and descendants of such – have been living in Australia for over 200 years. Yet local African diaspora fiction has been markedly absent from Australian shelves".
Ways of being here is a terrific read. You can read it slowly, dipping into it over time, or in a few hours on an afternoon or evening you might have free. Either way, I guarantee you will want to read it several times. These beautifully written stories will capture your imagination and your attention. The four write of love, loss, the challenge of living between cultures, intergenerational clashes, of being made welcome and of being isolated.
Rafeif Ismail's moving story, 'Light at the end', about two young women has language that sings off the page with emotion. He writes: "When did you become this desperate, desolate thing? When did the world's colours dull and laughter have a price? Fear is the chain you wear, shackling you between walls of loneliness, shame, regret and, most terribly, hope."
Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes story, 'When the sky looks like the belly of a donkey', tackles the cultural challenges of starting a new life in Australia – a place so different from your home country. Yirga also captures what could be a group of typical Aussie blokes with insightful writing. The story about Ermi, usually mis-pronounced by many of his workmates as Army, is one I have heard from many migrants and people of refugee background. It is about starting at the bottom of the ladder, trying to fit in and always missing the people left behind. I laughed and I cringed but by the end of the story I smiled with hope.
All four short stories provide a valuable opportunity to reflect about the lives of others.
Ways of being here is published by Margaret River Press and the Centre for Stories, 2017
This entry was posted in Refugee stories, Refugees in WA, Telling other people's stories on May 31, 2017 by More to the Story.
Stocking the pantry
CARAD is a fabulous organisation in Western Australia that has assisted thousands of refugees and asylum seekers with services such as settlement support, advocacy, referral, financial aid, English lessons, homework support and emergency supplies, including food and other pantry items.
As winter approaches and the number of CARAD's non-income asylum seeker clients has increased, the pantry is running low and they need your help. They're looking for donations of the following:
cooking oil, sugar, salt, pepper, plain flour, cereal, instant coffee, tea, long-life milk, basmati rice, tinned tuna, tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, honey, dried chickpeas or lentils, nuts and dried fruit, shavers, shaving cream, body wash or soap, toothbrushes, shampoo, male and female deodorant, laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, and tissues.
You can drop off your donations to their office at 245 Stirling St, Perth, Monday to Friday between 9am – 4pm.
Please spread the word.
For those of you who are keen to get involved and support some of our most vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees, volunteering with organisations such as CARAD is a great option. They have volunteering information sessions coming up, held at the CARAD office on:
Monday 22 May from 12-1 pm
Wednesday 24 May from 5.30-6.30 pm
Sessions will cover what CARAD does, the specific volunteer roles available, and the process for becoming involved. After attending an information session, volunteers will then be invited to participate in a 'Building Bridges' Training Course. To register your attendance please email sellie@carad.org.au.
This entry was posted in get involved, Refugees in WA on May 18, 2017 by More to the Story.
Our Common Goal
It's not every evening that you get to tour a mosque, cheer on an enthusiastic game of soccer and attend a board meeting!
That was how my involvement with the Edmund Rice Centre unfolded on Monday night starting with the launch of our second Common Goal program.
Common Goal involves a partnership between the Edmund Rice Centre WA, Football West, WA Police and the Canning Mosque. It aims to give young people opportunities for leadership training and education through a soccer academy.
After the launch event, the Canning Mosque team (aged from 14 -18) took to the field against a WA Police team in an evenly matched game. Over 100 people watched and cheered on the game and I have to say some of the skills on display would have rivalled the A-League! Canning Mosque was victorious with a 1-0 win.
Common Goal also aims to foster positive relationships between people from diverse communities and assist in strengthening police engagement by providing fun and structured sporting activities where anyone is welcome.
As a board member of the Edmund Rice Centre WA, I was delighted to hear the thoughts of the Turkish Muslim Society, Canning Mosque representatives and senior members of the WA Police about how the program was making a difference in the local community. I was also honored to tour the Mosque with the Iman before the game and understand more about this often misunderstood religion.
The highlight for me though was watching young people from very diverse cultural backgrounds mingling, playing and laughing together. It gives me hope for our future.
