From Addiction in Australia, to Being Sober On The Streets In London---Meeting Bob Was the Best Thing Ever!!! By James Bowen

 

There is something about the presence of a cat … 

that seems to take the bite out of being alone. --Louis Camuti

If man could be crossed with the cat, 

it would improve man but deteriorate the cat. --Mark Twain

One Saturday lunchtime, for instance, I answered a knock on the door and found the guy from the flat across the hallway standing there. ‘Hi, just thought I’d let you know that your cat is out here.’ ‘Sorry, erm, no. Must be someone else’s. Mine’s in here,’ I said, turning around to scout around the living room. ‘Bob. Where are you?’ There was no sign of him. ‘No, I’m pretty sure this is him out here. Ginger isn’t he?’ the guy said. I stepped out into the hallway to discover Bob sitting around the corner, perfectly still on top of a cupboard on the landing with his head pressed against the window, looking down on the street below. ‘He’s been there a while. I noticed him earlier,’ the guy said, heading for the lift. ‘Oh. Thanks,’ I said. Bob just looked at me as if I was the world’s biggest party pooper. The expression on his face seemed to say: ‘Come on up here and take a look at this view with me, it’s really interesting.’ 

‘Bob, how the heck have you got there?’ I said, reaching up to collect him. Belle was visiting and was in the kitchen rustling up a sandwich. ‘Did you let Bob out?’ I asked her back inside the flat. ‘No,’ she said, looking up from the worktop. ‘I can’t work out how he got out into the hallway and hid himself up on top of the cupboard.’ ‘Ah, hold on,’ Belle said, a light coming on somewhere inside her head. ‘I popped downstairs about an hour ago to put some rubbish out. You were in the bathroom. I shut the door behind me but he must have slid out without me noticing and then hidden away somewhere when I came back up. He’s so damned clever. I’d love to know what’s going on in his mind sometimes.’ 

I couldn’t help laughing out loud. It was a subject I’d speculated on quite a lot over the years. I’d often found myself imagining the thought processes Bob went through. I knew it was a pointless exercise and I was only projecting human behaviour onto an animal. Anthropomorphising I think they call it. But I couldn’t resist it. It wasn’t hard, for instance, to work out why he’d been so happy finding his new vantage point out in the hallway today. There was nothing Bob loved more than watching the world go by. Inside the flat, he would regularly position himself on the kitchen window sill. He could sit there happily all day, monitoring the goings on below, like some kind of security guard. His head would follow people as they walked towards and then past our flats. If someone turned into the entrance to the building, he’d stretch himself until he had lost sight of them. It might sound crazy, but I found it incredibly entertaining. He took it so seriously that it was almost as if he had a list of people who were allowed to travel this way at certain times and in certain directions. He’d see someone passing and look as if to say ‘yes, OK, I know who you are’ or ‘come on you’re running late for the bus to work’. At other times he’d get quite agitated, as if he was thinking: ‘Oi, hang on! I don’t recognise you’ or: ‘Hey. You don’t have clearance, where do you think you’re going. Get back here.’ I could easily while away half an hour just watching Bob watching others. Belle and I used to joke that he was on patrol. Bob’s escape into the hallway today was typical of something else he seemed to love doing as well, playing hide and seek. 

I’d found him hiding in all sorts of surprising nooks and crannies. He particularly loved anywhere warm. One evening, I went to have a bath before I went to bed. As I nudged the bathroom door open, I couldn’t help thinking it felt a little odd. Rather than swinging open easily it needed an extra nudge. It felt heavy somehow. I didn’t think much more of it and started running a bath. I was looking in the mirror by the sink when I noticed something moving on the back of the door amongst the towels I kept in a rack. It was Bob. ‘How on earth have you got up there?’ I said, howling with laughter. I worked out that he must have climbed on to a shelving unit near the door and then, somehow, jumped from there on to the towels, pulling himself up on to the top of them. It looked pretty uncomfortable as well as precarious but he seemed really happy. The bathroom was a favourite spot for hide and seek. 

Another frequent trick of his was to hide inside the clothes horse I often used to dry my washing in the bathtub, especially during winter. Several times I’d been brushing my teeth or even sitting on the toilet, and suddenly noticed the clothes moving. Bob would then appear, pushing the clothes apart like curtains, his face wearing a sort of peek-a-boo expression. He thought it was great entertainment. 

