"Quay - Food Inspired By Nature" by Peter Gilmore

A Video of 'Quay'

We featured this cookbook early in the year and now Murdoch Books has sent us a link to a video showing how beautiful a cookbook can be. I hope you enjoy.

The Millenium Trilogy DVD

Murdoch Books have sent us a few copies of the DVD of the first book of Stieg Larsson's trilogy and we'd like to give them away to our regular customers. The first three reviews of the trilogy that arrive at the bookshop will receive a copy of the DVD.

What do you remember most about the three books? What impressed you about the way they were written? If you were recommending this trilogy to someone what would you tell them? The review you write can be two of three paragraphs (or more if there's more you want to say) it's the first three reviews that arrive at the bookshop that will receive the DVDs.

You can submit the review at the counter at the bookshop, by mail, by email or submit it direct to our website (fosterslittlebookshop.com.au). The review needs to cover the three books and remember to include contact details with your submission. Start writing!!

Christmas Decoration Making December 4th, 2010

Each year we hold a Christmas Decoration Making morning for our smaller customers, the ones who love to fling sprinkles and glue around (which takes Bob at least four goes with the vac before it's all gone!), make beautiful decorations for their Christmas tree and listen to great story telling. This year we will have the wonderful tones of Nola Mills and I know the children will love her. This photo is from last year and our resident story teller (who's in Perth as I type) Jennifer Jones had the little ones in the palm of her hand.

We kick off at 10.00am and will throw the last tired parent out around 1.00pm. So if you're in the area and you have a small child with you (no entry without one) we'd love to see you. That's Saturday, December 4th.

Shopping After Dark - November 2010

We've held our Shopping After Dark for three years now and we're looking forward to doing it again. It's on Thursday, November 25th from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. There will be a glass of wine and some nibbly cheese for our customers. It would be great to see you there. Click here for your invitation. And if it all gets too much for you there's always the red couch to slump upon!

Patrick Morgan - 'Foothill Farmers'

On Saturday, November 20 Patrick will be at the bookshop to talk about and sign copies of his book 'Foothill Farmers'. Gippsland has an extensive imaginative literature of poetry, novels, plays, short stories and children's books as rich as any comparable region in Australia. As well as local writers like Mary Grant Bruce, Hal Porter, E. J. Brady and Mary Fullerton, famous Australian writers like Marcus Clarke, Henry Lawson, Rolf Boldrewood and Katherine Susannah Prichard wrote books based on Gippsland after visiting here.

'Foothill Farmers' analyses imaginative works relating to exploration, Aborigines, squatting, selection, mining, timber-getting, war and other topics. There is a bibliography included listing 80 authors and 130 books.

This is the second book for Patrick Morgan who published 'The Settling of Gippsland: A Regional History' in 1988 which won the Victorian Community History Award in 1998. 'Foothill Farmers' was launched on October 22nd at the Monash University Auditorium at Churchill, by writer Chester Eagle.

Click here for a copy of the flyer for the book signing.

Recipes From Murdoch Press

True to her promise Marianne from Murdoch has sent me a couple of great recipes from two of their latest cook books. Take a look and see if what you cook looks anything like what these chefs cook. The first is from 'My Party' by Pete Evans and 'Quay' by Peter Gilmore. You can download both of these pdf files and enjoy.

Saturday, October 23rd Chonyi Taylor

We had a bookshop full of interested and interesting people to meet Chonyi on Saturday. Most of those who came to have their copy of Chonyi's books signed stayed to talk with her and ask questions. And some who came not knowing there was a book signing in progress stayed to listen also. It was a calm, warm and friendly atmosphere. We thank Chonyi for her time and company.

Chonyi Taylor - Book Signing

I'm very pleased to report there has been great interest in the book ENOUGH! by Chonyi Taylor. We will have the pleasure of Chonyi's presence on Saturday, October 23rd at 11 am to sign copies of her book. If you can't be here, let us know and we'll put a copy of her book aside to be signed for you and it can be picked up later in the week.

Chonyi Taylor

Chonyi Taylor was ordained as a Buddhist nun by the Dalai Lama in 1995. Active in the worlds of both Buddhism and Western psychology, she teaches Buddhism from simple to advanced levels and participates in interfaith conferences and workshops for psychologists and health professionals. Her book 'Enough!: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Release from Addictive Patterns' is straight forward, no holds barred, easy to read information. Don't think this book is only for those who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction, it is in effect for anyone with habitual patterns of any nature. It's a practical ste-by-step guide to finding freedom from addiction and compulsion.