This entry was posted in Events, Refugees in WA on May 3, 2017 by More to the Story.
I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on 2016 in relation to refugees, asylum seekers and the importance of stories to help us understand what is happening in the world. There were many low points, but also some inspiring highlights that made me marvel at the strength and humanity of others. I hope you'll take time to read this longer post from me.
It was a challenging year in Australia and the international community. The conflict in Syria worsened but I am hopeful that the tentative peace deal brokered by the Russians may help. The escalating violence and insecurity continued in South Sudan and Yemen. We saw an amazing welcome initially from Angela Merkel and Germany in welcoming thousands of fleeing refugees as the crisis of displaced people had a dramatic impact in Europe. Populist groups in the UK, USA, Austria, Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands used the world's biggest refugee crisis to spread fear and hate, inflaming tensions about people who may be different to us. In Australia where I live, the re-emergence of the One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson, has reflected these sentiments.
Walls, both physical and metaphorical, have been built in countries around the world to stop many of the people most in need from seeking help. According to the UNHCR, 1 in every 113 people globally is now either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced or a refugee.
As a writer and former journalist, I followed with fascination and often despair the twitter postings of Bana al-Abed, a young seven-year-old girl whose postings offered the world a glimpse into the deprivation and violence in the besieged city of Aleppo. Bana and her family were recently evacuated to the Turkish capital.
I worried about writer and journalist friends in some of the world's trouble spots. I could only be thankful that people like my friend Karl Schembri were able to post on the ground reports from tragic situations in Yemen and Syria. Ben Doherty and the team from Guardian Australia continued to lead the way with the most in-depth updates on the refugee and asylum seeker situation as it related to Australia. In a global exclusive, the Nauru files which included over 2,000 documents showing the despair and horror of Australia's offshore detention, were leaked to the Guardian. This was followed by graphic reports on the ABC's 4 Corners that also screened around the world.
I know, as someone who worked in news for many years, a picture can tell a story "better than a thousand words" In 2015 it was the image of Aylan, the two-year-old Syrian refugee, lying face down on a Turkish beach that seemed to galvanise western countries into responding to the urgency of the Syrian refugee crisis. Australia increased its refugee intake by 12,000 to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees. After a very slow start (why did it take nearly a year?) 2016 finally saw some of these refugees arrive in Australia.
In 2016 it was the image of young Oman in the back of the ambulance, which I am sure will show up in all your news feeds, as one of the photos of the year. This photograph and video seemed particularly poignant and tragic to me. Oman was wearing shorts and a t-shirt featuring a cartoon character. His hands were in his lap. In a moment of pure horror, he lifted his left hand to his face, ran his fingers through his hair and then back down the side of his face before putting his hands back in his lap. He looked at the palm of his hand covered in blood and, unsure what to do, turns it over and wipes it on the seat. In that moment, he could have been our son, our grandson, our brother or our nephew, trying to get something off his hand. He looked straight at the camera, from a bright orange seat in the back of an ambulance where medics were rescuing people amidst the violence and chaos, towards the voices. He blinked and looked away… but I couldn't look away from Oman.
On a brighter note there was the uplifting news of a refugee team being selected for the Rio Olympics. I was drawn to 17 year old Yusra Mardini who saw terror in the eyes of her fellow passengers as the inflatable dinghy she was in trying to cross the Mediterranean began taking on water. Most of the people in the boat could not swim, but 17-year-old Yusra could, and she dragged them to safety.
The year ended with good news in Australia with a landmark decision in the Federal Court of Australia that ruled against the Minister of Immigration on the question of citizenship for people of refugee background. The case, brought by the Refugee Council of Australia with pro bono legal support, provides hope for 10,231 people that the department confirmed were in similar situations. This group of people from a refugee background have had their citizenship applications 'put in the bottom drawer', as the Department has dragged its feet in offering this large group of new Australians citizenship.