Bob’s ability to get into trouble was another source of endless entertainment. He loved watching television and computer screens. He could while away endless hours watching wildlife programmes or horse racing. He would sit there, as if he was mesmerised. So when we walked past the gleaming new Apple store in Covent Garden one afternoon, I thought I’d give him a treat. The place was bursting with shiny new laptops and desktops, none of which I could remotely afford. But the Apple philosophy was that anyone could stroll in and play around with their technology. So we did. We had spent a few minutes playing with the computers, surfing the internet and watching YouTube videos when Bob spotted a screen that had a kind of aquarium-style display, with exotic and really colourful fish swimming around. I could see why he was attracted to it. It was absolutely stunning. I took him over to the giant screen and let him gape at it for a few moments. It was funny to watch. He would follow a particular fish as it progressed around the screen and then disappeared. He would then do a sort of double take. He couldn’t fathom what was happening and darted behind the giant screen, expecting to find the fish there. But when all he saw was a wall of silver and a tangle of leads, he darted back again and started following another fish. It carried on like this for minutes until he suddenly started getting frenzied and got wrapped up in a cable. I’d been temporarily distracted and turned around to see his paw wrapped around a white cable. He was pulling on it and was threatening to drag one of the giant consoles with him. ‘Oh God, Bob, what are you doing?’ I said...

!!!

Tiny, Ready, and Freddie

I had briefly saw the cover of this book and went out to get it...Adding to my TBR library... I didn't know, however, that I would pick this book one night recently to start reading after I had finished a book I really didn't like--a rare occasion for me, as you've probably guessed. I needed an immediate joyful diversion and

saw Bob smiling up at me... Yes! Just gazing at the cover made me smile and calm down... I had not yet called my babies--3 triplets--in to escape the still cold nights where I live, so I opened the book, highlighting the several quotes about cats, agreeing with them, of course... and then starting to read...It was clear from the very beginning that Bob had chosen his person himself, whose name happens to be the author of this book, James Bowen. I can count on the fingers of one hand, the number of cats who actually have chosen me--maybe I'll write a couple of short stories about them. Most of my cats are perfect blends of the male and females who have born here at my cabin--or dropped off...starting with the small brownish-black long-hair that had been at the cabin before I was even living here, but who had been fed by my brother-in-law. She had her first litter shortly after I had moved in with my three cats...

In many ways, this book can also be considered an ongoing memoir by Bowen as he shares not only stories about his new soulmate, Bob, but his life as a street person, homeless, and trying to make a living at the beginning, obviously from begging, or stealing... He had become hooked on drugs early in life while living in Australia. This book begins while he is now living in London, has managed to have a small room, and is now totally clean from drugs... Still, with the stigma of his past as well as what the drugs had done to his body, he was forced to work on the streets to gain enough money to keep living--barely...

At first, I was impressed when I learned about the various services that London provided for the homeless, including a way to make money on the streets, and access to health care, even for Bob, the cat... But, of course, just as in America, there are always "those" people who have to make it hard for anybody that is different in some way. From shouting that strumming on a guitar was too loud or making false complaints about one vendor, for one reason, or another, or to even lost status of contract if a boss wants to give a favor to a buddy...Somehow, somewhere, people have forgotten all about the needs of anybody else other than themselves... How very sad...

But that rarely will happen when you have a cat... I would describe it as it happened, but you really need to read how Bob prevented a robbery of the day's earnings after noticing a man watching, smelling his evil or hatred... or whatever an animal has to instinctively know that somebody was dangerous... Bob, normally riding on the shoulders of James, as they left for home, had actually turned around to sit backward on the backpack and attack  the thief who was trying to grab today's sales!

Or the time that James was very sick with coughing, fearing to go to the doctor, that it might be really bad...only to have Bob begin to gently approach James while he was laying down, and spread his body across James' chest... Yep! you guessed it, when he went for an x-ray, the chest was clear of any permanent issues and after a short medication addition, he was fine again... 

