Book Review: The Grass Is Greener By Loretta Hill

In 2015 I read 35 books and this year I plan to beat that total by reading 40 books! 

This is my first book review for 2016 - I regularly review books here on the blog every Monday and I'm always looking for new books to read so if you have any suggestions on books you loved that I should add to my reading list please let me know in the comment section.

This is a book review of The Grass Is Greener By Loretta Hill that was recently published by Random House Australia on 4 January 2016.

Loretta Hill is one of my favourite West Australian authors and this is the third rural romance I have read by her. Before Loretta pursued being a writer full time, she graduated from the University of Western Australia and began work as a structural engineer.

This is the story of best friends - Bronwyn and Claudia who think the grass is greener in each other's lives and want to swap places.

Bronwyn is from a high profile legal family and is a lawyer in a Perth city law firm while Claudia who's also a lawyer has spent the last few years helping her family run a vineyard down south in Yallingup, Western Australia.

The girls swap places and Claudia moves into Bronwyn's city apartment and starts work in her dream job and kicks off an office romance. Meanwhile Bronwyn moves in with Claudia's family on the vineyard and her feelings for the brothers she had a crush on many years ago rekindle.

Each chapter alternates between the two girls and both their stories are entertaining and engaging. Although as it is a book about the best friends I thought there would be more communication between the girls than their was and I think the story would have had more substance if the girls had been closer and communicated more as best friends would.

I really liked reading about my home town of Perth, the bars, restaurants, and places they visited. There was also mention of the characters in The Maxwell Sisters and is another novel written by Loretta Hill which is well worth a read.

Overall, this is a perfect Summer holiday novel, it's light hearted and an easy to read romance.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy chick literature and rural Australian romance.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

The Grass Is Greener can be purchased from the author here and Random House Australia

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Random House Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[Image via Random House Australia]

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Summer Holidays - Christmas + New Year

I've had a blissful few weeks off work enjoying the Summer holidays at home and even managed a mini getaway down south for a few days.

Mr P and I gave ourselves a complete renovating free break which is a first for us - we didn't tackle any projects around the house and put the tools down for the first time ever! 

We really enjoyed ourselves over the break catching up with friends and family, went swimming, slept in, had movie marathons, read books, just really relaxed and recharged the batteries which is just what the Dr ordered after a really hectic and busy end to 2015. 

We dog sat as well so even Lexi had a buddy to hang out with over the holidays!

We had a busy Christmas Day having lunch with Mr P's family which was a traditional roast lunch with hot meats and vegetables and delicious desserts. 

Then dinner with my family was a typical Aussie Christmas feast of seafood and salads. We stayed over on my parents farm which was really relaxing and the dogs loved it being able to run free and breathe in the fresh country air.

Boxing Day we caught up with more of my family and had a picnic down by the Mandurah foreshore making the most of the hot and sunny weather.

After the Christmas festivities we went on a road trip and stayed down south with Mr P's family on their vineyard property near Manjimup, Western Australia which is about 3.5 hours drive from home. 

We worked in the vineyard lifting wires to help the vines grow, went marroning and fishing in the dam, had cocktail hour every afternoon with cheese and wine, bbq dinners out on the deck overlooking the property, we had the best little family getaway with our furbaby Lexi she loved being able to run around in all that open space.

For New Years Eve we drove back from Manjimup during the day and went to a Mexican Soiree party that night with lots of delicious Mexican food and tasty mojito cocktails. 

I made my yummy Mexican layered dip which was a party favourite and we lit up the sparklers, did the count down, and I started the New Year with a kiss from my now husband Mr P!

2015 had some incredible highs but it also had some lows too and I'm really looking forward to new challenges and exciting adventures in 2016.

I hope you had a Happy Christmas and enjoyable New Year and a fun holiday season. 

What did you get up to for Christmas and New Years? 

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Merry Christmas + A New Year Wish

It's that time of year again when I'm getting ready to sign off the blog for the year

But before I do I just want to share a little recap of life and home lately and what the future holds for the Jarrah Jungle blog in 2016 .....

On life lately .....

This year I've had so many highs with some of the most special moments of my life ..... I had an amazing engagement party, a dream wedding, married the love of my life and had some awesome honeymoon adventures travelling around the USA. 