Personally, it was an amazing year with my book More to the story –conversations with refugees published by Margaret River Press selling very well. There are a small number of copies left that can be purchased online. I participated in writers festivals- the highlights being Big Sky in Geraldton and the Perth Writers Festival. I was a guest at community events, such as the Katanning Harmony Festival, where I gave the address on Australia Day. I gave library talks and attended book clubs throughout the year to help raise awareness about refugees and asylum seekers. Throughout the year I met hundreds of people, many of whom told me they were inspired to volunteer for organisations working with people from a refugee background including CARAD, Refugee Rights Action Network and Joining the Dots' Welcome Dinner Project. More of you have signed up to receive information or made donations to organisations like the Refugee Council of Australia, Australian Red Cross, Amnesty International and Edmund Rice Centre WA where I am proud to serve on the board. I truly believe that hundreds of people who have read the personal stories featured in the book have taken time to reflect on what is happening around the world and in their own lives.
One of the year's highlights for me was my involvement with Shout Out, a public speaking program for young people from a refugee and migrant background run by the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network. I feel very privileged to have been a part of helping some fabulous young people to develop their personal stories and public speaking skills.
Perhaps the most satisfying experiences in 2016 came in schools where I spoke. I started the year on a high with the Margaret River Senior High School Social Justice group – why don't more schools have a group like this? I visited schools in the Geraldton region and elsewhere around Western Australia, and ended my engagements at Churchlands Senior High School with a day full of talks to different classes. We know that many schools around Australia now have More to the Story in their school libraries or are studying it as part of the curriculum.
I continued to be inspired by my close friends – Paul and Naw Bi from Burma; John, Farid and Fauzia from Afghanistan; Piok and Akech from South Sudan. We made more new friends as our lives became more involved with people from a refugee background – some of whom I hope will feature in my next book. We celebrated Karen New Year, Eid and other festivals with people of different cultural backgrounds. We heard sad stories, tragic stories and inspirational and happy stories
And finally I made good progress on my doctoral studies about life writing and human rights in relation to refugees. I am approaching the half way mark of a four year course and I hope my research and writing might make a small difference. As 2016 drew to a close I like to believe that hope can shine a bright light in darkness. There are some thoughts on this from World Vision that you might like to read.
I hope you'll keep following this website in 2017. You can sign up to follow it and receive information as I post – just click the button on the right. Sometimes it is helpful to have useful information about an issue in one place and don't forget you can contact me via the website or join in the conversation via the More to the Story facebook page.
I wish everyone peace in the coming year.
This entry was posted in Australian Asylum Seeking Policy, Events, get involved, Global Trends, politics, Refugee stories, Refugees in WA, Telling other people's stories on January 4, 2017 by More to the Story.
The theme of this year's Refugee Week celebrations on 19-25 June is "with courage let us all combine" which is taken from the second verse of our national anthem Advance Australia Fair.
Refugee Week is time that we celebrate the vital contribution and wonderful diversity that refugees bring to Australia. It is also a time when we think about the courage and resilience of all refugees, as well as all those who speak out against persecution and injustice around the world.
World Refugee Day is held every year on 20 June as part of the week and the UNHCR reminds us there are more than 60 million refugees around the world, half of whom are women and children.
The Refugee Council of Australia says: "The week is a call for unity and action for a fairer society. The Refugee Week theme encourages Australians to celebrate the best aspects of our nation's welcome of refugees, frankly acknowledge unjust treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, and commit to working together to ensure that we do better."
I'm particularly pleased that the national posters (see below) for this year's Refugee Week features the Butler Falcons, an all-women's multicultural AFL team organised through the Edmund Rice Centre here in WA.
For more information about Refugee Week, there's a dedicated website http://www.refugeeweek.org.au which includes bulletins, posters and events. I'll also keep you updated about news and events during Refugee Week here on this website.
This entry was posted in Events, Refugees in WA on June 8, 2016 by More to the Story.
Young refugees being positive role models
The Makur Chuot family from South Sudan are an extraordinary success story when it comes to refugees making their way in a new country. The West Australian recently ran a feature article where Akech and Mangar talked about their extraordinary sporting and community achievements. Mangar will head to the Rio Olympics in June as a champion sprinter and Akech is the first African woman to play for Western Australia's State AFL team.
Both pay tribute to their mother who has guided and helped them through some of the darkest times in their life to a brighter future in Australia.