Bob and James went everywhere together. James provided security, while Bob added a new and fun dimension to both his life as well as to his work activities...Bob began to get a following, including the daughters of a member of the Beatles! (Just had to share my favorite Beatles Song... Something in the Way She Moves...and by the way, Tom Jones was once a heartthrob of mine, too, so I had to play one of his hits first, LOL)

While this book was my first from James Bowen, I've noticed that he has written many others which I'll check out from time to time when I need another "fix" from this chaotic world in which we live. I do want to point out that, Bowen is a natural storyteller... He moves from event to event and chapter to chapter without any sense of confusion, forever singing the praise of Bob and all that the two of them have found--together! I can imagine he and I becoming friends and perhaps Bob might one day come to visit the Cabin Cats who live somewhere in Pennsylvania... there's about 12 kittens and cats at any given time enjoying the four seasons of Our Father's World...happy to have found someone to love and to be loved by... Isn't that what's life all about!?

This book needs to be read by people for many reasons... Especially now when government is spending more time trying to crush our lives, our joy in living, we need a cat or two or three to realize that there's always somebody out there needing to love and be loved and cared for. James Bowen found Bob and hasn't stopped talking about him!

I snapped a pic of this last sketch in the book. There are several others and are wonderful line drawings by Dan Williams...

GABixlerReviews

I Always Wanted to Visit Australia...and Carole P. Roman Made It Possible Through Her Cultural Series for Children!

In Canberra, the capital city, I was caught by the British Coat of Arms that appears on what is called the Old Parliament house  where laws were made until 1988.
With my former career as a facilities manager, I immediately wondered how this building was now being used--as a parliamentary museum, and discovered that a beautiful new building had been erected, which complements the earlier building... I was impressed!

Canberra is located between two of Australia's most populated cities, Melbourne and Sydney. It was chosen as the capital city to make everybody happy. It is surrounded by a lot of vegetation so it is called the "bush capital."

~~~

If you Were Me and Lived in...  Australia:

An Introduction to Learning About Other Cultures

By Carole P. Roman

I always love to meet the kids of each country, but this time, I learned something new...that my favorite music program, The Voice, goes to various countries and I found a real, Lively intro to some of the singers from Australia! Check it out!

Let's meet some of the "Aussies," shall we?

The last three pictures were taken on Australia Day! Hurray!
If you are a boy in Australia, you might be called Jack (J-ae-k), William (Will-yum) or Oliver (oh-l-ee-v-ER-r).
Favorite girls names are Charlotte (sh-AH-r-l-uh-t), Ruby (R-OO-b-y), and Sophie (So-fee).
~~~

Here's a more traditional song and background for your kids to learn...

While Mommy and Daddy are the same as in the U.S., don't plan on getting our kind of money. You'll need an Australian dollar to buy your treats! Eating is somewhat similar...such as eating grilled meat on the (bar-bee) which we normally just call grilling out, right?! And a big tossed salad to go with it... They do have a special lunch of vegemite sandwiches for school. This is a spread of dark brown vegetable paste onto white bread with some Western Star butter. Sounds like they eat healthily, don't they... That's probably because they need to be so they can do some of the cool things that can be done, living on a continent... Do you know the word continent? What does that mean??? The map below will help see that as well...

Like enjoying water sports, say, snorkeling or riding in a bareboat, which is a mini submarine with windows... Best place for that would be the Great Barrier Reef! It's the largest reef in the world and can be seen from outer space!

Cricket is the favorite sport with kids joining teams at young ages!

If you get the chance, travel to Australia in January when their special Australia Day is celebrated, which dates back to 1788...and that's the middle of summer, Down Under!

Sure would like to visit and learn more about the many cultures on this large island... But be on the lookout for these fellas that may come jumpin' along... Enjoy!

And if you see a crocodile, let's hope that Dundee is around!

Who's Dundee? Well, I thought everybody knew him, but if not, check him out in this movie clip for age appropriate viewing of course...

Once again Carole P. Roman takes children into another country, and, in this case, another continent, and introduces your children to those they might meet, plus learn all about their lives and the location where they live. Wonderful, colorful series that is both interesting and educational... Check out the whole set! Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews

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Humorist Edmund Christopher McCombs Picks "Inappropriate Moments" for First Book!