But I've also had some lows health-wise which has knocked me for a spin and I'm still recovering from. When you have issues with your health you really start to re-evaluate your life and the way that you live, who you want to spend your time with and what you want to spend your time doing.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately and hope that 2016 will bring more of what makes me happy and my heart sing!

On the home front

The plan for next year on the home front is to finish our house renovations so we can spend time in the house and really enjoy what we've done before we sell it and move on - we will most likely sell our beloved Jarrah Jungle next year and also the block that we are subdividing.

It is really just the exterior we are working on now - in the backyard we need to put up fences, a deck and landscape and in the front yard we also need to landscape. 

The inside of the house has been finished and completely renovated which is a great feeling and I just love what we've done with our own hands - our blood, sweat and tears have turned a neglected old house into our very own love shack and beloved home.

On being an office chick ... for 19 years!

On the work front I have 2 weeks off while the office shuts down for the Christmas Break and will re-open in the New Year. I love that the whole company closes so everyone has a break.

When I go back to work in January 2016 - this will mark 19 years that I've worked with the same company which is more than half my life and is just an incredible milestone for me. In January 2017 I will get my 20 years long service leave (I've already had my 10 years long service leave!) which is something I'm very much looking forward to!

I have worked full time, 5 days a week, for 19 years, without any more than the standard 4 weeks leave a year - that's a lot of alarm clocks I've hit the snooze button on over the years! 

On the blog - Jarrah Jungle

I have been wondering about the future of my blog for 2016 - I've been blogging for 5 years now and it still feeds my creative side and I feel proud of the Jarrah Jungle name that I've created. 

But people are blogging a lot less nowadays and instead are choosing to share via social media - tweeting, instagraming or posting on Facebook. Social media is great for quick engagement but I still think you need the blog as a landing pad. 

Whilst it takes more time and effort to blog, I know my blog will always be here like a journal recording my recipes, book reviews and renovations to date - social media just can't do that as it only holds the most recent information and the rest seems to fall down a black hole and disappear.

I will have to wait and see what the future holds for my beloved Jarrah Jungle blog but one thing I know for sure is that I want to continue writing and creating and sharing content here with you all. I just hope that you will still be on the other side reading and sharing the journey with me! 

There are some exciting and challenging times ahead in the New Year and I'll be back rested and rearing to go in early January 2016.

You can always find me sharing snippets of what's happening on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

I want to say a big thank you to all my readers near and far for your comments and kind words throughout the year you guys are awesome! 

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family, friends, and those that mean the most to you and my wish for you in 2016 is good health and happiness XXX

See you next year!

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Book Club Book Review: Big Little Lies By Liane Moriarty

My Book Club's book choice for the month of November was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This is the last book we will read for the year as we have a break in December and then our next book club meet up is in January.

My favourite book club reads this year are The Book Of You - if you love a good thriller you must check it out and this one Big Little Lies - both awesome reads I can't recommend enough!

This is also the last book review I'll do this year - I've read and reviewed 35 books on the blog in 2015!

This is a story told by 3 very different school Mums who become friends as their kids start kindergarten school together.

The story of each of the women's home lives is intertwined with comments from the Police interviewing people at the school about a crime that is committed, but you don't know what the crime is or who the crime is against until the very end.

This was a very funny, fast paced, modern story which dealt with real issues like domestic abuse and bullying, but in a very smart way. I would not call this a mystery or thriller, but more chick literature with a good solid message behind it and a dash of humour thrown in.

The mystery of the crime held out until the very end which makes this such a brilliant read, it kept me entertained and guessing until the last page.

It had everything that makes it a brilliant book - likable and realistic characters, believable lifestyles, I could imagine that this is what life would be like if I had kids that were in school !

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fast paced, entertaining, funny and witty chick literature and Liane Moriarty fans.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

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[Image via Dymocks]

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Recipe: Gin And Tonic Oysters

I had to bring a starter for an early Christmas dinner get together with family last weekend and of course it had to be a seafood starter because Christmas in Australia is all about fresh seafood!

Us newlyweds have been indulging in Coffin Bay, South Australian oysters which we shuck ourselves just before serving which means they keep as fresh as can be and still taste like the sea. 

I wanted to make a simple and light dressing to go with the oysters and came across this Gin And Tonic Oysters recipe which I altered slightly - there isn't actually any tonic water in it as the cucumber and rocket juice provide a similar bitter tang that compliments the fresh oysters perfectly.