"The pain of unnecessary death is wielding great power in the young lives of people such as Akech Makur Chuot.
The 23-year-old's father, a chief in the South Sudanese village of Pagarau, was killed by rebels in a hail of machinegun bullets barely a month after she was conceived. He died unaware his daughter was on her way.
Her mother managed to take her daughter and seven siblings across the border to a Kenyan refugee camp and eventually to their new life in WA. While her father's leadership genes inspired a desire to make a difference, it was the rawness of a recent murder in Makur Chuot's new hometown which accelerated that quest.
When her 17-year-old friend Kuol Akut was allegedly murdered during a brawl at a Girrawheen party in February, it was a violent incident like so many others blighting the lives of young African immigrants who should have been on their way to a more promising future.
But Makur Chuot and a pack of her Perth peers are compiling compelling resumes through sport and acts of social conscience, anxious to role model positive ways of life."
Akech with her Mother and brother Mangar
This entry was posted in Refugees in WA, Uncategorized on May 12, 2016 by More to the Story.
A man of vision
A world of stories
Wild, weird and wonderful
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Bangladesh strongly condemns the Houthi militias' attack on civilian sites in…
Home জাতীয় UN resolution on Rohingyas bears political value: Momen
UN resolution on Rohingyas bears political value: Momen
DHAKA, Nov 18, 2021 (BSS) –
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said the adaptation of UN resolution on Rohingyas by consensus for the first time has a political value as it showed interest of all countries, including Russia and China, in resolving the protracted crisis.
"It (UN resolution) has a pressure on that particular country (Myanmar)," he told journalists after attending a discussion at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) here.
The United Nations (UN) has adopted the resolution on "The situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar" by consensus in New York on Wednesday.
"It's a great day for us. We are very happy," Dr Momen said, adding that it showed all countries want a peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis.
"The countries those created obstacles (over the issue) earlier … like China, Russia… this time they didn't create barrier, which means all want solution of the crisis," he said.
The foreign minister said he had discussions with Russia over the issue while China has already made some interventions.
Dr Momen expressed his hope to see progress on resolving the Rohingya crisis at the UN Security Council (UNSC) as the resolution of UN General Assembly is not a mandatory one.
In June, Bangladesh had decided to abstain from an UN resolution on Myanmar as the Rohingya issue was not included.
"(That time), we said resolution will be meaningless if you don't talk about the Rohingyas," Dr Momen said regarding that resolution which highlighted restoration of democracy but no mention about return of Rohingyas.
The foreign minister said the forcibly displaced Rohingya people must go back to their country Myanmar for a better future.
"This resolution should now serve as an impetus for real actions in achieving a durable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis through their safe and dignified return to their homeland in Myanmar", said Bangladesh Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima during the adoption of the resolution at the UN on Wednesday.
The resolution was jointly tabled by the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU).
A total of 107 countries co-sponsored the resolution, the highest since 2017.
Apart from the member states of EU and OIC, the resolution received significant cross-regional support, with co-sponsorship from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan and Republic of
Korea, among others.
The primary focus of the resolution was the human rights situation of the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, including in the context of the declaration of state of emergency on February 1, 2021.
It called upon Myanmar to address the root causes of the Rohingya crisis, fulfill its obligations under the bilateral agreements with Bangladesh, and cooperate fully with the special envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar and all the human rights mechanisms of the UN, among others.
The resolution also maintained its strong focus on the ongoing justice and accountability processes.
It also welcomed the appointment of the new special envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar and requested for a work plan for her engagements in Myanmar.
It also called for renewal and effective implementation of the MoU between Myanmar and UNHCR and UNDP in an effort to create conducive environment in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
"The adoption of the Rohingya resolution, for the first time by consensus, demonstrates the international community's strong resolve to end this crisis", said Fatima.
In the resolution, the member states commended Bangladesh for its generosity in hosting the Rohingyas, and for providing humanitarian assistance to them and also for including them in the national COVID-19 vaccination drive.
The resolution also recognized the Bangladesh government's efforts and investments in building the facilities in Bhashan Char for relocation of a portion of the Rohingyas from the congested camps, and in this regard, also welcomed the MoU signed by Bangladesh with UNHCR.
Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook
example of ethnic cleansing" and other rights groups dubbed as "genocide".
Myanmar, however, is yet to return a single Rohingya in the last four years while repatriation attempts failed twice due to trust deficit among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in Rakhine state.
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Stajan signs four-year, $12.5 million extension with Flames (Updated)
By Jason BroughJan 20, 2014, 6:05 PM EST
From Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman:
Expect a contract extension sometime today for Matt Stajan in Calgary.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 20, 2014
Stajan is (was?) a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $3.5 million. The 30-year-old center originally came to Calgary from Toronto as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade.
Though Stajan struggled in his first two full seasons with the Flames, to the point that many were surprised when he wasn't bought out, apparently management feels he's worth keeping as the club rebuilds.
From the Calgary Sun's Wes Gilbertson:
For #Flames, makes a ton of sense to keep Stajan. He's a leader and plays against top lines, meaning youngsters like Monahan don't have to.
— Wes Gilbertson (@SUNGilbertson) January 20, 2014
Stajan has seven goals and 10 assists in 41 games this season.
The terms are in, courtesy CBC's Elliotte Friedman — four years, $12.5 million, average annual cap hit of $3.125 million.


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Lekarze marzeń (ang. Presidio Med, 2002-2003) – amerykański serial obyczajowy stworzony przez Johna Wellsa i Lydię Woodward.

Światowa premiera serialu miała miejsce 24 września 2002 roku na kanale CBS. Ostatni odcinek został wyemitowany 24 stycznia 2003 roku. W Polsce serial nadawany był na kanałach TVN i TVN7.

Obsada
 Dana Delany jako doktor Rae Brennan
 Sasha Alexander jako doktor Jackie Colette
 Paul Blackthorne jako doktor Matt Slingerland
 Blythe Danner jako doktor Harrient Lanning
 Anna Deavere Smith jako doktor Letty Jordan
 Oded Fehr jako doktor Nicolas Kokoris
 Julianne Nicholson jako doktor Jules Keating
 Jennifer Siebel jako Cyndy Lloyd

Spis odcinków

Linki zewnętrzne

Amerykańskie telewizyjne seriale obyczajowe
Seriale telewizyjne emitowane od 2002
Seriale telewizyjne zakończone w 2003
Programy telewizji CBS
Seriale wytwórni Warner Bros. Television Studios

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Mental Health Resource Guide
Ravalli County, Montana
Emergency or Crisis
For Assistance in emergency situration:
St. Patrick's Urgent Mental Health Clinic, Missoula:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text MT to 741741
West House Crisis Center, Hamilton:
Volunatry short-term crisis stabilization facility.
Domestic Violence, Abuse and Sexual Assault Resources
National Child Abuse Hotline:
1-800-4-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-787-3224 (hearing impaired line)
SAFE in the Bitterroot Crisis Hotline:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
www.rainn.org
Montana Crisis Recovery - COVID-19 Support
montanacrisisrecovery.com
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment Resources
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
National Helpline provides free, 24-hour information and referral assistance to local treatment facilities, support groups and community-based organizations.
http://findtreatment.SAMHSA.gov
can assist you in finding a local provider of behavioral health services and support.
www.TheNationalCouncil.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Information HelpLine provides infomation and referral services.
1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
www.nami.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Montana
Provides an online guide with links specific to counties.
https://namimt.org/ravalli-county-mental-illness-resource-guide/
Self-Help Resources and Groups
www.aa-montana.org
Al-Anon
Mutually support program for people whose lives are affected by someones else's drinking.
https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/find-an-al-anon-meeting/
Dual Recovery Anonymous
www.draonline.org
1-888-GET-HOPE (438-4673) (Hopeline)
www.na.org/meetingsearch
Nar-Anon Family Groups
www.nar-anon.org/find-a-group
National Institutes of Health Resources
National Institue on Aging
http://www.nia.nih.gov/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help/index.shtml
National Institute on Drug Abuse
https://www.drugabuse.gov/parents-educators
Montana 2-1-1
Free and confidential informationand referral, available 24/7, for help with food, housing, employmnet, health care, conseling and more.
www.montana211.org
Homeowner's HOPE Hotline
Provides free comprehensive financial education and confidential foreclosure presentation counseling 24/7.
