Hi, I’m Deborah. Though here I go by an old university (circa late 1980s) nickname: Debbish.
I read a lot. In fact a ‘Yes, I’ve finished another one!’ level of a lot. Mostly thrillers and mysteries. Give me a body, a secret, and an unreliable or sociopathic narrator and I’m all in, but I’m also a sucker for a good child narrator or anything that renders me a sobbing mess by the last chapter. I review most books I read here, all with complete honesty and the occasional rant.
I also love TV, have eclectic opinions about most things, and live on Queensland’s Fraser Coast, having traded big city life for a nicer view and less traffic.
The slightly longer version
I spent my twenties and most of my thirties in government before moving into international development, so I lived in a range of developing countries before eventually returning to Australia and to government.
Then in 2012 I upended my life by taking a redundancy, packing up my life, and moving to Hervey Bay for a quieter, slower existence near where I grew up. (#Spoiler: in 2022 I went back to full-time work, because apparently I cannot, in fact, sit still 🙄 . Having said that however, I’m now on the countdown to retirement when I hit 60!)
I started blogging back in 2009, long before content creators or influencers were a thing anyone aspired to be, and this website has gone through more incarnations than I can count. These days it’s mostly book reviews, with regular detours into television, life, and whatever’s currently living rent-free in my prone-to-overthinking head.
What you’ll find here
- Honest reviews: I’ll tell you what I actually thought, gushing or otherwise
- No spoilers: you can read a review here without having the ending ruined
- A bit of controlled chaos: TV opinions, life updates, the occasional rant about absolutely nothing important (and… warning: some sweary words)
My review policy
I review print copies I’ve bought, borrowed, or been sent here on the blog. Ebooks, usually ones I can only access temporarily through NetGalley or similar, get reviewed on Goodreads, unless they’re a rare 4.5–5 star read, in which case they earn a spot here too. I also share reviews on Facebook, Instagram, and (somewhat bizarrely, even to me) Pinterest.
A quick note for authors: unless we’ve worked together before, I’m not taking on new review requests at the moment. I swear it’s not personal, but I just need to manage my TBR pile.
Say hello
Got a book recommendation, a TV show I need to know about, or just want to chat? Get in touch and I’ll do my best to reply unless you’re trying to sell me something or want to write a guest post cos this site is all about ME ME ME, my love of words and the way they’re strung together.