 

Gin and Tonic Oysters

Recipe Source: Adam Liaw

Makes 24 dressed oysters

24 Oysters (I used Coffin Bay, South Australian), shucked

1 small Lebanese cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped, 

  plus 2 tbs finely chopped cucumber for garnish

1 handful of rocket leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tbs gin

1. Juice the cucumber and rocket together. Then separate the liquid from the solids through a fine sieve. Discard the solids.

2. Mix together the lemon juice and sugar, adjusting juice and sugar ratios until it tastes like sweet lemonade.

3. Add all ingredients together - salt, gin, lemon juice and cucumber juice and mix well.

4. Add finely chopped cucumber for garnish.

5. Pour into a bottle with lid and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. 

6. Shuck 24 fresh oysters and arrange on a platter. 

7. Spoon dressing over each oyster ...... and enjoy!

This is a perfect starter dish you can make ahead of time and then simply shuck the oysters and dress the oysters before serving

What's your favourite way to dress oysters?

Sharing with link parties:

Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

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A Newlyweds Christmas ... Merry Kissmas!

I change my Christmas decorating theme every year depending on what's happening in the Jarrah Jungle home and so far over the years I've had .....

2009 - Our first Christmas

2010 - Christmas when renovation 

2011 - Christmas tree blue and silver

2012 - Christmas tree with pink, purple, blue and silver

Plus a Christmas vignette and Merry Mantle

2013 - Christmas tree with pink, purple, blue and silver

2014 - Decorating with a bright and happy vibe

In 2015 I'm going with a newlyweds theme because it's Mr P and I's first Christmas 

as husband and wife. Plus my word for 2015 is "LOVE" so it's the perfect theme!

Every year Mr P mentions that our Christmas tree is far too big for the house and every year I gush about how much I love it and it's not going anywhere!

This year the Christmas Tree is decorated with blues, purples, pinks and silver.

I've decorated with special decor from the engagement and wedding including my DIYed wedding bouquet

I'm not afraid to use lots of bright colours around the house as you can see even my wall art has had the festive treatment this year!

My gallery wall of art has had a bit of a change up with the addition of my custom Jarrah Jungle art from Minted.

Special ornaments from our honeymoon travels across the USA take pride of place here too.

My DIY painted birdcage has made an appearance again with baubles and birds.

I've created a couple of vignettes in the dining room and living room too.

My kitchen is looking bright and festive with it's Christmas shelfie and the dining room table is laid with Christmas cheer!

And I couldn't forget to decorate outside, now that I've added some pots and plants to the front path it's looking much more inviting by the front door.

I love seeing the Christmas tree and all the decorations up in the house it makes me excited for the Summer holidays and festivities ahead.

Now I need to finish shopping and wrap some presents to put under the tree!

How are you decorating for Christmas this year?

Sharing with link parties:

Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

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[All images my own]

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Book Review: The Taco Cleanse By Wes Allison, Stephanie Bogdanch, Molly Frisinger and Jessica Morris

This is a book review of The Taco Cleanse by Wes Allison, Stephanie Bogdanch, Molly Frisinger and Jessica Morris that was recently published by The Experiment on 1 December 2015.

This book is written by a group of taco scientists - Wes, Stephanie, Molly and Jessica who live in Tacotopia - Austin, Texas. They introduced the taco cleanse at the 2013 Vegan Month of Food by eating tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 30 days.

This is a very funny cookbook that compares itself to the Paleo and South Beach diets that all deprive you from eating your favourite foods. Well not this cookbook - it claims the plant based tortilla diet rewards your body with what it naturally craves - with dishes like refried beans and guacamole. In fact it goes as far as to say it's proven to change your life by eating tacos every day!

It has 75 delicious looking vegan inspired recipes to try. It even shows you how to make your own tortillas, salsas and sauces, salads, fillings, drinks and more.

I love Mexican food and cook tacos or chilli con carne about twice a month but that's about all the Mexican cuisine I've mastered - now I have a heap of Mexican inspired dishes to try. I also have Meatless Mondays where I cook a vegetarian dish once a week, so these vegan recipes will be great inspiration for my menu plan.

I recommend this book to taco food fans and anyone with a sense of humour in the kitchen. This would also make a great Christmas gift for foodies.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

The Taco Cleanse can be purchased from the authors here and The Experiment Publishing

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by The Experiment Publishing to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[Image via The Experiment Publishing]

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