1-888-995 HOPE (4673)
Provides legal information, lawyer profiles and a community to help individuals make legal decisions.
www.findlaw.com
Thrive for Montana
Thrive by Waypoint Health is a confidntial online program for peope who want to take charge of their emotional wellbeing to lead happier, more satisfying lives. It teaches skills from cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) a method that has helped many people deal with stress,depressive and anxiety.
https://thriveformontana.com/


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Cardinals Telecast to Feature Local Troops Deployed to Middle East
@CardsConclave
by Conclave Staff on August 26, 2019
FOX Sports Midwest presents annual This One's For You telecast on Friday, Aug. 30, with Missouri National Guard troops in Qatar and Kuwait and their families at Busch
Local troops deployed overseas will be connected with St. Louis Cardinals fans throughout the region this Friday, Aug. 30, during This One's For You, FOX Sports Midwest's annual Cardinals game telecast with troops.
FOX Sports Midwest will link live with members of two Missouri National Guard units:
· The Missouri Air National Guard 157th Air Operations Group, out of Jefferson Barracks, which is deployed to Qatar.
· The Missouri Army National Guard 1175th Military Police Company, out of St. Clair, which is deployed to Kuwait.
Family members of the 157th and 1175th will attend the Cardinals' game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium and will also be featured.
American troops throughout the world will watch the game live on American Forces Network. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Midwest – that's 2:30 a.m. in the Middle East.
"This is always one of our most important games of the year. It's an honor for us to play a small part in connecting these Soldiers and Airmen with Cardinals fans," said FOX Sports Midwest play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin.
McLaughlin and Brad Thompson will call the game, with Jim Hayes reporting and Scott Warmann and Rick Horton in studio. This One's For You is presented in coordination with the Cardinals, Missouri National Guard and American Forces Network. This is the 12th Cardinals telecast to troops. August 30 is also the Cardinals' third annual Military Appreciation Night. Fans who purchase a special theme ticket will receive an exclusive Cardinals cap (cardinals.com/militarynight). A portion of each ticket purchased will be donated to USO Missouri.
What: Cardinals telecast to troops, titled This One's For You
When: Friday, Aug. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in St. Louis/2:30 a.m. in the Middle East
Who: Missouri Air National Guard 157th Air Operations Group and Missouri Army National Guard 1175th Military Police Company | their family members | 4JB Council Civic Leaders | Cardinals fans
Where: Busch Stadium in St. Louis | Qatar | Kuwait
Watch: On FOX Sports Midwest and American Forces Network | streaming on FOX Sports GO
About the 157th Air Operations Group
The mission of the 157th Air Operations Group, Missouri Air National Guard is to prepare and provide Airmen skilled in operational level command and control for U.S. Pacific Air Forces and Air Force Global Strike Command, as well as a ready, full spectrum force to support the State of Missouri during times of natural or man-made crisis and conflict. From Jefferson Barracks, Airmen work daily to support the commanders of the Pacific theater and Global Strike. Some of the best in the field of air command and control, these 400 200 Citizen Airmen are under constant deployment rotations worldwide.
About the 1175th Military Police Company
The 1175th Military Police Company, Missouri Army National Guard is based out of St. Clair, Missouri and fall under the 35th Military Police Brigade from Columbia, Missouri. Reorganized and reactivated in 2006, the unit promptly assisted in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008, training Iraqi troops as a police force. Soldiers in the 1175th specialize in police operations, training and mentoring allied forces on how to secure and serve the populace. These Citizen Soldiers also stand ready to serve fellow Missourians when called upon by the Missouri governor, recently deploying to assist with severe flooding across Missouri in spring 2019.
Next Post: First Place? Reviewing How The Cardinals Got Here and What Is To Come
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In order to gain a licence to work as an independent Management Accountant I have to do a number of things – I have to have insurance, in case I make a mistake; I have to have a contract which is about 7 pages long, and I have to have a complaints procedure and an ethics procedure.