We're very pleased that Chonyi will be at the bookshop on Saturday, October 23rd to talk about her book and to sign copies. Read more about the book here.

Visit Chonyi's website.

Murdoch Books - 365 Good Reasons to Sit Down to Eat

This book by Stephane Reynaud has some wonderful recipes and I'm going to share one of them with you. The team at Murdoch Books are taking up the challenge to cook all 365 of the recipes. I'll let you know how they go. Thanks to Marianne for the information she constantly sends me. Here's the link for the recipe which is November 11, one day before my birthday!

Murdoch Books - Grillhouse

My contact at Murdoch Books, Marianne, has alerted me to the fact that I can get some recipes from a couple of their latest books on to our blog............we'll to give you the link. Here's the first of them from a wonderful new title "Grillhouse" by Ross Dobson. And this is what the book looks like. I wouldn't mind feedback on how well (or not) this works.

Liz Dunoon

'Helping Children with Dyslexia' is a book that has been a long time coming. Liz Dunoon came to our notice because she is proactive and rather than wait for the distributor to make contact with us about her book, she did. Visit her website and look at what is being done to help children and adults. Here's the link.

Dr Ann Dettrick

This coming Thursday (September 9th at 11 am) we will have Dr Dettrick in the bookshop to sign copies of her new book. 'A History of Medicine in Gippsland' is a very interesting collection of stories about doctors and nurses in the Gippsland area from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. Anyone interested in the history of this area will be in for a good read.

Gardenia's Garden

A young friend at Kinglake is in the process of rebuilding her garden after the Black Saturday fires and she has developed a blog so her friends and family can watch her success. I felt it would be alright to tell you about this on our blog. Here's the link.
http://ingardeniasgarden.blogspot.com/

Let her know you are watching.

Avid Reader - Tom

This is one of the young avid readers in Foster. Tom's dad bought Chrissie's book for him earlier in the week and Tom came to meet the author last Saturday to have the book signed. It was great listening to Tom and Chrissie talk about the characters and the plot of the book. Tom and his brother Will have been consistent in giving me feedback on the books they read and it's wonderful for a bookseller to have access to this sort of information. And our thanks to Tom's parents for permission to use his photo on our blog.

Chrissie Michaels - Book Signing

When Chrissie arrived last Saturday to sign copies of her book she had a few things to compete with, not the least was the Federal Election, then there was finals of the local football and netball down the road, plus it was a very wet Saturday. Still, to her credit Chrissie met our customers with a bright smile and a happy face. Thank you Chrissie for your time and energy. We have a wonderful photo of Chrissie with one of our young avid readers and when we receive permission to print the photo we'll make sure it goes up on the blog.

Liz Rushen - Book Signing - August 14, 2010

Liz Rushen certainly brought a crowd with her last Saturday. So many people wanted to talk with her about her books (not just this one, the other three as well) and then purchase a signed copy of "Fair Game". It was a very busy morning, while people waited to see Liz, they also browsed.................that was nice.

August Book Signings

Chrissie Michaels will be at the bookshop on Saturday August 21st from 10.30 am to sign copies of her book 'In Lonnie's Shadow'. Check out this interview with Chrissie.

Liz Rushen's new book "Fair Game" tells the story of the women who were brought to Australia by the British Government in 1832 on two ships the 'Red Rover' from Cork and the 'Princess Royal' from London. Liz will be signing copies of this book at the bookshop on August 14th from 10.30 am. We have all of Liz's books in stock, I'm sure she'd be happy to sign any of them on the day.

Genevieve Moore

Our guest author delighted us again for the last of the Twilight Talks for 2010. Genevieve Moore entertained us with stories of her neice; we saw her swiming with dolphins and heard how sweet and happy this child is. We also heard how the book 'Catherine's Story' came to be published. Genevieve told us that her book is being released in the USA this month, in Norway in 2011 and in Chinese speaking countries in traditional Chinese characters in 2011. Which certainly highlights how universal 'Catherine's Story' is. We are looking forward to more books from Genevieve in the not too distant future.

Thanks to all our guest authors for this year. We will do this again in 2011, perhaps under a new name, so watch this space.

Cheryl Glowrey

Cheryl had the audience enthralled with her description of Corner Inlet in the 1800's and the tall ships that used to ply their trade in the inlet. Certainly conjured up a different picture of Corner Inlet the peaceful, calm inlet we see daily. As always there were plenty of questions for Cheryl during and after her talk. I can't wait for the next book she's in the process of writing.