Australia pinnacle (Photo credit: Kenny Teo (zoompict))
"XXX marked the spot. At the very bottom of
this now mangled cardboard box, lay a graphically encased video displaying two
contorted women. The women were obviously
good friends based on the way they were kissing and caressing each other's ample
breasts while in some sort of folded, double-
jointed position. The title of this cinematic
masterpiece was emblazoned across the top.
"Double Headed Dildos," I confusingly read
aloud to my wide-eyed audience. In that
moment, my cousins and I saw in awe at what
we had found but this was, by no means, our
first foray into the vast land of adult
entertainment..."
~~~

stuck.at.seven
[while awkwardly aiming for ten]:
 Short recollections of Life's more inappropriate moments

By Edmund Christopher McCombs

I have found that, for me, humor is a personal thing...Like I had a lot of fun recently with the Senior Sleuth novel, because I could relate so much to the women characters! For this book, I also had a personal reaction--it sounded like my two nephews when everybody gets together and they start getting "ignorant" as some of us would say...

Through knowing them, I have found (1) boys talk about different things and (2) the generation of my nieces and nephews are so much more liberal in their talk, their discussions and their humor... I learned this when both of them had watched a Christmas movie that has a little boy sticking his tongue out, freezing it on a light pole, that they could repeat the words of the whole movie [which I have never watched completely] that we would never agree on what is funny... But then I learned that my sister watches it every year as well! It's me--I must be the one with the weird sense of humor...

"You see, from a very young age, my concept of
oral sex had been one wrought in confusion and
misinterpretation and through the dinner table
debacle, I realized very little had changed. The
term "oral sex" first came into my life at about
7 years of age. My mom and dad were watching
a news program and the reporter said that a 13-
year-old girl had been caught having oral sex
with a 14-year-old boy in the back of a school bus.
As most kids do, I completely irnored any other
details of the broadcast and blurted out, "What's
oral sex? My Mom gentle explained that the
term "oral" refers to mouth and that "oral sex"
is the medical term for kissing..."
~~~

On the other hand, since this book is about the recollections of a young man--well, it obviously was humor from his perspective...so guys will love it, and probably girls of the same age...and probably mothers...and, definitely, fathers will be saying: "That's my boy!" Well, actually, I'm not so sure about the latter. You see Edmund is only a "seven" and he's not into sports much...

In any event, you'll see that the humor I share are those that made me smile, and sometimes giggle...hey! it's my review, so get your own copy to read the guy stuff. And believe me, there's lots of it, as evidenced of the above picture--yes, purely my interpretation of whatever it is that this is supposed to represent...LOL And yes, you'll learn about awkward (that adjective I'm not so sure about since he's making jokes of those days) moments...from the boy's standpoint...

Like take for instance, the inquiring mind of a five-year-old boy fascinated with learning about new languages, cultures and geography...who sees an African-American woman who was
breastfeeding... (I figured I was safe using Angeline Jolie's cover photo!)

"I turned to my mom and innocently asked, "Do they give their babies chocolate milk?" My mom looked a little bit horrified, but she couldn't deny my astute query. "Shhhh, we'll talk about it later!" she yelped and stuffed me in the car as quickly as possible. As I sat there, in the backseat of a used station wagon, I gently pondered the lactation process. "If she gives chocolate milk, do Asian mothers give soy milk?" My little mind was on fire, and apparently the Florida heat was making me thirsty. Later on, my mom explained breastfeeding to me in detail and I was sad to learn there was no variety in flavor. This news disappointed me greatly, but looking back, this initial inkling of curiosity about different cultures would pave the way for many experiences. ~~~

I found this pic on Facebook and decided that this writer is still practicing to be on Survivor. Actually, by the way he looks now, I think he should try again...but, even though he has applied a number of times, he has never been accepted. My guess is that it's because they have a DNI file (Do not Invite!) on him after he wrote an email when he was at last contacted...

"To: Marissa (Survivor Casting)
Title: I realize that you hate me...

I realize that you hate me at this point because I am annoying but I have applied and applied and then I got a call, finally...after several years and I can't, won't let it go...so, march in the room and tell them that I will be interviewed in person. I realize that you told me to wait a week but I have the self=control of a toddler...
                                                     ~~~

Besides being reminded of my nephews, I had another family connection to one of the stories... When I was a young girl, we were told that one of our cousins had entered a convent. We'd never see her again! But when we were all adults, we learned that she had left the convent and was now married! Still haven't seen her again, but McCombs' story did make me laugh...and remember our own nun...

"Does it ever weird you out?" I asked.

 "What?" my friend Sophie responded.

"You know, the fact that your mom used to be married to the Lord." 