A house in North Devon which caught fire last month after being struck by lightning… proving that things like that really do happen in real life.
When I meet clients I have up until now felt rather embarrassed by the fact that there is so much focus on things going wrong. The complaints procedure seems a bit silly since I am the only person in my business – if you're not happy there's no one else to speak to!
However, I have recently been helping a client with a tricky problem which has made me see this in a different light.
Two years ago my client started working with another consultant. They agreed terms etc in an email conversation, but never prepared a written contract to be signed.
One of the terms agreed was that after 2 years the deal would be renegotiated. Now after 2 years have passed my client wants to end the working relationship because it hasn't delivered the results either side had hoped for, but the consultant feels they are due payment for work on projects that have not yet finished. You can probably imagine the argument that has ensued.
If only there had been a contract at the outset – it wouldn't have prevented the relationship ending, but it would have made clear instructions as to what each party needed to do (and pay) at the end. By agreeing it at the start, when both parties are friendly it would be more likely to ensure that there was a reasonable deal for both sides.
So this experience has pointed out to me exactly why I have such a detailed contract, even though if my contract is terminated I only get 30 days notice and nothing else.
The point is that I will hopefully be able to avoid having to express all the anger and upset that typically comes at the end of a relationship. In future I'll be more proud of my contract!
This entry was posted in Starting Out and tagged business problems, Clients, Contracts, starting out on July 5, 2014 by Susie.


A quick Google search of Hillsong Christmas songs leads you to all sorts of Laodicean goodies like nearly naked "drummer boys", and lots of songs about Santa Claus and Rudolf. Hillsong is one of the largest churches in the world for the same reason why all your kid's friends would want to eat breakfast at your house if all you ever served was donuts and coca-cola.
We have reported on the Laodicean activities of Hillsong Church for quite some time here. We have shown you how Hillsong is steeped in Illuminati and New Age symbolism, their promotion of Chrislam, and how they had for many years an openly gay "couple" leading the choir at Hillsong NYC. But when someone sent us this video today, it shows that Hillsong has reached a new low in their adoration of emulating a lost and dying world.
Because after all, it's just not a proper celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ without Roaring 20's flappers, rock bands, hoochie coochie dancers, laser light shows and lots and lots of leg in a nightclub setting. Happy Birthday, Jesus, hope you like it.
Hillsong Church is the perfect poster child for what the prophesied church of Laodicea looks like. They rich, increased with goods, have need of nothing, and yet are amazingly unaware that they are poor, wretched, miserable and blind, leading millions astray with their pyrotechnic easy believism.
A quick Google search of Hillsong Christmas songs leads you to all sorts of Laodicean goodies like nearly naked "drummer boys", and lots of songs about Santa Claus and Rudolf. Hillsong is one of the largest churches in the world for the same reason why all your kid's friends would want to eat breakfast at your house if all you ever served was donuts and coca-cola. They way they see it, the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ is just a little too boring on it's own, and needs the "lights, camera, action!" of the world to "make it sell".
It's the perfect Sunday morning "church service" experience for people who have spent Saturday night partying it up in the clubs. Drink up, Hillsong, Jesus is coming, and you won't be dancing when you see Him.


Since October 2007 the church has been supporting the work of the Presbyterian Christian Association of Mangalia, a mission church in Romania. In this ministry we are involved with a truly international team. The Minister in charge is the Rev Gilberto Coelho, who is a missionary from the Presbyterian Church of Brazil.
Every year a team goes out from the church to provide both practical and spiritual support. We look to participate fully in the life of the church by, for example, leading Sunday services, organising a kids' holiday club, teaching at the ladies' fellowship meeting, carrying out various construction projects, painting the church building, and providing items of clothing.
We see this work as a vital part of our missionary endeavours.


Yet, today's networks aren't set up to meet current demands. Network engineers are dealing with the challenges of scale (63 million new devices will be online every second by 2020), complexity, and security. They also struggling to keep up with fast advancing security threats, and evolving IoT, cloud, and mobility integration challenges.
"Network teams are increasingly judged on their ability to reduce security risk, deliver high-quality services, manage end-user experience, improve application performance, and support cloud readiness," reports research firm, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA).
