lure of the thylacine

i have always been fascinated by the thylacine. the tasmanian tiger. although declared extinct in 1936 long before my birth, i along with many others hold hope that the species is still out there.

i bought this book for my dad sometime last year as a gift (i must admit, when i gave it to him, i made him promise once he had read it that he would give it back to me to read.) and he said he really enjoyed it. so did i. i finally got around to reading it and wow. in the opening information in the book, it's suggested that you do not read it unless you have plenty of time on your hands, as you're unlikely to put it down and i can see why.

the book is filled with tales old and new of those who have personally seen the thylacine, or know tales of those who did in their time. it was absolutely fascinating reading these eye witness accounts. a few bogus ones have been thrown in, but they are marked as such - and what good is a book without entertainment? i was definitely educated though, i had no idea the tiger had ever been found on the mainland!

it got me thinking again, why would someone claim to see one if they actually hadn't? what good would it do them? it's not going to bring them fortune or fame without solid proof, in fact, quite the opposite... i can only see people bringing ridicule upon themselves for claiming they've seen an animal declared extinct so many years ago. i am inclined to believe nearly all the accounts and genuinely hope one day they'll be roaming tasmania again. 

i thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who has a love for the tasmanian tiger. an excellent read.

a secret garden gift

i was given this gorgeous candle a little while back by someone who gets me. one of the other girls who volunteers in the school canteen is also a book lover, with an obsession collection of her own - alice in wonderland. the candle is from a company called spark + sparrow who name their candles after classic books, she ordered herself an alice candle and grabbed me a secret garden one. i love it so much, it looks perfect in front of my book collection, but i don't know if i will ever be able to bring myself to burn it! up to 31 copies now and always hunting for the next. ♥

the secret garden

a few months ago, i was approached by one of the young womens leaders in our ward, asking me, along with a few other women in our ward, to write something about a book i love (which, it should be noted, was not allowed to be the book of mormon) and provide a copy of it for the girls to see as they listened. i have loved the secret garden from the first time i read it, when my mother bought me a copy as a teenager (i still remember it was from the mundaring bookshop, which i now wonder, is that even open anymore?) and can't seem to help myself buying it again and again every time i see a copy. i am now up to 20 something copies, all different, and have no plan to stop any time soon. if you haven't read it, do yourself a favour and get a copy, it's the best!

but... here is what i had to say:

A book I love, in fact my favourite book is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was written over a hundred years ago and was first published in 1910. I have read it so many times and love it as much as the first time I read it. The story tells of a young girl who has lost her family and been sent to an old friend of her parents to be raised. She begins as an angry child who wants no love from anyone, but over time learns that friendship is one of the greatest gifts that life has to offer. 

The reason I love it so much, all stems around one particular quote, "where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow." I think this is a very important reminder of keeping the gospel first and foremost in our lives. Where light exists, darkness cannot enter. When we keep our thoughts and lives pure, we will live a life of joy in the gospel. 

the forgotten garden

it has been a very long time since i am have been totally and utterly consumed by a book. but it has happened again... thanks to kate morton's novel - the forgotten garden. mum bought it a few months ago and loved it - passing it on to me who popped it on the shelf and promptly forgot about it... then after much nagging got it out and starting to read it. oh mum... you know me far too well...

it was... incredible!!

back and forth between london in the 1900s and brisbane of the present day as the mystery is solved... i cannot tell you enough just how good this book was - and hope you'll all run off and buy a copy to read!

now - back to my petition to have it made into a movie! haha