Maya Linnell's Blog

Need gingerbread houses in your life ASAP? I’ve been making this recipe, and these little gingerbread houses, with my kids for more than a decade, and it’s one of their very favourite Christmas traditions. 

I know, I know… gingerbread houses can be the extra hassle you don’t need mid-December, but I promise these beauties not only look pretty, and make your kitchen smell better than any Christmas-themed candle, but they taste great too.

The recipe in the photo below will make two little houses ...

Have you ever been to a country show and marvelled at the tables of mouth-watering baked goods, luscious flowers, fresh produce, and the kind of fancywork that inspires you to learn crochet? Or perhaps you’ve gone for the poultry and petting zoos, enjoyed a dagwood dog with sauce or freshly-spun fairy floss, and returned home with happy kids and an armful of showbags? Or maybe you’ve plucked up the courage to enter something on the day and scored yourself a ribbon. Either way, country shows are ...

Lenny Marks is the type of character that stays with you long after the last page, thanks to the clever writing, compassion and depth within Kerryn Mayne’s debut novel Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder. I’d been keen to read this story ever since I heard of its premise and just as I’d hoped, it proved to be an entertaining, uplifting and bittersweet combination of humour, pop culture references and heart-wrenching social issues.

I especially enjoyed the references to the Friends TV series, Lenny...

I always finish Sandie Docker’s novels feeling uplifted and better informed, and her latest book The Redgum River Retreat is yet another cracker, this time shining a light on music therapy and an overlooked part of Australia’s history. As well soaking up Sandie’s trademark warmth and sensitively explored subplots, I very much enjoyed learning about the Snapshots from Home project, which saw Aussie photographers responding to requests from soldiers on the frontline.

I could almost smell the prin...

One of the very best things a book can do is make me laugh a lot, swoon a little, set my tummy rumbling and fan the flames of wanderlust, all from the comfort of my lounge room, and I’m delighted to say, the gorgeous new release Duck á l’Orange for Breakfast did all these things and more! This novel is the print debut for Sydney author Karina May, and I’ve been seeing window displays and social media posts all over the place since its release with Pan Macmillan last month.

Readers will have a bal...