They need a smarter, simpler network.
Cisco's Digital Network Architecture (DNA) was developed with these "must haves" in mind. Cisco DNA is an open, extensible, and software-driven network architecture for digital business.
Chief among its benefits is that Cisco DNA accelerates and simplifies enterprise network operations, while lowering costs and reducing risk. It's a single network fabric that is powered by deep intelligence and integrated security to deliver automation and assurance across the entire organization at scale. As such, Cisco DNA gives IT time back from time-consuming, repetitive network configuration tasks so you can focus on the innovation your business needs.
That was in 2016. In 2017, Cisco took this software-delivered approach to automating and assuring services across networks one step further with the launch of intent-based networking and the introduction of the Cisco DNA Center and Catalyst 9000 wireless and switching family (the foundation for intent-based networking).
Intent-based networking represents a fundamental shift in the way that networks are built and managed. One that does away with the old manual, time-intensive, error-prone way of doing things. Instead, these modern networks bridge the gap between the business and IT by capturing business intent and translating it into network policies. This allows the network to be automatically configured in minutes, with the assurance that it has happened correctly.
For the network team, intent-based networking eliminates manual provisioning, security policy, and management tasks and replaces them with automated intent. With intent-based networking, an entire network can be configured automatically in minutes, with assurance that it has happened correctly.
Let's break down how DNA Center and the Catalyst 9000 series support intent-based networking.
While Cisco DNA is the bridge to an intent-based network, DNA Center is the network management command center at its core.
Cisco DNA is a complete network management system for today's digital enterprise. It automates the deployment, connectivity, and lifecycle of your infrastructure and proactively maintains the quality and security of your applications so that IT staff can focus on networking projects that enhance your core business.
"Cisco DNA Center is the only way we can keep up with the explosion of devices on our network" – Marty Miller, technology strategist, Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
This single software platform includes integrated tools for network management, automation, virtualization, analytics and assurance, security, and IoT connectivity and is an extensible platform for interfacing into your business-critical tools – with a single dashboard for every core functionality in your network. Until now, functionality this complete could only be achieved through the purchase and operation of multiple third-party software tools. The advantages of having all your core network tools integrated into a single software platform are compelling.
Cisco DNA slashes days off time-consuming network provisioning and tedious troubleshooting tasks.
Designed for the future of networking, with twice the capacity to support more users and devices, the Catalyst 9000 family of switches deliver an intent-based network (and at a lower price than previous generations).
The Catalyst 9000 is a purpose-built platform designed for full fabric control with Cisco DNA and Software-Defined Access (which enables policy-based automation from the edge to the cloud). This means simplified design, provisioning, maintenance, and security across the access network to the core. IT teams can automate patching, simplify operations, and overcome security vulnerabilities without slowing down to certify a new software image. It also includes state-of-the-art malware detection with Cisco Encrypted Traffic Analytics.
You can also respond faster to business needs with programmability, optimize mobility, manage the scale of IoT by easily segmenting your network through virtualization, and be cloud ready with Cisco's DevOps toolkit.
All your sites, no matter the size, can benefit from intent-based networking. From the smallest departmental switch to the most critical corporate router, they can manage your networks strategically and holistically. Catalyst switches right-size for any environment – from branch offices and small businesses to the largest enterprise – wired or wireless.
Cisco's push to simplify network management, while making the networks themselves more robust, agile and secure, earned the Catalyst 9000 switches CRN's 2018 Networking Product of the Year. Read more in Top 5 Reasons to Choose Catalyst 9000 Switches.
Together Catalyst 9000 and Cisco DNA Center support a new way to build and operate networks, so you can position your business for the digital age, accelerate the adoption of new technologies, strengthen their security posture, and improve their competitive agility.


Though I had every intention to write a lengthy post about all that I am thankful for this year, I sat down with my computer and something else came to mind. I suppose my head went to what's most important in this life, right at this moment.
This year has been filled with plenty of ups and downs and the four blessings I just mentioned above have pulled me through on more than one occasion. I love this life and I am thankful for the opportunity to live it doing my best to honor the God who made us and loves us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!