Ray Smithies

Ray Smithies certainly had the audience entertained last Friday night, there were plenty of questions. He talked about the process he went through to write his book "Scorpio's Lot", all the research that was need to make sure the facts were correct and as an author he retained credibility. Ray also discussed the publishing process from an author's perspective and again received plenty of questions. A small audience and yet a very appreciative one. Well done Ray.

Arron Wood

This young man is enthusiastic, entertaining, informative, knowledgeable and fun. How he isn't doing more of these author talks is a mystery to me. I'd like to think the publicist at New Holland will find other people like us to enjoy his company. The feedback from our audience last Friday night was positive and very flattering. Thank you Arron for a great night!

Dr Sue Turnbull

Sue Turnbull certainly had the audience in the palm of her hands on Friday (2nd July) as the first of our authors for the Twilight Talks. Thanks Sue for such a great start to the series.

Twilight Talks - Authors and Dates

Dr Sue Turnbull - Friday July 2nd

Sue Turnbull is an Associate Professor in Media Studies at La Trobe University where she teaches about popular culture, television and media audiences. She has been a co-convenor of Sisters in Crime Australia since 1992 and has published extensively on crime fiction and its readers. She is currently writing a book on the television crime drama for Edinburgh University Press. Sue is also chief crime fiction reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald and has been a judge for the Age and currently the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

As for books, Sue says she has four in the pipeline – including one on Australian Screen.


Arron Wood - Friday July 9th

Arron Wood has spent most of his life growing up in the country on a billabong. A keen sportsman, Arron's family has strongly influenced his appreciation for the environment and education. His dedication to the environment has won him a number of national and international environmental awards. He was winner of the 2006 United Nations Individual Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment and the 2001 Young Australian of the Year (National Environment Winner) and Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award. Arron's commitment to the environment was covered on ABC's Australian Story in 2004 and he hosted Channel Seven documentary Our Water, Our future which aired in 2005.

His book ‘The Billabong Boy’ was published in June 2010.



Ray Smithies - Friday Juy 16th

Ray Smithies was born in Melbourne and when he was a child the family moved to Wangaratta in northeast Victoria, where they lived for the next twenty years before Ray moved back to the city. He now lives near the wine/grazing district of the Yarra Valley with his wife Pauline, two sons and a daughter. Ray writes in his spare time and particularly enjoys delving into the criminal side of life with its combination of mystery and adventure. He enjoys visiting the diverse country side of the Gippsland hills and coastal seascapes, an interest that is reflected in his work. Ray has also taken an active interest in sports medicine and is a qualified sports therapist. He has lectured to triathlon and various sporting groups on the subject of injury treatment and prevention. He devotes time to assist charitable groups and organisations in diagnoses and hands-on therapy. His book ‘Scorpio’s Lot’ was published in September 2009

Cheryl Glowrey - Friday July 23rd

Cheryl Glowrey is a well known Foster identity, besides being a published author she is also the Principal of South Gippsland Secondary College. Cheryl spent her childhood on dairy farms in South Gippsland and has a strong interest in the local environment. She has a Masters in Letters in Australian History and has written about the declining hill communities of South Gippsland. In late 2009 Cheryl republished ‘Snake Island & The Cattlemen of The Sea’ which was first published in 2000. This book is an extension of her interests and is the forerunner of further writing about life in Gippsland. We are waiting with interest for the next book on the history of Corner Inlet which is at the early stages of writing.

Genevieve Moore - Friday July 30th

Genevieve Moore now lives in Foster after a move from Melbourne in recent years. As well as recently publishing her first children’s picture book, Genevieve has been an improvisational performer, voice-over artist, radio announcer and human resources consultant. Genevieve now has a small business which will keep her in this area for some time to come. We’re hoping there will be another children’s book in the not too distant future.

Genevieve’s book ‘Catherine’s Story’ published January 2010 is based on her niece, who as an infant, suffered from a kind of epilepsy known as infantile spasms or West Syndrome This left the child with profound and multiple learning disabilities. She’s not able to understand much of what is said to her, is unable to speak or walk without support and unable to perform any of the activities of daily living. The story book shows how all the things that make Catherine different also make her special.

Winners and Runners Up of The Tea Cosy Competition

Winners and Runner Up of the Novelty Category
The judges weren't able to choose between these two tea cosies, so we have two winners.

Fleur Wheeler (Sea Urchin) and Jenny Renshaw (Ho Ho Ho)

The Runner Up is Lyn Paterson (Fifi)


Winner and Runner Up of the Traditional Category

Shirley Westaway (A Bling Thing)

The Runner Up is Linda McMullen (Cosy Chick)

The Last of The Tea Cosies

Jo Mackowski sent us this treasure in the mail from Queensland, she said it has been made from the left over wool she used for knitting slippers for her grandchildren. Yes, they do need warm slippers in the winter up North. So, we thought we'd be smart and simply call this tea cosy 'Slippers'.