"I don't think about it too much, to be honest. Can you pass me the salt?" She had nonchalantly dismissed me because it may have been a non-issue for her but for me; I thought about it a lot in my life. I have met three people whose mothers were former Catholic nuns. Each beginning their pious journey at a young age, they pledged allegiance to their maker and vowed their faithfulness to Him for all eternity. However, somewhere along the way, they stumbled into a rough patch that would cause them to question the church and their own faith. Making what must have been one of life's more difficult decisions, they decided to file an "irreconcilable differences" divorce decree against Jesus H. Christ and move on to more tainted yet tangible, mortal mates. For me though, my fascination didn't lie in knowing the details of their marriage to the All Mighty. I wanted to know more about the second husbands and how exactly those men felt being the understudy of the Holy One.

~~~

Well I have to admit that we were scandalized when that rumor swept through the family. Even the non-Catholics in the family immediately wondered what kind of man her husband was...

Then we heard that he "waited on her for everything, including doing the cooking, cleaning, etc..."

My guess is that she was a Mary, like me, rather than a Martha... (inside joke???)

Hey, if you enjoy reading humor based upon personal life experiences, check this one out! There's probably a story or two that each of you will personally relate to...Or, if you're as ignorant as my two nephews who laugh at everything gross...this one is definitely for you! And a p.s. to "The Survivor..".I think your show would be fantastic with this guy providing some "light humor" to the program...Of course, I don't watch your show...

GABixlerReviews

About this author

Edmund Christopher McCombs is from beautiful Pensacola, Florida but currently living "down under" in Sydney, Australia. He began writing as an outlet to cope with the craziness that sometimes lives in his head, as opposed to beating people up. But, with his small arms and lack of coordination, writing was probably the best choice anyways.

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Rhonda Louise Pens Humorous Debut Chick Lit!

Cover Options Created by Darrell Fraser

"The woman appears to be in her early forties but we later find out is well into her fifties. She is wearing a kimono and her shiny black hair is pulled back off her face into a complicated and painful-looking configuration at the back. She is a stunning doll-like creature. We are suddenly all painfully aware that in comparison we look like the chick in the Exorcist... "I Mamasan," she says in a voice so smooth you could iceskate on it. "Mamasan," she repeats with a smile and a nod...
"You tlouble," Mamasan says nodding "talk Mama." Maamasan nods her head at the end of each sentence. We all nod our heads vigourously to indicate a) that we understand, and b) that we too like to nod a lot...

"Mamasan sits silently in her sea for a few moments while we fidget uncomfortably on stage. Finally she approaches us. She comes up on stage and walks over to Phoebe, who is the nearest. She points to the top of Phoebe's costume which is a bikini top covered in sequins.
"Off?" She looks around at all of us. Ok, it seems like she is asking Phoebe to take her top off, but w got this wrong before. We say we don't understand.
"This." She takes hold of the bikini top. "Off." We are all too tired to play this game again, so we repeat that we don't understand. Mamasan goes behind Phoebe and unclips the back of her top. She starts pulling it off her shoulders. "Off," she says firmly.
Phoebe is dumbfounded and clutching the unclipped top to her bosom. "No." We all yell. "No no no."
By now there is no doubt. Mamasan is asking us to dance topless.
                                                                       ~~~

Wombat Sushi

By Rhonda Louise

Chick Lit Lovers who enjoy Humor must take a look! Let me quickly add that I had to look up Wombat and found WOMBAT is a "Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time"... LOL  Now that was on a Internet Slang site... It also is an animal in Australia... Eat it as Sushi...??? Oh Well, you may get the idea that this is going to be a confusing book suggesting that you eat Wombat raw...or that you're wasting a part of your life on this book... Hey, I'm just sharing a little about the title... After all, I figure you were as unsure about it as I was... But if you want to enjoy a smart-mouth woman who talks to her body parts and characteristics, you're gonna love this one...

Especially when you read the recipe on the back cover...Well, that just about says it all! 

Take 6 Australian dancers and one singer...

The book is written with Samantha (Sam) sharing the story. She is a competent dancer with experience--not so for all of the troupe! But she won't go topless... In case you immediately say, What?, I just thought I'd throw in that the contract called for "16 topless dancers..."

Oh Wait! It was all probably a language problem...

You see, the book opens when Sam is auditioning for a dance position in "exotic" places... Well, it turns out to be Japan! And none of them can speak Japanese, except one with some street language...

So when the girls get off the plane in Japan, there is a man with the usual sign, but when he sees the low number and the individuals involved, he doesn't believe it is the right group...

Not a good start...  

Because when they go to the first audition and meet Mamasan, she immediately begins to point to their tops, saying "off." None of them planned on that! Finally, three girls agree to go topless, one of them a ringer brought in later. This also puts the more qualified dancers in the back, because the topless theme is what is most important0--not the dancing...

Now the interesting thing about Sam is that she makes body parts "pretend people" with whom she then discusses what to do. So when Paranoia had suggested she not apply for the job, simply stating that Sam would be out of her league, it turns out to be a fun conversation for the readers...

But Sam was totally out of money and even Paranoia couldn't do anything about that...

The mix of dancers is also somewhat strange. Annabelle has been professionally trained... And is quite a pain...
Carly has barely learned to dance, but drinks a lot and so keeps going, taking her vodka drinks wherever she goes and, ahhhh, she's not too bright, but knows it, so that helps...??? 

Janey is the singer... Marie was added because she's not afraid to go topless. Phoebe is the prettiest and is talked into going topless. And then there is Jodi... Jodi has been on a number of trips and has been named as the captain of the troupe. She quickly agree to go topless...and is quick to say that she will do it just about any way they want...

A Denny's restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In fact, Jodi provides a running commentary of what follows each night with the guys that she picks up, explicitly sharing each act with the members of her troupe... Well all of the other girls soon get tired of that, but they, too, go out nightly and take care of that "pinch of stupidity, dash of naivety, with loads and loads of alcohol." Drinking takes place in bars, and even Denny's in Japan...the drinking resulting in absolutely no self-restraint as also advertised on the back cover...

Actually, Denny's was found one night when they were all driving around trying to find their hotel. It seemed fairly easy to get local men to give them rides... Kaz had been driving when they finally saw Denny's and they all had stopped for something to eat...and drink...

Other than Jodi who manages to find a companion every night, and Marie, whose lover has come there to be with her during the tour, all of the other girls do not get involved... But, of course, they all have the club customers seeking their company after the shows to drink and talk--in fact, Mamasan requires this! LOL And each admitted later they were asked for private parties...

Sam had one night saw across the room that Jodi was with two men...One immediately caught her attention!

http://www.zimbio.com

But she was so involved with his good looks, that she could hardly speak! Finally, they did go on an afternoon drive and while out of the car, it was hauled away! This led to a wild fiasco with Japanese police with Roberto not having his passport or drivers license and then having to admit he didn't own the car...he stayed in jail while Sam did make it back to work, afraid to be fired if she had gone to get his papers! Not a great first date.

But Kaz who had driven them home that first night had become interested in Janey
had spent a lot of time with Roberto and it never worked out for Sam or Janey since they were always late, getting ready after their last shows...

You know, it is always difficult to talk about a humorous novel. The fun is in the total context of the story and is built up from the first page. For instance, if I say that one of the girls ate some chips that belong to another girl and that started an ongoing feud that continued...Telling about it just doesn't work, right? But Rhonda Louise's Sam, as the lead character, can whip out those "slide-ins" that you might almost miss if you weren't paying attention to the total narrative. And the fighting girls, well, they were quite able to share their fury!

Actually Sam is an interesting character and does well in keeping peace with most of the others throughout...but she also causes or initiates most of the things that turn out bad (though funny). Except it was Janey that decided that Sam and Roberto should take advantage of those 2-hour hotel rooms that were, first, explored...but I already told you...it just didn't happen...thankfully!

Now I haven't even mentioned that the girls were asked to do a traditional Japanese Dance and Tito who was to teach them, with Janey singing in Japanese, although she didn't speak it... Nor have I told you about the Sumo wrestlers, the Wedding...or Jabba the Hut (their manager)...

The characters are just what you'd imagine if women who danced professionally were forced to also lived together for weeks and months... Especially when they had never known each other or danced together before! The men in Japan...hmmmm... They were friendly (?)... but I'll bet they had never met a group like these Australian girls! And you won't have either! I did enjoy Sam's snappy discussion with her body parts, and her snide or sarcastic feedback, even though at terrible times...but she really was somewhat of a wimp until Janey told her about it...

Somehow I doubt Sam is going to change much... but she sure can tell it like it is in her books! 'Cause I'm just betting that Sam is a lot like the author--what say you Rhonda?! Take this on vacation as the weather turns warmer! Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

Rhonda Louise lives on the South Coast of England with her amazingly tolerant husband and their naughty daughter. Wombat Sushi is her first novel...