This little poodle is notable because he is the work of a mother and son team. Sue and Matt Power put him together and they are pretty pleased with the outcome.

'Ho Ho Ho'..............and what else would you call this little Father Christmas. When you lift his little hat there's a bald head surrounded by fluffy white hair. I've stopped being surprised about the creative and wonderful minds in this town.

This is 'T Berta' our own little Lady Bird and she is the creation of Vanessa Checkley. And so is the next one.

What can I say? This is 'Dumbo' and he's so cute! Vanessa Checkley is responsible for this as well.

I think Les MacKay might be a little disappointed in how this looks in the photo, because he looks great in the window..............Chuck Chickadee and his little poem says "I'm Chuck Chickadee and I keep your tea as warm as can be."

'Buttons and Bows' by Lorraine Brown, who by the way didn't think this was good enough for the competition, you can see we didn't agree with her.

This is Phyliss Barlow's second entry and she's called it 'Hot T Bunnies'. All the little bunnies are made separately and sown on, so all the little ears stand up in the centre. She's such a clever lady.

This is the 'Bling Thing' and it's the handy work of Shirley Westaway. When you see it in the flesh (so to speak) it has glitter and shine, pity this hasn't shown up in the photo.

More Tea Cosies!!

Here are some more of those tea cosies of the really wild kind. We are getting close to the end of the competition and I'm told there's a number of these little fellows still to come.

The photo doesn't do this any justice it's another Tania Pell and we called it Pretty Ribbons.

Remember Connie Arnup? Her previous tea cosie was called Slightly Pom, she's come up with another one and we've named it Just Trad, 'cause it is.

The title for this little wonder is The Big Pineapple and I know a least one person in this town who is hoping to buy it when we get to the 'selling' part of the competition.

Tania Pell was responsible for The Little Imp and she's also responsible for this one - Teddy Bear's Picnic - and there's another one later. She's so competitive!!

This little fellow is by Jeanette Allan and his name is Mr. Tomato (and why not, I ask!!)

Loani Prior

One of the things I failed to mention in previous posts is that the Wild Tea Cosy competition was inspired by Loani Prior's wonderful books. 'Wild Tea Cosies' and 'Really Wild Tea Cosies'. You can see a wonderful array of tea cosies on her blog. http://wildforteacosies.blogspot.com/ We're working towards a blog as colourful and entertaining as Loani's.

Here's another posting of Wild Tea Cosies for our competition. We hope you enjoy looking at them. As more comes in we'll set them up on the blog.



I'd like to present a wonderful, traditional tea cosy called 'Slightly Pom', I don't think our photograph does it justice. It has been entered by Connie Arnup who is 94 years old!! There's another one from Connie that we'll add in to a later post.

This is another entry by Barbara Moon, 'Cosy Christmas' is its name. Barbara tells me that the decorations on the sides are removable if you wanted to use them for Christmas tree decorations. Where do these creative people get their ideas??

This is 'Miss Prissy' and I'm glad I'm not judging these tea cosies because I have a soft spot for this little lady. Leonie Margetts let us have this one for the judging, although I'm not sure we'll be selling it when the competition is over.

Tania Pell is responsible for this tea cosy and his name is 'Little Imp', we have two more of Tania's cosies out the back and when time permits we'll post those as well. This is the one that's in the window at the moment.

This little lady 'Fifi' came all the way from Healesville to Foster for the competition and her 'owner' is Lyn Paterson. A bit difficult to see in the photo, but 'Fifi' has a long pink tongue that reaches to her nose.

Here's another of our entries, this one is shaped to represent a book and it's title is 'Teapot Tales', it was entered by Prue Fleming. When you get the chance to look at the back of the tea cosy it actually says 'the end'.........!!

We thought a blog would be a great way to keep our customers and friends aware of what's happening at Foster's Little Bookshop. These are photos of the first of the entries for the Wild Tea Cosy competition that runs until June 24th. Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we are when receiving them.

This little cosy is called 'A Basket of Flowers' by Barbara Moon. You can see it but there's a small lady bird up amongst the flowers.

This is an entry from Fleur Wheeler, 'Sea Urchin'. Fleur said when she started making the tea cosy she couldn't stop..........it was like eating peanuts!! Fleur is away overseas at the moment and tells me when she returns there is another cosy in the pipeline.